(Opinion) ‘If Fort St. John has wisdom, it will go back to table on new pool’

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. —  Well folks, to say that I am absolutely astounded at the lack of critical or strategic thinking by our city council and their staff advisors would be a huge understatement.

They seem to be forging ahead, all alone, with a grandiose plan for a new pool in the order of $185 million. Back when council was at least attempting to work with the existing partners on the North Peace Leisure Pool, I even recall one of our city reps suggesting that they could grab the accumulated reserves being held by the Peace River Regional District on behalf of the North Peace Leisure Pool project.

In the first blush of released information as council blindly forges ahead, it was suggested that they must keep the cost on the average home to not more than $40 a month. Say that slowly, it’s almost $500 a year!

Things that are good to do can only be accomplished through hard work.

The original ‘fair share’ program and the allocation formula took hard work, facts, research and compromise that took about two years. The construction of the North Peace Leisure Pool required the Fort St. John city council to adopt a unanimous resolution that the city would not proceed with a new pool unless there was significant and fair regional cost sharing, with emphasis upon the rural industrial tax base supporting a facility that was located in the primary North Peace service center.

A few facts for your readers and listeners.

1. Any reserves held by the North Peace Leisure Pool do not belong to the city of Fort St. John. Those funds are held in trust for the North Peace Leisure Pool for ongoing repairs, upgrades and maintenance. 
2. When the current pool was started, the city’s share of an annual debt and operations was 27 per cent. Regional district areas B and C, which is where the industrial tax base exists, paid 73 per cent. Over the last three years, the cost share has shifted, so that the city’s share is now only 22 per cent, and the rural cost share is 78 per cent. 
3. Before we received a nickel from the original fair share, now called the Peace River Agreement, city council unanimously adopted a formula that apportioned those funds on a percentage basis to different needs. My recollection may not be perfect, but I believe that only 15 per cent of those funds were to go to recreation, facilities and parks. That would include all of the recreation facilities and all of the parks.

It now seems city council, poorly advised by administration, believes the accumulated fair share funds held in reserve are a honey pot that can go towards a new pool project.

Unless they have already formally abandoned the previous allocation formula, a maximum of 15 per cent can be allocated to existing and new projects. To change this formula should require an open public discussion and debate.

The biggest issue that I see is the council has completely failed in what I consider the primary strategic objective, and that is to sit down in a collaborative and cooperative basis with the existing North Piece Leisure Pool partners to negotiate the future of either the existing facility or a replacement facility.

Would that be easy? No, clearly not. However, it is absolutely necessary to respectfully work in harmony with our neighbours for the benefit of the whole North Peace.

What really scares me is that unless there is a heavy dose of common sense and pragmatic thinking, Fort St. John could go the same way as our neighbours in Dawson Creek.

They went on an aggressive new facility program that is well beyond the ability of their tax base to support. Most of us have enjoyed going to concerts at the events centre there, but the Dawson Creek council sold their voters on the thought that it would attract huge numbers from Grande Prairie and Prince George and be a boon for the hotel business.

When that didn’t materialize, they spent over $4 million to subsidize a junior hockey team. That didn’t work out very well either. They continue to subsidize their local airport heavily. Years ago, I suggested to the mayor of Dawson Creek that they buy a first-class motor coach and offered free transportation to and from the airports in Fort St. John and Grande Prairie for any Dawson Creek residents.

They would have saved millions, but rejected that suggestion. Now they are looking for an alternate water supply at a capital cost estimated at $100 million. And that’s for a necessity, not for something that’s nice to have.

If our city council uses any wisdom, they will abandon any plans for a referendum for this fall, and go back to the table with our friends and neighbours. 

The average voter is really challenged to try to understand all the implications, so it’s up to like-minded people with long-term vision to make sure the council gets a cold dose of reality.

Just because you got a big inheritance (fair share/Peace River Agreement), doesn’t mean you should stop doing the hard things and the right things and go out and blow the inheritance.

Anyone who thinks that our bankrupt provincial or federal government will throw some money at this is dreaming in technicolour.

—  Steve Thorlakson