Category: Notes from Council

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

Dear Residents & Ratepayers,

As a practise, we normally try to do Councillor Reports in the agenda of the first meeting of every month. My councillor reports can also be found on my website following my expense reports. In these reports, I provide a brief summary of business from the service commissions or committee meetings to which I have been appointed by County Council and attended over the previous month. I also provide some detail on constituent concerns or items of discussion that will have arisen over that month. Please check them out on the website and feel free to phone or email me if you have any questions.

There was one regular meeting of County Council in January due to the holidays at the start of the month and the Agricultural Service Board conference near the end.  This is the second time I have attended the Agricultural Service Board conference since being elected in 2021 and I found this conference to be much more informative that the one I attended in 2022. This year we learned about conservation easements, both the personal benefits and public interest, as well as how the use of conservation easements can have a roll in farm succession planning.

Read More about Note from Council, January 2025