There’s no accounting yet for all of the money raised and spent on Barrie’s landmark sign.
Outgoing Coun. Mike McCann said Wednesday it’s not yet time for his promised full accounting of money in and money out for the Love Barrie sign at Heritage Park.
“I have not handed in the final numbers because the project’s not over yet,” he said. “I’m hoping to have a sponsorship recognition on Dec. 4. So once the sponsorship party is done…I will disclose all financials and show the community that this was a beautiful project from start to finish, including all of the money raised and spent.”
McCann, who ran for Barrie mayor and finished fourth, is a Ward 10 councillor until Nov. 15. The new council, elected Oct. 24, will be sworn in Nov. 16 at the 2022-2026 inaugural meeting.
Mayor Jeff Lehman, who did not seek a fourth term in the election, was asked if McCann should submit financial details about the funds raised for the landmark sign before his term of office expires.
“I think he should be completely transparent and detail where every cent came from and went to. There’s already been so much controversy over this project it would be wise to just be totally open about it all,” Lehman said.
“Given that he’s leaving office, though, I suspect it’s up to the councillor how he wants to leave – with a cloud hanging over this project and the sign, or with everything properly public and all questions answered.”
McCann doesn’t quite see it that way, however.
“I have an obligation to the sponsors to disclose all the financials once the sponsorship party’s done and the project is finished,” he said.
But not to the city and not to council?
“Technically speaking, I don’t have that obligation, legally, but I will give those financials to put any water on any fires that think I’m doing anything wrong,” McCann said.
“I was a councillor that as a private citizen raised over $300,000 for a Love Barrie sign that had a price tag of $200,000,” he said. “It would be completely irresponsible of anybody starting a project (to) only raise $200,000, when most projects go well over the expected price.
"In this case it didn’t and so more people wanted to be a part of this sign that represents Barrie being a loving city," he explained.
“I do take back a little bit that there are a few people in this community that would want to paint this as an ugly thing and not a beautiful thing,” McCann said.
McCann raised the money needed to design and construct the Heritage Park sign, which has been called Heart Barrie or Love Barrie.
A May 30, 2022 memo to Barrie councillors lists 12 $20,000 sponsors, 11 $10,000 sponsors and five $5,000 sponsors. That totals $375,000 for the fundraising campaign, although the memo doesn’t add up the contributions. McCann has said previously the total raised was closer to $300,000.
On June 28, 2021, city council passed a motion that any funds raised on top of the $200,000 for the Heart (Love) Barrie sign, where no donation receipts have been issued, be donated to 'save the beaver' and 'save the turtle' programs in the city.
Also in June, McCann said he collected harmonized sales tax (HST) from the fundraising dollars and sent it to the federal government. He said he hired a professional accounting firm to prepare a spread sheet of money in and money out, which he would be sharing with the city’s finance department once all the money is collected.
That sharing hadn’t happened as of Wednesday morning, said city staff.
“There’s nothing illegal that I’m doing. I’ve got the money in the account,” McCann said. “I’ve got almost 80 grand sitting in that account. There’s no fund(raise)ing going on.
“I haven’t finished the project yet, which is the sponsors having a sponsorship party.”
The sign is located in Heritage Park, directly on the entry axis to the downtown waterfront park, as people walk across Simcoe Street from Meridian Place.
McCann has said this sign is intended to unite Barrie — to help businesses by driving residents and visitors to the downtown and have them celebrate the city by being photographed with the landmark sign.
It was defaced overnight Sept. 18-19 with the words and symbols “Dirty $” and “CLEAN HANDS”, with a circled X and the words “BUT LIES” on the nearby concrete pavement.
“I don’t have a clue what that meant,” McCann said.
The city’s graffiti abatement program removed the words and symbols on the morning of Sept. 19.
Barrie city police said Wednesday there were no updates or further information at this time on the incident.
Council added $15,000 to the city’s operations department budget, beginning this year, to cover costs of potential graffiti removal and winter maintenance on and around the sign.
