CORNWALL Ontario – While Mayor Bob Kilger and his council in Cornwall can spin the current discussions with the Federal Government over the Harbour lands, the bottom line is that council gave a green light with a 8-1 vote (councilor Samson was in Florida again) for the Mayor and Clerk (herself a lawyer) to sign any documents related and close the deal on acquisition of harbour lands in Cornwall. Councilor Rivette was the only councilor (see video above) to vote against the by law, but did not mention the signatory powers given.
Several councilors off the record said that this isn’t true, but as they say it’s what’s on the page that counts; not what was said verbally and what’s on the page, and now voted on, is very very clear.
The timing is quite coincidental as well. Trillium Distribution Cornwall Inc. announced a one month moratorium while negotiations take place which seems to line up with the when the Mayor’s drinkin’ buddy Claude McIntosh announced that Mayor Kilger would announce his re-election campaign.
The worry for many is that this council will cut a horrible and expensive deal for the future of this city just to grab a few headlines?
Over ten years ago the city pulled out of negotiations over the same lands. The Federal Government has a divestiture program because of the high costs associated with maintaining and cleaning up lands. Can a city the size of Cornwall possibly cover those costs?
At a meeting where it was declared that having a beach in Cornwall was dangerous because of possible sediment issues (as opposed to tankers coming to shore) Chuck Charlebois, and some of the politicians offer some interesting insights when you flash forward to today including mentioning the Air Force Wing in Cornwall which has not been given a new lease and has been rumored to be slated for demolition.
What’s critical is listening to Mayor Kilger from the 7:15 mark of the video above from October 2012 (it would only be a few months later, in February 2013 that Trillium appeared on the scene) where Mayor Kilger speaks specifically to divestiture of Federal Harbour lands which is a 100% polar opposite of his protestations of not knowing when the Chem tanks hit the news in December 2013.
Could the whole Chem tank drama simply be a canard to get the public to support Mayor Kilger cutting a deal with the Feds for city taxpayers to be burdened with the costly maintenance of Crown properties that they themselves are pushing to dump?
Does this reek of back door dealing as much to you dear CFN viewers as it does to me? Could generations of Cornwallites end up with bills to pay so that some favours could be done for election time?
Sadly at this last minute council meeting none of the campaigners against the tanks bothered to show up with the exception of myself and Chuck Charlebois who sat in the back quietly.
No Mark A MacDonald who was notified in the afternoon of the meeting; no Todd Bennett, no Kevin Hargreaves from the Chamber of Commerce. Nobody. Even the media lay down with only CFN seated at the media table.
Again, read the document above. Your Mayor and the clerk exclusively now have the blessing of council to sign off on a deal that could impact the future of the city without any real public disclosure.
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Does that frighten you? It sure does me. Again, there should be no deals signed until after the next election and consultation with the public who after all pay the bill.
Still incomplete
This only states the city can control development, there is nothing stating how control will be maintained.
My personal favorites are,
What is the current status of the lands and if someone does decide to develop the area where does the reclamation responsibilities fall?
Has Cornwall once again shot itself in the foot by not working to a mutual agreement for both parties?
Will we now see a half completed dump site by the water?
Finally how much will this cost the next council when Trillium sues for construction and material costs legal cost and loss of revenue?
Is it “deja vu”, or is this fiasco, starting to be reminiscent of the tale of BIG BEN ? lol
And the resolution that gives the mayor and clerk the signing rights is; read, signed, and sealed by the mayor and the clerk?
Maybe I ought to throw my hat in the ring… couldn’t do a worse job, that’s for sure.
With all due respect Andre correctly refused to sign on with Mayor Kilger and others in what
appears to be a fishing trip for information by the City.
This started out as an unwanted Trillium Tank issue and has turned into a partnership with
Akwesasne and for what ? The City would like to acquire the Harbor land, I support that but
at what cost? Certainly not in any partnership arrangement, and even if the City did agree
the Tanks are still there, and no doubt Akwesasne as the new partner would expect 50 %
of all revenue from Trillium . There are two things that the City cannot afford to acquire Marina
200 and the port itself either or both would be nothing but a drain on the taxpayers .
Please come on home Mr Mayor from your fishing trip and tell us whats really going on here.