The little Town that could

And, after watching other communities such as Digby benefit, Roy doesn’t believe $15-million of insurance between three groups should be required. He was advised Street Punishment, Privateer Days and “I personally had to have a $5-million insurance policy, which doesn’t make sense as I was doing it for Privateer Days.”

However, the Liverpool show was going to be much smaller than Digby’s Wharf Rat Rally this summer, which featured Street Punishment.

Region of Queens Municipality Mayor John Leefe says the municipality’s insurance company, Frank Cowan Company stated the Region would lose its insurance for that event on that day if the policy stipulations were not meant. The Region of Queens provided a copy of a fax with this stipulation clearly stated to this newspaper. Municipal Clerk Chris McNeill says this was sent to Roy around April 9.

Roy denies ever receiving the fax and, “I asked for it time and time again.” He adds he wasn’t advised about the stipulation until April 22 so, “The dates don’t add up.”

Mayor Leefe says council wasn’t willing to take the risk of increasing taxes if an incident occurred at the show. For example, he says, a higher-income person disabled in an accident could sue for unknown millions beyond the protected insurance amount.

“I think it would be very foolish to expose the taxpayers.”

Street Punishment is a free style stunt motorcycle team based out of Halifax. A request for an interview wasn’t answered.

Digby Mayor Frank Mackintosh says the Aug. Wharf Rat Rally, of which motorcycles and Street Punishment were a big part, has become a huge, and peaceful event. “There’s a lot of money that comes into town and not only the town, but the municipality as well.”

He says estimates have put the numbers at 70,000 in a town of 2,000. The spending estimate is $5-million.

“This is the biggest thing we’ve had for years.” In addition, he says, “We have never had any trouble with the bikers. The only arrests have involved local people. I only hear positive things. I’ve never had a call from a senior citizen or anybody to say this is too much.”

Mayor Mackintosh says event committees are responsible for insurance.

Clerk-Treasurer Tom Ossinger says the town requires proof of liability insurance without a fixed amount set. The Wharf Rat Rally Committee provided an insurance certificate worth $2-million per incident with the town named as a co-insured.

He adds the Street Punishment show was moved from Water St. this year to a closed off street with two “huge parking lots” to ensure spectators couldn’t get too close.

Roy says Privateer Park offers a similar buffer zone and people were not going to be allowed to watch from the other side of Henry Hensey Drive.

Brian Fralic, who was involved on the committee negotiating for Privateer Days, says he only wishes to speak for himself, not other committee members.

He says, “Insurance is going to be the ruination of all festivals. We deal with issues for all events. The horse and wagon was an issue. The duck race was even an issue. How long are they going to let us have rides? If they keep looking at every piece of Privateer Days, we’re in trouble.”

He says the province needs to study this issue for all Nova Scotia festivals. Privateer Days, he adds, certainly could have used the additional people the event would have attracted to actually earn money.

However, he says, “Other places are having it. But we always have a problem with the Region.”

Mayor Leefe says he won’t discuss any specific town or municipality but “Maybe other communities are willing to take more of a risk.”

Digby uses BFL Canada, which Mayor John Leefe says doesn’t bid on larger municipal insurance tenders.

Roy admits he is angry, especially since the Street Punishment component of Privateer Days would have been much smaller, but would have attracted at least another 6,000 or 7,000 people.

“Nothing will ever happen in Liverpool. This Region would rather play it safe. If we have insurance and can’t use it, what’s the use of having it? What are we paying taxes for?”

Roy first requested permission from Region of Queens Municipal Council to hold the event on Henry Hensey Drive back in Jan. On Feb. 19, he received a letter of approval. The letter stated Privateer Days Commission or Street Punishment must have $2-million worth of liability insurance. The commission supported the effort.

Mayor Leefe says this is true, but council felt it was necessary to protect residents from the potential liability through seeking more information from the insurer.

Roy says by the time he was advised he couldn’t hold the event without the required three policies, “I had 30 local sponsors and I had to go back to them.” Over 20 volunteers were also committed. “It was pretty disgusting. I wanted to throw up. I couldn’t understand.”

He adds Windsor also hosted a show this year and pulled in millions of dollars. “That would do wonders for small businesses around here.”

Roy has contacted a lawyer, who he says has advised him the initial council approval is a binding contract. He says he wants the public behind him, however.

He adds events like drag racing and lumberjack festivals are great, but no more dangerous than a motorcycle show.

With the lumberjacks, “those hot saws are usually built from a motorcycle engine. I’m sure they didn’t need $15-million worth of insurance.”

Mayor Leefe says the races at the South Shore Regional Airport are covered by a different insurance policy and events like the lumberjack show are carefully contained within a specific area.

Roy says not only did he have to keep calling Street Punishment as things changed but also some people on the street told him he wasn’t keeping his word.

“They don’t know the facts. It wasn’t me; it wasn’t Privateer Days. It was the Region of Queens.”

In the meantime, he had to go to council again to hold the event at the race track at South Shore Regional Airport. He received confirmation two days before the event but Street Punishment had some equipment stolen, he says.

Mayor Leefe says he is personally unhappy Roy doesn’t recognize how hard council and Region employees worked to arrange the Greenfield venue.

“We wouldn’t want anyone to think we didn’t bust our butts trying to accommodate Mr. Roy at another venue. We literally spent hours finding an alternate venue to accommodate Street Punishment and he doesn’t seem to appreciate it at all. It’s all confrontation, confrontation, confrontation. He wants what he wants and nothing else will do apparently.

However, he says he understands how much work Roy put into this and why he is frustrated.

Without the insurance issues considered, Mayor Leefe says he personally supports what the stunt group could have done economically for Queens Co.

Roy disagrees. He says he is concerned little is happening to bring real jobs and wealth to the community. “I don’t want us to be booming but we got to do enough for the young people so they can survive.”

Mayor Leefe says, “We took the advice of our insurance company. Tony is welcome to make an application for next year and it will be with a new council.”