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BREAKING: The Mayor just spelled out an entire URL during other business. Beautiful use of "other business" during a meeting.

Hi friends: David on scene here at Peterborough City Council. We haven't posted (skeeted?) in a couple of weeks, but @sebastianj-l.bsky.social's play-by-play is as excellent as ever. Louanne will likely be back posting (skeeting?) when council reconvenes in two weeks.

Adjourned! Thanks for following along with me as always.

The main motion carries.

"This has to do with creating some sort of understanding of what's happening on that site ... we don't have that ... that's a failure of this council," says Coun. @alexbierk.bsky.social .

Now finally onto the main motion to receive staff's health and safety approach (HASA) report on the GE demolition, after (if I recall correctly) six amendments.

Mayor Leal as well.

Coun. Lachica says this is essentially the same as her motion, but without explicit mention of the CBO. Clerk Natalie Garnett concurs.

Comm. Blair Nelson say this would need to wait until the demolition application goes before the CBO, at which point he would have already made a decision.

A new amendment from Coun. Crowley directing for staff to retrieve a copy of GE Vernova's demolition plan once publicly available and report back to council.

Now voting. The amendment is lost.

"There's probably three ministries involved here ... if anything, they're gonna add scrutiny."

Coun. Haacke will not support the motion. "People don't trust GE. I understand. But you have the ministry involved ... they do not cut corners," he says.

"Why aren't they forthcoming when Peterborough [public] health ask? ... We need to do what we can," she says.

@joylachica.bsky.social says the interest of council is the surrounding area, not the private property of GE Vernova at 107 Park St. N. She reminds that Peterborough public health has already authored a letter asking GE their demolition plan.

He recommends deferring the motion.

"I wouldn't say that the debate or the motion itself is definite evidence that the City is influencing the CBO," but it could lead someone to believe that they are doing so, says Director of Legal Services Alan Barber.

She says exposing the City to litigation exposes the taxpayers as well.

"GE own this land, they are responsible for the cost, they hold the liability over it," says Coun. Parnell as Coun. Bierk leaves council chambers.

"We have not heard a clear and determinate answer through any of these discussions what the extent of contamination is," adds @alexbierk.bsky.social . Where is the equipment used inside the former GE factory? He asks.

"I feel like we're at the Olympics right now with all the mental gymnastics," says Bierk. "It says very clearly in the preamble [to the amending motion] 'to the City's best available knowledge.'"

She says people have contacted her to say that Peterborough needs to hire a contaminant hydrogeologist to look into this - "they should be paying for this. Not us."

Coun. Lachica will support the motion. "We're trying every which way we possibly can to make ensure that our constituents are protected ... we need not to assume that they're going to do the right thing," she says.

CAO Jasbir Raina replies that "this is a private property," and "the CBO ... can request every study to be done."

If staff lack the expertise to evaluate the environmental consequences of demolitions at the GE site, how could the CBO grant a demolition permit? Asks Coun. Riel.

Baldwin wonders if the necessary technical expertise exists in the City. "No, we do not ... I'm not certain that we have any of the information," says Commissioner Blair Nelson.

"Love this, and I'll support this," says Coun. Crowley.

He says this is a reworking of his motion that failed 5-5 last week.

Now hearing about a new amendment from Coun. Bierk for staff to prepare a plan for public transparency around the demolition and its environmental impacts, and request of GE Vernova a report of all publicly available environmental studies on the site.

Now voting on Lachica's amendment. It's lost.