Liberal Bill Bonko stopped in at The Leader last Thursday afternoon during a visit to Slave Lake. He is the MLA for Edmonton-Decore and the critic for Sustainable Resource Development (SRD) and Economic Development. He was in our area to listen to concerns and to witness some personally.
“I just here to find out more about some local issues,” said Bonko, “and if I can better understand those issues, I’ll be better able to represent the people involved. We’ve been in constant outreach because most of the Liberal MLAs are in the cities. I’m trying to represent rural people because after 36 years of rule, some of the MLAs have become complacent.”
Some of the concerns that Bonko heard revolved mainly around infrastructure, growth, and the impact on rural areas. The confined feedlot was also brought up as many people are unsure what, if any, long-term dangers are posed to nearby Lesser Slave Lake.
“Those concerns have to be investigated,” he said, “Especially when that lake is used as a source of drinking water for the town. Just how will the feedlot affect that large body of water? We have to find out.”
When he asked people in Slave Lake to “tell me your concerns”, a popular response was the current state of affordable housing, or rather, the growing lack of it.
“I see Slave Lake growing in leaps and bounds, but what good does it do you if there aren’t enough places for people to live affordably. This is something that I can raise on a provincial level because some of the MLAs do not. In question period, (The Hon.) Pearl Calahasen answers her best, but she doesn’t raise issues. Then again, it’s hard to point the finger at a problem when you are a part of the problem.”
One point that is particularly important to Bonko is the issuing of the $400 prosperity checks. To him, it seems like small consolation for years of waiting for the “good times” to start rolling again.
“For years we were told to suck it up, turn up the heat, or put on a sweater. They told us that the days of prosperity would come again. This is what we’ve been waiting for all this time? Four hundred bucks? Sure it might pay for the utilities for a month and some people may put it to good use, but many won’t remember in a year where that money went. $1.4 billion is gone when it could have been reinvested into communities. Slave Lake may need $20 million dollars to deal with all this growth. That is a small drop in a $1.4 billion dollar bucket.”
“There are so many places that this money could have been better spent,” he said. “We have understaffed police; ambulance services are stretched thin; some of the roads are in awful condition. Peter Lougheed did a good thing by establishing the Heritage Fund, but what good can it do if it never grows. It has been stagnant for 12 years. Alberta is now economically rich but we’re socially poor. There are small, rural communities that now have food banks. Can you believe it? You used to able count on your neighbour to help you our in tough times but now they’re in the same boat as you are. These problems exist all over Alberta. I don’t think that $400 would really make that big a difference.”
On a positive note, Mr. Bonko marvelled at the natural beuaty that this region offers. He is a big fan of fishing and looks forward to coming back in the summer and taking advantage of some of Alberta’s best fishing.

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