Municipal Alberta
Research Partnership: Municipally Excellent Practice
CALGARY -- The University of Calgary will integrate research activities in key areas identified as urban and municipal priorities by the City of Calgary. It's an excellent practice recently posted on MENet, Alberta's Municipal Excellence Network. (www.menet.ab.ca)
Curbside Recycling Collection
CALGARY -- The city hopes to double the amount of recyclable material it collects when it launches curbside recycling in the spring. (CBC)
City Investments Conservative
CALGARY -- The city may have lost $2 million it had invested in Lehman Brothers, a U.S. investment bank that collapsed three weeks ago. (CBC)
Six New Rinks Slated
CALGARY -- Corporate sponsors are contributing up to $7 million to build three refrigerated outdoor rinks and three indoor rinks. (Calgary Herald)
Suite Incentives Okayed
CALGARY -- A $2.25 million initiative will offer up to $25,000 to create secondary suites. (Calgary Herald)
New Cop Shop Greener
FORT MCMURRAY -- The city police headquarters is on track to receive gold certification for energy and environmental design. (Fort McMurray Today)
Firefighter Turnover Reflects Pay
FORT MCMURRAY -- The firefighters' union is looking for pay hikes to reduce the high turnover rate. (Fort McMurray Today)
Utility To Cut Dividends
GRANDE PRAIRIE -- If all three shareholders agree, dividends from Aquatera Utilities will be reduced to keep user rates from rising. (Daily Herald Tribune)
$8M Water Expansion Under Way
GRANDE PRAIRIE -- Sod was turned for an $8.3 million expansion of regional water services. (Daily Herald Tribune)
Deficient Work Tiresome
GRANDE PRAIRIE -- City council wants to clamp down on deficient work and get contractors to finish their jobs. (Daily Herald Tribune)
Four-Year Terms Urged
GRANDE PRAIRIE -- The city's resolution to urge the government to institute four-year municipal terms was accepted by the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association meeting. (City of Grande Prairie)
Pool Construction Okayed
EDMONTON -- City officials hope the postponement of several upgrader projects will give them a reprieve on construction inflation to build a swimming pool. (CBC)
Pre-Fab Homes Sprout
EDMONTON -- A new building technique, developed in part by a research team at the University of Alberta, is seeing homes under construction in Edmonton crop up faster than usual. (CBC)
Arena Replacement Discussed
MAYERTHORPE -- Area county and town councils established a committee to undertake the replacement of a hockey arena destroyed by fire. (Mayerthorpe Freelancer)
Skatepark Locale Approved
NANTON -- Town council approved the location of a skatepark in place of an old tennis court. (Nanton News)
Fire Trucks Unsafe
CLARESHOLME -- Two MD fire trucks failed recent safety inspections. (Nanton News)
Burned Hall Replacement Begins
WEBSTER -- Concrete has been poured to replace a community hall destroyed by fire last year. (Peace Country Sun)
Building Input Sought
VALLEYVIEW -- The MD of Greenview is seeking public input on amalgamating services under one roof. (Peace Country Sun)
Fire Agreement Not 'Regionalization'
PEACE RIVER -- The two-hatted fire chief is working out the kinks implementing a cooperative agreement between the MD and town. (Peace River Record Gazette)
Bus Contract Fishy: Resident
PEACE RIVER -- A letter writer takes issue with statements and the facts around the awarding of a contract for bus services. (Peace River Record Gazette)
Proclamation Nursed Through
PEACE RIVER -- A proclamation announcing Breastfeeding Week was passed, but some councillors thought it might be insensitive. (Peace River Record Gazette)
Feedlot Stops Rezoning
CHAMPION -- Council had no choice put to deny rezoning a vacant acre parcel because it was too close to a feedlot. (Vulcan Advocate)
Slow-Vehicle Warnings Sought
WHITECOURT -- Woodlands County will bring a resolution to the annual conference of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties to require slow-moving vehicles be equipped with warning lights. (Whitecourt Star)
Residents Overruled On Townhouses
AIRDRIE -- Despite adamant opposition from neighbours, the city endorsed zoning amendments to allow a townhouse development. (Airdrie Echo)
Road-Use Regulations Added
CAMROSE -- Camrose County now requires permits for non-regular truck loads. (Camrose Canadian)
Hamlet Plan Under Study
COCHRANE -- The MD of Rocky View is undertaking a community design workshop for the hamlet of Cochrane Lake. (Cochrane Times)
Plebiscite Quashes Centre Development
CROWSNEST PASS -- Votes in a local plebiscite voted against a $14 million renovation of the Crowsnest Centre. (Crowsnest Pass Promoter)
Street Vendor Ban Supported
EDSON LEADER -- RCMP want the town to ban street food vendors to cut down on late night troublemaking. (Edson Leader)
Leaders Talk Library
HINTON -- Area mayors and CAOs are looking at ways to keep library costs down. (Hinton Parklander)
Town Housing Takes Shape
LACOMBE -- The town unveiled its plans for a municipally-administered subdivision on 300 acres of land. (Lacombe Globe)
Wind Projects Now Legal
LACOMBE -- The county passed land-use bylaw amendments to allow wind-driven electricity projects. (Lacombe Globe)
Power Franchise Fee Hiked
