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By Nikki Jamieson
Westwind Weekly News
The following are selected briefs from the regular March 16 Stirling village council meeting:
Council Delegation – Detachment Commander Raymond/Magrath RCMP: Sgt. Kevin Wright
Wright appeared before council to discuss the previous quarter’s crime statistics for the area, and to understand council’s priorities for the upcoming one. Stirling Mayor Trevor Lewington said that the ongoing and regular dialogue between the two parties helps them understand any community or operational concerns that may arise.
Lewington noted that one statistic of note was a rise in fraud related incidents, that could be attributed to online and telephone scams, in the previous quarter.
Council accepted the reports and updates as information and discussed a number of priorities, such as a continued focus on preventing property crime, proactive patrols and traffic enforcement, to be communicated back to Sgt. Wright officially.
Council Delegation – Sandra Nelson
Nelson appeared before council on behalf of the Lions Club to inquire about the status of the bowling alley, which was closed due to safety concerns. She also informed council that she had successfully received a grant from the New Horizons for Seniors program, to replace the washroom facilities at the Fish Pond and Silver Saddle Club recreation area with up-to-date, accessible facilities, and Council suggested she engage with the village’s CAO, Scott Donselaar, to go over discussed arrangements to complete the require washroom work on municipal property and next steps in the process.
Bylaw 521-22: Clean Energy Improvement Program Bylaw
Council performed first and second reading of the Clean Energy Improvement Program Bylaw, which would allow homeowners to complete energy efficiency upgrades, including solar panels by borrowing from the municipality.
The new bylaw would authorize the village to engage with the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre that administers the provincial program. More information on the program can be found at https://www.myceip.ca/
The bylaw is expected to return before council at their next council meeting.
Fortis Lighting Update
Following previous council direction after a delegation at their March 2 meeting, village administration had researched the costs of adding lighting where where 4th Street turns to meet 5th Street in the village. If approved, the plan would add up to two additional fixtures to that area. Construction is considered to be relatively minor, and would be completed by Fortis, who owns and operates the infrastructure. Council directed administration to confirm the costing and report back to council with an implementation plan once location options for the two proposed sites are provided by Fortis.
Bylaw 524-22 Council Committees Bylaw
A new council committee bylaw will return to the next council meeting following a redraft with several amendments, such as red tape reduction and simplifying some areas while meeting legislative requirements.
No new committees are contained within the bylaw. However, it sets up the village’s Community Events Committee in the new framework along with establishing the Tourism and Economic Development committee.
Designated Food Truck Locations
Village administration had identified a trend concerning the popularity of food trucks in the village and expect more to come to the community in the future. Council directed administration to proceed with developing a policy around this following council discussion.
“It was felt that creating a designated area will help create a consistent location that everyone can remember while at the same time consolidate food truck events and food truck presence in the community in an area that is best from a road safety and community impact perspective,” said Lewington. “This was seen as a proactive way to help promote food trucks, ensure public safety and set out expectations as vendors visit our community.
Re-Branding: Results of the 1st Survey
The village will be reviewing their Municipal Development Plan following a series of surveys and community engagements aimed to better understand the village’s current brand and potential changes moving forward.
The initial survey was a simple one-word electronic survey, meant to capture what words our residents most associate with the community. Lewington noted there were no surprises that popped up in the survey, which saw words such as ‘safe’, ‘quiet’ and ‘community’ being the most common word-associations.
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