The Edmonton Ski Club asked city councillors Tuesday for about $3.5 million to go towards a new lodge.
The club is also asking for an additional $800,000 for demolition and a temporary space.
A city committee heard from speakers Tuesday afternoon and voted in favour of moving forward on the project, but no decisions on funding will be made until November or December.
“We can’t decide that today,” explained Coun. Sarah Hamilton. “The most we can make of a decision is that it comes to budget and we get to debate this at budget.”
Hamilton expects one of the points of discussion at budget time will be the value that the facility provides to the public — not only as a ski club, but also as the site of Folk Fest.
“There’s definitely the liveability but there’s also an equity piece,” she said.
“We’ve heard — and will hear from, I’m sure — from speakers who are concerned that the city prioritizing this means other parts, other ski clubs or other festival grounds don’t have the same opportunity.”
However, Hamilton said the counterargument is that it’s a place a lot of Edmontonians enjoy.
“When you talk about liveability, you have to get back to the things that give people pleasure. And Folk Fest, the ski club — so central in the city — is something that we know gives people a lot of pleasure.”
The decision Tuesday means council as a whole will debate the funding request during budget discussions. Council as a whole would need to approve the request for the ski club to receive the funding.
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