Municipal Alberta
Municipal Investment Needs
EDMONTON -- In order to determine the investment needs of Alberta's urban municipal governments, AUMA requests your input on the Major Cities Investment Regulation, which allows Alberta's two largest cities a broad range of eligible investment categories. PDF file. (AUMA - News Release)
Sustainability For Small Communities
EDMONTON -- AUMA staff is revising the "Guidebook for Municipal Sustainability Plans" to meet the differing needs of communities of various sizes. PDF file. (AUMA Small Communities Committee Newsletter)
Rebalance Tax Equation
EDMONTON -- The AUMA is asking the province to honour its 2001 promise of freezing the property tax requisition at $1.2 billion and allowing municipalities the additional tax room to address growth and service delivery challenges. PDF file. (AUMA - News Release)
Lowest Rates In Province
MEDICINE HAT -- City of Medicine Hat Utilities' customers continue to receive the lowest natural gas rate in the province. PDF file. (City of Medicine Hat - News Release hosted on MuniMall)
Funding Models Fail, Says County
LETHBRIDGE -- The County of Lethbridge submitted a report to three provincial ministers outlining how current funding models fail to recognize the uniqueness of rural municipalities that rely on an agricultural-based economy. (Coaldale Sunny South News)
Multi-Year Process Needed, Says City
CALGARY -- The Provincial Government should make Alberta's municipalities financially sustainable by following a multi-year process to vacate property tax -- this proposal is the centre piece of The City of Calgary's submission on the upcoming Provincial Budget. (City of Calgary - News Release)
Sparks Fly
CALGARY -- MD Of Rocky View Chief Administrative Officer Ray Clark has complained that council members have been contacting staff without his knowledge. (Rocky View Weekly)
Town Opts For Cells
PINCHER CREEK -- Cells will be a part of the new Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment in Pincher Creek. (Pincher Creek Echo)
Boil Water Advisory
BANFF -- It's expected to be at least another week before Banffites will be told they don't have to boil drinking water that comes from their taps. (Banff Crag and Canyon)
Zero Tolerance
NANTON -- The town of Nanton has declared a zero tolerance for alcohol consumption for the fire department. (Nanton News)
New Member For FCM
VULCAN -- Vulcan County has accepted an invitation to become a member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). (Vulcan Advocate)
Muniversity: "Managing Contracts: Part II, RFPs"
RED DEER -- April's Muniversity session, "Managing Contracts" will focus on the important topic of RFPs. Only $95 includes instruction, materials, lunch, and refreshments. Register today on MuniMall.
Against FOIP Rules
EDMONTON -- The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner has found that a name search conducted by Edmonton Police Service in 2005 was not in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act. (Officer of the Information and Privacy Commissioner - News Release)
New General Manager
EDMONTON -- City Manager Al Maurer announced that Peter Tarnawsky will be joining the City of Edmonton as General Manager of the new Corporate Business Planning Department. PDF file. (City of Edmonton - News Release hosted on MuniMall)
Council Compensation Under Review
EDMONTON -- An independent committee is reviewing financial compensation for Edmonton's City Council. (City of Edmonton - News Release)
Cooperation Is Hot
WETASKIWIN -- The City and County of Wetaskiwin are continuing the excellent regional cooperation established between them with a proposed new partnership for the construction of two new fire halls in the City of Wetaskiwin. PDF file. (City of Wetaskiwin and County of Wetaskiwin - News Release hosted on MuniMall)
Paramedic Partnership
BEAUMONT -- Edmonton Emergency Medical Services (EMS), in partnership with the Town of Beaumont, will be deploying a Paramedic Response Unit (PRU) out of the Beaumont fire station. PDF file. (City of Edmonton - News Release hosted on MuniMall)
City Manager Heads Overseas
SPRUCE GROVE -- City of Spruce Grove manager of business and public affairs, Diane Hamel, is going overseas to share her skills in the hopes it will help advance some developing countries. PDF file. (Home Town Living)
Working Towards Tax Efficiency
LEDUC -- Representatives from Leduc County are working on a plan to increase tax collection efficiency for the city of Mwanza, Tanzania. (Leduc Representative)
"Shaping The Future"
SYLVAN LAKE --Tiffany Burgess, Sylvan Lake's new economic development officer, believes It's an exciting time for the town. (Sylvan Lake News)
New City Assessor
CAMROSE -- The City of Camrose has a new City Assessor -- Council passed a motion that Kathy Gillis be hired to replace Roland Marchand, who is retiring in May. (Camrose Canadian)
Revitalization
DRAYTON VALLEY -- A team of architects at McGill University is hard at work on a plan to help revitalize Drayton Valley's downtown and the time is fast approaching when their final product will be unveiled to the public for input. (Drayton Valley Western Review)
Surplus Sparks Debate
SHERWOOD PARK -- A motion to earmark $300,000 of a $3.1 million surplus on two community projects sparked controversy in council. (Sherwood Park News)
Preservation Plans
