During my 14 months in Bonnyville there has been one constant fight I have witnessed: the fight to bring relevance to the region.
No matter the topic, provincial representatives have struggled to realize that the Bonnyville/Cold Lake region is growing and is in need of expanding services to match that growth.
There is the never-ending battle with Alberta Transportation to try and improve the roads in the region, specifically Highway 28. At peak times the road can barely handle the amount of traffic that travels between Bonnyville and Cold Lake. We hear, over and over again, that it is in the province's plans but won't be addressed any time soon.
There is the struggle with Alberta Health Services to not only expand the services at the Bonnyville and Cold Lake hospitals, but prevent the government from taking services away. Bonnyville was able to keep its pathology lab, but the services were cut back from what they once were. The emergency rooms are packed and are being treated like a medical clinics, rather than for emergencies; the parking lots are beyond full, yet no improvements are on the horizon.
Then there are the concerns around the lack of affordable housing in the region and extremely low vacancy rate. More and more jobs are created in the region, especially in the oil fields, which is generating a ton of money for the province, yet they can't find the money to help support housing in the region.
And you can't forget the schools. More jobs brings more workers, which in turn bring more children to the region. Local schools are bursting at the seams and all the province can do is announce a new elementary school in Cold Lake and a remodernization in Bonnyville, which might happen in the next three years. There is nothing to help address the immediate need.
To me it is quite clear that infrastructure in Alberta is lagging behind the expanding populations; it has been for decades. Hasn't the provincial government learned from the past? The province has kept growing over the years, has struggled with infrastructure, and provincial officials just keep doing the same thing. They just keep coming up with these long-term infrastructure strategies, which by the time they are created are insufficient for the expanded and growing population.
Deficit is not as evil as many make it sound; that is, if it is used to start building now, not in three or five years from now.
Regions all across the provinces are in need of funding, not for frivolous items, but for the basics to communities functional and safe.
I do however have a tiny sliver of optimism. On Friday, Health Minister Fred Horne said the Bonnyville/Cold Lake region needs to be looked at under a different light. Finally, a government minister who is beginning to understand the situation in this region. Maybe the word will spread and things begin to be addressed. If not, the Lakeland could be in big trouble.
