Protecting the environment for future generations is a motherhood issue. Anyone who disagrees also probably doesn’t like kittens.
So, on the surface, the City of Vernon’s looming crackdown on idling vehicles made sense. Exhaust fumes are a contributing factor in pollution and greenhouse gases, which are responsible for climate change.
On March 11, a majority of council gave three readings to a bylaw that would have seen tickets issued to anyone who left their vehicle operating while sitting for more than five minutes. At this point, usually adoption is generally a simple rubber stamp.
But that wasn’t the case Monday.
Instead of giving final approval to the bylaw, council did a complete U-turn and opted to shelve the matter for the next six months.
Deferral was led by Coun. Bob Spiers, who admittedly has always been lukewarm to a legislative solution.
“The objective can be achieved by an educational campaign,” he said.
The next step will include determining how to create general awareness among the population that it isn’t necessary to keep your vehicle running because you are waiting for little Johnny to leave school or you had to run into the corner store for a jug of milk.
Mayor Rob Sawatzky fully supported the shift from regulation to information.
“We want to do what is most effective,” he said.
Fair enough. But one still has to wonder what happened during that two-week period to lead Sawatzky and virtually every other member of council to back away from the bylaw.
Was there finally a realization that a bylaw would be almost unenforceable, and having staff wandering around looking for puffs of exhaust may not be the best use of resources?
But, of course, a lot of staff time was burned up in creating the proposed regulation in the first place.
Bylaw enforcement manager Clint Kanester and senior administration did extensive research into the options before the city, including what other communities have done about idling vehicles. Then, formal documents that conform to city policies and provincial legislation had to be drafted so they could be presented to council for consideration.
Ultimately, the politicians are the boss and they determine whether a bylaw lives or dies. But at a time when there are so many pressing issues before the city, staff had shoved other work aside and made anti-idling a priority because that’s what council wanted.
And of course, the task isn’t over.
Staff must now develop a public awareness campaign that is effective and, hopefully, doesn’t cost significant bucks.
But, civic workers be warned. Your elected masters could have you dusting off that bylaw in six months time.
“We can see if the (education) campaign works and if it (bylaw) needs to be brought back, it can be brought back in the future,” said Spiers.
For now, residents can keep idling away but they may be left wondering what all of the political debate has done for a warming planet?
—Richard Rolke is the senior reporter for The Morning Star
