Richard Froese
Tourism is big business in Alberta and across Canada.
Lesser Slave Lake is a hub of tourism opportunities for the High Prairie, Big Lakes County and Slave Lake region.
Efforts to expand the Slave Lake Regional Tourism Society westward into the Big Lakes and High Prairie region have hit a bump of the road.
Plans are being made in collaboration with the Alberta North Central Alliance (ANCA), a group that includes five municipalities and five Indigenous communities around the lake region.
Big Lakes council supports the expanding regional tourism society and approved a recommendation Aug. 14 to become a member at a later time.
However, at its regular meeting Nov. 13, council turned down a recommendation to become an official member with a membership fee of $10,092 for 2025.
Before committing funds to the membership, some council members want to know how much support the expanding society is getting. Councillors Jim Zabolotniuk and Jeff Chalifoux want to know what members of ANCA are committed to the expanded tourism society.
Should that really matter in how Big Lakes decides?
Councillor Richard Mifflin agrees. He says he believes it doesn’t really matter how many members may join the society in the first year.
If members of ANCA support the plan to expand, it would be surprising if any or many of them would not become a members of the tourism society.
The society and ANCA want to move forward on the regional focus as promptly as possible.
Yet, some potential partners may be stalling for some reason.
Council members are elected to form local government to make decisions that are best for the local community or jurisdiction.
So, in the Big Lakes situation, on the question of becoming a member of the tourism society, what is the best for Big Lakes?
What other municipalities and Indigenous government do on the matter is their decision.
If municipalities propose similar situations and take the same approach as Big Lakes, some progress may grind to a halt.
If governments wait to find out what others decide, how can anything move forward?
Take a stand, show leadership, do what is best for the community – the region.
It’s vital to work in partnerships, work together as communities in a region – particularly in rural and northern communities.
It only takes a spark to get a fire going – small things can grow and prosper.
It costs every municipal and Indigenous government member the same – $2 per capita in the first year.
ANCA was formed three years ago to work together to identify and advance vital regional interests with a unified voice. Tourism is a major asset in the region – and has potential for more.
Work together to promote the region and boost the economy.