Wing Commander hopeful solution is upcoming for CLGWC

Cold Lake’s Wing Commander is hopeful that a solution can be reached with the City to keep the Cold Lake Golf and Winter Club running beyond the end of the month.

Since the City voted to stop operating the CLGWC in March as of Sept. 30, conversations about what’s going to happen next continue.

The City backed out because of unpaid taxes from the federal government for the past two years on the recreation facility, which they say total $300,000 a year.

In a written statement on Monday, Colonel Dave Moar said they are working on a new solution.

“4 Wing recognizes the importance of the Cold Lake Golf and Winter Club to the Lakeland region and we are incredibly motivated to find a solution to ensure that the higher-level legal dispute is transparent to the curlers, golfers, and recreation enthusiasts of the community,” he said.

“I have worked hard with my team at 4 Wing to develop solutions to continue curling operations throughout the winter and I’m confident we will have a solution for the golf course before it opens next spring.

“It is a top priority for the Wing and I appreciate the work done by the Mayor and Council to find a solution.

“In our current community environment of economic downturn and the physical/mental health challenges created by COVID-19, we need to ensure, more than ever, that our families have access to affordable and safe recreation options.”

The City has operated the CLGWC since 2013 on 4 Wing’s behalf because of cost issues.

This recreation facility ran a municipal deficit of just over $425,000 loss last year.

City councillor Bob Buckle said on The Morning After on Friday that they are looking out for taxpayers when originally pulling out of the agreement with 4 Wing, but are hopeful a solution can be reached.

“If they no longer are paying taxes for that because the city’s running it–that’s another $300,000 hit for our taxpayers. And not only that, but then they’re talking about going retro[active] for all the years we’ve operated and saying we have to pay it back,” said Buckle.

“So it’s a very complicated issue because we recognize the value and it adds to both 4 Wing personnel, the community. It’s a great asset. But then again the city doesn’t own it, we simply operate it and manage it.”