The City of Red Deer manager has had to issue a directive after a public area in one of its facilities was used for political purposes.
On Thursday morning, Progressive Conservative nomination candidate Darcy Mykytyshyn made an announcement in the common area just inside the entrance at Collicutt Centre.
He told the crowd of about 35 people who attended that he was seeking the Red Deer South PC nomination.
While the event unfolded, people ran or walked by on the overhead running track, high school students passed by and parents trundled in with bundled up young children heading to the pool or other venues in Collicutt Centre.
“The commons at the Collicutt is allowed to be used by non-profit groups at no cost. This booking was therefore erroneously taken and should really not have been made,” city manager Craig Curtis said on Friday.
But Mykytyshyn had been assured earlier by the city’s booking staff that it he could book the space, said Curtis, who was unaware the booking had occurred until a query was made by the Red Deer Advocate.
“They kind of confused it with when the minister comes in to give a funding announcement, you know something like that, then obviously that space is a good one to say, ‘Here’s a million dollars’ ... or something like that.”
“But here we’re talking about a competitive environment and I’ve issued a directive that if there any further bookings of this kind, it would be in our paid-for facilities,” Curtis said.
The Collicutt Centre does have meeting rooms that can be rented.
“The candidate was led to believe it was fine by our booking people. I don’t want to point any fingers at him (Mykytyshyn).”
When asked why he used the common area space, Mykytyshyn said it was because it represented community and family to him.
“When we were thinking about where we would like to make the announcement, going into politics is a family decision, and so we spent a lot of time talking about it, my wife and I ... about what this means.
“My family is important to me and my family spends a lot of time in this facility, and you know I was driving by (Wednesday) and it’s called our community common and I think that’s a great metaphor for what I think I can do for Red Deer South. I think I can bring our community together and facilities like this help do that.”
barr@www.reddeeradvocate.com