Town of Renfrew plans to refer Ma-Te-Way expansion file to OPP for investigation

A $16 million expansion of the The Ma-te-Way Activity Centre in Renfrew is planned. (Dylan Dyson/CTV News Ottawa)

The Town of Renfrew is planning to refer its third-party review into the Ma-Te-Way Centre's expansion project to the Ontario Provincial Police, as the fallout continues from the multi-million-dollar construction project.

During Tuesday night's council meeting, council provided instructions to legal counsel on proceeding with a claim of fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation and breach of good faith pertaining to the Ma-Te-Way third-party review.

Council directed staff to report back on April 23 on a preliminary action plan to address the findings of the review and to extend the mandate of the third-party company to finalize their review of the project, "including competition of their fraud investigation and detailed financial review," according to the city.

Council has directed the Town Clerk to notify the OPP of a pending complaint pertaining to the third-party review, and instruct WSCS Consulting, which conducted the review, to provide all materials to the OPP no later than June 30.

"We were always looking at getting to the truth of the matter, learning from the process, but also if there was any wrongdoing that would come to light as part of that, so that's why we're referring the matter and pursuing a complaint to the OPP," the town's Chief Administrative Officer Rob Tremblay in an interview on Wednesday.

"We're doing the complaint with the OPP because we feel that it's necessary at this time and tried to do it at the earliest opportunity. In addition, council has also directed legal counsel to look at civil proceedings for misrepresentation and potential fraud as well. So we’re pursuing both avenues at this time."

Tremblay said none of the matters involve current members of staff or council.

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Last month, Renfrew town council received the findings of a third-party review of the Ma-Te-Way Activity Centre from WSCS Consulting. 

The report concluded there was a lack of accountability and transparency with the project, a failure to comply with the procedural bylaw, a lack of governance/oversight, "inadequate" financial and project reporting, a toxic work environment, and unrealistic budgets. The report also says there is "ample evidence that suggests" the Parks and Recreation Department engaged in sole/direct source contracts and "questionable tendering incentive practices."

The price tag for the expansion of the facility has jumped from $18 million to $35 million.

Council directed the town's chief administrative officer (CAO) to seek legal advice on potential recourse to address the third-party review.

"The corporation of the Town of Renfrew is taking this matter seriously and looking at all options," CAO Robert Tremblay said in a statement.

Buttcon Limited was awarded a contract in June 2021 for the project.

On March 26, council voted 5-1 to call on Mayor Tom Sidney to resign, with council expressing concerns over the mayor's handling of the expansion of the Ma-Te-Way Activity Centre. Sydney vowed to stay on the job.

Before being elected mayor, Sidney spearheaded the expansion project for the Ma-Te-Way Activity Centre as chair of the recreation committee.