Notes from Council, November 2025
Dear Residents & Ratepayers,
I want to extend a thank you to the responders who acted with efficiency and professionalism diverting traffic around the train derailment at Champion, all while assessing the seriousness of the situation. The wreckage along the tracks and Highway 23 serves as a reminder of how quickly an emergency event can occur. In this instance, we can be thankful that no hazardous goods were being transported. It is worth noting, however, that County Administration and local first responders, along with our municipal partners, undertake emergency management training for this reason. We have developed the response plans and the communication tools that are needed in these situations. On November 6th, elected officials from our region participated in the Emergency Management for Elected Officials orientation that is provided by the Alberta Emergency Management Agency.
While the first Regular Meeting of the new Council on November 5th had a rather lite agenda, the Budget Committee convened on November 13th to work through the 2026 Interim Budget detail. The Budget Committee is a committee of all members of Council that helps councillors develop a more detailed appreciation for municipal operations, outside the pressure of any specific matter that is brought before Council.
The Champion Legion held a very nice Remembrance Day Service on November 11th and, once again, I am so impressed by the level of support from the community. It was an honour to lay a wreath on behalf of the County, as well as stand-in for the Province of Alberta in laying that wreath as well. Thank you to our local Legion members for pulling it all together.
The Rural Municipalities of Alberta Fall Convention was held in Edmonton from November 17th to November 20th. The first day included a course offering on Hiring a Chief Administrative Officer. In Alberta, the Chief Administrative Officer is the administrative head of the municipality. They are, essentially, the only employee of Council and the Municipal Government Act stipulates that every municipality must have one. The parameters of this position are legislatively defined and replacing one can be a significant undertaking, especially for a large municipal operation. While this is not something we anticipate having to do right away, nor do we want it to occur anytime soon, it certainly doesn’t hurt to be prepared.
The RMA Convention usually entails plenary sessions, award presentations, topic specific presentations, as well as topical workshops. There are a few “Bear Pit” sessions with provincial cabinet members as they respond to questions from the floor. We usually have a few one-on-one meetings with provincial cabinet ministers to attend as well, and these were particularly good this year. The workshops were also very interesting, including one on the nuclear power consultation that the province is leading. This review includes provincial cabinet members, former members of the official opposition, First Nations representatives, and representatives from industry. While nuclear power is not the lowest cost, it is the true definition of base load. Stable and abundant power supply is needed for technologies of the future. The other workshop I attended was one by the Alberta Ombudsman’s Office on how they respond to administrative and procedural fairness complaints.
Sincerely,
Christopher Northcott