INNISFAIL - Members of the once active local Orange Lodge are pledging to become more active in the community but the town will not give them a break on their property taxes.
However, administration has been directed by town council to add the building to its list of facilities for the public to use, rent or lease, a move that could help the service group offset the building's operational and maintenance costs.
"That is a bad precedent in my opinion to start that," said Coun. Donnie Hill of the request for a tax break. Council was told by Heather Whymark, director of corporate services, that while churches are exempt from property taxation, service groups or clubs are not.
"I don't really feel they should get one," added Coun. Jean Barclay. "Like most organizations now volunteers are down and maybe (they should) up their membership fee, draft a business plan and do all the things you need to do to make it work, but I don't think it is up to us to make it work for them."
The Innisfail Orange Lodge is affiliated with the Canadian branch of the Orange Order, a Protestant fraternal organization that began in County Armagh in Ireland in 1795. The organization has been a part of many Canadian communities for the past 200 years. It has a history in Innisfail going back about 100 years, but the service group's popularity in town and across Canada has dwindled over the past half century.
"I think it was a lack of continuing connections to the community, and we are trying to rekindle," said Ron Murphy, current master of the local Orange Lodge, as well as the county master for Alberta's four lodges.
Murphy, a member of the Calgary lodge, was in Innisfail to pitch the request for a property tax break at council's regular meeting on Jan. 28. He said $1,562.59 was paid for taxes last year on the building and property, which is located at 5204 - 49 Ave. and owned by the Toronto-based Orange Association of Canada.
He told council the Innisfail lodge is a tenant and members pay a dollar a year to use the building but they are responsible for the upkeep of the building, which was moved into town from Penhold in 1946.
Murphy said in a later interview the monthly operational bills, including utilities and insurance, come to about $400. Council was also told there was a flood in the hall's basement last fall that was not covered by insurance and ultimately cost lodge members about $2,500 to clean up.
As for any revenues the local lodge may receive, Murphy told council its members, who all reside out of town, now number only 12 and pay $100 a year in membership fees. They attend meetings in Innisfail once a month.
He said last week following his presentation to council he was a "little" disappointed his lodge did not get a tax break, but was pleased council appeared to be at least willing to work with them to become more visible and involved in the community.
"We had to start somewhere. That was the easiest thing to ask them for," said Murphy of the tax break request. "I thought they might come a little towards us. So is it disappointing? I would say a little disappointing, but if they are committed with working with us, finding a boys and girls club or some other group come in and utilize that building that would be good.
"We would love to work with whatever group that is looking for a place to maybe call their home," Murphy told council, conceding "nobody" knows about the group other than the "little building over on the corner by the legion.
"It seems just awfully silly to us collectively as a group that we have a building sitting idle 345 days a year and it could be used now."
