I cannot have a copy of the lease the town signed with the Department of National Defense.
Despite being the landlord of a public property, the lease the town has signed is bound by the tenant not to be released on request.
It is incumbent upon myself to pay $5 and make an application under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain details of the lease. It will then be a decision of the Department of National Defense to decide what if any information they will release.
The lease was worked upon by the associate solicitor of the town.
Council was informed by the Mayor, the deal was negotiated by the Chief Administrative Officer.
It was approved to be signed by the Council without being informed of the terms of the lease.
It was signed by the Mayor with the Clerk's signature as witness.
No doubt the lease agreed to by the DND is the norm for them .
It is not the norm for the municipality.
Yet council was not informed of the abnormality.
Why not?
Is the use of the building equally secret? It is an industrial building in an industrial area.
What is their intent? What works have been undertaken in the building at town expense since the lease was signed ?
When or if I learn more , by transparent and lawful means of course, I will let you know.
Has the Town never entered into an agreement with the Federal Government on leases?
ReplyDeleteI think that your thinking that some clandestine thing is/was going on is a bit much.
The Federal Government has departments that do nothing but this sort of thing. The feds are the ones that are in control and set the terms. There is no negotiation invloved. Why? For the reason that you are on about now. If the feds required councils to sign off on leases that they enter into, they would NEVER get a lease done. Municipal councils appear to have nothing better to do than fiddle about on small stuff like this. In order to get things done, you have to expedite the process.
I defy you to find something wrong with the lease.
Not sure I understand. Does the restriction specifically say that members of council are not allowed to review it, or that it may not be released to the general public? If somehow it says or implies that council may not see it, how is it that the Mayor could sign it? I mean, what is the mayor if not a member of council?
ReplyDeleteWhenever I have signed a lease, as a tenant I have a copy or as a landlord I have a copy. Why does the STAFF at the Town not have a copy?
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