Vancouver Sun
Emotions ran high at a Richmond council meeting Monday night as councillors heard from the public about a motion to ask city staff to examine the possibility of a safe-consumption site.
After the first speaker spoke against implementing a drug consumption site within the Richmond General Hospital precinct, many people in the packed council chamber cheered and broke out into chants of, “No drugs, no drugs.” …
The rowdy reaction earned a rebuke from Mayor Malcolm Brodie, who said the crowd needs to “respect the process.”
“This is not some kind of theatre or a carnival,” he said. “This is a very solemn occasion when we are making important discussions and decisions for the city.”
Brodie, who is Richmond’s longest-serving mayor, said he has been in public hearings since the mid-1990s and “that is the first time I’ve had that kind of a reaction here in city council.
“It is not going to happen,” he said. “Is there anybody who doesn’t understand that?”
Speakers on both sides of the argument addressed council over several hours. …