City Notebook: What’s the secret?

By COLLIN GALLANT on January 8, 2022.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant

The “Big Marble Go Centre” is the new name for the Family Leisure Centre thanks to a major, yet largely unknown, sponsorship deal with the local greenhouse grower.

It was approved in the run up to Christmas, and, admittedly, the eyebrows that were raised, may have subsided by now.

But Hatters who go to “Athletic Park” in the summer, passing “the Arena” after turning off “Maple Avenue Bridge,” likely don’t kinder to the new moniker.

And keeping the dollar amount of the sponsorship a secret doesn’t help matters.

These sorts of contracts are kept under wraps as a standard practice, but isn’t it a better bang for your advertising buck to have a dollar amount attached?

And there’s every indication – though no confirmation – that the amount of money involved is significant.

One may recall former Mayor Ted Clugston laying the charge last fall to say the media’s poking around the Invest Medicine Hat contract had put “millions of dollars” in jeopardy. (That might be an aggregate of unsaid item the News has booted, in Clugston’s opinion.)

On another front, both the city and South Country Co-op say the other party wants the naming rights deal at Co-op place to remain confidential.

It’s thin ice to begin with that such a deal involves a NAFTA-protected trade secret?

Exactly what would another grocer do with this information? Who other than Medicine Hat is selling naming rights to our city’s facilities?

New staff

Council members will now have a budget to coordinate political action (said to be lobbying efforts) and a communication strategy (thought to be social media outreach).

A number of things were left “to-be-determined” when the budget amendment passed in late December. We should see it fleshed out soon enough, and will likely see a “chief of staff” styled position and a communications coordinator.

There are a couple of names that pop into mind, and the whole issue could be more or less interesting when the hiring takes place.

Recall that in 2011, Mayor Norm Boucher took heavy political heat after suggesting that Medicine Hat adopt a “deputy mayor” system under which an elected member of council would take on added responsibilities, special projects and receive additional salary. That idea was a lead balloon if ever there was one.

On one hand, though, Hatters seem opposed to having full-time council members. If the job description isn’t expanded, then perhaps more resources are needed?

On the other, if a new communications strategist’s job is to simply convince Hatters everything is peachy keen, it won’t go over well.

On the subject

Admit it, it’s fun to watch an arena debate happen in another city – namely Calgary, where another deal to give the Flames a new home is causing much gnashing of teeth.

Turning to the local grinding of gums, the last council term was laced with innuendo that losses had grown at the Co-op Place in recent years.

A full airing of the facility’s financial performance is promised this term, but on first blush it’s easy figure out a substantial amount of the new losses.

Recall that the original financing for the building included a $9 million debenture that was to be paid off in $500,000 payments over 20 years via a per ticket fee.

There were essentially two months of tickets sales in 2020, and severely hampered attendance this past year.

A look ahead

Council’s public and corporate services committee meets early in the week, as does Redcliff Town council for a first meeting of 2022.

100 years ago

The past year had been consumed in a fight to keep Medicine Hat region’s gas reserves from being piped to Calgary, Mayor Walter Huckvale told oncoming council members in early 1922.

In the coming year, work to solidify the city’s position in regards to gas reserves should be the key focus.

New and departing aldermen and mayor were hosted at a New Year Rotary Club luncheon to continue a practice first held following the annual civic election in 1920.

On the occasion of a visit by the Prince of Wales, the Indian National Congress led by Mahatma Ghandi called for the creation of a republic, while liberal forces in the country backed dominion status.

A musing the News editorial page: Small annoyances recurring without end blind us in large measure to the beauty and luxury of life as a whole. Lack of knowledge in certain things in so many people blind in large measure to the truth that the sum of human knowledge is an aggregate beyond measure.

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