Tache readies takeover of Lorette arena operations

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This article was published 25/03/2017 (2587 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If next month’s board vote proceeds according to plan, the management and operation of the Complexe Communautaire de Lorette Community Complex (CCLCC) will be handed over to the RM of Tache later this spring.

At a recent meeting with board members, Tache’s mayor, Robert Rivard, said he was informed a motion to dissolve the corporation will be put forward at next month’s annual general meeting. While the CCLCC building is owned by the RM of Tache, it is currently operated as an autonomous entity.

“They have to dissolve the corporation before we can take over operations of the complex…We have to be ready to start taking over their bills and accounts as quickly as possible thereafter,” said Rivard at Tuesday’s council meeting.

Earlier this year, the mayor had expressed a desire to see the RM to take over the facility entirely, in order to improve operations.

CAO Christine Hutlet will gradually assume bookkeeping responsibilities, beginning on May 1 and continuing until the corporation is fully dissolved. Rivard said he expects this process to take roughly two months.

Councillors also decided outgoing facility supervisor Greg Ewasko, whose contract expires at the end of April, will be replaced by a municipal employee, rather than by another contracted staff member. The position will be advertised shortly, Rivard said. Like Ewasko, the new supervisor will have the freedom to hire any workers deemed necessary, but will report to the CAO.

“Having somebody as a [municipal] employee is a lot easier to manage than somebody who is under contact,” said Hutlet. “It gives us a bit more control.”

Currently, the CCLCC employs one full-time supervisor, one full-time assistant, and 1,800 hours of wintertime labour provided by various part-time employees, Hutlet said.

The RM decision will cost it more money. Rivard explained staffing costs will increase by $26,000 compared to last year—a short-term pain that will yield a long-term gain, in his view.

Councillor George McGregor expressed his doubts about taking over the facility. “Is this not going to come back and bite us?” he asked. “This amount is huge.”

“Well, that’s why we’re trying to change the system,” replied Rivard. “There’s money we can save moving forward, because they won’t be running it anymore.”

“The cost of running employees for us is higher, but the flipside to that is control,” Hutlet added.

“Moving forward, we’re going to find some efficiencies,” Rivard promised.

Following the meeting, Rivard said the board is “more than willing to work with us and get everything done so that it’s a smooth transition” and stated the board “did a lot of great work for the municipality,” adding that he expects the dissolution motion to pass.

However, he also indicated that the decision was a difficult one, at least initially.

“The way it happened isn’t good,” Rivard admitted, “but I think the end result will be the best for the RM.” According to Rivard, board members “felt that they weren’t treated well, and they were upset, and that’s why they’re all quitting.”

They will likely be replaced by an advisory committee comprised of representatives from various user groups and the community at large, along with two councillors, said Rivard.

Despite the tough situation, Rivard said the decision “was mutually agreed upon.”

“They were starting to see that it was just too much for volunteers to run a facility like that,” he said. A fire inspection earlier this year found “a lot of deficiencies” that would be difficult for volunteers to remedy, Rivard said. He explained Ewasko’s contract for facility management did not extend to upgrades and repairs.

As for the part-time employees who were hired by Ewasko, the mayor said he is unsure about what will happen to them.

“Some of these people might be coming back, some might not,” he said.

Board president Colleen Jolicoeur said the transition decision “was a maybe a little unexpected, but there was no resistance. The board members were all in favour of it.”

Like Rivard, Jolicoeur said she expects the dissolution motion will pass, and is confident that the change “will result in good things” for user groups.

Jolicoeur also expressed her thanks to the facility’s volunteers.

“We had a great group of people doing all this work over the years,” she said.

With spring just around the corner, Rivard said councillors want to ensure that the management transition does not interrupt the start of the soccer season. He anticipates that public works employees and a few volunteers will step in to help with spring preparations.