A Kincardine fitness centre owner is not pleased the municipality is in the same business he’s in.
As Bayshore Broadcasting News Reporter James Morgan tells us — he wants the municipality to make things more fair.
Nestor Koturbash is the owner of Gym Bags — a private fitness centre.
And he says the municipality should have developed a community fitness plan before going ahead and spending 40 thousand dollars on new exercise equipment for the new fitness room at the Davidson Centre.
Koturbash says they’re only helping the rich residents of the municipality, not the ones who could instead benefit from basic services instead.
Koturbash told council the municipality could supply those needs with skipping ropes instead.
Deputy Mayor Laura Haight took exception to his comment, saying the municipality does not only have a responsibility to the less affluent.
As for making sure lower income residents have affordable access to a fitness centre — Koturbash says that way of thinking would also mean the poor should be able to live in five thousand square foot mansions too.
Koturbash says the property taxes he pays are actually funding his competitor and notes that unlike him — the municipality does not have to turn a profit.
And Koturbash adds he isn’t eligible for the millions in government grants the municipality can get for its facility.
Koturbash originally threatened to launch a tax appeal with the Ontario Municipal Board — but Council has told him to bring his concerns before the Recreation Committee.
Haight says municipalities will always be in certain competitive businesses, BUT they have to be mindful of the level of competition they provide.
She notes that municipalities are not in certain businesses for profit, but instead for service and utility.
