DiMarco ultimately left the meeting partway through, having participated virtually. Pictured: Welland Mayor Frank Campion and Councillor Tony DiMarco. Photo Credit: Niagara Region/City of Welland.
Fireworks were flying at an April 23 council meeting in Welland as Mayor Frank Campion clashed with Councillor Tony DiMarco (Ward 4). This followed a tiff between the two at an April 9 council meeting.
The Development Squad, a local firm, was seeking approval from council to build four new high-rise buildings and a set of townhouses on land on Niagara Street. This land was previously occupied by eight single lots, but those were consolidated into just one.
The proposal would mean as many as 1,197 new housing units.
The biggest issue was the fact that three of the buildings the developer wanted to build were 25 stories, which would have required council to approve a high-density amendment and change the zoning rules.
Many local residents are concerned about the size of the proposed buildings and the impact they would have on the local community.
A staff report was meant to be presented to council on April 9 to provide councillors with further information about the proposal, but councillors at the time voted 6-5 against receiving the report.
However, that doesn’t mean the proposal won’t keep moving forward. Council simply voted against receiving the report rather than rejecting the project outright.
At the April 23 meeting, DiMarco sought to confirm whether the proposal would still move forward. Campion confirmed that, saying that the minutes from the April 9 council meeting simply reflect that council voted not to receive the report and the information it contains.
DiMarco questioned whether the minutes from the April 9 meeting were accurate. Campion told him as such and sought to move on to vote to approve the minutes. DiMarco repeatedly interrupted Campion, who then asked DiMarco to stop interrupting.
Campion explained again that just because council voted against receiving the report doesn’t mean that the project won’t move forward, and that council wouldn’t consider the issue again later.
“What these minutes reflect is how the vote went on that particular motion – that motion failed – but it has absolutely nothing to do with the project proceeding,” noted Campion.
DiMarco ultimately left the meeting partway through, having participated virtually. He didn’t appear to understand Campion’s explanation of how council could vote against receiving a report but still have a project go forward.
“Now you’re getting out of line,” Campion asserted after repeatedly being interrupted by DiMarco.
The minutes for the April 9 meeting were approved despite DiMarco’s interruptions and concerns.
Minutes are meant to reflect what actually happened at a council meeting. These particular minutes reflected the fact that council voted against receiving the Niagara Street development report. However, as Campion explained repeatedly, that does not mean the project is being blocked from proceeding.
DiMarco has consistently expressed concerns with major new developments moving forward and the impact they might have on the local community.
“When are we going to stop this?” DiMarco questioned last year in a debate over another development proposal.
The proposed development on Niagara Street is in Ward 4, the community that DiMarco represents.
Jay Goldberg is the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. He previously served as a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
