A regional crime reduction unit may soon be a reality for the MD of Bonnyville.
The MD will be submitting an application to Alberta Justice for the enhanced policing services positions after passing a motion during their regular meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 6.
The unit would see three new enhanced RCMP members and a support staff position focusing on combating rural crime.
The total cost of the unit's three-year contract is estimated at $1.74-million, which will be covered by the MD.
Around $1.26-million will be funded through the municipality directly, while $474,000 of the costs for the first year will be allotted from the MD's portion of the 2018 ID 349 funding. Since future air weapons funding is unknown, the municipality could be facing a roughly $500,000 deficit for the remaining two years if they don't receive it.
This was one of the reasons why CAO Luc Mercier wanted to ensure council was in favour of moving ahead with their application before it was sent.
"The MD would be footing the extra... $500,000 deficit if these funds aren't committed going forward," he detailed.
Coun. Dana Swigart said, "We have a rural crime issue, and this is just another way that allows the RCMP to work directly on crime instead of having their constables going from point A to point B just doing whatever. Now, they'll have a team concentrating on rural crime."
The Town and MD of Bonnyville, Village of Glendon, City of Cold Lake, and the Elizabeth and Fishing Lake Métis Settlements are the communities the unit will serve.
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RhPAP presents to council
Alicia Fox, rural community consultant with Alberta's Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP), gave a presentation outlining their program.
RhPAP offers strategies to attract and retain healthcare professionals, arranges accommodations for students participating in medical practicums and residencies across Alberta, and provides continuing education for healthcare professionals.
"We adhere to a community development philosophy, and that fosters building strong rural communities," Fox explained. "What we intend to do is support rural community attraction and retention as well as plan and coordinate rural community learning events."
A skills event for university students for March 2020 in Bonnyville is currently in the planning stages, which will introduce the possibility of working in the area once participants complete their studies.
"The idea here is, even if they have lived in a rural environment, we want them to really rethink rural. What can that give to them? What can it provide them within their lifestyle? As well as their career options, and some aspects they may not have thought of," Fox detailed.
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Coyote and wolf program begins
The MD's coyote and wolf reduction program is back for another year.
After conducting surveys and speaking with local trappers, general manager of environmental and protective services for the MD, Matt Janz, said the decision was made to begin the program a month later than the usual October start.
"We were still getting our numbers together, because we wanted to make sure the coyote population is still high enough... We feel that the numbers are up high, and we felt that it was still a strong program."
The program began on Nov. 1 and will run until March 31, 2020 and will see MD residents receiving $15 per coyote and $75 per wolf.
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Learning the future of 911
Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) fire chief Jay Melvin made a presentation about what's next for 911 operations.
Next Generation 911 is a Canada-wide overhaul to the way a caller interacts with a 911 operator.
"It's going to increase the wireless and broadband network capabilities, and really change 911 and what 911 can provide to the public," Melvin explained.
The deadline to make the switch to Next Generation 911 is June, 2023.
"We've been in the progress of enhancing our system over the last three to five years. We know that we're a smaller area, and once the big players start drawing on those resources it's going to limit our availability to get contractors and support. That's why we're very proactive in getting updates done to our system," Melvin said.
Click here to read our full story on Next Generation 911.
Ardmore gets support
Council voted in favour of submitting a letter of support to the Ardmore Community Society for their Community Facility Enhancement Program grant application.
If approved, the funding will be used to replace the accessible entry way and deck, upgrade the lighting, and purchase a new LED sign to promote the use of the hall.
The project is estimated to cost $67,000.
The MD agreed to cover 40 per cent of the project's total price tag, with their portion coming in around $26,800 should the application get the green light. The province would fund 50 per cent through the grant, and the Ardmore Community Society would cover the remaining 10 per cent.
