It’s going to cost a bit more to purchase ice candles from the City of Kenora, for the annual Festival of Lights at the Lake of the Woods Cemetary.
The city has proposed an increase from $8 to $14.
Councilor Barb Manson, who helped start the ice candle program, thinks that’s too big of an increase.
“I find the jump a little high…I would rather see from $8 to $10 and $10 to $15 dollars maybe, and incorporate that over a few years, so it’s not such a shock,” Manson told council recently.
Mayor Andrew Poirier agrees the increase, in one shot, is too much.
“It’s a very steep increase at one point in time and I think we need to phase it in over time. I’m going to say two years, because I don’t think we should commit a future council to something they have no say on.”
The city is now re-thinking the increase to $10 dollars this year and $14 dollars next year, to help cover the cost of the program.
A report from city administration says revenue generated by the ice candle program was $27,542, but the cost, including staff time, was about $45,000.
