In the immortal words (lyrics) of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, “you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need.”
What Mayor Ernie Isley and Town of Bonnyville council have wanted for a long time is to be included in the negotiations to determine tax reassessment of the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range (CLAWR).
At the end of the day, the Town was left out in the cold, not only by being refused to engage in negotiations, but, at the end of months of political manoeuvring, finding out last week it will not receive one red penny.
A Memorandum of Understanding signed by City of Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland will see the City receive roughly $16 million annually from CLAWR.
Lac La Biche County, the MD of Bonnyville and Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo were all involved in negotiations, but the big winner is the City of Cold Lake.
The MD of Bonnyville will receive $600,000 a year as part of the deal, starting next year, with that number to increase to $1 million annually five years down the road. That money will be paid to help the MD pay for roadwork and clearing of roads leading to the air weapons range.
Isley told provincial Minister of Finance Lloyd Snelgrove in no uncertain terms he was very disappointed the Town has been left out in the cold saying the Town and its citizens “got totally shafted” during the process.
Isley insists much of the information stated as fact by Snelgrove throughout the complicated negotiation process was based on false information. Isley further stated the federal government has contributed almost $150 million to the CLAWR since 2006 on top of giving the City of Cold Lake almost $4.3 million in lieu of taxes.
Requests to help complete a regional waterline from Cold Lake to Bonnyville and Glendon and increasing funding for water and senior housing issues in the Town of Bonnyville were all ignored by Snelgrove, said Isley.
Isley still believes personal politics — he left the Progressive Conservative Party ago to join the Wildrose Party a couple of years ago — could be why the Town was ignored.
“I'm starting to think more and more that it is probably a petty, vindictive action against the people of Bonnyville because their mayor … was flirting with the Wildrose,” said Isley. “I'd hate to think the government has got that petty, but I am more and more convinced that this is punishment for getting out of line and criticizing my old party.”
The bottom line is the deal is done and it's not going to change.
It's now up to Town council to push even harder to ensure Snelgrove and Bonnvyille-Cold Lake MLA Genia Leskiw convince the province much-needed funding for infrastructure and seniors' housing in this community remains a top priority.
Snelgrove mentioned several times he will go to bat to ensure infrastructure dollars so badly needed across the province and here in Bonnyville will remain at the top of the government's agenda.
The City of Cold Lake has had many of its serious concerns addressed through this deal. Their mayor and council did a superb job working for their constituents.
Now it's up to Isley and Town council to show greater resolve than ever to keep pushing the province to ensure this Town gets what it needs moving forward.
