City council, for the time being, has pulled the plug on the Porter Creek greenbelt development.

Making good on a promise he voiced Monday morning, Mayor Ernie Bourassa put forward a motion at Monday night's council meeting.

It called for the halt of any and all work being done on the Porter Creek development proposal until the Yukon government can get its act together.

As reported in the Star last Friday and Monday, the area the city has been eyeing for 280 residential lots in the Porter Creek greenbelt is the same area that's been promised as endowment lands for Yukon College by Education Minister John Edzerza.

It's also the same area that Community Services Minister Glenn Hart has said may become protected.

Hart, whose department controls the land, said he will consult with the area's stakeholders, including Edzerza, to determine who will get to use the land and for what purpose.

In a series of interviews conducted by the Star, no one has been able to explain how the three-plans-for-one-area debacle happened.

'I'd like to make the recommendation that we cease the development process until such time that we have a concrete consultation with the YTG with regards to the development,' Bourassa told council last night.

Bourassa said he made the motion to prevent the city from wasting any more time or money on development plans for the Porter Creek area which may or may not end up belonging to someone else.

Adding to the discussion, Coun. Jan Stick said she supported Bourassa's move. She said she was disappointed she had to learn about additional YTG plans for the Porter Creek greenbelt through the media.

'I would support that motion because a lot of people are in turmoil and upset with the planning process.

'To read that in the paper Friday, I was just flabbergasted,' Stick told her fellow councillors.

'Somebody's not talking to someone.'

Wading into the debate, Coun. Bev Buckway said she'd like the city to take a proactive approach and set a meeting with territorial officials to sort out the three-plans-for-one-area mess.

Coun. Doug Graham agreed with Bourassa. If the city continued moving forward with the planning process without knowing what was actually scheduled to happen with the land, Graham said, city administrators would effectively be wasting their time.

'I really believe we are just spinning our wheels here,' he said.

Coun. Mel Stehelin also agreed with Bourassa, saying the YTG had 'short-circuited' the city.

'Let's talk with the people we should be dealing with and get this sorted out,' Stehelin said.

Telling council he wouldn't be the only one to hold back, Coun. Dave Austin said he too believes the city has been dealt with unfairly.

'I agree; I think we back off this thing until the YTG quits playing political football with this thing and stops trying to garner votes in Porter Creek,' Austin said.