On the heels of what has become a fairly controversial conference call earlier this month, Chatham-Kent councillors will be learning more about potential expansion of the Ontario Hockey League.
Tensions rose at council’s March 9th meeting, as some demanded to know who was informed of or invited to an informal Zoom meeting with OHL Commissioner Bryan Crawford.
Mayor Darrin Canniff now says Crawford will be coming to Chatham next Monday to speak with all of council about what the league is looking for in a prospective expansion community.
“All the public can hear what the potential is for Chatham-Kent, it’s a very exciting opportunity,” Canniff said. “It’s going to take a long time. There’s not going to be much of anything happening this council term, anything happening would be next term.”
Canniff says there have been a lot of rumours and half-truths circulating in the community, and Crawford’s presentation should help clear the air.
“If anybody is getting their news from Facebook, they need to fact check. No, we haven’t bought land. The only thing we’ve done is we approved at council to explore not only the area, but other projects in the [Parks and Recreation] Master Plan.”
Canniff says Commissioner Crawford’s presentation Monday night will include all information that was relayed to municipal administration and a handful of councillors during the Zoom meeting earlier this month.