Town of Renfrew mayor vows not to resign after vote of non-confidence against him
Town of Renfrew Mayor Tom Sidney is vowing to stay in the job after the town council voted in favour of a motion of non-confidence against him.
- Sign up now for our nightly CTV News Ottawa newsletter
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Members passed the motion in a 4-3 vote at Tuesday's night's council meeting after they expressed concerns over the mayor's handling of an expansion to Renfrew's Ma-Te-Way Activity Centre, now known as the myFM Centre.
The project saw the addition of a second ice pad, a walking track, gymnasium, fitness centre and multicultural hub that was originally budgeted at $18-million, but has so far cost upwards of $35-million and is far behind schedule.
Councillor John McDonald brought forward the non-confidence motion at Tuesday night's council meeting.
"This was a multimillion dollar total financial failure of the Ma-Te-Way project. There was a total disregard for the proper stewardship of taxpayer's money," said McDonald.
"The only two explanations provided by the mayor was COVID and the cost of steel. We shortly realized the mayor did not have a good handle on the Ma-Te-Way project, even though he stated it was his baby."
Speaking to CTV News Wednesday, Sidney said he would not step down after the vote.
"I have no intentions of stepping down. The people have voted me in for a term and I've got three years to go. We're doing a lot of work and we've done a lot of changes in the last year," he said
Before becoming mayor, Sidney spearheaded the expansion project as chair of the recreation committee.
Sidney said last year that, "institutional failures" were made by previous councils, which led to the expansion far exceeding its budget.
He says the vote of non-confidence was premature by McDonald, as a third party investigation into the project is ongoing and is expected to be presented in March.
"If there has to be blame thrown at somebody, I believed in his project and I believed Renfrew really needed it. I think it's going to help our economy. So if that's taking the blame, then I guess I'll have to take the blame."
A vote of non-confidence cannot remove the mayor and merely serves as council's official expression of opinion.
"There's no mechanism in the municipal act to remove a member of council, whether it be the mayor or councillor," explained Renfrew's CAO Robert Tremblay.
"The province can't remove a council member. A council can't do it. Residents can't do a recall petition."
Many town residents have been left frustrated and wanting answers.
"Somebody needs to answer the questions on how it got so out of control," said resident Connie Monk at the activity centre's new walking track.
"Somebody should take the fall for this," added resident Andy McLaughlin. "Is it all his fault? I don't know. Let's get some more investigation into it."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Iran President Ebrahim Raisi found dead at helicopter crash site, state media says
Iranian president, the country’s foreign minister and others have been found dead at the site of a helicopter crash Monday after a search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest.
The push to Parliament's summer hiatus is about to begin, here's what you need to know
When MPs file back in to the House of Commons on Tuesday, it will be for the final five-week parliamentary push before hitting the barbecue circuit. Looking ahead to what could be a raucous rush to the summer hiatus, CTVNews.ca spoke with top House representatives to get a sense of what's atop their priority list.
What do we know so far about the mysterious crash of the helicopter carrying Iran's president?
The apparent crash of a helicopter carrying Iran's president and foreign minister on Sunday sent shock waves around the region.
ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Netanyahu
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Monday he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in connection with their actions during the seven-month war.
Red Lobster seeks bankruptcy protection with US$100 million in financing commitments
U.S.-based restaurant chain Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Florida court after securing $100 million in financing commitments from its existing lenders, the company said on Sunday.
Stittsville residents seeking answers as bylaw cracks down on street basketball nets
Stittsville residents on Kearnsley Way are seeking answers after an unusual bylaw crackdown on Friday. Every home with a basketball net received a ticket instructing homeowners to remove their nets from the road.
'A horrible way to start the summer': 3 killed in serious boat crash on lake north of Kingston, Ont.
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
Your kids' ultraprocessed food consumption may put them at higher risk, study shows
The ultraprocessed foods your kids eat now may be putting them at greater risk for cardiometabolic problems – like heart attack, stroke and diabetes – in adulthood, a new study suggests.
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.