Municipal Alberta
More Money For Policing Programs
EDMONTON -- A 50% increase in police funding will help towns and cities better meet the costs of policing services, while more municipalities will have these costs picked up by the province. (Government of Alberta website)
Budget Benefits Rurals, Urbans
EDMONTON -- Alberta's Budget 2004 provides substantial new provincial support for Edmonton, Calgary and other municipalities across the province. (Government of Alberta Press Release)
City Gives Thumbs-Up
EDMONTON -- New provincial cash announced yesterday for police and ambulance service will finally take some pressure off Edmonton taxpayers, say city officials. (Edmonton Sun)
Butt Bylaw Debated
NANTON -- Town Council is considering a bylaw requiring a smoke-free environment in all facilities which allow children. (Nanton News)
Watering Restrictions On Tap
TURNER VALLEY -- As summer approaches hoses, sprinklers and sprayers will be silenced three days a week in the Town of Turner Valley. (Western Wheel)
MD Approves Subdivision
HIGH RIVER -- Foothills MD council unanimously endorsed the recommendation of the Calgary-Foothills Intermunicipal Development Committee that would allow the construction of a country residential subdivision metres from Spruce Meadows, one of the world's most renowned equestrian facilities. (Western Wheel)
No Stink Over Sewer Plan
CALGARY -- Calgarians won't be pinching their noses -- or their pennies -- with proposed changes to the Shepard Lagoons aimed at cutting the sewage smell by 2010. (The Calgary Sun)
City Wins Cab Case
CALGARY -- The City of Calgary is allowed to cap the number of taxi licences it issues, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled. (CBC Calgary)
Condo Plan Killed
COCHRANE -- Riverview sent out the rallying cry and every other community association in Cochrane heard them, and they all spoke with one voice. (Cochrane Times)
Fair Request
DIDSBURY -- The Towns of Carstairs, Didsbury, and Olds are asking the Province for fair treatment. (The Didsbury Review Online)
Pipeline At Turning Point
LACOMBE -- The effort to pipe water from the Red Deer River to Blackfalds, Lacombe and Ponoka is reaching a pivotal moment. (Lacombe Globe)
Rec Petition Received
LEDUC -- If you're one of the 1,693 Leducians who signed a petition against the City's outdoor experience project and haven't already received a phone call, you could expect one in the near future. (Leduc Representative)
Reeve Petition Off To Court
RED DEER -- The Red Deer County elected reeve petition is heading to the courts as a date has been set for a judicial review. (RedDeerExpress.com)
Development App Appealed
DIDSBURY -- Mountain View County Assistant Commissioner Tony Martens said an appeal against the County's development permit application to build a new administration building was received just hours before deadline. (Olds Albertan)
Bar Bylaw Delayed
RED DEER -- Bar owners who fear that proposed city regulations could kill their businesses convinced councillors to reconsider the plan. (Red Deer Advocate)
Council Not Shrinking
SUNDRE -- In a 6-1vote, Sundre town council has defeated a controversial proposed bylaw that would have seen the number of councillors reduced from seven to five in the next election. (Sundre Round Up Weekly Newspaper)
County Reassures Cattlemen
WETASKIWIN -- During a County-sponsored meeting of cattlemen, farmers received assurances their interests are being taken seriously during the BSE crisis. (Wetaskiwin Times Advertiser)
Arena Proposals Skate In Tandem
CAMROSE -- "Our thinking is that if we are going to build two arenas, we want them to be built at the same time," said Mayor Norm Mayer. (Camrose Canadian)
In-Camera Meeting Panned
ST. ALBERT -- One alderman has joined a city resident in expressing concerns about the public perception of private meetings held by St. Albert city council. (stalbertgazette.com)
Budget Timeline And Process Announced
SHERWOOD PARK -- County Council has approved the timeline and process for development of the Business Plan for 2005-2007 and the budget for 2005. (Strathcona County Press Release)
New Branding
FORT SASKATCHEWAN -- The City of Fort Saskatchewan has unveiled the logo for the Dow Centennial Centre -- the $21 million sports and culture facility under construction. (City of Fort Saskatchewan Press Release Hosted On MuniMall)
Pool Meeting Overflows
HIGH PRAIRIE -- Those responsible for planning a new indoor pool for High Prairie were surprised when a public meeting called at the Town of High Prairie office filled to capacity. (South Peace News)
Anti-Smokers Not Giving Up
PEACE RIVER -- Don't butt them out. (Peace River Record Gazette)
Boulevard Bylaw Adopted
SLAVE LAKE -- The first bit of your front lawn belongs to the Town of Slave Lake, not to you, and the Town decides what you can do with it. (Lakeside Leader)
Municipal Saskatchewan
Tax Exempt Status Ending
SASKATOON -- The city may have defused a nine-year-old political land mine by lessening the impact of ending tax breaks for select non-profit groups with an innovative solution. (Saskatoon - canada.com network)
"New Deal" Groundwork
REGINA -- The Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) will be laying the groundwork for a "New Deal" for urban municipalities with three key events. (SUMA Press Release)
Mayors Meet To Divvy Up Cash
