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Assiginack planning for Norisle lawsuit, setting funds aside

$170,000 spent so far

MANITOWANING—Dealing with the S.S. Norisle Steamship Society’s lawsuit, Assiginack council passed a resolution at its last regular meeting to create a new legal defense fees reserve fund and bolstering it with over $90,000 in funds from other community reserves. At least one municipal project was cancelled in the process.

At the October 17 meeting, council passed resolution No. 282-20-17 “that whereas the estimates required for the current year were set when the tax rates were confirmed via Bylaw 17-17 on the 4th day of July 2017; and whereas our legal expenses are anticipated to increase significantly due to the current lawsuit regarding the S.S. Norisle Steamship Society; and whereas this situation has been reviewed with our municipal auditors and budget reallocations agreed upon; now therefore be it resolve that we transfer $100,000 allocated to the landfill capital expansion to our legal expenses account and transfer $21,711.52 from the Microfit Payments Reserve; $23,389.47 from the Nelson Street Reserve; $10,388.62 from the Township Lots Reserve; and $37,356.15 from the Tax Sales Proceeds Reserve to a new Legal Defense Fees Reserve.”

CAO Alton Hobbs noted that when the budget was set earlier this year, $50,000 was set aside for legal and professional expenses, but due to the lawsuit levelled against them by the S.S. Norisle Steamship Society, that $50,000 has quickly turned into $170,000.

Rather than run a deficit, the CAO said, it was decided to pull from various coffers as the municipality is sure it will be seeing more legal fees. “We are prepared to go to $220,000 (in legal fees) before year’s end,” Mr. Hobbs said.

As a result, Mr. Hobbs added, the construction of a composting pad at the landfill will be put on hold until at least the spring.

On advice from their lawyer, members of the S.S. Norisle Steamship Society declined to comment.

Article written by

Alicia McCutcheon
Alicia McCutcheon
Alicia McCutcheon has served as editor-in-chief of The Manitoulin Expositor and The Manitoulin West Recorder since 2011. She grew up in the newspaper business and earned an Honours B.A. in communications from Laurentian University, Sudbury, also achieving a graduate certificate in journalism, with distinction, from Cambrian College. Ms. McCutcheon has received peer recognition for her writing, particularly on the social consequences of the Native residential school program. She manages a staff of four writers from her office at The Manitoulin Expositor in Little Current.