| Facility partnership idea floated |
| But behind-closed-doors meeting with Blue
Mountain Village inappropriate, say councillors |
| By Morgan Ian Adams |
| Enterprise-Bulletin (Fri, January 26, 2000) |
| COLLINGWOOD - The town is looking at a potential
partnership with surrounding municipalities - and possibly the association
managing the new village at Blue Mountain - for the multi-use facility. |
| However, some councillors feel an in camera meeting held
Monday night with the Blue Mountain Village Association may have violated
the Municipal Act. |
| The Blue Mountain Village Association was created to manage
the $500 million sort village being built by Intrawest at the foot of Blue
Mountain |
| The town's committee 'investigating' the multi-use facility
has until Feb 2 to submit a letter of intent to the provincial government
in order to get in line for infrastructure funding. The province
announced it would set aside $300 million as part of its SuperBuild Fund
for municipal recreational and cultural facilities. |
| The Blue Mountain Village Association is also making
application under the SuperBuild fund, in partnership with Intrawest and
Blue Mountain Resorts. |
| On Monday night, council met with a representative of the
association behind closed doors to "talk about property and financial
support for each other," Mayor Terry Geddes told the newspaper. |
| "We're examining every possible partnership
opportunity," Geddes said, including with Town of The Blue Mountains,
Clearview Township, and the Blue Mountain Village Association. |
| "Their (the village) residents might be close enough
to make use (of the proposed facility)," he said. "We met
with (the association), and proposed certain partnership ideas. |
| "It's in the very early stages." |
| Councillor Chris Carrier noted not only did he not agree
with the information being presented- he would not divulge what was said, other
than he felt it was "repugnant" - but he didn't feel anything
was presented that couldn't have been presented at an open meeting. |
| He has since put the question to the clerk and deputy-clerk
on the legality of the meeting. |
| Under section 55 (5) of the Municipal Act, a meeting or
part of a meeting may be closed to the public if the subject matter being
considered is: |
| (a) the security of the property of the municipality or
local board; |
| (b) personal or personnel mattes about an identifiable
individual; |
| (c) a proposed or pending acquisition of land for municipal
or local board purposes; |
| (d) labour relations or employee negotiations; |
| (e) litigation or potential litigation affecting the
municipality or local board; |
| (f) the receiving of advice that is subject to
solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that
purpose; |
| (g) a matter in respect of which a council, board,
committee, or other body has authorized a meeting to be closed under
another Act. |
| "I didn't hear anything (that should have been in
camera)," Carrier told the paper. |
| Councillor Rick Lloyd agreed, noting while council had a
valid reason to meet behind closed doors - there was a personnel issue on
the table - there didn't appear to be a reason for council's meting with
the association to be in camera. |
| "Council is not supposed to meet with developers or
self-interest groups behind closed doors - this doesn't follow the (seven)
reasons," Lloyd said. "I was sitting through this meeting,
and at no point in time did any issue warrant being behind closed
doors." |
| "I sat through the meeting thinking there should be
something more to it." |
| Deputy Mayo Tim McNabb noted he raised a question at one
point during the meeting with Intrawest. |
| "I didn't think (it should be behind closed doors),
and I raised the question if it should be in camera," McNabb
said. "The response to me (by the mayor) was that it was not in
camera. It was prior to the in camera meeting and that we would be
dealing with a personnel issue after (the association). |
| However, Geddes argued there were reasons to meet with the
Blue Mountain Village Association behind closed doors - citing financial
and property reasons - and that he "shut the meeting down" when
McNabb raised question and when it appeared the association representative
was bringing something forward hat should be presented at an open meeting. |
| "I understand the rules of council," the mayor
told the E-B. "We have nothing to hide with (the association). |
| "I'm not in the habit of holding an in camera meeting
when we're not discussing an in camera issue," he said.
"if a councillor feels (uncomfortable), he or she should address it
at the beginning of a meeting and not at the end. |
