The MD of Bonnyville has set their terms for a Rural Policing Committee.
"Basically, the responsibilities of the committee would be to provide input to the RCMP and public safety department on priorities and objectives for law enforcement services within the MD," explained Chris Garner, director of public safety during the MD of Bonnyville's regular council meeting on Wednesday.
The committee would receive reports from the RCMP and public safety departments concerning community policing issues, initiatives, and statistics, review information sharing and co-operative projects, provide input and recommendations for the local RCMP annual business plan, and discuss policing activities in the municipality, among other tasks.
Representatives would be from the MD of Bonnyville council, two appointed members of the public, Cold Lake RCMP S/Sgt. Scott Buchanan, Bonnyville RCMP S/Sgt. Sarah Parke, Garner, and an MD of Bonnyville public safety analyst.
Check back for the full story.
Municipality to meet with landowners regarding Muriel Creek draining concerns
“In 2018, council directed administration to look into the Muriel Creek drainage system and why we were having flooding issues in that system, and also Barreyre Lake and Charlotte Lake," director of ag and waste Matt Janz detailed. “What the ag department ended up doing was a drone survey of the outlets of Barreyre Lake and Charlotte Lake along Muriel Creek."
Through that drone survey, they were able to determine the problem areas. Janz was seeking direction from council of whether or not the MD would be taking over the job of fixing the issue, or leaving it up to the landowners.
“This creek is the responsibility of the MD… the license is in our name. There are some crossings there that don’t meet Alberta Environment’s specifications. What we’re alluding to here today, is some of these are causing back-up problems and we need to work on that. We don’t want to negotiate with landowners without council knowing and giving us direction to do that,” CAO Luc Mercier expressed, adding in some cases, work will be required from the landowners because "they put things in there that are not kosher."
Council agreed to move forward with negotiating with landowners impacted by the project.
Check back for more.
Open house tentatively schedule regarding IDP
According to director of planning and development Caroline Palmer, the municipality is working with Stantec Consulting to draft Inter-municipal Development Plans (IDP) and Inter-municipal Collaboration Framework (ICF) agreements with the summer villages and the Village of Glendon.
Once the drafts are finished, they will be presented to ratepayers, all three municipalities, and stakeholders at an open house tentatively scheduled for the end of February.
Fort Kent and Ardmore fire halls still in the works
The designs for the Fort Kent and Ardmore fire halls are nearly finished, Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority chief Jay Melvin said.
"We anticipate tendering documents and drawings finalized somewhere around Feb. 30, that's the plan," Melvin detailed. "Overall, things look to be progressing quite well, and we should have some documents for the MD to finally look at this month."
The fire halls were due for upgrades because of their size. The Ardmore Fire Hall will also house public works equipment.
Council to discuss waterline tie-ins
After receiving a few letters from residents, Coun. Dana Swigart suggested council discuss how residents and outlying communities will be able to tie into the waterline.
When the regional waterline was originally announced, Swigart said, it was noted that small communities such as Cherry Grove, Ardmore, and Fort Kent would have the opportunity to tie-in.
Since then, he feels the municipality hasn't talked about the topic much and wants council to discuss it at a future meeting.
MD approves multiple grants
Council approved several grant applications including $150,000 to the Glendon Agricultural Society to assist with operations and with the costs of maintaining their rink.
The Bonnyville Agricultural Society is also receiving municipal support to the tune of $20,000. The funding will be used for general operations.
The Glendon and Bonnyville ag societies' funding will be provided through the MD's Agricultural Societies Operating Grant, while a $25,000 financial contribution to the Cherry Grove Recreation and Agricultural Society will be provided through the Community Association Operating Grant.
