OLDS — Olds Institute (OI) executive director Mitch Thomson hints “political interference” by town officials may have been occurring as they consider the future of OI assets.
In a Facebook post, Thomson wrote that “during the fall of 2019, an external competitor expressed interest in some of the Olds Institute's assets,” Thomson wrote.
“The mayor and members of council met with them to discuss the matter privately and felt they should have a say in deciding the future of our network.
“The Olds Institute board suggested that they should be able to explore their options and consider the matter without any political interference.”
One major crown jewel in OI’s assets is O-NET, an internet, phone and TV company, created several years ago.
O-NET was created at least partly because residents wanted access to the kind of high-speed internet and other services O-NET now provides.
“Over the last several years, many telecom providers and municipalities have asked to meet with O-NET and its owner, Olds Institute,” Thomson wrote.
“Large existing telecoms and communities of all sizes have expressed interest in O-NET, the Olds Connected Community Network, and our services. The Olds Institute owns 100 per cent of the shares in both of these entities.
“The Town of Olds loaned money to the Olds Institute to create the fibre network and develop O-NET when incumbents were unwilling to partner with or assist the community in achieving these goals.”
Thomson was elected to town council during a byelection last fall.
“I was unaware of the conversations that had occurred between council and the competitor when I stepped forward to run for council,” he wrote.
“This was several weeks before the town divulged their interactions with the competitor to my employer.”
“I was eligible and I had good intentions. I did not fear conflicts of interest because agreements were in place, I was not negotiating them,” Thomson wrote.
“I felt quite comfortable stepping away from a discussion or decision if a conflict arose. It seemed simple, because my job hadn’t required me to meet with council with any frequency, and our organization’s structure has been in place for more than a decade.”
He wrote that he has “dutifully” avoided a conflict of interest by recusing himself during council meetings any time matters arose “that could benefit or impact my employer.”
Olds Institute chair Bill Hall declined comment, saying any official statement on this matter will come from the OI board of directors.
Mayor Michael Muzychka responded to Thomson's allegations regarding the external competitor's interest in some OI assets.
"This is a confidential matter between the Olds Institute and the OFL (Olds Fibre Ltd., operating as O-NET) and we are surprised the executive director is speaking to this issue," he wrote in an email.
