July 13th Council Meeting

I left the meeting at ten minutes past eleven. At the point Councillor Gaertner objected to my choice of a word from the English language.

It was the last straw. Four hours and ten minutes of continual turmoil. Much of the town's business agenda still to be completed. The meeting threatening to grind to a halt once more over a Councillor's right to use a word of her choosing.

Provincial regulations require a municipality to adopt a Procedural Bylaw. It's the first item of business in the term. Council meetings are to start at 7.00 .pm, the business agenda of the municipality is to be completed by 10.30pm. It's required to be publicised. It's what people have a right to expect.

But not in the Land of Mormac.

Meetings almost invariably start late. Councillors can be in their places and the Mayor will announce at ten minutes past seven, "the meeting will begin shortly."

Or, everyone else can be seated and the Mayor appears at ten minutes past seven from somewhere else in the building.

Time means nothing to her.

It does to me.

I'm sure it does to staff who should be, where they have a right to be, at home with their families by 11 p.m. in the evening .

Yet the tardy start and midnight sojourns are a minor irritant compared to how time is occupied in between.

I had a call from a resident after the Meeting on July 13th. I was informed the meeting lost quorum at 11.25 pm.

Councillor Gallo was not in attendance. I left at 11.10pm. .Councillors McRoberts and Collins Mrakas exited the Chamber during receipt of specific reports which they had opposed being on the agenda.

The Mayor, Councillors MacEachern, Gaertner, Granger and Wilson remained.

Councillor Mac Eachern had previously declared "an interest" in the reports and stated she would not participate in the discussion.

No matter, her presence constituted a quorum.

At 11.25 pm. Councillor Mac Eachern left the Council chamber.

In accordance with Bourinot's Parliamentary Rules of Order, that was the moment of adjournment.

When a meeting falls below quorum, it is unnecessary to declare adjournment

It is established by the loss of quorum.

A meeting of Council cannot begin without quorum . A meeting cannot continue without quorum.

If the Chair vacates during a meeting, business ends immediately.The meeting cannot be re-convened. Council cannot appoint a replacement for the chair.

The consequence ? .... no decisions made beyond the point of adjournment are valid.

That the time was an hour after adjournment and continued for yet another hour, does nothing to ameliorate the problem.

The Clerk does not agree with my analysis.

He cites a difference in the length of the absence.

It matters not a whit.

He cites no business was conducted .

GIVE ME A BREAK.

Kingdoms have been lost for want of a horse.

Governments have fallen for loss of quorum .

All decision made after quorum was lost can be challenged.

They did it in public. It's all on tape.

The whole disgraceful mess.