The town council meetings held on July 5 and August 2 approved of the operation of two new businesses, as well as new guidelines on waste management and water works policies.
A public hearing approved the discretionary operation of the Rising Stars Children Centre in the community. A homeowner was also approved to run a wedding rental business as a home occupation.
Council also allowed for the payment of a vehicle owner whose car was damaged in a pothole, and the closure of a back lane in Block 3. The annual conference for the Saskatchewan Water and Wastewater Association was also discussed, and Wes Popoff, the water treatment plant operator, was authorized to attend the conference along with Darcy Rewakowsky and Corey Heshka.
The August 2 meeting included the passing of a new policy and a new bylaw in Canora. Bylaw No. 16-10 is an amendment to the solid waste management bylaw. Keys to the Canora landfill may now be available to contractors who conduct lawn care or yard maintenance services for the town council.
Council is adopting the 2016 Water Works Rate Policy and Capital Investment Strategy. Water and sewer services supplied by the town now have a minimum rate of $35 per month, and $32 for water only. The rate also increases, based on the use of water from 2,001 gallons to 10,000 gallons and over. Council will review the rates annually, and bylaws will be passed if change is necessary. At this time, there are no plans for further changes.
The objective of the rate policy is to ensure that the waterworks are self-sustaining. The plan is for the waterworks to be financially independent while providing safe, quality drinking water.
The Capital Investment Strategy has been put into motion to address the maintenance needed for the waterworks to continue functioning properly. Based on an assessment from MPE Engineering, the waterworks will undergo several construction projects, including water main replacements, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system replacements, programmable logic controller replacements, lagoon dredging, lift pump replacement, reservoir cleaning, installment of a variable frequency drive pump, well rehabilitation, installment of a new well, reservoir pump rebuilding, manhole restoration, and water filter upgrades.
Three water mains on Second Avenue East, Third Avenue East, and Fourth Avenue East are to be replaced as part of the projects.
The Canora Town Council meetings were held at the Canora Town Council Chambers by Mayor Gina Rakochy; councillors Matthew Nehaj, Brad Gabora, Cory O’Dell, Gerald Wolkowski, James Trofimenkoff and Syl Hrynkiw; Michael Mykytyshyn, the chief administrative officer; and Jo-Anne Sigurdson, the community development officer.
