Municipal Alberta
$12M Infrastructure Boost
EDMONTON -- Fifteen communities benefited from the announcement of $12.1 million in community infrastructure projects approved through the Infrastructure Canada-Alberta Program. (Government of Alberta Press Release)
Elected Reeve Inching Closer
LETHBRIDGE -- The County of Lethbridge electorate could have a say in who will serve as reeve as early as the fall 2004 election. Third story down. (Coaldale Sunny South News)
New Shop Approved
NANTON -- Officials with the Municipal District of Willow Creek will be proceeding with the building of the new municipal shop. (Nanton News)
Tilting At Windmills
VULCAN -- A different kind of farm could be headed to the open prairies of Vulcan County. (Vulcan Advocate)
Rec Fees Rise Rapidly
AIRDRIE -- Residents will be paying more to use Airdrie's new recreation facility -- but some of the charges were just too high for Airdrie city council to accept. (Airdrie Echo)
Cop Costs Confusing
CANMORE -- Canmore taxpayers will shell out more for policing in 2004 than their counterparts in Banff, despite the fact Banff still has 5 more RCMP officers. (Banff Crag & Canyon)
Begging For A Charter Challenge
CALGARY -- The city's plan to get tough with aggressive panhandlers could face court challenges, say critics. (Calgary - canada.com network)
Ratepayer Sued
DIDSBURY -- Mountain View County, on behalf of Councillor Linda Burrell, will be seeking $50,000 damages from its ratepayer Arnie Shea. (Didsbury Review)
P3 Proposal Ready To Roll
DRAYTON VALLEY -- Partners in the P3 school/fieldhouse proposal will tender their updated business plan to Alberta Infrastructure and Mayor Moe Hamdon believes the concept will be approved for development. (Drayton Valley Western Review)
Wastewater Improvements
LEDUC -- In efforts to output less contaminating effluent into the environment, the Alberta Capital Region Wastewater Commission (ACRWC) are working on a $22.6 million upgrade to their plant. (Leduc Representative)
Rubber Reno Draws Applause
BENTLEY -- Both the town of Bentley and the Tire Recycling Management Association of Alberta (TRMA) are pleased with the look of Main Street Boulevard, recently redecorated with recycled tire products. (Rimbey Review)
Bumpy Road For Interchange
EDMONTON - City councillors are steering into gridlock over a proposal to fast-track a $74-million interchange at Calgary Trail and 23rd Avenue. (Edmonton - canada.com network)
$500G Grant Flushed Into Sewer Line
MORINVILLE -- Morinville planners are hoping a flood of cash can help prevent future flooding on the streets. (stalbertgazette.com)
Airport Deal Could Fly
BONNYVILLE -- If the MD of Bonnyville wants to take over the Bonnyville Municipal Airport, town council will consider selling it to them. (Bonnyville Nouvelle)
. . . While Flight Feud Continues
PEACE RIVER -- Undaunted by a nonchalant response from Edmonton mayor Bill Smith to a letter asking the city stop promoting itself as the "Gateway to the North," Peace River council will continue to lobby to have a passenger restriction at the City Centre Airport lifted. (Peace River Record Gazette)
Municipal Saskatchewan
"New Deal" Eyed
LLOYDMINSTER -- City Council is looking at the New Deal -- an approach to municipal taxes that may reduce property tax by as much as 50 per cent. (Lloydminster Meridian Booster)
Spending Rules Studied
REGINA -- Regina's new city council may change the campaign spending rules under which it was just elected. (Regina Leader-Post - canada.com)
Civic Singing
SASKATOON -- Councillors have decided to start each of their public meetings with a recording of the national anthem. (Saskatoon - canada.com network)
Countdown For South Downtown
SASKATOON -- New councillors are eager to resolve the lingering south downtown debate. (Star Phoenix - canada.com)
Former Mayor Reflects
MELFORT -- Dub Henderson, a 15-year veteran of Melfort city council, served a pair of three-year terms as mayor before deciding not to seek re-election in last month's municipal election. (The Journal)
Municipal Manitoba
Grit Likes "New Deal"
BRANDON -- The provincial Liberal leader says Brandon and other Manitoba municipalities should get a chance to change the way they charge taxes, but local leaders aren't so sure. (Brandon Sun)
Sewage Megaproject Planned
GIMLI -- A proposed sewage mega-project would be the largest joint municipal venture in the history of the Lake Winnipeg beaches. (Interlake Spectator)
Pet Peeve
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE -- Several city councillors want to scrap a plan to impose stiff fines on Portagers who refuse to licence their dogs and cats. (The Daily Graphic)
Hog App Scrapped
WINKLER -- Opponents to hog farms won the day when backers of a 6,000-hog facility withdrew their application. (Winkler Times)
Province Forces Tough Choice
WINNIPEG -- Winnipeg may have to scrap its plans for a new water treatment plant to meet the province's deadline for an upgrade to its sewage treatment. (CBC Manitoba)
Bus Fares -- Up Or Down?
