Officials with the Great Northern Ski Society say their funding request to the city has not changed – despite an administrative report to council that indicates otherwise.

The society, which operates the Mount Sima ski area, requested $400,000 in immediate funding from the city at council's March 11 meeting.

That money was designed to help get it through the next 12 months. The society also asked that a long-term core funding plan be developed.

At last night's council meeting, council was informed via an administrative report that in addition to the short-term cash needed, ".... administration has been informed that an additional $400,000 would be required for start up in the fall of 2013.”

That would make it a full $800,000 the society is asking for in this budget year.

In a statement released this morning, however, the society argued the additional amount was indeed in line with what the society was originally asking for.

The extra $400,000 was brought forward as a "conservative estimate for core-funding required moving forward,” the press release states.

It goes on to note that the long-term funding agreement – including the timing of when it would kick in – would be subject to a number of factors. Those include the results of the winter operation and coming summer operations.

"We have always said the immediate $400,000 could carry us successfully into 2013/2014,” Patti Balsillie, a director with the society, said in the statement.

"We have not changed our original submission – our secondary ask has always been to sit down immediately and begin a conversation about a new funding model.

"Only until we have completed a first full summer season at the hill (estimated as October 2013), will we be able to intelligently discuss future financial needs.

"The additional $400,000 quoted by city administration last night should have been presented as an estimate with the intent that it was submitted.”

The society said it also plans to upload a number of "supporting reference documents” to the Sima website at www.mtsima.com

Spokesman Paolo Gallina stopped short at answering further questions on the matter this morning, however.

He said there will be no further comment from the society until its most recent audited financial documents are available.

In a previous interview, Balsillie said they would likely be available within the next couple of weeks.

Gallina said he would look into whether the email sent to the city detailing the long-term estimate would be made publicly available.

However, he did not respond further to that by press time this afternoon.

Rob Fendrick, the city's director of corporate services, said it would be up to the ski society to release that email.

"It's new information, certainly,” Fendrick told reporters last night of the additional bid for $400,000 from city taxpayers.

Fendrick noted it wasn't clear last week that while the group was looking for an immediate $400,000 to get it through the next 12 months, it was also looking for the extra $400,000 on an annual basis beginning in the fall, making it $800,000 for the year.

As the ski society pointed out, however, that is simply an estimate, and further details will have to be worked out.

The annual amount of $400,000 would be on a declining basis.

Background information on the Sima site states: "Mt. Sima is asking for $400,000 in annual funding on a declining basis, going forward as well as asking council to look at the current funding model to see if there isn't a better way to ensure this facility will be there for future generations.”

The $400,000 shortfall for this year came about due to delays in construction of the summer facility, which opened late.

Officials with the hill have said Mount Sima could close if it does not receive short-term funding.

The request is coming after the ski hill received approximately $3.5 million in funding over the last three years. All but $30,000 came out of the city's portion of the federal Building Canada Fund.

Council is scheduled to have an in-camera discussion on March 27 to look at options for the ski hill.

Councillors Mike Gladish and Dave Stockdale were clear last night that they are not hearing support for the funding from the general public.

Meanwhile, Coun. Jocelyn Curteanu put it simply by pointing out that even if council wanted to provide the cash, it's just not there.

"We don't have the money,” she said.

If those Sima users feel the facility is needed because it does promote healthy living, she added, it should be up to them to find a way to get through the hard times.

"It should be the (Sima) community's responsibility,” Curteanu said.

With a one per cent rise in property taxes amounting to about $320,000, the city would have to hike taxes by 2.5 per cent to get $800,000 if it opted to do so by that route.

That's in addition to the proposed 3.83 per cent tax boost the city is already proposing in its recently released budget.

Meanwhile, Coun. John Streicker echoed the concerns voiced by Gladish and Stockdale about the lack of general public support.

He also pointed out the significant investment that has been put into Sima over the last few years.

Along with installing a new quad chairlift, the hill has moved to full-year operations with its WildPlay adventure park and zipline features installed last summer, albeit the construction was completed late.

The summer operations were put in place to offset the costs of the winter operations

Stockdale took issue with the summer operations. While he supports the winter operations, he said, he's not prepared to look at supporting the adventure park at all.

He also went on to argue the finance issues could be solved if the hill's skiers were willing to pay an extra $100 per month to use the hill.

"That's all it takes,” he said, after noting the $700 he spends on playing golf each year.

Streicker also looked at the situation on a positive note.

Some good first steps are being taken, he said, with the board making information about its request available on the Sima website.

Coun. Betty Irwin is the only member of the previous council to vote against Sima's earlier funding requests.

Last night, she noted it comes down to a question of "how do we want our money spent and for what?”

Mayor Dan Curtis was absent from Monday's meeting, as he was from the March 11 meeting, as he left for France before that meeting.