The City of Cold Lake is taking steps to revive its Hall of Fame program after years of inactivity.

During its June 9 meeting, Cold Lake City Council approved amendments to the Hall of Fame Policy that will streamline the nomination process and place administration in charge of reviewing applications and coordinating selections.

The changes are intended to help restart a recognition program that has struggled to attract enough volunteers to maintain a dedicated selection committee.

Administration told council that while the Hall of Fame remains an important way to honour community achievements, maintaining a committee structure has proven challenging in recent years.

Under the updated policy, administration will receive and evaluate nominations before presenting recommendations to council for final approval.

The changes are expected to make the process more efficient while ensuring the City can continue recognizing individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to Cold Lake.

Recognizing community builders

The Cold Lake Hall of Fame was established to celebrate residents, athletes, artists, volunteers, community leaders and organizations whose efforts have helped shape the community.

Rather than allowing the program to remain dormant because of committee recruitment challenges, council supported a new approach that keeps the recognition program active while reducing administrative barriers.

Council members generally agreed that recognizing local accomplishments remains important and that the updated process will make it easier for deserving individuals to be honoured.

The policy amendments were approved unanimously.

Current Hall of Fame inductees

The City of Cold Lake Hall of Fame currently recognizes five individuals across three categories:

Artist Category

• Alex Janvier (2017)
• René Richard (2024)

Builder Category

• Ivan Krook Sr. (2017)
• Thomas Varughese (2024)

Community Leader Category

• Fabian Patrick Milaney (2018)

Nominations expected to reopen

With the policy changes now approved, administration is expected to begin accepting and evaluating nominations under the new framework.

Council will retain final authority over Hall of Fame inductions.

Residents wishing to nominate an individual, organization or group for consideration can find nomination information through the City of Cold Lake website at:

https://www.coldlake.com/city-hall/hall-of-fame/

The move comes as the City continues looking for ways to celebrate local achievements and preserve the stories of individuals whose contributions have had a lasting impact on Cold Lake and the surrounding region.