“You never want to have a community questioning if the reception of evacuees is the right thing to do.”
–Owen Torgenson
B.C. government officials say they’re working to support Valemount businesses that lost revenue after the village took in Jasper wildfire evacuees, but won’t commit the $1.5 million the mayor says is needed to prevent the community from sliding into an economic tailspin.
If the province won’t provide funding, it’s a problem, because the village can’t, said Valemount Mayor Owen Torgerson.
Under the Local Government Act, municipalities are prohibited from providing any assistance to an industrial, commercial, or business undertaking – meaning they are unable to provide direct financial assistance to businesses.
To comply with this law, the village has asked that provincial funds be given to a third party, such as Northern Development Initiative Trust, Columbia Basin Trust, or Community Futures, to disperse to businesses.
Torgerson painted a grim picture if funding doesn’t come through.
“We’ll start seeing layoffs. If I’m laid off, do I move? Do I go to another community to find work? If I have kids, do I take them with me? Does school enrollment go down? If school enrollment goes down far enough, do schools close? Once we start losing those amenities, do we start losing health care workers? Do we start losing pre-hospital care? Do we start losing policing?”
“It cascades, and it’s a very downward spiral.”
Valemount asks for help; province comes up short
Last fall, the ministry gave Valemount funds to hire consulting firm Strategies North to assess business losses and assist with economic recovery efforts, which include lobbying federal and provincial governments for recovery funding.
In an emailed statement, a Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR) spokesperson said the ministry is working to support Valemount as it recovers.
“The ministry has asked Destination BC, a Crown corporation dedicated to marketing our province, to work in partnership with the Village of Valemount, Tourism Valemount, the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, and other regional stakeholders. The goal is to enhance efforts to attract visitors to Valemount and the broader North Thompson area,” EMCR said.
The statement from EMCR comes after Torgerson, Village CAO Anne Yanciw, and Simpcw First Nation Chief George Lampreau met with government ministers and members of the Opposition earlier this month.
During 11 meetings over three days in the capital, the group spoke with EMCR Minister Kelly Greene, Minister of Jobs and Economic Development Diana Gibson, Bowinn Ma, minister of Infrastructure and Minister of State for Local Governments and Rural Communities, Brittny Anderson, who committed to bringing Torgerson’s concerns to Premier David Eby.
The group also met with Opposition critics Tony Luck and Sharon Hartwell, who cover the Municipal Affairs and Rural Communities files respectively.
In a letter to EMCR, local Prince George-Valemount MLA, Rosalyn Bird, urged the province to immediately provide $1.5 million to Valemount, with a plan to eventually recoup the funds from the Alberta government.
“There are no specific funding programs that replace lost revenue from disaster events.”
Kelly Greene
Ministers Greene and Gibson responded saying the provincial government created a community economic recovery table, including representatives from Valemount, Tourism Valemount, the province, Northern Development Initiatives Trust, Community Futures, and the Canadian Red Cross.
“While there are no specific funding programs that replace lost revenue from disaster events, there are many programs available from all levels of government to support business resilience, sustainability, and growth. We encourage your community and businesses to continue working with representatives from the community economic recovery table to identify all suitable resources,” Greene told Bird.
Bird says she’s not satisfied with Greene’s response and will make further inquiries.
‘We’ll keep going to bat for you’
Torgerson also met with Alberta government officials in a pitch for financial relief.
“We suggested that [Alberta] treat Valemount and Jasper as a prototype or as a pilot, because you never want to have a community questioning if the reception of evacuees is the right thing to do,” Torgerson said.
“Of course it is. We’re Canadian. We’re BCers. We do that without question.”
Togerson said he hopes the province comes to the table first, but noted the Alberta government could also be a potential funding source.
“Eby comes to the table. Smith comes to the table. I don’t care. Somebody take that win. Call it their own. Whether it’s the opposition of either province, allowing government to win this one because it’s not a partisan ask. This is like, come on, do your job,” he said.
Behind-the-scenes, village staff will continue working with senior levels of government trying to secure funding for local businesses.
Meanwhile, Torgerson has a message for Valemount businesses: “We’ll keep going to bat for you. Hang in there. We’ll do what we can. I empathize. What you did during what was a trying time was almost heroism. This office, council, administration, will do what we can and keep pressing for that recovery.”