REGINA -- The debate is on between the city slickers and the rural folks -- about how to cut up the new cash the federal and provincial governments are promising to provide local governments. (Regina Leader Post - canada.com network)
Infrastructure Formula Revised
ESTEVAN -- Thanks to the determined efforts of several concerned property owners, city council Monday changed the funding formula for local improvements to be carried out in Estevan in the next few years. (The Estevan Mercury)
Noise Bylaw Sounds Good
WEYBURN -- City council has introduced a new noise bylaw that gives the police more powers to lay charges and to give evidence. (Weyburn Review)
$1.2M Over-Run
YORKTON -- Yorkton City Council is facing something it tried its best to avoid --cost over-runs on the Yorkton Family Leisure Centre. (Yorkton News Extra)
Ambitious Paving Project Gets Green Light
CARROT RIVER -- A proposed paving project could see Carrot River have nearly every street in town covered in blacktop by the end of summer. (Nipawin Journal)
Smoke Eaters Snuffed
MOOSE JAW -- The city's budget committee voted to reduce Moose Jaw's fire department by four firefighters. (The Moose Jaw Times-Herald)
Municipal Manitoba
$165M For 'Peg Infrastructure
WINNIPEG -- Manitoba Premier Gary Doer, the Honourable Reg Alcock, and City of Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray announced an agreement in principle to provide up to $165 million in strategic infrastructure funding for three key Winnipeg priorities. (Government of ManitobaPress Release)
Amalgamation Deal Inked
LAC DU BONNET -- The Town and Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet have made it official. (The Clipper Weekly Newspaper - On Line Edition)
Water Expansion Flows One Way
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE -- Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie Reeve Jim Knight said budgetary constraints were the main reason some homeowners west of the city are not part this year's regional water expansion plan. (The Daily Graphic)
New Hog Regs No Problem
STEINBACH -- Two southeastern Manitoba municipalities, home to the most intensive livestock development in the province, feel they are well along the way to complying with Planning Act amendments being proposed by the provincial government. (The Carillon on mywinnipeg.com)
Town, Cops Recognized
STONEWALL -- The Town of Stonewall and the local RCMP detachment were recently nominated for a provincial honour. (Stonewall Argus and Teulon Times)
Municipal North
Big Heat From Smoke Bylaw
WHITEHORSE, YK -- A multi-million dollar lawsuit is not scaring Whitehorse city councillors away from their smoking bylaw. (CBC North)
Rec Centre Wrecked
DAWSON CITY, YK -- The controversial recreation centre in Dawson City has been shut down after the safety of the building's structure was called into question. (CBC North)
Who's Running This Show?
DAWSON CITY, YK -- With the supervisor hiring people to clear snow and ordering town council which garbage bids to accept, there is a question as to who is running the show in Dawson City. (Whitehorse Star Online)
Graveyard Issue Lives
IQALUIT, NU -- Iqaluit's head engineer will ask city council to bury its plans to put the new cemetery on a tranquil plateau along the Road to Nowhere. (Nunatsiaq News)
Municipal Ontario
Water Funds Poured In
BRANTFORD -- About 32,000 households in Brantford and Brant County may not be able to taste the difference, but the two municipalities will undertake $5.2 million in upgrades to their water systems, thanks partly to government grants. (Osprey Media Group Inc. - Brantford Expositor)
MPAC Workarounds Examined
FOREST -- "We already know how flawed MPAC is," says Lambton Shores mayor Cam Ivey when explaining to council how this municipality was hoping to combat some of the inconsistencies with assessments from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. (The Lakeshore Advance)
. . . And Alternatives Sought
SAULT STE. MARIE -- Council unanimously passed a resolution requesting the provincial government "consider legislative changes regarding property assessment in Ontario that would allow for more options to municipalities for the provision of assessment services including the possible privatization of the property tax assessment function." (Sault This Week)
Lawn Chemical Campaign
LONDON -- As city council inches toward passing a pesticide control bylaw that would take effect in 2005, the city launched a campaign to convince homeowners to avoid lawn chemicals this year. (London Free Press)
New CAO
LISTOWEL -- The Town of North Perth announced the town's new Chief Administrative Officer. (Listowel Banner - northperth.com)
Butt Bylaw On The Ropes
WATFORD -- Following votes by councils in Point Edward and Enniskillen Tuesday to not support a county-wide smoking ban, the future of the controversial bylaw rests in the hands of one of its smallest municipalities --Warwick Township. (Osprey Media Group Inc. - The Sarnia Observer)
12.9% Solution
ST. CLEMENTS -- With a mixed bag of reserve reductions, tinkering with staffing and the chopping of general expense allocations, Wellesley councillors whittled the anticipated 2004 tax increase to 12.9%, down from 38.7%. (Observer Online)
Wary Of Spreading Burden
HAMILTON -- Shifting the city's tax burden back onto local businesses is a "slippery slope," says councillor Margaret McCarthy. (haltonsearch.com)
Doggone It!
