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Canmore Nordic Centre to Receive Upgrades Through Provincial Cash Infusion
Report Submitted by SkierRoger
(trip) Date: Monday Feb 28, 2022
Submitted: Monday Feb 28, 2022 at 21:19
Discussion:
In last week's budget, the province announced the Canmore Nordic Centre will receive a $17.5 million dollar cash infusion. The resulting upgrades will allow the facility to continue hosting Biathlon World Cups.
"Major events are already being planned at the site, including the International Biathlon Union World Cup and the 2024 FIS Ski World Cup."
Click on the above links to view a CBC report and listen to a Calgary Eyeopener interview with Michael Roycroft, regional director for Kananaskis with Alberta Environment and Parks
 Canmore Nordic Centre Trail Map
CBC Report
Interview with Michael Roycroft
4 comment(s) posted
Comments:
2022-03-01 at 03:07 - comment by DEMOCRATIZE AB
The CBC interview about the Canmore Nordic Centre raises a lot of questions for anyone with an investigative mind. Obviously the CBC talking head, Angela Knight, that did the interview does not have much of one, otherwise she would have asked some tough questions about money/ tax dollars.
The government rep being interviewed by CBC is Michael Roycroft and is the UCP Government's Regional Director for the Kananaskis Region and he once was the Manger of the Canmore Nordic Centre. There is a big link to the Nordic xc ski racing community that wanted a Kananaskis fee charged and now I can understand why. Part of the hidden plan included subsidizing the Canmore Nordic Centre to provide elite athletes more man made snow to ski. We have a significant conflict of interest situation the way I see it where the xc ski race community encouraged the government to tax Kananaskis Park users. Some people may just call that politics, if so it is bad politics.
Roycroft said the Canmore Nordic Centre has not been renovated since about 20 years ago. It was renovated less than 14 years ago. His memory must have problems or other. The Conservative's gave the Canmore Nordic Centre $25,000,000 in July 2008 to host international events (see: https://www.canmorenordic.com/about/ paragraph 3). If Roycroft was the manager of the Canmore Nordic Centre back then, I would like to ask him if the money was spent poorly or if it was just misspent. For the facility to get another $17,000,000 less than 14 years later seems monetarily crazy. Roycroft said that the World Cup every 2 years generates about up to $6,000,000. If races are held every 2 years as he suggested, then that is roughly $24,000,000 (-Covid revenue losses) since 2008 I assume (rough math: 12 years /2=6 races- 2 covid races lost = 4 races x $6,000,000= $24,000,000 roughly). This would suggest the $25,000,000 the government invested in 2008 was not a great return on investment and resulted in a $1,000,000 negative investment. Where did that money go from the money generated by the racing?
In 2019 the UCP Government rejected a $13,000,000 financing upgrade for the Canmore Nordic Centre for good reason. It was not a good investment. Now the Canmore Nordic Centre is going to get $17 million dollars- a year before an election call. Coincidence? Not likely. The budget money has been greatly increased over the 2019 Canmore Nordic Centre wish list of $13,000,000 and Albertans are subsidizing elite race organizations with the UCP Kananaskis Park entrance fee tax to upgrade the Canmore Nordic Centre which should be self supporting as it charges fees and gets subsidizes and other revenues. The less wealthy Albertans that can't afford the UCP Kananaskis Park entrance fee tax can't drive to the Park now, but at least the elite XC ski racing community will have nicer wax buildings at the Canmore Nordic Centre thanks to the subsidies.
Roycroft mentioned the Canmore Nordic receives about 1,000,000 visitors. At $15 for a daily ski pass that means the Canmore Nordic Centre is bringing in many millions of dollars per year. Where is that money going? I would like to know for accountability purposes. This is a Provincial government nordic centre facility that is getting too much tax subsidy money and that money is ending up in the wrong hands. Something just smells fishy.
Roycroft said it(Nordic Centre) was the only direct major lever to promote tourism in the Bow Valley but I would suggest that is UCP BS. What is Banff? It is far more world famous than the Canmore Nordic Centre. The Kananaskis and Banff are being overrun with tourists and there is no need to subsidize any elite biathlon ski race facility in the Bow Valley to draw more tourists.
Roycroft said that for 2024 there was a major event booked for the facility so if that is the case, it does not seem like there is a problem with the Canmore Nordic Cente facility or at least no need of further subsidies by Albertans.
The UCP has upped a lot of user fees and taxes to pay off its supporters. The losers are average Albertans who have to pay more for things like post secondary tuition fees or pay to walk on land in the Kananaskis. For the Canmore Nordic Centre to be subsidized further is a waste of money. The Nordic Centre should never have been built in an area that does not receive significant snow.Snow making at the Nordic Centre is ridiculously expensive. Mount Shark was a duplicate facility built where the snow actually falls consistently and does not require wasteful expensive subsidized snow making. The Canmore Nordic Centre should never have been built from a financial perspective if it requires ongoing subsidizes by the tax payer while providing low returns on investment.
If the town of Canmore requires or depends on the Canmore Nordic Centre for generating revenues and it is the primary economic beneficiary of the centre, then the town of Canmore should pay to operate it without any subsidies from the UCP Kananaskis entrance fee tax or other. There is huge wealth in Canmore and the town can afford more wealth squeezed from it if the xc ski race community wants more man made snow at the Canmore Nordic Centre to ski on. Leave the rest of us alone that like to ski on natural snow the way God intended.
Cross country skiing on man made snow in no way has anything to do with Conservative values when the real snow stuff is available up the road form Canmore at Mt Shark where many ski races have been held.
I will state my above numbers above are calculated by extrapolated numbers from the interview comments that sparked this thread and may not be totally accurate. They are calculated and extrapolated from the information given in the CBC interview with Roycroft in the best manner possible with the information given. If better numbers can be given, please lay them out.
Written by Mr. Legalize Real Democracy who is a graduate of Ski Resort Operations and Management and holds a business diploma as well. I would love to debate anyone on this subject and learn more so please comment in a courteous way.
Ski Cheers
2022-03-01 at 03:13 - comment by DEMOCRATIZE AB
Sorry about the odd spelling errors in my previous comment. My eyes don't work so well late at night and neither to my typing fingers, particularly after skiing 50k the day/night before with a good sized pack.
Read it anyways and imagine how the words should be spelled.
2022-03-01 at 07:43 - comment by SteveR
I get that CNC is a well used facility and that we should be supporting our elite athletes (to a degree), but what comes to mind is: whatever happened with funding for the incredibly popular all-season area at West Bragg? Maybe I missed something as I was in the backcountry for a couple of weeks in January and February?
2022-03-01 at 11:12 - comment by DEMOCRATIZE AB
Hello Steve R.,
Re: Your comment about Bragg Creek not getting UCP funding
Be patient as the funding will likely come sometime before the election. Kenney will use government surpluses resulting from extreme high energy prices to bolster his election chances to keep his Conservative base supporters happy. This is a typical political strategy used in undemocratic societies where the people do not rule or control the government.
I would expect funding to be announced no later than next October but it could be later.
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