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City of Cold Lake moves ahead with municipally controlled corporation in order to address healthcare needs

The City of Cold Lake is moving forward with the creation of a Municipally Controlled Corporation (MCC) in order to create a medical clinic to better serve residents and recruit physicians to the northeastern Alberta city.
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COLD LAKE - The City of Cold Lake is moving forward with the creation of a Municipally Controlled Corporation (MCC) in order to create a medical clinic to better serve residents and recruit physicians to the northeastern Alberta city. 

At the Feb. 14 City council meeting, motions were passed in order to move ahead with the MCC, while a January meeting included a public hearing where the public was given the opportunity to offer feedback to council. 

“The motions directed administration to formally establish the Municipally Controlled Corporation (MCC), to ratify a shareholder agreement between the City and the MCC, and to open a separate bank account and transfer $100,000 from the restricted surplus into the account,” according to information from the City of Cold Lake, referring to the Feb. 14 meeting.

Healthcare has been top of mind for Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland for several years now. 

“Getting more doctors into our community has been a top priority since 2006,” said the mayor. “Doctors are interested in coming to Cold Lake, but we seem to be only able to replace doctors who leave without making any additional headway. By establishing our own municipally controlled corporation with its sole focus of staffing and operating a primary care medical clinic, the City now has a seat at the table when it comes to recruitment and maintaining its focus on our residents’ best interests.”

According to the City’s 2022 municipal census, 40 per cent of residents did not have a family doctor, while eight per cent of residents had a family doctor outside the community. Less than half of residents had a family doctor in the community, and 46 per cent of those people said it would
take, on average, at least three weeks to get an appointment. 

The City is using funds from its unrestricted surplus to purchase the medical clinic, which means no debt will be incurred by the municipality to start the project, and “no tax implications will be felt by the community,” reads information from the City. 

Creating an MCC for a primary care medical clinic is rare, and most MCCs in Alberta are tied to utility services. 

Ultimately, the clinic is expected to operate the same as many other medical clinics in the province, “providing space and support needed for doctors to practice,” according to the City. “The clinic will be run by a board appointed by City Council, which will consist of two elected officials and three members at large from the community who bring relevant experience to the corporation.” 

A draft business plan was presented on Dec. 13, 2022, and a copy of the final business plan was provided at a special meeting on Dec. 19, 2022, which council voted in favour of. The MCC will establish a corporation that will be referred to as the “Cold Lake Primary Care Medical Clinic.”

“There are still a few more steps that administration has to finish, before we can call this a done deal,” Copeland said. “But it’s exciting and there’s a sense that we will be able to make some very important progress on this issue for the first time in a long time.”

Public hearing

A public hearing was held during the Jan. 24 council meeting, regarding the creation of the MCC.

During the public hearing, CAO Kevin Nagoya spoke to the issue of healthcare in Cold Lake, and the ongoing work that has been done, such as physician recruitment and retention. In the past several years, despite extensive efforts, the number of physicians in Cold Lake has never really increased much, “always hovering that 12 or so family physicians... despite the community of Cold Lake growing significantly since 2006.”

Lots of research and discussions have taken place over the past year, while the municipality explored getting involved in a medical clinic, according to Nagoya.

“The City of Cold Lake has entered into a formal agreement for the purchase of a new medical clinic,” said Nagoya, during the January public hearing. 

The MCC will be at arm’s length, which means it will be operated by a board, it will
make its own budget decisions, it can take on its own debt, and the accountability back to the City will be through financial statements, explained the CAO.

The building the City of Cold Lake is planning to purchase already has doctors operating out of it and is known as the Glacier Medical Clinic. 

“The City of Cold Lake has had various meetings with the doctors in the medical clinic and are very supportive of the new proposals from the discussions that we’ve had,” said Nagoya. 

Copeland believes the MCC will allow “a lot of freedom in terms of trying to attract doctors and finding space for them.” While Alberta Health Services is advertising for three family doctors, “the question really is where can they locate?” Answering that question is part of the work the MCC will do. 

The mayor added the MCC is primarily about “looking at the greater good for healthcare in Cold Lake and area.”

The City council will appoint City of Cold Lake’s current CAO as an interim CAO for the MCC. He will report to the board of directors once it has been established.

Public response

A few residents were on hand to ask questions about the MCC and new clinic. Answering a question around who would be the medical director at the clinic, Copeland said an existing doctor at Glacier will take on the role for the time. 

He also answered a question regarding the costs associated with the creation of the clinic.

“We’re comfortable as a council over the year to sink millions of dollars into recreation when it comes to something that could be a benefit to everyone in the community,” said the mayor. “Going on to purchase a building that would be for the greater good for the health... we felt as a council and administration it was wise money being spent.”

Copeland added, “We’re comfortable with paying 50 cents on the dollar for a hockey rink to operate and if it requires a 10-cent or a 15-cent loss on operating Glacier, so be it.”

It was also noted during the public hearing that the building being purchased does have a retail tenant in it - a pharmacy - that will remain and will continue to pay rent in the building.

When asked about the exact dollar amount paid for the clinic, administration stated that the building and assets will cost the City a total of about $1.8 million.


Janice Huser

About the Author: Janice Huser

Janice Huser has been with the St. Paul Journal since 2006. She is a graduate of the SAIT print media journalism program, is originally from St. Paul and has a passion for photography.
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