Like I Said

I spoke on the agreement with the Culture Centre Board  last night.  I called for a recorded vote. 

Three people voted against  proceeding with the draft..The other two for a different reason than myself although they didn't say so, I believe their reason was not to change .

Six people voted to direct staff to finalise the agreement.

Councillor Thompson said it was not the final decision..I'm not sure that means there is time to change direction. 

The Mayor did what I said he would.
 I did what I planned . 

My comments of course do not appear on the  public record so  I will record  here what I asked Council to consider.

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Mr. Mayor,

As an introduction to my comments on the question of renewing the contract with the Culture Centre Board ,I refer to the yesterday's decision of Master Hawkins of the Supreme Court of Ontario.

It is the elephant in the room. 

The Master found the action against residents  by the former Mayor to have been  SLAPP.

Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation. 

I believe the person who abused public resources and the authority of her office to process that action is the same who wrote the original agreement for a purchase of arts and culture services. 

Twice ,the Mayor tried to stop me  from making the reference.

 He said : " I am not going to allow you to speak along those lines."

I said:   "I just did". 

He said "I am not going to allow you to continue"

I said "I just finished "

I completed my comments as follows without  further interruption..

 Council is being asked to approve a draft revision of the same contract. 

I see the purpose the same as the original,Mr.Mayor. Perceived Political Advantage. 

On Page 83 of the staff report, the only alternative offered Council is  to direct changes to the draft .

I have another alternative Mr. Mayor; that the town manage the facility with municipal staff.

It is a facility like any other owned by the town. It provides space for activities. 

It was decided thirty-six years ago , it would primarily be the symbol of Aurora's heritage. It would house a museum.

Compatible uses would be accommodated.

Until 2003, they were.

Compatibly. 

Millions of dallars have been spent to keep the building from sinking into the ground and the weather out.

In 2006, an additional $2.3 million was allocated from the Hydro Reserve Fund to complete  planned renovations.  

A specialty design costing $250,000 was commissioned, at their expense, by the Aurora Historical Society. They were adopted by Council. 

Approval of an  Agreement for  purchase of arts and culture services with a non-accountable board, saw original plans abandoned and the vision  unfulfilled. 

The building was handed over rent-free, maintenance provided,with substantial financial resources that could not then and cannot now be identified as a response to public demand. 

There was no public demand. There was only a sense of  sadness and  betrayal. 

There is only one argument in favour of a board management arrangement. A charitable foundation,  which the board is, can provide tax receipts  for donations that would help the board to become self-sufficient and  financially independent of the town.

Except for a single donation of $50,000 made within weeks of signing the agreement no donation of equal value has been recorded. Despite the town's generous offer to match donations, dollar for dollar. 

Financial resources provided by the town offer no encouragement for private donations to be sought by the board. 

The  revised draft does not change that, Mr. Mayor. 

Council representation on a board with arm's length authority does not make the board accountable. 

Space for heritage display and storage does not fulfill the vision of a modern, hands on heritage experience. 

Oversight by the Director of Parks and Recreation does not justify making arts and culture a burden on the shoulders of  property owners. 

A library board model for financing arts and culture has never been sought nor endorsed by the community, Mr. Mayor. 

Having it imposed by Council is unacceptable. I cannot foresee when such a thing would become acceptable. 

Mr. Mayor, the last election is still fresh in my mind. The result signified serious dis-satisfaction with numerous decisions made by the previous Council. 

Failure to follow through with the commitment to heritage was one. 

Funding arts and culture from taxes was another. 

I urge  this Council not to repeat that mistake. 

I propose the draft agreement be rejected in favour of in-house management of the facility  by town forces.. Costs of operation would be recovered by user fees in accordance with town policy which provide equity among users of public facilities. 

No municipality can justify preferred status of one group over another. 

The end.