As I write this, I can crane my head around a little to catch a glimpse of Toronto's CN Tower, and as a lifelong resident of the area I have always felt a certain pride in the world-leading, slightly odd-looking, structure.

So I like the Tower. However, I have mixed feelings about the plan to light the thing up on June 28.

Apparently, all the world's great towers are regularly lit up. The Eiffel Tower in Paris – a structure that was almost torn down more than once because Parisians considered it too ugly – was first illuminated in 1900 and today its steel-beamed elegance is shown off using internal sodium lights and two big spots. Other notable towers around the world are also spared the indignity of actually being dark at night.

So why not Toronto's own claim to tall fame? After all, the new LED lighting system is said to be both energy efficient and cost effective.

Fair enough, but all that means is less energy is used and less pollution created than would have been the case with older technology. If you really want to use less energy, don't light the thing at all. That's really energy efficient.

But the real issue may not even be exactly how much energy is actually used. As a percentage of Toronto's total energy consumption it can't be all that much. The real issue is that the CN Tower is a symbol of Toronto, and at a time when we are increasingly worried about the environment and being told that governments and business are taking those concerns seriously, burning fossil fuels for this seems like an odd move.

The Tower will shine brightly over the Toronto skyline from dusk to 1:00 a.m. every night. What message will that send about our real commitment to environmental action?

Peter Wolchak