The Editor:
There have been many discussions and finger pointing over the last few years regarding the massive development proposed for Coronation Park.
With such a wide variety of interests and objectives at play, this is understandable.
Shortly after the election, the developer Wesgroup invited members of Council to attend a tour of another development they were doing and "give us an opportunity to speak about the history of the CP development, speak about the rezoning application and answer any questions."
Five members — the Mayor, Couns. Agtarap, Dilworth, Morrison and Knowles — agreed to attend (although Mayor Lahti later declined at the last moment).
How do I know this?
I was briefly on Council, had been invited to the meetings and subsequently submitted an Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the City to see if the meeting actually went ahead.
The meeting included a presentation which included a discussion of the financial analysis and policy options for the proposed development.
When a quorum of Council secretly meets to discuss a substantive matter under consideration by Council without due process (such as notifying the public, having a published agenda, etc.), the meeting is not "social" as the Mayor recently suggested to a citizen and a Councillor who expressed their concerns.
According to the legal opinions I have received, the "tour" was an illegal meeting of Council which puts decisions arising from it at risk of being overturned in the courts.
After I raised this at the last Council meeting, the Mayor's response has been largely dismissive, suggesting she has received an "opinion" that no further investigation is necessary.
The handling of this matter raises some serious questions about transparency.
I sincerely hope the Mayor will reconsider her decision not to look into this matter.
- David Stuart, Port Moody
