Municipal Alberta
Oil Project Will Break City
FORT MCMURRAY -- The mayor wants a $6.5 billion oilsands project temporarily shelved because the region is already stretched to the limit. (CBC Edmonton)
Watershed Plan Financed
LAC LA BICHE -- A $225,000 Green Municipal Fund grant was announced to undertake a watershed study at Lac La Biche. (Federation of Canadian Municipalities)
Curfew Effectiveness Unknown
BON ACCORD -- The local RCMP staff sergeant said there are no statistics that conclusively show curfews are effective in controlling youth misbehaviour. (Morinville Mirror)
Recycling Enhanced
SPRUCE GROVE -- Faced with higher disposal costs, the city has enhanced its recycling efforts with biweekly curbside pickup, extension of organics pickup and volume limits on waste. (City of Spruce Grove release hosted on MuniMall)
$95M Centre Approved
SHERWOOD PARK -- Council has approved a community centre that comes in more than double original estimates. (Sherwood Park News)
Industrial Water Supply Studied
SHERWOOD PARK -- Sturgeon County and Strathcona County are working together to study if it is feasible to supply industry in the Heartland area with non-potable water for their industrial process requirements. (Strathcona County)
Community Drug and Alcohol Strategy: Municipally Excellent Practice
SHERWOOD PARK -- Fifteen partners developed the Strathcona County Drug and Alcohol Strategy to address abuse issues with a strong community approach and earned the MEnet award for partnerships. (www.menet.ab.ca)
High-speed Internet: Municipally Excellent Practice
CASTOR -- Residents and businesses in the County of Paintearth No. 18 now enjoy high-speed access to the internet thanks to the efforts of the Paintearth Economic Partnership Society representing the Towns of Castor and Coronation, Village of Halkirk and the county. Another excellent practice recently posted on MEnet, Alberta's Municipal Excellence network. (www.menet.ab.ca)
$2M Budget Increase Expected
FORT SASKATCHEWAN -- Now that the city's population has exceeded 15,000, it has to pay 90 per cent of RCMP costs to police the town as well as other mandated expenses that will see expenditures increase by $2 million. (Fort Record)
Gas From Trash
EDMONTON -- The province approved one-third funding toward a $90-million plant that would turn the municipality's garbage into fuel. (CBC Edmonton)
Unused School Property For Homes
EDMONTON -- As many as 1,000 new homes will be built on unused school properties and sold only to first-time home buyers. (City of Edmonton)
Healthy Promotions Honoured
EDMONTON -- Ten Alberta communities that went the extra mile to promote healthy living to their residents are being honored by the province as part of the 2006 Community Choosewell Challenge. (Government of Alberta)
Secondary Suite Standards
EDMONTON -- The Alberta government has created new construction and maintenance standards for secondary apartment suites. (Government of Alberta)
Aboriginal Accord
EDMONTON -- An agreement between the city and aboriginal community leaders establishes principles to guide the city's efforts to develop a stronger relationship. (City of Edmonton)
Model Fire Hall
EDMONTON -- The city unveiled its newest firehall, a $4.4 million model for future stations in Edmonton and across the country. (City of Edmonton)
Edmonton Cops Recruit Peggers
EDMONTON -- Edmonton Police Service hopes to hire 20 new officers from recruitment events in Winnipeg. (CBC Edmonton)
Businesses Oppose Joint Marketing
JASPER -- Some business owners are opposing plans to develop a collective marketing plan. (Jasper Booster)
Councillor Sentenced
DRAYTON VALLEY -- A town councillor has been handed a suspended sentence and placed on probation after he admitted making harassing phone calls to his estranged wife. (Drayton Valley Western Review)
Feds Delay Traffic Lights
LACOMBE -- Transport Canada's delay in approving municipal traffic lights near a railway crossing is being blamed for the death of a 14-year-old girl and serious injury to her older brother. (Lacombe Globe)
How Hungry For Transit?
