Security camera purchases OK'd

Mountain View County council has approved the purchase of security cameras for county shops in an effort to reduce break-ins and thefts.

The $40,000 approved will come from the county’s rural crime reduction initiative fund.

“There have been several break-ins to county buildings through the years, and improvements have been made to increase security to limit loss,” administration said in a briefing note to council.

“This request (for funding) is to implement camera systems at the remote sites. The camera systems could be accessed remotely and would store video that could be used in the event of a break-in or theft.”

The rural crime reduction initiative was started with the intent to support rural crime reduction.

“That may not have explicitly included improved security at county facilities, doing so would show what is possible and lead the way.

“Sufficient funds remain in the project to complete camera systems in each of the remote shops. This would include securing the space better where the central system lives. This work will not be completed in 2018 and would continue to 2019.”

PLAYGROUND GRANTS APPROVED

Meanwhile, council has OK’d grants for playgrounds in the municipality. The allocation approval also came by way of motion at the recent regularly scheduled council meeting.

The playground funding allocations total $9,645 and were recommended by the community grant services review committee at its Sept. 6 meeting.

The playground allocations were $3,645 for the Cremona School playground additions, and $6,000 for James River Community Association new playground structure.

Council also received as information the 2018 rural community grant – second round funding allocations approved by the committee on Sept. 6 in the amount of $11,595.

Council also received as information the 2018 rural community hall grant – second round funding allocations approved by the committee on Sept. 6 in the amount of $4,000.

BROADBAND RESOLUTION BACKED

In other news, council has come out in support of a resolution coming before the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) regarding federal and provincial funding of municipal broadband projects.

The move also came by way of motion at the recent regularly scheduled council meeting.

Clearwater County asked MVC to second the resolution set to come before the upcoming central zone RMA meeting.

The resolution calls on the provincial and federal governments to “provide direct funding to municipalities, to support rural, remote and northern communities’ development of high speed (50Mbps and faster) community broadband, with federal government grants matching municipal and provincial investment in boardband-internet network infrastructure.”

In the background briefing note accompanying the resolution, Clearwater said, “Broadband is now considered an essential service because it is a required social and community development tool. It is important for communities to plan wisely and be future ready, as with Canadian populations shifting towards urban centres, rural communities more than ever need to focus on community development and revenue diversification to remain viable.

“Broadband access remains the single largest barrier to digital advancement for rural communities. Partnerships and government funding are critical to achieving broadband access for all Canadians.

“The business case for private sector investment simply does not exist in rural Canada, and this financial challenge has resulted in ‘final mile’ area not being serviced or not serviced well, nor likely to ever be serviced by the private sector.”

If the resolution passes at the zone level, it could come before the RMA’s annual general meeting for a vote.

The RMA represents 69 rural municipalities, including Mountain View and Red Deer counties.