Mountain View County councillors have asked area Wildrose Opposition MLAs Jason Nixon and Nathan Cooper to convey a number of concerns to the provincial government.
The MLAs appeared before council during the recent regularly scheduled council meeting. Issues discussed included river flood mitigation, rural Internet, and highway maintenance concerns.
Coun. Duncan Milne said the county is concerned that the Notley government may no longer fund crack sealing maintenance on provincial highways. He called on Nixon and Cooper to pass along those concerns.
“They say they are not going to fund that anymore and I have an issue with that,” said Milne. “We look at things here and we ask for things that are good for the whole county, and looking after our major highways is good for the whole province. Crack filling is a pretty important thing in the freeze-thaw cycles that we have. We are going to destroy our highway and we are going to be that much more behind the eight ball. If that is something you guys can bring up, that would help.”
The MLA for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, Cooper replied, “I hadn't heard that, but we will certainly make a note of it. It's important that we take care of our infrastructure that currently exists.”
MVC reeve Bruce Beattie said, “It's very important and it was unfunded just like our bridge program was previously by the previous government and this government has said, ‘we won't fund it either'. Long term it is a short-sighted process and I think that is what we try to emphasize.”
Coun. Angela Aalbers told the MLAs that a “lack of good rural Internet” service continues to hamper rural residents and businesses.
“It puts ag producers at a disadvantage because they can't benefit from the news and latest technologies because their Internet speed is so bad,” said Aalbers.
“Is there anything coming through to support the buildup of rural Internet?”
Cooper replied, “I haven't seen anything about it from the government side. Our producers are some of the highest tech businesses.”
Nixon added, “I have not heard any talk on rural Internet. I think rural Internet is really important, but I don't have the impression that it is high on the radar (of the government).”
Coun. Al Kemmere asked the MLAs, “Who has responsibility to manage both the rivers and the banks of those rivers (in the district), to mitigate any potential risks or threats from those rivers?”
In response, Nixon said, in part, “We've been dealing with that issue in our county and with the Town of Sundre for awhile. There are serious concerns for not just the community of Sundre but for the communities along the river all through our county.
“My view on this is that it is Her Majesty's river. In regards to the Red Deer River as whole, it's time for the provincial government to acknowledge that they have a responsibility for Her Majesty's river and it's not feasible for one district alone to be able to come up with a solution. We've seen what can happen if we don't get ahead of those situations. It needs to have a full strategy for the whole river.”
At the request of Reeve Beattie, both Cooper and Nixon gave council an update on the various committees they sit on in the legislature.
Cooper said he would like to keep the lines of communication open with council throughout the year.
“At the end of the day, what I hope to establish is open lines of communication between my office and your office,” said Cooper.
“If we can try to work together to get folks the information they need, that is one of my endeavours. Regular communication and keeping us up to date on any significant infrastructure projects that you are working on, I think is a great way to do that.”
Councillors and the MLAs also discussed the ongoing consultation process surrounding Bill 6.
