City takes questions about forming MCC to operate medical clinic

Residents came forward with questions in hopes of learning more about the City of Cold Lake’s plan to form a Municipally Controlled Corporation and operate the Glacier Gate medical clinic. 

At last Tuesday’s council meeting, the public hearing about the City forming a MCC was held, all part of the process before moving ahead. 

The scope of the clinic cannot go behind primary care, said CAO Kevin Nagoya, and the cost of acquiring is totalled at roughly $1.2 million for the building and $600,000 in tangible assets.

Mayor Craig Copeland told Lakeland Connect that the reason the city is getting involved in health care is to stabilize what exists and hope to attract more doctors and staff since they have a seat at the table. 

“We used the unrestricted surpluses that we had in our budget, which isn’t a lot of money, but we do have money there. And we snapped it in so that the building does not have a debt on it, right? So the operating costs are gonna be utility, staffing, etc,” he said. 

“The doctors that are working there, their contracts with the clinic will just roll over to the MCC as is. And we paid the same amount of money in rent to the MCC. And the staff that are at Glacier right now will just become a part of the MCC. Then the MCC will operate like a business. And so it’s gonna be really exciting.” 

A board will form with three members at large and two councillors who will be in charge.

When conducting the municipal census in 2022, questions were asked to residents about their access to health care in Cold Lake. 

Forty per cent of respondents said they did not have a family doctor. 

Copeland said improving health care has been a priority for council since 2006. The MCC is a move, while uncommon, not out of the realm of what’s been done by other Alberta municipalities. 

The MCC will treat the clinic like a business. 

Once the board is formed, a strategic vision will be planned for the space. 

“In the end, the seven people in our case, are making decisions for the betterment of the community, how they see it. And so getting into health care, it certainly wasn’t what we wanted to do. But it’s been Council’s top priority since 2006 and an opportunity presented itself to purchase this clinic. And we thought, ‘why not?’” 

In the meetings to come in February, a motion will be presented to move forward with the purchase of Glacier Gate. 

“We stand a way better at being successful in a venture like this than what we’ve been doing. Because what we’ve been doing hasn’t really given us what we’ve needed,” said councillor Chris Vining during the meeting.