The hub question: what the record shows, and where candidates stand
Council minutes trace a decade-long debate over a community centre in the village of Chatsworth. Two of nine candidates say they support building one.
By David Ellis · · 3 min read
Whoever is elected on Oct. 26 will inherit one of Chatsworth's longest-running debates: whether to build a community hub on the former arena site in the village of Chatsworth.
Here's what the township's own records show, and what the candidates have said.
What the minutes show
May 7, 2025. A committee-of-the-whole recommendation that council support "Option Two at an estimated cost of $10,900,675" for the hub was defeated, according to the township's minutes of that meeting. The minutes record the result but not how each member voted. Some news reports gave a different figure for that vote. The Owen Sound Sun Times and the Owen Sound Current both reported it as a $10.7-million first phase, while Bayshore Broadcasting reported on July 20 that council had reviewed "$10.9-million and $13.1-million design plans." The minutes give $10,900,675.
May 21, 2025. Members of the hub building and fundraising committees asked council to reconsider the May 7 decision, according to the minutes. A notice of motion asked staff to report on alternative funding options.
Jan. 21, 2026. The minutes record a vote on a motion to support "Option 1 - Phase 1 Option A - Community Centre at an estimated cost of $8,655,400." It carried 3 to 2. Mayor Scott Mackey, Deputy Mayor Terry McKay and Coun. Peter Whitten voted for it. Coun. Shawn Greig and Coun. Elizabeth Thompson voted against. At the same meeting, a motion supporting Option 1 for the hub landscaping design carried 5 to 0.
May 20, 2026. McKay moved, and Thompson seconded, a motion to reconsider the January resolution. It carried 5 to 0, according to the minutes. A second motion deferred the hub design decision until after June 17. The same minutes say a procedural error had been identified, because the seconder had not been on the prevailing side of the original vote. They record CAO/Clerk Rachel Anstett as advising that "because the original vote had been unanimous," no formal reconsideration would be required. That conflicts with the township's own Jan. 21 minutes, which record the vote as 3 to 2.
June 17, 2026. Allison Kuhl appeared as a delegation opposing the community centre and hub, and filed materials including petitions, according to the minutes. The Owen Sound Sun Times reported on July 16 that the group presented a petition with more than 1,100 signatures of people opposed to the proposal. The minutes the Banner reviewed don't give a number.
July 8, 2026. The minutes show the $8,655,400 motion back before council as an "Item of Deferral - May 20, 2026." On a recorded vote it was defeated 0 to 5, with all five members voting against. News reports described this as council rescinding its January support.
Where the candidates stand
At an Oct. 6 all-candidates meeting in Williamsford, two of the nine candidates said they support building a hub, the Owen Sound Current reported on Oct. 14. The others favoured landscaping the site, saving money or waiting for provincial and federal funding.
According to the Current's report:
- Greig (mayor) said he cannot support the proposed build.
- McKay (mayor) said a hub "would be wonderful" but that Chatsworth lacks the population and tax base.
- Diana Rae (deputy mayor) called it "not feasible."
- Whitten (deputy mayor) favours using money raised to make the site "shovel-ready."
- J.D. Ceaser supports a build with senior-government help.
- Barry Jackson supports a scaled-down hub with one ice surface.
- Chris Evans said he can't support the $8.6-million phase under the current funding model.
- Brenda Robertson would focus on landscaping the site and protecting existing facilities.
- Margie Stafford said the township "cannot afford the proposed plan."
The Current reported that McKay and Whitten did not say at the meeting how they had voted. The township's Jan. 21 minutes show both voted in favour of the $8.6-million plan, and the July 8 minutes show both voted against it.
Your turn: What, if anything, would you like to see built on the former arena site? Email news@chatsworthbanner.ca or use the tip form on our site.
Get stories like this in your inbox.
Council, roads, events and the week's top local stories. One short email, free to sign up.
