MUNICIPAL DISTRICT BONNYVILLE NO. 87
COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS July 14, 2021
Keeping you informed of the services, business and development that affect YOU!
#1 Kinosoo Aerial Adventure Park Update – After a delegation from McElhanney Ltd., the firm managing the Aerial Adventure Park project at Kinosoo Ridge, Council agreed to have in-house staff complete siteworks after receiving insufficient bids for the tendered project. Staff from Infrastructure Services and Parks, Recreation & Culture will start work on the landscaping and other siteworks late this summer/early fall, with some work being contracted out. The tentative opening is now scheduled for early summer 2022.
#2 Enhanced Peace Officer Authorities – Council gave the go-ahead for Administration to request enhanced authorities for M.D. Peace Officers from the Solicitor General. These enhanced authorities include taking the Emergency Vehicle Operations Course, which will allow officers to safely break Traffic Safety Act (TSA) limits in the event of an emergency. Administration will also request the Solicitor General give Peace Officers the ability to enforce the TSA on primary and secondary highways (not including those within the limits of the Town of Bonnyville or City of Cold Lake). Officers will not be patrolling the highways. However, if the authority is granted, officers travelling the highways during their usual daily patrols and duties in the M.D. would be able to pull over speeders and unsafe drivers on highways 28, 41, and 55. Council tabled a decision on requesting the Solicitor General give M.D. Peace Officers the ability to carry a shotgun. The firearm would be used to dispatch wildlife injured in vehicle accidents. It will be discussed at a future meeting.
#3 New Director of Emergency Management – Director of Public Safety, Luis Gandolfi, will take over as the M.D.’s Director of Emergency Management (DEM). Going forward, the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority Fire Chief will act as incident commander, onsite at fires, while the DEM will be in the emergency operations centre, managing communications, resource responses, finances, and more.
#4 Parks, Recreation & Culture Update – Council directed staff to apply for the Canada Community Revitalization Fund grant offered through Western Economic Diversification Canada. If successful, the M.D. would use this grant money to build trails, as per the Trails Master Plan attached to the Recreation Master Plan. The grant could provide up to 75 percent of project costs, to a maximum of $750,000. Council also agreed to tender out three, six-kilometre trail projects — Fort Kent/Moose Lake, Moose Lake, and Cherry Grove — for construction in the fall. Projects will be chosen and completed based on budget availability. Work is well underway on the outdoor rinks in Ardmore and Cherry Grove, with the Cherry Grove site currently undergoing electrical prep work. The rinks will be ready for use this winter.
#5 Planning & Development Quarterly Update – From the beginning of April to the end of June, the Planning & Development Department took in 66 building permits, valued at $8,344,292. There were also 140 Safety Codes (electrical, gas, plumbing, sewage) permits issued, and eight subdivision applications received. Council passed the updated Cemeteries Policy (1.007), which states the M.D. “shall not take over ownership of a cemetery, its records, obligations, history, or operations”, with the exception of two cemeteries currently under M.D. ownership. There are a total of 62 cemeteries in the M.D.
#6 Crawford Estates Drainage Project – Council directed staff to request an in-person meeting with Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) Minister Jason Nixon to discuss the application process for permanent approval for the pumping out of Pinksy Lake, located adjacent to Crawford Estates. Currently, AEP is requiring First Nation Consultation (FNC) for the application. However, Pinsky Lake is not a fish-bearing waterbody, and Council believes there isn’t a need for the FNC. The M.D. has had temporary approval to pump down the level of the lake to mitigate flooding in the area. Infrastructure Services is now looking at the possibility of permanent approval for pumping, without the installation of permanent equipment. Pumping equipment would be used on a temporary basis, only when needed.
#7 Funding Support – Council agreed to be a Gold Sponsor for the Bonnyville Agricultural Society’s 2021 rodeo events at a cost of $3,500. The sponsorship covers the recent Canadian Professional Rodeo Association event, as well as the World Professional Chuckwagon Association Races being held August 5 to 8.
#9 Briefly – Council meeting recordings are now available on the M.D.’s YouTube channel at bit.ly/MDBvilleYouTube. The video will be posted the day after the meeting and will be available for a period of three months. Council approved the Terms of Reference for the M.D. Rural Community Policing Committee. With Council approval, members of the M.D. Waste Reduction Committee will go for a tour of the Peace River Waste Management Company, which includes a Waste to Energy pilot project. Council approved the purchase of a new street sweeper at a cost of $220,787, to be funded from the 2021 Planned Equipment Purchase — New Initiatives Budget. The street sweeper is used to clean up dirt and debris in hamlets and subdivisions. Council directed Administration to request Municipal Affairs give the M.D. an effective date variance in order to adjust the M.D.’s ward boundaries ahead of the October 2021 Municipal Election, due to the annexation of ID 349 into the M.D. Also due to the incorporation of ID 349 and the expansion of the M.D.’s boundaries, Council moved to have Reeve Greg Sawchuk become a member of the Greater North Foundation Board of Directors. The Foundation is similar to the Lakeland Lodge and Housing Association. Council agreed to cover 50 percent of the $28,250 Regional Economic Development Branding Strategy project, which was awarded to Amber Hughes Marketing. The funding may change if the M.D. receives approval to redirect funds from its Community and Regional Economic Support (CARES) grant to the branding project.