Lac La Biche County council met with Minister Ray Danyluk and Minister Lloyd Snelgrove on Monday to discuss the Cold Lake air weapons range tax revenue. That revenue is being contested by the City of Cold Lake, whose municipal politicians claim they need the weapons range tax money to pay for infrastructure needs. The city council, weapons range military staff, and community groups have all been lobbying the province for a transfer of the weapons range tax revenue from Lac La Biche County to Cold Lake.
Meanwhile in Lac La Biche County, council has trusted the provincial government to act on their behalf. Although the discussions have been happening for the past few months, very little has been asked of the people of Lac La Biche County in this massive undertaking. Surely Aboriginal communities, local businesses, industries, school advisory councils, and even public sector employees need to stand up and have a say in what the loss of $1.43 billion (with a b) in assessment will mean to their community. (In raw dollars it translates to $17 million per year.)
Our councillors have been going about this enormous task of representing every man, woman, child, business, group and agency in a very by-the-book fashion. We elected them, they represent us and that ’s what they have been doing. But they need help. It is the very idea of that democratic duty they are providing for us which we need to use to help the cause. Provincial politicians must hear how any loss of tax revenue will hurt their electorate, and an electorate that has been hurt isn ’t a happy electorate at election time — That ’s democracy too.
A decision on who will get the weapons range has yet to be made, according to provincial politicians. That means there is still time to do something. That something involves community members - school groups, parents, concerned citizens - letting the province know that the people of Lac La Biche County want to continue receiving the services and facilities that are paid for, in part, by the assessment from the bombing range.
