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Fee increase shocks business owner Commercial rates for pool shoot up 130 per cent, hike leaves kayaking school struggling to stay afloat
Cody Punter
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, June 19, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A 130-per-cent increase in commercial rental fees at Ruth Inch Memorial Pool has one small business owner struggling to stay afloat.
Devon Allooloo, 18, bottom left, Emily Smith, 19, Chloe Dragon-Smith, 23, and Oliver Hodgins learn how to do a deep-water T-rescue as part of an advanced level rescue course taught by Cathy Allooloo, at right. Allooloo says she was "shocked" when the pool fees for her business shot up by 130 per cent, to $230 this spring. - photo courtesy of Tiffany Ayalik |
"This just bringing us close to the breaking point for our public programs," said Narwhal Adventure Training and Tours owner Cathy Allooloo.
Allooloo, who has been teaching boating safety courses in Yellowknife since 1981, said she is used to seeing prices for renting the pool go up every now and then, but in the past it had been somewhere between $10 to $15.
"I don't mind paying more," said Allooloo. "It's just the shock of such a huge increase."
The city recently amended the Fees and Charges Bylaw to comply with its 2013 budget revenue projections.
The amendment provided for an increase in user fees of around three per cent at community facilities across the city. However, amid the increases, the rate for commercial luxury pool rentals, under which Allooloo's business is being charged, went to $230 this year from $100 last year.
Luxury pool fees are charged to businesses that require the entire pool during their activities.
"To put some perspective on that, for my kids' paddle day camp the cost (to users) is $450 for a five-day course. Of that, three hours is swimming pool time, so that's ($690) just to pay for the swimming pool," said Allooloo. "Half the registration goes just to pay the pool time, then I have to pay my staff, and there's equipment and overhead."
Allooloo said she's limited by the number of students she can get in the pool because of the size of the boats. On average, the cost would be spread across an average of six participants, with a program capacity of 12 students.
Allooloo pleaded her case during a city committee meeting June 10, arguing her kayaking school offers an essential community service, which teaches youth and adults important boat safety and rescue skills that are invaluable in a Northern community surrounded by lakes and rivers. She asked whether the city would consider offering a special rate for the school because her school provides a nationally-certified safety course.
City councillor Dan Wong tried to move a motion for administration to look into offering a special rate for businesses that provide "certified training courses," however, the motion was not seconded by another member of council.
Coun. Adrian Bell, who opposed a separate rate, said providing an exemption on pool fees for certified training courses would create a slippery slope.
"For me, it's a matter of principle. To be able to use a subsidized facility to generate an unknown profit is just not something I could agree on," said Bell, who suggested Allooloo could consider registering her business as a non-profit organization, and
simply pay herself a salary.
"I think if we were to do that, we'd see a proliferation of safety training consultancies and businesses around town," Bell said.
Allooloo said she thought Bell's comments were misleading, and detracted from the fact her school offers nationally-certified training.
"Councillor Bell's comments that there's going to be line ups of quasi
training facilities wanting to abuse the system was clearly fear-mongering," she said.
"You don't just file online and get a certificate."
"Clearly there could be a more fair formula," said Bell. "It's something that we should clearly look at in the future, but not something that I would want to pick and choose the one off businesses that come to council.
"We are dealing with subsidized facilities, these are tax payer dollars and we have to take that into consideration when we take a look at whether or not operators are making a profit based on that subsidy."
Allooloo said the city's stance on subsidizing safety training courses was hypocritical, considering the city's own day camps, which use the pool as part of its programs, are in direct competition with Narwhal.
"They're offering a kids camp for something like $175 a week, and that's clearly subsidized," said Allooloo.
"We clearly cannot compete with (the city camps)."
Allooloo said she hopes to raise the issue again, however, the prices for her programs were set before she heard of the 130-per-cent increase, so now she has to focus on making sure her business remains profitable for the summer, she said.
"I just have to somehow get through this season."
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