The debate over recreation seems to be heating up in Burns Lake.
That’s because the village’s recreation department has been dealing with a significant increase in its budget since the Lakeside Multiplex opened in 2014.
While some councillors argue that recreation is vital for our town, other councillors feel that the village should invest less in recreation and focus on other priorities instead.
There’s already been some debate in 2016 on whether the village’s recreation should be cost neutral. Now it’s budget time and council is taking a hard look at the recreation department’s budget to figure out if any cuts are necessary.
A recreation master plan meeting has been scheduled for Feb. 27 in which council is expected to decide which approach the village will take with regards to recreation. Council also intends to set subsidy levels – that is, the percentage that the village is willing to contribute toward recreation – for next year.
What I hope council will keep in mind is that, even though recreation represents a significant cost for the Village of Burns Lake, recreation is also vital for this town.
Yes, we have other priorities such as fixing our roads, and I understand that the village does not operate on a large tax revenue each year. So one could easily argue that we have more important things to think about, and that spending money on recreation is a luxury.
Well, the truth is that it isn’t. And here’s why.
When you live in a small community – which is isolated from big centres and has months on end of cold weather – an indoor recreation facility is more than a luxury, it’s a necessity.
It not only improves the community’s health and well-being (which consequently reduces health-care costs), but it also helps attract and retain residents and professionals to our area (which helps move the economy).
Specially now when our strongest industry – forestry – faces significant challenges and the municipality is trying to find ways to diversify the local economy, having recreation options actually assists any diversification plan we might choose to pursue. Recreation goes hand in hand with the economy, and not against it.
So yes, maybe we do need to take a hard look at our recreation budget and cut some costs, but we also need to keep in mind that recreation is vital for both social and economic reasons.
Furthermore, when it comes to spending on recreation, Burns Lake’s subsidy levels toward recreation are similar to those of nearby towns.
Last year’s subsidy level for the Lakeside Multiplex was 40 per cent, and the subsidy rate for the ice arena was 38 per cent. Meanwhile in Houston, a municipality of similar size, the subsidy rate toward their ice arena was 40 per cent while the contribution toward their pool and gym was 70 per cent.
We need to do more when it comes to recreation, not less.
