CENTRAL MANITOULIN—Council debated a proposal to issue a request for proposals to obtain costs to hire a consultant to prepare an application for the Green and Inclusive Community Building Fund. That application would underwrite 60 percent of the cost of the proposed Five Points Community Centre, but in the end council turned down the recreation committee’s proposal in a recorded vote.
Councillors Derek Stephens and Brian Bissaillon moved the motion onto the council table, but in the end, only Councillors Stephens, Rose Diebolt and Councillor Dale Scott voted for the motion.
The proposal was under a time restraint, explained Marcus Mohr, Central Manitoulin’s community development/outreach coordinator, as in order be in place in time to meet the funding deadline, the information on potential costs would require the RFP be issued now, as the next council meeting in January would be too late.
“The funding application needs to go in before the end of February,” said Councillor Dale Scott.
Concerns over where the other 40 percent of the cost of the proposed facility would come from proved a stumbling point for council members as they head into the 2022 budget process, as this was the recreation committee reporting directly to council instead of going through the property committee.
Councillor Bissaillon said that he would still like to see the proposal go through the property committee first.
Councillor Stephens noted that it was his motion that set the recreational committee report directly to council as he wanted the entire council to be a part of the decision to make recommendations. “At the property committee, it is only a few of the council members there,” he pointed out.
Mr. Mohr said the RFP did not bind council to a decision, but rather would simply apprise council of the costs associated with hiring a consultant to create the application. The municipality, he noted, does not have the capacity and expertise in-house to create the application.
Councillor Bissaillon requested a recorded vote.
