With the potential for a provincial election on the horizon, newly elected PC Party representative Craig Copeland has set forth his vision for the Lakeland region. Projects that top his list of priorities include the construction of a regional waterline, the twinning of Hwy 28 and bringing air service to the region.
“For the town of Bonnyville, what I see as a big priority is the waterline and getting the funding from the government to do that.”
Copeland expressed that the first step in the project would be making sure the funding is in place to construct a waterline to the Town of Bonnyville, as well as to Cold Lake First Nations. With the First Nations group needing to bring in their water via trucks, Copeland said he believes the design for a regional waterline could accommodate a line to the reserve. The long-term goal is to one day have a waterline that stretches to Kehewin, Glendon and Cherry Grove.
Highway 28 is another major project that the new PC Party representative would like to tackle should he be elected as MLA for the riding. The constantly degrading and increasingly dangerous highway has long been an issue for area residents. Copeland said twinning the highway from Cold Lake all the way through Bonnyville and down towards Edmonton is vital.
“The key for the twinning project when it comes around the Town of Bonnyville is we don't want to by-pass completely around the town, because for the business community that's huge,” says Copeland. “A huge priority is to work with the business community and the council as to how we're going to work with that…I see the twinning as a big immediate action plan.”
Other key priorities for the MLA candidate include lobbying the government to get CATSA designation for the airport on 4 Wing to bring air transportation to the Lakeland region. Copeland added he also would like to work closely with both area school boards on their provincial priorities.
With 11 years in municipal politics under his belt and eight years as the Mayor of Cold Lake, Copeland says he now plans to use those skills for the betterment of the entire region.
“I think what I'm going to be bringing to the table is an ability to get things done. I think the work that I've done on council in Cold Lake demonstrates that…now I'm going to be representing everybody in the riding.”
With the provincial government tightening its purse strings for the foreseeable future, Copeland said the incoming MLA's will have to have “bigger elbow pads”. After spending years lobbying the province to make sure the City of Cold Lake got the necessary resources it needed Copeland looks forward to using that skill for the benefit of the entire region.
Despite doubts that he will be able to fairly represent each community in the Bonnyville – Cold Lake riding, Copeland reminded that as the Mayor of Cold Lake it was his job to represent his community, but noted an MLA's job is to represent the entire riding, something he believes he would effectively do.
“The issues of the MLA are provincial…I wouldn't be the Mayor of Cold Lake, I would be looking at it from a provincial perspective. So if there are issues down in Bonnyville I'm going to be working on those issues.”
He added, “Everybody's just got to have some trust and just look at what we did in Cold Lake and ask yourself if you think I'll be able to deliver that as the MLA.”
Should Copeland be elected MLA for this riding, he admits himself and the councils' of the M.D. and Town of Bonnyville will need to mend some fences and leave their history in the past.
“I think one thing they have to do is show me some respect, they would have to bring forward their issues to me,” says Copeland. “If I get elected MLA it will be all business. If the M.D. or Town have provincial issues, we will work together to find common ground.”
Copeland expressed that moving forward, his stance on regional government is another issue that changes with the transition from Mayor to MLA candidate. While it's no secret that as mayor he has been in favour of regional government, pointing to Lac La Biche County and Strathcona County as successful examples, he made it clear he would not try to implement the system in the Lakeland should individual municipalities oppose.
“If councils are willing and the community is willing to come together as a region, then I'm interested in regional government,” Copeland said. “As an MLA I would not force it on anybody, that was wearing my mayor hat.”
With a strong belief that an election will be called this spring, Copeland's first plan as the new representative for the PC Party is to rejuvenate the local PC board and put a team together. He says he will start to get all his “ducks in a row” in preparation for an election. When the time comes that an election is called, Copeland says that he will take a leave of absence from both his job as the Mayor of Cold Lake and his job at the fish hatchery.
“I'm going to fully concentrate on winning the provincial election. It's only fair to the City of Cold Lake residents that they have somebody full-time running their issues.”
Copeland went on to say that he will be taking the entire allotted time to campaign and looks forward to holding open houses and participating in any forums that are organized. He also expressed that he plans on retaining current MLA Genia Leskiw's staff and keeping the office right where it is in Bonnyville.
In the next provincial election, Copeland will be running against Wildrose representative Scott Cyr.
“I think it's great, I look forward to (running against) Scott. I think the people have two good selections and we'll see if anybody else puts their name forward.”
Copeland explained that for those voting in the next election, it's crucial to look at the leadership of each party because you're not just voting for a person but an entire team. The newly nominated PC representative says he's passionate about his job and hopes to have the opportunity to show that to everybody in the region.
“I'm honoured to be representing the PC Party for MLA in the next election and I want everybody to have confidence in what I can bring as MLA as I have as the Mayor of Cold Lake.”
