Mayor Dan Curtis had harsh words for Premier Darrell Pasloski and Community Services Minister Currie Dixon on Monday evening as he responded to their criticisms over his vote on zoning that had been proposed for an outdoor sports complex.

The comments followed the 3-3 vote by council on April 27 which defeated second reading of the rezoning of the Whistle Bend area for the sports complex.

That vote followed an earlier 4-2 result in favour of an amendment to change the boundaries of the proposed area to accommodate just the first phase – two soccer fields and a track built to international competition standards – of the project.

While Curtis – who attended last week’s meeting and voted via conference call – had voted in favour of the amendment, when it came time for second reading, he voted against.

As he explained later, while he doesn’t believe the facility is needed right now, he wanted to indicate his support for the boundary changes if the proposal ever returns to council.

The April 27 vote saw Coun. Dave Stockdale (who voted in favour of second reading) storm out of the meeting, followed by a protest staged last Friday by facility supporters.

Dixon also took issue with Curtis’ vote in a press release, while Pasloski made similar comments in an interview on CHON-FM.

At Monday night’s meeting, Curtis responded to the criticisms. He emphasized he did not negotiate anything on the zoning of the facility, as Dixon stated in his press release.

The mayor also argued his was not the deciding vote on the matter, as both Dixon and Pasloski had said.

Curtis said that while he had contacted the government to see if there was any room to compromise on the zoning, it was in no way a negotiation, which goes beyond his scope as a mayor.

To say he negotiated suggests he was acting illegally, he said.

He noted the government had provided clarity on a number of points about the sports complex, but also said he wasn’t sure how he would vote until the moment came.

Rather, he listened to the points made by other council members and considered the correspondence with the territory, only making his final decision before the votes were taken.

“I was not the deciding vote. I’m one of six,” Curtis said.

While council typically has seven members in place – thus rarely forcing a tie vote – the recent resignation of former councillor Kirk Cameron strengthens that possibility.

Quoting extensively from transcripts from the radio interview, the mayor took issue with the premier’s point that there will be a municipal election in October, and a new council may be elected with a different view on the sports centre.

The mayor argued it’s “totally inappropriate” for the premier to work through the media to make the comments he did.

In the interview with CHON reporter Dan Jones, Pasloski was asked what it would take for the zoning amendment to happen.

The premier replied: “We need a city council that realizes that not only is this not going to cost them any money, we were actually going to pay them a grant in lieu of taxes so they were actually going to come out of this ahead financially.

“This is a win-win for everybody. You know, if they are not amenable to simply making a zoning amendment, then it might have to wait until there’s a fall election and see if the new council is more amenable to supporting a great sporting facility that will benefit Yukon for many, many years.”

Referring to the interview, Curtis said Monday the premier is welcome to run in the municipal election if he chooses.

The mayor then called for other government leaders to give the city the respect it would other governments.

Curtis commented he was really perplexed that “this kind of garbage” would come forward from the territorial government.

He highlighted other issues where the city and territory have been working together.

Examples are extending the territory’s well program to city residents, and the land development agreement for the city to oversee the entire development of Phase 3 of Whistle Bend.

Standing by his April 27 vote on the sports complex, Curtis voted in a way that reflected what he said he believes to be the interests of the vast majority of city residents. He added he hoped his comments of Monday night provided clarity on his vote.

Stockdale was absent from Monday’s meeting, with Coun. Mike Gladish attending by conference call.

Liberal Leader Sandy Silver weighed in on the matter in a letter published in today’s Star, demanding the premier apologize for his remarks about mayor and council.

In an email Tuesday morning, following a request for a response to Curtis’ comments, cabinet spokeswoman Elaine Schiman stated:

“This government brought forward a project which we believe will be good for the community, and we remain committed to the project and will continue to work to make it happen.

“We have already provided detailed information to answer any concerns that were raised. The mayor has expressed his position through his comments and his vote.

“At this point, neither the premier nor the minister have anything more to add.”

However, during question period in the house Tuesday, Dixon addressed the matter when NDP Leader Liz Hanson raised it.

“This week, the public spat between the Yukon Party government and the City of Whitehorse took yet another turn for the worse when their premier effectively called for a new city council on a Friday radio show,” Hanson said.

“This time, the premier’s problem was that the city was uncomfortable passing a zoning change for a soccer complex that has been pushed by this government as part of their pre-election spending spree.”

Hanson went on to point to a number of “general answers” provided by the minister to a number of questions asked by the city and argued: “This is not how to treat other levels of government with respect. When will the government realize that the Father Knows Best approach to intergovernmental relationships is bad for Yukon?”

As the back-and-forth in the house continued, Dixon noted the government has expressed disappointment with the city decision but respects the city’s process in making the decision.

It will continue to work with the city on a number of matters, he stressed.

Education Minister Doug Graham argued an outdoor sports facility is needed. He stressed the 14 fields soccer is played on in the city are not soccer fields, but rather “multi-use fields” used to play the sport.

See letter.