In mid-September I was invited by Livable Saint John (https://www.facebook.com/groups/LiveableSJ/) to emcee a public event related to some industrial activity that has had significant impacts on residents in Saint John. A recycling operation was established in 2012 adjacent to a local neighborhood, and the business has grown.
The business has been noisy, has released pollutants within the neighborhood, been the site of 3 fires in 10 years, and experienced two workplace deaths. More information is available here
https://globalnews.ca/news/9960122/aim-facility-saint-john-fire/
Preparing To Emcee
I was happy
to emcee the event as long as specific ground rules were in place. As emcee, it
would be my role to ensure these ground rules were followed. The purpose of the
event was to hold an open forum to allow residents to explain personal impacts they’ve
experienced as a result of company operations.
There is quite a lot of anger in the community based on a recent fire at
the facility, in addition to the ongoing issues at the site. A public forum could become confrontational,
and the host and I wanted to create a respectful environment where citizens
could simply share their stories, without making accusations.
The event was a success. People told about losing their vegetable gardens because of unknown pollutants now in the soil as a result of the fire, inability to breathe because of air quality, lost revenue at businesses that were forced to close during the 40- hour fire, about being unable to sleep because of noise from the operation, and more. Some coverage is available here
How To Create
A Respectful Environment
While
planning the event with the host from Livable Saint John, Raven Blue, we
established the following goals and guidelines and shared them frequently before,
and during, the event on websites, posters, and in discussion with
stakeholders. Here are the very simple goals and guidelines;
1. Goals and Guidelines: To enable members of the public to
share how this recycling activity at Port of Saint John impacts each as
citizens
○
Sign-in required
○
No attacks on people
○
No attacks on
companies
○
An opportunity to
share how noise, pollution, etc. impact their lives
○
Comments limited to
3 minutes
2. Signup in advance is required to have access to the
microphone, i.e. no anonymous commentary.
Results
As a result
of the clear guidelines, some local politicians attended and volunteered to
briefly speak. Many were invited, and a handful chose to attend. Some local
politicians have avoided similar events because they have been verbally abused.
It is a dilemma when someone wishes to support an event and offer comments, but
is reluctant to appear.
In the case
of this polluting business, only two organizations have the ability to address
the issues at the site, specifically the government department that grants the
right to operate, and the port authority that leases the land.
The sign-in
process during the event was a good control point. At other events, I’ve seen
attendees spurred to action, step to the microphone, and then offer
inflammatory comments publicly, but anonymously, by not offering their name. That
said, the sign-in process did reduce participation.
The
guideline which stated there were to be no personal attacks gave me the right
as emcee to cut off the microphone if comments weren’t aligned with the
guidelines of the event. I didn’t have
to do so. Instead, I announced, and reminded of, the guidelines a few times
during the proceedings.
The
three-minute limit on comments wasn’t rigidly enforced, but did establish an
expectation. I would have interjected If a participant had spoken overly long.
Conclusion
I was
pleased to assist Livable Saint John with this event. There is a good deal of
frustration and anger with a company that, in my opinion, does not belong near
housing and residents.
Our town hall was registered and then conducted in a public square, Kings Square, in the city. That offered the benefit of some additional attendees who were passing through the square and chose to participate, but the space in the large square made the attendance appear less significant than what was achieved. We estimate about 70 people attended, primarily to listen and depart with a fact sheet. The fact sheet and more information is available here (https://www.facebook.com/groups/LiveableSJ/)
We were
fortunate to enjoy clear, mild weather for the event.
Some
planning, and frequent communication of goals and guidelines, enabled us to
provide a respectful environment where citizens could tell their stories.
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