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1. How Does the M.D. Measure Fire Hazards?

The Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority uses a tool called the Fire Weather Index System published by Alberta Environment Sustainable Resource Development to measure and forecast fire hazard conditions in the M.D. It is based on weather data and takes into account everything from temperature and wind conditions to relative humidity and moisture levels in the ground and fine fuels such as grass.

2. What is Banned During a Fire Ban?

A fire ban can restrict any of these regulated activities:
• Open burning ("open burning" refers to controlled burns subject to conditions set in a Fire Permit) in non-residential areas.
• Fireworks
• Firepits and cooking stoves in parks
• Backyard firepits
• Burn barrels
In most cases, a fire ban will only restrict open burning and fireworks. If conditions require, a ban may also restrict the use of firepits and cooking stoves in parks. Backyard firepits will only be banned when the fire hazard is extreme throughout the M.D.

3. What About My BBQ?

You can use a propane or natural gas BBQ or stove during a fire ban. Propane or natural gas BBQs or stoves are permitted because they are metal, contained and don't generate smoke or embers. Propane or natural gas BBQs are also permitted in parks during fire bans.

4. Is It Illegal to Disregard a Fire Ban?

The Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority wants to work with residents and visitors to keep the M.D. safe. During a fire ban, officials will emphasize compliance over enforcement, but anyone who breaks a fire ban may be subject to fines or charges if their fire causes a safety issue. This may also include covering the full costs for firefighting which can be several thousand dollars or reach into the millions of dollars if a forest fire results from burning during a fire ban.

5. What Activities Require Permits?

You need a permit for a burn barrel or to purchase, possess, store and use fireworks within the Municipal District of Bonnyville and to do any kind of open burning. Call 780-826-4755 to find out how to obtain a permit. Remember, no permits are required for backyard firepits that meet the Municipal District of Bonnyville Bylaw, cooking stoves, fire places or BBQs.

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1. When will the Regional Waterline Be Completed?

Due to Regulatory approval requirements, the award of the project was delayed by about three months. 

Accordingly, project completion schedules including the delivery of some critical components for the Water Treatment Plant (WTP) were affected. To accommodate these unanticipated changes the project schedule previously planned needed extension. According to the revised schedule the project is on track. 

The waterline component of the project is scheduled to be completed by March 31st, 2020, and the Water Treatment Plant is anticipated to be complete in August 31, 2020.

For more FAQs on the waterline, click here.

2. What is Banned During a Fire Ban?

A fire ban can restrict any of these regulated activities: • Open burning ("open burning" refers to controlled burns subject to conditions set in a Fire Permit) in non-residential areas. • Fireworks • Firepits and cooking stoves in parks • Backyard firepits • Burn barrels In most cases, a fire ban will only restrict open burning and fireworks. If conditions require, a ban may also restrict the use of firepits and cooking stoves in parks. Backyard firepits will only be banned when the fire hazard is extreme throughout the M.D.

3. When is the declaration deadline for the Small Business Sub-Class Tax?

The deadline is March 31.

Click here for the declaration form and more information on the program.

4. What are the operating hours for the landfills/transfer stations?

You can find hours for each of our seven landfills/transfer stations on our interactive map. Click here to go to the map now.

Once you open the map, simply click on the landfill you’re interested in, and you will be taken to a page detailing location, operating hours, and the types of materials accepted.

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1. When is your Property Assessment and Tax Notice sent out?

The Property Assessment and Tax Notice is mailed out in the latter part of May each year.

2. When is your current year's property tax levy due?

The last day to pay off your current year's property taxes without penalties is September 15. Any current year's taxes that is outstanding after September 15 is subject to a 12% penalty on September 16.

This penalty date and amount is set by a Council Bylaw. Municipal administration does not have any authority to “waive” penalties. Although the council does have the authority to cancel penalties, the council has historically upheld the penalties defined in the bylaw.

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1. UPDATE From the Town of Bonnyville - January 28, 2021

The long-awaited Waterline changeover is here!

Starting Monday, February 1, 2021, he transition from the Bonnyville Water Treatment Plant to the Cold Lake Regional Waterline will happen. The Town of Bonnyville would like to share some important reminders for those residents that are part of the Bonnyville’s distribution system. 

As previously mentioned, the new regional water system will be disinfected with chloramination vs the current disinfection with chlorine.  Due to the regional water systems disinfection being different, the Town of Bonnyville will be flushing the distribution system of its current water on February 1 , 2021. This process is required as per Alberta Environment.

