In a meeting with dozens of items on the agenda, the Indigenous artifacts in the Manitoba Antique Automobile Museum were discussed in councillor reports.
General business
The Assiniboine River Basin Initiative board meeting on Oct. 25-26 will include a tour and Reeve Clayton Canart expressed interest in attending. The meeting will feature a speaker who has experience in water sharing and co-operation. Canart wondered “if there'd be any information or knowledge there in regard to drought planning.” Council approved his attendance.
The RM received a letter from the Town of Virden requesting support for the building of a new station one firehall in Virden. Reeve Canart said "We're still waiting on information so we can have a clear picture of the agreement. We look forward to seeing their grant application, renovation plans and providing our support. As we move forward with the support, we will collaboratively work on renewal of our district agreement as well.”
The annual municipal Christmas banquet will be held on Dec. 8 in the Elkhorn Elks Hall.
Oak Lake Fire Board requested a 2023 contribution in the amount of $6,447.10. This was approved and the administration will begin negotiations for a new four-year agreement.
Payment to Profile Paving of $25,525.50 for sidewalk construction in Elkhorn was approved.
Payment of $30,045.93 to CVS Rubber Paving for the installation of a walkway for the Elkhorn play structure project using rubber surfacing was approved.
Arts Mosaic requested a letter of support to assist their current funding application. The letter of support will be provided.
Council approved the payment of $5,084.62 to Barnes and Duncan for the work done up to Aug. 31 for the Elkhorn RTM childcare facility project.
Kim Hudon submitted a claim for damages when a hockey net near her residence was mistakenly picked up as garbage. Council approved her to replace the item and submit the bill.
CAO Garth Mitchell and Reeve Canart will sign a memorandum of understanding to renew the mutual aid agreement with the RM of Prairie View.
The RM will provide a letter of support for grant applications to upgrade the Virden Regional Airport.
LUD committees
Councillor Diana MacDonald reported on the Kenton LUD committee meeting. The committee discussed mowing of public spaces, nuisance bird control, the welcome sign west of town, plans for a new sidewalk next year and the highway signs that should be installed in the next month.
Councillor Denis Lachapelle had a couple of conflicts that kept him from the Elkhorn LUD committee meeting, so CAO Mitchell reported that the committee discussed the possibility of acquiring security cameras for the park and plans to repair a damaged sidewalk on Kildare Street.
Councillor reports
Councillor Mark Humphries reported on the Border Regional Library meeting where new Administrator Laranda Bailey chaired her first meeting. Humphries said, “she did very, very well - she handled the meeting like a true professional.” He detailed progress on the plans for renovation of the building and the need for another member for the library board.
Humphries reported on the Prairie Gateway Tourism meeting and the discussion there about the possibility of developing a new constitution for the organization.
This led to a discussion about the need for a document to give new committee members a framework of the procedures and legalities involved in public meetings. Other councillors noted several examples from other committees where new members had little experience in managing financial details or meeting protocol. Suggestions were made for carrying information and regulations forward as committee members leave and are replaced by new members including both a written constitution and a frequently updated document detailing proper procedures.
Councillor Val Caldwell attended the Western Caucus meeting and Westman Emergency Group (WEG) meeting. WEG is developing a new emergency plan that will be completed by the end of this year. Discussion followed about whether there are adequate emergency plans for senior residences in the area.
Reeve Canart and administrative staff met with a representative for JQ Build regarding the new daycare facility in Elkhorn and learned that construction is scheduled to begin “in later January with an estimated opening by September of next year.”
From the fireboard meeting, he reported that Chief Tyson Van Eaton is continuing with training upgrades related to his recent appointment as Fire Chief. There were 70 calls since last meeting and there are currently 41 firefighters at both stations.
Canart also attended an all-committee meeting in Elkhorn designed to bring all community service groups together to discuss common needs and initiatives for the community. Current focus for the group is the planned new daycare facility and how other groups in town can bring help and support.
Councillor Barb Stambuski reported that the Indigenous artifacts in the Manitoba Antique Automobile Museum in Elkhorn are not related to the other items and don’t fit with the collection management plan now being developed. When the Archaeological Society was contacted for advice on how to properly handle the items, its response informed the committee how to correctly name the items “and never really gave us any advice on what to do with them,” said Stambuski. The committee will contact representatives of the Indigenous community for guidance.
The museum board will develop a document detailing the associated costs for providing vehicles for special events, as the costs are increasing, and it is becoming more difficult to recruit volunteers
Subdivision application
Development Officer Cory Nixon attended to present information he had gathered regarding the Hutchison/Hewitt application for subdivision that had been tabled from a previous meeting. He explained that the property and the municipal roads flooded there in 2011 and 2014. Further discussion focused on the RM’s responsibilities and liabilities with a new subdivision of the property as well as considering what conditions might be included in the subdivision.
Landowner Wayne Hutchison attended to provide information regarding the proposed subdivision. He informed council that the yard site on the property in question had been occupied for over 100 years and although the road and one corner of the property is prone to flooding, the buildings on the yard site have never flooded. Hutchison told council that “the preservation and use of the 15 acres as a yard site will also add a bit of refuge for wildlife along the creek.” He said that farmers in the area have removed much of the bush. He said, “we’ve already seen changes in wildlife patterns.” He added that although water sometimes flows over the road in the spring “in growing up, we do not recall ever missing school.”
Reeve Canart responded to Hutchison’s presentation with an explanation of the factors the municipality considers in the subdivision process when the land has flooded in the past. He said, “We certainly aren't opposed to subdivisions and future possible yard sites in the municipality.” Canart added that sometimes conditions need to be placed on the subdivision to ensure that the property has reasonable access and is suitable for construction of a new residence.
After a brief discussion council agreed that a condition be added to the subdivision requiring any new construction be located at least three feet above the known high water level and council passed a resolution to that effect.
