Yellowknife (Feb 18/05) - Coun. Kevin O'Reilly drew the ire of his municipal counterparts Monday when he suggested they should be removed for disagreeing with him over a re-zoning bylaw.

"Maybe we need to find some new councillors," O'Reilly said during a contentious debate over building developments in the downtown core.

O'Reilly was lobbying for an amendment forcing contractors to perform detailed studies on wind patterns and shadow effects for new buildings over four stories high.

Coun. Doug Witty called the comment "completely inflammatory and not conducive to a good working atmosphere. I am disappointed with his conduct and would like an apology."

One councillor uttered a partially audible "screw off" after the O'Reilly remark.

Coun. Alan Woytuik joined Witty in asking for an apology. "I, too, was insulted by Coun. O'Reilly," he said. O'Reilly did not apologize. His amendment was defeated 5-2.

Tsunami donation

City council decided to donate $20,000 worth of "in-kind" services for Asian tsunami relief over the protestation of two members who said the disaster is not a municipal responsibility.

"There is a cost to it," said Woytuik. "It is taxpayer dollars going outside of the community. As much as I sympathize, I cannot support it."

Witty said several members of the public told him donations should left to private citizens.

"People were taking this on as a personal issue," he said.

The motion eventually passed by a vote of 5-2. The city will make the donation - which could take the form of sending a city engineer overseas - through Federation of Canadian Municipalities, which is co-ordinating help from hundreds of cities and towns across the country.

The tsunami, which struck five Southeast Asian countries on Dec. 26, killed nearly 200,000 people.

O'Reilly said city workers would be ideal for the relief effort because they have experience working in remote areas and finding novel solutions to engineering problems.

Council shelved an earlier proposal to send a $20,000 cash donation to the relief efforts.

Power relay

City council agreed to sell a parcel to land near Niven Lake to Northland Utilities, where the power company is expected to expand an existing power station.

The move was opposed by O'Reilly, who worried the fence surrounding the complex would be visible from the trail around Niven Lake.