City Notebook: Long talked about issues come to a head Monday

By Medicine Hat News Opinion on January 30, 2021.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant

Two heavyweight issues both appear on Monday night’s council agenda.

Haven’t we been talking about the City Centre Development Agency and the Veiner Centre non stop for about 10 years now?

When council last met, the annual matter of approving the business investment area’s budget became a wide-ranging discussion about how to reform the agency that for years has been dogged by detractors and held responsible for downtown’s fortunes.

The Veiner Centre was flooded in 2013 to begin a five-year discussion about the where and whens of rebuilding the seniors’ facility, and since last year, there’s been a management review. That process included the option to contract out the management of the city-run centre to a not-for-profit, and it wound up as the preferable option.

The recommendation is for the Calgary-based Kerby Centre to set up a local operation and run programming and the building on a contract basis.

It’s not clear how the often-vocal members of the centre feel about the idea, which officials say would lead to a 20 per cent savings, or about $190,000 per year.

Council members have been mostly mum except for Coun. Kris Samraj, who will make a case for hiving of food services there for potential greater savings while encouraging local leadership from the members.

Similarly, that’s along the same line to what Samraj is calling for in the CCDA debate.

He telegraphed last year that city hall needs to step out of the picture while the stakeholders (downtown business operators) figure out a new mandate. Some relationships there are so sour that it’s been hard to figure out what’s being discussed or who’s to blame since who knows when.

And another effort to dissolve the agency is afoot with a petition to force a vote by members.

Sports shorts

The Western Hockey League season will begin Feb. 26, three weeks before the traditional end of the regular season right around St. Patrick’s Day. It’ll be a 24-game regular season for the Tigers, against only Alberta-based teams.

Players and staff are to begin a self-quarantine on Saturday, which is a different sort of training camp.

Teams in Saskatchewan are still waiting for that province to OK play this winter, but it’s not all bad news, as $600,000 is on the way for each of the five major junior franchises, two of which are community owned.

Rodeo

Similarly, Alberta is providing $17 million in grants for arts and sports organizations hampered by the pandemic, including amateur and professional rodeos.

According to this week’s announcement they can claim 25 per cent of a previous year’s expenses to help them carry through this year.

In local rodeo news, the Hat Stampede company has a new president, it announced Friday, in Dave Zeigenhagel, who takes over the yearly position from Rick Ebel.

Other board members are Marni Elliot, Carson Dennis, Darlene Keeler, Randy Noble, Stan O’Conner, Dale Rasmuson, Wayne Webber, Wendy Jalbert and Rob Ritchie.

A look ahead

A decision on contracting out management of the city’s Veiner Centre will be discussed by council when it meets Monday.

As well, the City Centre Development Agency’s budget is back for a final decision after the matter was tabled two weeks ago.

100 years ago

Big things were expected in 1921, crowed a couple of headlines in the Medicine Hat News during the last week of January 100 years ago.

The United Agriculture Association, a group of regional ag societies and farm groups, finalized a contract with “Rainmaker Hatfield” of Los Angeles, Cali. He was to build a rain measuring and attraction plant at Chappice Lake. He would be paid $1,000 per inch of rain above normal received at Medicine Hat in the coming summer to a maximum of $8,000.

As well, a bulletin stated it was almost assured a new industry would set up soon. The “Hills Stooking Machine” manufacturing plant would likely go up in the old crayon factory, relocating from Moose Jaw.

MP Arthur Sifton was laid to rest in Ottawa with honorary pallbearers including Prime Minister Arthur Meighen, former prime minister Robert Borden, Sen. James Lougheed and former Canadian military commander Arthur Currie.

Germany’s war reparations would total 226 billion marks to be paid annually over 42 years, the Allied Council announced.

Collin Gallant covers city politics and a variety of topics for the News. Reach him at 403-528-5664 or via email at cgallant@medicinehatnews.com