Eric Allen said he is not done opposing the construction of a new RCMP detachment.
Only two per cent of the public opposed the project through an alternate approval process (AAP), which Allen spearheaded.
And although the opposition fell well short of the number that would have triggered a referendum, Allen said he still has an option.
"They circumvented the expiration of a prior bylaw, which stated a five-year expiration which has now passed," he said. "So I have to lodge a complaint with Victoria."
Following Monday's council vote to move forward with the project, Mayor Dan Rogers said Allen was free to take any citizen's action he felt moved to pursue, but the AAP and provincial support has provided council with a clear direction.
"We have been in close dialogue with the province on this project for quite some time, and they signed off on the financing bylaw," he said.
Allen steadfastly maintains the project's $39 million price tag, $26 million of which will be borrowed, is the problem.
"I am not against the police station," Allen said. "I am against spending so much money on it. Personally I'd like to move the police over into the Civic Centre because we hardly ever use that building anyway, and do a $10 million renovation to the old detachment, instead... I'll tell you what this is about. It's about engineers, it's about architects, it's about screwing the taxpayer."
Rogers said all bylaws around financing the building were discussed publicly at length at the council table throughout the years-long administrative/political journey to get to this point.
"There should be no confusion," he said. "I believe Mr. Allen's contentions are unfounded."
A small but committed group of Allen's supporters were with him at City Hall during Monday's council meeting and expressed frustration over the AAP rules.
Like Allen, they perceived the petition criteria to be too onerous. One said he had to work during the day so how could he sign the petition at City Hall, which was only open during business hours.
When reminded that anyone could register their opposition online at any time of the day or night, Allen countered that not everyone has a computer.
When reminded that the forms could be taken from City Hall and signed by one or more people and brought back to City Hall, Allen said it was not always easy for the public to find him, and he was the one gathering signatures.
Allen also contended the public may not have fully grasped the tax implications of the issue and should have been better informed prior to the AAP.
Councillor Cameron Stolz had little time for his argument.
"You mean to tell me, with all the front page coverage in the newspaper, all the stories on the inside pages and all the editorials in the newspaper discussing the details of this issue, that the public was not aware?," he said. "And due to a clerical error, this AAP actually took 45 days to complete, 50 per cent longer than usual."
However, councillor Brian Skakun, a previous opponent of the project due to its cost, provided words of encouragement to the AAP signatories.
"I think some people believe that a large response to not support this means there is a lot of support to go forward with this project, and it is not necessarily the case," he said.
Allen said he was not surprised council vote at their first opportunity after the AAP period, to move ahead towards construction.
"If it took all these years, various councils stumbling along not knowing what they were doing, that is their fault," Allen said. "Now they are saying they are going to do it, and they probably will."
He promised he wouldn't let those costs be incurred without more protest.
