The agreement that distributes tax revenue from the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range could very well see restructuring soon. The ID 349 agreement is once again being mulled over by the new Alberta Municipal Affairs Minister Kaycee Madu.
Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland has been in talks with the minister and has been critical of the 2017 adjustment under the NDP which saw funding cut for the city and spread to other locales around the Lakeland. He says the original 2011 agreement came at a time when the tax dollars were badly needed by the young city.
“Everyone is forgetting in the region what happened back in 2011 so we reminded the minster how we got where we are. We are awaiting word from municipal affairs on what he will be moving forward with.”
In the original agreement, the city got about $25 million. By 2017 that number was cut to $16 million with places like Bonnyville and the MD getting a cut of the money. Copeland says he looks forward to a decisive plan that is fair for every party involved.
“We were the only municipality that was impacted [after the 2017 changes]. Wood Buffalo, Lac La Biche County and The MD of Bonnyville were not impacted at all. So why is it that the City of Cold Lake had to take it on the brunt?”
Minister Madu’s office had informed Bonnyville town council saying no money would be released to the municipalities until an agreement could be reached.