While La Biche County councillors complain to the Minister of National Defence about a Cold Lake air force official they feel is getting too involved in municipal politics, military spokespeople say 4Wing Cold Lake Colonel David Wheeler has the full support of the federal department in his attempt to help the cash-strapped City of Cold Lake find new avenues of funding that could affect the pocket book of Lac La Biche ratepayers.
Today, county councillors released a statement outlining a letter they have sent to DND Minister Peter MacKay and concerns that Wheeler, the base commander at CFB Cold Lake, should not actively be taking part in negotiations to alter municipal boundaries that would give the City of Cold Lake access to millions of dollars in industrial tax assessment in the Primrose Air Weapons Range that is currently within Lac La Biche County's municipal boundaries.
The letter to MacKay is in response to a recent letter Wheeler co-authored with Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland that asked the Alberta government to consider changing municipal boundaries to allow Cold Lake access to the air weapons range and its industrial tax assessment.
"We feel it's important for Minister MacKay to understand our position and concern with Commander Wheeler's involvement with municipal matters,” said Lac La Biche County Mayor Peter Kirylchuk.
But the 4Wing boss's involvement has already been acknowledged by the federal government, says DND spokesperson Capt. Holly Brown.
"This is part of his job,” said Brown, "to take care of his Wing.”
His role in the discussions to find more money for the Cold Lake area is not only encouraged, said Brown, "it's called good community relations …Is it sanctioned? Absolutely.”
The airbase is a significant part of the City of Cold Lake, and is one part of the amalgamated tri-city municipality that also includes the former towns of Cold Lake and Grand Centre. Currently, the federal government provides the City of Cold Lake with four million dollars per year as grant funding in lieu of taxes for the air base. Those funds, says Wheeler, aren't enough to maintain the infrastructure for the 2,500 personnel and their families who live on the base. Another 3,000 base personnel and families live off the base, but are still affected by the lack of funding in the Cold Lake area, as the entire city struggles with financial burdens. According to recent information, the municipality is currently sitting with a debt load of $20 million and a $150 million infrastructure deficit.
"With the Wing being 40 per cent of (the population of) Cold Lake, anything that happens in Cold Lake directly affects the Wing,” said Wheeler, adding that a residential tax to bring in more municipal revenue is also bad news for his personnel. "We're not oil and gas people, we don't make the same salaries they do. My people can't afford that.”
While Lac La Biche councillors are critical of the base commander's involvement, saying his federal position should not be involved in municipal matters, Wheeler defends his actions, saying he is like an employer looking out for his staff.
"I'm not a bureaucrat or public servant …sure I work for the federal government, but I'm not a bureaucrat …I will do whatever it takes to support my people.”
But the Wing commander says he's not trying to pit one municipality against another, even though he does see the re-drawing of maps to connect Cold Lake to the air weapons range as "a no-brainer.”
"I'm far from suggesting that Cold Lake take everything and Lac La Biche takes nothing, but that's out of my control,” he said, explaining that the provincial government will determine if the latest request from Cold Lake will be agreed to. "I'm certainly not attempting to pillage Lac La Biche, but merely to support our own requirement.”
The letter, penned by Wheeler and Copeland, was received by Municipal Affairs minister Hector Goudreau and Alberta Treasury Board President Lloyd Snelgrove last week. Later this week, during their strategic planning retreat at the River Cree Centre in Edmonton, Lac La Biche County councillors are expected to meet with the same ministers, along with MLA Ray Danyluk to further discuss the issue.
So far, representatives of the City of Cold Lake nor CFB Cold Lake have met with Lac La Biche County councillors. And that's something Mayor Kirylchuk said could have steered this issue in a different direction.
"We are disappointed that Commander Wheeler did not directly approach us with his interest in our land boundaries, as we may have had an opportunity to discuss matters in a proactive and effective manner,” he said.
Wheeler's three-year tenure as commander of the Cold Lake base is expected to come to an end this summer.
