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.
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 12th meeting.
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.
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.
As you might be aware, the District 20 Fire Association (Champion) has submitted a grant application for the initial phase of construction of an equipment storage building adjacent to the fire hall. It is anticipated that this first phase o construction will provide a closed-in, sealed, and insulated building for approximately $250,000.00 and, as such, the association has applied for fifty percent of that funding from the Community Enhancement Funding Program (Small Project). The fundraising efforts of the association over the last few years continue to raise money for this project. This new building will provide off-season and year-round storage for certain types of equipment that are used infrequently, thus freeing up space in the fire hall for regular maintenance and training. It is thought that other features of this new facility will eventually include a bulk water storage capacity, as well as additional storage capacity for other community groups who require space for their items. There will be a benefit for other groups in the Champion Community and not just the fire protection service.
In December, I was elected as the Board Chair of the Oldman River Regional Services Commission. Having served on the Executive Committee for the Commission for the past three years, 2025 is year where significant budgetary planning and changes to the fixed membership fees was required. For those of you who are not aware, the Commission has forty member municipalities, nine of which are rural, and is responsible for providing planning service to its members. The commission advises municipalities on the development and implementation of their land use bylaws and statutory plans. It undertakes all subdivisions, as well as running the Chinook Subdivision and Development Appeal Board and the Assessment Review Board. Members may also benefit from the Geographic Information System (GIS) that provides technical detail and asset management for each municipality, including any cemeteries that they operate.
In December, the villages of Lomond and Milo submitted a project proposal for a Community Growth Initiative under the Intermunicipal Development Plan that they each negotiated with Vulcan County. Over many years, the dealer-operated post offices in these communities have operated at a significant loss to the dealer. In Milo, the dealer is the Village of Milo and their minimum annual shortfall of revenue from expenditures is approximately $10,000. The owner of the grocery store in Lomond also incurs a significant annual loss. Last year, the Lomond vendor was prepared to surrender the post office unless something could be done to curb this loss for a service that is locally available to everyone. While the villages are prepared to cover their share of a subsidy for this service, they are asking the County to cover the cost for their ratepayers (based on the physical location of post office box holders). The villages believe that access to a post office is a critical service for their communities when it comes to community growth in a rural area. While I personally agree with the merits of the proposal, I am interested in hearing from those impacted by local post office service in the Milo and Lomond communities, as well as County ratepayers in general. With the recent postal strike, we are all aware of the challenges faced by Canada Post. Unfortunately, local access to a post office is still a necessity for many, including businesses and seniors. Other municipalities have taken action to support local post office access. Please let me know what you think. The proposal is on my website and comments are enabled.
The Rural Municipalities of Association held its fall convention from November 4th through November 7th. All members of council were able to attend and we were successful in getting meetings with several provincial government ministers. Todd Loewen with Forestry and Parks was very receptive to the County’s proposal to develop a marina at the McGregor Lake Reservoir Recreation Area. Our MLA, Joseph Schow, who is also the Minister for Sport and Tourism, committed to visiting Lomond to see the unfinished state of their ice arena, community hall, and curling complex. The Lomond Ag Society is in a legal dispute with their insurance provider. Minister Schow was able to visit Lomond on November 14th.
On November 11th I was able to attend the Remembrance Day service at the Champion Community Hall and lay a wreath on behalf of the County. While the Champion Legion has undergone some changes this past year with the sale of their building, they continue to organize a nice event to remember Canada’s sacrifices in war.