During this changeover time, it is recommended that residents flush their internal plumbing for approximately 10 minutes or until any water colour changes and/or cloudiness is diminished. At the same time, the Town will be flushing the distribution system of chlorined water and filling it with chloraminated water.   

Individuals who utilize dialysis machines will need to ensure that any water used should be treated to remove any chloramines. If you require assistance on how to treat your water, please contact your physician. 

Fish tank owners must de-chlorinate the tap water before filling their fish tank.  Ammonia and chlorine, both present in chloramine, will have adverse effects on fish. De-chlorination solution is readily available where fish tank supplies are sold. 

For further information on the Regional Waterline and chloramination vs chlorination please read the rest of the Regional Waterline FAQ section.

2. UPDATED When will the project be completed?

The project is now substantially complete with only minor deficiencies left to be completed. Most of these will be taken care of by the contractors in the spring. Everything is in place for the change over to the Regional Water System to happen February 1, 2021.

3. What is the UPDATED total cost of the project and how is it being funded?

The total cost of the project is now anticipated to cost approximately $94,000,000. The federal and provincial governments originally agreed to pay about 90% of the original estimated project cost of $83,500,000, the remaining 10% of the project cost is contributed by the M.D. and Town of Bonnyville.  

The provincial government has decided that it will only contribute 50% of the cost overruns on the project to a maximum of $5,153,512.  There is no additional federal funding for the additional costs. 

As a result the federal and provincial governments will pick up about 86.74%, with the remaining 13.26% to be picked up by the municipalities, split between the Town (80%) and M.D. (20%).

 The project cost contributions are now broken down as follows:

Federal & Provincial Grants
Federal Government for Cold Lake First Nations	$3,234,161
Provincial Government for Frog Lake First Nations	$7,494,896
Provincial Water For Life Grant	$38,013,116
Federal - Canada Water/Wastewater Fund	$32,434,200
Total Grant Amount	$81,176,373 (86.74%)
Municipal Contributions
Municipal District of Bonnyville	$2,456,859 (2.63%)
Town of Bonnyville	$9,951,519 (10.63%)
Grand Total	$93,584,751

4. Will I notice a difference in the water?

In the Town of Bonnyville you should notice an improved quality of the water, especially in the summer. The new source (Cold Lake) is a significant improvement in quality over Moose Lake where it is common to have Blue-green algae blooms (Cyanobacteria) in the summer. Cold Lake water is treated through membrane filtration versus the Moose lake water which is treated with chemical addition and filter media. There will be an improvement in taste, odour and colour.

With the new extension of the regional water system which will reach the Town of Bonnyville at the furthest end, it is estimated that the travel times for drinking water between the Water Treatment Plant and Bonnyville will be significantly large. To reduce and manage the formation of disinfection by-product (DBPs) associated with higher water age, a secondary disinfection by Chloramination will be performed at the Transfer Station.  The communities at the Town of Bonnyville and the MD may experience minor changes in taste & odour due to Chloramination.

(Note: Specific sectors of the public, pet fish owners and dialysis patients need to be aware of Chloramination)

5. Why is Chloramine disinfection used?

Chloramine disinfection is utilized to disinfect treated water since it will alleviate the formation of disinfection by-products (DBP’s), such as Trihalomethanes.

Click here for a Chloramination Fact Sheet

6. What is a Chloramine disinfection and What are Chloramines?

Chloramines are formed when ammonia is added to chlorinated water. Chlorine kills bacteria, viruses and other organisms that could cause serious waterborne illnesses and death.  A small amount of ammonia is then added to maintain a disinfectant residual and stop the formation of disinfection by-products. The chloramine disinfection process has been used by water utilities for almost 90 years. City of Edmonton, EPCOR Water Services Inc. uses chloramine for disinfecting the treated water and provides regional treated water supply to several communities via regional waterlines.

7. What are Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)?

Trihalomethanes are a by-product of the disinfection process. They are formed when chlorine breaks down organic material in the water. Research showed that the chloramine disinfection process would slow the formation of total Trihalomethanes. Both Alberta Environment and Parks, and EPCOR approved the utilization of the chloramination disinfection method.

Trihalomethanes present problems over a long period of time. Long term exposure to levels of Trihalomethanes that exceed the maximum contaminant level is a health concern (The 2014 Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines for TTHM limits is 0.1mg/L or 100ug/L). 

The levels of Trihalomethanes fluctuate seasonally.  By utilizing the chloraminated regional water system, we are able to keep the levels of Trihalomethanes low.

