MUNICIPAL DISTRICT BONNYVILLE NO. 87
COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS March 9, 2022
Keeping you informed of the services, business, and development that affect YOU!
#1 Bonnyville Regional Aquatic Centre – Council agreed to explore a partnership with the Town of Bonnyville for a proposed aquatics centre. The partnership would cover the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of a new facility, and would be dependent on a few stipulations, including the availability of grant funding to help cover capital costs.
#2 Public Auction Set For March 29 – Council approved the reserve bids for several properties that will go to Public Auction March 29. The properties are going to public auction, as they have been on the tax arrears list since 2020. A list of properties and the reserve bids can be found in the March 9, 2022 agenda package.
#3 Public Safety’s 2021 Year in Review – Council accepted the Public Safety Department’s 2021 Annual Report. Statistics for commercial vehicle inspections, dog and livestock complaints, traffic tickets and warnings, and other incidents were down due to COVID-19. There were 2,860 crime prevention patrols, 12 Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design surveys, officers completed 1,562 hours of patrol services for industry partners on a fee-for-service basis, and School Resource Officers offered 1,341 presentations to 34,245 students across 23 schools in three school boards. A copy of the report will be available on the M.D. website soon.
#4 Moose Lake Trail Approved – Administration will begin the tender process to complete a new eight-kilometre section of trail around Moose Lake this year. The trail, which has gone through the engineering, survey, and design stages, is estimated to cost just under $2 million. The M.D. is currently awaiting approval of a $250,000 federal grant for the project.
#5 Policies Updated – Council agreed to update a few policies during its meeting. The Dust Control Program Policy will be updated to allow the CAO to approve residential dust control requests received after the March 31 deadline, dependent on budget availability. In the past, the requests would come to Council. The change helps eliminate delays in completing any projects that may come up.
The Donations and Recognitions Policy was amended to also allow the CAO to approve requests for sponsorship and promotional items donations, allowing for a decision in a timely manner. The CAO will be able to approve monetary donations up to $2,000 and promotional items valued at up to $1,000. All requests will be reported to Council. Councillors were also allocated up to $750 in promotional materials per year to donate at their discretion, while the Reeve will be allocated up to $1,500 in promotional items annually.
The Workplace Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy was updated to reflect recent changes and updates to the OHS Act.
#6 Briefly – Council had a delegation from the Northern Lights Library System. Executive Director James MacDonald went over the benefits the libraries in Bonnyville in Cold Lake offer to 1,605 M.D. households.
Council appointed Fire Guardians for the 2022 fire season, which runs March 1 to October 31 every year, across the province. The fire guardians are responsible for issuing fire permits for the M.D. You can find out more information here.
Council held public hearings for five roadway licensing bylaws (Bylaw Nos. 1788, 1789, 1790, 1791, and 1792). The bylaws will go to the next Council meeting on March 23 for Second and Third Reading.
Council refused Bylaw No. 1750, which would have seen a portion of a laneway in Fort Kent closed, cancelled, and sold.
Council directed Administration to enter into a purchase and sale agreement with the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority for the former Kopala Building. A draft agreement shows the purchase price of just over $3.2 million to be paid back to the M.D. over 20 years with no interest.
At the direction of Council, Administration will consult with the Town of Bonnyville and City of Cold Lake on adding the City as a partner to the joint Regional Economic Development Committee.
Council decided against entering a bid to host the Alberta 2024 Winter or Summer games and directed Administration to bring back information on the possibility of making a bid for the games in 2026 or 2028.
Administration will work to arrange financing options, to a maximum of $300,000, for renovations to the Agriplex at the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre. The project would see an overhaul to the hall to allow for events, drop-in sports, and more.
A recording of the Council meetings can be found on the M.D.’s YouTube Channel.