Printed Apr 02, 2024 • Final up to date Apr 03, 2024 • 2 minute learn
High City employees deny allegations by a retired lawyer, Saugeen Shores resident Stephen Finch that the City breached its personal bylaw by signing a lease with Cedar Crescent Village for a growth at Port Elgin Important Seashore earlier than declaring the land as surplus as was required.
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Accusations by a Saugeen Shores resident, a retired litigator, that the City breached a bylaw by signing a lease with its non-public companion – Cedar Crescent Village – earlier than declaring the Port Elgin Important Seashore land in query as surplus have been denied by prime City employees.
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Throughout his delegation to the March 25 basic committee assembly, Stephen Finch stated regardless of bylaw 28-99 requiring the City to declare land surplus earlier than being bought or leased for greater than 21 years, the City signed a 50-year lease with CCV for land at Port Elgin Important Seashore “well before” the City made any try and declare the lands surplus.
Finch stated it was “egregious conduct” on the a part of the mayor, council and employees to not observe the bylaw, noting employees stated it was a “housekeeping” matter after they introduced it earlier than council.
“Where would we be as a society or a community if the public did not have confidence in public servants to follow the law?” Finch stated.
“What were you thinking… Where was your lawyer in all this? Where was the proponent’s lawyer in all of this?” Finch stated, including the council of the day ought to have been conscious of the bylaw as a result of it’s so “crystal clear, so black-and-white.”
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Finch stated a second subject is the method to declare public land as “surplus” that ought to contain critical public enter.
“It is clear to me the lease, the site agreements the building permits are invalid, and I believe council has no options but to reverse or cancel the present October 2022 surplus declaration.
“You did not follow the rules. It will turn all this into a legal quagmire if it continues,” Finch stated including he wished to “beseech and request that council reconsider the entire CCV enterprise and resolve these issues with maturity, reason and proper consideration for the public…”
Coun. Bud Halpin requested if employees had a response.
“Like, did we do things in the correct order? he asked, noting he wasn’t on council at the time of the decisions.
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Town Chief Administrative Officer Kara Van Myall said, as she’d told Mr. Finch in an email before his delegation, the Town could not respond to allegations publicly.
“I believe, and I stand by my statement that I made during the Mann versus Saugeen Shores hearing, that the Town acted with integrity and transparency in this process and that no mistakes were made,” Van Myall stated. (She was referring to an Ontario Superior Courtroom of Justice ruling final February dismissing a go well with John Mann had introduced towards the City on a Constitution of Rights subject relating to the City not permitting him to talk at council conferences, together with on the Cedar Crescent Village undertaking.)
Finch once more requested why council made the choices it did, however was interrupted by the mayor who stated he’d not been requested a query, and thanked him for his deputation.
Retired lawyer, Saugeen Shores resident Stephen Finch accused the City of breaching its personal bylaws by signing a lease with Cedar Crescent Village for a growth at Port Elgin Important Seashore earlier than declaring the land as surplus as was required.
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