dubeauTimmins city councillor Rick Dubeau says he disagrees with a Daily Press report as written.

He says he met with Timmins Mayor Steve Black on August 12th as the COO of FireLine to discuss the StoveFinder, and arrange a meeting with Minister Michael Gravelle to discuss this venture further.

The full statement made by Dubeau can be seen HERE.

Dubeau says he wants to grow FireLine as a business in the City of Timmins, adding when the Mayor goes to conferences, he talks with ministers to advocate for the growth of the city and their businesses.

He says this situation is no different.

“I did not ask to speak (at the AMO meeting), I did not ask to attend as a councillor. I asked to speak as the Chief Operating Officer of FireLine, who is looking to develop a business,” he said.

“Afterwards, it’s relationship building forward, everything’s about relationships.”

Dubeau says he has spoken to Minister Michael Gravelle in the past, and he wanted to be kept up to date on FireLine.

“(The potential meeting at AMO) was just an opportunity to be there, and shake hands with him again, and that’s it,” he said, “If (Gravelle) wanted to ask me a question, then he could have. I was not going to approach the subject.”

He adds he would be able to get the access to meetings with ministers even if he wasn’t a city councillor.

He says the article released some confidential information, which could impact their application to the NOHFC.

MAYOR SPEAKS
Mayor Black says he can go either way on whether or not Dubeau met with him as the businessman, but does say the initial email sent on the Thursday was from a FireLine.com account. The others he received were sent from Dubeau’s councillor account.

He says the other emails that urged council members to support Dubeau’s request to go into meetings with ministers falls “in the grey area of abusing your influence as a councillor.”

“I don’t think any other business would be trying and influence council to be included with a minister at a municipal conference…but if Councillor Dubeau feels he’s satisfied his intentions and believes he was in the right, that’s for him and the members of the public to decide on,” Black said.

“I’m not a Conflict of Interest lawyer, I know what the request was and it seemed very disheartening on my behalf after we went through what we did Monday (August 10th), with the comments that were made between him and I in a public meeting, trying to insinuate that the desire to be in meetings with ministers was for solidarity of council and support of the Mayor and to show strength in numbers and less than 48 hours later, I had a request after council defeated it to be part of the meetings with the ministers on behalf of the business.”

He adds businesses meet with him all the time, and as no issue lobbying for them with ministers if he has the opportunity to do so.

For the city, Black says council got packages on what the intentions were to present at the AMO Conference, which is focused on municipal issues like the Connecting Link, their aquatic centre feasibility study, etc.

Black says we’ll see what comes of this and move on, as it’s a little off-topic of what they should be focusing their efforts on.

In the end, Black feels they made the right decision not to allow councillors to join him in meetings during their August 10th vote, and this only strengthens their opinion on the matter.

PREVIOUS ARTICLE
A Daily Press report is showing the true intent behind Councillor Rick Dubeau’s insistence on being at AMO meetings last week in Niagara Falls.

The newspaper obtained a copy of the emails showing Dubeau wanted to meet with ministers to further advance his own business venture. Dubeau is one of  the owners of the company, FireLine. FireLine is awaiting word from the NOHFC if they’ll be granted any money.

Fellow Councillors weighed in expressing their disappointment in his methods.

Councillor Noella Rinaldo was hoping he’d rethink his actions.

“I was very clear in my emails to Mr. Dubeau how I felt.  I felt it was pecuniary in it’s truest form and I was hoping he’d take a second look at his request. I don’t think he understood the meaning behind that and it’s unfortunate it’s come to this. It is a very clear case of having to declare pecuniary interest.  I don’t know where it goes from here. I’m waiting like most councillors on what happens next.”

“You’re elected to do your job at city council to move the businesses of the city forward,” said Councillor Andre Grezla. “Sometimes it’s unclear what the interest are and I believe that’s what’s happened.  He’ll definitely take heat for this but I hope we can forward and get on with city business,”

“I was very disappointed in his true intents,” says Councillor Andrew Marks. “I was angry and felt a little taken. I’m going to have a hard time placing trust in the future on any motions put forward by Mr. Dubeau.  This is a clear conflict of interest, we’ve all taken the same training when we were elected a year ago and for a Councillor to want to benefit his own business is clearly against the rules.  As a sitting Councilllor, you have to represent the residence who elected you not your business interest.”

Councillor Mike Doody declined to comment on the record while Councillors Bamford and Walter Wawrzaszek couldn’t be reached for comment.

However Councillor, Joe Campbell says he’s staying by his comments made during the Aug. 10th city council meeting.  In the meeting, Dubeau brought forward the motion to have councillors at important meetings, not just the mayor and the city CAO.  Campbell says he still agrees with it but when asked by this news outlet what about if it’s for personal gain, he declined to comment.