M.D. of Bonnyville Council Highlights

MUNICIPAL DISTRICT BONNYVILLE NO. 87

COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS September 13, 2017

Keeping you informed of the services, business and development that affect YOU!

#1 Vote On October 16– Vote. Please. On October 16, 2017. Citizens across Alberta will be voting in municipal elections on Monday, October 16. In the past, voter turnout for municipal elections has been low. The M.D. of Bonnyville wants to encourage voters to turnout for this year’s municipal election by offering increased voting options.

Once nominations close at noon on Monday, September 18, and official results are announced at noon on Tuesday, September 19, the M.D. will be providing Special Ballots that must be returned to the M.D. by 4 p.m. on Election Day. At this time you can request a Special Ballot to be mailed out to you. An Advanced Poll will be set up from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 5 in the M.D. of Bonnyville Administration Office (4905-50 Avenue) for residents who can’t make it out to the polls on October 16.
On Election Day, 15 voting station locations will be established, and open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The locations will be listed on the M.D. website at www.md.bonnyville.ab.ca, advertised in local papers and promoted on the M.D.’s Facebook page. Or the list is a phone call away at 780-826-3171 during office hours from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.
Candidate information for Reeve and Ward Councillors will be posted on the
M.D. website, after noon, on September 19. An M.D. of Bonnyville newsletter will be mailed out with candidate and voting information in early October. The Bonnyville and District Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a Reeve’s Forum on Thursday, September 28 at 7 p.m. in the Ardmore Community Hall.
Unofficial election results will be posted on the M.D. website and Facebook page as they become available on voting night, October 16. Official election results will be posted on the M.D. website and Facebook page by noon on Friday, October 20.

#2 Clubroot Inspections Completed – Over 300 Canola fields were inspected over the last three weeks, with 11 samples taken that were suspect for Clubroot. So far, one of the samples from a field south of Glendon was classified as positive. The M.D. had two previous fields that were confirmed positive and are currently on a restrictive crop rotation. Ag staff are urging farmers to take proactive measures to eliminate potentially contaminating fields with Clubroot spores that could be brought in by new machinery or custom applicators. The M.D. will be hosting a Clubroot meeting again this winter to help educate producers on the effects of the disease.

#3 Solutions For Flooding Concerns – Alberta Environment and Parks has committed to conducting an independent, third-party study, to analyze what current impacts the Moose River weir has on Moose Lake. The study will also look at the potential impacts for Moose Lake and the Moose River outlet channel if the weir was to be removed. The study is expected to be completed by December. M.D. Ag staff are continuing to remove beaver dams in flooded agricultural areas. In October, staff will be working with local trappers to reduce the influx of beavers that have occurred this past year. The M.D. will be hosting a trapper’s course later in the fall. Transportation and Utilities staff are working on larger drainage issues across the M.D. as the waters have subsided and the ground has dried up. Currently they are putting in 300 metres of pipe in the Pine Meadows subdivision. In other areas, they are installing culverts.

#4 Gearing Up For Winter – M.D. Campgrounds have closed up the gates, but Kinosoo Ridge Snow Resort is gearing up for the snow to fall. Online sales are open for season passes and lesson camps. Seasonal employment ads are starting to appear, with instructors being first on the list. While our campground caretakers have rolled out, Parks staff have moved in and started tree clearing in all the sites. One additional piece of natural playground equipment is being installed at Crane Lake West, with additional pieces to come next year. A pole shed is being built at Cold Lake M.D. Campground for wood storage.

#5 Public Safety Update – Stop for school buses please! Officers have been checking for vehicles not stopping for school buses now that classes are back in session. They are also responding to complaints from bus drivers about conflicts between them and tanker trucks. School Resource Officers are back on the job scheduling and booking programs for students in all three school boards. Officers have taken action on numerous complaints of speeding and other aggressive driving throughout the M.D. Areas include Gurneyville and Lessard Roads, as well as various locations where trucks aren’t stopping for stop signs and are cutting off approaching drivers as they pull out when it’s not safe to do so. Owners not managing their dogs continues to be a concern in the M.D. Officers are responding to calls about stray dogs, barking dogs and dogs chasing livestock.

#6 Public Auction Of Lands Date – M.D. Council set Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 2 p.m. in Council Chambers as the date for the public auction of land on the Tax Arrears List. Staff started out with 81 properties on the auction list, but have now whittled it down to five properties owned by three people. The goal for M.D. staff is to get the taxes paid up before December or to have the owners enter into a tax agreement so that no properties are put up for auction. The public auction process is defined by provincial legislation for all municipalities to follow annually.

#7 Transportation And Utilities News – As long as the sun keeps shining and the snow holds off, all Oiling and Rip and Relay Projects should be completed. Due to weather delays, there will be some outstanding paving projects to be completed in 2018. The Road Gravelling Program is completed, with some touch-ups being done on dead-end roads and any approaches that were missed. The Dust Control MG30 program will wrap up in mid-September. The Oiled Dust Controls are finished. Paving on Gurneyville Road is completed, line painting should wrap up this week and the milled centerline will be done later this month. The Construction Crew will be finished on Township Road 630 in two weeks and will move to Range Road 453 next. The Paving Crew has completed work in Ardmore and has started on Rge. Rd. 485 on the north end. The crew is also completing Twp. Rd. 624 while in the area. The Oiling Crews have completed Twp. Rd. 630 north of Ardmore and are finishing up on Rge. Rd. 443. Crews are still working on Rge. Rd. 453 and Rge. Rd 425A in Beaverdam. The crews have been reusing the material from Baywood Road and Twp. Rd. 630 to complete some of the oiling projects. Crews are removing the cold mix from the surface of Baywood Road and the Construction Crew will be installing some additional culverts while in the area. The contractor is scheduled to start cement stabilizing this week on the road subgrade. The project should be completed before the snow flies. Geotechnical testing is being done on the Imperial Oil Road to determine the best direction of the project. This road will most likely be put on the 2018 project list. Some objections have come from property owners who are adjacent to the proposed Bonnyville to Cold Lake waterline. Land agents and consultants are working on solutions. The tender is expected to be released later in the fall. Work is almost complete on the Ardmore Storm Pond and work is beginning on the underground piping installation. The Ardmore Surface Works should be completed at the end of September. Line painting is ongoing across the M.D. The contract for the Winter Gravel Haul for the final 200,000 tonnes of gravel from Two Hills will be tendered this week. Trail paving is completed. Council agreed to increase the Trail Reserve budget by
$600,000.

#8 Drop Off Your Old Tires – The Fort Kent Tire Marshalling Area is complete thanks to a $30,000 grant from Alberta Recycling for the construction of a pad site and to install cement blocks around the site. The Fort Kent Landfill receives 2,000 to 3,000 tires a year due to its proximity to the Town of Bonnyville.

#9 Planning and Development News – In August, 32 Development Permits were issued, including 30 Residential, one Commercial, and one Industrial, with a year-to-date total of $14,310,237. Year-to-date housing starts include 24 Single Family Dwellings and nine Mobile Home Units. Twenty-three applications for Subdivisions were received in 2017. In August, 101 Plumbing, Gas, Sewer and Electrical Permits were issued. Final Reading was given to Land Use Bylaw No. 1667 for the consolidation of amendments and updates to Land Use Bylaw No. 1207.
 #10 Funding Support – Ardmore Community Society received its $25,000 Operating Grant for 2017. Council approved a Capital Grant of $5,000 for Dupre Community League to build a gazebo at the baseball diamonds. The total cost of the project is
$11,060, with the balance coming from the League.