News Flash

MUNICIPAL DISTRICT BONNYVILLE NO. 87

COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS September 12, 2018

Keeping you informed of the services, business and development that affect YOU!

#1 New CAO Hired – The Municipal District of Bonnyville Council has hired Luc Mercier as the new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). Reeve Greg Sawchuk says Council conducted an extensive search, going through a total of 48 applications. “Mr. Mercier has a vast amount of experience, with 28 years working in municipalities across Alberta, 16 of those as a CAO. His extensive skills have been recognized by the Alberta government as he was a member of the provincial committee making changes to industrial assessment. Luc is well respected in the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) association as well.” Mercier will officially start as the new M.D. of Bonnyville CAO on October 9. “Council looks forward to working with Luc,” Sawchuk said. Interim CAO Roy Doonanco said, “Although I have enjoyed my work with Council and staff, I am pleased that Council has found a well-qualified, and experienced, rural administrator as the new CAO.”

#2 Weather Woes – The weather has put a damper on harvesting operations in the region, putting producers dangerously behind. Only seven percent of the crops have been harvested, with 70 percent still standing in the fields and 20 percent swathed. At this time the soil is saturated, and if it snows, crops will be near impossible to get out of the fields. At this point in time, municipalities across the province are talking about declaring a state of disaster. Producers are now in a holding pattern, waiting for dry conditions in order to resume harvesting.   

#3 Winter Is Coming – Kinosoo Ridge Snow Resort season passes are now on sale. Instructors have been hired for the upcoming season. Renovations have started on the Muriel Lake cabin. The deck has been replaced, as well as interior flooring. Benches and hooks are being added to the main area for cross-country skiers. The plan is to have it available as a warming/dressing area and accessible through a coded lock for trail users in the winter.

#4 Rural Crime Prevention Ongoing – The Crime Prevention Officer is continuing with Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) surveys. He will be hosting some additional community hall meetings in which the focus will be vehicle theft. M.D. Peace Officers have taken action on reports of suspicious persons and vehicles in the Moose Lake, Beaumieux Resort, Fort Kent, La Corey, and Lessard areas. In most situations they have been able to locate the vehicles and stop the drivers for a traffic violation. One call was about an early morning hitchhiker that residents were convinced was looking at each vehicle leaving the small subdivision and then being able to tell which homes where vacant. The hitchhiker was not located, but officers did maintain a presence in the subdivision for a time afterwards to ensure nothing was going on. Officers have received a number of internal reports from other M.D. departments relating to thefts of fuel, equipment and vehicles. 

#5 Flooding Mitigation – M.D. crews continue to be busy with flooded areas. Some areas of the M.D. experienced three to four inches of rain and hail recently, causing drainage ditches to back up and overflow. Staff are working to relieve overflowing creeks, slough systems and ditches. Transportation and Utilities staff have been installing new culverts in flooded areas, with Ag staff following up with putting cages on the culverts and also doing other beaver control work. Once trapping season opens up October 1, the M.D. will be contracting beaver trappers throughout the municipality to help out. If residents have any beaver concerns please call the Ag office at 780-826-3951.  

#6 Planning and Development News – In August, 31 Development Permits were issued, 30 Residential Permits and one Industrial Permit, with a year-to-date total of $20,197,671. Year-to-date housing starts include 30 Single Family Dwellings and nine Mobile Home Units. In August, 85 Plumbing, Gas, Sewer and Electrical Permits were issued. The M.D. has 24 Subdivision Applications to date. First Reading was given to LU Bylaw No. 568 to amend Section 32.5 of the Land Use Bylaw to read as follows: “In all districts, an accessory building is subject to the side and rear yard setback regulations of that district, with the exception of: a) Accessory buildings 23.2 square metres (250 sq. ft.) or less in Country Residential Districts, in which case the front and rear yard setbacks shall be a minimum of 3.0 metres (10 feet).” First reading was given to Bylaw No.1693 Major Area Structure Plan – Highways 28 and 41. The date for the public hearing is tentatively scheduled for October 10.

#7 Parks, Rec. and Culture News – All the M.D. campgrounds are now closed, but Parks staff are busy with upgrades, preparing for the 2019 season. The Minnie Lake Campground office and change room project is underway. Results of the Recreation Needs Assessment Survey will be presented to Council on September 26. Work continues on the recreation facility survey, as well as the lease renewal for Kinosoo Ridge Snow Resort.  

