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The Campbell River Chamber board suggests some rogue members are responsible for the perplexing last-minute cancellation of an all-candidates debate on Tuesday evening.
After an emergency meeting Wednesday, the board issued a statement saying recent actions by the specific members “were not decisions of the remaining board directors or officially known to the board.”
The board said a decision to postpone an original debate set for early April, as well as to ultimately cancel the April 22 event at the Tidemark Theatre, was taken by isolated members.
Though the board apologized to the community, it didn’t clarify which members were responsible for the decisions.
The NDP, Liberal and Green candidates in the North Island-Powell River riding were notified of the cancellation at 11 a.m the day of the event from Chamber Chair Philip Kountouris, who cited safety concerns due to a protest expected to take place in the plaza across the street.
Kountouris told Canada’s National Observer on Tuesday a large protest and counter-protest was going to take place at the debate “with the RCMP saying public safety could be a concern.”
However, Cst. Maury Tyre, Campbell River RCMP media relations officer, said police hadn't advised the Chamber board of any safety concerns about any potential rallies, adding the board would have made any decision to cancel the debate independently.
A small rally involving 20 people protesting Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn’s contentious social media posts on residential schools had mostly dispersed by the time people began turning up to the theatre.
Except for a Facebook post canceling the event, the board did not issue any official public notification the event was cancelled, nor did it give any reason why.
The crowd of about 80 people who attended the event to find the venue shut had an impromptu opportunity to question NDP candidate Tanille Johnston, Liberal Jennifer Lash, Green Jessica Wegg and Independent Glen Staples, all of whom turned up despite its cancellation.
Gunn — who didn’t attend the three previous all-candidates debates in Comox, Powell River and Alert Bay — did not attend, but posted the letter by Kountouris to his Facebook page.
The original meeting, set for April 6, was first postponed with a day’s notice due to a “scheduling conflict” with one of the candidates. Kountouris declined to say which candidate couldn’t attend the first debate.
Johnston, Lash, and Wegg confirmed to Canada’s National Observer they were keen to attend the debate on both occasions and had no safety concerns.
Gunn has not returned requests for comment about the debate’s cancellation or interviews on a variety of issues.
On Wednesday, chamber board vice-chair Jack Miller supported the move by Kountouris.
“I trust the president, and his decision to move forward with cancellation,” Miller told Canada’s National Observer via LinkedIn.
“My understanding is that concerns were raised about potential liability in the event of a protest or disruption, particularly regarding who would be responsible for any damages. That, from what I was told, was a key factor in the decision to cancel the event.”
Campbell River Coun. and chamber director Ben Lanyon, who attended the cancelled debate, said at the time he didn’t know why the event had been cancelled, and he wasn’t involved in the decision before declining to make further comment. He did not address the crowd outside the venue.
On Thursday, Kountouris issued a public statement to Canada’s National Observer saying he made the decision to cancel the debate the day before it was scheduled due to his concerns, but faced pushback from others in the chamber.
He takes responsibility for sending candidates the letter cancelling the debate the day it was set to occur, but the Chamber has a part in the confusion and last minute cancellation for not acting on his decision when it was first made, Kountouris said.
“The Chamber’s subsequent public statement failed to acknowledge its role and the consequences of its delay. That’s not accountability; that’s deflection,” he wrote.
Kountouris didn’t clarify whether Chamber board protocols grant him sole authority as chairperson to cancel the debate and issue the letter to candidates. He confirmed he resigned from his position on Tuesday afternoon.
Other Chamber board members did not respond to requests for comment by publication deadline.
Besides Kountouris, Miller, and Lanyon the board included treasurer Hector Alvarado, secretary Riley McCormick, and directors David Buckland, Cory Magowan, Cody McGowan, Michael Pedersen, and Chiefs Ronnie Chickite and Chris Roberts.
All board members' profiles were no longer posted to the chamber website as of Thursday.
Rochelle Baker / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada’s National Observer
This article was updated to include comment from former Campbell River Chamber chair Philip Kountouris.
Comments
I imagine all those members of the CoC are first in line to demand accountability from elected politicians.
Based upon their general inclinations, Chambers of Commerce are unworthy of much attention. No offence to Up-Islanders, but such small town Chambers of Commerce, particularly, often reflect poorly on their communities.