Rick Bonnett will be moving on after his second term as Ponoka's mayor ends in October. (Photo: Town of Ponoka)

By Troy Gillard and Sheldon Spackman

loss of stampede hurt in 2020

Ponoka mayor moving on in 2021

Dec 31, 2020 | 11:18 AM

By this time next year the town of Ponoka will have a new mayor.

Rick Bonnett, who has served two terms in the town’s mayor’s chair, says he won’t be seeking a third.

“I’ve been in this chair for eight years,” says Bonnett. “I’ve been always an advocate of after two terms we need new people, new ideas, fresh ideas, a different perspective. It’s either time to move up or move out.”

Bonnett says he will soon be looking for different challenges but will still be community-oriented.

“I do think that any politician that’s in there longer than two to three terms is really starting to lose their drive,” he suggested.

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In looking back at 2020, Bonnett says the COVID-19 pandemic hit Ponoka hard as it did many other municipalities.

In the spring, Bonnett says the community was very optimistic and doing well with low numbers of COVID-19. As a result, the Town of Ponoka began an attraction program aimed at attracting residents from Alberta’s larger centres.

“Because the cities were so slammed, if you didn’t have to work at your office, you could be working at home,” he recalled. “(Ponoka) would be a good place to move out to the country and to live an easier life. It basically said our numbers were low, we don’t have lineups, are stores are full, come on down, move into our community and we’ll give you tax breaks.”

Bonnett says Ponoka was able to complete a significant number of big projects this year.

“We were able to get two large parks done. We had some extra money left over, so we did another one. We were also able to finish our street paving and everything.

“We’re still moving forward but always with that eye to dollars and cents and knowing that our federal and provincial government debts are rising so we’re always fearful of what’s going to come around the corner. We’re waiting for that shoe to drop.”

Bonnett admits though that outside work and construction have kept busy during the pandemic.

“Everybody did spend a lot on their renovations and on things that they’re doing in their houses and yards this year. So those businesses, the hardware stores at least, and the people staying home and home renovations and stuff actually got a boost in the arm.”

Bonnett feels the local business community has been grateful for the Town’s efforts in trying to support them through initiatives such as hardship grants.

“We’ve been putting out the word working with our Chamber of Commerce about shopping local. Some of them, we gave them breaks on utilities and not having to pay their taxes. And what we started this last little while is a hardship grant where it gets the businesses that have really been affected some dollars in their pockets to offset utilities, rent or taxes.”

Bonnett lamented the loss of the town’s marquee event in 2020, the Ponoka Stampede.

“That really hurt our businesses, our hospitality industry, our hotels, everything. It doubles up what our Christmas usually does,” he said of Canada’s largest annual professional rodeo event.

Missing out on the Stampede, Bonnett says, means local residents will have to step up to help community organizations such as the Kinsmen Club, Legion, and Boys and Girls Clubs.

“We draw 60,000 people in for that week and in a small town of 7,000 – we’re 10 to 1 with what the Calgary Stampede draws in for people of the same magnitude. If we don’t have a turnaround in 2021, the economic damage and the mental health damage that’s been done to the communities in Alberta, in the country, and in the world, will be second to none.”