Mayor McKay Explains 'Signs Policy'

---

Currently, there is no policy in place that either allows or disallows signs being displayed in the gallery. Mr. Stearman is the only member of the public who frequently displays signs at our weekly meetings. When he displays a sign or signs that would cause people to become distracted, or feel unsafe, that is where I have to draw the line. Some of the signs previously displayed by Mr. Stearman have purposely intended to embarrass, ridicule, or taunt members of Council. When a Council member feels intimidated or doesn’t enter debate on a matter because of Mr. Stearman’s signs, that is not helpful to conducting our business.

As the Chair of meetings, the Mayor or Acting Mayor, have the responsibility to ensure that each meeting is run smoothly and is free of distractions that may disrupt the business of Council or interfere with someone’s ability to concentrate on who’s speaking.

During my first six months as Chair my approach to running Council meetings has been to listen to the feedback concerning their functionality and determine if changes to the meetings are warranted. Many members of the public have expressed their concerns with respect to Mr. Stearman’s signs at Council meetings.

Before closing, let me make it very clear, that I invite dialogue with members of the community. If Mr. Stearman wishes to discuss any topic of concern, he’s more than welcome to sit down with me, conversely, sign up as a delegation, or come up to the podium during question period. I encourage conversations with the citizens.