PINCHER CREEK -- The town has doubled the fee it collects from Fortis Alberta, and some residents have called it a hidden tax. (Pincher Creek Echo)
Drunk Damages Landmark Sign
SYLVAN LAKE -- After having been installed less than two weeks earlier, a landmark sign was badly damaged by a drunk driver. (Red Deer Advocate)
County Joins Energy From Waste Deal
RED DEER -- Red Deer County estimates it will save $400,000 a year when a proposed garbage gasification plant goes on stream. (Red Deer Advocate)
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
Financials On Target
MOOSE JAW -- City hall expects 2008 financial reports to be on target with a $40,000 surplus. (Moose Jaw Times Herald)
Referendum Petition Exceeds Requirements
MOOSE JAW -- A resident's group submitted a 4,280-name petition, more than enough to force a second referendum on the construction of a large recreation centre. (Moose Jaw Times Herald)
Bin Shortage Rectified
MOOSE JAW -- City administration forgot to count trailer parks when it ordered household garbage bins for its new automated collection system. (Moose Jaw Times Herald)
Audible Signals Approved
MOOSE JAW -- Nine more intersections will be fitted with audible crosswalk signals to assist the visually-impaired. (Moose Jaw Times Herald)
Debt Limit Lowered
SWIFT CURRENT -- Council opted to cut the debt-revenue ratio. (Southwest Booster)
Debt Increase Sought
PRINCE ALBERT -- Finance staff have proposed to hike the city's debt limit by $5 million.
$50 Tax Penalty Disputed
PRINCE ALBERT -- A property owner is irate the city did not forgive the late penalty on his tardy tax payment, saying his bill came in the same envelop as his neighbour's. (Prince Albert)
Wants Out Of SaskWater
DUCK LAKE -- The town is exploring options for drinking water after SaskWater said it would hike its price by 48 per cent. (Prince Albert Daily Herald)
Won't Ignore Councillor's Remark
PRINCE ALBERT -- A city man wants a councillor to apologize for labelling residents who aren't familiar with special-needs people as "ignorant."
Watershed Protection Plan Complete
SASKATOON -- A source protection plan for the North Saskatchewan river watershed has been completed. (Government of Saskatchewan)
Neighbourhood Rinks At Risk?
REGINA -- Some hockey parents and civic employees fear older neighbourhood rinks may close in the shadow of a super multiplex arena. (CBC)
Saskatchewan Municipal Contact Info
To track down municipal officials in Saskatchewan, MuniMall recommends starting with the Municipal Directory System, maintained by Saskatchewan Municipal Affairs.
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Municipal Manitoba
Police Disbandment Reaffirmed
EAST ST. PAUL -- Manitoba's justice minister says he will not reverse his decision to disband the East St. Paul police service, a move municipal officials have called an insult. (CBC)
Transit Fares Nudged
WINNIPEG -- A Winnipeg city committee has accepted a recommendation to increase transit fares by between two and three per cent on Jan. 1, 2009. (CBC)
Ad-Hoc Memorials Reviewed
WINNIPEG -- City Hall is grappling with the delicate matter of how long public memorials marking the places where people have died should remain in place. (CBC)
Assessments Soar
WINNIPEG -- The value of Winnipeg homes has soared to "unprecedented" highs over the last four years, according to the city's assessment and taxation department. (CBC)
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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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
Tired Students Get Curfew
FORT LIARD, NT -- Mayor Wayne Newbury said a proposed curfew will help students do better in school. (CBC)
City Flips Grant To Ski Hill
WHITEHORSE, YK -- The Yukon government is giving the city of Whitehorse a $200,000 recreational facility grant Ñ which the city, in turn, says it will give to the Great Northern Ski Society, the non-profit group that runs Mount Sima. (CBC)
Home Sweet Campground Closes
WHITEHORSE, YK -- The fall closure of a campground in Whitehorse has become a problem for some of its low-income inhabitants, who say they have made the campground their home. (CBC)
Bag Bylaws Misguided: Industry
IQALUIT, YK -- A proposal to ban single-use plastic shopping bags in Iqaluit, and another plan to charge for the bags in Whitehorse, are both misguided efforts to save the environment, according to a national plastics industry group. (CBC)
Youth Crime Spree Alarming
INUVIK, NT -- Town council is grappling with increased youth crime, but RCMP say that are doing all they can. (CBC)
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
Street Named 'OMB Folly'
TORONTO -- The North York Community Councils wants to name a street "OMB Folly" as a protest of the Ontario Municipal Board's decision to allow a townhouse complex. (680 News)
NASCAR Investment Sought
FORT ERIE -- Mayor Doug Martin has joined a trade mission to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and hopes to seal a deal to bring NASCAR racing to southern Ontario. (Niagara Falls Review)
Asbestos Exposure Nets $60K Fine
KINGSTON -- The City of Kingston was fined $60,000 after pleading guilty to offences related to worker exposure to asbestos. (Canada Newswire)
Commuters Take Strike In Stride
NEWMARKET -- While a transit strike is causing strain, commuters are making detours. (Toronto Star)
Muni Support For Mining Review Sought
