Feb. 3, 2005
3,054 subscribers

MuniMall News and Views

Contents:
Here are the sections in today's edition. Don't forget to check out our new Current Events area.

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As a service to all our recent subscribers, MuniMall offers the following New Reader Tips:

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Archives Available
Though many of our links expire quickly, you can still browse back issues of the MuniMall Newsletter for headlines and old stories. Check out our 2004 and 2003 archives.

NACLAA News

Introduction
MuniMall is proud to bring you NACLAA News, a weekly feature on the distance learning program everyone is talking about, the National Advanced Certificate in Local Authority Administration, or NACLAA for short. Offered by two of Canada's leading universities in partnership, this national certificate in local government administration is available virtually everywhere in Canada via the Internet. For more information on NACLAA, click on the graphic below.

NACLAA graphic

Municipal Canada

MuniMall Milestone Celebration
EDMONTON, AB -- MuniMall readers have done it again! Savvy consumers of Canada's most compelling municipal read have boosted our circulation well beyond the magic mark of 3,000 direct subscribers. True to our word, we're giving away a state of the art Palm Pilot to the lucky 3,000th subscriber, not to mention coffee mugs to those who came ever-so-close.

As you would expect from a national publication, our winners are literally all over the map. Recipients of spiffy Faculty of Extension coffee mugs include Anthony Rodgers, Webmaster for the district of North Vancouver, Shelly Gordon, Research Representative of the CUPE Ontario Regional Office in Toronto, and a senior administrator in King's County, Nova Scotia with whom we still trying to connect. As befits our Alberta roots and generous provincial funding, our grand prize winner of a Personal Digital Assistant is Paul Salvatore, the Town of Lacombe's recently appointed Economic Development Officer. Asked for his thoughts on our ezine, Paul issues a simple statement that tickles us pink: "MuniMall is the best way to find out about what is happening in municipalities across Canada." Thank you, Paul, you made our day!

Congrats to all our winners! And thanks not only to Alberta Municipal Affairs for its support, but also to all our loyal readers, who have made us Canada's #1 municipal read.

Ontario Examines Alberta Model
TORONTO, ON -- A well-intentioned gesture has caused significant division between the Ontario Municipal Association (AMO), the City of Toronto, and the provincial government. A workable solution, though, may be found in the province of Alberta. MuniMall Guest Columnist and former Toronto mayor John Sewell explains how. (Local Government Bulletin article reproduced on MuniMall)

City Social Help Urged
OTTAWA, ON -- Big cities are threatened by major social change and need more co-operation and funds from federal and provincial governments to restore quality of life, says the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. (Toronto Sun)

On Track For New Deal
OTTAWA, ON -- Infrastructure and Communities Minister John Godfrey outlined to his provincial and territorial counterparts the details of how he will negotiate the New Deal for Cities and Communities with each jurisdiction. (Government of Canada - News Release)

Cities Gobbling Farmland: StatsCan
OTTAWA, ON -- Sprawling cities are paving over more and more of Canada's best agricultural land, suggests a new study by Statistics Canada. (CTV.ca)

Social Changes Sweeping Cities: FCM
OTTAWA, ON -- Immigrants struggling to find work in Canada's largest cities and urban Aboriginal people facing higher unemployment rates are two of the many stories emerging from a report released on sweeping demographic and social changes reshaping urban Canada. (Federation of Canadian Municipalities - News Release)

Academic Jobs Have Muni Flavour
EDMONTON, AB -- The Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta is strengthening its excellence in key areas of scholarship and programming with four tenure-track appointments. We welcome applications from exceptional candidates with research interests and programming experience in one or more of the following interdisciplinary fields:

  • sustainable communities, including environmental resource management
  • e-government and governance
  • networks: learning, community, information
  • public policy, including health-related issues
  • organizational theory and development
  • continuing professional development with a focus on emerging professions
For more information, please visit the Faculty of Extension website.

Contribute to MuniMall
Does your municipality have anything new and noteworthy to publicize? Send your release to MuniMall, and reach over 10,000 local government readers from coast to coast.

Municipal British Columbia

CivicInfo BC Newsletter
For BC's best roundup of municipal news, MuniMall recommends CivicInfo BC. Check out their website for the latest news, and subscribe to their weekly newsletter, published every Friday afternoon.

