Fredericton city council has voted to go ahead with its decision to buy out the lease of a former downtown bar they fear could become a strip club.
In a special meeting Tuesday afternoon, the mayor and city councillors voted down a motion to reconsider last week’s decision to lease the building for five months.
That’s how long is left before the exotic entertainment licence connected to the former iRock bar property expires, and it will cost the city $150,000 to lease it until five months is up.
At the heart of the move is a concern that organized crime might move in if a strip club is set up.
That fear was brought to council by police, and Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside said it’s what drove council’s lively debates on the issue.
“We never once discussed morality — not once. We not once discussed religion — not once,” Woodside told councillors.
“We only talked about the safety and sustainability of our downtown.”
Council’s decision last Monday to lease the building was cast in doubt by a tweet from the mayor on Friday, saying the city “no longer has a need” to lease it.
Woodside said he received a letter from the minister of public safety, saying that if the province got a licence request, it would keep council’s strip club concerns in mind.
“I feel very, very confident in going that route and not spending the $150,000,” Woodside told council.
In the end, council voted to stick to the leasing plan, and Woodside apologized to city councillors for his tweet that took some by surprise.
“I'd be upset as well, so for that, to my colleagues, I apologize,” he said.
Bruce McCormack of Downtown Fredericton Inc. — the group representing downtown merchants, whose office happens to next to the property in question — says he’s happy the city will take on the lease.
“I think there’s always a potential for danger. We've heard from a number of owners that they were concerned about what could have happened if it had gone the other way,” he said.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Nick Moore
