BONNYVILLE - A new daycare could be coming to the Town of Bonnyville.
Happy House Daycare, which currently has two locations in Cold Lake, is looking to set up shop in town. After reviewing the application, council tabled the matter during Tuesday's meeting until they could look at the proposed location.
The suggested site at 6210 50 Ave. is in an industrial area, and some wondered if a daycare would be the right fit alongisde the other businesses.
According to the plan handed in by Happy House Daycare, administration noted the child care business was 11 parking stalls short of the 34 required for their size.
“We seem to have found a lot of reasons for why we can’t do this, and not many reasons for why we should,” noted Coun. Ray Prevost. “The building’s been empty, if I recall, about six years… at some point, we have a responsibility to make things happen a little bit.”
After taking a tour of the facility with the daycare owners, council will discuss the opportunity at their Jan. 25 meeting.
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Yellowjackets ask for support
The Lakeland Yellowjackets will be representing the area at an international competition.
Members of the local track and field team will be heading to the University of Idaho from Feb. 13 to 15 for the Simplot Games Indoor Track and Field Tournament.
“This is apparently an annual event for secondary school athletes from across Canada and the United States to compete at an indoor competition,” noted assistant CAO Bill Rogers. “It’s attended heavily by coaches from universities and colleges looking to recruit athletes for their post-secondary programs. It’s seen as an opportunity by the Yellowjackets to test their athletes against international competition, give them exposure on an international stage, potential exposure for post-secondary athletic scholarships, and other opportunities.”
The town agreed to provide $250 to the Yellowjackets. Members of the team will also be invited to the town's spring clean-up as another form of fundraising to attend the event.
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Council approves Regional Emergency Partnership Agreement
The town has an updated plan with their partners when it comes to what will happen in the event of a dangerous situation.
The Regional Emergency Partnership Agreement outlines how a state of emergency will be handled locally, what jobs will be covered by different employees in the municipalities, and that the costs will be shared. It also created the Bonnyville Regional Emergency Advisory Committee, which will consist of one councillor from each of the partnering municipalities, which includes the MD of Bonnyville and Village of Glendon.
Under the Emergency Management Act from 2018, an updated arrangement and bylaw were required. The amendments made to the local bylaw were passed during council’s meeting.
According to Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) fire chief Jay Melvin, the agreement falls in line with the collaborations made between the town and neighbouring municipalities.
“Some of the smaller communities don’t have the management, so what we’re doing is pulling everything together and getting input from a lot of the smaller communities,” he detailed. “For instance, the summer villages of Bonnyville Beach and Pelican Narrows have deferred their responsibility to the MD of Bonnyville in the event that they have an emergency.”
This change will combine all the emergency management plans for the town, MD, Village of Glendon, and summer villages of Bonnyville Beach and Pelican Narrows. It will now be called the Bonnyville Regional Emergency Management Plan (BREMP).
Council gives back
The municipality voted in favour of supporting local events.
The town will be providing $8,000 to the Ronald McDonald House Charities Northern Alberta’s (RMHCNA) Winterland Invitational hockey tournament happening in February, with games scheduled in Bonnyville, Glendon, and St. Paul.
They will also be contributing $3,000 toward the Tribal Chiefs Employment and Training Services Association event taking place in April at the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre. The sponsorship includes a business mixer, job fair, and gala where Mayor Gene Sobolewski will be a keynote speaker.
Coun. Chad Colbourne said he will be participating in the Dr. Margaret Savage Crisis Centre’s Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraiser on Feb. 1 at a Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs game.
