ATHABASCA – An Athabasca monument, albeit one that has seen better days, narrowly avoided heading to the auction block after a last-minute agreement was reached between the Town of Athabasca and its owner Jaspal “Paul” Singh Boparai.
During a special July 25 town council meeting, councillors voted 6-1 — Coun. Ida Edwards was opposed — to direct administration to negotiate a tax agreement with the owner of the Grand Union Hotel, as discussed in closed session, including a clause stating that if default occurs, the site will immediately go to auction.
“It was a heated debate in closed session, and I had some pretty strong points that a lot of other people didn’t agree with but recognized, and they had some strong points that I didn’t agree with but also recognized,” said Edwards during an Aug. 3 follow-up.
“At the end of the day, council made a decision, and I support that decision now that it’s gone through. It’s a funny thing to say, I didn’t vote for it, but my role is to support the initiatives of council.”
In an Aug. 3 interview, an individual who identified himself as Paul Boparai said that, “We made a couple of compromises, you know what I mean? I think there’s nothing more to say at this time,” he said, adding he’ll have more to say in a few week.
The Athabasca tax notification isn’t the only entry listed on the title; Servus Credit Union filed two separate writs in 2021, a May 5 claim for $1,904,469, and an Oct. 5 claim for $846,885. Boparai took over ownership of the property in 2014, after he bought it from an eight-man conglomerate of Athabasca locals for$337,500, according to the land title.
The Athabasca Advocate was unable to reach Athabasca’s mayor, Rob Balay, for comment before print.
Frequent flyer
This isn’t the first problem the town has had with the current owner of the hotel as last March, they sought a meeting to try and crack down on people living in the all-but-abandoned building. Since then, the Grand River Saloon has re-opened on the ground floor, although the building remains in rough shape.
The issues at the hotel have been ongoing since at least 2020, when a previous manager allowed unhoused people to crash in some of the hotel’s rooms.
Edward Tems, who currently works at the saloon as a bartender, says it has been a struggle to get everyone out.
“I’ve just been focusing on getting the drug dealers out, and getting a better crowd in here,”said Tems. “The owner hasn’t even changed the locks, so everyone that’s ever had one still has access to the building. I have no clue who still has keys to this place.”
