Mike McCann has denied his relationship with a city employee now suing him for alleged sexual assault and harassment influenced a decision the Barrie councillor helped make in early 2020.
On Feb. 10, 2020, city council turned down a $300,000 funding request for the Barrie Region Innovation Exchange, or BRIX — a not-for-profit umbrella organization including the former Barrie Community Woodshop — to open leased space to be shared by several groups at 59 Maple Ave.
Amanda Kelly, 32, a senior business and entrepreneurship officer with the city, has launched a $200,000 lawsuit against McCann and cited the BRIX decision in her reply to McCann’s statement of defence, in an Ontario Superior Court of Justice document dated July 25, 2022.
It reads: “Moreover, following the events detailed in paragraphs 16 to 51 in the Statement of Claim, in or around February 10, 2020, Councillor McCann led efforts to reject a project prepared by the Plaintiff (Kelly), Barrie Region Innovative Exchange or BRIX, that went to Council to be ratified. Ms. Kelly understands that, prior to leading efforts to reject this project, Councillor McCann had corresponded with other Councillors to inquire into Ms. Kelly’s role and involvement in the project. Councillor McCann’s actions in this regard demonstrate that he was in a position to directly influence Ms. Kelly’s effectiveness in her role.”
Paragraphs 16 to 51 in the statement of claim detail Kelly’s sexual assault and harassment allegations again McCann, which allegedly took place in October, November and December of 2019 — just months before council dealt with the BRIX funding.
McCann has denied the allegations, which have neither been tested nor proven in court.
McCann, who is running for Barrie mayor in the Oct. 4 election, denied Friday that Kelly’s role in the BRIX funding motion — an A. Kelly prepared the Feb. 3, 2020 staff report and was the key contact — influenced his decision.
“I would not compromise my integrity with the City of Barrie and I would not compromise my integrity, period,” he said Friday. “That is completely manufactured. I’m a professional councillor and I take my job seriously as a councillor.”
McCann says now, as he said Feb. 10, 2020, he voted against the funding motion because it lacked a business plan.
“I was shocked that city staff would allow such a poorly written staff report to come at this level, the highest level of council, and to ask for $300,000 without a plan, without a business plan,” he said. “There were too many gaps and unanswered questions.
“That was almost three years ago and I do not remember Amanda Kelly being involved in the staff report.”
Kelly’s lawyers, Parker Sim LLP of Toronto, did not immediately respond to email and phone messages Friday from BarrieToday.
Al Cavender, formerly of BRIX and the Barrie Community Workshop, also said the numbers didn’t work for the project’s business plan.
“To get the $300,000, we had to raise $100,000 and they would give us their (council’s) $200,000,” he said. “Literally, we don’t know how to raise funds, we don’t have that kind of knowledge or expertise. There was no way we could come up with that money.”
BRIX’s plans fell apart after council denied the funding, Cavender said.
“We had to look around for another way to go forward and we couldn’t find it,” he said.
It is now called the Barrie Simcoe Community Woodshop, and Cavender said the new group still seeks a location.
The $300,000 funding motion was approved by general committee Feb. 3, 2020, and then lost a week later, on Feb. 10, 2020.
McCann said this is not unusual.
“You can vote at general committee and then you can do your investigation, and you make your final decision at city council. You’ve got a week to have a cooling-off period so we can think about it and investigate,” he said. “That was our process and I followed the process. I’m not going to spend your money, taxpayer money, without having a clear plan. That report had too many gaps in it.
“That’s why I voted no. There was no plan.”
— With files from Raymond Bowe