CAMROSE -- Much of the decision to institute a transit system in the city comes down to "the appetite to subsidize the service," said a consult who recommended a two-route schedule. (Camrose Canadian)
Directly Elected Reeve Sought
RED DEER COUNTY -- Residents are urging Red Deer County council to move forward with plans to have a reeve elected directly by voters. (Mountain View Gazette)
Land Bequeathed
RED DEER -- The city will take over a quarter section of land in Red Deer County that was bequeathed to the city in 2005. (Red Deer Express)
Aggressive Agenda Set
INNISFAIL -- An aggressive agenda for town council's last year in the municipal term include a multi-million dollar wish list and anxiousness to have a new provincial leader chosen. (Innisfail Province)
Tough Talk On Crime
DIDSBURY -- A resolution spearheaded by a Mountain View County councillor calling for stricter sentencing and more effective treatment of pedophiles garnered unanimous support at the fall meeting of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties. (Mountain View Gazette)
Seat Remains Vacant
DIDSBURY -- The consensus among county residents was to leave the vacated council seat empty until next year's municipal elections following the sudden resignation of a county councillor. (Mountain View Gazette)
City's Taxes Lowest
AIRDRIE -- Figures from Alberta Municipal Affairs show the city has the lowest average net property taxes per capita in its population group. (Airdrie Echo)
Water Project Moves Ahead
VERMILION -- The water services committee approved an option that would allow communities to draw water from the North Saskatchewan River. (Vermilion Standard)
Boorish Behaviour Banned
CALGARY -- City council made it illegal to spit, fight, carry a knife, urinate or defecate in public or use public property to rest one's feet. (CBC Calgary)
Rural Setting Preferred
CALGARY -- The mayor of Calgary supports a move to transfer the Spruce Meadows equestrian facility to the RM of Foothills while negotiating an annexation of 104 acres for future urban growth. (CBC Calgary)
City Wants EMS Funding
CALGARY -- City council is calling on Alberta Health to cover the full cost of operating municipal ambulances while the provincial government decides who's responsible for delivering the service. (Calgary Herald)
City Satisfaction Dips
CALGARY -- In its ninth annual citizen satisfaction survey, 91 per cent of respondents said the city's performance was good, a dip of three points from last year's level. (City of Calgary)
Water Operator's Ouster Sought
CALGARY -- Residents want the MD of Rocky View to take over the water system in the northeast quadrant after residents said they want to be rid of the current water operator. (Rocky View Weekly)
Water-Sewer To Double
BANFF -- Water and sewer bills will rise sharply -- in some case more than double over the next five years. (Banff Crag and Canyon)
Rockies Drying Out
BANFF -- Climate change over the next 50 years will further deplete Alberta's water while demand continues to increase. (Banff Crag and Canyon)
More Cash In Sinkhole
CANMORE -- Council increased the budget for the investigation of a sinkhole caused by mine workings. (Canmore Leader)
Pols Endorse Annexation
COCHRANE -- Municipal councils for Calgary and the MD of Rocky View endorsed an amended annexation agreement. (Cochrane Times)
To Be Or Not
OKOTOKS -- Residents will decide the fate of the Rotary Performing Arts Centre during public meetings after it was learned it will cost $1 million to keep it going. (Western Wheel)
Airport Upgraded
MEDICINE HAT -- Transport Canada and the City of Medicine Hat invested more than $2 million to upgrade the storm drainage system, apron pavement and electrical system. (City of Medicine Hat release hosted on MuniMall)
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.
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Municipal Saskatchewan
SUMA Goes Public
SASKATOON -- The Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association took its battle with the provincial government for a larger share of revenues to the public with ads in 15 daily and weekly newspapers. (Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association)
Care Homes Spared Tax Crush
REGINA -- The City of Regina rescinded its decision to classify care homes as commercial properties for assessment purposes. (City of Regina)
Saskatoon Water Upgraded
REGINA -- More than $3.2 million from the Canada-Saskatchewan Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund will be invested in wastewater treatment plant upgrades in the city's north end. (Government of Saskatchewan)
Discounted Transit For Poor
SWIFT CURRENT -- Approximately 1,000 low-income transit users will be eligible to purchase $15 monthly transit passes, compared to $52 for a regular adult pass. (Government of Saskatchewan)
CEO For New North
LA RONGE -- A new CEO was named to head the Saskatchewan Association of Northern Communities. (The Northerner)
Retirement Bylaw Scrapped
LLOYDMINSTER -- The city repealed a provision of a 37-year-old bylaw requiring mandatory retirement of city workers at age 65. (Meridian Booster)
Record Capital Budget
SASKATOON -- The 2007 preliminary budget calls for $207 million in capital projects, a second record-breaking year. (Star-Phoenix)
Saskatchewan Municipal Contact Info
To track down municipal officials in Saskatchewan, MuniMall recommends starting with the Municipal Directory System, maintained by Saskatchewan Government Relations.
