Three days after City Council threw a wet towel on John Rowswell's proposed junket to Regina, the Mayor revealed today that he's determined to visit the Saskatchewan city anyway.
As SooToday.com reported earlier this week, not one of Sault Ste. Marie's 12 City councillors was willing Monday night to move or second a mayoral request for $2,500 allowing him to attend the Municipal Leaders Forum on Implementing Kyoto.
Rowswell (shown in a SooToday file photo) wants to attend the Regina meeting to present a protocol developed at the recent Winter Cities Confererence in Sault Ste. Marie.
He believes his transpolar cargo idea can help the world achieve its obligations under the Kyoto Accord, and he also wants to talk to Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco about hosting the 2005 Winter Cities Forum.
'Are you going to use your own money?' Mick demands
In an exchange with Ward 3 Councillor Pat Mick at today's meeting of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Services Board, Rowswell was asked whether he was free to attend a water conference, May 1 to 3, in Toronto.
"I'm going to be in Regina," the Mayor told the councillor.
"How are you going to do that? Are you going to use your own money?" asked an incredulous Mick, to which the Mayor just smiled.
Asked by SooToday News about the exchange, the Mayor insisted he was just "pulling Pat's leg."
But when we concluded that he wasn't going to Regina, he replied: "I didn't say that either."
'I intend to try to get out there'
Rowswell said he hasn't had time to consider whether he'll go back to City Council or seek private funding for the trip, but he confirmed that "Some way, I intend to try to get out there."
"I think we're going to miss out on a great opportunity if we don't go."
Editor's Note: Mark Brown contributed to the production of this article.