Council Corner
There is a lot to learn when joining Council, but it can be very rewarding if you like to learn new things, meet lots of people, and are passionate about building a great community. Please reach out if you have any questions. Council e-mails and phone numbers are available at the County office.
The County has awarded its first winner of the Joudrey Bursary, and we wish to congratulate Svea Emerson. We are happy to have received several entries; however, preference is given to individuals wishing to study social services, health care or mental health. We encourage the other applicants to reapply next year as well as any other students that meet the criteria. Councillor Joudrey had a passion for helping others, and we hope to spread that passion amongst the young people in our community.
were hearing from keynote speaker Pamela Barnum a former undercover police officer, Premier Danielle Smith, STARS 40-year anniversary, and the ministerial forum. The ministerial forum is where several ministers take the stage and are asked questions from the floor of rural councillors. Questions
ranged in topics such as the Class 1 drivers red seal program, unpaid oil and gas taxes, streamlining permits, electricity distribution equity, and many more.
Entry Level Training (MELT). More information can be found on the alberta.ca/ class-1-learning-pathway website. The new pathway provides an apprentice style approach for new drivers.
during budget discussions regarding uncollectible taxes in the amount of $478,000. After years of this issue being brought up at RMA conferences, the Government of Alberta announced that it will partner with RMA to develop a Property Tax Accountability Strategy (PTAS) with the Minister of Energy and
Minerals Brian Jean also participating. The goal of PTAS is to report by the end of 2025 some actionable recommendations to recover unpaid taxes and
prevent issues going forward. More information can be found on the RMA website under ‘news’.
applicant hasn’t heard a ‘no’ by a specified deadline then they are given an automatic ‘yes’. The Province also encourages municipalities to take a similar
approach.
but didn’t state what those are yet as the Federal Gov’t has laws that prevent sharing cost when it doesn’t benefit the customer.
on its website. These efforts are based on resolutions passed by member municipalities.
Birch Hills County along with the MD of Spirit River, Saddle Hills, Town of Spirit River and the Village of Rycroft are all members of the G5. This a group of 5 municipalities that work on projects together. One major project being worked on is the Central Peace Regional Water Supply project. Another was the Seniors housing facility in Spirit River. Working together with other municipalities in the region has been a great way to participate in meaningful projects that would otherwise not have been possible.
Councillor Deanne Wendland sits on the board for PREDA (Peace Region Economic Development Alliance). Made up of 27 municipalities, PREDA is
one of 9 regional economic development alliances in Alberta. Being a member of PREDA gives us access to various studies and research projects that could
impact economic development in our area. They also host conferences that focus on different industries in order to provide insight to its members
Councillor Chandonnet sits on the “Peace Library Board”. This board manages library services across the Peace region. Counties provide funding for library boards, so by sitting on the board, members can ensure services are available to those in our communities. The Birch Hills Library board which services Eaglesham and Tangent is funded under the Peace Library board.
Reeve Poetker sits on the board for “Grande Spirit Foundation” which represents 11 municipalities. The Foundation provides housing solutions for seniors. More can be found on their website grandespirit.org. They have apartments located in both Wanham and Eaglesham with priority for seniors. Birch Hills has been part of some big projects with the Grande Spirit such as the new lodge in Spirit River.
Council would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year. 2025 is an election year, both federally and for municipalities in Alberta. We hope that our Council Corner will spark conversations and provide greater incite into the role of Council for those that may have an interest in running or those that are just curious. We encourage you to speak with any Councillor if you would like to learn more about the boards we sit on, events we attend or just to have a conversation.
Councillor Duvall sits on the committee for “Mighty Peace Tourism” which promotes tourism within our county. On their website we promote summer and winter activities in our region and showcase our tourism opportunities. A link can be found on the county website under ‘Tourism & Recreation’. By joining this committee, we were able to expand our reach in promoting our beautiful county with the hope of attracting tourism to support our local businesses.
- The unpaid oil and gas taxes were in the amount of $ 268.5 million across the province as of Dec 2022. This issue is of top of mind for many municipalities and although the Minister of Energy and Minerals wasn’t in attendance at the forum the message was made loud and clear to the province.
- The revolving door on crime also impacts many municipalities, and although this is a federal area, the province agrees with the concerns and repeats that message to Ottawa.
- Attracting and retaining medical workers and students affects the whole province but lack of staff is especially felt in rural or small urban areas. The province has a new program coming with satellite facilities in smaller places like Grande Prairie to help students learn and practice in place with the hopes of retaining those workers in the area. They are looking to do this with nurse practitioners also.
- Red tape reduction for nonprofits was brought up with regards to gaming proceeds and the restrictions and requirements to qualify. The province indicated that work was being done cut red tape but no specifics were given. We understand that we have several nonprofits in our county that receive funding this way so we hope to see positive changes.
- Bill C-293 is a federal bill that our provincial Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation expressed concern over when brought up during the forum. This Bill is an Act respecting pandemic prevention and preparedness. Council is working to further inform ourselves on the key issues, but during the forum all the municipalities were encouraged by the Minister to reach out to our federal partners to seek amendments as there are potential impacts to livestock operations. More to come on this issue.
Councillor Bjornson sits on the board for “Central Peace FCSS” (Family and Community Support Services) serving the area west of Range Road 10 in Birch Hills County. Central Peace FCSS provides home support services for residents residing in the area served, supports the community kitchen in Wanham at the seniors centre, transportation services and more. Information can be found on the county website, Facebook and the Central Peace FCSS Facebook.
Councillor Portelance sits on the board for “FCSS Smoky River’” (Family and Community Support Services) serving the area east of Range Road 10 in Birch Hills County. FCSS Smoky River provides programming at the Eaglesham school, at the Eaglesham seniors centre, home supports for residents residing in the area served, transportation services and more. Brochures with information can be found at the post offices in Eaglesham and Tangent, as well on the county website, Facebook and the Smoky River FCSS Facebook.
During the September 24, 2024 meeting, Council received a presentation from the Maskwa Medical Center. Their presentation is available for review by going to the council meeting minutes on the Birch Hills County website under the September 24, 2024 regular council meeting. This is an exciting project coming to Grande Prairie, AB that aims to improve health outcomes in the Peace Region. Take a look and let us know what you think.
Maskwa Medical Center – Advancing Health in Northwestern Alberta