By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 16, 2011 A usually reliable source advises that the Midweek Cycling Club event promoter made a payment by certified cheque to the Halton Regional Police Service before the noon deadline of May 16th, to the surprise of many.
The event promoter has missed so many deadlines that everyone expected him to miss this one – and had it been missed, the city would have withdrawn its support for the event. Burlington had originally agreed to put up $30,000. to help fund the event with another $20,000 coming from the Burlington Hotel Association.
When the five scheduled races were cut back to two races the Hotel Association cut back their amount to $10,000. and the city cut back its contribution to a total of $10,000. with $5000. attached to each race.
This event has perplexed council, maddened staff and driven the police to near distraction with the number of hours that have been put in and extensive community consultation.
Ward 2 Councillor Meed Ward commented at the last Council Committee meeting that the two events really weren’t in Burlington but others on Council felt that the promoter should be given a chance – and he seems to have made it under the wire.
There is a contract in place and Council at its next meeting will have to decide if it wants to follow through. It may have to honour the contract even though the promoter has twisted it so badly the original intent is hard to see.
The marquee event was to be a fast flashy races through the streets of downtown Burlington on Canada Day– but that event is off the table. It is being held at the CNE grounds instead.
My friend Margaret Lindsay Holton gives a take that many in Burlington seems to share. She says: ah, ‘Sport tourism’ , the big ‘sexy’ ever-elusive money-maker … Seems like the reality of our aging demographic is forgotten by those who want to pump up the region. I’m not opposed to sport of any kind, but I have doubts when it’s focused around ‘downtown’ ambitions that conflict with many of the reasons that people choose to live here in the first place, like a safe, tranquil, and somewhat sedate ‘quality of life’ … Wouldn’t it make more sense to pump up those ‘values’ then spend hard-earned tax-dollars on soliciting ‘out of town’ ‘invitational’ youth-orientated tournies?”
Stay tuned – this isn’t over yet.
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[…] At one point in the comedy of errors on the part of the Mid Week Cycling Club a required payment was made to the Halton Regional Police but the cheque bounced. […]