Municipal Alberta

AUMA Applauds New Deal
EDMONTON -- The AUMA is pleased with the details of the federal new deal for municipalities and applauds the Government of Canada's efforts in moving this important initiative forward. PDF file. (AUMA - News Release)

On Target For Kyoto?
CALGARY -- The federal government has released details about its gas-tax sharing plan for municipalities -- a scheme the cities minister hopes will help the country meet Kyoto targets. (Calgary Sun)

Shortchanged By Feds
EDMONTON -- It appears Edmonton won't get as much money as city council thought it would from Ottawa's "new deal for cities." (630CHED.com)

Free Workshops Around Province
EDMONTON -- Are you a councillor or administrator? A new workshop offered at locations around the province will increase your understanding of the roles, responsibilities and relationships in governance at the municipal level. (Alberta Municipal Affairs)

MuniShare Pilots Line Up
PICTURE BUTTE -- Picture Butte is one of three communities in the region preparing to pilot new, innovative software designed for Alberta municipalities. (Coaldale Sunny South News)

. . . But It's A Tough Sell
EDSON -- Some municipalities could be hard to convince that the proposed MuniShare software program currently being promoted by the AUMA is a good thing. (Edson Leader)

Another Conviction
LETHBRIDGE -- Dar Heatherington, the former alderwoman convicted of fabricating lurid tales of being stalked, was found guilty of breaching her house arrest but will not do jail time. (Calgary Herald - canada.com network)

Seeing Hot Spots
HIGH RIVER -- High River firefighters will soon have a state-of-the-art camera that will tell them exactly where the hot spots are at a fire or other emergencies. (High River Times)

Smoke Eater Shortage
CALGARY -- A shortage of firefighters is increasingly putting the public's safety at risk, the head of their union says. (CBC Calgary)

Planning For Sustainability
BANFF -- Like a map guiding a sailboat through uncharted waters, Whistler's comprehensive sustainability plan is the envy of Banff's mayor and top administrator. (Banff Crag and Canyon)

Recycling Bucks Solicited
COCHRANE -- Jim Anderson, director of operational services for the Town of Cochrane, appeared at the MD of Rocky View's Public Services Committee meeting to pitch the municipality on a possible financial contribution for the town's new recycling depot. (Cochrane Times)

Transition Team Appointed
STRATHMORE -- All municipalities served by the Wheatland and Adjacent Districts Emergency Medical Services Association (WADEMSA) want their representatives to be part of the ambulance transitional team. (Strathmore Standard)

Integrated Services Get Support
AIRDRIE -- The City of Airdrie received some strong moral support after meeting via conference call with Alberta Health Minister Iris Evans to discuss the future of Airdrie Emergency Services (AES). (Airdrie Echo)

Town Sued
CARSTAIRS -- The Town of Carstairs is being sued by an Edmonton couple after a fire department vehicle was involved in a collision on Highway 2 nearly two years ago. (Carstairs Courier)

CAO Position Revamped
CREMONA -- A municipal affairs report provided to the Village of Cremona highlighted the lack of training previous Chief Administrative Officers have had, and suggested a wage hike might increase the top administrator's skill level. (Carstairs Courier)

Can't Wait
RED DEER -- The city plans to spend hundreds of thousands on design work for an industrial park west of Hwy 2 even before annexation is approved. (Red Deer Advocate)

Water Protection Group Supported
LACOMBE -- Town council unanimously agreed to become an inaugural member in the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance, a group that will work to protect one of Central Alberta's most valued resources. (Lacombe Globe)

Social Plan Started
DRAYTON VALLEY -- A number of social issues identified in Drayton Valley will soon be examined as the Town of Drayton Valley works with the community to create a social development plan for the municipality. (Drayton Valley Western Review)

Relief Challenge
MILLET -- The Town Council of Millet has approved donating $1 per capita in Millet to the Canadian Red Cross Society for the purpose of assisting in the disaster relief efforts and would like to challenge all other Alberta Municipalities to match their $1 per capita donation. PDF file. (AUMA - News Release)