#8 Public Safety Update – Officers are responding to a number of speed limit change requests, which will come to Council with recommendations. The Ward Councillor is contacted when officers are looking at a speed limit change. School Resource Officers are back in the classroom. They had a list of teachers wanting to make bookings before the school year had even started. They worked on some new programs during the summer, and are excited to present them to students this year. Officers are working on some final unsightly properties before the snow falls. These properties are in Ardmore, Fort Kent and some rural locations. Public Safety is also looking into a complaint that sewage trucks are dumping into the City of Cold Lake Waste Water Lagoons, which are located in the M.D. Officers took action on reports of loose livestock in the Cold Lake Airport and Alexander areas involving cows and donkeys. In both cases, officers attended and ensured the animals were off the road and in the ditch. The owners were contacted to come and collect their animals. Officers dealt with a dog designated as dangerous by the Village of Glendon. The dog was impounded for a minimum of 10 days and then returned to the owner after he complied with conditions imposed during the 10-day period, as well as paying fees and fines.  

#9 Transportation and Utilities Update – The Road Construction Crew is wrapping up work on Twp. Rd. 620 south of Ardmore and will moving to Twp. Rd. 622 next. The Road Oiling Crew is finished the bottom lift on Twp. Rd. 612, west of Highway 881 and is waiting for the weather to break to put on the top lift. The crew will be moving to Vezeau Beach Road next. The Rip and Relay Crew is working on Range Road 442, south of Twp. Rd. 632. They are also reworking other sections of oiled roads in the area that are in need of repair while material is drying. The Paving Crew has completed Twp. Rd. 630 and the two miles of top lift will be put into next year’s budget. The crew is finished the top lift on Twp. Rd. 611A and the base crew has started prepping Twp. Rd. 605, south of the Summer Village of Bonnyville Beach. Next in line is the service road into Sunset View. The Drainage Crew has been installing miscellaneous culvert installations and is now working on the Country Lane/Countryside drainage improvements. Consultants have received approvals from all of the landowners involved in the Birch Grove Drainage Project. Survey work is completed and a proposal has been drafted to send to the province. The proposed route takes the water through private land and the Summer Village of Pelican Narrows. Once Alberta Environment approves the project, it will be brought back to Council for budget approval to proceed. The contractor has completed 10 kilometres of the bottom lift on the La Corey North Resource Road, with completion scheduled for October 30. Work is scheduled to be completed in October on the Ardmore Underground Project. The contractor is working with Ardmore School to provide a bus loading zone that will have a solid surface that will help keep the school cleaner while the area is under construction. Rge. Rd. 440 (Esso Road) is completed. The contractor on the Wolf Lake Road Project has over 60 percent of the road surface done, but weather has caused limited progress in the last few weeks. The MG30 Dust Control Program is completed. Landscaping and drainage are being worked on to improve the Ardmore Trail area. The tender release for the Lessard Bridge Repair has been pushed back to mid-October as discussions with Alberta Environment are ongoing. Completion of the bridge is now scheduled for early 2019. The contractor is wrapping up Bridge File 72618 and the bridge will be open to traffic this week. 

#10 Waste Update – Over the past couple of weeks the Ag and Waste Department has been dealing with vandalism issues and a break and enter at the Hilda Lake Landfill by scavengers, which resulted in a fire in the Class III – Construction & Demolition Pit. The M.D. does allow scavenging at the landfill sites when they are open to the public. When the landfills are closed, scavengers will be charged and fined when caught. In early September, a number of waste carts were deliberately damaged by a vehicle(s) in Ardmore, Fort Kent and Emerald Estates with wheels and lids broken off. Waste and recycling education is a priority for M.D. staff. One of the programs set to start up in the fall are classroom presentations to Grade 4 students. The hour-long presentation talks about where waste goes and the importance of proper recycling. Tours are also offered to the landfill sites to explain the waste receiving and recycling processes.

 #11 Funding Support – The Dupre Community League received a $5,000 Capital Grant to build a concrete floor and pony wall weather barrier for the baseball diamond gazebo. The total cost of the project is $10,800, with the Community League providing $5,800 to match the M.D.’s contribution. Ardmore Community Society received its $25,000 Annual Operating Grant. Council agreed to provide a $500 contribution to the Bonnyville Festival of Trees to help purchase toys for the Children’s Store. All funds raised go to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Collaborative.

#12 Briefly – Council agreed to purchase two parcels of land from Northeast Muni-Corr on which to construct the new fire halls in Ardmore and Fort Kent for $134,000 and $76,000 respectively.

For more information, contact Diane Jenkinson, Marketing and Communications Manager at 780-826-3171. Our website is a useful way to get the information you need. Visit: www.md.bonnyville.ab.ca Follow us at facebook.com/MDBonnyville and Twitter @MDBville.