A former Port Coquitlam mayoral candidate was banned this week from speaking during open question period at city council meetings.
Instead, Patrick Alambets will only be allowed to appear as a delegation or submit questions to council in writing.
His questions will be vetted by the corporate officer to ensure they pertain to city business and are "free of inappropriate comments," a city spokesperson said. And, if approved, they will be read verbatim at the public input opportunity at a subsequent council meeting.
The prohibition order, which council unanimously passed on Monday night, is in effect for a year and may be renewed.
The move is intended to restrict Alambets in response to comments he has made about Mayor Greg Moore, council and staff, according to a city report.
In December, at council's last meeting of the year, Moore told Alambets - after he verbally attacked Moore and his family during question period - "that will be the last question you will ever ask."
Afterward, Moore told The Tri-City News council wanted to stop Alambets from being disruptive; the following day, Alambets retaliated by calling council "incompetent" and "vote whores."
At Monday's meeting - after council voted to move the open question period to be part of its regular agenda and before adjournment, thus allowing the chair to have more control - Alambets appeared as a delegation to speak about "media coverage." But once at the podium, he admitted that was not the true subject of his presentation.
Instead, the 69-year-old called Moore's comments last month libellous and demanded a retraction and apology from the mayor before the next council meeting on Jan. 26. Otherwise, Alambets threatened he would take the mayor to court.
Reading from a statement, Alambets told Moore he was "not surprised" with council's proposal to limit his free speech and compared PoCo council to terrorist groups such as al-Qaida and the Taliban.
Before the vote on the prohibition order, Coun. Darrell Penner - who moved the resolution, with Coun. Glenn Pollock seconding - said he anticipated Alambets would launch a lawsuit. Penner said Alambets' behaviour during open question period could make other residents feel uncomfortable.
"Unfortunately... it's been very clear that this gentleman has abused the public process - severely, in my opinion," Penner said, "and I think this prohibition doesn't preclude the gentleman from asking questions or from coming to meetings but that the questions are focused specifically to issues related to city business and not personal attacks on council."
Penner was the only councillor to speak about the motion.
Council rejected a second option offered by city staff to remove open question period from the regular council agenda altogether - a decision made many communities around B.C., Moore said.
Prohibition orders are permitted under Section 114 (4) of the Community Charter, the provincial legislation guiding municipal government conduct.
As a result of council's action, a notice will be posted outside the entrance to city hall and copies of the order will be delivered to Alambets and Coquitlam RCMP. Further, council has requested a Mountie be present at each council meeting to enforce the order against Alambets.
Meanwhile, in a separate vote on Monday - moved by Coun. Mike Forrest and seconded by Coun. Brad West - council also unanimously changed its policy to place open question period before the adjournment of the council meeting. This means that comments made during public input will be officially on record and recorded in the minutes.
For his part, Alambets showed no reaction to council's decisions and, after the meeting, declined to comment to The Tri-City News.
Still, during open question period, Alambets' neighbour, Bill Atfield posed three questions on Alambets' behalf, one of which he was unable to explain the meaning of when asked by the mayor.
Said Moore, "We are trying to be as transparent as we can. We are trying to encourage our residents to come forward and ask questions - not just on city business as in front of us tonight, but anything that's going on in this community."
In 2003, then mayor Scott Young and council banned former mayoral candidate and council watcher Sylvia Osberg - a longtime PoCo resident - from attending any council or committee meeting, public hearing or question period.
@jwarrenTC
