City of Chestermere joins WREMP agreement

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Strathmore Town Council authorized the mayor to sign the updated Wheatland Regional Emergency Management Partnership (WREMP) Agreement, which annotates the City of Chestermere into the partnership.

The motion was brought forward before council during the May 3 regular meeting, following a presentation made by Strathmore Fire Chief, Dave Sturgeon. 

During his presentation, Sturgeon requested that council approve the authorization to sign the document, as it was presented. 

“Since the adoption of the partnership, all the parties have recognized the benefits of additional resources. By including the City of Chestermere, it is an excellent opportunity for our partners to expand their network and resources to deal with larger-scale emergencies or disasters,” he said. “The larger the event, and the longer the event runs, it can cause significant strain on our local resources. By including the City of Chestermere as a partner, it would increase our capacity and resources available to all parties.”

The item was initially brought before the Town of Strathmore Committee of the Whole, Jan. 11, for information. During that meeting, the pros and cons of the agreement were discussed, and it was asked that Strathmore Town Council direct the representative of the committee to vote as per council’s direction.

The Committee met again, Jan. 26, with the City of Chestermere in attendance to provide a presentation regarding why they wanted to join the partnership.

Following a question period, the committee voted unanimously to accept the City of Chestermere into the partnership.

Sturgeon explained to council the only changes to the WREMP agreement include adding Chestermere to the agreement and the funding model goes from 50 per cent each from Strathmore and Wheatland County to 33.3 per cent Strathmore, Wheatland County and City of Chestermere, respectively.

The overall financial obligation from the town to the agreement does not change, however, with the addition of Chestermere, there is an increase in funding by bringing in the additional partner to match Strathmore’s contributions. 

“Additional funds could be saved by not utilizing external contractors and instead utilizing resources of another member,” said Sturgeon.

He added to answer a common question which has arisen during the process, Chestermere chose WREMP over their immediate neighbours because the city felt the Wheatland partnership better aligned with their vision and values, and saw a better light for the future of their emergency management program.

Following a motion by Coun. Richard Wegener to accept the revised document as presented, council voted unanimously in favour.