Big decisions on empty mayor's seat and crumbling arena facing Elliot Lake city council

Elliot Lake city council discussed what to do about their ousted mayor on Wednesday night, but are not sharing that with the public yet.

Last week, former Mayor Chris Patrie lost his appeal to overturn a court decision that saw him removed from office in January for breaking conflict of interest laws, just a few weeks after he was elected mayor in the small northern Ontario city.

Andrew Wannan, who has been serving as acting mayor since then, and the rest of council met behind closed doors to talk about what to do next. 

"We had fairly lengthy discussion with the city solicitor and we have given direction and that's all I can say at this time," he said.

Elliot Lake city council has until mid-February to declare the mayor's seat officially vacant and then either appoint someone to the job or hold a by-election.

The city says that with the court decision it is expecting to receive $100,000 from Patrie to cover its legal costs.

Elliot Lake Council did vote Wednesday to spend more money to keep the roof of its arena from collapsing.

The 55-year-old Centennial Arena was shut down in September out of fears the wooden structure wasn't safe.

This follows the deadly roof collapse at the Algo Centre Mall in 2012 and the cave-in at the Pearson arts centre in 2019.

Without home ice, the Elliot Lake Vikings junior hockey teams, as well as minor hockey teams and figure skating clubs, have been using arenas in the nearby towns of Massey, Blind River and Espanola.

Elliot Lake city council already has already spent more than $400,000 studying and shoring up the arena roof and have now committed to spend up to $350,000 to make sure the roof can last through the winter.

That had city councillor Charlie Flintoff wondering about whether the Centennial Arena can be saved, amid some calls to start planning the construction of a new recreation centre.

"We're pretty much fairly confident this arena is going to be fixed, when can we tell the public?" he said during the council meeting.

"Well..." replied acting director of public works Bill Goulding.