Another Question from the public: Indoor Fieldhouse and Local Business

Question 1:

Our community desperately needs an indoor soccer facility. This could also include a pickleball court and walking track. The community offers venues for all other sports, but not indoor soccer. It has been shown that there is definite interest and benefit in offering such a facility. Do you agree with building one?

Answer:Yes, I agree that the community deserves one and recognize the value that sports and recreation provide to the mental health and well-being of our residents — particularly our young people.

Question 2:

If yes, tell me what you are going to do, if elected, to ensure one is built in a timely manner.

Answer: I can’t make individual promises, but I can share my thoughts on what’s needed to make this goal achievable in a timely manner.

Amalgamated Regional Recreation

A project of this scale — like an indoor fieldhouse — needs to be funded regionally. That means cooperation between the Town of St. Paul, the County of St. Paul, and hopefully Elk Point as well.

The simplest way to achieve this would be through regional amalgamation. If our municipalities were governed as one, there would be fewer negotiations and more equitable contributions from all residents.

Without amalgamation, the Town of St. Paul simply cannot afford to fund a project of this magnitude on its own.

Current Agreements

Right now, a recreation agreement exists between the Town and County — but it only covers operating costs, not capital costs for new facilities.

Town Council has been asking for over a year to renegotiate the agreement so that both operating and capital costs are shared. Unfortunately, County Council only agreed to a two-year extension of the current operating agreement and deferred capital discussions to the next term.

Next Steps

Regional recreation studies have already identified St. Paul as the most logical location for a new fieldhouse and future recreation centre. Past councils even purchased land specifically for this purpose — so that step is already done.

The next step is to complete architectural and engineering designs, which typically cost about 10% of total project capital. However, before we can begin those plans, we need a clear funding framework.

The cost of planning and construction will need to be shared between:

• Municipal Partners: Town, County, and Elk Point

• Provincial & Federal Governments: through recreation and infrastructure grants

• User Groups: such as soccer, pickleball, and other recreation organizations

• Industry Donations: from partners such as CNRL, Strathcona Resources, and Cenovus

My Commitment

As one councillor, I can’t commit to outcomes — but I can commit to actions.

I will advocate to include the Town’s portion of design and engineering costs in our five-year capital plan. Where it fits will depend on two factors:

1. The willingness of municipal partners and user groups to reach a fair funding agreement.

   
   

2. The Town’s financial capacity alongside other major priorities, such as:

   • Replacing Main Street utilities (before provincial paving) — $2.7 million

   • Clancy upgrades — $3.7 million (pending grants)

   • Raw water supply upgrades — $2.2 million (grants and debt)

   • Town’s portion of new seniors’ housing — $1 million (debt)

   • Replacement fire pumper truck — $300,000

   • Replacement ladder truck — $450,000

   
   

I appreciate that residents like you are keeping this issue front and center. Continued community engagement and cooperation are exactly what it takes to turn plans into reality.

Question 3:

There has been much talk of a Starbucks being built in St. Paul. There’s a rumor that local businesses offering similar services are petitioning the Town to block it. What are your thoughts on that? Would you support one business being allowed to have influence on others being brought in?

Answer: Council’s role is to create an environment where new businesses can start and existing businesses can thrive. That’s something we can always improve on.

From time to time, Council may work to attract specific types of businesses. For example, our current mayor has done great work bringing new doctors and psychologists to St. Paul — addressing a clear community need for medical services.

However, it’s not the role of Council to block any new business from coming to town. For better or worse, that’s the role of the free market. I often hear people say, “We don’t need another liquor store,” and while I might personally agree, it’s not Council’s job to decide how many liquor stores, coffee shops, or restaurants we have. What is within Council’s responsibility is to ensure appropriate zoning for where certain types of businesses can operate — which is why regular updates to zoning bylaws are so important.

In former Minister of Municipal Affairs Doug Griffiths’ book “13 Ways to Kill Your Community,” he talks about how competition is vital to a community’s growth. Blocking competition or resisting new opportunities is one of the fastest ways to stagnate.

New businesses — whether it’s Starbucks or a locally owned café — should be seen as opportunities to grow our local economy, not just as competition. Every new business creates jobs, investment, and consumer choice.

I hope that as a community, we continue to welcome both new and existing businesses, supporting them as essential partners in our town’s growth and prosperity.