A large crowd made their way into council chambers at St. John’s City Hall yesterday over what they believe is a lack of action to deal with excessively bright lights set up on private property in the Outer Battery.
Battery resident Christina Smith spoke to protesters before the meeting, saying that the issue of lighting is not limited to her neighbourhood.
“This law is not for us,” says Smith. “This law is for all of the citizens of St. John’s who are suffering and getting no help from the city. This law is to protect other citizens from the kind of problems we’ve been enduring.”
Protesters can be heard chanting “turn out the light” outside City Hall. @VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/VqAnRR1jJo
— Sara Strickland (@_SaraStrickland) January 16, 2023
Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O’Leary tabled a motion to request that the government allow for an amendment to the St. John’s Act to enact a nuisance lighting bylaw.
While many councillors sympathized with residents affected by the bright lights, they did not believe an amendment to the city act was the solution, and voted the motion down 8 to 1.
The motion to request that the province allow the city to enact a nuisance lighting bylaw has been lost. pic.twitter.com/1MLuwSdtxZ
— Sara Strickland (@_SaraStrickland) January 16, 2023
Ward councillor, Ophelia Ravencroft addressed council virtually because of safety concerns stemming from threats made in social media posts.
Ravencroft admits it’s a difficult situation, but says bylaws cannot be implemented overnight and it’s time to look at the bigger picture.
She says it’s time to look at making amendments to the city act as a whole, as it has not been updated in over 30 years. By making changes, Ravencroft believes the city will have modern tools to deal with modern problems, such as the Battery lighting issue.
Mayor Danny Breen says they’re working with the province to update the legislation, with a current timetable being fall of 2024.
He’s calling on MHAs to speed up the process.
Area MHA John Abbott says the province is willing to put the amendment forward to allow the city to enact a nuisance lighting bylaw. pic.twitter.com/tQ27aa9MMQ
— Sara Strickland (@_SaraStrickland) January 16, 2023
