I’m about to go on CFAX Radio in Victoria with Murray Langdon to talk about municipal spending—specifically, cities spending tax dollars on frills like golf courses.

This has become a huge issue in Saanich, where the city-owned Cedar Hill Restaurant and Golf Course lost $820,000 last year, meaning a massive property tax subsidy. Now, Saanich councillors want a committee to review the golf course and get input from the public on what to do with the course.

Golf course supporters claim that the subsidy keeps golfing affordable in the region. Which is bollocks. A quick Google search showed me I could golf today at Cedar Hill for $35 (“Price reduced!” brags the Saanich website), or at nearby Glen Meadows, a privately-owned course half-an-hour away, for $35. Seems to me that Cedar Hill actually had to drop their price to stay competitive. So much for tax dollars making it cheaper.

This is the kind of municipal spending that should concern taxpayers. This isn’t a core service like a road, a police officer, a sewer pump station, a water line, or a firefighter. It’s not a public park, nor is it a recreation centre. It’s a golf course which 99% of Saanich residents will not use—but 100% of Saanich taxpayers will pay for.

The cost is higher than just the $820,000 subsidy. Keeping it in municipal hands means a loss of property taxes for the site. It means Saanich city workers are busy on golf issues, instead of other core priorities.

We see weird things like this all the time. St. Albert, Alberta, spent $280,000 tax dollars to open its own Starbucks. Not a core priority.

Back in BC, in Richmond, the Olympic Speed Skating Oval, which has now been converted to a recreation centre, has eaten away at the Olympic Legacy fund, and forced a $3-million property tax top-up. Residents now call it the “Owe-val.” Not a core priority.

In Abbotsford, the Heat AHL team plays in front of 25% full houses at the brand-new Abbotsford Sports and Entertainment Centre. Under their deal with the City, Abbotsford property taxpayers cover off losses—more than $3 million last year. Not a core priority.

By the way, Abbotsford taxpayers also owns a golf course—Ledgeview. It loses $250,000 a year. Saanich taxpayers should be so lucky.

It’s time to ratchet back superfluous City Hall expenditures. How can golf courses, Starbucks, and AHL teams be considered “core priorities” deserving of subsidies from families and seniors scraping by? It’s time for city halls to get rid of these frills and gimmicks, and get back to basics.

By: Jordan Bateman
Posted: February 06, 2012
Topic: British Columbia

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