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Conflict, says Ramsay

Mayor Gord Van Tighem doesn't agree

Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Dec 08/00) - Two members of Yellowknife city council are locking horns over a legal opinion the city refuses to make public.

The legal opinion deals with a possible conflict of interest regarding a multi-million dollar lawsuit launched against the city by Polar Developments.

Yellowknifer has been refused a copy of the opinion. City administrator Max Hall said council can only release a legal opinion after a motion. Attempts to contact the lawyer were successful, however he refused to comment without approval from the city. The city denied that request.

The question is whether Mayor Gord Van Tighem was in a conflict of interest during a closed doors meeting Nov. 20 at which administration provided an overview of Polar Developments' case against the city.

At a Priorities, Policies and Budget committee meeting on Nov. 27 Van Tighem informed council that he had received an in-kind donation of office space for his campaign from Polar Developments.

The company, owned by Ray and Gabrielle Decorbe, is suing the city for $3 million in damages over a loss of opportunity to develop a piece of land located at the corner of 52nd and 44th Street. Van Tighem admits that he and the Decorbe's are "close personal friends."

Ramsay said he had heard of Van Tighem's relationship with the Decorbe's prior to initial discussions about the lawsuit.

"I was very uncomfortable with the mayor being at that meeting," Ramsay said, adding, the mayor did confirm his relationship with the Decorbe's and it was then that Van Tighem asked the city's legal advisor Ed Gullberg for an opinion on whether or not accepting political contributions would put him in a conflict of interest.

Because of a perception of conflict and the discomfort of several councillors, however, the mayor said he will remove himself from all discussions relating to the ongoing lawsuit.

Ramsay is concerned the mayor received information about a lawsuit involving his friends.

"Even though he left the second meeting, we had already been through an administrative overview of the legal case and we were already given a legal opinion on where the city stood on certain issues pertaining to that case that the mayor was privy to." Van Tighem, however, doesn't think he did anything wrong.

"There was no issue up until the point that some discomfort was felt and at that point I stepped aside."

He said the discussions he did participate in on the Decorbe's case did not involve any debate or decision-making, therefore there was no concern.

"I have never attempted to hide who I know or who my friends are, nor do I now."

Van Tighem is meeting with representatives of the territorial government today for an update on the city's Towns and Villages Act. He said he will be inquiring about the possibility of council introducing its own Conflict of Interest Policy.