Kids lead debate on anti-idling bylaw (Yo can click here to see the full article)
Councillors urged to reduce unnecessary, harmful pollution
Susan Ruttan, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Wednesday, March 05
EDMONTON - Clutching a small stuffed polar bear, Grade 7 student Willow Austin made her case for an anti-idling bylaw before city councillors Tuesday.
"Idling harms people like me," the confident youngster told members of the transportation and public works committee. She cited research showing that children are most vulnerable to air pollution.
Also vulnerable, she said, are polar bears, because greenhouse gases in the air are melting the polar ice.
Austin was one of seven speakers, including two other children, who came to the committee meeting to urge council to pass an idling bylaw.
They came even though the process of developing a draft bylaw has barely begun, and a public hearing on the matter won't happen until next fall.
"I believe most people are not aware that they are doing harm" by idling, said Austin, who is a member of a children's group called Eco-Air.
Eco-Air members reward drivers with a sticker when they turn off their vehicles outside schools, fast-food restaurants and corner stores.
The committee approved continued work on the bylaw proposal. City staff plan to hold citizen forums, create a web page and hold a public hearing on the matter before the bylaw goes to council later this year for approval.
Michelle Vincent, a mother of three, told the committee she has a neighbour who left his diesel truck running for several days during the last cold snap. She said she called police to protest, but they could do nothing, because the city has no bylaw prohibiting idling. "This is a wonderful step for health reasons and the environment," Vincent said.
Kent Cameron, a University of Alberta student, said the bylaw must have some teeth in it. He said there's a no-idling sign on the campus residence where he lives, but drivers park in front of the sign and leave their engines running.
Mayor Stephen Mandel said in a later interview that he wants the city to be a leader on the issue, especially through educating motorists to turn off their vehicle engines. Mandel is more cautious about a full bylaw prohibiting idling, which bylaw officers would be expected to enforce. He said he wants to see the cost of that, and whether it would be enforceable.
St. Albert city council is also considering an anti-idling bylaw. Councillors there have asked for information on the cost of enforcement and of an information campaign on the issue, before voting on final readings of the bylaw on March 25.