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Municipal Manitoba
Throne Speech Promising
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE -- The Manitoba Throne Speech sets out what could be a promising legislative session for municipalities, says the Association of Manitoba Municipalities. (Association of Manitoba Municipalities)
300-Acre Subdivision Approved
WINNIPEG -- Homes could start cropping up in Winnipeg's massive new Waverley West subdivision as early as next year now that a city committee has approved development of the area's first neighbourhood. (CBC Manitoba)
$18M For Transit
WINNIPEG -- The provincial government announced $18 million to support more affordable and accessible transit systems in Winnipeg, Brandon, Thompson and Flin Flon. (Government of Manitoba)
Big Water-Sewer Hikes Foreseen
WINNIPEG -- Updated reports to city council recommends water and sewer rate hikes 14 per cent beyond initial estimates with as much as $1.8 billion required in upgrades. (CBC Manitoba)
Derelict Buildings Eyed
WINNIPEG -- Building inspectors want to use a powerful bylaw provision they've never applied before to take possession of 15 derelict properties. (CBC Winnipeg)
Mayor's Divorce Papers Unsealed
WINNIPEG -- Mayor Sam Katz will allow his divorce proceedings to be made public to head off a challenge by media outlets. (CBC Manitoba)
Electronics Recycling Assistance Sought
DAUPHIN -- Communities across Manitoba are calling on the provincial government to pay the cost of shipping old electronics to a Winnipeg-based recycler. (CBC Manitoba)
Full House For Once
ALTONA -- A strange and unusual sight beheld newly-elected town councillors, and special efforts had to be made to accommodate . . . a full house for the inauguration. (Red River Valley Echo)
10.9 KM Water Line Extension
CARMAN -- A 10.9-kilometre waterline extension will bring water to a sparsely populated area at a cost of $271,000. (Valley Leader)
Amalgamation Split
GLADSTONE -- Voters were split along municipal lines over amalgamating an RM with a neighbouring town. (Central Plains Herald-Leader)
CAO Replaced
CLANDEBOYE -- A chief administrative officer who resigned amid controversy was replaced by the former Gimli chief. (Selkirk Journal)
Mayor's Party Snubbed
STONEWALL -- Several councillors feel they were not chosen for the deputy mayor's position because they snubbed the mayor's victory party. (Stonewall Argus)
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.
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Municipal North
Dreaming Of A Dry Christmas
CAMBRIDGE BAY, NU -- Concerned residents have one Christmas wish this year: a holiday that's free of the broken windows, kicked-in doors, drunken brawling and alcohol-related deaths and have asked the hamlet council to ban booze over Christmas. (Nunatsiaq News)
Mayors Share Notes
KUUJJUAQ, PQ -- The mayors of Kuujjuaq and Iqaluit will compare notes on the challenges of managing a growing Arctic community. (Nunatsiaq News)
NWT Conference Successful
YELLOWKNIFE, NT -- Leaders and staff from 25 community governments across the NWT discussed the development of a template to help them create their Integrated Community Sustainability Plans. (Government of the Northwest Territories)
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.
