Minority Report counters official Mack Laing Advisory Committee report
Category : News
A Minority Report has been released against the Mack Laing Nature House Advisory Committee, to counter that submitted by the Chair of the Committee. The Committee’s report was approved by Comox Council Committee of the Whole on June 22, 2016 and is expected to be ratified at the next regular meeting of Council on July 20, 2016.
The two minority voters on the Committee, Angela Burns and Mark Ouellette, believe the conclusions reached in the Committee’s final report, written by Chair Terry Chester, are misleading, give false impressions about the condition of Shakesides and do not adequately consider the modest option for restoration and use of the house as a nature education centre.
The Mack Laing Heritage Society has gathered a team of tradesmen and experts willing to donate expertise, time and materials to repair the house. Financial support will be forthcoming when there is assurance that the house will not be demolished.
Contrary to statements in the local press by the Chair of the Committee, the the final vote for the demolition option was 3-2, a bare majority. The two minority voters are represented by the Minority Report. Two of the three majority votes were from Town Councillors who had previously voted (in February 2015) to demolish Shakesides, the other was the Comox Archives and Museum representative. Of the remaining three votes of the 8 members, one declined to vote, one gave half votes to two options thereby effectively abstaining, and the Chair did not vote, since there was no tie, as stated in Roberts Rules of Order.
The Minority Report has been delivered to the Town of Comox and the Attorney General of BC.
Read the Minority Report: ScanMinority Report MLNHAC June 24 2016Red
Documents referenced in the report are listed below:
Document 1 Town of Comox MLNHAC ad
Document 2 MLNHAC Members and Terms of Reference
Document 3 HaroldBatesEngineeringReportonShakesides 13-30-02
Document 4 ReportCascadiaWoodtechShakesides
Document 5 Museums of Alberta ThinkingAboutStartingAMuseum
-30-