But it was a million-dollar private donation that may have assured the arena would be started.
The election is seen as a vote of confidence in a mayor and city council for a municipality that endured a ministerial review in 2010. The review, done by high-profile consultant George Cuff, found the city and its neighbours, most notably the Municipal District (MD) of Bonnyville, need to get along better.
Which brings us back to the new event centre, and its projected cost in the $20 million-plus range.
As of early November, the facility had no support from the MD, which was instead looking to trim a projected $10.5 million deficit on its proposed 2011 budget - one that went before MD council without any proposed funding for Cold Lake's new arena.
Copeland had consistently argued Cold Lake's issues reflect a growing gap in the tax bases of urban and rural municipalities that provincial officials will have to deal with down the line for communities to remain sustainable.
One prominent MD taxpayer did step forward on its own, however, with Imperial Oil putting up $1 million in support of the building, for which it will receive naming rights on the new arena.
from Western Investor, January 2011
