CENTRAL MANITOULIN—What seemed to be a routine request to Central Manitoulin council for the non-profit rental rate from the organizers of the annual Pearson Cup ball tournament took a surprising turn during the April 11 council meeting when Councillor John Bisaillon suggested that organizations requesting the non-profit rate be required to supply proof of non-profit status and financial statements.
The original motion from the Property Committee “That we recommend to Council that the Pearson Cup be permitted to have the non-profit rate for the rental of the Mindemoya Arena and Mindemoya Hall for the 2024 Pearson Cup Slo-Pitch Ball Tournament on the weekend of June 14, 15 and 16” was moved at the council table by Councillors Dale Scott and John Mitchell.
Councillor Bisaillon suggested that, as of 2025, such documentation would be required by the provincial government and that the municipality might as well get ahead of the curve. It was a position supported by Councillor Rose Diebolt and Mayor Richard Stephens.
CAO Denise Deforge suggested such a policy would provide a level playing field and remove any question of council “playing favourites” when it comes to allowing the application of the rate in the future.
There were some suggestions that the motion should simply be passed at this point and details going forward be left to the new recreation policy being formulated.
During discussion, Councillor Derek Stephens pointed out that the group requesting the rate was made up of volunteers whose activities benefit the community and that the applicants were not, in fact, representing themselves as being “non-profit” but simply requesting the rate be applied to them.
“There are a lot of small groups of volunteers who are not formal non-profits,” he noted, pointing out that the costs of setting up and operating under a non-profit corporation sets the bar too high for many groups. He pointed to Bluegrass in the Country and Manitoulin Special Olympics as other examples of an informal group that hold events in the community.
Asked by Mayor Stephens if the mover and seconder of the motion would be willing to defer the request until such documentation was presented, Councillor Mitchell emphatically stated that he was not—pointing out that the Pearson Cup takes place in June, leaving no realistic timeline for the organizers to undertake setting up a not-for-profit corporation. Councillor Scott agreed with the mover’s position.
In the end, council passed the motion, with only Councillor Bisaillon voicing his dissent.
