Category: Notes from Council

Dear Residents & Ratepayers,

              After all the wet weather this July, road conditions in Vulcan County have proved challenging for drivers and for maintainers. I have been following up on road complaints from residents, and I can certainly appreciate that grader operators are working hard to stay on top of their assigned roads. Please do not hesitate to call me should you be aware of a problem area and would like to see it addressed. Councillor divisions cover a large tract of land and often a councillor will not know about a problem area unless someone communicates with them about it. The other advantage of reaching out to your councillor is that they usually get some idea from operations on when and how a road issue will be addressed. They can then follow up on it and keep you updated. My contact information is above.

              For those wondering about the ditches along provincial highways, I did receive one inquiry about the high growth of grass and weeds. As we all know, this can be a significant road hazard. While high growth makes it harder to spot wildlife in certain areas, it also creates something of a fence for drifting snow in winter when it is not cut down. Administration has been in communication with Alberta Transportation and Volker Stevin, the contract operator who maintains their highways. As the roadside haying program is now concluded for the season, Volker Stevin will commence their mowing of highway ditches.

              On July 10^th, Councillor Kelly Nelson and I had the honour of attending the BMO Farm Family Award at the Calgary Stampede to recognize the Matlock Family from Vulcan County. This award recognises their family legacy in agriculture and their community service to our region—especially the Champion Community. As shared on social media, the award was presented to Byron and Jo, along with their immediate family—all three generations! It was a poignant reminder of how instrumental family farming has been to the development of viable communities in rural Alberta.

              Hats off to the organizers of the Hamlet of Queenstown Centennial Anniversary on July 12^th, both to community members and their supportive County Councillor, Kelly Nelson, on a job well done. Steve Paul, the owner of the Queenstown Hall, along with his spouse, friends, and community volunteers, did a great job of cleaning up the nearly 100-year-old building, applying a fresh coat of paint, tile on the bar, and decorations. Levona Dixon’s painting gave a great view of how Queenstown used to look. Everything was very well-organized, including a walking tour of Queenstown with QR code activated videos at different locations, a historical display by the Friends of the Milo Library archive volunteers, a car show, an all-day food truck, as well as Larry Vanatta’s band playing their very first Queenstown dance until the early hours. Thank you everyone!

              County Council voted to approve a new Municipal Development Plan (MDP) after having heard public feedback in June at the required public hearing.  I want to thank those who took the time to provide input on this statutory plan, providing some rationale for their policy preferences. While these documents are considered a “living document” and do get updated over time, an MDP is one of the unique ways that a municipality can formally state clear policy preferences (or not!), on a wide array of planning matters, to all stakeholders. While majority rules at a municipal council table and many policies stem from Intermunicipal Development Plans, an MDP should strive to provide clarity and clear choices when necessary.

Sincerely,         

Christopher Northcott

Dear Residents & Ratepayers,

              Kelly Nelson and I once again rode in the Vulcan Spock days Parade on June 14^th. Weather was perfect and many came out to watch along the streets of Vulcan. Like other parades in our region, this is a fun opportunity to represent Vulcan County at a community event and Councillor Nelson ensured that we were well-stocked with candy for paradegoers. The Town of Vulcan does a fine job of keeping it all organized.

              At the June 4^th council meeting there was a delegation that spoke in opposition to the Land Use Bylaw restriction that prohibits manufactured homes older than 1985. While the intention behind this restriction is to raise the overall standard of development in Vulcan County, there is concern that affordable and majorly renovated homes are being unnecessarily denied an approval for a development permit. I am interested to know what people think of this restriction and hear how it impacts their situation.            

Read More about Notes from Council, June 2025

Dear Residents & Ratepayers,

              On May 1^st I attended an in-person consultation on groundwater provided by the Oldman Regional Watershed Council and Living Lakes Canada. The Alberta Groundwater Water Program is a pilot project whereby a framework will be developed to identify priority groundwater aquifers. In addition to public consultation, individuals can register their own wells to be monitored as part of the project. There are a lot of unknowns with groundwater and this type of extensive investigation develops a better understanding of how aquifers are connected, as well as how recovery of water capacity occurs across the region. For more information, visit: https://livinglakescanada.ca/project/alberta-groundwater-program/ 

              At the first council meeting in May we gave First Reading to the draft Municipal Development Plan that will receive Public Hearing on June 4^th. The draft document can be found on my website as well as the Vulcan County website. Please contact myself or any other councillor, as well as Administration, if you wish to discuss. Please attend if you wish to speak at the Public Hearing.

Read More about Notes from Council, May 2025

Dear Residents & Ratepayers,

              At out first meeting in April we had a presentation from Paul Bohnert of CTS Academy. Mr. Bohnert has been providing rural municipalities an overview of their career and technology studies program, how it works in a rural context, and how it can help solve work force challenges in Alberta. As he pursues funding from Alberta Education, he is seeking letters of support from municipal stakeholders on the value of such a program.

              While support for the CTS Academy has yet to be determined, County Council did express support for a pilot project in Foothills County whereby local Community Peace Officers can have access to Canadian Police Information Centre data through the Alberta RCMP. This data will provide necessary perspective that could better ensure officer safety, as well as promote better cooperation between agencies of law enforcement. As many of us are aware, rural crime is a significant problem. These incidents are usually tied in some fashion to drug abuse and dependency. Officer safety is critical in circumstances where a routine traffic stop could lead to something much worse.

Read More about Notes from Council, April 2025

Dear Residents & Ratepayers,

              My first meeting in March was the Vulcan and District Recreation Board. We discussed the roof on the Vulcan arena that is over 30 years old and requiring maintenance. Having had good success with a spray-on roofing product at the Vulcan Library, the Town of Vulcan has decided to use the same application on the arena. Roof Armour Inc from Fort Macleod provided an initial quote to clean, seal, and install Roof Armour acrylic elastomeric coating, as well as provide a ten-year maintenance plan, for $156,600. By scheduling the work before the end of 2024, the Town of Vulcan was given a ten percent discount on that quote, bringing the total project cost to $140,940. The Vulcan and District Recreation Board recommended to County Council that the County fund its share (or 50% of this cost) from the Vulcan Recreation Area Capital Reserve. This recommendation was accepted by County Council at the March 12^th meeting.

Read More about Notes from Council, March 2025

Dear Residents & Ratepayers,

As many of you know, 2025 is a year for municipal elections in Alberta. It has been a honour representing the residents of Division 6 since 2021, having the additional opportunity to serve on the board of the Oldman River Regional Services Commission, the Twin Valley Regional Water Commission, the Vulcan District Recreation Board and the Champion Recreation Board. In addition to ordinary Council business, there are conference and networking opportunities that allow elected officials to learn what is happening in other jurisdictions, as well as connect with other municipal leaders who are moving their communities forward. On the volunteer side, I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the District-20 (Champion) Fire Protection Association, as well as working with Councillor Laurie Lyckman on the MITACS Missing Graves Cemetery Project for eight cemeteries in the communities of Arrowwood, Carmangay, Lomond and Milo.

Read More about Notes from Council, February 2025