Center Means Business
PARKLAND COUNTY -- To modernize its business info services and provide details on its industrial areas, Parkland County developed an electronic Business Information Center with maps, directories, event calendars, a newsletter, and links. Another progressive practice just posted on MENet, Alberta's Municipal Excellence Network. (MENet.ab.ca)

Transit Trial Extended
FORT SASKATCHEWAN -- High ridership is prompting the city to extend and expand the transit trial. (Fort Saskatchewan Record)

Brownfield Cleanup
EDMONTON -- The City of Edmonton, through the Office of the Environment, unveiled the details of a pilot project aimed at reducing land contamination, an environmental and strategic priority of the City. PDF file. (City of Edmonton - News Release)

Safe-Injection Site Debated
EDMONTON -- About 15 city workers were jabbed by used needles last year, and some councillors suggested a safe-injection site might protect staffers. (Edmonton Sun)

Recycling Expansion
CAMROSE-- The city's recycling surplus will be set aside in hopes of expanding the current facility. (Camrose Canadian)

Gaming Biz Rejected
BONNYVILLE -- An electronic gaming business will not be opening on Main Street, after the town's municipal planning commission struck down the owner's request to have the business approved as a discretionary use under the town's land use bylaw. (Bonnyville Nouvelle on the Web)

Developers Shun Payout
FORT McMURRAY -- Money originally set aside to help alleviate the housing shortage will likely move to an area where officials hope it can actually help people. (Fort McMurray Today)

Four-Bag Bylaw
MCLENNAN -- The Town of McLennan has adopted a new solid waste collection bylaw which restricts the amount of household waste entering the landfill stream. (Smoky River Express)

Compost Pilot
JASPER -- About 100 households in Jasper will be participating in a pilot project this spring that municipal officials hope will educate and promote awareness of composting as a useful method of reducing household waste. (Jasper Booster)

Conference Pure Garbage
COLD LAKE -- Representatives from the MD and various Lakeland-area municipalities, as well as several waste management groups gathered in Cold Lake to discuss ways to improve garbage handling and recycling methods. (Cold Lake Sun)

Boom Coming
HINTON -- If Mayor Glenn Taylor has said it once, he's said it a million times -- Hinton is on the verge of substantial economic growth, in large part due to increased activity in the oil and gas sector. (Hinton Parklander)

Alberta Municipal Contact Info
To track down municipal officials in Alberta, MuniMall recommends starting with Municipal Profiles, a very current set of listings maintained by Alberta Municipal Affairs.

Contribute to MuniMall
Does your municipality have anything new and noteworthy to publicize? Send your release to MuniMall, and reach over 10,000 local government readers from coast to coast.

Municipal Saskatchewan

Smiling Over Gas Tax
SASKATOON -- Municipal politicians were smiling after the federal government confirmed the amount of money Saskatchewan will receive as part of Ottawa's new deal on gasoline taxes. (CBC Saskatchewan)

Municipalities Enter School Debate
ROSETOWN -- A new governance organization strongly opposes forced amalgamation of school divisions. The West Central Municipal Government Committee's membership list includes 88 rural municipalities, villages, towns, cities, school divisions and health regions. PDF file. (West Central Municipal Government Committee release hosted on MuniMall)

$3.2M To Fight Homelessness
REGINA -- The federal government has announced it will allocate $3.2 million to address homelessness in eight Saskatchewan communities. (Meadow Lake Progress)

SUMA Honour
PRINCE ALBERT -- Former Prince Albert mayor Don Cody has received a lifetime membership from the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association. (Prince Albert Herald)

Pumped Over Pipelines
YORKTON -- Water pipelines which bring treated, potable water from treatment plants in larger communities to the outlying rural areas surrounding are a viable option, and one which is catching on quickly in Saskatchewan. (Carlyle Observer)

Grabbing Back Donation
MEADOW LAKE -- In response to a public outcry, the Meadow Lake Town Council made midnight changes to the minutes of a motion made by Councillor Dorothy Lockwood. (Meadow Lake Progress)

Pay More, Get More
REGINA -- Effective this April, municipalities in Saskatchewan will pay a larger share of the cost of their infrastructure projects. (Meadow Lake Progress)

Water Deposits Pondered
REGINA -- The City of Regina is considering charging a $100 deposit to new water utility customers. (City of Regina - PSA)

Not Soaking Small Towns: Minister
SASKATOON -- SaskWater Minister Peter Prebble says the Crown corporation is not trying to make a profit on the backs of rural Saskatchewan. (CBC Saskatchewan)

Saskatchewan Municipal Contact Info
To track down municipal officials in Saskatchewan, MuniMall recommends starting with the Municipal Directory System, maintained by Saskatchewan Government Relations and Aboriginal Affairs.

