Chris Clegg
“I’d like to know who bought the old hospital (land),” said High Prairie Councillor James Waikle at council’s June 10 meeting.
“Who spends that amount of money and does nothing?”
Many people share Waikle’s sentiment. A curious lot, we are!
The mystery of who purchased the land remains. The land, owned by the Government of Alberta, and essentially its people, sold for $1.75 million on Jan. 16, 2024. The government’s refusal to tell the people of Alberta who bought the land is puzzling.
This newspaper is asked constantly who bought the land. People are curious about who bought it and what plans may be. Citizens are excited to see something happen.
South Peace News has the numbered company that purchased the land and contacted the Edmonton lawyer who handled the deal but they are not talking. This is not uncommon. The buyer certainly wants to keep it a secret from the public which is fueling speculation on who bought the land. The coffee shop tongues continue to wag.
What is interesting regarding Waikle’s comment is the Town of High Prairie certainly has the resources to find out the buyer if they wanted to. Waikle’s admission clearly indicates council does not know. Perhaps council does know and are sworn to secrecy at the request of the land buyer? Not likely. Something may be in the works as we speak between administration and the buyer that even council may not be aweare of. Possible.
Assuming the buyer of the land is a developer, one has to realize the buyer has every right to go to whatever means possible to keep this transaction a secret. It does, however, go against the norm.
Normally, a developer announces the land purchase. People start talking and it generates excitement. A newspaper may report on it giving the developer free advertising. It is certainly the case with First Aberdeen from Calgary, owners of the East Gate land in east High Prairie. They welcome the opportunity to speak and promote the fact they are open for business.
It is not the only option, however. In a worst-case scenario, the buyer bought the land solely on speculation. A $1.75 million price tag is not a lot of money for a major developer to sit on.
The best-case scenario – and one which may very well exist – is the buyer has plans and is working on a project as we speak. It is not uncommon for projects to take over a year before work begins. Waikle’s comment about not knowing the buyer is worrisome, however, because it means the owner has not come forward with questions about development or applied for permits.
So, the secret remains and the people continue to speculate. The owner has chosen the silent approach leaving the people to wait. It is not necessarily bad thing. Something will eventually happen, High Prairians hope it’s sooner than later.