Protest in Come By Chance puts town's cash woes, council troubles in spotlight

About two dozen residents of Come By Chance protested outside itstown hall Wednesday, voicingtheir anger and unhappiness with the town's council and putting municipal cash woes into the spotlight.

The protest comes on the heels of a petition widely circulated throughout the townthat accuses council of letting Come By Chance's infrastructure crumble.

"You got your letter. You got 90 per cent of this town telling you what to do do it. That's it," resident Terry Oakeyelled toward the hall's steps, where municipal officials stood before the crowd.

The protest was small and brief, and ended in a peppering of car and truck horns, but the turnout was significant for a town with only 200 people in it.The showing satisfied protester and former councillor Duane Baker.

"We need to sit down with council, and show them where the issues are, because they obviously don't see them. And either encourage them to fix the issues, or oust them and put a council in that will fix the issues," Baker told CBC News as protesters dissipated from the scene.

The petition and the protest are piled on top of other town problems, not the least of which isa court case involving a lot of municipal funds.Aformer town manager is set to appear in Clarenville provincial court Thursday to answer to charges of allegedly defrauding the town of nearly $250,000.

Town's reserves depleted

Mayor Chad Gilessaid he would not comment on the case, as it's still working its way through the legal system.

But he acknowledged Come By Chancehas hit the financial rocks, with big implications. The town had until recently prospered, its coffers swelled by the nearby North Atlantic oil refinery and shipment terminal, with a $1.2-million annual budget that has allowed the town to develop its infrastructure.

But that refinery hasn't produced any fuel for a year and deals to sell it have been fallen through. It sits in idled mode, with the threat of total closure a distinct possibility.Between that and the alleged fraud, the town's reserve account, meant for rainy days and emergencies, has been totally drained, Gilessaid.

"Because of this, because the money is gone, we've had to use our reserves to pay for our bills, pay for some of our projects. So right now, our reserves are depleted," Giles said Wednesday, adding he isn't sure what other towns, who may not have had such extra cash on hand, would've done in the same situation.

Giles said council has worked to shift its priorities, and borrowed money to work on a few projects. But while tax hikes have so far been avoided, he said morale in the town and among council is low.

Through the upheaval, he said council has made strides to be transparent about its financial situation.

"We worked on it. Our policies are a lot stronger now. We've updated all our policies in regards to finances," he said.

Uncertain future

As for the petition, Giles said some of its grievances stretch back close to a decade, well before he became mayor almost four years ago. Similarly, he said the current town manager has been on the job 14 months, and everyone working for the town has been trying to make headway through the challenges.

"The petition, really, it's about long-standing issues with council. And basically we're taking the brunt of it," Giles said.

Baker said the town manager former MHA Colin Holloway is unfit for the job.

"We hired an ex-politician instead of the right person," said Baker.

The protesters hope to meet with council, although it's unclear if a meeting has formally been arranged. Similarly, thefuture of the Come By Chance refinery remains up in the air, as well as the outcome of the court case.

One thing, however, is certain the residents' appeal for different leadership will be granted soon.Giles said he won't be running again for mayor when his term is up in the fall.

"I can't handle the stress of it," he said.

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