A few Edmonton residents raised concerns last week after an article in the Nouvelle said Bonnyville town council would donate to Envision Edmonton to help keep the downtown airport open.
Specifically, readers raised concerns that money would go to funding, directly or indirectly, municipal candidates.
Town council voted unanimously to donate a dollar for every resident to Envision Edmonton at its last meeting two weeks ago.
The Town's donation will go to advertising that asks that the public be given the right to decide on the airport, the "democracy issue," said Envision Edmonton spokesman, Nathan Black.
"There's no advertising that we're doing on behalf of municipal candidates," he said. "Maybe leading up to the election, the week before the election, we might identify who we believe the pro-airport candidates are, but we're not using money that we're collecting from our membership for the purpose of political advertising."
Envision Edmonton endorses pro-airport candidates morally, but not financially, he said. Envision Edmonton has come out in support of mayoral candidate David Dorward, and provides a list of pro-airport council candidates on its website.
Envision Edmonton is also considering buying advertising to inform voters which candidates support the airport, said spokeswoman Johanna McIntosh over the phone.
Mayor Ernie Isley said at last town council meeting that the money would go to support the legal challenge, campaign costs already incurred, and "not to give to any candidates in the election, but to endorse and support, not financially but otherwise, certain candidates," based on conversations he had with organizers.
"We're very pleased with Bonnyville and we're pleased with others that have come on board and provided their support," McIntosh said. "We will continue to solicit support from all resources that we can muster."
Organizers estimate that around 10 per cent of about 200 municipalities Envision wrote to request donations have responded positively. The group is not releasing the list of donors or amount of money raised so far.
Some Edmonton residents disapproved of the Town's donation to Envision Edmonton, which they saw as trying to influence the election.
"I completely understand why outlying municipalities might oppose the decisions that are made within the City of Edmonton, but I believe funding a candidate's campaign, directly or indirectly, is not the way to go about it," wrote Larry Travis in an e-mail to the Nouvelle. He said he thought the donation was undemocratic.
"If Bonnyville gives that lobby group (Envision Edmonton) money, there's nothing in the Act that would stop them from doing that," said spokesman Jerry Ward for Municipal Affairs. Municipalities can make donations to lobby groups, as long as it does not contravene the Municipal Governance Act.
Proponents of keeping the airport say the opinion of northern and rural communities needs to be heard.
"The mayor of Edmonton can say all that he wants that this is a municipal issue. All you've got to do is go to northern Alberta and ask them how much of a municipal issue they think it is when it's an airport they rely on that's being closed," Envision Edmonton's Black said.
Isley said the airport is important to keep open because of the best access to a hospital it provides for medevac flights.
"If that's part of our health care in northern Alberta, then I've argued for a long that it is an issue that's bigger than the City of Edmonton," Isley said over the phone last week.
"It is not any city. It is my capital city and it is every other Albertan's capital city, and as Albertans, we should have as good of access as we possibly can to the seat of our government."
Isley, 2nd VP of Commuter Air Access Network of Alberta, hopes not only to keep the airport open, but also to improve commuter access to and from Bonnyville. He said the demand for commuter flights remains strong from government and oil sectors.
Envision Edmonton has also launched a legal challenge to the City's decision to disallow the petition asking for a plebiscite.
Last week's article received several comments on the Nouvelle's website.
The decision to close the airport "was an informed position and the correct decision. It is more cost-effective and convenient for everyone to consolidate all services to the Edmonton International Airport, where there is more room, more connections, and better service," chimed in one commenter.
"The City (Centre) Airport is a redundant, outdated dump that nobody wants to pay to upkeep anymore... especially Edmonton taxpayers."
