Bright Lights, Big City

As the days grow longer, Brandon City Council is about to examine an idea that could make Brandon a little darker. Council is looking at preparing a bylaw that would not allow beacons such as the one at the Canad Inns to shine after 11 P.M., citing complaints from city residents. For some people, as seen by the submissions to the opinion page of the Brandon Sun in the past 2 weeks, the beacon really isn't a big thing to be concerned about.

One response, however, bothered me. Someone wrote to the paper saying, "Progress, hopefully, has hit Brandon. Let’s start growing with it and keep our sights on important things." The "progress" mantra is something I have difficulty with. Throughout history the argument of "progress" was used to dismiss any discussion of the consequences of our activities, such as the dismissal of the consequences in the areas where hydroelectric dams were built. I'm not saying that "progress" is inherently bad, but in each instance we should take a good look at what the costs will be, and then decide whether those costs are worth it.

Does the beacon at Canad Inns come without a cost? No. Light pollution is a major issue throughout the world. And as problematic as it is already, most street lighting, unlike the beacon, is aimed towards the ground and serves a practical purpose for people in the city. Researchers have documented impacts on ecosystems. It consumes a large amount of electricity that could be better used for other purposes. It also spoils a major attraction of the Prairie region. One thing people love about the Prairies is being able to look up on a clear night and see the stars. Urban lighting interferes with this. And it's not as if Brandon would be the first place to pass such a law. As one of the councillors in favour of this bylaw pointed out, other municipalities of differing sizes have bylaws on the books dealing with exterior lighting. Although I personally would prefer to keep the skies dark at night, turning out the lights at 11 is a compromise I can live with, so it's not like the the hotel can't shine its beacon at all. I don't think it's too much to ask to either address the problem or, if possible, to prevent it from happening.