There can be no denying that last week’s presentation of $430,000 by the provincial government to the Central Alberta Raceway’s Rimbey Kinsmen Motorsports Park was a tremendous vote of confidence to the community itself as well as the thousands of hours of volunteer work by all the committee members, all the participants and of course, the efforts put forth by the local Kinsmen Club.
Most certainly, when the work is finally completed at the facility some time later this year or in 2009 with a brand new drag strip, it will attract tens of thousands of spectators and participants to Rimbey per year for many years to come.
The track is already most likely the envy of hundreds towns and cities – including some far larger than Rimbey, through out western Canada. In fact the city of Regina, with a population of nearly 100 times that of our community, has next to nothing in comparison to what we have in our own backyard.
But with the persistent rumours of a provincial election on the horizon – with some predictions claiming as soon as next month, the donation to the racetrack has, most likely, sent mixed messages to others in the community who have called on the government for financial assistance for their particular needs, some of which are far more critical.
On the one hand, the combination of the big donation and the belief that an election is right around the corner may lead those who are desperately fighting for the establishment of a renal dialysis treatment facility locally to think that, quite possibly, they are next on the list.
That notion can also be extended to a number of other parties and objectives that they’d like to see fulfilled including a possible MRI machine at the new hospital currently under construction here; an expansion to one or more of the local schools or a host of other projects that are on the books in the area, but lack the necessary funds to get them off the ground.
After all, the reasoning might go, if the government can afford to spring for such a huge donation on something that many would see as ‘trivial’, surely they will step up to the plate for projects that are critical to the health and well-being of citizens, even – as in the case of renal dialysis patients, if there are only a handful in the community.
It harkens back to a number of years ago when the government gave every citizen $400 each.
Remember that?
Back then one had to make the assumption that if the government could afford that, then basically every other need in Alberta must have already been met and the payout was some sort of goodwill gesture.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case then and it certainly isn’t the case now, and as they say, history has a way of repeating itself.
So perhaps those who are, or have waited for so long, to see vital medical services treatments established here in Rimbey are feeling a bit of trepidation right about now, because on the other side of the coin, when that much money is poured into a community of this size in one big lump sum, the likelihood of any more substantial funds flowing into the area has got to be very low.
Of course, that’s not to say it is already chipped in stone and those on the outside looking in should just forget about it all until the next provincial election is called, because who knows? Maybe some time in the next few days or weeks, the government may come out with another announcement of a large donation to the community or one of it’s other needs.
Time will tell.
But the realists out there have more than likely already written off any notion of that, especially in the case of renal dialysis treatments, and why?
Because a drag strip – with the sounds of screaming tires, the smell of burning rubber, thousands of excited fans in the stands and high-performance vehicles racing down the track at breakneck speeds is a very glamorous thing and sure to bring thrills and chills to all who witness such an event.
On the other hand, a patient driving through a blizzard to a place like Red Deer so they can sit basically by themselves for hours at a time, several times each week, in a quiet room receiving renal dialysis treatments, isn’t.