Nicholas L. M. Allen
Jun 14, 2023
"Last summer we went through with four and three members, so this year we’re kind of hoping that everyone will stay healthy and we’ll get some good policing done."
The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass held its regular council meeting on June 6 in the Municipal Council Chambers.
There were three public hearings that evening, with two being land-use bylaw amendments. Bylaw 1149, 2023 involved nuisance grounds, areas of potential environmental concern in the overlay district and Bylaw 1151, 2023 included delegation of authority. Bylaw 1150, 2023 was a safety codes permit bylaw amendment regarding nuisance grounds as well.
The delegation that evening was the RCMP quarterly update, provided by Sergeant Randy Guinchard.
RCMP Quarterly Update
Sergeant Guinchard started off his presentation with an update to staffing at the detachment, adding they are now back to “full strength” in the Pass.
“We have seven constables and the two NCOs, which include me, so that’s very nice to have. We haven’t had that. Last summer we went through with four and three members, so this year we’re kind of hoping that everyone will stay healthy and we’ll get some good policing done,” said Guinchard.
Community consultation was a key part of the work they wished to do in the community. Guinchard said he has not done a town hall yet this year but hopes they will get a better turnout than they did the last few times.
“I’d like to try and get more numbers in there,” said Guinchard.
With summer coming, he said they will be doing more foot patrols in the downtown areas, including all the towns.
“We’re going to keep that going all summer. Especially with all of the people,” said Guinchard.
The one priority which has been a priority since Guinchard arrived is the outlaw motorcycle gang and drug related activities. He said they have had success moving them out of the area. Last year the club moved operations to Pincher Creek.
“It’s still a problem because it’s a joint problem. We haven’t really had a lot of issues or problems with them visible and out,” said Guinchard.
Although the numbers aren’t indicative of a problem, Guinchard explained there are drug issues in the community.
“It’s a problem for the people that are using them and for us and there’s more [drugs] than there should be so that we’re making that a priority with the detachment members,” said Guinchard.
Another part of the update included the announcement of Rita Filipuzi’s retirement after 45 years in the front office.
“That’s going to be a real loss to us because she has put in so much. She’s so heavily invested in the detachment. Because of all the time she [was] there, she knows pretty much everybody and everything... that’s going to be a huge loss for us, but that’s what happens,” said Guinchard.
The full quarterly report can be found in the June 6 council package online.
Request for Decisions
Starting off the request for decisions were the bylaws, with the first being the nuisance areas land-use bylaw amendment.
As the landowner of two of four nuisance grounds in the Pass, including the Old Sartoris Staging Area and the Hillcrest Ball Diamond Road, the Municipality is in the process of commencing monitoring as a due diligence requirement. Once completed, the findings and recommendations of these studies will confirm the absence of contaminants and gas migration or recommend the appropriate mitigative measures to enable the approval of residential basement additions, new houses with basements and subdivisions in the areas around these two nuisance grounds.
“We’re going to be doing some groundwater, vapor and soil testing to try and do our due diligence to see if there is anything of concern from these nuisance grounds. Everything is preliminary as it became likely there isn’t, but this is our next step to determine that those come out clean. It’s likely that we can move forward with some minimal measures around those spots,” said Patrick Thomas, Chief Administrative Officer of the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass.
The bylaw passed second and third readings after some clarification and questions. The next two bylaws on the agenda passed second and third reading quickly as well.
The Oldman River Regional Services Commission has requested a subdivision endorsement extension for the subdivision known as 2021-0-084 on 22 Avenue in Coleman. The applicant requested an extension until November 26, 2023.
It was recommended that council considered approving a 12-month extension to June 6, 2024, which was approved by council members.
Regarding the proposed Rogers cell tower in the Sentinel Industrial Park, council voted to write a letter of non-concurrence to Rogers for the proposed tower location and sought to request further information on the process.
Of the two objections received, one did not want to see additional towers and one wanted to see the tower sited at a different location. Rogers determined that a tower was needed and that, ultimately, this was the best location for the tower
Council also approved funding in the amount of $6600 for survey and geotechnical services and additional funding in the amount of $22,000 for the Cartwright Estates cold roll project
More information on municipal council meetings can be found at crowsnestpass.com.