MUNICIPAL DISTRICT BONNYVILLE NO. 87
COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS January 30, 2019
Keeping you informed of the services, business and development that affect YOU!
#1 Rural Community Policing Committee Approved – Municipal District of Bonnyville Council approved the formation of the M.D. of Bonnyville Rural Community Policing Committee (RCPC) between the RCMP and the municipality. The RCPC is being formed to upgrade communication between the two services to improve the level of law enforcement services for our rural community. The committee is designed to provide a mechanism for community input, guidance and accountability for policing and law enforcement services provided to, and by, the municipality. The committee will consist of two M.D. Councillors, two appointed public members who reside in the M.D., Staff Sergeants from the Cold Lake and Bonnyville RCMP, M.D. of Bonnyville Director of Public Safety and the Public Safety Analyst. The Reeve and CAO are considered Ex Officio, and may attend meetings as they desire. Two M.D. Councillors will be appointed at a later date. The M.D. will be advertising for two residents to sit on the committee.
#2 Muriel Creek Restoration Project Receives Go Ahead – M.D. Council approved the continuation of the Muriel Creek Restoration Project and authorized administration to negotiate with local landowners for solutions to the Muriel Creek water flow problems. A survey was completed in 2018 to develop a plan to be initiated to prevent future flooding of land in the Charlotte Lake, Barreyre Lake and Muriel Creek systems. The survey has identified all the blocked problem areas. The M.D. will contract out the initial flood mitigation work in 2019. Some issues will be the responsibility of landowners in the area to fix. The M.D. will continue with the second stage of work in 2020.
#3 M.D. Agrees To Provide IT Services To Glendon – Council agreed to enter into an agreement with the Village of Glendon to provide Information Technology (IT) Services. The services will be billed monthly at a cost of $65/hour/person during the normal working hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Work performed outside of those hours will be charged at time and a half ($97.50/hour/person). Off-site backup, if required, will cost a flat fee of $50/month. IT currently provides these types of services to the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority and the Centennial Centre.
#4 User Groups Support Bonnyville Rec Park Proposal – On January 16, M.D. Council accepted as information a presentation by the Bonnyville Soccer Association (BSA), Bonnyville Minor Ball (BMB) and the Bonnyville Pickleball Club. In the presentation, the groups requested that the proposed Recreation Park contain four full-sized soccer pitches, six baseball/softball diamonds and six pickleball courts. Both minor soccer and ball associations stated they would be willing to consider field maintenance requirements such as grass cutting and line marking. Bonnyville Minor Ball, through its fundraising efforts, has put away a substantial amount of money to build an indoor training facility at the proposed Rec Park. Year-round programs would be run inside the building. Both associations said a majority of the youth participating in their programs reside in the M.D. In 2018, BSA had 318 youth registered and BMB had 310 children registered for programs. The Pickleball Club says a dedicated outdoor facility would help the group grow exponentially from 48 players, of which 32 are M.D. residents. Both youth associations said that with proper facilities a large number of zone, provincial and Western championships could be held in the area to help boost the local economy. Proper facilities would also help the BSA grow its newly formed adult and regional programs.
#5 Planning And Development Update – In 2018, the year-end Development Permits totaled $27,516,139, an increase of $6 million over 2017. Year-to-date housing starts in 2018 included 33 Single Family Dwellings and 12 Mobile Home Units. The M.D. had 30 subdivision applications in 2018. Planning has commenced, with Stantec as the consultant, the Intermunicipal Development Plan (IDP) and Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework (ICF) process with the Summer Villages of Bonnyville Beach and Pelican Narrows and the Village of Glendon. An Open House will be scheduled at the end of February to present the draft IDP document to ratepayers of all three municipalities. The ICF draft will be presented to Council. MCSNET has begun installing fibre optic to the hamlets of Fort Kent and Cherry Grove. These are the first two communities in the M.D. the company has chosen to provide the fibre optic line. The M.D. provides a digitized ownership map to iHunter to show hunters where Crown land is located and who owns the titled land. The owner names are critical when hunters are requesting permission to hunt on privately owned lands. The revenue received in 2018 totalled $1,822.38. In January, 17 Occupancy Reviews were generated and one Occupancy Permit was issued.
#6 Funding Support – The Glendon Agricultural Society received its $150,000 Annual Operating Grant. The Cherry Grove Recreation and Agricultural Society received its 2018 Annual Operating Grant of $25,000 to be funded from the 2019 Recreation Boards budget as a carryover from 2018. The Bonnyville Agricultural Society received its $20,000 Annual Operating Grant. Council agreed to contribute $2,000 for the Forage Forum hosted by AgZone on February 23. Council agreed to a $1,000 sponsorship of the Community and Volunteerism Award for the 2019 Women of Influence Awards Event on Friday, March 8 at the Cold Lake Energy Centre. Council agreed to sponsor two teams in the Glendon Pyrogy Curling Bonspiel on March 9 for a cost of $250.
#7 Briefly – The February 27 Council Meeting has been cancelled due to a conflicting conference date.
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.