The MD of Bonnyville will be joining forces with dozens of municipalities in the fight against Bill C-69 and Bill C-48.
Council agreed to send a letter during their meeting on Wednesday, expressing the impact these bills will have on their municipality in what's being described as a last ditch effort to sway Canadian senators to oppose the regulations.
According to Reeve Greg Sawchuk, it was Senator David Tkachuk, committee chair for Bill C-48, that made the recommendation for councils across Alberta to write letters outlining the effects the bills could have.
"He was reaching out to have municipalities come forward and talk about the impact. He wanted, not just a form letter coming from everyone all over the place, but something that was more personal and really struck to what the impact would be in your own municipality," Sawchuk continued.
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Creating a more energy efficient municipality
The MD is deciding to take advantage of a provincial government grant program that would cover 80 per cent of the cost of hiring an energy efficiency manager for the municipality.
The Municipal Climate Change Action Centre (MCCAC) Municipal Energy Manager Program was created with the hopes of inspiring communities to become more energy efficient and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their facilities.
"What the province has just come out with is an application for 24 positions they're funding across the province for MCCAC mangers. What municipalities can do is apply for this position and we can do it with other partners, and it helps us enhance our ability for our buildings to be more energy efficient," explained CAO Luc Mercier. "We jumped on this. We've already put a notice of intention in."
The MD has also reached out to surrounding communities including the Village of Glendon, City of Cold Lake, and Town of Bonnyville about working together on the initiative.
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MD to create a school playground funding policy
After receiving a request from Duclos School for financial assistance for their sensory accessible playground, the MD of Bonnyville has decided to create a policy.
"In the past, similar requests have been denied for this, so we're asking for direction in developing a policy relating to schools and playgrounds," explained general manager of parks, recreation, and culture Chris McCord.
Coun. Dana Swigart noted in smaller communities, such as Ardmore, the school playgrounds are used by more than just students.
"A lot of these smaller communities do have schools that are the central point, and that's where the playgrounds are," he stated.
Council tabled their decision on whether or not to provide money to Duclos School until they create a policy, which will be brought back to council before the start of the next school year.
MD working on Vezeau Beach boat launch
The MD of Bonnyville is continuing work on the Vezeau Beach boat launch.
McCord detailed, "The (launch) pieces arrived on Thursday... We have divers scheduled for Tuesday. They will locate the existing anchors and we will buoy them so we're able to see them. From that point, we're going to work with Alberta Environment and put in a temporary gangway and dock piece so people can at least launch their boats until we get the full structure."
Fishing Lake Métis Settlement wants to work with MD staff
"There was a letter sent to us by the Fishing Lake Métis Settlement... They're asking that next time we go out and clear the culverts or beaver dams, we should coordinate with their public works department," said Abid Malik, general manager of infrastructure services.
The ask follows an issue the settlement faced when the municipality cleared culverts by the Riel Beach Campsite last year.
According to the letter, it caused flooding to the campground and massive damage to a boardwalk and landscaping in the area.
Malik stressed the MD has reached out and notified the settlement they will be in contact in the future prior to removing any dams or clearing culverts in that area.
MD makes a plan for dust control requests
After a lengthy discussion, council agreed to allow their public works department to dust control a minimum of 200-metres in front of residences requesting the service.
Mercier said the reason for only doing sections of the roads is to cut back on costs.
"Our understanding is we used to MG-30 entire roads from someone's house if there was one complaint. We're suggesting reducing that amount to a more close proximity to their house, 200 to 300-metres, in order to accommodate these additional requests within budget," he continued.
Council reaching out to Alberta Transportation regarding two areas of concern
Coun. Ben Fadeyiw brought to administration's attention the need for illumination lights at the turnoff for Cherry Grove.
He explained how the intersection can be a hazard.
"I've had, just over the last little while, about three requests about some safety concerns on that corner, because it's going into Cherry Grove," said Fadeyiw. "There's a lot of traffic going in there."
Expressing a troubled area of his own, Swigart noted he too has been getting concerns from residents, but about the intersection of Hwy. 28 and Railway Ave.
Council agreed to send their concerns to Alberta Transportation.
