***Original published in South Mountain Press, November 23, 2018***
New Clanwilliam-Erickson Council Meets
The new Council for the Rural Municipality of Clanwilliam-Erickson Council met for the first time on November 14 and got right down to business. The Council has a good mixture of seasoned municipal council veterans with some new blood mixed in.
Just like other RM Councils all over the province have been doing for the past couple of weeks, several boilerplate but necessary items needed to be dealt with during this initial meeting. Council was quickly sworn in, minutes and financial statements were accepted, and numerous committees were staffed by Council members. The wheels of governance depend on these necessary details.
Delegations from the Services to Seniors Board and the Ditch Lake Co-op Board gave presentations on the history of their organizations and how the RM has interacted and/or supported them in the past. To the outside observer, it may seem boring but it can be vital for Councilors to hear about what is happening in their constituency. If you are a senior regularly using the Erickson Drop-In center or a recreational fisherman using the Ditch Lake boat launch, it would be reassuring to know that people are forward thinking about these services.
Head of Council Victor Baraniuk brought up a few pressing issues which will need more serious discussion and solutions. Some items needing resolution include working on the general state of PTH 262 sooner than later, dealing with the disposition of the Four Winds Waste Management project, and grappling with the fact that the Province is not providing infrastructure grants at the levels of previous years.
As for the Four Winds project, the Council reaffirmed their commitment to continue cooperation and partnership with the RM of Harrison Park and the First Nations of Rolling River and Keeseekoowenin. There was a general consensus that waste and recycling in the RM needed to be dealt with and that it was beneficial to pair up with other local governing bodies. Mayor Baraniuk reiterated the statement of Reeve Jason Potter that the partners needed to work on the best possible solution for the residents of their constituencies. Further discussion amongst the various stakeholders will take place in Erickson at the Crossroads center on December 5.
One last major item that the new Council worked on was who would be attending the Annual Convention of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) taking place in Winnipeg from November 26-28. The newer Council members will be able to take advantage of a Pre-Conference for Newly Elected Municipal Officials. Delegates will be treated to keynote speaker sessions that will include Premier Brian Pallister, CFL legend Mike “Pinball” Clemons, Fort McMurray’s Fire Chief (Ret’d) Darby Allen, and the ‘Man in Motion’ Rick Hansen. RM representatives will also be working on numerous AMM resolutions related to various Provincial and Federal issues.
As Mayor Baraniuk pointed out, certain AMM resolutions such as ‘Increase Operating Grants for Small Rural Airports’ and ‘Farm Property Assessment’ are of vital concern to the RM. There are plenty of farmers in the Clanwilliam area whose property values keep increasing while their farming receipts remain at static levels. Erickson receives good benefit from having their small airport but infrastructure issues cannot be put off indefinitely. Attending these larger provincial events such as the AMM Convention allows local Council to get their concerns and voices heard on issues where otherwise they might be ignored. It also allows them to find allies with similar concerns and possibly change provincial or federal policy with their weight of numbers.
For those people interested in attending to observe local government in action, Clanwilliam-Erickson Council meetings are held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. Their next regular meeting at the Erickson Municipal Office will be on November 28 at 9:00 am. News regarding the RM, meeting dates, upcoming events, Council meeting minutes or documents, and contact information for your local representatives can be found at http://www.ericksonmb.ca/
Blair is a personification of a ‘Jack of All Trades and Master of None’. He has held several careers and has all the T-shirts. Time to add the title Blogger to the list.