GREENSTONE — Municipal staff are recommending council approve terminating their operating agreement of MacLeod Provincial Park.
During the recent Council meeting, the municipality’s service delivery review was up for a lengthy discussion, which included terminating the MacLeod Provincial Park operating agreement with Ontario Parks.
As it stands, Macleod Provincial Park is owned by the province but its operation falls on the municipality. However, because the park is owned by the province, the municipality has no control over the rates for the park.
Chief Administrative Officer Mark Wright said Greenstone has been operating the park with an average annual deficit of around $45,000 over the last three years, requiring the municipality to use tax revenue to cover the losses.
“The recommendation is to go to the province and say the council cannot support being in the business. Especially since council can't set the fees or really alter any other parts to ensure that the levy is not subsidizing this campground. If the province were to come back and state that they intend to close it, we could have further discussions,” said Wright.
“I can't personally guarantee that they would say, OK, the municipality can continue it. However, they've allowed us to continue it at this point. I'm not 100 per cent sure why they would then say no. The hope is to draw a line in the sand and say we have no ownership of this park. We have no value in terms of the municipality that we can, from an ownership perspective, we can't set the fees. Therefore, the province should do a better job at ensuring that our costs are covered.”
If council chooses to go down the route of terminating the agreement, they would either force the province to take over operating MacLeod Provincial Park or the province will close the park.
“That's the hope. That if they say, well, we won't operate it, we can have the discussion with council, and ask do you want to continue operating it? And, do we then try to negotiate for better terms such as an amount every year to help offset the operating costs?” proposed Wright.
If the municipality decides to operate the park without the province, the municipality can set their own fees ensuring that a portion of the municipal tax levy that would otherwise go to the park could be put towards other service areas like the subsidizing Aging at Home Seniors Transportation Service.
With the land owned by the province, it would be up to the province to give the land to the municipality.
“There is a risk. I guess the question for council is how much of that risk do you want to take? I don't think it's a high risk because if they come back and say, OK, we've determined to close it. We can't continue operating, then we can very quickly, knowing what the conversation is, say OK, well, let us go back to council and have a conversation,” said Wright.
“The other question though then that would become for council at the time is twofold. One, if the province with all of their resources, feels that they can't maintain this provincial park at a time when they've opened up other parks, why as a municipality, how could we actually believe that we can afford it? And, the second part of that, and while I recognize our campgrounds are important to our life here, the city of Thunder Bay has two campgrounds to the best of my knowledge, 20 times the population plus probably 30 times the population actually. Other municipalities, our size, one campground.”
The motion has been deferred until the next Council meeting for further consideration.