To the editor:
Why have Thunder Bay city councillors rejected a proposal to build an indoor turf facility at St. Ignatius High School?
The offer could have saved taxpayers millions.
Michael Veneziale, a spokesperson for o Soccer Northwest, a party keenly interested in the project, had this to say: “We were hoping to be included at some point in time with the RFPs to see our thought process on it, and we weren't. We had heard that there were a few options that we were really going to like, and then we were just essentially told that none of them were going forward for whatever reason." (Tbaynewswatch April 12, 2019).
Mayor Bill Mauro’s been pushing for a $25 million dollar “legacy” facility at Chapples Park. Is he worried he’d have to share his “legacy” with school board trustees?
The public deserves better. The debate on the proposal should have been held in public, not behind closed doors. On why he couldn’t explain council’s rejection of the Catholic board’s proposal, Current River councillor Andrew Foulds cited a tired, old chestnut of councils past: “confidentiality”. The proposals weren’t submitted in confidence. This was all council’s doing.
All of these politicians promised greater transparency. Why aren’t they ready to trust the public with the truth?
Shane Judge
Thunder Bay
