When Lac La Biche businessman Jeff Madill was a boy, his family was in the Lac La Biche area for trips and holidays. He loved the camping and fishing, and the rustic feel of the area that felt like he’ d found his own diamond in the rough.
When Lac La Biche businessman Jeff Madill was a boy, his family was in the Lac La Biche area for trips and holidays. He loved the camping and fishing, and the rustic feel of the area that felt like he’ d found his own diamond in the rough.
Fast-forward 40 years and nothing has changed.
Quite literally, says the director of business development for MAD Oilfield Solutions. Nothing has changed - and as a business trying to grow and expand, that’ s not a good thing.
“So, is Lac La Biche closed for business?” Madill asked a full room of business representatives, executive members of the Lac La Biche and District Chamber of Commerce, and a municipal council councillor at last Thursday night’ s regular Chamber of Commerce meeting. “I see nothing but obstacles for business.”
In particular, Madill was questioning the upcoming revision to the area’ s Land Use Bylaw, a document that dictates zoning, regulations and allowable uses of land within Lac La Biche County. After more than two years of drafts, the soon-to-be approved bylaw was presented at open house meetings to the public over the last few months.
The document restricts business growth, said Madill, whose comments brought a murmur of approval from around the table.
In MAD Oilfield’ s case, the company is once again fighting revisions to portions of the bylaw relating to work camps. Last week, the company was informed by municipal administrators that their 30-person compound of self-contained trailers that houses workers in the area on MAD Oilfield business would be in contravention of the bylaw if it is approved. The MAD site is located on the Mission Road about three kilometres from downtown Lac La Biche. The camp has been operating with a permit from Lac La Biche County for the last three years. The draft version of the bylaw says camps will only be allowed outside a 20-kilometre radius of the Lac La Biche and Plamondon hamlets.
While he admits that work camp restrictions don’ t affect all businesses and all residents, it is a part of a larger problem.
“Is Lac La Biche closed for business?”
Several business people around the table gave their own examples of barriers they say they feel when it comes to local economic development. Others compared the municipality with neighbouring areas like Athabasca, St. Paul and Bonnyville. Strip malls, chain stores and bigger retailers are setting up in neighbouring communities, but not here, said meeting guest Shawn McDonald, the Region One Aboriginal Business Association (ROABA) president.
“Have you seen what’ s going on in those other places?” McDonald asked.
Lac La Biche and District Chamber of Commerce President Rik Nikoniuk says he’ s watched the exclusion of new business over the last several years, leading him to refer to the area as “the donut hole” since everything happens around the community, but nothing much develops inside.
With Lac La Biche County councillor Dave Phillips at the meeting, the flames were turned up on his hot-seat. But the two-term councillor says he’ s fully aware of the issue, and says he’ s been fighting an uphill battle to turn the majority of council toward a better business atmosphere.
“I’ ve fought tirelessly on this new Land Use Bylaw,” Phillips told the crowd, explaining that some deciding votes on council don’ t want to see economic growth or offer concessions to promote business. “It falls on deaf ears.”
He plans to stall the approval of the bylaw until after the upcoming October municipal election.
Chamber officials and ROABA directors plan to survey their memberships in the coming weeks to ask for opinions on the local business climate. The responses will be tabulated and taken to the municipal council and administration for a presentation.
“We have to open this town up to economic development,” said Nikoniuk. “It’ s the biggest issue.”
Other areas within the proposed Land Use Bylaw include parking regulations for the downtown areas of Lac La Biche and Plamondon, specifications on fences and hedges, the number of recreation vehicles allowed on properties, home lighting, design of buildings, and outside storage allowances.
The 226page document can be found at http://216.21.137.218/home/showdocument?id=144
