BONNYVILLE - A notice of motion centred on scheduling regular face-to-face time with other municipal and Indigenous leaders in the region failed to get the support of MD of Bonnyville council at the Sept. 12 meeting. However, a second notice of motion to get more time in front of provincial ministry representatives was carried.
Coun. Don Slipchuk brought forward both motions with the first expressing a desire for the MD Reeve and Deputy Reeve to schedule regular meetings with the leaders of neighbouring jurisdictions including the mayors of the City of Cold Lake, Town of Bonnyville, Village of Glendon and chiefs of Cold Lake First Nation and Kehewin Cree Nation and report back to council on matters discussed.
“I would like to see us build a closer working relationship with all communities because we’ve got the ICFs (Intermunicipal Collaboration Frameworks) coming up and we should have this all done and discussed prior to the date of the ICFs having to be done,” Slipchuk said.
“Everything is costing more nowadays. We’ve got to do more cost-sharing with everything and try to help, all together, work together as a whole community for the betterment of all residents.”
The motion received no support from his colleagues around the table.
Deputy Reeve Ben Fadeyiw questioned why the First Nations were included in the motion, given that they are not municipal, and the MD has no ICFs with them.
“I wonder if we could just separate those as just building relationships versus intermunicipal because they not municipalities, they are First Nations and have their own governance,” Fadeyiw said.
Reeve Barry Kalinski said he saw no point in the motion, “I’d rather it not at all.”
Kalinski said he meets with other municipal leaders in the region on a regular basis, adding he didn’t want scheduled meetings and he doubted the other municipal representatives would either.
The motion was defeated 4 votes to 1, with Slipchuk the only councillor supporting his motion. Kalinski, Fadeyiw, Mike Krywiak and Josh Crick were opposed. Councillors Dana Swigart and Darcy Skarsen were not in attendance.
Slipchuk was more successful with his second notice of motion to direct administration monthly to schedule meetings with provincial ministry representatives. He said the reeve and deputy reeve along with administrative support, should participate in the meetings.
Slipchuk expressed the view that the MD needed to actively engage at the provincial level to address community concerns and issues so it didn’t get overlooked or overshadowed by other municipalities in the province.
Crick was onside with this view.
“The time period is irrelevant as far as I’m concerned but we do need to be in front of them.”
Crick cited underfunding on bridge projects and the tax holiday on new oil wells as being among the issues that need addressing. “We need to be getting that revenue back where it belongs and that is in our municipality.”
Coun. Mike Krywiak said the council does have the opportunity to meet directly with ministers during the Rural Municipalities’ Association meetings.
The reeve said he felt administration was already doing “a great job” of reaching out to provincial ministers.
“I sign things to go to ministers all the time so I don’t know how much more they can do,” Kalinski said of administration. Instead, he said, the focus should be on getting the UCP government to put a local MLA in a minister’s role.
“We haven’t had a minister here forever. I think that’s a sad situation and the next time I meet with the Premier, whenever I do, I’m going to ask her for the reasoning because this area supports that party lots.”
Put to a vote, the motion was carried 3 to 2 with Slipchuk, Crick and Fadeyiw in support and Kalinski and Krywiak voting against it.
