What a year 2013 was! A new mayor in Bonnyville and Glendon, record-growth in the Municipal District, housing shortages in so many Lakeland communities, oil spills lasting more than half the year, and as has become tradition in the region, the generosity towards community groups and fundraisers just keeps growing.
It was a tough start to the year for many, as theAlberta government announced it would be running a deficit and therefore required to make funding cuts to services throughout the province.
The effects of those cuts are still being felt in many sectors, including education, health care and community programs seeking infrastructure funding.
But, as the region often does, especially during a booming economic period, it bounced back strong, as development in the Municipal District of Bonnyville hit record highs in infrastructure spending, including the approval of over $114 million in building permits.
Urban centres adjacent to the MD, including Bonnyville, Cold Lake, Glendon, Ardmore and Fort Kent all saw growing populations and development over the past year, as the force that is the Canadian oilsands continues to grow, requiring workers from all over the world to flock to northeastern Alberta.
But with the high-paced growth of industry comes detriments to communities.
Both recurring and unfortunate, the lack of homes and particularly affordable housing, in urban and rural areas in the Lakeland, has caused suffering and heartache for individuals and families, as people struggle to find a roof and four walls to live within.
The cost of living has also hurt the livelihood of many trying to make it here. The cost of rent, gas, food, electricity, water, and many other required services just keeps going up.
Though the average wage for certain industries has increased, the majority of workers in the region, working in the food, hospitality and service industries has remained stagnant, leading to more people struggling to make ends meat and just to get by.
The toll industry is taking on the region is not limited to simply people and the economy.
This year we saw a long-time oil extraction company in the area, Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL), report four separate incidents of bitumen emulsion seeping to the surface, contaminating the surrounding environment and harming and killing the wildlife in the area. Not only were the seepages reported over a two-month period, but they continue to seep bitumen to the surface, while a full understanding as to why they occurred and how to stop them has yet to be established.
But, as the former MLA and mayor of Bonnyville Ernie Isley has said about the incidents, “It's the cost of doing business.”
And though industrial development has brought many challenges, there are also several benefits coming to communities.
Corporate donations have been critical in the construction and maintenance of some of the most prominent structures in the Lakeland, including the Centennial Centre in Bonnyville and the Energy Centre in Cold Lake.
Schools and health centres, as well as community groups and individuals have also benefited from corporate funding and support.
Fundraisers have also helped people and families and even countries in need, through the donations from generous people who have been here for years as well as those new to the area.
Here's hoping things only get better in 2014. Happy New Year, Bonnyville.
