ATHABASCA – A Wandering River community group caught in a bureaucratic purgatory has regained control over a welcome sign for the northern hamlet after two women convinced Athabasca County councillors to walk back a previous decision last week.
Monique Mosich and Lisa Penney spoke to county council for 15 minutes during the Feb. 11 regular council meeting, where they presented their side of the story they say was lost during two years of back and forth discussions with administrative staff, and the council itself.
“It was pretty apparent from their last meeting on Jan. 14 that they weren’t given all the history … We wanted to give them that little bit, which is why we went down that path. I think it was well received,” said Mosich in a Feb. 13 interview.
Fundraising for the sign started in 2023 — Mosich and Penney had been organizing an annual golf tournament and duck race, with funds going to a variety of local causes, but when they announced the next project would be a new welcome sign, the community’s support and donations went through the roof.
“It was something they all could be proud of,” said Mosich.
“It grew from year to year, and the tournament got to be really popular, but I think the difference here was, we weren’t just giving something to a group to do something unseen. This was something tangible.”
After they raised the funds, Mosich went to the county to ask about permitting. Initially, she was just given the name of the company the county uses but after an administrative staffer recommended the project be sent over to council, Mosich said things stalled out.
“When the project got hijacked and we found ourselves sitting on $32,000 of people’s money, it was very stressful,” she said.
Mosich pointed out the group had never asked for county money, so a long delay while councillors discussed, to name a few, the lack of a sign policy, whether or not the county should be responsible for hamlet signage, and what, if any, branding the signs should have.
“I understand their desire to have a standard, and I don’t necessarily disagree agree with it, but the whole fact that they didn’t have one and they don’t have one shouldn’t prevent us from doing our own thing when other communities have done their own thing.”
A modern design
Now that the sign is going to be returning to its original roots, Mosich and her compatriots were eager to share their inspirations. A black sign front with the words “Welcome to Wandering River: live, work, play” will be framed by grey slate rock. Mosich said the community, which had used the slogan, “The Gateway to the Oilsands,” in the past, was looking forward to a new moniker.
“We were a gateway of this for so long, and council through around gateway to that, and no one really asked us what we wanted,” said Mosich. “I think the slogan really fits our community; maybe not everybody likes it, but the vast majority of people we got feedback from really like it.”
The slogan’s three parts tie the community’s major features together. With more families moving into the area from Fort McMurray, Mosich said the “live” portion was more relevant than ever, and Wandering River’s industry, and close proximity to the North, creates ample economic opportunity as well.
“These last 15 years or so, this community really, really took off recreationally,” she said.
“Whether it’s the golf course or the campgrounds or the paintball park or the river, people are really starting to utilize the space. That’s how we came up with the slogan play.”
Council troubles
Mosich and Penney’s presentation barely made it to the council floor, after a reconsideration motion passed with the exact two-thirds majority needed. Because council had passed a motion on the topic on Jan. 14, it had to be officially reopened, something councillors Brian Hall, Camille Wallach and Ashtin Anderson voted against doing.
“I think we would all agree that Wandering River is a part of the county and not an independent community like Boyle, and so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask as part of the county that there’s some brand consistency,” said Hall.
Six of Hall colleagues didn’t agree: Reeve Tracy Holland and councillors Gary Cromwell, Joe Gerlach, Natasha Kapitaniuk, Rob Minns and Kelly Chamzuk were all in favour of moving forward with the group's request.
Cromwell took it a step further, pointing out that there was no guarantee Wandering River would always be part of Athabasca County, and this way the sign would fit regardless.
“I would like to remind everybody that Wandering River was once I.D. 19 and we were gifted to Athabasca County back in the ‘90s. It’s impossible to say that Municipal Affairs might not redesign county lines in 20 years,” he said.
“This sign should have no impact on that; this community group built a beautiful sign supported by the communities of Wandering River, Lac La Biche, Plamondon and Fort McMurray.”
