The Alberta government will go ahead and finish the rebuild of both Kananaskis Country golf courses it was announced on Tuesday. But it will do so grudgingly.
While golfers across Canada are rejoicing at the news, the province's minister of the environment and parks, Shannon Phillips, said the only reason the government will finish construction on the two courses that were devastated in the 2013 floods is because it is less expensive than canceling contracts and the legal bills that would follow.
"We do not believe that government should be in the business of golf courses," the minister said at a press conference. "No one would like to be out of this business more than this government."
The Mount Kidd and Mount Lorette courses, both ranked in the top 100 in Canada, were devastated in the flooding. A rebuild was started under the previous Tory government. However when the NDP won the recent provincial election, it put a halt to the repairs in March, citing unfair contracts with operators of the courses that were not put out to tender.
It became a hot-button issue during the election and has continued that way after.
A report into the entire situation was completed for the government by Deloitte LLP, which said it would cost roughly $30 million plus legal fees to cancel the project. Albertans would be on the hook for less than a third of that if the courses were finished.
Most of the funding for the rebuild will come from the federal government through a disaster relief fund. The Alberta government will need to cover up to $8 million more. Approximately $2.5 million has been spent so far.
The courses are now expected to open in the summer of 2017.
"We would be on the hook for millions of dollars," Phillips stated of a decision not to proceed. "The rebuild is the best approach for tax payers.
"We had to make the best of a bad situation."
Minister Phillips, who acknowledged she hasn't played golf a day in her life, said numerous times during the press conference that her government didn't want to be in the golf business. When asked why, she said that if it's profitable, it should be in the hands of the private sector.
Politics aside, the fact that the two courses now have a future is welcome news for golfers and the Rockies golf region. Along with Silvertip, Stewart Creek and Fairmont Banff Springs, the two Kananaskis courses drew players from around the world. In the 2012 SCOREGolf Top 100 course ranking, Mount Kidd course was 44th in Canada while Mount Lorette came in 57th.
Re-establishing the two layouts, originally designed by Robert Trent Jones, will enhance the appeal to golf travellers. The courses also supply jobs to the region and help fill the surrounding tourism businesses.
"It's been tough being in purgatory," said Kananaskis's PGA of Canada head professional Bob Paley, who was more than a little relieved at the news. "But it's great to have the confirmation that we have the support of the government to move ahead."
Paley said the intent is to maintain the integrity of the original Trent Jones designs although there will be some upgrades.
"When you rebuild a house from the '80s that had green shag rug, you don't replace the green shag rug," said Paley, using an analogy of how the two layouts will be updated.
At the present time, there's no set plan for when the courses will open other than 2017. Paley wasn't certain if both courses would open at the same time or just what the overall plan was. Mother Nature will have a lot to say on that matter.
"This is important not just for us but also our sister businesses here in the valley," he said. "The hotels, the campgrounds, the riding stables...it will be great to get people back here."
And great to have two iconic courses back in action.
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