Contribute to MuniMall
Does your municipality have anything new and noteworthy to publicize? Send your release to MuniMall, and reach over 10,000 local government readers from coast to coast.

Municipal Manitoba

$167M In Gas Tax
WINNIPEG -- The province of Manitoba is positioned to receive more than $167 million over five years from the federal government in a new deal for cities. (CBC Manitoba)

AMM Likes New Deal
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE -- The Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) was pleased with the Federal Government's announcement regarding the New Deal funding for municipalities. PDF file. (AMM - News Release)

Hands Across The Border
WINNIPEG -- The Red River Basin Commission, which as strong municipal government representation on both sides of the border, will receive a special $10G grant to promote co-operation on improving cross-border water quality. (Province of Manitoba - News Release)

Savings For Landowners
BEAUSEJOUR -- A proposed amalgamation could mean big savings for property owners in the villages of Tyndall and Garson. (Beausejour Review)

Distilling Data
ALTONA -- Municipally-funded data-gathering continues in order to determine the feasibility of a potato vodka plant in the Pembina Valley region. (Carman Valley Leader)

CAO Walks Out
LAC DU BONNET -- RM of Lac du Bonnet CAO Marlene Watson walked out in anger after board president Herman Bollenbach accused the RM of trying to usurp community centre manager Michelle Demorest-Voth. (Lac du Bonnet Leader)

Tax-Sharing Talks
MORDEN -- Morden will be weighing some of the pros and cons of tax sharing with Winkler and the Rural Municipality of Stanley. (Morden Times)

Legal Help On Floodway
SPRINGFIELD -- With a little more than two weeks left until the province's Clean Environment Commission hearings for the proposed Floodway expansion, several area municipalities have teamed up to hire a lawyer to help forward their case. (Selkirk Journal)

New CAO
SELKIRK -- The City of Selkirk spent a year searching for a chief administrative officer, but it turns out their man for the job was right in front of them the whole time. (Selkirk Journal)

Lights Flashing
WINNIPEG -- Winnipeg Police have released their red-light camera statistics for 2004 showing more drivers are seeing the dreaded "white flash" at city intersections. (Winnipeg - canada.com)

Privacy Protection
WINNIPEG -- A glitch in new privacy laws may be preventing the City of Winnipeg from collecting unpaid parking tickets. (CBC Manitoba)

In The Rough
WINNIPEG -- Mayor Sam Katz's suggestion that the City should consider selling off municipal golf courses has landed him in the rough with critics of the proposal. (Canstar Community News Limited)

Shared Service Talks Firing Up
GIMLI -- Gimli and Winnipeg Beach councils have scheduled a face-to-face meeting to discuss shared fire services. (Interlake Spectator)

Manitoba Municipal Contact Info
To track down municipal officials in Manitoba, MuniMall recommends starting with Manitoba Municipal Profiles, maintained by Manitoba's Department of Intergovernmental Affairs.

Contribute to MuniMall
Does your municipality have anything new and noteworthy to publicize? Send your release to MuniMall, and reach over 10,000 local government readers from coast to coast.

Municipal North

Gas Bonanza
WHITEHORSE, YK -- Ottawa is handing another $37.5 million to the Yukon over the next five years from the federal gas taxes. (Whitehorse Daily Star)

Urination Bylaw?
DAWSON CITY, YK -- Local RCMP feel Dawson City needs a bylaw to counter the improper, unhealthy but fairly common practice of people relieving themselves in the streets. (Edmonton Sun)

Snow Way To Contract Out
WHITEHORSE, YK -- Massive snowfalls have City of Whitehorse officials considering contracting out some of the snow removal that lays ahead. (Whitehorse Daily Star)

Gas Tax Glee
YELLOWKNIFE, NT -- The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs Honourable Michael McLeod is very pleased with the federal government's announcement that it plans to negotiate the New Deal for Cities and Communities and will specifically allocate a portion of the gas tax to community governments. (Government of Northwest Territories - News Release)

