Ron Bolin: June 16, 2015

The following letter was sent to the Nanaimo Daily News in response to their headline of June 16: “Hotel Extension bid turned down”.

I have great difficulty in interpreting the Headline in today’s Daily News: “Hotel Extension bid turned down”, as when I read the story what I in fact find, is that what was turned down was the first proposal from the Hotel group, i.e. that there be no real consequences to their failure to meet the contract originally signed and that they proposed to double the contract time available for a penalty of $2 dollars. It should come as no surprise that such an offer, particularly in the light of its apparent failure to keep Council informed of what was going on, would be seen to be an insult.

I have had a feeling that this deal could work both for the project proponents and for the City. Certainly no other proposal to bring in a regular external clientele has been forthcoming. But such an arrangement requires an active partnership which seems to have been neglected by the proponents and perhaps by the City as well. Discussions in this matter should have taken place long before last night. They apparently did not. There appears to be a gap in the roles of Staff and Council which leaves us open to such miscommunication and misunderstanding. What I see here is a negotiation process which is being played as if it were a war. Theatre is fine -and there was a lot of it last night- but I hardly think that it is appropriate for a City administration in a matter as important as this one. I look forward to reading about the negotiations with SSS Manhao and whether they are to join us as partners in the enterprise of the City of Nanaimo.

Ron Bolin