Coun. Mike McCann has apologized for his comments about how Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman handled small businesses reopening during the pandemic.
“In hindsight, I misspoke and for that I take full responsibility for my words and I apologize,” the Ward 10 councillor said Friday in a written statement to BarrieToday. “I am committed to being more careful with my words in the future.”
The situation began with McCann’s answer in a BarrieToday story published Nov. 8 which asked all councillors about the most significant issue council faced during the first three years of its term of office, how successful council was in resolving this matter, and why.
McCann’s answer contained the following comments: “Where we failed, in a big way, was when the COVID mandates stated that our small businesses could reopen and the mayor, who had the power under the state of emergency, decided not to allow this to happen in Barrie. As a councillor, I tried to convince our mayor to reopen our businesses and he refused. As a result, the small business community were not happy with this council and have lost much trust.”
McCann clarified those comments on Friday.
“I should have elaborated on my thoughts and it should have read, ‘As a councillor, I tried to convince our mayor to ask the province to reopen our businesses and he refused,” he said.
On Friday, Lehman said it didn’t happen that way.
“Unfortunately, Coun. McCann still has his facts wrong, which is a serious matter,” Lehman said. “Here is the letter I sent to the province on Feb. 28, asking the premier to allow small businesses to remain open.”
McCann also said his comments highlighted the differences between Lehman and himself.
“Mayor Lehman and I have very different leadership styles. We do not always see eye-to-eye on how and when things should occur, but the bottom line is that both of us ultimately have the best interests of our city in mind when making all decisions,” he said. “Agreeably, (my) omission of ‘asking the province’ in my original statement, changed the meaning and tone of my response. This implied that the mayor was not in favour of supporting local businesses in Barrie and this is clearly not the case.”
Lehman responded Wednesday, Nov. 10 to McCann’s comments in the BarrieToday story from Nov. 8.
“I gave Coun. McCann formal notice (on Nov. 9) that his statement was 100 per cent false and libelous, and told him he needs to retract it and take accountability,” the mayor said. “It’s disappointing that the councillor has been putting his political ambitions ahead of the good of the city. Peddling misinformation during a pandemic for personal political gain is unacceptable. Inventing a story about me deciding to keep businesses closed is just bizarre, especially since in the spring, I campaigned for them to be able to reopen.
“It’s also pretty shocking that after seven years on council and two years of a state of emergency, the councillor lacks even a basic understanding of the authority of the mayor and council,” Lehman added at the time. “Mayors cannot override provincial laws, even if I had been inclined to make such a decision.
“Hopefully Coun. McCann will have the integrity to withdraw his remarks and apologize, and I’ll consider my options if he doesn’t.”
McCann said he hopes his statement on Friday will mend fences.
“I would like to take the high road with Mayor Lehman and move forward as professional colleagues,” he said. “We have 11 months left in this term (of office) and I would like to see all council members putting our energy into empowering our great city, refraining from verbal public altercations and providing our best efforts as elected officials.
“Our job as council members is to engage public interest with honesty and treat Barrie residents with dignity, understanding and respect. My passion and dedication to the city of Barrie will always come first,” McCann said. “Standing up for small business owners is something I take very seriously. I have been a business owner for the past 25 years and have also felt the economic and emotional hardships of the pandemic. I have had to find creative solutions to keep my team employed so they can keep up with their housing expenses and survive financially.
“This is not about me, I understand, but I do want it to be clear that I've been empathetic to local businesses because I am one as well,” he said. “Although our economy is moving in the right direction, we still need to focus on additional recovery for Barrie's small business owners. I want business owners to know that I am here for them and will continue to support them any way I can.”
This is the second public clash between McCann and Lehman in the past few weeks.
Last week, the Ward 10 complained of confusion in his ward when Lehman visited Oct. 31, dropping off information in the tornado zone, flyers with support and mental health information for those impacted by the July 15 storm in the southeast Barrie.
The mayor said there was no information in his flyers about replacing trees in the area damaged by the EF-2 tornado, and that only one resident asked about trees.
But McCann said he had nine or 10 calls about tree replacement, that Lehman’s visit could have been handled differently and that he would have preferred to be invited, to go with the mayor.
The war of words between Lehman and McCann could also be linked to the city election next October.
McCann has hinted that he might run for mayor in the 2022 city election, although he has not definitely declared.
Lehman has said he’s not decided whether or not to seek a fourth term as mayor.
Nominations open May 2 for the Oct. 24, 2022 municipal vote, which elects the next Barrie mayor, 10 city councillors and school board trustees for both the public and private boards.
