Councillor Best takes leave of absence

Times Reporter

 

Councillor Earl Best asked council for a leave of absence. The Municipal Government Act allows for Council to pass a resolution to give a Councillor a leave of absence as indicated in Section 174 (2). The section states that a councillor is not disqualified by being absent from regular council meeting under subsection (1)(d) if the absence is authorized by a resolution of council passed, at any time before the end of the last regular meeting of the council in the 8-week period, or if there is no other regular meeting of the council during the 8-week period, at any time before the end of the next regular meeting of the council. Best asked for a four-month leave beginning on Sept. 8 and lasting until Jan. 8, 2013 for personal reasons. Council approved the request. Best will not be receiving remunerations nor will he have his town cell phone during the time he is on leave. 

 

Mayor heading to Russia

Mayor Steve Grajczyk will be heading to Ufa, Russia in February of 2013. He has been invited as a representative of Strathmore to attend the International Children’s Winter Games (ICG). In early 2011 the Strathmore girls bantam A hockey team participated in the ICG in Kelowna. Grajczyk had attended and said at the Sept. 5 council meeting that he had been invited to attend the games in Russia. He will be paying for his own flight there, and once he arrives everything is paid for by the ICG. Grajczyk said there are tours being planned for him and the other delegates, and he will of course be attending the sporting events. The trip will be both a little bit of a holiday mixed in with heavy promotion of Strathmore and all we have to offer. 

 

Gas well setbacks

Brown and Associates submitted a request asking to reduce the setback from a sweet gas well on behalf of the Edgefield landowners. The setback had been 100 metres, which would result in a loss of 50 lots. The request was to see the setback changed to 40 metres. The town’s support was needed before the request could be sent off to the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) for final approval.  A letter of support was given and it is now in the hands of the ERCB.

 

Board members 

After a request was put out about a need for library board members, four people submitted applications. June Urbaniec, AJ Blackleym Richard Woodford and Derek Donais all tossed their names in the hat, and council appointed all four on Sept. 5. 

 

Census

The census is in and Strathmore has grown by 47 people this past year, bringing the population total to 12,352. The census will be discussed further at a future council meeting.