MUNICIPAL DISTRICT BONNYVILLE NO. 87
COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS August 28, 2019
Keeping you informed of the services, business and development that affect YOU!
#1 Bonnyville Pool Open House –The Bonnyville Pool Feasibility Open House is scheduled for Thursday, September 5 from 4 to 8 p.m. during Community Registration at the Bonnyville & District Centennial Centre. As part of a joint feasibility study between the M.D. and the Town of Bonnyville, BR2 and RC Strategies + PERC were hired to undertake the study and determine if a new pool is required. They have developed two pool concepts to present at the open house. The public will have the opportunity to ask questions and fill out feedback forms.
#2 Glendon Open House For Trail Construction – The M.D.’s Parks, Recreation and Culture Department is hosting an Open House at the Glendon Seniors’ Drop-In Centre from 4 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, September 4 to discuss the Iron Horse Trail upgrades from Range Road 482 to 485. The engineering firm, WSP, will have posters outlining the trail construction and offer an opportunity for residents to ask questions and fill out feedback forms.
#3 Moose Lake Weir Removal – The M.D. received notification that Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) has made the decision to remove the weir structure located downstream of Moose Lake on the Moose Lake River. The decommissioning process will begin in the fall of 2019 and will include: the development of a decommissioning plan; Water Act Approval, which will determine the appropriate level of public, First Nations and Metis consultation; and weir removal and reclamation. A study done by AEP concluded that due to the ineffective nature of the weir, the preferred option would be to remove the structure and return the lake to its natural state.
#4 Budget 2020 Public Consultations and Timeline – Administration has been working on the M.D.’s 2020 budget since the beginning of August. Council will begin budget deliberations on October 10, and then on October 17 and 29. Public consultations will be held on Tuesday, November 5 in Glendon at the RCMP Hall, at the Ardmore Community Hall on Thursday, November 7 and then at Willow Prairie Hall in La Corey on Monday, November 18. On November 25, Council will review the feedback from the public consultations and make any required budget amendments. The 2020 budget is scheduled to be approved on December 11.
#5 Road Maintenance Petition Request Put Forward to 2020 Budget Deliberations – Residents on Township Roads 595, 595A, 593A and Range Road 445 signed a petition to stop the use of calcium chloride as a dust suppressant and requested the M.D. use other dust control measures such as paving or cold mix surfacing. While the petition does not meet the requirements of Section 223 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), as it was not signed by 10 percent of the population, it is looked at as an official request from M.D. residents as they have legitimate concerns. Recommendations for road maintenance will be brought back to Council and the request has been slotted into the 2020 budget deliberations.
#6 Road Classification Map Revised – Based on discussions at the last Council meeting, additional Major and Minor Collector Roads were added to the Road Classification Map and approved by Council. The map breaks M.D. roads into six classifications – Arterial Road – Class 1 Grid Road, Arterial Road Industrial – Class 1A Grid Road, Collector Road Major – Class 2 Grid Road, Collector Road Minor – Class 3 Grid Road and Local Roads, Classes 4 and 5. Abid Malik, General Manager of Infrastructure Services, will bring the map back to the next meeting after additional revisions are made. Council approved two days for the fall 2019 Annual Road Tour. The tour will cover a mix of larger 2019 projects, as well as larger 2020 projects.
#7 Planning and Development Update – Final Reading was given to Bylaw No. 1715 to amend the legal description and the number of acres in Bylaw No. 1705 from 4.08 Hectares (10.08 acres) to 1.65 Hectares (4.08 acres) more or less for the closure of Road Plan 5044JY within NE 6-63-1-W4M. The road allowance was realigned under plan 952 0756. The old Road Plan 5044JY was not closed during the realignment in 1995. The road closure shall facilitate the registration of the old road as a drainage ditch. Final Reading was given to Bylaw 1717, which will update the M.D.’s Safety Codes Permit Bylaw to reflect changes made to the Safety Codes Act. First Reading was given to Bylaw No. 1716 to close and lease all of the road allowance East of the NE 16-61-1-W4M, south of Township Road 613 to the Beaver River for a distance of approximately 668 metres (2,193 feet). The intent is to have open grazing of cattle between both quarter sections and fenced all together as one pasture.
#8 Interim MSI And GTF Funding Received – Alberta Municipal Affairs confirmed that the M.D. will receive an interim capital allocation of $2,263,252 in Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) funding and a $1,317,700 allocation in the federal Gas Tax Fund (GTF) funding. The interim 2019 MSI operating allocation is $157,297.
#9 Funding Support – Council approved a 2019 Community Association Capital Grant of $48,642 for Riverhurst Community Hall. The hall received a Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) grant of $55,296 and the M.D. Capital Grant provides 40 percent of the total project funding. Funds will go towards upgrading lights to LED, replacing attic insulation and repairing the vapour barrier. Council adopted the amended Policy 3C.011 – Community Association Operating and Capital Grant to reflect the amount of operating funds for the Glendon Agricultural Society from $20,000 to $150,000 annually.
#10 Briefly – Reeve Greg Sawchuk proclaimed Monday, September 9 as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Awareness Day in the M.D. Council adopted Policy No. 2A.028 – Occupational Health and Safety Policy, which addresses the new requirements of the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act and its associated regulations. Council denied a request for funding by the Johnson Farm Mobile Seed Cleaning Plant, as recommended by the Agricultural Service Board as it is privately owned and operated.