"I'd like to know why we've never had this committee in the past," said Coun. Paul Isaac after officials were recently informed the Town of Sundre is required to have an emergency management committee.
During the March 7 meeting, Kevin Heerema, community peace officer, informed council that every municipality must have such a committee in place.
"As per the Alberta Emergency Management Act, basically we are required to have an emergency management committee," he said.
"That committee is responsible for reviewing the municipal emergency plan and related plans and programs on a regular basis and advise council on the status of municipal emergency plans and related plans and programs at least once a year."
In discussions with administrator Dave Dubauskas, Heerema said it was decided the committee should consist of himself as director of emergency management, Dubauskas, Jim Hall, the town's operations manager, and Marty Butts, fire chief.
"And we're required to have at least one member of council and an alternate named to be a part of that committee," he added.
Mayor Terry Leslie wanted to confirm that Coun. Cheri Funke had expressed interest in sitting on that committee, which she acknowledged. That meant the alternate position remained available, which left council in a brief silence.
"Don't everybody jump at once!" said Funke.
The peace officer pointed out that the committee would initially meet more frequently until the plan is in place. The idea is to be proactive and prepared rather than reactive to disasters as they occur, said Heerema.
Coun. Chris Vardas ended up putting his name in as alternate.
That was about when Isaac brought up the question of why the committee, if required by the province, had not been in place before. He also wondered what happened with the contracted position that had been in place before as well as what cost would be associated with having the peace officer take up the role.
"I'd like to know what the changes in our cost is from that setup to this setup," he said. "I'd also like to know how much time our bylaw officer is not doing his bylaw officer duty."
Following the retirement of Bill Johnson, the individual who had been contracted for the position in the past, the peace officer expressed interest in taking on the role of director of emergency management, said Dubauskas, adding there are funds in place that can be used to assist Heerema.
As for why the committee had never been struck, the administrator said it was an "oversight" and commended Heerema and Funke for looking into the matter and bringing it forward.
"So how much time extra are you putting into this during the week that you're taking away from bylaw?" Isaac asked Heerema.
The peace officer said he had been investing a fair bit of his time as the new director of emergency management.
"Recent events have shown that it's a really good idea to be prepared for these events rather than just dealing with them when they pop up," he said.
"As such, I am working to get us to a point where we are prepared rather than ó well, as prepared as we can be ó rather than (being) completely reactionary. So that's taken up a good bit of my time."
Many people who assume the role of emergency management director in other municipalities usually have a primary job, and a corner of their desk is dedicated to the position, he said.
"And I'll be honest with you right now, it's taking up a whole lot of my desk."
However, concerns that residents raise are nevertheless being dealt with in a timely manner, he added.
"I still strive to get back to folks within 24 hours of a complaint coming in. As bylaw files go, some get resolved in a matter of hours, and others may take weeks. But they're not being pushed aside," he said.
"It has meant less time being proactive, however, both in bylaw and traffic enforcement."
Isaac clarified that he had no issues with Heerema, but expressed concern that this approach could potentially cost more. The councillor also expressed his reluctance to vote in favour of the motion to create the committee without having additional details.
"We don't know the dollars and cents yet," he said. "I have some real concerns on the process of how this is happening."
The mayor said the motion at hand had to do with appointing two councillors to the committee. The points raised were valid and deserved additional discussion, but by provincial regulations, "we have to have this committee in place, so we don't have a choice," said Leslie.
Council went on to carry the motion to approve the creation of the Sundre Municipal Emergency Management Committee and to appoint Funke as a representative with Vardas as alternate.
