THUNDER BAY – An anonymous group has launched a campaign to put the brakes on the city’s controversial decision to move ahead with a multi-use indoor turf facility.
The group has taken out full-page ads in a local newspaper opposing the project, and launched a website and an online survey in recent days.
A representative of the group, who declined to be publicly named, claimed the survey had garnered nearly 400 responses by Monday evening, with only two responses in favour of proceeding with the project at this time.
The group plans to present the survey results to city council in the coming weeks.
The survey’s sole question is seemingly weighted against the turf facility, asking respondents: “Do you support city council's decision to push through the construction of the indoor turf facility at this time?”
Respondents have the option to answer yes, no, or I don’t know.
Mayor Bill Mauro, who has championed the facility, said he'd seen the campaign's ads for the first time Tuesday morning. Any citizens were welcome to express themselves on local issues, he said, while noting the group's decision to remain anonymous.
The group’s website states simply that the campaign is “funded with donations by several concerned citizens.”
Those individuals prefer to remain anonymous for the time being, the group's representative said Monday. However, he offered an assurance that no one involved in the effort had a financial interest in the matter.
Mauro said he considers council's 9-4 vote to put the project to tender on Aug. 10 final. That was followed by a narrower 7-6 defeat of a proposal to delay the decision by 90 days before it was ratified on Aug. 24.
“Council has voted and ratified a decision already," Mauro said. “The final decision has been made.”
However, the mayor acknowledged a council vote to award the tender, expected in February, would constitute the "final step" in moving the turf facility forward.
