In a statement regarding Thursday’s Niagara Region council meeting and a motion to remove the Palestine-Israeli conflict discussion from the agenda, chair Jim Bradley said everything that occurred was in accordance with the Region’s procedural bylaw.
A motion made by St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe to remove the item from the agenda “provided specific rationale that the item in question was clearly outside the jurisdiction of the Region,” he said, adding the result was a decision of council. Haley Bateman, who had planned to make the motion, and NOTL Regional Coun. Andrea Kaiser, were the only councillors who voted to allow it to go forward.
As chair, Bradley only votes to break ties. “However, I wish to state that I agree with my colleagues and I view the item in question as not being within the jurisdiction of the Region. This agenda item was not appropriate for our consideration,” he said.
Councillors should always be cautious when bringing items forward that are outside regional council’s core mandate, he added. “When we stray from our central business there is always a potential that council may decline to hear the motion.”
As chair, he is charged to maintain the decorum and civility in council chambers, he said in his statement. “I believe that councillors expect me to take the necessary steps to ensure the business of the Region can be completed and I believe that is what we accomplished.”
“While tonight’s meeting was unorthodox," he continued, "regional council concluded all of the necessary components of our agenda in service of our constituents.”
Although there may be some “who chose to view through a different lens,” Bradley said he wants to “ensure the public that this was matter of procedure, and council made their decision based on not wanting to debate an issue outside of their jurisdiction.”
He said it’s unfortunate so many residents attended council with the intent of speaking given the “low likelihood” that council would be willing to debate an item outside their jurisdiction. "I believe this is a lesson for all members to be vigilant of what they bring to chambers and not to set unrealistic expectations with our constituents going forward,” he said.
In the Region’s procedural bylaw, the only rules about notice of motions are that they are presented at a meeting of council, but shall not be debated until the next regular meeting of council. They can be delivered to the clerk not less than seven days prior to the date of the meeting at which the motion is to be introduced, reads the bylaw.
Another section of the bylaw says the chair shall “receive and submit to a vote all motions presented by the members of council or committee, as the case may be, which do not contravene the rules of procedure.” But the chair also has the ability to “decline to put to a vote motions which are contrary to the rules of procedure or which are beyond the jurisdiction of council.”
Asked whether requests to make a delegation are automatically granted, Bradley’s office explained that as long as the individual has not already spoken to the issue at committee and is conforming to the Region’s rules of conduct, that they can’t be offensive, disrespectful or disobey the rules of procedure or the chair, they can speak to an agenda item.