BONNYVILLE - The MD of Bonnyville will continue to record its regular council meetings and post them to YouTube for public viewing after a motion to stop the practice was defeated on Oct. 10 by a vote of 5 to 2.
Council had previously discussed the motion during its Sept. 26 meeting, then moved it to an in-camera discussion, before tabling it to last Tuesday.
Prior to the vote, Ward 2 Coun. Darcy Skarsen reiterated that he felt council would be taking a “step in the wrong direction” when it came to transparency if it stopped providing ratepayers with the opportunity to view recorded meetings online.
However, Ward 1 Coun. Josh Crick said he had received no calls of concern from ratepayers about stopping the recordings and “so I don’t think it’s going to be that big of a deal to people.” He said, “we can speak a little more freely,” in council chambers if it is not recorded.
Put to the vote, Ward 4 Coun. Don Slipchuk and Crick voted in support of discontinuing the recording of meetings while, Reeve Barry Kalinski, Skarsen, Ward 3 Coun. Mike Krywiak, Ward 5 Coun. Dana Swigart and Ward 6 Coun. Deputy Reeve Ben Fadeyiw voted against the motion.
The MD discontinued livestreaming its public council meetings in July 2021, once pandemic restrictions were lifted and council chambers reopened to the public. However, it continued to record meetings and post them online two to three days after each meeting. With the majority of council onside, this practice will continue.
Rezoning approved
MD Council has approved a rezoning application to change a 10-acre parcel of land from Agriculture District to Rural Commercial District, which will allow the owners to proceed with an application to develop “a saloon, an eatery and event centre” on the site.
The land is located at NE-33-60-8-W4M, in the Glendon area.
In presenting background information to council, administration noted that there is expected to be “little or no impact” to adjacent landowners. No concerns regarding the rezoning application have been raised.
Ward 5 Coun. Dana Swigart said, “I think there will be a great impact because I think the residents around it will love it. It will give them another destination. I’m happy about that.”
Gravel pit
Following a lengthy discussion, which included a presentation from an adjacent landowner, MD council approved a development permit application for a natural resources extraction and processing facility use for a Class II sand and gravel pit located at NE-36-60-5-W4M, in the area of Hwy. 657 and TWP Rd. 610. Access to the site will be off TWP Rd. 610.
Administration noted the pit will be less than five hectares in size including pit, road, stockpiles, and associated facilities. As a result, the application is made through the MD. However, any expansion would require Provincial approval.
Administration noted two letters of concern had been received in relation to the proposed development. The first requested that one condition be imposed on the developer, that being that the proposed pit nearest the SW corner of the property be excavated first to cause “minimal disturbance of the land nearest ours.”
The author of the second letter, Bob Kitching, appeared before council in person to express his concerns and those of some neighbours, including more time to review the work plan.
He said excavation work was already underway on the site, prior to permits being in place. Administration confirmed that some excavation including brush and topsoil removal had been undertaken. Provincial inspectors had visited the site and based on size of the development, under five hectares, they recommended application for a permit be made through the MD, which would bring the operator into compliance.
Kitching questioned if the MD considers the impact on adjacent property values when considering an application, what checks and balances would be in place to ensure the operator is in compliance with permit conditions and whose responsibility it is to ensure reclamation of the area.
Coun. Josh Crick said he had heard from neighbours in the area concerning noise and hours of operation at the site, adding his biggest concern was that the site be operated in a responsible way.
“I kind of hate it when guys are working behind the scenes when maybe they shouldn’t have been without permits and stuff,” Coun. Dana Swigert said.
“Anything that happened in the past happened in the past,” CAO Al Hoggan responded. “Today, this is actually bringing him into compliance by applying for a development permit and by agreeing in the development permit he will act according to our bylaws and obviously the provincial regulator who has way more say over this than we do.”
On the concern of adjacent property values, Crick said “what I’m hearing from neighbours is this pit is going to interfere with the use and enjoyment of adjacent properties.”
“We have a lot of oilfield leases in our community that will fall into the same category. We approve all of them,” Coun. Don Slipchuk noted.
“I have oil wells all around my place, they affect me but it’s just the way it is now,” Reeve Barry Kalinski added.
Council approved the development application with several conditions included, one of which was operation of the pit shall only occur Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.