8. Is Chloraminated water safe to use?

Yes – Chloraminated water is safe for drinking, bathing, cooking, gardening and other household tasks. Chloramines must be removed before using water in fish tanks. Products for chloramine removal are available through aquarium supply stores. As with chlorine, the chloramines should be removed from the water when used in kidney dialysis machines. Patients undergoing dialysis should check with their doctors about the dialysis filtering method being used.

9. Is Chloraminated water safe for my plastic or copper pipes?

Yes – The regional water is considered as approximately neutral: neither aggressive or corrosive, so that it will not have elevated corrosion on service lines made of plastic, copper or any other metals: service lines wear out with age and may require replacement due to long service life, it won’t be from corrosive water.

10. Is Chloraminated water safe to use for plants, both indoor and outdoor?

Yes – Chloraminated water is safe for us on plants both indoor and outdoor.  

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1. This new sub-class applies to businesses with less than 50 employees, as of Dec. 31, 2017. Do they have to be full-time employees, or do part-time and seasonal employees also qualify?

The provincial government, which allows municipalities to establish this tax rate, allow only for a count of full time employees. This means if a business has 15 full-time employees and 60 seasonal employees, the seasonal employees would not be part of the count. This business would be defined as "less than 50 full-time employees" and would qualify to be included in the new sub-class.

2. Does this new tax class depend on the zoning of my property?

Not necessarily. For tax purposes the Municipal Government Act (s. 297(4)(b)) says that a property that receives a non-residential tax rate is"…other property on which industry, commerce or another use takes place, or is permitted to take place under a land use bylaw passed by council…". The zoning is a major influence on property that is zoned for commercial or industrial purposes but is not currently being used. If you have more questions on this please feel free to contact our assessment team at 780-826-3171.

3. If I am a farmer with less than 50 employees, should I fill out the declaration form?

Please look at your Assessment and Tax Notice from 2017. If your property is paying a municipal farm tax, then your property is paying a lower tax rate than if it was assessed and taxed as a non-residential property.  Therefore, you will not need to fill out the declaration form.

4. Does this apply to me if I run a business out of my home?

Please look at your Assessment and Tax Notice from 2017. If you see that there is a "Municipal - Non-Res" property tax levy (found in the left middle of your Assessment and Tax Notice), then you may qualify for the Small Business tax rate. Some businesses are very small, and they may not meet the qualifications to have a non-residential tax rate. If the property has been taxed as a non-residential, then you may qualify for the small business tax rate.

5. Does this apply to me if I am the only employee of the business?

Please look at your Assessment and Tax Notice from 2017. If you see that there is a "Municipal - Non-Res" property tax levy (found in the left middle of your Assessment and Tax Notice), then you may qualify for the Small Business tax rate. Some businesses are very small, and they may not meet the qualifications to have a non-residential tax rate. If the property has been taxed as a non-residential, then you may qualify for the small business tax rate.

6. I am a contractor (welder, consultant, etc.), do I qualify for this tax sub-class?

Please look at your Assessment and Tax Notice from 2017. If you see that there is a "Municipal - Non-Res" property tax levy (found in the left middle of your Assessment and Tax Notice), then you may qualify for the Small Business tax rate. Some businesses are very small, and they may not meet the qualifications to have a non-residential tax rate. If the property has been taxed as a non-residential, then you may qualify for the small business tax rate.

7. What effect will this have on my tax bill?

If you had a "Municipal - Non Residential" tax rate on your 2017 Assessment and Tax Notice, and you met the requirements of the Small Business tax rate, you would be taxed at a lower rate that the Municipal - Non-Residential properties in the Municipality.  What would be the effect on the tax bill?  That is a little more complex to answer. Your Property Tax Bill is broken up into different taxes.  There is a Municipal Tax section, a School Tax section, and an Other Tax section on your notice.  Council only has control over the Municipal section. In November 2017, Council established an interim budget and their decision was to keep the same tax mill rates in 2018 as they were in 2017. If your assessment values remain the same as last year, and the municipal tax rates stay the same, you would see a lower municipal tax levy for the part of the property that qualifies under the Small Business sub-class.  We cannot predict the overall effect on your tax bill, as the School Tax and Other Tax sections of your bill are established by those requisitioning bodies.

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1. Where does the M.D. of Bonnyville get its water?

The M.D. of Bonnyville draws its water supply from Cold Lake, a pristine deep water lake within the municipality that covers nearly 300 square kilometers and reaches depths of 500 metres.

2. What are the current water rates for the M.D. of Bonnyville?

The current rates are listed in the Master Rates Bylaw. The fee schedule can be found here.

View Current Rates