-
Phone: 289 763 9274
-
Mail: Raj4bwg@gmail.com
Phone: 289 763 9274
Mail: Raj4bwg@gmail.com
The County of Simcoe plans to operate a temporary reception centre at 136 Barrie Street. The centre is intended to provide short-term accommodation and support while vulnerable individuals and families work toward more permanent housing and settlement.
Key facts about the centre:
I am a strong believer in freedom of speech, and I have always encouraged residents to speak their minds. Anyone who holds public office should be prepared to hear tough questions, concerns and criticism from the people they serve.
Recently, a video raised questions about my role in the County of Simcoe’s purchase of 136 Barrie Street, the former LOFT building. Some of the claims made about my involvement were simply not accurate, including the suggestion that I personally orchestrated this purchase. I did not.
As your Deputy Mayor and County Councillor, I believe you deserve the facts about what happened and how this decision was made. Before getting into the timeline, I also want to acknowledge something residents are right to be frustrated about: the communication surrounding this purchase and its intended use should have been better. Residents, particularly those living nearby, deserved clearer information sooner.
The County’s purchase was still going through the real estate process, including due diligence, and the transaction had not formally closed. Under Ontario’s Municipal Act, a proposed or pending municipal land acquisition can be discussed confidentially while a transaction is underway. This helps protect the municipality’s negotiating position and, ultimately, taxpayers by ensuring sensitive information does not compromise the transaction or the responsible use of public funds.
That explains why some information could not be made public at the time, but it does not change the fact that residents were left with questions and concerns. We need to learn from that and do better.
But a gap in public communication is very different from deliberately hiding information. That is why I am sharing the timeline and emails below. The written record shows that I was asking for information, following up when I did not receive it, and pushing for that information to be shared with Bradford Council.
As is typical with property acquisitions, County Council considered the matter in closed session while negotiations were underway. Confidential reports regarding the proposed purchase were presented to County Council on August 12 and September 23.
The matter remained confidential at this stage and had not yet received final approval.
Simcoe County Council approved the purchase of the former LOFT building at 136 Barrie Street.
This was a decision made by County Council as a whole, not any one individual, including me.
Nine days after the County Council approved the purchase, I emailed members of the County’s leadership team asking how Mayor Leduc and I could inform Bradford West Gwillimbury Council about the purchase and its proposed short-term use.
My concern was clear: I did not want our Council learning about this through the media. I believed our Council should be informed
The email is included below so residents can read exactly what I wrote.
When I had not received a response to my October 16 email, I followed up directly with the County Warden and CAO and expressed my disappointment with the lack of response.
Mayor Leduc was copied on that email.
Again, my position was clear: I was asking for information and pushing for our local Council to be informed.
The following day, I received an email from the County’s General Manager of Social and Community Services providing an information sheet about the project that could be shared with members of Bradford Council and Town staff.
I forwarded the County’s information to Bradford’s CAO, Geoff McKnight, and Mayor Leduc and asked that it be shared with our Council and any senior staff the CAO believed should receive it.
At that time, the County advised that the information was to remain confidential because the real estate transaction had not yet formally closed and was still in due diligence.
That confidentiality requirement came from the County because of the status of the real estate transaction.
Later that day, our CAO emailed all members of Bradford West Gwillimbury Council and all Department Heads with the information provided by the County.
His email and briefing note stated that the information was being provided at the request of the mayor and deputy mayor. However, the record is clear, when it comes to transparency and ensuring council was aware, I was the only one asking.
Every member of Bradford Council therefore received a full briefing note provided by the County about the purchase and its intended use.
I have made the emails available because I believe residents should be able to see the record and make their own judgment.
The record shows that:
Those are not the actions of someone trying to hide information from Council. The written record shows the opposite: I was actively trying to ensure our Council was informed.
There are 16 municipalities represented at Simcoe County Council by 32 Mayors and Deputy Mayors. The purchase of 136 Barrie Street was a County Council decision. I was one member of that Council. I am accountable for my vote, my actions and the decisions I make as your Deputy Mayor and County Councillor. I have no problem answering questions about any of them. But it is simply not accurate to suggest that I personally orchestrated this purchase.
There has also been discussion about a so-called “gag order.” The correspondence I have provided does not say that Bradford Council was asked to sign a gag order or that councillors were prohibited from asking questions.
What it does show is that the County asked that the information remain confidential temporarily because the real estate transaction had not formally closed and was still in due diligence.
Despite that restriction, I asked for the information to be provided to Bradford Council, and on October 28, every member of Council received it.
Once Council received the information, members could raise questions or concerns with Town or County staff while respecting the confidentiality requirements. None did. In fact, at the time, the Ward councillor for that area did not respond to the email or ask a single question to County representatives.
Residents have every right to ask questions about this project.
Ask about the cost. Ask about security. Ask how the facility will operate. Ask who will be responsible for it. Ask how long it will operate at this location. Ask what happens after the first year.
Those are fair questions, and residents deserve answers.
What I will not support are personal threats, intimidation or calls to damage property. We can disagree strongly about a decision without attacking one another or threatening people in our community.
I have served the residents of Bradford West Gwillimbury since I was first elected to Council in 2010. Throughout that time, I have always tried to make myself available and answer residents’ questions, even when the answer may not be the one someone wants to hear.
I am not asking anyone to simply take my word for what happened here. I am providing the emails. I am providing the timeline. I am providing the facts. Read them for yourself and make your own judgment.
If you have questions about my role or my decisions, ask me directly. You deserve an honest answer, and I will continue to provide one. We may not always agree, but I will continue to believe that we can have difficult conversations, respect one another and work toward what is best for Bradford West Gwillimbury.
Residents who would like additional information about 136 Barrie Street and the decisions surrounding it, BradfordToday has published detailed reporting on the issue.
Got a burning question about Bradford’s asylum centre? We try to answer it here — BradfordToday
A detailed Q&A covering the purchase, what Bradford Council knew and when, why information could not be released sooner, the proposed use of the property and what happens next.
Officials address ‘nonsense’ xenophobia over temporary asylum centre in Bradford — BradfordToday
Still Have Questions? I’m Here to Answer Them.