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Kincardine council now supports the Tiverton Reunion committee and
has approved its choice of Labatt's Brewery as the beer supplier for
the event.
Last Wednesday, a six-member council ended in a tie vote and the
recommendation was defeated; absent for that vote were councillors
Mike Leggett and Gordon Campbell, and councillor Guy Anderson
declared a conflict of interest. Those against the recommendation
cited the tender was 20 per cent higher than the local brewery,
Steelback, and there is a concern that beer cans would be tossed
around. Steelback does not produce beer in cans.
Council's decision caused a huge stir in the community as half the
reunion committee resigned.
Last night was a different story as the council chamber was crammed
with reunion committee supporters, and all of council was present
except deputy mayor Laura Haight who had objected to the
recommendation June 3.
In a 5-2 vote, Labatt's got the nod, with councillors Randy Roppel,
Marsha Leggett, Mike Leggett, Gordon Campbell and Kenneth Craig in
favour, while mayor Larry Kraemer and councillor Ron Hewitt were
against.
At the beginning of the discussion, Kraemer suggested a compromise.
Council would not award the tender to anyone, but allow product from
all three suppliers at the reunion and let the customers decide
which beer is best. Council could provide the $2,000 donation which
would have been part of the tender, and trust the vendors to supply
T-shirts and prizes for the event.
Councillor Randy Roppel then stood up and recognized the crowd of
support for the Tiverton Reunion committee. "I apologize for the
inadequate seating," he said. "I'm taken aback by the mayor's offer
to rectify the situation," said Roppel. "Unfortunately, we went
through a process here."
He then read from an E-mail, written by reunion committee member
Allan Ribbink who had resigned last week. It described the steps
taken by the committee to come up with the recommendation to choose
Labatt's over Steelback Brewery, which is based in Tiverton, to
supply beer at the reunion.
Ribbink stated that a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the provision
of beer supplies was generated by municipal staff with input from
the reunion committee. A rating committee, comprised of two
councillors, two staff members and two volunteers, was established
to rate the RFP submissions based on the proposed criteria. Three
respondents submitted bids which were opened in a public forum,
witnessed by members of the public, including one of the
respondents. (next column)
11/06/2009 12:37 AM
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These were ranked, stated Ribbink, according to the criteria, and then
the rating committee, backed by the reunion committee, generated the
recommendation in favour of Labatt's. "Any objections to any of the
criteria (including support local business, the use of cans, or cost) by
anyone including volunteers, respondents, or council, should have been
addressed prior to the rating of the RFP submissions," wrote Ribbink. "I
respectfully submit that council's vote this evening must be based on
each individual councillor's belief that the process was carried out
properly, and according to the criteria contained in the RFP. ... I
would further submit that a vote from any member of council, against the
recommendation would indicate they do not agree that the process was
carried out properly. Any other issues are simply smoke and mirrors and
discredit the integrity of the process."
Roppel said the reunion committee recommendation is that Labatt's supply
beer in cans, with biodegradable cups available for patrons' use.
"We have refused tenders before," said Kraemer. "In the spirit of
compromise, we could find a way to make this work for all concerned."
"Generally, council has picked the lowest tender and it's not always
good," said Mike Leggett. "Just look at the medical clinic and the
addition to the Davidson Centre. This committee followed policy and came
up with a recommendation. They did the process properly and we need to
back them up and get this going."
Craig said the municipality does not have a policy that forces anyone to
purchase locally. "It's not the best answer but the committee
volunteered to organize this reunion. We have better things to do than
carry on with this ludicrous discussion."
On a related topic, council gave the reunion committee approval to
fast-track getting a security company for the event. The committee will
now go through an informal quotation process rather than seek formal
quotations in order to get security in place by the time the reunion
rolls around July 31.
After the meeting, Kraemer said he was surprised at the vote and that
council would not consider a compromise. "I thought a compromise would
help everybody save face and let all three beer companies display and
promote their products," he said.
Judy Burger of Carmell's Restaurant in Tiverton said she is concerned
that Labatt's was chosen to supply the beer. In fact, she said most of
the businesses in Tiverton were not consulted about the reunion and not
asked to be on the committee.
"The reunion is about reuniting with family and friends and showcasing
the Village of Tiverton," she said. "We have a beautiful brewery here.
We need to promote what we have."
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