Mayor Jim Rennie gives a rundown on the recent highs and lows for Woodlands County

 

 

Woodlands County Mayor Jim Rennie is focused on positivity amongst stormy skies. Since the election there have been a few hurdles for the county to deal with and one of the biggest was the loss of funding. After having worked so hard to balance the budget, the Province of Alberta pulled the proverbial rug out from under them.

 

“It was on the last day before Christmas break that we were told we would not be receiving the funding that had been promised to us,” said Mayor Rennie. The funding wasn’t new, but rather it had been cut from Woodlands County in 2016 and was promised to be returned the following year. “That cost Woodlands County $900,000. That was a real hit, and we had already passed most of our budget. How much more do you cut when you already have a budget that you cut through?”

 

He said the government confirmed in September of 2017 that they would return the money. Other municipalities in the region were affected in a similar way with some losing as much as several million dollars. “We’re all cutting projects. I asked the Minister of Municipal Affairs which projects I should cut. Should we cut the funding for seniors? What about our funding for disabled people or youth or road maintenance?” Due to the loss, certain road maintenance projects will be pushed back for the time being to every three years instead of every two.

 

Partnerships between Woodlands County and Whitecourt also took a hit. “Some of the projects have grown to a point where they were just a little more than we could commit. I think that shocked our friends a little bit. It was nothing negative towards them; it was just a reality check towards us,” explained Mayor Rennie. Partnerships between the two communities total roughly three million dollars of the county’s budget.

 

One area that the loss has brought to the forefront is the cost-sharing with different municipalities when it comes to the airport. Mayor Rennie said they have been seeing shift changes in flights which corresponds to people going to camps outside of Whitecourt and Woodlands County. “That means another community is benefiting from our airport because that other community doesn’t have an airport. It’s something we need to examine, and we have initiated that already.”

 

Adding to the negative side, a couple of businesses in Woodlands County have shut down in recent months including Trident Exploration and Timeu Forest Products. The county has also suffered from road wear and tear. “We had probably the worst ruts in our roads ever on Highway 658. We’ve also had some real challenges with highway maintenance but that comes and goes.”

 

Another big struggle that Woodlands County suffered was the ice flow jam that flooded the Flats Road, Fort Assiniboine, and Pride Valley areas. The jam wreaked havoc and displaced many residents. Many homes suffered damage as did agricultural land and landscaping that was painstakingly created by area residents were wiped away in a flash. “That was a real hit to all of us but not to Woodlands County itself as much as to the people who live there. It was a real hit to them.”

 

Although there were many negatives in a short time, there were also many positives, and Mayor Rennie was happy to share those, too. He said the Goose Lake Campground continues to be a hot spot for visitors and that it has a fantastic volunteer base which, frankly, is unheard of. He said the new library in Blue Ridge is a shinning light and that it will be a gathering point for many years to come.

 

A long-time resident of Fort Assiniboine is also opening a cannabis growing operation near the community called Quadel Growers which could employ up to 100 employees once it is fully operational. Mayor Rennie said he is excited about the project and that he looks forward to supporting them as they grow.

 

Another big piece of good news concerns the old Blue Ridge Highway and Range Road 120. “Our budget has $100,000 for each for pre-engineering which means the following year, if council wants to, they can start to pave it. They could even go right to paving. Pre-engineering tells us how much it’s really going to cost and then we can decide what to do.”

 

One of the things Mayor Rennie mentioned as part of the negative list was the shape of Highway 658. In a positive twist, the road will be getting a much-needed facelift as the province will be resurfacing it. The province is also purchasing roadsides from Blue Ridge to Cottonwood which will allow them to widen it. It’s not yet known when the next phase would take place but at least the first steps are being taken.

 

He then focused in on the firehalls and spoke highly of the strides they are all taking. “We have them in Fort Assiniboine, Goose Lake, Blue Ridge, and Anselmo. Goose Lake is getting an expansion to allow the pumper truck to fit inside, and Blue Ridge recently finished its expansion. Our four firehalls plus our partnership with the Whitecourt department provides great coverage for the region.”

 

Woodlands County council is also excited to be part of a pilot project for local youth which involves Norquest College, Living Waters, and industry leaders coming together for firefighter school training. The first round starts in just over a week. “They have really good numbers going into the first year. These guys have plans for Phase B, Phase C, and Phase D, and I can see this happening for all our workforces.” Though they have dealt with a lot of dark skies recently, Mayor Rennie is highly optimistic as he looks to the future. “I see great things coming for our community, and we will keep working towards that.”