LMT September 17 2018

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2 Last Mountain Times • Monday, September 17, 2018 • lmtimes.ca Govan Town Council Sept. 11 meeting notes Govan Town Council met for its regular monthly meeting on September 11 with all councillors present. Mayor Del Skoropata chaired the meeting, with staff person Kelly Holbrook, Administrator also in attendance. Administrator Holbrook gave a brief financial report, noting revenue of $37,124 for the period ending August 31. Revenue included $6,760 from the gas tax rebate program, grants in lieu of taxes from Canada Post and SaskTel, and a $27,873 bequest from an estate as a donation to the Govan Cemetery Fund. Expenses for the same period were $97,954 most of which was $68,793 in final payments to contractors for work on the water treatment plant upgrades. There was also a $4,735 expense for a section of new sidewalk. The Town’s bank reconciliation numbers were reported as follows: as of July 31st: $187,971 and as of August 31st: $173,981. Town Foreman Cody Vowles reported that summer maintenance work is wrapping up, and that he recently installed about 20 new / replacement street signs in town. He noted that one of the old signs for Amherst Street is actually misspelled as ‘Ammerst’ Street ….apparently no one has noticed until now! Some people have expressed an interest in obtaining an old street sign as a souvenir, so Council agreed to establish a process whereby people could do that (contact the Town Office for more information). The Foreman also reported on two water main breaks on September 9 and 10 which resulted in water service being disrupted in the north east portion of town. The breaks were quickly repaired by TSL Mechanical of Lanigan and water service was restored. However, as a result of the breaks, the Town had to issue a temporary boil water order which was expected be lifted by week’s end. The Foreman noted that the breaks were the result of ‘rusty saddles’ (clamps that hold two sections of pipe together) and not due to the new reverse-osmosis water supply. Administrator Holbrook gave an update on the water meter project. She noted that the Town may be able to obtain about 29 meters in advance of the entire order being received, so that the meters may be installed in the near future. A tender will be issued for a contractor to do the water meter installations. She also reported that: the Orders to Remedy discussed at the previous meeting had all been complied with; that a list of properties with tax arrears has been prepared for publishing; that SaskPower has sent a notice advising of their plans to replace 3 power poles in town; and that a notice had been received from the provincial government noting a change in the 911 Call Service (still located in Prince Albert, but being handled by a different service provider). In other business, council received and approved a written offer to purchase (for $100) a vacant lot at 225 Dufferin St. The buyer, an adjacent property owner, plans to use the property to enlarge his yard. Govan Town Council plans to meet again on Tuesday evening, October 9th. RM220 McKillop upate Changes are happening in RM220 With the recent turmoil in the management and finances of the RM of McKillop, I checked in with Reeve Howard Arndt late last week for a quick update. LMT: Reeve Arndt, there was a time in the past number of weeks that the RM office was open to the public only for limited hours. Has that changed and have any of the staffing issues been sorted out? Reeve Arndt: Yes, I’m pleased to announce that we are now back on regular business hours, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM. And, to help out Jane Laich, our interim administrator, the RM recently hired an administration Assistant. Jackie will be the first person you meet when you walk through the doors. She comes to us from a neighbouring municipality, is customer services oriented, and brings along knowledge, experience. In addition, our new development officer starts Monday, September 17, 2018. Bobbi also comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience and will be working to ensure that the administrative side of your development projects is handled professionally, efficiently, and in a timely manner. LMT: Municipal elections are coming up in October, and I see that the RM is advertising a Call for Nominations. Any other developments on the upcoming elections? Reeve Arndt: There have been a significant number of requests for an advanced poll to be held in the City of Regina. As provided by the Local Government Elections Act, the Returning Officer for the municipality has now authorized the establishment of an advanced poll in the city of Regina in October for the upcoming municipal election and referendum votes. LMT: So, overall, do you feel that things are progressing well with the administrative review, and the effort to get things back on track? Reeve Arndt: As I stated in my last column in Last Mountain Times, things need to get better and I am committed to doing that. We enjoy a special place here in the RM of McKillop and we will continue to fix the things that are broken, improve the things that are working, implement new services to provide an improved level of service and work to ensure that your experience with your local government is as positive as we can make it. -editor -Editor
