With elections coming, we need candidates who aren’t afraid to open the books. Public money has gone to the Market
(By Laura Houle and Margot Grant)
We love the Gibsons Public Market. It’s a great place to shop locally for quality fish, bread, meat, cheese, coffee, ice cream, produce, flowers, or chocolate. A food market in the Harbour area makes sense; it was envisioned in the town’s strategic plan as far back as 2012. Meeting rooms, art shows, free music featuring local talent, and a relaxed lounge area have made a fabulous addition to the Town.
A group of dedicated volunteers fundraising for the Market is what makes community. We salute the people who make it all happen. But what we find strange is the secrecy about the Market’s finances. And what baffles us even more is how the Town of Gibsons can refuse public access to a letter with details about the financing for the construction of the Market.
If the Town owns 39 per cent of the Market, shouldn’t citizens be informed when the property has a mortgage or encumbrance, especially when the term is as long as 25 years? Is there a liability for the Town? The Coast Clarion recently emailed David Douglas, the Town’s director of finance, with this question, but received no reply.
It’s also baffling because the loan letter was already 19 months old when the provincial Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner started its inquiry. The Public Market was already built and operating; this was old news. In fact, some of the information had already been released to the public in online documents and council agenda packages, but the Town decided to spend public money to argue against the release of the loan document.
The role of the town in the market partnership is what makes this a public issue. Since 2013, the town has:
- contributed $275,000 from the Park Acquisition Reserve Fund;
- forgiven the equivalent of $110,000 in frontage works;
- granted property-tax exemptions estimated at $65,937;
- issued tax receipts for over $1.5 million in donations;
- provided free parking via an encroachment agreement of 30 years; and
- supported the market with countless hours of staff time to process donations, write reports, and draft agreements.
On April 5, 2016, when Council consented to the loan agreement, which would encumber the Town’s interest in the property, it did so at an in camera meeting — behind closed doors. Isn’t the public entitled to a little more transparency?
Two months later, when a journalist requested access to legal agreements pertaining to the public market, the Building Society and the other shareholders did not want the Town to release the details of the loan agreement; they wanted it kept a secret.
The Town could have disagreed and let the Building Society and the other shareholders present their own defense, which would have been less costly, and easier for Town staff. Instead, the Town hired legal counsel and defended the Building Society’s right to privacy, ignoring the public’s right to timely disclosure about the financial aspects of a public asset.
As we now know, on June 6, 2018, the Office of Information and Privacy Commissioner completely dismissed the Town’s arguments and ordered the Town to release the loan document.
Hopefully, the Building Society and the Town will rethink their strategy of non-disclosure. A number of people boycott the Market over the lack of financial transparency; If these people enthusiastically came on board, the Market would truly become a community asset.
As we move forward into the 2018 election, we hope for candidates who will serve the public interest and aren’t afraid to open the books. No more secrets, please.