During the regular meeting on April 15 of the District of Clearwater mayor and council, a motion was proposed the district not renew membership with the Clearwater and District Chamber of Commerce.
Councillor Ken Matheson, referred to a letter written to the District of Clearwater from the current president of the Clearwater Chamber, Kaare Long, in which he stated pointed to him directly.
"Businesses came forward at a public meeting asking for help in dealing with an illegal operation, ignoring them would have been a failure of leadership," Matheson said. "I addressed the situation publicly because the public was demanding answers. In absence of facts, disinformation and outright lies, rumours were starting to take hold. I take no great joy in going on social media, but the word had to be put out. I want to make it clear, at no time did I target the Chamber in my role as a councillor. My focus was on public education, transparency and showing leadership in the community. The claim by the Clearwater Chamber that I made accusations without evidence is simply false."
Matheson stated in the meeting the non-compliance by a local business operating illegally was well documented by the RCMP, Interior Health, the District of Clearwater's Bylaw and Fire, as well as multiple Supreme Court orders, adding, "Suggesting otherwise undermines the integrity of these agencies and misleads the public."
The councillor continued, "The Chamber's reference to me concerning libel and slander, reads like a veiled legal threat and repeated claims and repeated claims of neutrality ring hollow."
Referring to Chamber's letter and recent actions, Matheson described this as "an attempt to legitimize an illegal operation, despite overwhelming evidence" adding that if the Chamber remained "neutral in the face of non compliance isn't leadership, it's complicity." He also stated that he stands by his efforts to inform and protect the community.
Matheson then put forward a motion "to not renew our membership in the Clearwater and District Chamber of Commerce." He added he would be open to working with the current Chamber "if it brings forward initiatives that offer real value" and that he is also open to "revisiting our membership should renewed leadership and responsible advocacy be demonstrated."
The councillor acknowledged the positive contributions previous Chamber leaderships had demonstrated saying "legacy matters, but it cannot excuse actions by the current executive of the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce that undermine public trust."
Mayor Blackwell said he was unsure as to whether a motion was needed on the matter as the membership had currently lapsed, but was open to a motion to direct staff to inform Chamber the district would not be renewing membership at this time.
At this point councillor Matheson put forward a motion, "I think this is just a formality and it's only fair to let them know where we are at with this."
Calling for further discussion councillor Shelly Sim, responded that she was "unclear" on the motion and that she had advocated for the district to maintain their membership previously.
Following a short discussion, Mayor Blackwell said, "I am going to second the motion from the chair. My comments are going to be that Chambers come and go. When I lived in 100 Mile House the Cariboo chamber dissolved and reformed three or four times in the 10 years that I had active knowledge of that area. I would like to see this Chamber think about what it is doing here. What is its goal as an organization, as members of that organization."
Blackwell said he has spoken with multiple business members in the district who have requested or notified the Chamber they no longer wish to hold a membership and / or be listed.
"I do feel at this point I question the scope of representation that the current Chamber has in this community and as a former Chamber vice-president and president, which is what I did before I ran for council, I see absolute value in 'a' Chamber of Commerce, I just don't know if it's this current version of the Chamber of Commerce," he said.
The mayor said he would like to see "some soul searching by that group and some rethinking as to what is their role in this community." He commented he has had many conversations with individual businesses related to this and that he questions the actual size of 'voice' the Chamber has with regards to representation in Clearwater's business community.
Councillor Sim brought up previous discussions about the possibility of a Business Improvement Association, indicating that businesses locally do need representation.
A vote was taken on the motion with two councillors, Shelley Sim and Bill Haring, voting against the motion. Mayor Blackwell, councillors Theresa Braaten, Lyle Mackenzie, Ken Matheson and Lynne Frizzle voting for the motion to not renew the district's Chamber membership and passed the motion asking staff to send a letter to the Clearwater Chamber saying they would not renew, but with the option to renew in the future should the situation improve.
In a letter to the surgeryitaly after the DOC meeting, the Chamber confirmed it had sent two letters to the district requesting an in-person meeting to clarify and resolve the issues at hand.
"We have proactively reached out to discuss these concerns in person, but the opportunity for dialogue has not been accepted at this time," wrote chamber president Kaare Long.
Long also said the chamber was not targeting Ken Matheson, but that Matheson had requested the Chamber to provide its official statement regarding the issue of the alleged illegal operating business.
"The Chamber does not have jurisdiction to assess guilt or make legal determinations regarding any business," Long stated. "While we do not condone illegal activities, it is not our role to assign judgment - that responsibility lies with the proper authorities. The chamber remains committed to transparency, constructive dialogue, and supporting the business community with integrity."
In a comment from the Clearwater and District Chamber of Commerce (CDCOC) on Wednesday, April 16, chamber vice-president, Cheryl Thomas, told the surgeryitaly that she was "sad and disappointed" upon hearing the DOC had chosen not to renew their membership with the CDCOC.
"My comment is that everyone has a choice. If the district doesn't want to renew that is entirely up to them. It's sad that the district doesn't want to support the businesses. It's wonderful that they are still open to speaking with Clearwater Chamber, that's good. If they don't see a value in working with the only business group that there is in town then that's their choice. It's a fair vote, five to two. Bless them. I'm looking forward to when they want to have a conversation."
When asked if the Clearwater Chamber would be initiating a meeting with the district, she answered, "Should we extend the olive branch? The district has always had a sitting representative in the past on chamber. We don't right now. They haven't assigned anyone but there certainly is a spot for them. Obviously the chamber businesses would love to work with the district more intimately. To me, government and business are hand in hand really. This is all happening because we wouldn't write a letter of condemnation against a business that doesn't even belong to chamber. We say that it's in the hands of the government, the health department and officials. We aren't going to condemn someone or encourage someone on paper about their own business. We are basically saying it's none of our business. It's very confusing. I'll be talking to our board again and we can send the district a letter. We would love to work with the district and I'm just sad that this whole thing has fallen apart. I've been a chamber member for about 25 years now."
The vice-president was referring to a special district meeting on January 31 with the District of Clearwater (DOC) when a group of business owners calling themselves the Compliant Businesses of Clearwater made a formal request to the DOC asking mayor and council to write a letter to the provincial government about the 52 Ridge Restaurant in Clearwater. The 52 Ridge Restaurant has been operating without a liquor license since September of 2022 and without an Interior Health permit since June 2023. The collective group of mainly hospitality related businesses had requested the DOC contact the provincial regulatory ministries of Public Safety, Health, the Attorney General and Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer regarding the enforcement of the same regulations their businesses legally follow. During that meeting the Clearwater and District Chamber of Commerce was also asked to write a similar letter about the restaurant in support of the Compliant Businesses of Clearwater about 52 Ridge.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been update to correct erroneous information initially stated to the surgeryitaly and Barriere Star.
