ID 349 should be for municipalities, said Sawchuk, Metis Settlements advocate for regional sustainability

The Improvement District No. 349 arrangement, highlighted above, will be reshaped beginning at the first leaders meeting on Friday.

Leaders from Bonnyville, Cold Lake, M.D. of Bonnyville, Fishing Lake Metis Settlement, Elizabeth Metis Settlement, and Glendon will meet with MLA David Hanson in the first closed-door ID 349 meeting on Friday.

With a new deal to be decided by the end of the year, said MLA David Hanson, each community will bring their proposals to the table on how the millions of dollars in tax revenues from companies within the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range should be divided or whether some should even be included.

When the ID 349 funding agreement changed in 2017, Bonnyville, Glendon, Fishing Lake Metis Settlement and Elizabeth Metis Settlement were included for the first time.

Reeve Greg Sawchuk said on The Morning After that the two Metis Settlements should not be included in the deal because they are not municipalities under the Municipal Government Act (MGA).

“Our position is that we want to secure these funds within the region long term and that our neighbors basically remain sustainable by using those funds,” he said.

“From there, it’s just supporting the municipalities and following the letter of the law of the MGA, which means that these funds are only able to go to municipalities.”

Monies received by the Metis Settlements flowed through the Town of Bonnyville, which means the Town received the money from the province and then passed it along to the Settlements, an uncommon practice in Alberta.

“Both of our requirements are local sustainability”

Blake Desjarlais, a spokesperson for Elizabeth Metis Settlement and Fishing Lake Metis Settlement, said they would look to use ID 349 money to address needs in their communities.

Plus, with the traditional relationship to the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range lands with the former Cold Lake Metis Settlement, being involved with the agreement is a step towards reconciliation.

“We have a special relationship with the province of Alberta, much like municipalities do with the province. But both of our objectives are local government. And both of our requirements are local sustainability or at least regional sustainability,” he said.

“If the goal is regional sustainability, to use the argument that due to our non-municipal status we should be excluded is a bit misdirected in the sense that this has been done before.”

He cited specific cases like in Slave Lake fires when a similar case where a municipality flowed funds to a Metis Settlement and added they have a willing partner with the Town of Bonnyville and respect the process of Municipal Affairs.

“Bonnyville actually proposed it to the settlement saying, if that’s a barrier, we’re willing to be to flow through from the settlements, so that the funding is still from Municipal Affairs to a municipality and MGA,” he said.

“Betterment of the town and communities”

Bonnyville Mayor Gene Sobolewski said he thinks the Lakeland communities will come to an agreement that will be for the betterment of the region.

When asked if the Town would continue to support the Metis Settlements, he said public comments like Sawchuk’s about the Metis Settlements could “corrupt the process.”

“My goal as set from the council is to look toward the betterment of the town and communities,” said Sobolewski.

“Some of the issues, like what Greg [Sawchuk], said on the radio, to me, that is something that needs to be discussed by the leaders and not in the media because I don’t want to corrupt the process.”

He added: “I’m just hoping that we all behave like leaders and be the leaders that we are and can be, and make this region great and come to an agreement and work things out.”