Map
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Meeting Schedule
Council Meeting
October 26, 2021
Emergency Contacts
Dion Hynes
Director of Public Works
780-864-0367
Michael Coy
Manager of
Infrastructure Projects
780-512-3085
Jim Alexy
Manager of
Infrastructure Maintenance
780-814-0530
Tom Morgan
Fire Chief
780-864-8664
firechief@birchhillscounty.com
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Birch Hills County
Birch Hills County is located in the Central Peace Region, bordered by the Peace River to the North and the Smoky River to the East. Located within the County are the hamlets of Eaglesham, Peoria, Tangent, Wanham and Watino. Oil and Gas provide the largest sector of employment in the County.
Paying Bills Online
Pay your bills with telephone or online banking through:
Pay your bills now with OptionPay
Birch Hills County is pleased to announce that we are now accepting payments with select credit cards through our OptionPay System. Payments for municipal services may be paid online or through the Administration Office.
OptionPay is a payment card system Birch Hills County uses for its credit card transactions. You can find more information on OptionPay by visiting their website.
October 26, 2021 Inaugual / Organizational / Regular Council Meeting
Tue, October 26, 2021 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (MDT)
Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/639612621
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Subdivision and Development Appeal Board (SDAB)
A hearing before the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board has been scheduled for:
Date: Wednesday November 10th, 2021
Time: 9:00a.m.
Location: Virtual GoTo Meeting - https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/126432933
Birch Hills County Council Chambers
4601 -50th Street, Wanham
Purpose: Appeal of Stop Order Issued September 28, 2021
Legal Description: Lots South half of 4, 5, 6 Block 3 Plan 6394ET
– Hamlet of Wanham
Due to COVID regulations, Members of the public will be asked to join virtually. Persons affected by this development have the right to present a written, verbal and/or visual submission to the Board. When making a presentation, keep in mind that in accordance with the legislation that governs the SDAB, the Board can only consider relevant planning matters when rendering its decision. It is recommended that you limit your presentation to five minutes.
If you wish to submit written material to the Board, it should be delivered to the Clerk of the SDAB, no later than 12:00 noon on November 3rd 2021. Any written and/or visual material received will be made available to the public.
Should you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact the SDAB Clerk at the Birch Hills County Administration Office (780) 694-3793, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Unsightly Properties in Hamlets
September 29, 2021
Being new to the area, has created an opportunity to look at matters with a fresh set of eyes.
While our current Unsightly Bylaw 2019-12 has been in place for some time, it appears that it
has been inconsistently applied. I believe the residents of the hamlets, Council and
administration all want the same objective; clean properties which are properly maintained,
while still enjoying the quality of life that a rural lifestyle brings. Such an approach will
hopefully encourage others to consider moving to our communities and uphold property values
as well.
To that end, I would like to take this opportunity to advise residents that Council has directed
me, as the bylaw officer, to apply the bylaw consistently and fairly. As per the bylaw, property
owners are responsible to keep such property and any public property which abuts or flanks
such property, in a presentable condition and shall:
• remove garbage, yard material, animal material, building material and ashes as it accumulates;
• prune and remove trees or shrubs in deteriorating condition located on the premises;
• cut grass and control dandelions and other weeds;
• remove any vehicles, equipment, machinery, trash or parts thereof; and
• not suffer or permit trees, or other vegetation growing on the property to interfere or endanger
the lines, poles, conduits, pipes, sewers, public utility laneways or other works of the County
A copy of the bylaw is available on our website. A number of clean up orders have
already been issued. We would rather property owners take pride in their
properties and not require the County to impose orders to comply. Please note
however, that should an order be issued, and non-compliance results, the County
will take the necessary steps as per the bylaw to clean up the property and invoice
the property owner. Should an invoice remain unpaid, the invoice will be applied to
the individual’s tax roll.
In closing, working together we can make a difference. Beautifying our
communities’ benefits everyone. Thank you in advance for taking a proactive
approach.
Respectfully,
Larry Davidson, CAO
Bylaw Officer
Standard First Aid and CPR-C
Where: Rycroft Library
When: November 5 & 6
Time: 8:30 am till 4:30 pm
Fee: $150.00
Call 780-864-7774 or 780-354-2656 to register
Alberta RCMP warns comsumers of online hay sale scam - October 14, 2021
Alberta RCMP are warning rural and farming communities to be aware of fraud that affects consumers looking to purchase hay. Due to extreme drought conditions this past summer, there is now a high demand for hay which is being sold at increased costs. This may cause farmers and agricultural workers to make purchases without taking time to properly verify or research production sources.
Across various RCMP jurisdictions this year, various groups have scammed victims of approximately $64,000. With many cases potentially not being reported, this figure could be higher.
Recently, fraudsters have been placing listings for hay on social media and buy-and-sell platforms, requesting immediate payment before buyers have the opportunity to research the producer, see the product, or receive delivery. This summer, both Evansburg RCMP and Grande Prairie RCMP received similar reports of transactions on Facebook Marketplace for a purchase of hay where a quantity of money was sent through an e-transfer, but no hay was delivered, and the funds were lost.
