MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - Mountain View County councillors have reviewed and approved one-page summaries being sent to various provincial government ministries outlining issues and concerns.
The move came during a recent regularly scheduled council meeting,
The summaries were prepared by the county’s inter-governmental communications committee. The summaries were reviewed at a council meeting last month and brought back with changes to the Nov. 6 meeting.
Summaries were prepared for the departments of agriculture, environment and parks, justice and solicitor general, municipal affairs, and transportation.
Each summary includes background information and requests for action on the part of the department.
The minister of agriculture and forestry summary deals with two topics: ag plastics recycling and clubroot management.
The summary asks the department to “review and support innovative industries such as hemp production and other opportunities as alternatives to plastics” and that the ministry support the ministry of environment and parks in development of a sustainable policy and program for “ongoing agricultural plastics recycling with a focus on enhanced producer responsibility.”
It also asks the ministry to support the clubroot management plan that recommends a “one in four year rotation for canola until Alberta research proves that clubroot spore load can be decreased with shorter rotations.”
The minister of environment and parks summary asks the department, in part, to “allow municipalities to provide comment on the updates of the Code of Practice for Asphalt Paving Plants prior to finalizing” and “that the outcome of the current review of the sand and gravel program apply to both public and private pits.”
It also calls on the department to “develop and adopt policies and regulations regarding agricultural plastics and the safe handling and disposal of said products with a focus on extended producer responsibility.”
The summary to the minister of justice and solicitor general states, in part, that the county “does not support the proposed models under consideration for rural and small community police funding and requests that the ministry and the government pursue a funding that is service level based and not the ability to pay. The current models that emphasize costing on 70 per cent from equalized assessment does not align with the issues that are driving rural crime.”
The summary to the minister of municipal affairs states, in part, that “regardless of funding strategy approved by the provincial government, the county strongly urges that policing relationship be entrenched in a formal contract detailing expected levels of service and reporting, allowance of municipal input and direction into policing priorities, and a clear understanding of the terms of payment and how the requisition was determined.”
The summary to the minister of transportation requests the department to provide an update when the Highway 584 resurfacing project will proceed. “Based on the three-year provincial construction plan released in 2018 its status is listed as in the design phase. As well a status update on Highway 582 which is similarly listed within the construction plan.”
The summaries will now be forwarded to the respective ministries. They will also be forwarded to area MLAs and the urban municipalities in the district for information.