Malfunctions Kill
IQUALUIT, NU -- Two drivers employed by the City of Iqaluit were operating vehicles with equipment malfunctions when they hit and killed pedestrians in separate incidents, an inquiry has heard. (Nunatsiaq News)

Municipal North Contact Info
To track down municipal officials in the Northwest Territories, MuniMall recommends starting with the MACA Community Database, maintained by the NWT's Municipal and Community Affairs. For Yukon contacts, try Yukon Community Profiles. Best contact listing by far in Nunavut is the Nunavut Association of Municipalities Communities Directory.

Contribute to MuniMall
Does your municipality have anything new and noteworthy to publicize? Send your release to MuniMall, and reach over 10,000 local government readers from coast to coast.

Municipal Ontario

AMO Cheers Gas Tax
TORONTO -- Association of Municipalities of Ontario President Roger Anderson is applauding an announcement from Federal Infrastructure and Communities Minister John Godfrey on a national allocation formula for federal gas tax revenues for municipal infrastructure. PDF file. (Association of Municipalities of Ontario)

Sharing Gas Tax
TORONTO -- Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Gerretsen welcomed the federal government's commitment to sharing gas tax revenues with municipalities, and announced the Ontario government is paving the way for municipalities and the federal government to work together directly to decide the best way to share federal gas tax revenues. (Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing)

Smart Meters A First
TORONTO -- Ontario's big cities will be the first to receive so-called smart meters that allow electricity consumers to be charged on an hourly basis under a plan released by the Ontario Energy Board. (Windsor - canada.com network)

Price Inequities Addressed
CHATHAM -- Bothwell's water costs almost three times as much as the general price across Chatham-Kent, but things could soon improve. (Spirit of Bothwell)

Water Funding Flows
CHATHAM -- The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is receiving $12.9 million in federal and provincial funding for drinking water infrastructure projects. (Chatham This Week)

City Scores Prestigious Award
HAMILTON -- The City of Hamilton's Rennie and Brampton Street Landfill Sites Erosion Control and Leachate Management Project has been named the 2004 Ontario Public Works Association Project of the Year in the over $10 million Environment Category. (City of Hamilton - News Release)

Federal Lobbyists Hired
HAMILTON -- The city has engaged two lawyers from Gowling Lafleur Henderson to lobby the federal government, according to documents made available through the federal lobbyist registration system. Gowlings is also the firm that hired Christine Silverberg for the city. (Citizens at City Hall - CATCH - News Release)

More Than A Task Force
HAMILTON -- Hamilton's poverty crisis is so large, the city has to establish a long-term roundtable think tank rather than a task force to resolve the issues. (Hamilton Mountain News)

Agreement Terminated
BRANTFORD -- Brantford and Brant County will have to go back to the drawing board after city council served notice that it will terminate the tentative agreement on boundary changes and strategic growth. (Osprey Media Group - Brantford Expositor)

Annexation Feelers Out
GODERICH -- The Town of Goderich is landlocked and it is hoping its neighbour to the east will ante up with some acreage. (Clinton News-Record)

First Woman Manager
MISSISSAUGA -- Janice Baker is the first woman to hold the job of Mississauga's city manager. (Mississauga News Online)

More MPAC Anger
MILTON -- Local horse farmers are angry and frustrated with tax re-assessments by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), with many looking to sell their properties and close their businesses because of the change. (haltonsearch.com)

Vagrant Bylaw Passes
TORONTO -- Councillors have approved a controversial $18.4-million homelessness plan that bans people from sleeping in Nathan Phillips Square after they've been offered housing. (Toronto Sun)

Deputize Bylaw Officers: Councillor
MARKHAM -- Markham bylaw enforcement officers should be able to nab speeders and stop sign violators, a councillor continues to insist. (yorkregion.com)

Controversial Ads Got Results
VAUGHAN -- At first deemed irreverent and unethical, to this day Vaughan makes no apologies for its advertising campaign aimed at attracting new business. (yorkregion.com)

Wrestling With Radioactivity
PORT HOPE -- When the municipality undergoes reconstructive surgery for removal of a considerable blemish called low-level radioactive waste, more than 260 acres of land will be affected. (Osprey Media Group - Northumberland Today)

