Let’s not get carried away here…
While the dark days of the economic downturn seem to be lightening in recent times, we’re not sure they’re back to the point where taxpayers should be taxed with a growing string of proposed complexes.
With Elevation Place still under construction, but hopefully still falling within its budget, and some Canmorites concerned with the fees attached to use of the complex, it’s a little disturbing that in short order lately, along with upcoming redevelopment of the pool and day care, there are calls for a national mountain centre, a convention centre and a domed surface within a proposed outdoor skating oval.
It all sounds good – but there better be a lot of private sector dollars available to fund these items.
While there would no doubt be upsides to all these proposals, the Bow Valley remains what can be deemed a high rent district and taxpayers can only take so much. Citizens, families in particular, can’t be expected to continue covering the cost of everything that comes down the pipe.
It’s not likely the cost of living in the Bow Valley will be plunging any time soon, so pondering construction of a number of specialty complexes may be daunting to hard-pressed families concerned with the cost of housing, utilities, school fees, kid’s programs, clothing, groceries…
Great care indeed needs to be taken with public funds used for future construction projects. While a community filled with impressive specialty structures might be impressive to some, in the end, bills must be paid.
We’re also concerned that in the case of a mountain centre or a convention centre, in reading through proposals it appears there could be a lot of crossover with what is already in place. Being that private commerical operations in Canmore already offer many convention features, is a Town-supported centre in the best interests of the business community? Even if it’s main feature would be to host larger conventions?
In the case of a national mountain centre, we feel it needs to be pointed out that it would be located across the highway from a provincial information centre.
If part of a mountain centre’s mandate would be to highlight Bow Valley recreational activities, isn’t that already part of the duties of Canmore Business and Tourism and Banff Lake Louise Tourism? And for people to encounter Banff before entering Banff? Isn’t that what Banff venues like Parks’ tourist information centre are for? Then again, when it comes to interpretive materials, we do have museums and Parks professionals.
With funding for a 2014 Winter Games long track oval in place, that’s fine, but to continue on and make a big jump to a domed recreation area also requires careful fiscal contemplation.
Work for your dollars?
Now the I Drive Safely campaign is just sounding comical.
While we supported dollars from photo radar going to drivers being clocked doing the speed limit as being a way to take some sting out of a very unpopular contracted ‘service’, putting the onus on drivers to continually check for a posted image of their licence plate seems goofy.
Mind you, if more readers pick up the Outlook in an attempt to cash in on their photo radar windfall…
