Regular Meeting of the Council of the Municipality of Swan Valley West, held in the Council Chambers at 216 Main Street West, Swan River, Manitoba this 25th day of August, 2020 at 7:00 pm.
Present:
Reeve: William Galloway
Councillors: Carrie Blosha
Glen Foster
Bill Gade
Matt Wills
Darryl Pierrepont (via phone at 7:52 pm)
Tyler Kushniryk
FO/ACAO: James Webb
Delegations:
7:15 pm Public Hearing for a Conditional Use Application on 219-221 Main Street Kenville
7:30 pm Via Teleconference – Lisa’s Country Kennels & Grooming
Attending Gallery via teleconference – Meredith Salama and Joseph Kolodichuk
1. BILL GADE
GLEN FOSTER
RESOLVED that the Agenda for the Regular Meeting of Council held this 25th day of August, 2020 shall be adopted as circulated.
Carried.
2. GLEN FOSTER
BILL GADE
RESOLVED that the Minutes for the Regular Meeting of the Council and the Public Hearing for the Municipality of Swan Valley West held on August 11th, 2020 shall be adopted as amended.
Carried.
3. GLEN FOSTER
MATT WILLS
RESOLVED that the Financial Statements for the Swan Lake Watershed District (SLWD) for the year ended March 31, 2020 be accepted as submitted.
Carried.
4. CARRIE BLOSHA
GLEN FOSTER
RESOLVED that in accordance with Sections 300 and 326 of the Municipal Act, the changes to the 2020 Assessment Roll for the Municipality of Swan Valley West shall be accepted by the Council and applied to that portion of the 2019 taxes as described on the reports received from the Province of Manitoba – Assessment Services, Swan River Office dated August 17th, 2020, copies of which are attached.
Carried.
5. GLEN FOSTER
TYLER KUSHNIRYK
RESOLVED that in accordance with Sections 300 and 326 of the Municipal Act, the changes to the 2020 Assessment Roll for the Municipality of Swan Valley West shall be accepted by the Council and applied to that portion of the 2020 taxes as described on the reports received from the Province of Manitoba – Assessment Services, Swan River Office dated June 9th and August 17th, 2020, copies of which are attached.
Carried.
6. TYLER KUSHNIRYK
MATT WILLS
WHEREAS the purchase of a CT scanner to be used at the Swan Valley Health Centre would benefit all residents of the Swan River Valley and to follow up resolution in supporting documentation as required;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Municipality of Swan Valley West hereby supports the letter drafted by Town of Swan River as presented.
Carried.
7. CARRIE BLOSHA
BILL GADE
RESOLVED that the Municipality of Swan Valley West is devoted to improving the Swan River Valley and ensuring its future success.
BE IT FUTHER RESOLVED that the Municipality of Swan Valley West hereby supports the Swan Valley Business Consortium Sub Committee, (Swan Valley Community Safety Partnership) request of support and encourage the success of their venture on a conceptual basis.
Carried.
8. TYLER KUSHNIRYK
BILL GADE
RESOLVED that Council for the Municipality of Swan Valley West does hereby approve the attendance of the following persons to the PR #275 and Drainage Path Meeting in Winnipeg, MB to be held on September 9th, 2020:
Reeve Galloway Councillor Wills
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all applicable expenses shall be paid in accordance with current municipal policies and by-laws.
Carried.
9. MATT WILLS
CARRIE BLOSHA
RESOLVED that Council lobby the federal government to revoke the amendments to the criminal code on May 1, 2020 under an “Order in Council” titled and referred to as “Regulations Amending the Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited, Restricted or Non-Restricted: SOR/2020-96.”
The Municipality of Swan Valley West supports initiatives to end violence; however, feels very strongly that the Government of Canada is wasting valuable resources and taking the wrong approach to gun control that will have zero effect on gun crime.