Pesticide Ban Pushed
PETERBOROUGH -- The city wants to ban the cosmetic use of pesticides by March 2006 -- a plan that had audience members cheering and a councillor pounding the table in protest. (Peterborough Examiner)

De-Amalgamation Proposal Stalls
LINDSAY -- Queen's Park will consider a move by the City of Kawartha Lakes to de-amalgamate, provided it meets three "key" criteria, including funding it entirely. As a result, Mayor Barb Kelly has said she wants the issue shelved. (Osprey Media Group - Lindsay Daily Post)

NACLAA graphic

False Alarms To Be Ignored
COBOURG -- In a major policy switch, OPP plan to stop responding to some 911 calls they believe to be false or mistaken. (Independent Online)

Prov Should Ante Up: CAO
BELLEVILLE -- Property taxes could rise in Hastings County by as much as 8% if the province doesn't ante up its share of funding for social services costs, according to the county's chief administrative officer, Jim Pine. (Osprey Media Group - Trenton Trentonian)

Frustration Over Funding
GLENBURNIE -- As the four mayors who make up the County of Frontenac Council contemplate levying a 10% tax increase, they are expressing increasing frustration over the unwillingness of the provincial government to live up to their commitments under the Community Reinvestment Funding (CRF) program. (Land O'Lakes newsweb)

CAO Search Is On
KINGSTON -- Hiring a professional firm to secure a qualified chief administrative officer may be the most critical decision Kingston councillors will make this term, says Brian Hamblin. (Osprey Media Group - Kingston Whig-Standard)

Policing Cost Slammed
OTTAWA -- Councillors grappled with the cost of policing the city as the increased bill for the city's police service accounts for a third of the city's anticipated tax increase. (CBC Ottawa)

Growth Study On Track
MIDHURST -- All appears to be heading in the right direction for northern municipalities as a South Simcoe growth study gets off the ground. (Osprey Media Group - Midland Free Press)

Games Bid
COLLINGWOOD -- Collingwood will issue a bid to host the 2006 Ontario Paralympic Winter Championships. (Osprey Media Group - Collingwood The Enterprise Bulletin)

Cramped Quarters
PARRY SOUND -- Town staff have long-since outgrown their space at the municipal office, and council is considering adding a third floor to the building. (Parry Sound North Star)

FCM Invite
SUDBURY -- Mayor David Courtemanche has been invited to participate in a discussion on immigration taking place with members of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Big City's Mayors' Caucus. (NorthernLife.ca)

Cutting Ties
POWASSAN -- With a 2005 municipal budget looming and membership fees rising, the Township of Chisholm Council has decided to cut its ties with the area's recycling program. (Almaquin News)

Ambulance Worries
TIMMINS -- Councillor Yves Malette is concerned the provincial government is going to stick municipalities with an increasingly large bill to cover the cost of land ambulances. (Osprey Media Group - Timmins Daily Press)

Looking For A Reeve
NIPIGON -- The reeve's chair became vacant when Ed Belanger died with two years left in council's current 3-year term. (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal)

Mayor Leaves OPP
MARATHON -- Just over a week before he faced being kicked out of the Ontario Provincial Police, Marathon Mayor Dave Bell announced his retirement from the force. (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal)

Going Nuke-Free
THUNDER BAY -- Shuniah council has gone on record with its commitment to keep private industrial waste sites and nuclear waste out of the township. (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal)

Ontario Municipal Contact Info
To track down municipal officials in this province, MuniMall recommends starting with Community Profiles, maintained by Ontario Economic Development.

Contribute to MuniMall
Does your municipality have anything new and noteworthy to publicize? Send your release to MuniMall, and reach over 10,000 local government readers from coast to coast.