WINNIPEG -- A city committee has approved a five-cent increase in transit fares -- the 13th increase in as many years. But the city's "New Deal" for municipal tax reform proposed to cut bus fares by 50%. (CBC Manitoba)
Municipal North
Salt Water Shutdown Ends
KUGLUKTUK, NU -- Kugluktuk residents are getting drinkable water again after the community's water supply was fouled by salt water. (CBC North)
'No' Vote Not Binding
RANKIN INLET, NU -- Rankin Inlet, one of three Nunavut communities that held liquor plebiscites, rejected any changes to the way liquor is regulated. (CBC North)
Expense Claim Denied
WHITEHORSE, YK -- The city won't be paying for Coun. Dave Stockdale's venture up to the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre for the Tourism Industry Association of the Yukon's board meeting last month. (Whitehorse Star)
Municipal Ontario
911 Name Dilemma
GODERICH -- Some street and road names in the county may need to be changed to avoid confusion for emergency crews because of duplicated names, Huron County council was told. Third story down. (North Huron Info)
Top Doc Packs It In
CHATHAM -- A lack of respect has apparently led to the resignation of Chatham-Kent's top health official. (Chatham This Week)
Well Done
MITCHELL -- After much debate Mitchell has chosen a satisfactory site for a new well. (Mitchell Advocate)
Gas Pains
TORONTO -- Ontario's $5.6-billion deficit means municipalities may have to wait longer than anticipated for the new Liberal government to deliver on its promise to dedicate $300-million a year in gasoline taxes to transit investments. (Hamilton - canada.com network)
Regional Race Begins
NIAGARA FALLS -- With the race for Niagara's municipal councils over, a second race is heating up -- the race to elect a regional chairman. (Niagara Falls Review)
Incumbents Turfed
SARNIA -- Voters in Sarnia took out their frustration at the ballot box Monday, turfing five of eight councillors in the worst incumbent drubbing in modern political memory. (Sarnia Observer)
Region Dials 311
OAKVILLE -- Halton Region will participate in a joint application to the CRTC to designate use of the 311 phone number for non-emergency municipal services. (haltonsearch.com)
Online Vote Can't Stem Low Turnout
NEWMARKET -- There's probably not a person reading this article who wouldn't grumble if the trash wasn'tpicked up, or the plow failed to clear the streets after a winter storm. (Yorkregion.com)
Muni Openness Questioned
AURORA -- Evelina MacEachern noticed a disturbing phenomenon in her early days on Aurora council: during in-camera meetings, councillors tried to introduce matters that were supposed to be public. (Yorkregion.com)
P3 Input Sought
OSHAWA -- The City wants input into the document it will be sending out to gauge developer interest in a public private partnership (P3) to build a new sports and entertainment facility downtown. (durhamregion.com)
De-Amalgamation Scores Victory
KAWARTHA LAKES -- After nearly a year of campaigning, the Victoria County Yes! campaign emerged victorious by just 884 votes as City of Kawartha Lakes residents narrowly voted to de-amalgamate last night. (Lindsay Daily Post)
. . . But No Funding
KAWARTHA LAKES -- Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, John Gerretsen has said the cupboard is bare as far as deamalgamation money but he wants to deal with concerns about amalgamation. (Lindsay Daily Post)
Election Nightmare
BELLEVILLE -- City officials are stopping short of calling it a disaster. (Belleville Intelligencer)
No Poll Like Home
LANSDOWNE -- Residents of Leeds and the Thousand Islands Township didn't go to the polls to vote in the municipal election. In fact, they didn't go anywhere to vote. (Kingston Whig-Standard)
New Minister Profiled
KINGSTON -- A week after he was sworn in as Ontario's minister of municipal affairs and minister responsible for seniors, John Gerretsen committed an act of rebellion. (Kingston Whig-Standard)
State Of The Art Kiosk Coming
DEEP RIVER -- Deep River will soon be the site of a new, state of the art electronic tourism kiosk. (North Renfrew News)
Suit Settled
SUDBURY -- A family which lost three loved ones in a tragic house fire in 2001 has settled a lawsuit it launched against the City of Greater Sudbury. (Sudbury Star)
3 Recounts Slated
GERALDTON -- Rumours about "irregularities" in Greenstone's municipal election should be put to rest upon the completion of three separate recounts. (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal)
Municipal Atlantic
Snow Go
CHARLOTTETOWN, PE -- The traditional dumping spot for snow collected off Charlottetown city streets is suddenly off limits. (CBC - Prince Edward Island)
Ex-Manager Jailed
CHARLOTTETOWN, PE -- A former acting manager of parks and recreation with the city of Charlottetown who defrauded the city of close to $500,000 has been sentenced to two years in a federal penitentiary. (The Guardian)
$3.5M Infrastructure Grant
SALISBURY, NB -- Residents of the Village of Salisbury will have an upgraded municipal sewage system once a $3,155,620 project funded by the Canada-New Brunswick Infrastructure Program is completed. (CNB)
Water Improvements On Tap
ROTHESAY, NB -- The Town of Rothesay will make improvements to its water system thanks to a $3.5 million project funded under the Canada-New Brunswick Infrastructure Program. (CNB)
Dog's Life
HALIFAX, NS -- Since hurricane Juan hit, many dog owners in Halifax are breaking the law and getting fined for it. (CBC - Nova Scotia)
Harbour Cleanup Commences
HALIFAX, NS -- The $330-million project to clean up Halifax's polluted harbour officially started. (CBC - Nova Scotia)
Councillor, Board Resign
HARBOUR GRACE, NF -- Instead of "working together for the betterment of the town," Lew Noel believes the Harbour Grace Town Council is a "very divided council." (The Compass)
$15M Tender Approved
ST. JOHN'S, NF -- St. John's City Council approved a tender worth $15.4 million, kicking off construction of the long-waited water treatment plant. (The Express)
Muni Police Force Dissed
ST. JOHN'S, NF -- The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Association says the city of St. John's should forget about the idea of starting a municipal police force. (CBC - Newfoundland & Labrador)
Getting Wired
Broadband App On Front Burner
GEORGINA, ON -- South Shore Community Broadband, a non-profit company in Georgina and East Gwillimbury, is completing its application for Industry Canada funding to build a broadband communications network throughout the two towns. (Yorkregion.com)
High Speed Hits Rural Area
ALTONA, MB -- The announcement of a federal grant of around $875,000 has given the green light for a program that will bring high speed internet to the region covered by Border Land School Division. (Altona Red River Valley Echo)
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