SUNDRE – A new ad hoc committee struck to advise the municipal council on possible paths toward a future hospital or rural health-care campus will include representation from both of Sundre’s medical clinics.
Council discussed proposed amendments to the municipality’s bylaw to establish committees of council and their terms of reference during a recent council meeting.
Among the revisions was to strike from the bylaw’s title a reference of “boards and commissions” so that the document pertains only to committees of council, said Linda Nelson, the town's chief administrative officer.
The proposed bylaw also included the addition of specifically stating that the chief administrative officer is a non-voting member of any committees they sit on.
As well, four schedules outlining terms of reference were entirely removed for the Vision for Sundre, Sundre Tourism Association, Events and Festivals as well as the Fundraising committees.
Remaining in place are the Policy and Bylaw Review, Grant Review, Emergency Management Advisory, and the Sundre Community Wellness Advocacy committees.
Added were the Sundre Strategic Advisory as well as the Sundre Hospital Steering committees.
“This is an ad hoc committee and it shall be disbanded on the day the new hospital officially opens,” said Linda Nelson, chief administrative officer, about the latter.
Mayor Richard Warnock, who also sits on the Policy and Bylaw Review Committee, said a prior discussion with that group about the new Sundre Hospital Steering Committee brought up the fact there are two clinics in town – the Moose and Squirrel Medical Clinic as well as Greenwood Family Physicians, but that the terms of reference included just one local physician.
The municipality subsequently received email correspondence from Dr. Michelle Warren, who owns and operates Moose and Squirrel alongside husband Dr. Rob Warren, recommending council consider including two local physicians.
“I think it’ll benefit this committee if we do have another representative from a different clinic,” said Coun. Chris Vardas.
Coun. Jaime Marr agreed, and also proposed reducing the two representatives from town council to just the mayor to maintain an odd-numbered committee to avoid the possibility of tied votes.
But Coun. Owen Petersen felt the committee should still maintain two council representatives as the group is entirely advisory in nature anyway and that any recommendations will still have to be considered and decided on by council.
Coun. Todd Dalke suggested further specifying the wording to mention one physician from each clinic, which mayor Richard Warnock supported.
However, the mayor was against sitting as the only council representative on the committee as in the event of his absence for whatever reason might come up, those meetings cannot proceed without an alternative council representative.
“These meetings need to be timely,” said Warnock, who agreed with Petersen.
“This is an advisory committee that’s going to bring things forward to council to get approved,” the mayor said, adding that can be done regardless of whether the committee has an odd or even number of members.
Dalke also sought clarification regarding the removal of the schedules outlining terms of reference for the disbanded committees and asked what the municipality is doing to support the community through local events, fundraising and tourism.
Nelson said the Sundre Tourism Association Committee was ad hoc and thus disbanded when a board was formed and that those responsibilities would be assumed in partnership with the Sundre Tourism Association.
Council unanimously passed a motion approving the amended bylaw.
Under the bylaw’s schedule outlining the terms of reference for the ad hoc Sundre Hospital Steering Committee, the group’s statement of purpose will be to “work with P3 Capital Partners Inc. to identify and recommend to council a method and process to negotiate and attract capital with partners in a P3 agreement for a new hospital/health complex.”
In a press release dated March 25, the Sundre Hospital Futures Committee announced that “this collaborative initiative aims to enhance current health-care services in our region and explore the capacity to provide specialized rural training to nurses and doctors across the province.”
The ad hoc steering committee will include health-care professionals, community leaders as well as representatives from the Town of Sundre and Mountain View County.
“Our own rural training campus, including the eSIM Lab, was the beginning of meeting the need for rural health-care training for our own community. It’s time to begin the next step, a rural training campus for Central Alberta,” said committee chair Gerald Ingeveld in the press release.