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Municipal Ontario
Water Plant Upgrade
SCHREIBER -- The township will upgrade its water treatment plant with $397,000 each from the provincial and federal governments. (Government of Canada)
AMO Lobbies For Respect
TORONTO -- The province should treat municipalities as equal partners in government and provide the resources to manage downloaded responsibilities, says the Association of Municipalities of Ontario in its written submission on the Municipal Statutes Amendment Act. (Association of Municipalities of Ontario)
Biosolids Plant Earns Award
THOROLD -- Niagara Region earned an award of merit from the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships for its state of the art biosolids processing plant to manufacture fertilizer from sewage sludge. (Regional Municipality of Niagara)
Election Reveals Rift
OTTAWA -- The amalgamated city of Ottawa must come up with ways of governing that recognize the different needs of rural and urban dwellers, local residents and politicians say. (CBC Ottawa)
Councillor Wins By Chance
LEAMINGTON -- A tie vote for a city council seat was broken when the winner's name was drawn from a hat. (CBC Toronto)
Mayor Establishes Arts Fund
MISSISSAUGA -- Mayor Hazel McCallion will help establish an endowment for the arts from donations through the annual Mayor's Gala. (City of Mississauga)
Mayor Hires Anti-Tax Aide
OTTAWA -- The former head of an anti-tax lobby group is expected to be named chief of staff to mayor-elect Larry O'Brien. (CBC Ottawa)
$11.2 COMRIF For Sewage
MOUNT FOREST -- A $11.2 million COMRIF grant secures the construction of a new sewage treatment plant in Mount Forest. (Arthur Enterprise News)
ICI Dump Approved
TORONTO -- The proposed Niagara Waste Systems landfill expansion in Niagara Region has received environmental assessment approval, with conditions, Environment Minister Laurel Broten announced. (Government of Ontario)
Tornado Disaster
MADAWASKA -- The Township of Madawaska Valley was declared a disaster area following a tornado last August, and the province will provide $900,000 for extraordinary clean up costs. (Government of Ontario)
Banting House Offer Refused
ALLISTON -- The crumbling birthplace of one of Canada's most globally recognizable heroes will not be sold to the municipality. (Barrie Examiner)
Interim CAO Chosen
BARRIE -- An interim replacement for the retiring CAO was chosen. (Barrie Examiner)
Brownfield Testing Okayed
BRANTFORD -- The city is free to resume testing without restriction on the Sternson brownfield site to determine the extent of some dangerous chemical contaminants. (Brantford Expositor)
Scammed City Credit Card
COBOURG -- The County of Northumberland treasurer has resigned while on suspension after the city credit card was used to rack up personal purchases. (Northumberland Today)
Recycling Bags Litter Streets
PORT HOPE -- Uncollected recycling bags littered streets in Port Hope prompting scores of telephone calls to county and municipal offices. (Northumberland Today)
Residents Trash Dump
CAYUGA -- Activists battling reactivation of the Edwards Landfill have stepped forward again due to community concerns. (Dunnville Chronicle)
Tobacco Cop On Job
DUNNVILLE -- A tobacco enforcement officer is on the job in Haldimand and Norfolk Counties to ensure retailers and workplaces are abiding by the Smoke-Free Ontario Act. (Dunnville Chronicle)
Councillor Declines Seat
SPANISH -- Town councillor-elect Eunice Kobelka will not be taking her position as councillor at the Dec. 4 inaugural meeting. (Elliot Lake Standard)
Four Sore Over Rejection
HALIBURTON -- Four Haliburton County candidates are contesting the results of last Mondays municipal election, citing high ballot rejection rates as a hindrance to the democratic process. (Haliburton Echo)
Toys For Fines
KINGSTON -- The city will accept a donation of a toy in lieu of cash to pay parking fines. (Kingston This Week)
High Cost To Cancel
KINGSTON -- The cost to the city of cancelling the downtown arena project could be anywhere from $8.1 million to $13.4 million, city hall says. (Kingston Whig Standard)
Rejected Ballots Challenged
MINDEN -- Two candidates from Minden Hills will be among the first in the province to challenge rejected ballots in the November 13 municipal election.
Falls Can Handle Its Pot
NIAGARA FALLS -- The city of Orillia wants to create a bylaw to recoup costs from dismantling marijuana grow-ops, but Niagara Falls has been doing it without one for years. (Niagara Falls Review)
Harassment Charges Dropped
NORTH BAY -- After more than two years since his arrest, charges have been dropped against a local contractor accused of harassing and threatening a top city official. (North Bay Nugget)
Radioactive Earthquake Feared
BROCKTON -- Brockton council has approved a request by Ontario Power Generation to set up a seismic monitoring station east of Walkerton to measure earthquake activity that could affect the proposed burial site for low- and medium-level radioactive waste at Douglas Point. (Owen Sound Sun-Times)
Secularists Protest Prayer
PETERBOROUGH -- Every time city council rises to say the Lord's Prayer together, the municipality breaks the law, a group called Secular Ontario says. (Peterborough Examiner)
Child Poverty Task Force
WYOMING -- Area politicians made an unprecedented commitment to fight child poverty in Sarnia-Lambton Wednesday when they approved the creation of a new task force.
Recount Confirms Election
SAULT STE. MARIE -- A recount of second- and third-place finishers in the municipal election has not changed the outcome. (Sault Star)
Great Lakes "Toilet"
ST. CATHARINES -- In a recent report grading municipalities, the Sierra Legal Defence Fund called the Great Lakes a toilet bowl filled with sewage and other toxic effluent. (St. Catharines Standard)
Mayor Sentenced To Essay
HAMILTON -- Mayor Larry Di Ianni, who lost his bid for re-election, was convicted this fall for election contribution irregularities and was sentenced to write an essay for Municipal World. (CATCH article hosted on MuniMall)
Ontario Municipal Contact Info
To track down municipal officials in this province, MuniMall recommends starting with Community Profiles, maintained by Ontario Economic Development.
