The City of Vancouver did not have legal authority to withhold information from the public about a $100 million Olympic Village loan guarantee, according to a complaint filed to the Provincial Ombudsman on Wednesday by the Pivot Legal Society.
"In our view, there wasn't any legal authority under the Vancouver Charter to take the meeting in-camera," Pivot attorney Laura Track said.
City of Vancouver bylaws allow in-camera meetings when discussion of the “acquisition, disposition, or expropriation” of land or improvements would harm the interests of the City.
"This meeting, as far as we understand, was about financing. That's not one of those three listed actions," Track said.
The Pivot complaint also questions the city's subsequent assertion that there has been no change to taxpayer risk.
"To guarantee a $100 million loan to two private entities would appear to change the risk," Track said. "We're asking the ombudsman to take a look at that statement, consider the facts, and if they are inaccurate, make some sort of a ruling about the propriety of that statement."
And the Pivot complaint challenges letters the city reportedly issued to councilors, warning they would face "serious repercussions" if they revealed any of these matters.
"We question the legitimacy of that instruction," Track said "We'd like to know who provided that advice, and what authority they had for doing so."
The communications office of the Ombudsman for the Province of British Columbia was not able to immediately return The Tyee's call for comment. Ombudsman Kim Carter, a former chief military judge of the Canadian Forces, was appointed in May 2006.
“We’re told that the Property Endowment Fund has now been emptied to support the development of luxury condominiums,” Track added.
The $100m guarantee likely means that Vancouver has now issued a total of $290 million in PEF-backed loan guarantees for Olympic developments.
"If those financial resources were directed to the problem of homelessness," she added. "Vancouver’s homeless population of approximately 1,600 people could have been reduced to almost zero."
Monte Paulsen reports on politics and housing for The Tyee.
More Political Stunts
So where has Pivot been for the last 3 years, then? These "in camera" meetings have been going on in City Council for YEARS, and Pivot is just making a fuss about this now?
This is just another irresponsible political stunt by Vision, who had FOUR Councillors vote for the same loan "in camera." Only now are they protesting about it, which is completely disingenuous.
What a pathetic bunch of losers.
Thu
Did you actualy read the story,financing doesn`t fall into IN Camera catagory,the land,the builder,the project is in half bloom,what,who,why, there is nothing in camera left.
The pivot legal society is right.and by the way,stephenson wanted it all divulged.
But I do agree they were all covering their butts,vision is paying the price for being bullied by the NPA, right from the very begginning
http://www.canada.com/vancouvercourier/news/opinion/story.html?id=e56ac907-fea2-4f19-b748-4b46192bc175&9=1
Apparantly the Vision party weren`t allowed to see any bids,except the one from Millennium!
No wonder they voted in lockstep with the NPA,none of them did their due dilligance!
Another Ombudsman Complaint?
My, my, my - A SECOND Ombudsman Complaint against this City Council!!
To find out about the first, you should go to the Issues page on our Website at:
http://www.arcca.info
Way to go.........
........Pivot! When only the weak take on the powerful, one knows there is corruption among the 'elite' classes.
Thousands of police, yet still no justice
Sigh, I feel for David Eby, they guy could be a billionare if paid for all the cases he has brought forth for social justice issues.
This man ought to be nominated for a citizenship/humanitarian award or some such recognition for his unending fight for justice.