I attended the Public Hearing for the 105 Keefer rezoning last night, and the atmosphere is really something else. I'm not sure how well people have been keeping up with the security measures implemented, but I'll post some of them here:
Quote:
· The lower seating area of the Council Chamber will be reserved for registered speakers and staff only.
· All speakers are required to check in at the ground floor Information Kiosk where they will be given a number indicating speaking order.
· Overflow speakers will be seated in the Chamber balcony, the unreserved area of the third floor lobby, and in the Media Centre on the main floor.
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Once you get up to the anti chamber, it's filled with the usual suspects when it comes to the anti-growth of the neighbourhood. There were mostly young kids filling the room, sitting in pajama pants, and the having fully drunk the cool-aid. They scream applause to any view they approve of, and boo and hiss those who speak in favor of the project as they are leaving. The followers in the anti chamber scream the chants of their speaking leaders, all in an effort to intimidate not only council, but those who might show up to speak in favor.
I watched as security would ebb and flow into the room, and as one person with me stated, the atmosphere was reminiscent of the energy before a riot. I feel the city needs to a better job when it comes to controlling this, as there plenty of speakers from previous days still coming up to the room to engage in their bully tactics. There was an older woman (speaker 18), who was against the project. She was still in attendance at the next meeting, cheering and booing when prompted all the while knitting yarn... Demonstrating perhaps how disconnected these people are to the world of today, the crisis of the neighbourhood, and the housing shortage of the city.
So far, I would honestly say it feels like the older residents, the business owners, and people with current connections to Chintatown are in favor of the project.
Most of the opposition comes from people who no longer live in the area, twenty-year-olds that remember what it was like walking with their grandparents. They seem unrealistic, believing that only projects that 100% shelter rate housing should proceed, and of course there's the typical Nimbys.
In short, those against are generally those who are either holding onto a memory, rather than the real neighbourhood, or those that come off as delusional.
What is most unbelievable is that 92 people have spoken so far, and 193 speakers remain!!
I wouldn't blame council / city staff if they all took a month of vacation after this; frankly, I'm disgusted by the nonsensical backlash.
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