Whistle Bend sports complex denied, Whitehorse councillor storms out
Councillor Dave Stockdale demands mayor explain vote, walks out of meeting, calling it a 'farce'
A heated debate in Whitehorse City Council chambers Monday night ended with a Yukon councillor yelling "fire me" and storming out before the meeting was over.
The dispute was in regards to a zoning request that would allow the Yukon government to build two soccer pitches and an eight-lane track in Whitehorse's Whistle Bend Subdivision. Council ultimately voted not to pass the zoning change, stating concerns that there was not a concrete guarantee from the territory that it would pay for the facility's operations if rental fees fell short.
After a long debate, council agreed to an amendment to the government's original proposal, splitting the project into two phases, but even with the amendment, the zoning request did not pass.
Councillor Dave Stockdale, who voted in favour of the request, stated that he thought it would benefit Whitehorse in the long run. He lost his temper after the vote, demanding answers from Mayor Dan Curtis after he voted against the request.
"Your worship, you voted for the amendment," said Stockdale, while being chiding by meeting chair Mike Gladish for speaking out of turn. "Why didn't you vote for the amended motion?"
Gladish then warned Stockdale for speaking out of order, which led to the councillor saying that he "didn't give a shit.
"Fire me! Whatever you have to do," he yelled. "We have a Sergeant at Arms, he can walk me out. I've never seen such a farce in my life."
Stockdale left immediately after his outburst, without council taking further action.
The outburst comes on the heels of another Whitehorse City Councillor, Kirk Cameron, resigning his post following a March meeting, saying it was designed to draw attention to recent firings at city hall.