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To play the game, be part of the game
Chris Clegg
South Peace News
The decision by the M.D. of Big Lakes at its budget meeting May 9 to sink another $1.150 million into upgrading the road into Seal Lake to all-weather standards by next winter is a step in the right direction.
The decision is not without a few detractors, however. Next to hospital delays, it’s the biggest topic in the region.
Why would the M.D. spend $1.150 million of local money on a road not in our area?
It’s a good question. A real good question seeing the Alberta government has not fulfilled its “promise’ to give us a chunk of dough to build the road. It’s understandable why a few M.D. councillors voted against the motion.
But they would be wrong. Dead wrong.
After the motion passed, I was asked how I would have voted on the matter. It was tough. At the time, I had to give it more thought. The biggest fact that bothered me was one a few councillors brought forward.
Where in hell are all the partners?
Aside from the Town of High Prairie and Peavine Metis Settlement, where is everyone? Specifically, where is industry and where is the Alberta government?
If access to Seal Lake is the “Great Economic Saviour” the High Prairie region has been praying for, you would think some of the bigger players would step forward with their wallets open.
The fact is, development in the oil-rich Seal Lake region has just started. What has occurred there is just the tip of the iceberg. There is plenty of development yet to occur, not just what has happened so far.
Without the road, to be frank, the High Prairie region is not in the game. It’s like playing Blackjack with a single card when your opponent has the chance to draw. You have no chance.
To get in the game, we had to have the road. It’s what made supporting the motion a no-brainer.
What I couldn’t get out of my mind was a conversation I heard at Baron Oilfield Supply awhile ago. One of the companies apologized to manager Dave Paddon one morning after telling him they had to go to Peace River because they couldn’t access High Prairie because of the poor road.
The fact is, that company wanted to do business in High Prairie. They were pleased with the service and the product but were hindered by the lack of a decent road.
It was the utmost sincerity of the conversation that struck me most. It gave me confidence High Prairie businesses can compete in a challenging industry.
And, as many of them would tell you, all they want is a chance. With no road, there is no chance. Grant Energy Maintenance Grant Lee says it best.
“All of a sudden, we have opportunity,” he says. “We’ll take care of the rest.”
The road will not only give us year-round access but reduce operating costs for our local businesses to service the area. In turn, that will decrease their costs and make them even more competitive, thus giving them the chance to compete even more aggressively with Peace River businesses, who already have a leg up on us.
But no matter. The road puts us in the game. Better late than never.
“It’s a critical component to the survival of the energy sector in this region,” says Lee. “It’s a regional necessity.”
That it is.
And if the M.D. councillors who voted against the motion could have seen the eyes of the person representing that business who apologized to Baron Oilfield that morning, I trust they may have voted different.
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