Happy Thanksgiving Chestermere,
As we approach the Thanksgiving Weekend, I hope that everyone will be able to spend time with friends and family and have a moment to reflect on things that they are grateful for.
It has been an incredibly busy past couple of weeks for Council. Council was in Red Deer for the last week of September attending the Alberta Municipalities Conference. However, before we headed off to Red Deer, we had an incredible win for Chestermere as Council was able to acquire the lands for the new Rocky View High School and for a new recreation centre. This is a tremendous step forward for our community and addresses two community priorities. Now that we have secured the lands, the Mayor’s Task Force for Recreation will work on what the new facility will look like and include. Rocky View Schools will now be able to apply for funding for the new high school. We are exploring the option of doing a joint use project between the high school and the recreation centre. There are models for this across Alberta and it is a model that works well. More news to come in the coming weeks.
The City of Chestermere is not done there when it comes to school sites. Our administration is working hard with Qualico for the new K-9 school in the Dawson area. An update for this will be coming at our October 15 Governance and Priorities Meeting. Council identified that school sites are a priority, and we have demonstrated our commitment to this by acquiring the lands needed for the high school site, working to get the K-9 site completed and by having school sites as a standing item on our Governance and Priorities Meetings.
Council represented the City of Chestermere exceptionally well at the Alberta Municipalities Conference. The conference provided us with opportunities to network with other municipalities, attend informative sessions, and connect with several ministers. The week ended with Minister McIver recognizing us, complimenting the jerseys, and congratulating our council. Yes Chestermere, we represented you well.
On October 1 we had our first Mayor’s Task Force for Not-for-Profits meeting. This task force is focused on working collaboratively with our not-for-profit sector and improving communication between the city and the sector. I am so grateful for the invaluable work our not-for-profit sector does in our community and the multiple ways they support residents. Improved communication and relationship will only help to improve the impact this sector has on our community.
On October 2, City Council hosted a team from Municipal Affairs who did a Roles and Responsibilities Session with Council. This informative session was another step in completing the Ministerial Directives. At our October 8 Regular Meeting of Council, Council took another step forward and have now completed all but one of the Directives. Thank you to administration and council for your commitment to completing these directives and moving Chestermere forward.
On October 3 I had the opportunity to be a panelist for an important conversation on Mental Health. This was held at Chestermere Lake Middle School. Thank you to the school for hosting this and to our administration, Chestermere Women’s Crisis Society, Trellis and Synergy for being involved. Students were engaged, asked a lot of questions, and connected with panelists after the meeting.
As mentioned, we had our Regular Meeting of Council on October 8. A main topic of conversation was our Animal Control Bylaw. There was a lot of discussion and council wants to ensure we get this right. As such, we did not proceed with second reading but instead have kicked it back to Governance and Priorities for review and will continue to work through this bylaw to ensure we have a bylaw that works in the best interests of Chestermere residents and pets.
At the meeting, Council approved the recommendation from the Grant Adjudication Committee for the 2025 FCSS / United Way Funding. Council also awarded the Chestermere Public Library an additional $50 000 in funding. While there is not a limitless amount of funds for us to provide, and while we remain committed to being fiscally responsible, Council also remains committed to supporting the important work of our not-for-profit sector. Please check out our website for more information on the grant allocations and the other work that was done at the meeting.
Finally, Council has demonstrated that we are not shy to address concerns in our community and I would like to end this update by addressing the publics concern with the construction at South Shore and the bridge at the end of Rainbow South. We are aware that this is a frustrating experience for our city and acknowledge this frustration. Our administration is working hard with the contractor to get this work done. No one likes to live through a renovation project, and we know that this project has taken some time. We apologize for the delay in this work and are hopeful that this work will be completed shortly, and we will be able to move on to other projects.
Happy Thanksgiving Chestermere.
– Mayor Shannon Dean