Plenty of drama in Tiverton.
A past chair of the Tiverton Old Boys and Girls reunion is making certain claims, and Steelback Brewery is disputing them.
Bayshore Broadcasting News was contacted by past chair Debbie Cote – who is upset there may not be a reunion, and about the goings on between Kincardine council and the current commitee.
Cote told us “statistics show Steelback is not a favourable beer” and “they were trying to go with what the public wanted”, which is why it was not chosen.
She disputes claims that Steelback is the number one selling beer at Bruce County beer stores, saying she was able to obtain recent numbers from both Molson and Labatt Breweries, but not from Steelback.
She also disputes claims that using cups and draught beer is safer and better than using canned beer.
She points to the Kincardine Reunion, where draught beer lines froze, and beer could not be served in a timely fashion, and the Tiverton Spring Dance, where cans were used, and were quicker to serve, and had no incidents with them.
Cote also says the committee was blind-sided by the tender amounts and doesn’t believe council announced the correct ones, feeling they’ve been changed.
Bayshore Broadcasting News also spoke with Steelback President Ian Macdonald.
He confirms there is animosity between between Cote, a few reunion members and Steelback, because he caught them in a lie.
MacDonald says Cote told him the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) recommended cans so Steelback was out of the bidding process.
He says that is not true, and spoke to AGCO which confirmed that news, which ultimately lead to his media release about being shut out – that we reported on last month.
MacDonald points to Cote’s silence until now on the matter, and says it’s unfortunate she’s only now voicing her concerns, after resigning from the committee.
As it stands now, Council voted to defeat a recommended committee tender to use Labatt beer, and the controversial decision resulted in the instant resignation of six committee members.
It’s feared the other committee members will follow suit when the issue is discussed again on Wednesday and there will not be a reunion this summer.