For weeks, Pincher Creek’s two councils were stuck on a single question: whether the town should guarantee its new curling rink stays a curling rink for the next 40 years. This week, the MD dropped the demand.

The MD of Pincher Creek voted July 29 to abandon the condition — which the Town of Pincher Creek had refused two days earlier — clearing the way for up to $2 million in additional public funding and allowing construction to continue.

Broader questions about the building’s long-term future are left for future negotiations.

The sticking point

At the centre of the standoff was the MD’s proposed defined-purpose agreement, which would have required the rink to operate as a curling facility for up to 40 years. If that ever changed, the town would be on the hook to repay the MD’s funding on a sliding scale.

Town council rejected the agreement at its July 27 meeting, voting 4-2 to decline, with Couns. Mark Barber and Bernice Cyr opposed. Coun. Sahra Nodge was absent from this vote but arrived later in the meeting.

Town administration had already flagged problems with the MD’s draft, including inconsistent grant figures and a clause that could put the town in breach even in circumstances beyond its control, such as the club dropping retail or liquor sales.

Mayor Wayne Oliver compared the request to a 2018 agreement tied to the town’s early-learning centres, where the MD contributed $1 million in exchange for a similar use commitment. But he said this case is different because the town didn’t build the curling rink — the club did.

“By signing this agreement, we are committing to the longevity of curling in the community, with or without the curling club,” he said.

Several councillors said they supported protecting the MD’s investment but questioned whether taxpayers should be responsible if the curling club were ever unable to continue operating the facility.

Councillors were split on how long a commitment made sense, with suggestions ranging from five to 20 years. Couns. Mark Barber and Bernice Cyr both said they were open to a shorter deal; Couns. Valerie Wynder and Gordon McMullen argued any binding term was too much to ask of future taxpayers.

MD drops condition

The MD of Pincher Creek called a special council meeting July 29 to revisit its funding terms. Council voted to rescind the motions it had passed July 14, which had made its additional $1-million contribution conditional on the town signing the defined-purpose agreement.

In its place, council approved a revised package requiring only that the Pincher Creek Curling Club sign an updated funding agreement with the MD. The new terms maintain the MD’s ability to recover its contribution under defined circumstances while dropping the requirement for the town to guarantee the building’s future use.

MD council also reauthorized an interim payment of $340,212 toward the project’s ninth progress payment, to be released once the club signs, from the community initiatives reserve.

What else the town decided

Along with rejecting the agreement, town council settled two other pieces of the curling file July 27.

It approved a revised lease with the curling club. This was a condition of its earlier commitment of up to $1 million, which council approved June 22 contingent on the MD matching the money and on lease changes formalizing the town’s ownership of the completed facility.

The club approved the revised lease on July 17.

The updated version drops a clause requiring the town to consolidate the leased land at no cost and narrows the property description to a single address.

It passed 4-2, with Couns. Brian McGillivray and McMullen opposed. Coun. Nodge was also absent from this vote.

McGillivray said he still doesn’t have a clear total cost for the project.

“I want a line of sight on what we’re spending our money on and I want to know what it is,” he said.

The six councillors also voted unanimously to order a report reviewing how the curling project reached this point, covering council decisions dating back to January 2024. Some debated the terminology, with Cyr objecting to the word “post-mortem,” arguing it implied curling in the town was already finished.

The review will proceed internally unless it proves too costly, in which case council could consider hiring an outside reviewer.

Finally, Oliver proposed the town offer joint ownership of the building as an alternative, a model under which the MD could gain a say in the building’s future use without the town facing financial penalties if the club folded.

That motion passed unanimously, with Nodge joining by then, though councillors stressed it was only a starting point for talks.

How the project got here

The funding dispute follows months of public debate over a funding shortfall that emerged after construction was already underway — the latest chapter in a replacement-rink effort dating back more than a decade.

The Pincher Creek Curling Club first approached the MD in 2015 seeking support for a replacement rink, after the project was estimated at $3 million in 2011. It moved between proposed sites, survived a failed borrowing bylaw, and outlasted a task force that was later dissolved before construction finally began in October 2025.

By then, the budget had grown to $5.23 million, supported by $1.25 million from the town, $1 million from the MD, and a $1-million grant through the Community Facility Enhancement Program.

The gap emerged when the club’s application for a $1.5-million provincial Active Communities Initiative grant was declined in November 2025. By April 2026, club officials told both councils they were running out of money and needed up to $1.8 million in bridge financing while they reapplied.

The request sparked months of public debate over whether taxpayers should fund the half-built facility or risk leaving it unfinished. A mid-June information session drew about 130 residents from the town and MD, divided between support for curling’s role in the community and questions about how the shortfall happened.