In a rare move, municipal politicians suspended the rules for the second time in recent weeks, this time to allow Councillor Tanya Vrebosch to revisit remarks made during the previous regular meeting of the council about a contentious Laurentian Heights housing development.
"I simply would like to just retract my comments regarding the covenants related to the Kenreta rezoning application that I made at the regular meeting of council on February 13th," said Vrebosch at the outset of the meeting.
There was no official discussion or clarification on what prompted the retraction.
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And: Council approves contentious rezoning in Laurentian Heights
During that Feb. 13 regular meeting of North Bay City Council (see video below), Vrebosch made comments that could be construed as sympathetic to a group of homeowners who are opposed to a rezoning application that passed that evening, opening the properties on the escarpment to the construction of semi-detached homes in their neighbourhood.
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The controversy between the homeowners and the Wallace development group is centred on disagreements over the restrictive covenants on the properties signed between the parties. The Wallace family has been involved in the Laurentian Heights development for decades.
As seen in the video from the meeting in question, Vrebosch used language seeming to favour the legal position of the homeowners concerning those covenants. Among the suppositions made by Vrebosch in open discussion: "If you have been wronged," and, "I know that is not what you were promised," plus, "You signed an agreement about what you were supposed to receive."
Coun. Vrebosch declined further comment on the matter.
