Editorial

Old Town honoured
Bring on the good ideas!
Residents on the east end of Lesser Slave Lake seem to agree it’s time to put on their collective thinking caps and come up with some ideas for refurbishing the now absent Old Town.
Its historic significance cannot be challenged. And the memories of our founders deserve more than being flushed down the river like so much unwanted baggage. We must remember their commitments to building this community. More, we must repeat their histories and ensure that Albertans and visitors from around the world are made aware of their many contributions.
We agree with those who say tourism doesn’t have a sniff of a chance at this end of the lake if we can’t provide our guests with easy access onto the lake. We’ve been denied time and again, but like Economic Development officer Steve Lane says, maybe we just weren’t asking the right people using the right approach.
And yes, perhaps it’s gonna take a little give and take – or maybe some give and give. At any rate, we won’t know until we ask.
Residents who showed up for the public meeting at The Point are to be applauded for giving a darn, and showing up to prove it. It’s too easy to be armchair critics from the comfort of our own homes. And even those who had criticisms also had some valid ideas and worthwhile fixes to suggest.
That anglers will start staying away is a given if they’re taking their chances each time they venture into this region. Sometimes they can get out of the channel and other times fishing first means a trip to Canyon Creek, Kinuso or Joussard to launch their boats. Of course it’d be easier to simply park at those locations – and once again Slave Lake comes up the loser when tourists take their business down the lake.
It’s not surprising so many good ideas materialize when we take the time to pool our collective intellect and show that we care.
Now if only we could get a little assistance from those hard-earned tax dollars that wing their way eastward as regular as clockwork.

Calculated risk
Likewise, developers who want to offer more options for tourists and would-be temporary residents at Fawcett Lake are to be applauded for taking the time to create a well-researched proposal for the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River to consider this time around.
The last proposal was short on detail, and obviously on planning. But this year Jim Albach took a commendable approach – and likely spent a great deal of his hard-earned cash to boot as he courted M.D. council’s favour.
Plugging in close to 400 new, albeit temporary residents to the limited space at the resort painted a slightly over-ambitious picture. And it’s no wonder that residents in the area were concerned about the lake and its very limited fish stocks. Not to mention what we know will be left behind – in the form of extra sewage in the lagoon.
Too many lakes in this region are threatened by collapse, and Fawcett Lake is no different. And inviting an extra 1,000 or so residents to the lake –even for weekends or short holidays — could be flirting with disaster.
Perhaps this new venture will take off. Perhaps it won’t.
But this time Mr. Albach proved to council he’s ready to bet the farm on this one – offering an assurance they won’t be left holding the proverbial bag.
Good luck and a fair wind. We hope this one flies as quickly with the province as it did with the M.D.