Council

Council held their first in-person meeting since March on August 25, 2020. At all upcoming Regular Meetings of Council and Committee of the Whole Meetings, which are being held at the Morinville Community Cultural Centre, a public gallery will be available with limited seating in accordance with current public health restrictions.

The Alberta Government recently announced the Municipal Stimulus Fund. This fund will infuse new capital dollars to boost the economy and create jobs in our Alberta communities. The Town of Morinville has been allocated $1.1M to move new projects forward between now and the end of 2021.

At the August 25th Regular Council Meeting, Council put forward the following list of projects for further discussion:

• Splash Park Replacement (est. $255,000)
• Ray McDonald Sports Center Outdoor Rink Replacement (est. $525,000)
• Tennis Court Rehabilitation (est. $100,000)
• 1.4 km of Walking Trail Linkages (est. $225,000)
• Ray McDonald Sports Center Outdoor Building (est. $250,000 - $400,000)

In addition, Council will also review the high priority items from our recent Transportation Master Plan for possible inclusion.

On September 22, Council will review the project summaries and detailed estimates for a final decision on which to begin implementation.

The sale of the Ray McDonald Sports Center to the Alberta Arena Authority was announced during this meeting. Although our beloved arena could not continue to serve our growing community’s needs, it will now continue to be a part of our Town and help support our local economy! It will also continue to be the home of the Morinville Curling Club. The AAA Arena will host games, tournaments and training programs going forward. Although activity will be limited as we continue to fight this pandemic, the new owners are confident in future prospects.

The issue of mandatory masks was also discussed. This is potentially a very divisive issue and Council had an in-depth discussion and passed a number of motions. The outcomes were:

• That Administration draft a temporary mandatory face covering bylaw for consideration at a future meeting;
• That Administration contact Alberta Health for public health advice regarding a potential trigger point to activate the temporary bylaw;
• That Council and Administration lobby the provincial government to enact province-wide regulations or clear requirements for face coverings, and that we put forward an emergent resolution at our upcoming AUMA Conference in September, calling for the province to enact provincial guidelines for face coverings; and,
• That Administration plan an education campaign

 July has been a very exciting month in the Town of Morinville. The Morinville Leisure Centre opened its doors on the 13th, and the Morinville Community Cultural Centre followed on July 20th. Both facilities are operating on reduced hours and will continue to follow the guidelines set out by the Chief Medical Officer of Health. The Morinville Leisure Centre will be back to full operating hours on August 23.

On July 14, Council approved the Transportation Master Plan. The 2020 Transportation Master Plan (TMP) is a comprehensive planning document to guide Morinville through growth and change over the next 25 years. This plan supports the Town’s sustainability, development, and mobility planning goals, as well as the important role that Morinville plays in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region.

The TMP forms an integral part of the Town’s regulatory framework providing guidance on land use, transit, active transportation, complete streets, accessibility, parking, and roadway upgrade planning for the short, medium, and long-term. As this plan moves forward, Council will look at the prioritized construction projects and incorporate these in the planning for the next capital budget. You can review this plan on the website.

Later this month, we will begin the implementation of our approved playground replacement plan. On August 17th, Rotary Park and the Ray McDonald Sports Center Playground will be closed as crews begin construction on the replacement parks. Anticipated re-opening of these playgrounds is mid-September. We are excited as the new Ray McDonald Sports Center Playground will fully accessible – the first in the Town of Morinville. Belle Park will also be closed at this time. Additional playground upgrades will also take place in 2021.

Council will hold our next Regular Meeting of Council on August 25 in person at the Morinville Community Cultural Centre. A public gallery will be available for residents to be able to attend. The meeting will also be live-streamed on Facebook for those who would like to watch online.

Morinville’s newest school, St. Kateri Tekakwitha Academy opens its doors for the first day of classes to its students on August 31st. The school provides English programming from PreK to grade 5, and will offer sports academy programming in hockey and cheer. Welcome to the Community!

This past month has been busy in our town! We were pleased to partner with the Morinville Historical & Cultural Society and the Alexander First Nation to raise the Treaty 6 flag in support of National Indigenous Peoples Day, celebrated on June 21. While this day is traditionally marked by ceremonies and celebrations that highlight cultural performers and activities, displays of arts and crafts, and events that recognize the contributions by Aboriginal people, this year was a bit different. We had to modify these celebrations; however, the significance of this day was not lost as we remain committed to fostering an environment of inclusivity, diversity and equity for all.

Council’s Strategic Plan refresh was approved and through this process, each of the nine initiatives has a minimum of three Council Sponsors assigned to work with Administration on the implementation.