MISSISSAUGA -- If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Mississauga is top dog when it comes to leash-free parks. (Mississauga News Online)
Study In Spending Contrasts
TORONTO -- Councillor Howard Moscoe was city council's big spender last year, doling out nearly $53,000 of his annual $53,100 office budget, while Councillor Rob Ford proved to be council's penny-pincher, filing only $6 worth of expenses for some photocopying. (Toronto Sun)
$25G Water Fine
PENETANGUISHENE -- The Corporation of the Township of Tay has been fined a total of $25G after pleading guilty to three counts of non-compliance with the Ontario Water Resources Act. (Government of Ontario Press Release)
Labor Battle Heats Up
MARKHAM -- In what's being hailed as the latest "bizarre occurrence" in the battle between Markham and its firefighters, the town has filed a grievance against the union. (yorkregion.com)
Dirty Little Secret
WHITBY -- The spring thaw is revealing the York Region's dirty little secret: garbage. (durhamregion.com)
New Digs Over-Budget
TRENTON -- Quinte West's 56,000 sq. ft. city hall/library complex is on time and on target financially today, but will likely finish about $200G to $300G over budget upon completion in June. (Osprey Media Group Inc. - Trenton Trentonian)
Council Paid 54% More
BROCKVILLE -- Taxpayers forked over a total of $214G to have Leeds and Grenville counties councillors act on their behalf last year, a 54% increase over 2002. (The Brockville Recorder & Times Online)
Rural Tax Revolt
OTTAWA -- Rural residents of the City of Ottawa are fed up with the amalgamated city, and are being encouraged to join a tax revolt in order to break free. (CBC Ottawa)
Budget Blunder
ORILLIA -- Already bracing for their biggest tax increase in years, Orillians shouldn't be forced to pay for a budget blunder that has left the city facing a half-million dollar shortfall, said Treasurer Bob Ripley. (SIMCOE.COM)
Capital Spending Spree
COLLINGWOOD -- Town council has earmarked almost $14M for infrastructure and road improvements this year with a capital budget insiders are calling "complicated." (Osprey Media Group Inc. - Collingwood The Enterprise Bulletin)
Boil Advisory Dropped
TIMMINS -- The boil water advisory that affected about 30,000 residents in Timmins was lifted. (Osprey Media Group Inc. - Timmins Daily Press)
$3M In Restructuring Funding
TEMISKAMING SHORES -- The City of Temiskaming Shores has received from the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing $3,059,00 in municipal restructuring funding to assist in covering costs associated with amalgamation. (The Temiskaming Speaker)
Animating Idea
SAULT STE. MARIE -- City staff have been given the nod to further their work on developing Canada's first Animation Centre in Sault Ste. Marie. (Osprey Media Group Inc. - The Sault Star)
CAO Gains Economic Power
THUNDER BAY -- The City of Thunder Bay's chief administrative officer has been given more authority to improve the local economy. (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal)
Municipal Atlantic
Town Defies Act
GEORGETOWN, PE -- Georgetown Town Council is going against the Municipalities Act by not having a balanced budget but, Mayor Mike Gallant said if the province doesn't like it, they can fix it. (PEICanada.com)
Balanced Budget, No Hikes
SUMMERSIDE, PE -- Faced with inflation, contractual increases and the continual downloading of services by other levels of government, Summerside city council managed to approve a balanced budget while holding the line on property taxes. (The Guardian)
Debt Unveiled
STRATFORD -- The Town of Stratford released its 2004 budget Wednesday, revealing a $12 million debt. (CBC - Prince Edward Island)
Sunday Shopping Stampede
PLASTER ROCK, N.B. -- Another community in New Brunswick's Upper St. John River Valley is going to ask for year-round Sunday shopping. (Maritimes - canada.com network)
Water Grant Gushes
ALMA, NB -- Residents of Alma are seeing an increase in funding for their municipal water and wastewater services through the injection of an additional $1,051,872 investment under the Canada - New Brunswick Infrastructure Program. (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Press Release)
