Notes from the County of St. Paul

What you need to know from the June board meeting

“No” to extra policing

A motion to provide enhanced policing to the entire county on long weekends was defeated.  Councillor Dale Hedrick suggested that lakes and recreation areas would benefit from more policing of parties, quads, and campgrounds, but Councillor Cliff Martin noted that county residents had made it clear in the plebiscite last fall that they do not want to pay. Hedrick said, “Seeing the RCMP makes people feel good,” to which Councillor Darrell Younghans countered, “I don’t disagree, but ask why do we have to pick up the costs? It will lead us down the slope of the municipality covering all policing.”

 

In the blood

The County will send a letter to Alberta Health Services (AHS) supporting a request from Sunnyside Manor that all its residents have access to mobile blood collection services. At one time, AHS Laboratory Services attended Sunnyside once a week to collect blood from any resident. As of May 1, residents who can leave Sunnyside for shopping, banking, hair appointments etc are expected to find transportation to the hospital to have samples taken there. Brigitte Sakaluk, CAO of the MD of St. Paul Foundation which supports the seniors’ housing, explained in a letter to the County that the change in AHS policy creates many issues for the residents of Sunnyside, including exposure to infectious viruses, extra financial burden of transportation costs, and missed scheduled meals because of long waits at the hospital.

County in the community

• The County Board committed $500 to St Paul Regional High School and $500 to F. G. Miller High School to attend Track and Field Provincials; as well as $500 for the St Paul Minor Ball U16C Bantam Girls to attend their Provincials.

 

• The County has pledged $5000 to Portage College for their Food Preneur event which will be held in November as part of the college’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. Food Preneur will be focused on small food entrepreneurs such as caterers, farmers’ market vendors, non-franchised restaurants, or those interested in food related businesses.

 

• Elk Point Pickleball Club will be receiving $2000 to help surface and paint outdoor courts.

 

• $2100 to purchase a defibrillator has been donated to the St. Paul Municipal Seed Cleaning Plant. Plant Vice-Chair Jacques Plante has offered to post a sign along Highway 881 indicating the presence of such a machine on site.

 

• To help the St. Paul BMX & Skateboard Society, a site survey will be done by the County surveyor. The County has already allocated $30 000 for the park.

 

• St Lina seniors will receive $3340 to replace the doors on the Dew Drop Inn.

 

• The county will widen the approach to the Lac Bellevue Ag Society building to improve access for the antique cars, trucks, and tractors that will be attending a show on July 14.

 

• Expect to see members of the County Council serving breakfast at Haying in the ’30s on Sunday, August 5 at Mallaig.

 

Community in the County

Pengrowth has been in the County for over seven years and plans to strengthen its place in the community. In a letter to County CAO Sheila Kitz, David Balderston, Manager of Land & JV for the corporation mentioned that “our current initiative to have Pengrowth employees relocate to the St. Paul area (and) our desire to hire local talent” as well as Pengrowth’s improvements to Moose Hills Road and Murphy Road demonstrate “our wish to establish a greater presence in the area.”

Advocating for municipalities

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) advocates in Ottawa on behalf of local governments. It has developed a Special Advocacy Fund in anticipation of the upcoming federal election. Requesting about four cents per capita, the FCM will build the fund to “keep municipal priorities front-and-centre heading in to Election 2019.”

 

The County of St. Paul has committed $800 to support the FCM. Funds raised will be spent disseminating non-partisan information and lobbying for municipalities.  Reeve Steve Upham says, “As a council we’ve received a lot of benefit from being a member of FCM.”

 

Signs of change

Green lot number signs will be installed in subdivisions to bring these areas in line with the rural addressing system.  The change is a result of a request by the Lac Bellevue Lot Owners’ Association and inquiries from individuals at other subdivisions. Within the County there are 46 subdivision signs that will need to be upgraded, at a total cost of approximately $25,000.  Grants may be available to offset the costs.

 

Watch for new signs near Moose Hills Road, by Range Road 50, and along Highway 646 indicating the location of Pengrowth’s facility.