Northgate Rent-All might not be quick to give discounts to Brantford’s Canada Day Festival in the future, the company’s general manager tells Brant News.

Six months after the annual event at Cockshutt Park, the company that supplies tents, barbeques, tanks and chairs for the festival still hasn’t been paid.

“We were doing our civic duty by renting them those supplies at a huge discount,” said Don Chambers, Northgate’s general manager. “I’m sold out of tents at full price all summer long. I don’t need to do it for them at all.”

Northgate isn’t alone. Brant News has learned that bills from the Canada Day Festival remain unpaid elsewhere, as well.

“I don’t know exactly how much because the Canada Day board hasn’t supplied us with financials,” said Coun. Richard Carpenter. “The businesses aren’t alone. We’ve been trying to track down these people for months now. This may have to be put in the hands of the police.”

Carpenter said the city isn’t on the hook for the unpaid invoices.

“The Canada Day people are an incorporated body that is independent from the city. They owe the money."

City councillors will consider a report on Monday night from Brian Hughes, the city’s manager of parks services, that suggests council seize control of organizing the event.

“We would structure it so it was more of a committee of the city,” Hughes said. “That way, we have guidelines we could enforce.”

Hughes said he decided to bring the issue to council’s attention in order to make sure the 2010 celebration goes ahead.

“The board was supposed to have its annual general meeting in October," Hughes said "There has been no reports and people have been resigning from the board in recent weeks."

Coun. James Calnan said he saw harbingers of this a year ago when financials from the 2008 event came up short.

“Last February, I made it clear to the board that they should operate within their means and only run a festival that can work with donations on hand instead of projected revenue,” Calnan said. “And they ignored that advice.”

Hughes said the report going to council has no consideration for the remaining unpaid tab from the 2009 event.

“The city is included on the list of who is still owed money,” Hughes said. “The arrangements were made by the independent board, all the city did in the past was offer logistical support for the event.”  

That's not the impression Chambers and other suppliers had. He said that they believed the Canada Day Festival was a city-run event.

“All my direction for setting up the event and what they needed came from people who work for city hall,” Chambers said. “Everyone else thought the same thing. I think they should take some responsibility.”

Chambers said some of the suppliers who are owed money have come together and shared their troubles in trying to track down the chair of the Canada Day Festival, Ken Dobson.

“We’ve tried to get a hold of him with no luck," Chambers said. "Other businesses I’ve talked to haven’t been able to find him either."

Carpenter said the city has been pushing for a meeting with Dobson.

“We would encourage Mr. Dobson to call the mayor’s office and air out the results from last year’s event,” Carpenter said.

Brant News contacted Dobson on Friday. During a telephone interview, he said he has not been focusing on Canada Day.

“My schedule’s been busy," Dobson said. "I’ve been dealing with personal stuff.”

Dobson said that the Canada Day Festival board is "basically dissolved" and that there are plenty of unpaid bills.

“Things have been in limbo since the end of last year,” he said. “The downturn in the economy hasn’t helped our financial situation.”

Dobson said he plans on meeting with what is left of the board soon.

“My goal is still to work forward and find a way through this.”