Another kick at the can
After two unsuccessful attempts to sell the former Boy's School (now called Bowood) for $180,000 in unpaid taxes, the Shelburne Municipal Council is apparently set to have a third kick at the can. Halifax developer Besim Halef bid $40,000 for the property in the spring, which was ten times the only offer submitted. The Council decided at that time to reject Halef's offer.
Benefits outlined
Ed Cayer, vice president for AtlantiCann Medical Inc, appealed to Council Monday night to re-consider its rejection, showing a powerpoint presentation detailing the economic benefits to the Municipality and region from a medical marijuana facility planned for the property. AtlantiCann is owned by Halef's daughter Christine, who is a pharmacist.
Council informed Cayer that provisions of the Municipal Government Act would not allow them to reconsider a rejected bid, but that they might decide to re-tender the project.
Suspicion
Ralston MacDonnell had purchased the property in 2012, with loan from Halef. Subsequently, MacDonnell failed to pay taxes for many years and his unpaid debt to Halef now exceeds $1 million. Sources familiar with the process told SCT that some council members were suspicious of a possible collusion between MacDonnell and Halef.
Aspersions and insinuations
On a Shelburne Facebook page, local minister Debbie Hill insinuated that perhaps "there's more to Mr. Halef's business practices than we the general public are aware of..." and that "perhaps things are not what they seem..." Municipal officials have told SCT that they have no information causing them to question any of Halef's previous business practices.
Cayer was also asked if MacDonnell was connected to the project at all. "Other than owing Mr. Halef more than a millions dollars, no."
Tax dodger?
When warden Roger Taylor asked Cayer of Halef would pay his taxes if acquiring the property, Cayer bristled and said to ask officials in Halifax if Halef pays his taxes. Deputy warden Norm Wallet responded by saying he thought the question a "reasonable one."
When asked in a separate interview earlier today if he had any evidence that Halef had not or would not ever pay his taxes, Wallet told SCT, "No I do not. I was just trying to make sure we could get the taxes paid."
No comment
Wallet, when asked several times to explain his or the Council's logic in rejecting the Halef offer, declined to discuss it, saying only, "I don;t want to look back, I want to look forward and be positive."
The Council, meeting as a committee of the whole, met in closed session after the advertised Council meeting and discussed the prospect re-tendering the project and also of stting a minium bid for the tender.
Re-tender mercies
Although no formal decision can be made until full Council meets, Wallet told SCT "We've decided to re-tender the property and maybe Mr. Halef will put in a higher bid and maybe he won't."
When asked how soon the new tender might be published, Wallet said, "As soon as we can do it."
Re-offer likely
When asked if Halef would likely re-offer on the property, Cayer told SCT in an interview this afternoon, "I've been assured by Municipal staff that they would proceed with the re-tender expeditiously and, if they do that, we are likely to put in an offer."
Sturm, drang and gnashing of teeth
With more than 4,000 page views in less than 18 hours, the SCT story from Monday was the most read item in many months, and was widely debated on local Facebook pages. Comments on those sites included several decrying the Council's rejection of Halef's offer and complaining that Council rarely explains its decision-making process and should not be rejecting projects with job creation attached to them.
Sham artists, fraudsters and Frank Anderson
The Municipally-owned Boy's School / Bowood property - and that of the former Canadian Forces facility in Sandy Point, have been the subject of several controversies in recent years, involving several different Councils and wardens, questionable owners/tenants, the South West Shore Development Authority, sham artists and hucksters, and convicted fraudster Frank Anderson, among others. Both properties were once assessed at millions of dollars, but became degraded and virtually worthless over the years and difficult to sell on the open marketplace.
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