BONNYVILLE – MD of Bonnyville Reeve Barry Kalinski, along with councillors Dana Swigart and Joshua Crick recently sat down with Lakeland This Week to discuss key highlights and accomplishments achieved in 2023, as well as discussing their vision for 2024.
Challenges
Of the key challenges the MD of Bonnyville has faced are the oil revenue tax breaks imposed by the Alberta government. For five years now, oil companies have not paid royalties for oil drilling because of oil and gas royalty breaks put in place by the UCP government.
“They’re drilling more wells than they ever were, but we’re not getting any revenue for it,” said Coun. Swigart. “It's tough on us because the residents are not excited about it.”
Many taxpayers have also come to Swigart voicing about oil well sites, but Swigart explained that the MD and the residents have zero control over where well sites are built and are instead controlled by the Alberta Energy Regulator, a crown corporation responsible for regulating resource extraction in Alberta.
Another challenge the MD has been dealing with is the high crime rates.
“It’s gone right through the roof,” says Reeve Kalinski.
Swigart says he believes crime rates were less severe before the COVID pandemic.
“[The pandemic] slowed a lot of things down. Business had to shut down a lot of people,” says Swigart.
Accomplishments
Major accomplishments of 2023 were the decision to build a fire hall in Cherry Grove and the rebuilding of Township Road 610.
“We did a change in our Road Ban policy, which was good for industry as well,” said Coun. Crick.
In the spring of 2023, the MD passed a bylaw that established rules, fines and regulations for commercial vehicle weight restrictions. Road restrictions now include:
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Township Road 610 (RR 460 to Hwy 657) – 75 per cent
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Range Road 474 (Hwy 660 to Hwy 28) – 50 per cent
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Township Road 624 (between Hwy 881 and RR 4100) – 75 per cent
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Township Road 644 (between RR 473 and RR 475) – 50 per cent
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Range Road 470 (Hwy 55 to Twp 630) – 75 per cent
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Township Road 622 (Dupre Road) (between RR 470 and RR 473) – 50 per cent
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Range Road 455 (from town limits to M.D. Public Works Shop) – 75 per cent
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Township Road 604 (Hwy 657 to RR 445) – 75 per cent
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Hamlet of La Corey – 50 per cent
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Range Road 420 (from RR 423 intersection to 65321 RR 420 intersection) – 75 per cent
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Township Road 630 (from RR 411 to the Saskatchewan border) - 75 per cent
The Sports Tourism Committee was also launched with the focus of trying to bring the Alberta winter games to the Lakeland region.
Future Goals
In 2024, council is hoping to put a strong focus on economic development.
One initiative is pushing for provincial funds for improvements on Highway 28, specifically between Bonnyville and Cold Lake. Although twinning the stretch of highway would be ideal, Kalinski is also realistic.
“I don't know if we’d ever get a twin, but certainly passing lanes and repair,” said the reeve.
The topic is certain to be brought up when Premier Danielle Smith visits Bonnyville on Jan. 26 for an exclusive United Conservative Party fundraising dinner.
