Council displeased by Chamber of Commerce members' comments

“They are hammering us ... this is all lies,” said Lac La Biche Councillor Hajar Haymour at this week’ s council meeting.

At the time, he was holding up a copy of the April 4 edition of the POST that featured an article in which members of the Lac La Biche and District Chamber of Commerce discussed the Lac La Biche County’ s proposed Land Use Bylaw. As written in the article, certain chamber members were of the belief the bylaw makes the area less business friendly, which some councillors took as a reflection on themselves.

During the meeting, County Mayor Omer Moghrabi expressed his desire to meet with executive members of the Chamber of Commerce in response to both the article and a letter sent to the county from the chamber about how to make the area more business friendly.

“I would like to meet with the executive only and their manager myself, and with a few councillors,” said Moghrabi. “I find some of their comments paints the entire council as non-developmental and non-business.”

While Moghrabi said he wanted to have a positive conversation with chamber members to clear the air, some around the table - like Haymour - took greater offense to the comments. Particularly, Haymour took offense at the article referring to LacAlta lodge as a work camp he had at one time owned.

“I don’ t have a work camp for the record, I have a little house,” he said.

Haymour believes recent actions of county council - like waiving off-site levies - have in fact made the area more business friendly.

“We waived off-site levies, because when it was there it made it hard for businesses,” he said. “We waived it to bring in more business.”

Councillors agreed that a far more significant reason for large businesses not coming to Lac La Biche had more to do with the county’ s small population and not the actions of council.

“All it comes down to is dollars,” said Councillor John Nowak. “Do you have the population to support this business? Yes or no?”

Nowak said in the past he personally had looked into bringing a franchise to the community but the company said no stating the area was not busy enough to support the business.

Councillor Robert Richard also pointed out businesses do not require permission from council to come to the area, something he thinks people misunderstand.

“I think the vast number of people think people bringing business to town have to get council’ s blessing,” he said. “I’ m yet to remember when a business came in to ask council about bringing business to town.”

Councillor Richard Olson agreed.

“I can’ t recall in the three-and-a-half years I’ ve been here on council that we’ ve ever discouraged business,” he said.

Council hopes to meet with members of the Chamber of Commerce to further discuss the issue.