Notes from Council, August 2026
Dear Residents & Ratepayers,
Deputy Reeve Laurie Lyckman and I began the month by participating in the Carmangay parade on August 1st. We were joined by the County operations crew who washed, shined, and decked out some of their equipment for the occasion. As mentioned previously, 2026 marks the 75th Anniversary of Vulcan County, and this was the fourth and final parade of the year. Laurie and I got our exercise in hiking the parade route and handing out candy. There was a great turnout by the community. The Carmangay Agricultural Society had their annual fair, the local fire department had an open house and bake sale, there was an open-air market beside the library (which was also open), and the Carmangay Historical Society opened the doors to their historic community church and museum. There were games for the kids near the drop-in, as well as a car show and adult games—or maybe deep and serious conversation to solve world hunger and other problems!—at the beer garden.
The following day saw the Carmangay Historical Society host its third annual Talking Tombstones that included an outdoor lunch, the grand opening of a new historical reference kiosk, as well as the main event. Talking Tombstones is a unique presentation that is catching on elsewhere and includes speaking about the lives of a select number of individuals buried in the cemetery. Each biography speaks to the significance of the life that was lived and even how it impacted the local community. It can be done as a narration of the individual’s biography or, more dramatically, in the first-person. This year’s presentations were excellent; the graves were even marked so those in attendance could pay their respects afterwards. Next year, the historical society will be hosting this event at the Bowville Cemetery east of Carmangay.
August 5th saw a joint council meeting with the Town of Vulcan to discuss the future of County Central High School and the Cultural Recreation Centre (CRC). The high school was built in the early 1950s to accommodate over 700 students. Due to age and ongoing operating costs (considered to be excessive), the Palliser School Division is looking at a “modernization” project that could see the building replaced entirely. The CRC was an add-on to the building back when Vulcan County was the school division authority. Discussions are underway to see how the CRC could be maintained in the future, as well as how the local municipalities would like to work with Palliser through Joint Use Agreements.
In the afternoon of August 5th, there was an Intermunicipal Development Plan (IDP) Committee meeting between representatives of the Town and the County to discuss Bylaw 2026-023 to add “Data Processing Operation” to the Vulcan County Industrial Park. That was followed by an open house for recreation board representatives that was hosted by our Director of Corporate Services, Mark DeBoer. Mark has done extensive work in reviewing the operations of the boards, streamlining the application process and timelines, as well as bring forward more fair and transparent accounting policies for how municipal funding is provided by the villages and the county.
There was only one meeting of the Municipal Planning Commission and one meeting of County Council in August. One item of interest from the Council meeting is a proposed resolution that will go to the Foothills Little Bow Municipal Association next month for the eventual advocacy of the Rural Municipalities Association to the Government of Alberta. The resolution proposes bringing back legislated continuing care standards in Alberta, a great concern to many communities.
Sincerely,
Christopher Northcott