NEWS BRIEFS Prince Albert employer fined Bradley Davidson-Vermette of Prince Albert has been fined a total of $49,000 for violating Occupational Health and Safety legislation which resulted in serious injury to a worker. On September 6, 2018, Davidson-Vermette pleaded guilty to contravening section 134(2) of the regulations (being an operator of a machine, before starting a machine, fail to ensure that neither the operator nor any other worker will be endangered by starting the machine, resulting in a serious injury to a worker). He was ordered to pay a fine of $35,000 with a $14,000 surcharge. The offence occurred on June 2, 2017 near Wakaw. While removing debris from a conveyor belt, the conveyor system was started up causing the worker to fall approximately four metres or 12 feet. The worker suffered broken bones in his arm, pelvis and hip as well as fractures to his ribs and spine. $1,400 fine for company A Blaine Lake company pleaded guilty to failing to provide records requested by an Employment Standards Officer in Blaine Lake Provincial Court on September 6, 2018. Numbered company 101100505 Saskatchewan Ltd., operating as Blaine Lake Gas Plus Creta Pizza was fined $1,000 plus a surcharge of $400 under The Saskatchewan Employment Act. One additional charge against the company and two charges against the director of the company were withdrawn. Charges stem from Employment Standards complaints about unpaid wages received between September 28 and December 27, 2016. Records were not provided to the Employment Standards Officer when they were requested. The officer determined that employees were owed $598.82 in unpaid wages. That amount has since been paid to the employees. NDP calls out chronic underfunding of education According to the government’s education sector staffing profile, there are more students in Saskatchewan and fewer teachers and support staff in classrooms across the province. “Premier Moe and the Sask. Party have shown nothing but disrespect to the teachers who educate our children,” said NDP Leader Ryan Meili. “We see it in their failure to adequately fund schools seeing rising enrolment, and we see it in Friday’s arbitration announcement, with teachers handed a contract that doesn’t even cover inflation.” According to the government’s staffing profile, the number of regular classroom teachers in the province dropped by 30 teachers from 2016-17 to 2017-18, and fulltime equivalent (FTE) support positions declined between 2016- 17 and 2017-18. Overall, the total number of educators decreased by 188.8. Meanwhile, the number of students continues to climb. Government estimates provided in committee have public school enrolment climbing by 1.4% and Catholic school enrolment climbing by 2.1%. “This year we see fewer teachers, fewer educational assistants, and more students. The message couldn’t be clearer: Premier Moe Last Mountain Times • Monday, September 17, 2018 • lmtimes.ca doesn’t take education seriously and doesn’t treat teachers fairly,” said NDP Education Critic Carla Beck. “We call on this government to stop underfunding our schools.” Veterans Ombudsman report released OTTAWA - Canada’s Veterans Ombudsman Guy Parent last week released his report, Meeting Expectations: Timely and Transparent Decisions for Canada’s Ill and Injured Veterans. The report focuses on the number one complaint the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman (OVO) hears from Veterans – the length of time it takes to get a disability benefit decision from Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC). The report’s seven recommendations are supported by evidence-based findings that, if implemented, would enable VAC to better meet the needs of all Veterans and their families in a timelier manner. “It is taking too long for Veterans to get a disability benefit decision from VAC and this is negatively impacting the health needs and financial security of many Veterans and their families,” said Mr. Parent. “Along with the increased frustration and stress, some Veterans have no access to health care services and financial support during these long wait times, the gateway to other VAC benefits and services is often firmly shut until there is a decision.” The Ombudsman is particularly worried about the fact that not all groups of Veterans are being treated equitably. 3
Page 1: TIMES Want this 3 days earlier? LAS
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LMT September 17 2018

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