SHERWOOD PARK -- Strathcona County wants to preserve the remaining habitat in the Beaverhills Moraine by expanding a protective area and halting urban sprawl at its border. (Sherwood Park News)
Exonerated
ST. ALBERT -- Report dispels accusation city engaged in unfair practices
A provincial audit of the city's assessment department has exonerated St. Albert of suggestions made by another city that it engaged in improper practices. (stalbertgazette.com)
Municipally Excellent Practices: Regional Disaster Services
GRANDE PRAIRIE -- An emergency could affect several municipalities to such a degree that local resources would be inadequate. To prepare for such an event, the City of Grande Prairie, the County of Grande Prairie, the Towns of Beaverlodge, Sexsmith and Wembley, and the Village of Hythe have agreed to develop a Regional Disaster Services Framework. Another innovative practice just posted on MENet, Alberta's Municipal Excellence Network. (MENet.ab.ca)
Workplace Literacy
GRANDE PRAIRIE -- CUPE members in the City of Grande Prairie are working with city officials to promote a new workplace literacy program. (CUPE - News Release)
Work Camps Approved
FORT MCMURRAY -- Faced with a severe housing shortage, the booming oil sands city of Fort McMurray is going ahead with a controversial plan to allow work camps for up to 300 construction workers, even in its downtown core. (CBC Calgary)
Industrial Dev't Moves Ahead
FORT MCMURRAY -- The municipality will develop 65 acres of land for commerce and industry at the north end of Fort McMurray. (Fort McMurray Today)
Cause For Alarm
CANMORE -- The Town of Canmore's engineering department has been cycling through professionals as of late, and the department's rate of staff turnover -- with two more employees scheduled to depart soon, including the last current one with a professional engineer designation -- is causing alarm in the development community. (Canmore Leader)
Water Testing To Expand
BLACK DIAMOND -- Black Diamond council will expand the scope of testing for the town's drinking water to include more than 250 items including methyl mercury. (Western Wheel News)
New Deputy Fire Chief
HINTON -- Hinton's new deputy fire chief Jim Thompson is looking forward to the challenges his new posting will bring. (Hinton Parklander)
Communication Training
JASPER -- Key players in the Municipality of Jasper's disaster plan learned how to effectively communicate with the media. (Jasper Booster)
Housing Needs Assessment
GRANDE CACHE -- Town council is backing a housing needs assessment for Grande Cache. (Grande Cache Mountaineer)
$200G For Regional Landfill
FALHER -- Smoky River Regional Waste Commission, which serves the Towns of Falher and McLennan, the Villages of Girouxville and Donnelly, and the Municipal District of Smoky River, has received $200,000 to convert the Falher landfill to a regional facility and install transfer stations, as part of a major provincial funding commitment. (Smoky River Express)
Regional Talks Move Ahead
VERMILION -- The town of Vermilion is moving towards a regional water system that would equip the County of Vermilion River, Marwayne, Dewberry, Paradise Valley and Kitscoty. (Vermilion Standard)
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 13,000 local government readers from coast to coast.
Municipal Saskatchewan
New Prez For SARM
REGINA -- David Marit was elected President of SARM, and Jim Hallick won the Vice-Presidency by acclamation at SARM's 101st Annual Convention in Regina. PDF file. (Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities - News Release)
SARM Convention Hi-Lites
REGINA -- Highlights of SARM's 2006 convention are now available. PDF file. (Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities - News Release)
Tax Relief Announced
REGINA -- SARM welcomes the Premier's announcement of $52.8 million for education tax property relief for agricultural producers. PDF file. (Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities - News Release)
$53M Eases Tension
BIRCH HILLS -- Property tax funds that had been withheld by dissenting rural municipalities started to flow once again after the provincial government announced it is releasing almost $53 million for property tax relief on rural assessments. (Estevan Mercury)
SUMA Prez Speaks Out
REGINA -- SUMA President, Don Schlosser, says with RMs now paying 40% of the cost of education instead of 60%, urban ratepayers deserve at least something similar. (Swift Current Online)
Smoke Eater Symposium
WYNYARD -- The Wynyard Volunteer Fire Department, in conjunction with the Saskatchewan Volunteer Fire Fighter Association, will host a training symposium. (Wynard Advance Gazette)
Free Parking Approved
WEYBURN -- City council unanimously passed a bylaw that will provide for free parking throughout downtown Weyburn, including in city-owned parking lots. (Weyburn Review)
Outgoing Chief Honoured
SASKATOON -- Saskatoon police Chief Russ Sabo, whose contract is not being renewed, will be honoured by the 74 chiefs of Saskatchewan First Nations in a special ceremony. (StarPhoenix - canada.com network)
"Whisper Campaign"
SASKATOON -- A Saskatoon city councillor says he questions the motives behind a whisper campaign insinuating he's in a conflict of interest over the Stonegate big box development. (StarPhoenix - canada.com network)
Sentence Upheld
ESTEVAN -- Saskatchewan's highest court has rejected a bid to boost the sentence of a former mayor of Estevan convicted of sexual assault. (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.