WHEREAS on May 1, 2020, the federal government amended the Criminal code by ordering regulations prescribing certain firearms, components and parts of firearms, accessories, cartridge magazines, ammunition and projectiles as prohibited or restricted;
AND WHEREAS the government of Canada is planning a buyback program to get the guns out of circulation, which is expected to cost between $400 million and $600 million, and if the history of federal estimating repeats itself, will likely be in excess of $4 Billion;
AND WHEREAS the Municipality of Swan Valley West supports the Government of Canada’s commitment to end violence, whether firearms are involved or not, by taking the opportunity to be more engaged and to collaborate with the public and local stakeholders to develop more effective solutions on the issue;
NOW THERE BE RESOLVED that the Council for the Municipality of Swan Valley West urges the Government of Canada to revoke the amendment, and instead institute the following:
Target Crime, and focus on enforcement through enhanced enforcement capacity for law enforcement and border services, as well as harsher punishments for firearms trafficking and crimes involving firearms. The current ban targets law-abiding owners, rather than the holders of illicit firearms, and would not greatly impact crime reduction;
Collect and share relevant data on crime involving firearms through improved collection and sharing of data on crimes involving firearms, particularly in terms of sources of illicit firearms, and the types of crime being committed. This data is critical for supporting law enforcement and border agencies efforts, as well as informing policy and legislation;
Collaborate with the firearms community and industry to support communication, training and public education regarding firearms to create a multi-faceted approach rather than implementing a ban in isolation.
The Municipality of Swan Valley West feels that the federal government’s gun ban will be an expensive exercise that will only serve to take law abiding people’s property, while doing nothing to reduce crime.
Municipalities are the level of government closest to the people, and a large part of our budget and operations is focused on providing safe and healthy communities. We are forecasts of hundreds of millions of federal dollars to be spent to buy guns back from people. As these are people who went through the necessary education, background checks, and licensing to purchase them, it seems to be a poorly thought out plan, especially if its aim is to reduce crime.
Carried.
10. TYLER KUSHNIRYK
GLEN FOSTER
RESOLVED that the Council for the Municipality of Swan Valley West does hereby approve the following payments:
General Cheques #16285 to #16322 in the amount of $88,914.92
For a Grand Total of $88,914.92
Carried.
11. MATT WILLS
BILL GADE
RESOLVED that the Council for the Municipality of Swan Valley West does hereby approved the following payments:
Payroll Payments #3261 to #3278 in the amount of $21,412.44
For a Grand Total of $21,412.44
Carried.
12. CARRIE BLOSHA
GLEN FOSTER
RESOLVED that the Council for the Municipality of Swan Valley West does hereby receive the Financial Statement for the period ending July, 2020 as presented.
Carried.
13. BILL GADE
CARRIE BLOSHA
RESOLVED that we do hereby accept the following verbal reports regarding Council Committees and Communications;
T. Kushniryk: Safety Meeting, Library Board, Paving complete in Benito.
C. Blosha Safety, Utility, HR and LUD Meetings
M. Wills: Safety and HR Meetings
D. Pierrepont: HR Meeting
B. Gade: EDO, Ratepayer concern
G. Foster: N/A
Reeve, Galloway: SVBC Meeting on Aug. 12, Utility and HR Meetings
ACAO/FO: James Webb: Safety, Utility and LUD Meetings
Carried.
14. GLEN FOSTER
TYLER KUSHNIRYK
RESOLVED that pursuant to Section 152(3) of the Municipal Act, the Council as a whole shall go into camera and close the meeting to continue discussions regarding:
-Employee Matters
-Equipment Purchase / Pricing
-Legal Discussion
-COVID-19
-Gravel Pit Contract
-Ratepayer Concern
Carried.
15. CARRIE BLOSHA
TYLER KUSHNIRYK
RESOLVED that pursuant to Section 152 (4) of The Municipal Act, this meeting shall be re-opened to the public.
Carried.
16. MATT WILLS
TYLER KUSHNIRYK
As per contract for gravel, the Council for the Municipality of Swan Valley West, agrees to share costs up to $4,000 with other contractors who have access to the gravel supply, plus supply equipment and labour for completion of required work up to 27 hours for each.
Carried.
17. GLEN FOSTER
TYLER KUSHNIRYK
RESOLVED that this meeting shall now adjourn at 10:02 p.m.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the next meeting of Council will be on September 8th, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.
Carried.