Notes from Council, July 2026
Dear Residents & Ratepayers,
Recreation Boards in our region are currently receiving applications for funding in 2027. While some recreation boards may still receive applications into August, please submit applications to your local recreation board by August 1st (or ASAP). Once applications are received, each board must have a meeting to review the applications from their district, propose a budget for 2027, and then submit everything to Vulcan County by October 31st. This timeline is predictable year-over-year for applicants, gives enough time for recreation boards to meet, and allows municipal administration and councils enough time to review recreation budgets prior to the end of the year. Division 6 has three recreation districts: Champion, Milo, and Vulcan. The County is working with its municipal partners to ensure fair and transparent sharing of costs as we go forward.
There was one meeting of Council in July and one meeting of the Municipal Planning Commission. At the council meeting a discussion was had regarding Accessory Structures on parcels lacking an established Principal Building or Use. The consensus of council was that consistent enforcement has proven successful at getting better quality development. There was some discussion on the potential benefits of area specific standards of development prior to the subdivision and sale of parcels. Regardless of what the standards of development are in any jurisdiction, fair and consistent enforcement is critical.
Council has decided to give First Reading to a land use bylaw amendment that will add data processing operation as a discretionary use in the Vulcan County Industrial Park, having received an application for this change. One other councillor and I voted against First Reading given the lack of information accompanying the application, as well as the need to consult with the Town of Vulcan given that the industrial park is in their urban fringe and considered a joint development area in the Intermunicipal Development Plan. While consultation with the Town will still occur, how they respond to this application, in my opinion, might impact what was given First Reading and pushed to a Public Hearing. We will see how this unfolds, being the second time this year that an application has been received for a land use bylaw amendment to accommodate data processing operations.
New flood mapping of the Bow River Valley is necessitating a re-write of the Wyndham-Carseland Area Structure Plan that is now thirty years old. The go-ahead has been given to the Oldman River Regional Services Commission to commence this work, a plan that will eventually consider in more detail the use, development, and enjoyment of the area. Prior development applications have been denied for not complying with the existing area structure plan to the degree that Council believed necessary.
I enjoyed being in Champion on July 4th for their 115th anniversary as a village. Being the County’s 75th anniversary, public works operators and four councillors participated in Champion’s parade. I also had the opportunity in July to spend a day on the Agricultural Services Board Summer Tour organized by Wheatland County. It was a great opportunity to see the operations of an areal spray plane operator, the Western Irrigation District, the Global Training Centre, as well as the new Rural Route Agriculture Academy charter school south of Strathmore. The month concluded with an open house for residents at the north end of McGregor Lake Reservoir who have requested potable water service to their properties.
Sincerely,
Christopher Northcott