Contribute to MuniMall
Does your municipality have anything new and noteworthy to publicize? Send your release to MuniMall, and reach over 13,000 local government readers from coast to coast.
Municipal Manitoba
"No" To Amalgamation
WINNIPEG -- Members of Winnipeg's paramedics union say they will no longer support or assist with amalgamation of their department with the city's fire department. (CBC Manitoba)
Changes for Public Safety
WINNIPEG -- Two investigators and a surveillance video analyst will be added to the Public Safety Investigations (PSI) unit to look into complaints under both the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act (SCNA) and the Fortified Buildings Act. (Province of Manitoba - News Release)
Ward Boundaries Disputed
BELMONT -- Residents in a tiny municipality west of Brandon are calling on the provincial government to intervene in a dispute over the area's ward boundaries. (CBC Manitoba)
Shared Landfill Considered
FLIN FLON -- Officials from Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach will discuss the potential for sharing a single landfill. (Flin Flon Daily Reminder)
Surplus
ALTONA -- The Town of Altona ended up with a surplus of only $4,231.97 at the end of their fiscal year, and Finance Chair Ted Klassen was breathing a sigh of relief. (Altona Red River Valley Echo)
Boom Drives Office Expansion
MORDEN -- A booming building sector has pushed the MSTW (Morden - Stanley - Thompson - Winkler) Planning District to add more space to its Morden office. (Morden Times)
Another Banner Year
WINKLER -- The year 2005 was another banner year for the city of Winkler. (Winkler Times)
Municipal Innovation Award
HOLLAND -- Congratulations to the RM of Victoria on receiving the 2006 AMM Municipal Innovation Award! (Association of Manitoba Municipalities - News Release)
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 13,000 local government readers from coast to coast.
Municipal North
Tier 1 Monies Disbursed
WHITEHORSE, YK -- Eight Yukon communities will share in $264,365 worth of Community Development Fund Tier 1 funding. (Yukon Government - News Release)
Bylaw Officers' Behaviour Questioned
WHITEHORSE, YK -- As more Whitehorse residents and businesses face charges of breaking the smoking bylaw, the conduct of bylaw officers enforcing the regulations is coming into question. (CBC North)
Charges Laid
YELLOWKNIFE, NT -- The N.W.T. Workers Compensation Board has laid charges against the city of Yellowknife and its fire department managers in connection with the deaths of two firefighters almost a year ago. (CBC North)
"Tired of Blind Eye"
CAMBRIDGE BAY, NU -- Faulty smoke alarms, broken sprinkler systems and emergency exits that won't open: these are just a few examples of how the hamlet of Cambridge Bay regularly flouts fire safety regulations, according to its fire chief for five years, Peter Laube. (Nunatsiaq News)
New Business Bylaw
IQALUIT, NU -- Non-profit groups in Iqaluit can expect to pay the city more money this year, because the city now considers these groups to be businesses. (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 13,000 local government readers from coast to coast.
Municipal Ontario
Thanks For Your Support!
Effective Jan. 2006, MuniMall will no longer publish municipal news from Ontario. This difficult decision was necessitated by the growth of our local government online courses and the resulting demand on MuniMall's time. While we want all eastern-based readers to stay on, we understand why some may want to leave. To unsubscribe from MuniMall, please follow the link above or email unsubscribe@munimall.net.
Municipal Atlantic
Thanks For Your Support!
Effective Jan. 2006, MuniMall will no longer publish municipal news from Atlantic Canada. This difficult decision was necessitated by the growth of our local government online courses and the resulting demand on MuniMall's time. While we want all eastern-based readers to stay on, we understand why some may want to leave. To unsubscribe from MuniMall, please follow the link above or email unsubscribe@munimall.net.
Getting Wired
Site Invites Feedback
GRANDE PRAIRIE, AB -- The Grande Prairie region is one of the fastest developing areas in Canada. This section of the City's website is devoted to regular updates, comments and feedback related to the region's growth. (City of Grande Prairie)
High-Speed Nears
HIGH RIVER, AB -- Approximately 400 MD of Foothills residents will soon have access to high speed internet after council approved a communications tower. (Western Wheel News)
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