Municipal Atlantic

Gas Tax Share $37.5M
CHARLOTTETOWN, PE -- P.E.I.'s share of the federal gas tax will be $37.5 million. (CBC Prince Edward Island)

Junior Mayor Welcomed
SUMMERSIDE, PE --Brett Carragher had the opportunity to wear the chain of office as the 25th junior mayor of Summerside. (Transcontinental Newsnet)

Lack Of Leadership
CORNER BROOK, NL -- Keith Cormier knows all too well what it's like to deal with City Hall on matters related to economic development. (The Humber Log)

Recycling Program Announced
LEWISPORTE, NL -- Tom Osborne, Minister of Environment and Conservation, and Lewisporte Mayor Bill Hooper announced recycling initiatives that will see paper and cardboard waste diverted from the landfill in Lewisporte. (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador - News Release)

$482G Well Spent
ST. ANTHONY, NL -- Significant improvements have been made to the St. Anthony sewer system with a $482,600 contribution under the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Infrastructure Program (C-NIP). (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador - News Release)

Smoke Eaters Resign, Return
GARNISH, NL -- One week after the Garnish Volunteer Fire Department resigned en masse, firefighters accepted an apology from the Town Council, and are again carrying their pagers. (Southern Gazette)

Budget Up 21%
FREDERICTON, NB -- Environment and Local Government Minister Brenda Fowlie released details of the department's 2005-2006 capital budget. (Communications New Brunswick - News Release)

Historic Funding Announced
SAINT JOHN, NB -- The Province of New Brunswick is contributing $70G to the City of Saint John to support their ongoing participation in the national Historic Places Initiative, Premier Bernard Lord announced. (Communications New Brunswick - News Release)

Funding For Housing
CAMPBELLTON, NB -- A new apartment building involving 10 affordable housing units for individuals will be built in Campbellton thanks to funding under the Canada-New Brunswick Affordable Housing Program Agreement. (Communications New Brunswick - News Release)

Mayor Hitting Up Province
HALIFAX, NS -- Ottawa will hand $145.2 million to Nova Scotia municipalities in gas tax rebates over the next five years and Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly wants the province to do the same. (Halifax Herald)

Safer Drinking Water Here . . .
ANNAPOLIS ROYAL, NS -- A number of Annapolis County residents will soon enjoy safer drinking water. (Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations - News Release)

. . . And Here
GUYSBOROUGH, NS -- Residents of Tickle Road and Hazel Hill, District of Guysborough, will soon enjoy safer drinking water, thanks to a project announced through the Canada-Nova Scotia Infrastructure Program. (Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations - News Release)

Sensitivity Training Ordered
PICTOU, NS -- The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission has ordered the Town of Pictou to offer sensitivity training to its administrative employees and to pay a Lyons Brook preacher $9,000 for not allowing him to put on a religious drama. (Transcontinental Newsnet)

Municipal Atlantic Contact Info
To track down municipal officials in Prince Edward Island, MuniMall recommends starting with the PEI Municipalities web page maintained by InfoPEI. For Nova Scotia officials, try Municipal Contacts from Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations. For contacts in Newfoundland and Labrador, check out the Municipal Directory on this province's Municipal and provincial Affairs website. Though incomplete, the best online directory for New Brunswick municipalities is the Municipal Information list maintained by the Government of Canada Depository Services Program. If you can recommend other municipal contact lists on the Internet, please email us.

Contribute to MuniMall
Does your municipality have anything new and noteworthy to publicize? Send your release to MuniMall, and reach over 10,000 local government readers from coast to coast.

Current Events

The Next 30 Days:

  1. Rural Ontario Municipal Association/Ontario Good Roads Association Combined Conferences -- Toronto, ON February 20-23, 2005.

  2. Municipal Officials Seminar & Trade Show -- Keystone Centre, Brandon, MB February 28-March 1, 2005.

  3. Municipal Energy Efficiency Conference 2005: Environmental Leadership -- Delta Edmonton, Edmonton, AB March 3-4, 2005.

More Events on MuniMall
See the MuniMall website for a much more comprehensive listing of regional municipal events.

List Your Event
Have an event to publicize? It's easy to inform us.

Getting Wired

Rural Broadband Coming
ROCKY VIEW MD -- When it comes to country living, it is possible to get connected and have it all. (Calgary Country)

Fighting Crime Online
NEWMARKET, ON -- A program that has enjoyed overwhelming success is promising even more after CrimeStoppers of York Region launched its website (yorkregion.com)

Funding For Community Portal
MATTAWA, ON -- The federal government is providing $40,000 to communities in the Mattawa area to create a "community portal project" for the Internet. (Osprey Media Group - North Bay Nugget)

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