In all reported cases of hay fraud, the maximum individual deposit sent to scammers was over $5,000, and the minimum was $1,000. For consumers, it is valuable to note that those who avoided being scammed had refused to give deposits in advance, insisted upon speaking on the phone, and had paid cash upon delivery of goods.
The following key indicators can help you to identify a potential scam across online selling platforms:
- Typically, sellers will only communicate through text messaging and avoid phone conversations.
- Sellers can be located anywhere in the world and will get the attention of buyers by having a specific or specialized knowledge of hay products.
- Pricing will be attractively low and will be consistent with the previous year's market price.
- Often, there will be an insistence of a 50% deposit but once the deposit is received, there may be excuses about delayed delivery and then communication stops.
If you, or anyone you know, suspect a scam or have been a victim of fraud, report it to your local police and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501, or online at http://www.antifraudcentre.ca. For more fraud prevention information, follow us on Facebook @RCMPinAlberta and Twitter @RCMPAlberta.
FIRE ADVISORY AS OF September 27, 2021
Burning is allowed at this time, please notify the County Office of any burning.
Please be aware of your burn pile.
This advisory can change at any time due to high winds or dry conditions.
2021 Canada-Alberta Livestock Feed Assistance Initiative
Producers can apply for an initial AgriRecovery payment through the 2021 Canada-Alberta Livestock Feed Assistance Initiative to help cover feed and water access costs for breeding female livestock across the province.
The program will be administered through Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC).
An AFSC Connect account is required to receive payments. Directions on how to sign up for AFSC Connect, program terms and conditions are available on AFSC’s website.
Website: afsc.ca
COVID-19 UPDATE
Please be advised that the Provincial government has reimplemented temporary measures for COVID-19 effective Sept. 4th at 8a.m. Prior to entering the county building you will be required to wear a mask.
Should you wish to know further details about the new temporary measures you can find information here:
https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=79784BF57DCAC-A05E-D976-EECFC5245D673C6D#jumplinks-1
If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at 780-694-3793
Respectfully,
Larry Davidson
Chief Administration Officer
Media Release –For Immediate Release Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Birch Hills County Declares Agricultural Disaster
Many municipalities in the province including several in the Peace Region have declared a state of Agricultural Disaster. During the July 27, 2021 regular Council meeting, Council directed administration to provide more information on the conditions and to request input from area producers in order to make a more informed decision.
After considering the information, Council declared a state of Agricultural Disaster in Birch Hills County during the regular Council meeting on August 24, 2021.
Some of the challenges facing Birch Hills County producers during the 2021 season were; low levels of precipitation resulting in prolonged drought conditions, an intense record-breaking heatwave and a grasshopper infestation which all greatly reduced crop and hay yields.
Hay and pasture yields averaged at ¾ of a bale per acre with no regrowth for a second cut. Livestock herds have and will continue to be sold off as feed shortages and increased costs of hay continue to be a concern. Crops have been affected with premature ripening combined with poor yield and quality.
“Birch Hills County Council is very aware of the hardships that our agricultural community is facing as a result of the weather conditions” said Reeve Gerald Manzulenko. “By declaring an Agricultural Disaster, Council wants to bring attention to the devastating conditions impacting crop and livestock producers and request more support for local producers.”
Municipal declarations do not automatically trigger access to increased funding programs, provincially or federally. Declaring an Agricultural Disaster as a Municipality brings awareness to an issue in a specific area of the province; informing residents, industry provincial and federal governments and helps to enable collaboration with impacted producer groups.
Manzulenko noted the importance of getting this message out a local level as well as at the provincial and federal levels. “The farming industry is very important to Birch Hills County and the effects of this Agricultural Disaster are felt across our whole County. This declaration attests to Council’s support for all of Birch Hills County agricultural producers.”
Bridge Closure
The local bridge on Range road 20 north of Twp 784 has been closed at this time as repairs are needed to the structure to ensure vehicle safety.
Wanham Lagoon
Wanham Lagoon to reopen, with new access conditions, on April 1st, 2021
Please contact the County Office for further details.
Community Newsletter
Read the newsletters for Eaglesham and Wanham.
Check out the Town of Spirit River's Community Connect.
Smoky River FCSS Newsletter
Birch Hills County Board Member Needed
Birch Hills County is looking to fill one seat on the Recreation Board for Ward 4. The Recreation Board meets once per year, approximately around March/April, to discuss the grant application from local non-profits who apply for the annual allocated funds set by council. A requirement is that you live in the Ward that you will represent. Please submit a letter of interest to the County office email cao@birchhillscounty.com or call 780-694-3793 and ask for Larry Davidson, CAO for more information.
December 01, 2018
The Burnt River Crossing is closed.
COVID-19 Info for Albertans: 
We recommend that you use the Government of Alberta website (see link below) for the most up-to-date information about COVID-19. Locally, Central Peace Regional Emergency Management has launched a website and a Facebook page containing the latest information on COVID-19.
Central Peace Regional Emergency Management:
Other trusted Sources of Information include:
If you know someone without a computer, have them dial 811.
Business Resilience Service
This service will help entrepreneurs and small business owners in need of financial planning advice, particularly those who may not have access to an accountant. The service will also be open to not-for-profit organizations and charities. The hotline is a national, bilingual service operated by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EST). The toll-free number is 1-866-989-1080.