At the June 23 Regular Meeting of Council, Councillor Sarah Hall was appointed as Deputy Mayor and now holds the eight-month rotational position until February 23, 2021. Also at this meeting, Council made the very difficult decision to not proceed with the Transit Pilot Project between the Town of Morinville and City of St. Albert starting in September 2020, and to advise the Regional Transit Services Commission of the Town of Morinville’s intention to decline membership on the RTSC at this time, and to become an Advisory Stakeholder of the RTSC.

After a long wait, Alberta Transportation has completed the milling and paving project on Highway 642. The signalization project on 100 Avenue continues with a projected completion date of the end of August. We appreciate your patience as we understand and share in the challenges that ongoing construction brings. We encourage you all to support the businesses along this corridor during this time.

The Town is near completion of the 2020 Census. We now have a very small group of enumerators following up with residents that have not yet completed their Census, either by phone (780-965-0860) or online at Morinville.ca/census. This project is very important to the long-term planning of our community, so we encourage you to please participate!

We are very excited to share that the Morinville Leisure Centre and the Morinville Community Cultural Centre will be reopening this month. With the regulations from the Chief Medical Officer of Health and Alberta Health Services, these facilities will be operating at limited capacities. Full details will be available on our website and will be updated on a very regular basis.

June 1-7 was Seniors’ Week, and while we missed participating in the annual Tea, Council was able to deliver planters to our local seniors. The smiles we received during these deliveries warmed our hearts. Another highlight of Seniors’ Week was the Appreciation Parade that visited Aspen House, Heritage Place and Lions Manor. We loved showing our gratitude to our Seniors… and riding in our Morinville Fire Department trucks! Thank you to our seniors for being an important part of our community’s story.

On June 2, Mayor Turner proclaimed June Pride Month and raised the Pride flag at Town Hall. Pride Month acknowledges the historic challenges faced by the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Morinville strives to be an inclusive community where all residents feel respected and safe to be their authentic selves. Our community is made stronger and more resilient when we embrace each other for who we truly are.

As we follow the phases of the Province’s re-opening strategy, Council will be reviewing and updating our closures and cancellations at the June 10 Regular Meeting of Council. We are all anxious to see what this new normal will be, but we also ask for your patience as we navigate the new parameters that we must follow to ensure the safety of our residents and staff within our facilities. While it was a rapid and sudden directive to close buildings and cancel activities, we anticipate that re-opening and rescheduling of activities will not happen as quickly.

As this strategy is finalized we will make sure to communicate with our residents. We encourage you to regularly check out our website and our social media channels for the most current information.

Please remember to support our business and non-profit organizations at this time. Local businesses depend on our support, as well as the many agencies and groups who have been a lifeline for those in need during these trying times.

And just a friendly reminder, Census 2020 is taking place until the end of June. As we are currently unable to send our enumerators to your doors, we need you to complete your census either online or by calling 780-965-0860. Everyone Counts!

Over the last few weeks, we have all been adjusting to a ‘new normal’. Whether it is working from home, finding new activities for the children, limiting trips to stores, socializing through new channels, or ensuring we are physically distancing from others, we are all doing our part to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

Council and Administration continue to ensure we are all up to date with the most recent information as it pertains to COVID-19. Based on recommendations from the Chief Medical Officer, as well as analysis and discussion with Administration, Council strives to make the best decisions for the safety of the community. 

We have had to make some very difficult decisions. During the April 14 Regular Meeting of Council, the unanimous decision was made to extend the closure of the Town Office, Morinville Leisure Centre, Morinville Community Cultural Centre, as well as outdoor baseball/softball diamonds, soccer fields, skate park and the outdoor splash park until June 30, 2020. This also includes the cancellation of programs and events. While extremely difficult, on April 15, we announced that our workforce would be scaled back to ensure the Town’s long-term sustainability. Despite the ongoing challenges, staff continue to ensure business continuity across the municipality from waste collection, to road repairs, to economic development.

At this time, our municipal census is also underway, and we need residents to participate online through our website, or by calling the Town Office. The information that is gathered assists the Town with future planning, program development, grant applications and helps shape the future of Morinville for generations to come! We have been blown away by the support our local businesses are receiving from each of you – it is a true testament to the pride our community has for its fellow residents, neighbours and businesses. We encourage you to support local and, if at all possible, to buy a little extra to donate to the Morinville Food Bank. Given our collective efforts of physical distancing, good hygiene practices and staying safe together, we are slowing the spread of COVID-19. As a result, we begin to move through stages of the relaunch strategy recently laid out by our Government, while ensuring we all continue to follow public health guidelines, all the while, shifting our focus from the fear and anxiety of the past few weeks and start looking to the future with hope and cautious confidence.

