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Mayor accused of 'misrepresenting the truth'
Mayor and houseboater wrangle over who started court action on news show by Jennifer Pritchett
NNSL (July 25/97) - One of the houseboaters embroiled in a bitter court dispute with the city -- a battle that's costing taxpayers thousands of dollars -- says Mayor Dave Lovell lied about the issue recently when he appeared on a television program.
Matthew Grogono said Tuesday that Lovell, during an interview on Monday's CBC-TV's Northbeat, offered a version of who made the decision to take the houseboaters to court that doesn't square with the facts.
"Lovell misrepresented the truth and this shows he has something to hide," he said. "He's (implying) that council is behind taking me to court."
Grogono said that isn't the case. He blames city administration for taking him to court.
City Manager Doug Lagore told Yellowknifer Tuesday that he made the decision to bring the case the court. To date, the legal fees have escalated to more than $20,000, said Lagore.
Grogono said he knows at least two members of council who did not support court action when the case was sent to court three years ago.
He identified the councillors as Dick Peplow and Jo MacQuarrie. Both have since left Yellowknife and given up their seats.
However, the decision to take the battle to court was never put before council, so McQuarrie and Peplow never got a chance to sway other councillors who may have supported the case.
The city is trying to extend its regulatory and tax regime to the houseboats on Yellowknife Bay, which is currently a federal jurisdiction. The battle is now in NWT Supreme Court.
In the televised interview, Lovell said that council was behind the decision to drag the case to court.
"My recollection of it (the question) is who's responsible, and the answer is council," he said. "If the question was, who initiated this, it was an administrative process. You can blame the semantics."
Lovell said that it's not a matter of getting rid of the existing houseboats, but regulating them.
And while tens of thousands of dollars have been spent in legal fees -- an amount that will undoubtably escalate as the case continues -- neither side shows any sign of giving in.
Lovell said he doubts that the fight will stop until the city settles who has jurisdiction of the waters around the houseboats in Yellowknife Bay. That is Grogono's major beef. He denies that the city ever tried to settle the issue out of court, forcing the issue to grow in scope.
An Alberta judge is expected to hand down a decision next month, after which time a series of appeals is expected to begin.
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