West Nipissing receives $100k from 2019 IPM

IPM board delivers long-overdue financial statements to council.

This week at council, board members of the 2019 IPM organizing committee made a long-awaited presentation to council.

Neil Fox and Daniel Oliver attended the council meeting to deliver the group’s official audited financial statements. Fox told councillors that the 2019 event attracted over 80,000 visitors. He thanked the more than 1,300 people who volunteered their time for the event and the numerous sponsors who financially supported the cause.

The organizing committee for this event has come under pressure as of late with many wondering why it took so long to provide a financial update. Other municipalities that have hosted the IPM have received this information within 12-18 months. When Huron County hosted the IPM in 2017, their board delivered the results to the city the following year and started distributing the local share of profits ($500,000) very shortly after the event.

When Kemptville hosted the IPM in September 2022, the board presented their financial results and shared the profits with 40 charitable organizations 9 months after the event.

When many questioned the 5-year delay earlier this year, West Nipissing’s former mayor and contributor the event, Joanne Savage opined that communication from the IPM organizers was “long overdue”.

At the time of the recent questioning, Lavigne councillor Georges Pharand noted that he didn’t have details on how the funds were distributed but that there were reports that the 2019 IPM had generated $180,000. He was referencing a 2020 news report whereas the committee announced a $180,000 surplus to the event. But there had been no official news on the topic since then.

In his presentation on Tuesday, Neil Fox seemed to indicate that the pandemic and litigation issues may have been reasons for the delay.

West Nipissing Receives $100,000

The financial results presented by Neil Fox on Tuesday were a little different however. He noted that the event generated a profit of $400,000 with half being shared with the Ontario Plowmen’s Association. Of the $200,000 kept locally, $100,000 is being distributed to four other municipalities (St-Charles, French River, Markstay-Warren and Nipissing First Nation).

Then Fox proudly announced that they were formally delivering their audited financial statements along with a cheque for $101,042 to West Nipissing. He told council that he trusted that the profits would be invested in a tangible asset that reflects the culture and spirit of the 2019 event.

I have requested a copy of the audited financial statements that should now be public records from the municipality but at the time of writing I have not received them.

Many members of the community who volunteered in 2019 have noted that a planned appreciation event was promised for those who helped out. But no indication or plans for such an event were announced this week.

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