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Ratepayers' questions on PUC

City Council and Sault Ste. Marie PUC Inc.’s Board of Directors will meet in a closed “education meeting” with legal expert George Rust-D’Eye January 17.

City Council and Sault Ste. Marie PUC Inc.’s Board of Directors will meet in a closed “education meeting” with legal expert George Rust-D’Eye January 17.

The meeting comes after a December 3, 2012 Council motion to defer and postpone a reopening of the City’s sole shareholder relationship with PUC Inc. until a later council meeting.

The call for the City to reopen its’ relationship with PUC Inc. stems from concerns raised by the Sault Ste. Marie Ratepayers Association (SSMRA) over PUC Inc. corporate donations, in particular a $100,000 donation made by PUC Inc. to Algoma University.

Meanwhile, at Monday’s City Council meeting, Helen Girard of the SSMRA appeared before Council and advised municipal leaders that the Ratepayers group will be requiring answers to questions put to Council regarding the City/PUC relationship “in a timely fashion” after the January 17 session.

Some of the SSMRA’s questions include:

Should or should not donations be permitted by PUC Inc. or its’ subsidiary corporations?

What is the defined mandate of PUC Inc. and its’ subsidiary corporations?

Who appoints the directors of PUC Inc. and its’ subsidiary corporations?

Why is PUC Inc.’s and subsidiary corporations director openings not included with all the openings for all other city boards?

What are the criteria for becoming a director?

Is it appropriate to have councillors appointed as directors of PUC Inc.?

If councillors are appointed as directors, what exactly is their role and to whom are they responsible?

Council agreed to respond to the SSMRA in “a timely fashion” after the January 17 meeting with PUC Inc. and a legal expert.

Councillor Frank Manzo, however, objected to the private nature of the session, stating it should be a public meeting.


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Darren Taylor

About the Author: Darren Taylor

Darren Taylor is a news reporter and photographer in Sault Ste Marie. He regularly covers community events, political announcements and numerous board meetings. With a background in broadcast journalism, Darren has worked in the media since 1996.
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