During the MD of Bonnyville council meeting Wednesday, Oct. 11, director of finance and administration Michael Trabysh gave an update on behalf of the public safety department.
There haven't been very many noteworthy incidents lately, but tips from local residents did help officers come across a unique find.
“It's been fairly routine for this time of year. We've had a few noise complaints, and stuff like that. We did have a complaint about garbage falling off of the back of a truck, where we found office paper from a recent break and enters in local businesses. That was an interesting find, it gave us an idea of where people sort their items out after they do their crimes,” explained Trabysh.
That traffic stop was just one of the many in the 799 rural crime prevention patrols completed in the MD up until Sept. 31, from the start of the year. The MD tracks each patrol, marking down where and when it occurs, and how long it takes, in an effort to ensure officers are where they're needed.
Trabysh also noted the MD has been receiving calls lately regarding vehicles speeding past school busses and officers will be on the lookout for that kind of offence going forward.
During the department's monthly report, parks and recreation director Chris McCord explained the temperature is almost cold enough for Kinosoo Ridge Snow Resort to begin preparing for the upcoming season.
The recent cold spell throughout the Lakeland means the resort could start laying snow on their trails before the end of October.
“They're prepping for trails and getting ready to create snow. They only need a temperature of -5 Celsius and they're good to go. They could be starting anytime within the next few weeks,” explained McCord.
MD of Bonnyville council voted against donating $200 to Glendon School's awards night, which will be held at the school on Oct. 19.
“In the past, we have never supported school award nights. We've done the graduations, but that's a different story,” said Reeve Ed Rondeau.
As this was the last meeting for the current council, they didn't want to put unfair expectations on the next council.
“If we've never done it before, we're setting precedent for all of the other schools in the MD. Now they're going to go to the next council asking for money and they'll have to say yes,” said Coun. Don Sinclair.
The MD also tabled a request for funding from the Town of Bonnyville for the Festival of Trees, to get clarification on where the MD's donation will go.
Previously, MD funds have gone towards decorating a Christmas tree, but last year, the contribution went towards purchasing toys for children.
“It's just not clear. If it's not going towards a tree, why does the request even mention funding prior to 2015 went towards a tree?” asked Coun. Dana Swigart.
The MD will send a request back to the town, asking for clarification, and noting that they would like their contribution to go towards the raffle at the festival.
The Fort Kent Seniors Hall provided the last request for funding, asking for $25,000 for their annual operating budget. Council voted unanimously in favour of donating the funds.
Crews in Ardmore have failed to meet the Oct. 10 deadline to complete construction to major roads in the hamlet.
As a result, the contractor is taking on a $2,500 penalty for every day they aren't on site. Work isn't expected to pick back up until Oct. 16 or 17, which would mean up to $25,000 in penalties for the contractor.
“The contractor is actually in penalty as of yesterday (Oct. 9). They've completed the bottom lift and now they have some landscaping items to take care of. They've got about two days of paving left to go. The estimated time frame is either Monday (Oct. 16) or Tuesday (Oct. 17) of next week, so they'll probably have around a $25,000 bill by then,” explained Darcy Zelisko, director of transportation and utilities.
See the full story in next week's edition of the Bonnyville Nouvelle.
