BONNYVILLE – Spearheaded by the MD of Bonnyville council, the new Regional Sports Tourism Committee (RSTC), which includes representatives from the MD, City of Cold Lake, Village of Glendon and Town of Bonnyville, is starting to pick up steam.
The purpose of the committee will be to identify potential sports tourism opportunities for the region and present recommendations to municipal councils for consideration.
The RSTC will look at estimated costs and benefits to the region for hosting proposed events. The committee will also be responsible for compiling any required information and submitting any expressions of interest, applications, and bid packages to host approved events on behalf of the four partnering municipalities.
Earlier in the year, each council selected a representative to sit on the RSTC. Elected officials on the committee include Glendon Mayor Nicholas Werstiuk, Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland, MD Coun. Darcy Skarsen, and the Town of Bonnyville’s Deputy Mayor Neil Langridge.
The first meeting of the RSTC was held on June 5. During the inaugural organizational meeting, Skarsen was appointed to committee chair and Langridge was appointed to vice chair. The positions of chair and vice chair are appointed for one-year terms by the RSTC members.
Over the last month, discussions around the purpose of the committee, the appointment of members at large, and the financial commitments that may be required down the road, have taken place.
At a regular Town of Bonnyville council meeting held on June 13, council members raised several questions about funding obligations.
Town Coun. Kayla Blanchette questioned items listed under the “Resources and Budget” portion of the Terms of Reference that states, “The initial source of funding for the RSTC will be provided through an equal share of funding from each partnering municipality to establish an operational budget.”
No total for the initial source of funding was included in the document.
Following those concerns, Coun. Phil Kushnir added, “It might be a moot point, but it might be something that we get tied into that maybe we don't want to get tied into depending on the amount of money that this committee decides to go with.”
Adding additional context to the conversation, the Town’s Corporate Service Manager Renee Stoyles noted that following the June 5 meeting of the RSTC, members had decided there would be no budget requested in 2023.
“If any requests were to come forward, it would be part of the 2024 budget deliberations and each partnering municipality will put in an equal share of what budget they would need,” said Stoyles.
Town of Bonnyville Mayor Elisa Brosseau also pointed to another clause in the Terms of Reference which states, “An annual budget shall be provided to each partnering municipality, including forecasted expenses and potential costs for pending event approvals, for their annual budget deliberations.”
Brosseau added it is her expectation that whichever Town council member sits on the RSTC represents the municipality, is cognizant of what is reasonable for the town, and that any decisions made by the committee are fair and equal for all the municipalities.
Langridge, who attended the first RSTC meeting, noted that the concerns raised had also been discussed in detail by all of the municipal members who represent vastly different sized municipalities with different financial capabilities.
The deputy mayor explained that the idea behind starting an operating budget for the RSTC was for situations where members may need to attend relevant conferences, host meetings, and eventually to aid in building bid proposals.
“They talked about an initial investment of $5,000. But everyone at the table decided it would be best to go back to their councils to discuss it. And at that time, we would put a request in for next year's budget and it would be up to the councils to decide,” he said.
With the committee still in its infancy, the Town’s CAO Bill Rogers noted, “From an administrative perspective, our expectation is simply that as the next several meetings go by, the committee will have a good idea as to what their duties are and what their scope is going to be in the next year. And then they'll bring back their requests so that [all] councils can deliberate and make their decisions in the fall.”
“[The RSTC] is responsible for providing a budget, including forecasted expenses, so hopefully nothing comes to us as a surprise,” added Brosseau.
Council approved the Terms of Reference for the RSTC.
Cold Lake discusses Terms of Reference
The City of Cold Lake council also approved the Terms of Reference for the RSTC during a June 27 regular meeting, but it was not without discussion.
Coun. Vicki Lefebvre expressed concerns about the Terms of Reference, specifically where it spoke to meeting quorum. She noted that while it stated that five members would be needed for quorum, it did not specify if that meant there would be a representative from each partner municipality.
She noted that a municipality not in attendance at a meeting could be on the hook for something it was not in favour of supporting financially, for example.
Copeland said all decisions would be brought back to council for authorization, and the committee is not spending money, but rather making recommendations.
A motion to approve the Terms of Reference was carried, with Copeland saying he would keep Lefebvre’s concerns in mind at future RSTC meetings.
RSTC Terms of Reference
The committee is anticipating meeting a minimum of four times per year, which would have an estimated cost of $1,250, according to information provided by the Town.
Prior to the RSTC proceeding with submitting expressions of interest, bid packages, or other applications, each respective municipal council will need to approve the event as well as their share of any financial commitment associated with the event.
Recommendations from the RSTC must be reached through consensus and recorded in the committee’s meeting minutes before event presentations can be delivered and approved by each respective council, according to the RSTC Terms of Reference.
The RSTC will consist of eight members including one member of council from each municipality, and four members a large, one appointed by each municipality. Each RSTC member will have one vote.
Members of council will be appointed for a two-year term, while members at large will be appointed for a four-year term.
*With files from Janice Huser