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Municipal Québec
Cuts Tackle Deficit
MONTREAL -- The City of Montreal will eliminate 1,000 municipal jobs through attrition, officials said as they laid out a series of cutbacks meant to control a growing deficit. (CBC Montreal)
Avenue Renamed Amid Controversy
MONTREAL -- City council voted to rename Parc Avenue after former Quebec premier Robert Bourassa, despite the opposition of thousands of people who fought the move for weeks. (CBC Montreal)
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Municipal Atlantic
Guyana Reps Visit
HALIFAX, NS -- The province's municipal services staff played host to their Guyanese counterparts during a visit to Nova Scotia. (Government of Nova Scotia)
Ordered Back
HALIFAX, NS -- Cape Breton public health workers were ordered back to work after the Labour Relations Board deemed their strike illegal. (Government of Nova Scotia)
Deck The Halls With LEDs
HALIFAX, NS -- Municipalities will light up the holiday season with energy-conserving LED lights. (Government of Nova Scotia)
$37.5M For Transit
HALIFAX, NS -- The federal government invested $37.5M toward improvements of 11 public transit systems in the province. (Government of Nova Scotia)
Emission Reductions Studied
HALIFAX, NS -- With funding from the Green Municipal Fund and the province's Department of Energy, the Straits-Highlands Regional Development Agency will study ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (Government of Nova Scotia)
Cut Staff Perks, Pol Says
HALIFAX, NS -- Travel, training and free magazines are on a Halifax councillor's chopping block as the municipality grapples with a projected $2.2-million deficit. (CBC Nova Scotia)
Quarantine Expansion Bugs Council
HALIFAX, NS -- A Halifax councillor wants Ottawa to scrap plans to expand a quarantine zone, due to a beetle infestation, that he says would result in the loss of hundreds of woodlot businesses and jobs. (CBC Nova Scotia)
Court Orders Training
MAHONE BAY, NS -- The town was ordered to train water-treatment workers after pleading guilty to two counts of failing to test for lead and arsenic. (CBC Nova Scotia)
Feds Fuel Transit Upgrades
HALIFAX, NS -- Most of the recently-announced federal funds for transit upgrades will go into the Halifax system. (CBC Nova Scotia)
City Funding Continues
ST. JOHN'S, NL -- The provincial government cancelled the final phase of reduction in municipal operating grants worth $1.4 million for 14 cities and towns. (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador)
Cash For Trash
ST. JOHN'S, NL -- Two towns earned enhanced waste management funding for their efforts to consolidate disposal facilities. (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador)
Parking Crackdown Works
ST. JOHN'S, NL -- A crackdown on parking in downtown St. John's appears to be working after just two weeks, a city councillor says. (CBC Newfoundland and Labrador)
Firefighter Claims Increase
ST. JOHN'S, NL -- Union representatives deny firefighters are taking more time off work because they purchased private insurance that tops up their compensation benefits. (CBC Newfoundland and Labrador)
Assessment Hikes Swell Revenues
MONCTON, NB -- Property owners could face significantly higher taxes again this year because the province has hiked assessments by eight per cent for the fourth year in a row. (CBC New Brunswick)
Developer Pans Town Plan
STRATFORD, PE -- One of PEI's largest developers says the town's new development plan is unrealistic and leave little room for commercial investment. (CBC PEI)
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. The List of New Brunswick Municipalities provides contact info for cities, towns, and villages in that province, as well as the names of elected officials.
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Getting Wired
Master Planning Online
EDMONTON -- The city is taking its information gathering into cyberspace as it updates its transportation masterplan with questionaires and complete documentation available online. (City of Edmonton)
High-speed Internet: Municipally Excellent Practice
CASTOR -- Residents and businesses in the County of Paintearth No. 18 now enjoy high-speed access to the internet thanks to the efforts of the Paintearth Economic Partnership Society representing the Towns of Castor and Coronation, Village of Halkirk and the county. Another excellent practice recently posted on MEnet, Alberta's Municipal Excellence network. (www.menet.ab.ca)
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