From all members of Council, thank you.

At the February 25 Regular Meeting of Council, the unanimous decision was made to join the Regional Transit Services Commission (RTSC). In support of this decision, Council has asked Administration to bring forward a plan for a pilot transit program to be operated between Morinville and St. Albert during peak hours between September and December. Also during this period, the Town will be undertaking a public engagement program to further determine the needs of the community around public transit. We look forward to hearing the thoughts of the Community, and analyzing the usage rates of this service.

Census Day in Morinville is April 1, 2020 and we encourage residents to participate on-line through our website. By this date, each household will receive a unique PIN code. On-line participation is available from April 1 – May 15, 2020. Following this date, Census workers will be out in the community collecting information from those households who have not yet completed their census. The information that is gathered assists the Town with future planning, program development, grant applications and helps shape the future of Morinville for generations to come!

We want to hear from you! If you wish to appear before Council to bring awareness of a program or project, voice concerns or even share some accolades, we have a standing item for public presentations on the agenda for each of our Council Meetings. To be included on the agenda, you can register in advance with the Legislative Officer, sign up at Council Chambers on the day of the meeting, or answer the Mayor’s public call for presentations from the gallery during the meeting.

For more information, please visit www.morinville.ca or call 780-939-4361. 

This month, Council will be begin updating the Strategic Plan for the next three years. This past year, we were successful in achieving many of our priorities, and moving others forward. Strategic planning is important to our Community as it sets our priorities, focuses our energy and resources, and ensures that Council and Administration are working towards common goals. We will share this plan once it is finalized.

Councillor S. Hall has been representing the Town of Morinville on the Regional Transit Services Commission (RTSC) –a committee tasked with examining the feasibility of combining transit services in the Edmonton Metro Region. In January, the report: “Accelerating Transit in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region: Building a Regional Transit Services Commission”, was released and it recommends combining and enhancing transit services of the 13 participating municipalities.

As reflected in the report, uniting transit services across regional boundaries will allow for a more efficient and cost effective transit service, while reducing barriers to entry for communities that want to start a new transit service and eliminating the need for duplication of services along key corridors.

This report will be presented during the February 11, 2020 Regular Meeting of Council at 4 p.m. We encourage you to attend and learn more. You can also find this report on our website.

Our work with Sturgeon County continues on the Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework, as well as planning a jointly hosted regional roundtable to look at shared efficiencies. Edmonton Metro Region Board is striving to find ways of cost reduction for the entire region. Regional collaboration is important to all members of Council, and as Council we are committed to working with these groups to benefit our ratepayers.

We encourage you all to each out and share your concerns and kudo’s with us. Our contact information can be found at www.morinville.ca or call 780-939-4361.

Here’s to 2020! As we begin the New Year, Council has many initiatives that are moving forward to benefit the Town of Morinville.

In December Council passed the 2020 Operating Budget and the 2020 – 2039 Capital Plan. Being very cognizant of the challenging times in the province, Council and Administration worked collaboratively throughout this budget process to maintain existing core service levels and continuing to meet the needs of the residents and businesses.

After discussion, Council approved a 2% residential tax increase – an average increase of $49 for homeowners. The non-residential tax rate was also set at 2% for an average increase of $134 for commercial accounts and $241 for industrial accounts.

Strengthening regional partnerships will be a key focus for Council this coming year. Three key initiatives continue to be the focus of this collaboration – ICF, EMRB, and the RTSC.

The Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework (ICF) focuses on integrated and strategic planning, delivery and funding of intermunicipal services. It allows for resources to be allocated efficiently and ensures municipalities contribute funding to services that benefit residents. Ongoing discussions with Sturgeon County are moving forward and we are confident that this framework will be finalized by the Provincial deadline of March 31, 2020.

The Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board (EMRB) initiative Shared Investment for Shared Benefit has been identified as the #1 priority in the regional strategic plan. We will be working together to tackle the question – “Why do the same thing 13 times individually when we could do it once collaboratively and efficiently?” The Mayor and Council appointees to this group will be sharing the ongoing work and outcomes as we move this forward.

Regional Transportation Services Commission (RTSC) will be making a public presentation to Council in February to share the final report complete with recommendations and investment information. Regional voting on this plan is scheduled for March. This group has been working diligently to develop a public transit plan that will satisfy many of the region’s needs.

Thank you for your continued support, and your commitment to Morinville.