Editorial

Making good things happen

By now you’ve probably gathered that the Rotary Club in Slave Lake is raising money to pay for a new library. Not the whole, thing, just around $400,000 of the $2.3 million cost of the new building, which will be attached to the new town office.
If it were just the 400 grand, it would be an undertaking challenging enough. But that’s only part of the story. Those energetic Rotary folks have also shouldered the task of recruiting corporate donations to the tune of $440,000. All of this they hope to have accomplished by the spring of 2009.
Already the most ambitious and accomplished fundraisers in the history of Slave Lake, the Rotary really have their work cut out for them. Thanks to the generosity of Slave Lake area individuals, businesses and groups, it is more than possible they’ll meet their goal.
What’s in it for us, besides the chance to win a raffle or pool prize, is that whatever the Rotary contributes, the town and M.D. don’t end up having to raise by other means. In other words, by raising taxes.
Further, what’s in it for the corporate donors is recognition for 15 years in section of the library that they sponsor. And don’t forget, giving just became that much easier in Alberta, thanks to new rules that raise the tax credit for eligible charitable donations by 60 per cent.
That’s the long and the short of it, as they say. There’s never been a better time to help out a good community cause.

Let there be water
There’s a lot of talk in Marten Beach these days about water. Speculation is rampant about what the M.D. might or might not be doing, or be willing to do, or be able to afford when it comes to piping water to or near to the hamlet.
Another stream of speculation has Marten Beach seceding from M.D. #124 and joining M.D. #17, which rumour has it has much deeper pockets. Then there’s the notion that the Town of Slave Lake might be interested in running a water line up the shoreline, to provide water all along to whoever wants it.
Lastly, as an interim measure, some sort of water truck service to the hamlet has been proposed.
Whatever happens, it’s becoming pretty plain that people are fed up with trucking water individually. For some who go to town every day anyway, it isn’t such an issue, but others would rather not have to make the trip, especially in the winter. Municipally-supplied potable water, they argue, is a right, not a privilege.
Luckily, the province agrees – at least in principle. One of the goals of its Water For Life Strategy is “a safe, secure drinking water supply.” It has some money for projects that would achieve that goal, which the M.D. is counting on.
Meanwhile, we wait and see.