ST. PAUL - A proposal to create a curriculum around cultural training for health care workers could soon be developed at University nuhelot’įne thaiyots’į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills (UnBQ).
While the potential project is still in the proposal stage, Mayor Maureen Miller did pen a letter of support for the project and spoke briefly about it during the Feb. 13 Town of St. Paul council meeting.
"As mayor, I am aware of the negative experience that Indigenous Peoples have had with health care services in our region and a delighted to support an initiative that will promote healthier relationships between cultures in our health care system," wrote Miller in a letter of support to UnBQ.
During the Monday night council meeting, Miller said she has met with UnBQ president Sherri Chisan a couple of time to discuss the proposal. The mayor said she is excited about the possibilities the project could create.
Chamber funding
Town of St. Paul council has decided to continue funding the St. Paul & District Chamber of Commerce at the same amount it did in 2022.
The chamber has requested funding in the amount of $25,000 from each municipality for 2023. Last year, the Town and the County each funded $10,000.
Town of St. Paul CAO Steven Jeffery noted that increasing the amount set aside for the Chamber of Commerce would essentially put the Town in a deficit position. While the town's interim budget was showing a bit of a surplus, that surplus is "all but gone now," according to Jeffery, due to increases in insurance premiums.
The Town had allowed for $10,000 in its interim budget to be given to the Chamber of Commerce. Coun. Ron Boisvert recommended a smaller increase, such as $1,000 per year for three years, but ultimately council voted to keep funding at the $10,000 mark.
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Scholarship continues
Another request for funding was brought before council on Monday night. St. Paul Education has request the municipality continue to fund a $500 scholarship that is aimed specifically at Town residents who are pursuing a post-secondary education.
"The Town has provided this scholarship for 15+ years with the criteria being that the student applying must be a resident of the Town of St. Paul and be entering into a post-secondary program," said Jeffery. "SPERD Administration has identified that this scholarship as widely applied for as it is not post secondary specific to a course or program."
It was also noted that many past applicants have been involved in town run programs such as the St. Paul Youth Council and FCSS.
Coun. Norm Noel made a motion to continue providing the $500 scholarship for a five-year commitment. Jeffery noted the scholarship can be worked into the budget. The motion was carried.
Snow removal
Jeffery noted that there has been some public discussion online around snow removal in some areas of town, and he noted that sometimes the public is not clear on who is responsible for snow removal. Work was done to communicate with owners and development manager in a commercial area to "make sure there is a clear understanding of who's responsible," said the CAO, during last Monday's meeting.
He noted there have been ongoing discussions with some owners in the busy area, which is located on the east end of St. Paul. He noted it may seem to some developers that the Town is responsible for some of the roads, but the Town has no ownership of the north-south through roads in the area.
"We have had conversations previous to this one," said Miller, during Jeffery's CAO report.
Jeffery noted that some of the fallout from past conversations is that the Town should consider taking the roads over, but "the state of the road, currently, would not meet - or come close - to meeting our service standards," said Jeffery.
The Town, however, does have responsibility of 48th Avenue, leading toward the Wellness Centre, in the same area.
