October 24, 2005

THAT, our community is hosting the Power Smart Manitoba Games in March of 2006? There are many volunteer opportunities and a great need to fill many positions both prior to and during the games. If you have some time available, please show your support and consider being part of this event as a volunteer. For more information call 268-1119.

THAT, By-law No. 1527/03 to regulate the operation of snowmobiles and all terrain vehicles within the Town of Beausejour is in effect for the next 6 months?

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What are the rules in a nutshell for snowmobiles and all terrain vehicles on the roadways?

ANSWER: Any person who is qualified to operate a snowmobile or an all terrain vehicle may, during the period of October 15, 2005 to April 15th, 2006 operate said vehicle on designated routes. All streets in Beausejour with the exception of First Street North and Park Avenue are designated as routes. The By-law is only in effect when the streets are snow covered. No one shall operate said vehicles between 11:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. Please remember travel is only allowed on the streets. Sidewalks and private property are off limits for travel. Follow speed limits and use hand signals when turning. Drive safely.

September 26, 2005

THAT, the total cost for last year’s collection, transport, and disposal of garbage from the Town was $109,994.20.

THAT,the cost for last year’s curbside recycling for the Town was $12,996.00.

THAT, the Spring and Fall “clean-ups” last year cost $5,829.48.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: When is the fall clean-up and what can we put out? Also, who can use this service?

ANSWER: This year’s fall clean up dates are, Tuesday October 11th for the north side of Town and Thursday October 13th for the south side. Typical items that would be put out for pick up include used building supplies, branches, old furniture and appliances etc. No paints or toxic substances will be picked up. For further information, call Town Hall 268-7550. As for who can put articles out, Town ratepayers and residents only. Keep in mind, the Town ratepayers pay 100% of the costs involved in this clean up.

May 27, 2003

THAT, Council has passed a resolution for authorization of grants for 2003.? To list a few, Association for Community Living (ACL) - $3,000; Community Foundation - $5000; Beausejour Handivan - $2,500; Broken-Beau Historical Society - $2,500.? Other grants will be reported in upcoming articles.

THAT, the Beausejour-Brokenhead Fire Department has responded to over 60 fire calls so far this year.? Last year, there were 93 fires in total.

THAT, the quarterly costs for By-Law Enforcement for January to March, 2003 is $15,959.46.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How much did it cost the town to install the lights and shield in the town van that is used by the By-law Officers and for what reasons were they installed?

ANSWER: The shield and installation totaled $1,021.18 and the warning lights were $412.86.? The reasons behind the installation of this equipment were mostly safety.? Since January 1, 2003 the officers have made 9 arrests; 5 individuals for impaired driving, 3 under the Intoxicated Person Act and 1 for being unlawfully at large.? Since the officers quite often work alone, the shield which is know as “a silent partner”, is essential for their safety, and the safety of the public.? The LED lights are also a piece of safety equipment for the public to identify that in fact it is an emergency vehicle, and they are responding to an incident.

March 14, 2005

THAT, the final quarter costs for the RCMP for 2004 was $52,017.15.

THAT, a fee of $14,000.00 a year is paid to NERRF (North East Regional Recycling Facility) for pick up of our blue box curbside recycling program.

Question of the Week: I would like to consider starting a business in Town but am not sure how to go about doing so. Who do I talk to?

Answer: The Beausejour Brokenhead Development Corporation would be your first contact. They are located in the Town Office. To contact the Economic Development Officer, who can provide you with all of the necessary information you may need, please call Anupam Sharma at 268-7556.
There happens to be an array of interesting workshops for new and existing businesses taking place at the Super 8 Motel. They are free of charge and on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays March to June starting at 7:00 p.m. Some of the workshops focus on Marketing and Promotion, Human Resources and the Workforce, Strategic Planning, etc. If you would like further information or to register please call Melissa at 268-7552.

February 28, 2005

THAT, Council requested a drainage study for the James Street and Ash Avenue area because of continuous water problems. The cost for the study, including engineering fees, was $9,047.62.

THAT, the 2006 Winter Games Committee is looking for volunteers to head up groups such as Public Relations, Fundraising, etc. If you are interested in volunteering please call Bob Rondeau at 268-3200 or Reg Black at 268-4159(H) or
268-2011(W).

Question of the Week: I go to the coffee shop and hear several different versions of the same situation that is supposed to be happening. How do I find out the correct and factual answer to something I hear?

Answer: The easiest route you could take is to call Town Hall (268-7550) for verification on an issue. If you feel it necessary you can also call any member of council to answer your questions. Council finds it frustrating when there is incorrect information out there. We would much sooner share the correct factual information. Please keep in mind that certain issues such as legal proceedings and staffing issues are confidential and dealt with “in camera”, so cannot be shared.

February 14, 2005

THAT, we received an “A” grade on our Manitoba Product Stewardship report card for last year? An “A” means that we recycled 70.23 kg/person last year. Keep up the great work!

THAT, Council just revised and passed our by-laws to govern the organization of the Town of Beausejour and to regulate the proceedings and conduct of the Council and Committees.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What is Council’s role?

