MLA Jeff Johnson said he doesn’t understand allegations Sturgeon County Coun. Karen Shaw made in a CBC story last week, because he simply did not make them.
Shaw told the CBC that her push against the proposed Heartland Transmission Line, including organizing meetings about the project, was met with a blunt threat from Johnson.
"Point blank, it was if you don’t back off, your funding could be jeopardized to the municipality,” she told the CBC. Shaw was not available to speak with the Gazette before press time.
Johnson said he has spoken with Shaw about many issues many times, but he has never suggested the county’s funding was at risk, because it isn’t.
“Karen is passionate about some issues and we have had many conversations about those issues, but to allege that I would take that kind of a line is utterly preposterous,” he said.
“Those are not the comments I would make, that is not a tack I would take, and my colleagues and my premier would not put up with that if I did.”
Shaw held a power line meeting for her constituents last fall and invited Johnson to attend. He said he told Shaw he had two other engagements that night and would not be able to make it.
He said even though he declined, his name was still in the advertisement for the meeting.
“We definitely had already told her that we couldn’t make it before she published the ad.”
The two people who did appear at the meeting, Keith Wilson and Joe Anglin, are both well-known opponents of the power line.
Shaw also told the CBC that the county’s chief administrative officer, Chris Micek, told her they received calls from the province about how much funding the county had received.
“I thought, 'How sad that we are afraid to speak up. We live in a democratic society, and we’re afraid to say anything for fear that we’re putting our municipality at risk' and right now I still want to throw up,” she said.
Micek told CBC he doesn’t remember speaking with Shaw and didn’t get any calls from the province.
Johnson said the story was deeply disappointing because he didn’t do anything the story alleged.
“It gets down to what is worthy of reporting, is there any kind of measure of validity to a story that you should do some due diligence?”
