'I'm just suggesting that you're harming your cause the more you talk': Nenshi and Chu trade barbs in council

It's not the first time and it likely won't be the last, as Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Coun. Sean Chu exchanged barbs in council chambers on Tuesday.

That said, it was quite the exchange (which you can listen to in its entirety below).

Chu, a vocal opponent of cycle tracksboth present and proposed, was asking questions about changes to the East Village Area Redevelopment Plan.

He veered off topic intorules around car and bikeparking downtown and how that was used as justification for the downtown bike network.

There were some comments from councillors across the chamber which weren't picked up by a mic, angering Chu.

"Excuse me, I have the floor. Your Worship?" he said.

'I'm sorry that you didn't know that'

Nenshi then seized the opportunity to scold Chu for not knowing the city's own bylaws and for asking a question he should know the answer to: namely the city requires certain amounts of car and bicycle parking for every new downtown building.

"I understand Your Worship, but the thing is that at that time we were never told that it was required," said Chu.

"I think everyone else around this table would have known that it was in the bylaw," quipped Nenshi in reply."I'm sorry that you didn't know that, I think everyone else knew that."

When Chu asked the mayor not to shut him down, Nenshi didn't hold back.

"I'm not shutting you down, I'm just suggesting that you're harming your cause the more you talk," he said.

No amendments

Chu said he wasn't against the whole Area RedevelopmentPlan for the East Village, which was the actual topic at hand, but that he didn't like the possibility of future cycle tracks in the plan.

"I don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water, now what should I do?" said Chu.

"You could do as any other council member would have done, which is prepare amendments in advance. Since you don't have them, just vote against the whole thing," said Nenshi.

"OK, thank you," said Chu, before being lambasted some more by Nenshi for not knowing cycle tracks were in the East Village plan.

"If councillors don't read the material in front of them, I can't help that. It was very clearly in the business plan that council approved. So if you don't read it, I can't help you and I'm sorry about that."

CBC News Calgary4:31Nenshi and Chu trade barbs in Calgary council chambers

Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Coun. Sean Chu had a heated exchange in council chambers on Tuesday.

'Not good for all of us'

An unrepentant Nenshi said after the meeting that he gives Chu plenty of chances to ask questions, but sometimeshe feels the need to step in as the chair.

"I think the other members of council understand that as much work has to happen outside of council as on the floor," he said.

Coun.Shane Keating said during the meeting that while questions can sometimes go off-topic,the effort to get the meeting back on track can also drag out the matter. It's something he said is "not good for all of us."

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