At least a few of the parties involved agree bringing the air weapon's range tax assessment south would benefit the region.
All that assessment really has no business going to Lac La Biche anyway, which has no direct access to the range. Moving it south is the easy part of the decision.
If the range's tax assessment goes to Cold Lake as the 4 Wing commander and Cold Lake council have requested, the spin-off effect of the cash injection would be a boon for the entire region.
The MD of Bonnyville could pack away its unsigned cost-sharing agreement and Cold Lake could start to whittle away at its infrastructure deficit.
Several parties agree Lac La Biche County should get something in return for the range and have suggested the Conklin and Christina Lake areas. With production expected to increase in that area significantly, the county could do even better than it does with the range, as the base controls the amount of development that occurs there.
Transferring that area to Lac La Biche would leave our friends in Wood Buffalo in the lurch. Mayor Isely's idea for a grant-in-lieu of assessment until new assessment becomes available could solve that problem, as oilsands development in that region is expected to grow significantly.
The scenario is complicated by Bonnyville's $150 million infrastructure deficit identified by Isley, showing the age of the town and the effects of growth.
Isley's request for a cut of the cash is not without merit as the Town welcomes and provides services for a large chunk of the range's workforce.
The town relies on and has had some success with grants in recent times, acquiring cash for road improvements and the new and improved running track at Walsh Field. But grants are not a steady stream of cash, and “scrounging” for cash is probably not the favourite activity of municipal politicians, although, they should be good at it by now.
The proposal to share the weapons range cash among regional municipalities is not too far from sharing the whole region's assets. If the province decides to go down that road, forcing regional entities to work together on a permanent basis under one municipal umbrella could be not far behind.
At the end of the day, the province should bring the cash south and take a cold hard look at proposals on the table, but any solution must remedy the concerns of 4 Wing.
