Empire-Advance

    Election time is coming and this column is about our communities’ future.

    Our three papers cover every town and municipality from West-Lake-Gladstone on the east to RM of Wallace-Woodworth the west. They also cover RM of Ste. Rose to the north all the way to the RM of Pipestone, Carberry and Elton on the south end including the City of Brandon.

    The next general municipal election is Wednesday, October 28, 2026. Voters need to be planning ahead as I have been told, and I sense, many councillors, reeves and mayors will not be seeking re-election.

    Here are some of the common election issues we have observed and heard about.

    The most commonly expressed concern is the condition of the roads. Some are good or at least OK but many are bad, really bad. Like, I mean dangerously bad with potholes and rough areas that are big enough to swallow the front end of a car or light truck. It costs a lot of money to build and maintain roads but it also takes a lot of foresight and planning.

    In areas faced with paved roads, the problems are even more expensive to fix.

    Around the year 2000, when I was first in the mayor’s chair at Neepawa, I attended a national conference. At the conference was a trade show where a pavement repair machine was demonstrated that had a large spray boom on the front that would blow the water and loose gravel out of the cavity, spray in sticky oil and gravel and pack it down. Great idea, it works well. It’s not cheap, but it works well. I, among others, brought that idea back to our councils but it took over 20 years to adopt usage of the machine.

    The machine is seeing some local use now. The big advantage is that local staff can run the equipment, potholes can be filled any time during the non-winter season and municipalities aren’t squeezed into months-long and even years-long waits for the scarce paving companies.

    These machines are costly, but roads are important, so how long do taxpayers need to wait to see a solution to what is arguably one of the most important problems facing them? These machines cost less than a new farm combine, so I think it’s high time to have towns look at this solution. Maybe two or three towns could buy a machine jointly and then, God forbid, they could cooperate on fixing a common problem.

    Around our papers’ coverage area are problems that are locally specific. Virden has a huge and long term problem with water supply and quality. No doubt it will get solved, but at whose cost? The issue is being contested in court right now. The RM of Rosedale is in the midst of a huge controversy about the proposed wind farm that will take years to iron out. The RM of Pipestone is also involved in an energy controversy over a carbon capture project and both projects are promising huge financial costs and returns. Personally, I am skeptical on the returns part.

    Recreation is always an issue. RM of Rosedale has an uncompleted skating rink at Kelwood. Neepawa’s Yellowhead Centre is one of the oldest in our coverage area and quite frankly, one of the poorest of condition facilities. The YHC is not municipally owned and one of the main reasons it’s so far behind other towns is that it does not have anywhere near sufficient support from the Town of Neepawa and the surrounding RMs.

    There are parts, if not all, of our coverage area that need more housing and more daycare spaces.

    So, across our coverage area there are both unique and common problems. If communities are to grow or even survive, they need good councils and staff. One of the obstacles to getting good councils and staff is all the abuse that is shoved their way. Here’s a few clues to change that. Be nice, discuss and criticize ideas not people.

    And remember, to put it all in context, pick up your local history book and check out all the towns and villages that have died or are on their last legs. Many times a community’s demise could have been prevented. It’s up to us folks. Think local, live local, shop local. When your mind strays to other centres, just ask yourself how many times Costco, Amazon or Facebook has sponsored your kid’s ball team or 4-H Club. And don’t forget the price of gas!

    More than ever before, we need to think and act locally. That’s the key, think and act!

    Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are the writer’s personal views and are not to be taken as being the view of the Banner & Press staff.