THUNDER BAY -- Northern Ontario First Nations are asking municipalities to support their calls for more extensive consultations on revisions to the Mining Act. (Canada Newswire)
Roads Maintenance Over Budget
LINDSAY -- Storm repairs and rising asphalt costs have pushed Northumberland County's road maintenance way over budget. (Lindsay Post)
Museum Neglected
SAULT STE. MARIE -- City residents and some councillors say the museum has been neglected for too long. (Sault Star)
Larger FedNor Budget Urged
SAULT STE. MARIE -- Northern Ontario cities want the federal government to contribute more and to develop a full economic strategy for the region. (Sault Star)
City Fronts War of 1812 Project
NIAGARA FALLS -- The city has fronted $750,000 to get a War of 1812 legacy project rolling with architectural drawings and other plans. (Niagara Falls Review)
Pitch Made For Pan Am Games
THOROLD -- Local proponents say the Region ought to chip in some money to impress the organizing body of the 2015 Pan Am Games. (St. Catharines Standard)
Clear Trash Bags Proposed
WIARTON -- Town council has proposed residents use clear trash bags to enhance it's recycling efforts. (Owen Sound Sun Times)
Works Director Goes Nuclear
OWEN SOUND -- Public works manager Mike Crone is leaving the city to work for Bruce Power. (Owen Sound Sun Times)
Solicitor Dies
PETERBOROUGH -- The city is saddened by the unexpected death of the municipal solicitor. (Peterborough)
Organics Collection Takes Root
BARRIE -- Simcoe County residents appear to be very receptive to the new organics collection program. (Barrie Examiner)
Pols Give Up Trying To Please
INGLESIDE -- Township councillors say they have tried everything to please everyone regarding truck traffic on quiet roads and have given up trying for a year. (Cornwall Standard Freeholder)
Town Now Sole Appellant
COLLINGWOOD -- Ten other municipalities have dropped out of a fight against school board development charges and the town of Collingwood has spent nearly $400,000 on the challenge. (Collingwood Enterprise Bulletin)
Buses First, Money Later
WELLAND -- Mayor Damian Goulbourne revealed area municipalities can't use a grant from the Green Municipal Fund as seed money for an intermunicipal service. (Niagara Falls Review)
Tough Cat Bylaw
SARNIA -- A proposed bylaw to control cats would allow people to trap trespassing felines and have them removed by the SPCA among other tough provisions. (Sarnia Observer)
Marina To Be Sold
AMHERSTBURG -- A municipally-run marina has been declared surplus and will be sold off to get rid of a large debt it has racked up. (Amherstburg Echo)
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
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Municipal Atlantic
Landfill Gas Fuels Generator
MONCTON, NB -- The province's first methane capture facility to generate electricity will be established at Moncton's landfill.
Bottled Water Ban Defeated
SAINT JOHN, NB -- An attempt by Saint John Mayor Ivan Court to stop selling bottled water in municipal buildings was stymied Monday night by councillors who said people should have the right to choose what they drink. (CBC)
Text 'W' For Windfall
ST. JOHN'S, NL -- The city is getting an unexpected windfall from telecommunications taxes because of the growth of wireless technology. (CBC)
Mayor Blasts Liberal Plan
ST. JOHN'S, NL -- Mayor Dennis O'Keefe blasted the Liberal party Green Shift plan after a staff report said it would cost the city an additional $800,000 per year. (CBC)
E-Voting Hailed
HALIFAX, NS -- Municipal election officials in the Halifax region say almost 29,000 people cast a ballot online or by phone for the Oct. 18 vote, nearly double the number of early voters in all the advance polls in 2004. (CBC)
Thorough P3 Reviews Urged
HALIFAX, NS -- CUPE is calling on the provincial government to require more intense public examination of private-public partnerships. (CBC)
Volunteers Help In Bylaw Battle
DARTMOUTH, NS -- An army of volunteers painted an elderly woman's house as she faced a municipal order to fix her property. (CBC)
Recalcitrant Motelier Pays Levy
SUMMERSIDE, PE -- While a court battle is pending, a motel owner protesting the new room tax levy paid the tax while a court order forced the municipality to turn his water back on. (CBC)
Sewage Workers Give Strike Mandate
CHARLOTTETOWN, PE -- The six unionized employees of the Charlottetown wastewater treatment plant are in a strike position following a vote. (CBC)
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.
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.
Current Events
The Next 30 Days:
-
Conference of Association of Professional Community Planners of Saskatchewan "Saskatchewan Communities in Growth"
-- Saskatoon, SK Oct. 15-17
-
Centennial Convention of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties
-- Edmonton, AB, Nov. 11-14
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
Local Census Info Posted
AIRDRIE, AB -- The city has posted its municipal census information on its website. (Airdrie Echo)
Parking Surveyed Online
CANMORE, AB -- The town has partnered with students at the University of Western Ontario and other universities to test software that allows residents to get involved in planning issues. (Canmore Leader)
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