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Ask away, says council

Councillors shoot down proposed time limits on asking questions

By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express

In what may be the first dividing issue inside the Oshawa council chambers this term, a majority of councillors fought off a motion that would have seen the amount of time permitted to ask delegations and staff questions limited to 10 minutes each.

The motion limiting the amount of time councillors can ask questions was originally brought forward by Mayor John Henry.

Councillors Amy England, Rick Kerr, John Neal, John Aker, John Shields and Nancy Diamond voted against the limit, while Mayor Henry and councillors Nester Pidwerbecki, Doug Sanders, Dan Carter and Bob Chapman supported the motion.

England, who had previously voiced her displeasure with the idea, again spoke out at the June 29 council meeting, claiming the limit would restrict councillors’ ability to do their job.

“It’s our job to ask questions,” she said. “Part of the business of the city and doing the job as council members is to ask all the questions the public wants us to ask.”

She added that it’s a matter of maintaining a strong democracy inside the council chambers.

“In terms of dialogue and in terms of respect for democracy, we have the ability to ask questions,” she said. “I think this is an inappropriate step forward.”

However, Chapman says the 10-minute limit would be more than enough for councillors who come prepared to the meetings, having already asked many of their questions previously at the committee level.

“I think councillors come prepared to do the work; the work is at committee,” he said.

Councillor Doug Sanders agreed, saying 10 minutes was more than enough time.

“Ten minutes to speak on an issue or ask questions of staff, I think, is a reasonable period of time,” he said.

However, those councillors who just couldn’t stomach the idea overruled the agreeable voices.

“I feel like this is an answer to a problem that doesn’t exist,” said Shields, who explained council has been keeping their meetings efficient and has moved away from a trend of marathon council meetings that was typical of the previous term.

For Aker, the debate was about more than just efficiency.

“If you weigh democracy against efficiency, in our society, democracy must win every time,” he said.

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