I will be updating this post during the RM of Portage council meeting on Tuesday Sept 9.

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From the agenda it appears that the tender vote is not to be discussed today<!–

A question is asked why there is no money allocated for roads and drainage in the capital budget for 4 of the next 5 years

Another question is asked what will happen if there is a 4-4 tie vote, Reeve Trimble confirms it would not pass

So many good questions, not enough time to type

Daryl indicated that some councillors wanted to wait until all 4 tenders are back

Does Portage Mutual still want to name an arena that doesn’t exist For 250,000 dollars?

Daryl indicated only 27% of rural residents will use the Multiplex. We will try to get clarification of what that really means

Daryl indicates that the deficit will range from 1.2-1.4 million per year. It is mentioned that the bylaw says the RM is on the hook for 33%. Reeve Trimble says it is under negotiation from 25%-33%

More later

Where things stand

The RM councillors have apparently refused to vote on the project until all tenders are placed in front of them and a final cost is locked in.

This is in stark contrast to the City of Portage whose Mayor and councillors apparently had no problem approving the first two tenders which would open them up to being on the hook for cost overruns if the next tenders came over budget.

There is also the looming court challenge of the RM’s borrowing bylaw that will move forward if the RM votes to proceed with the project. There have been more private donations raised for the court challenge than has been raised from private donations to the Multiplex in the last 30 years.

More donations are always welcome if you feel that this project should be stopped from proceeding until the funding is fairly shared or a proper location is chosen.

The RM would not give a timeframe for when they will vote on all 4 tenders, but watch this website for more details when it happens.

Thank you to all the new faces who attended the RM council meeting today, as this issue gets more and more people concerned everyday.

Despite what CFRY and Portage Online try to say, this is not a done deal and your support can still help make a difference.