Local businessman Peter Mahowich sees three problems with development in Lac La Biche County-and the first is the county’ s own administrative ranks.
Local businessman Peter Mahowich sees three problems with development in Lac La Biche County-and the first is the county’ s own administrative ranks.
The president of Crude Energy Services and head of the Region One Aboriginal Business Association says that, in his experience, county staffers have been slow and inexperienced when handling development applications.
"They’ re not necessarily throwing up roadblocks,” he said, adding that they’ re not making the process any easier either.
Mahowich used the example of Diamond Ridge Estates, a large residential subdivision that spent a significant amount of time in developmental limbo but is now under construction.
The county’ s chief administrative officer, Shadia Amblie, said there might have been developmental delays because of staff turnover but the planning and development department is in good hands now.
“I recognize that past changes in management in the planning department may have caused delays in processes to a degree,” she said. “However, we now have a full complement of skilled staff and a very knowledgeable and experienced manager who is leading the department.”
Furthermore, there’ s often a lot more to the application process than just walking in the door with the required paperwork, Amblie said.
“We need to be mindful that many factors play into development activities, such as the requirements set out in the Municipal Government Act and the county’ s policies and bylaws,” she said. “It’ s the county’ s responsibility to ensure that legislative requirements are met through our planning documents and practices. In some cases it takes time to gather information from a developer, depending on the complexity of the development.”
Mahowich also sees a lack of appetite to make the community grow-which, he said, feeds into the third problem: a lack of willingness from large industrial and commercial players to invest locally.
It’ s an unfortunate situation because Lac La Biche County is strategically placed in between Cold Lake and Fort McMurray, he said.
“Location is one of the main reasons you build a business,” he said.
Mahowich told the POST he might not have even been willing to develop here, if it weren’ t for the fact he’ s lived in the community for his entire life.
In the county’ s most recent Citizen Satisfaction Survey, completed last fall, economic development and transparent decision-making were the lowest-ranked areas of municipal operations.
County councillors have repeatedly said they have very limited control over development.
“We don’ t deal with every development application,” said councillor Robert Richard, who chairs the Municipal Planning Commission (MPC).
The MPC is a group of councillors and members-at-large who make decisions on development applications that don’ t align with regulations.
If an application doesn’ t contravene the Land Use Bylaw or any other legislation, then council doesn’ t deal with it, Richard said.
“If they pick a piece (of land) that’ s already zoned properly and everything, then council need only show up for the grand opening,” he said. “That’ s how little involvement there is. There’ s a thought out there that councils in general, not just ours, decide who comes to town and who doesn’ t.”
Even when applications don’ t follow all of the rules, then the MPC typically considers alternatives, he said.
“It’ s not always, ‘No, we don’ t like what you’ re proposing,’ ” Richard told the POST, adding that sometimes the group does have to put its collective foot down. “There are certain times, though, where you just don’ t agree that what they’ re proposing is going to be good.”
This county’ s development regulations aren’ t even the most onerous ones he’ s heard of.
“Are we more stringent than some others? Yes, but we’ re definitely not the most stringent out there,” said Richard. “We just want people to be responsible builders.”
In the case of major franchises like Walmart and Canadian Tire, the county can do all it can to encourage development but it can’ t make stores appear, he said.
“They have certain models, certain thresholds. They won’ t come to Lac La Biche just because they like us,” he said. “It’ s all to do with business. I don’ t think that’ s really understood out there.”
Mayor Omer Moghrabi said he’ s encountered the same misconception.
“There’ s this perception that we’ re the ones who would stop a Tim Horton’ s or a Walmart,” he said. “We don’ t control development. What we can do is try to ensure we have all the proper infrastructure. Those things are what draw people into your community.”
The mayor said many people are politically astute enough to understand that, even if they aren’ t pleased about it.
“They may not agree, but they are aware,” Moghrabi said.
