Full accounting continues to fall short for the 'Heart Barrie' fundraising financials beyond the costs of the landmark sign.
Former Barrie councillor Mike McCann, who raised the money for the sign and promised to provide complete financial details, has not yet done so.
Mayor Alex Nuttall, who was not on council when the sign was approved for Heritage Park, said he would like to see the financial details.
“I think that that individual (McCann) … still needs to provide that information to at least the people who were donors and volunteers and the folks who made it happen and certainly I, like everyone else, await that,” the mayor said.
Early last November, McCann said all the numbers would be shown.
“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,” he told BarrieToday at the time.
To this point, the city has received $200,000 in funds raised to pay for the design and construction of the landmark sign, which has sat in Heritage Park since last summer.
The city’s website shows information provided by McCann — 11 donations of $20,000 ($220,000), 13 donations of $10,000 ($130,000), and four donations of $5,000 ($20,000). That totals $370,000, although that figure is not on the city page.
Barrie’s previous city council passed a motion that any funds raised on top of the $200,000 for the Heart Barrie sign, where no donation receipts have been issued, be donated to 'save the beavers' and 'save the turtles' programs in the city.
McCann has said some of the donations are in-kind, for media and administration, although exactly what those donations were for, their value and who made them remains unknown.
So the question stands: After the sign’s $200,000 cost went to the city, where did the other $170,000 go?
Coun. Sergio Morales, who was a member of the previous council, said the sign looks great, but he would also like to see the financial details released.
“Mike (McCann) can put an end to these calls for answers by just delivering the financials and making the donation to turtles and beavers preservation programs like he pledged to council and Barrie residents,” Morales said. “If he likes the sign as much as he’s shown he does, delivering on these two things would get rid of the stigma on the sign he championed.
“It seems counter-intuitive to the vision he had for the sign to let this linger," the councillor added.
Coun. Ann-Marie Kungl, who also sat on the previous council, said she did not support the landmark sign, although she noted a majority of council did — by a 6-4 recorded vote, with then-councillor Natalie Harris absent.
“We have looked for transparency on the funds,” Kungl said.
Wendy Cooke, city clerk and director of legislative and court services, said the City of Barrie does not have a specific policy about fundraising by sitting councillors, but does have a council and committee member code of conduct.
“The city has a donation policy that provides guidance related to the process and requirements of receiving cash and in-kind donations which are intended to support projects, programs or services which are offered by the city,” Cooke said. “The policy covers cash donations given directly to the city and establishes the requirements for issuing donation receipts for income tax purposes.”
She noted the city received $200,000 that was required as part of council approval of the Heart Barrie sign and it was used to pay for the sign’s cost.
Nuttall was asked if city council has a mechanism to retrieve the sign’s financials.
“I am unaware of one at this point,” Nuttall said.
McCann also told BarrieToday in early December that an appreciation event for the sign’s sponsors was scheduled for that same month, and then he would release the project’s financials to Craig Millar, Barrie’s chief financial officer.
McCann told BarrieToday at the time ‘there is no funny business going on. The process is squeaky clean.”
Then in January, McCann told BarrieToday the financials had been submitted to a third-party accountant.
The city says it had not received the financials as of midday today (Feb. 27).
BarrieToday has attempted to contact McCann several times recently — by text, phone and e-mail — but has not received a response.
The former city councillor was sent text messages, which he has said is his preferred method of communication, on Feb. 27, Feb. 26, Feb. 23 and Feb. 21, by e-mail on Feb. 23 and Feb. 27, and to his cellphone Feb. 23 and Feb. 27. McCann did not respond.
BarrieToday asked for comment from the remainder of sitting councillors who were on the previous council — Couns. Clare Riepma, Robert Thomson, Gary Harvey and Jim Harris. They either declined comment for this article or did not respond.
McCann has said the 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.
City 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.
The sign has been damaged structurally and repaired, and defaced by graffiti, twice since it went up July 1.
It is located in Heritage Park, directly on the entry axis to the downtown waterfront park, as pedestrians cross Simcoe Street from Meridian Place.
