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Hardy to open regional recreation funding talks

Is regional recreation funding in the cards for the future?

Is regional recreation funding in the cards for the future?

 

At their regular meeting March 24,  District of Port Hardy council agreed to initiate a preliminary discussion and review of a regionally-funded recreation model for all North Island recreation facilities.

The idea was brought forward by the District of Port Hardy Parks and Recreation Review Committee.

“It was felt by the committee that we’ve done enough talking locally and we felt that we should expand our committee to the Regional District (of Mount Waddington) due to the cost to our taxpayers and the dwindling number of taxpayers,” said Councillor John Tidbury, who chairs the committee.

A case in point is the 40-year-old Port Hardy swimming pool “which is truly a regional facility,” Tidbury said.  The goal is to look at a broader picture and potential tax incentives that may be available.

“It’s only the early steps. It’s just somewhere to start. This doesn’t commit us to anything, it just opens the discussions. It may be fraught with peril,” said Tidbury.

Mayor Hank Bood noted the facilities are being used by employees from companies in the area and that the Regional District of Mount Waddington is receiving about $500,000 in taxation dollars from the Cape Scott Wind Farm and the Kokish Run-of-the-River Hydro Project.

“This (discussion) is the logical place to start. It’s very, very preliminary and it’s probably not going to be a straight road,” Bood said.