Councillor shuts door on closed-door talks (NS)
Councillor shuts door on talks No more behind closed door meetins on Durells Island, says Fin Armsworthy By ALLENA MacDONALD Mon. Dec 3 - 6:25 AM Canso Mayor Ray White: 'The majority of council decides, so it's not just me doing it.' (Gordon Delaney / Valley Bureau) CANSO — Coun. Fin Armsworthy says he won't attend any council meeting related to a proposed project on Durells Island if it is behind closed doors. A British Columbia company is proposing the construction of cottages on the town island but few details have been made public, although the idea is not a new one. "I just think that the public should be aware of the who, what, when, where and why of the matter, so everybody knows what's going on and not just the council of the day," Mr. Armsworthy said Saturday. The councillor walked out of a recent private session when the topic arose and he plans to excuse himself from future closed-door discussions on the project. But Mayor Ray White said the Municipal Government Act supports the private session. Mr. White said he is disappointed by Mr. Armsworthy's decision. "That's unfortunate because an informed councillor is one that can make better decisions." Mr. Armsworthy said he feels strongly that residents who are "paying the bills" must be completely aware of what is happening, particularly in today's economic climate. "There's not a problem with the plan. But I think the people should be well-informed in advance of what is coming into our community and what it entails. I find our council somewhat secretive on some things, and I'm not that way." He has concerns about what is discussed in closed sessions, he added. "Without the town having a CAO — with our mayor acting as CAO — it gives me great concern. Sometimes I don't know if we should be in camera on some of the things." The Municipal Government Act allows privacy on matters dealing with personnel, legal issues and proprietary business information, contract negotiations and some financial discussions. "The majority of council decides, so it's not just me doing it," Mr. White said. In this case, the proponent is looking to acquire land for a cottage development, he said. "There are times when you are dealing with companies that may create jobs, their financial information, basically, is something that they may consider to be proprietary information. "If we're going to have confidence with companies that we're trying to encourage to come to our community, we have to do that." Part of the presentation the proponents made at a closed-door session was a financial analysis of the project's viability. "That's not information they want with their competitors," the mayor said. The Durells Island project dates back a number of years and there has been interest from various groups and individuals. A study was carried out to look at the feasibility of a cottage development. "We're not even near a decision point on that project and we're trying to identify (ownership) of all lands within Canso," Mr. White said. "When we get to the point where we have a concrete proposal in place that looks like it may go forward, we'll bring the public in." Pasted from <http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/995801.html>
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