Former Morinville town councillor Joe Gosselin isn't running in this fall's civic election, but he has his eye on one of its big issues: the economy.
Morinville has something like a 93-7 residential-commercial tax split, he says, "and that's just woeful." Meanwhile, its industrial park is full, and its hotel study is collecting dust.
"Everyone always complains about the taxes they pay," he says, and the key to reducing those taxes is industrial development. "Industrial residents don't require swimming pools," he said, but they can generate the taxes Morinville needs to build such facilities.
His question to the four people running for town mayor? "What plans do you have to spur the development of Morinville's industrial park?"
Foss and Holmes
Candidate Carrie Foss said local owners and realtors have told her that the biggest obstacle they face when it comes to growth in Morinville was a lack of regulatory consistency from the town.
"Development can only happen when there are clear and consistent rules and regulations set forth for people to follow. What I'm hearing is that this is a challenge in Morinville – the rules seem to change."
Foss called for a review of the town's development policies with a view to make them more clearly defined. Council should work with current business owners to help them reach their goals, and encourage landowners to develop vacant plots.
Candidate Lisa Holmes agreed that the town's industrial park should be expanded. While council could rezone the lands immediately east of the park to industrial, she felt doing so would further isolate the South Glens subdivision from the rest of the town.
Instead, she suggested teaming up with Sturgeon County. "The relationship between the Town of Morinville and Sturgeon County has grown much more positive and productive over the past three years," she said, "and I am confident that we would be able to begin discussions with them on a jointly owned industrial area just to the east of Morinville."
A bigger park would draw new businesses to town and help existing ones grow. "As of right now, we only have the production side of Champion Pet Foods. It would be smart to provide the space to allow them the option to bringing their distribution and administration sides to Morinville as well." (Champion's distribution centre is currently in Edmonton.)
Council needed to be more proactive when it came to finding smart ways for new investment in Morinville to reduce the tax burden on residents, Holmes said. "We need to be in charge of making the decisions, and not just (have) developers or land speculators choose what types of commercial investments come to Morinville and where they are located."
Fingler and Naughton
Candidate Sheldon Fingler's plans would start with the town's just-hired economic development co-ordinator.
"I would want to give this individual the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the Town, our industrial park, and opportunities presented by the recent acceptance of the Highway 642 plan," he said. "Morinville needs a comprehensive economic development strategy that includes the town and our industrial park."
Cardiff Corner is a major feeder to the town's industrial park, he continued, and its safety and flow must be improved. The town should make its development regulations more user-friendly, look for opportunities for more commercial development, and consider incentives to help fill its vacant lots.
Candidate Christa Naughton did not send a response to the Gazette.