ANSWER: As defined in our organizational by-law Council’s role is as follows: The responsibilities of Council are determined by the legislative framework of the Municipal Act. In this by-law, the objective of Council is founded on the principle that the members of Council are Stewards of the organization and, as such, the members of Council have a responsibility to consider and adopt policy to direct the affairs of the organization, to oversee the conduct of the organization, and to monitor the management of the organization. In normal circumstances, the day to day functions of the organization should not be performed by Council or members of Council.

January 27, 2005

THAT the Fire Department’s last quarter salaries totalled $12,113.80.

THAT the Town is doing an engineered Drainage Study for the entire Town so that we may address some of the long-standing issues regarding drainage problems.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How do I get involved as a citizen representative of the Town on a committee?

ANSWER: If you are interested in becoming a citizen rep, please let Town Hall know. Council gathers names of residents who are interested in being a citizen rep, they choose and appoint them to the various committees of Council. If there are no openings we will keep your name on file for review for next year’s appointments. It just so happens we are seeking a citizen rep for the Library Committee. Meetings are once a month at the Library. If you are interested and require more information, please call Town Hall at 268-7550 and leave a message for Art Berry.

December 8, 2004

THAT, the latest quarterly payment for the RCMP was $63,153.57 for the Town.

THAT, our new E.M.O. Coordinator is seeking volunteers to help fulfill the Emergency Plan for Beausejour/Brokenhead. It has been such a long time since the plan has been updated and many volunteers whom are listed are no longer in the area. If you are interested in offering your volunteer assistance in the case of an emergency, please call 268-7550.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How much did the Town fall clean up cost this year?

ANSWER: Including advertising, tipping fees and truck rentals, the clean up cost totalled $2,422.50. It sure seemed like we had more items at the curb this fall, and that’s certainly a good thing. Instead of many of the items going into the garbage stream, they were recycled, burned or composted which certainly saves a lot of money. Town residents seem to really take advantage of both the spring and fall pick ups, as well as recycling in an attempt to keep garbage volumes low. Great job…keep up the good work!

November 24, 2004

THAT, Council and volunteers will be attending Emergency Measures training over the next few months. Our EMO plan has recently been updated and all involved parties must be trained in their responsibilities should the plan have to be activated in the case of an emergency.

THAT, during the last meeting in November, the Mayor will be assigning each Councillor to the specific committees that they shall represent on behalf of the Town for the upcoming year.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: I live in the area of a lift station and one night I heard an alarm sounding at 3 o’clock in the morning. Who do I call if this situation occurs again at that time of the day?

ANSWER: In the event that the fire alarm is sounding in the lift station, that means we have a mechanical or power failure of some type. In the phone book under Beausejour-Town of, you will see listed an “After Hour Trouble Calls” number (268-7555). If after regular work hours, please call that number with a message. One of our Public Works staff is always on call. They will get a page, retrieve the message, and deal with the problem.

November 10, 2004

THAT, Manitoba Hydro is offering “free energy” for the decorative lighting that the Town puts up from December 10th to January 7th. Decorative lighting refers to municipally owned lighting fixtures mounted on Manitoba Hydro owned poles or street light standards.

THAT, Town Hall has recently updated the computer system and programs. The staff will be working with a new accounting system in the near future called Municipal Management System from Focus Software.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: I am a member of a non-profit group and am in need of assistance for project funding. Who can help me?

ANSWER: If your project has received Municipal approval and you are not a registered charity, Eastman Regional Development Inc. may be able to assist you in searching for funding. They can search foundations or major companies that may assist in your project funding. If you require further information, please call ERDI at 268-2884.

March 10, 2004

THAT, the blue box curbside pick up program handled 133828.4 kgs of recyclables from Feburary 2003 - February 2004.

THAT, Council has a meeting with the Minister of Highways at the end of March to discuss the possibility of Park Avenue reconstruction.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: I’ve heard the there may be a plan to make some changes within the Recreation Department?

ANSWER: The Councils of the RM of Brokenhead and Town of Beausejour are looking at restructuring the Recreation Board. It is proposed that this new Board will oversee community owned and operated recreational facilities. The intention is to improve service, reduce duplication and maintain, protect and preserve the facilities. User groups, volunteers and ratepayers are invited to attend a public meeting 7:00 PM March 31st at the Sun Gro Centre to offer input and suggestions on how to help achieve these goals. Please call the RM office at 268-6700 for more information.

February 25, 2004

THAT, the Manitoba Product Stewarship Corporation issues a yearly report card? For the period of April 1, 2002 to March 31, 2003 the Town and R.M. have been graded an “A”. This report card is based on the amount recycled per resident. To earn our “A” each resident recycled 65.1 kilograms of recyclables. We would have to reach 75 kilograms per person to earn an “A+”

THAT, contracted out snow removal assistance for the month of January, cost the town $13,002.03.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How much was spent on debt servicing last year for the town?

ANSWER: When major projects such as paving or new water and sewer installations are necessary, you can appreciate the price tags attached to those type of projects. The town takes out debentures for those types of projects, and budgets for the repayment based on required payments for the duration of the debenture. For the year 2003, our debenture payments totalled $322,809.02.

February 11, 2004

THAT, the last quarerly payment of the year for the RCMP (Oct. to Dec. 2003) was $63,069.08

THAT,this year the Town will pay NERRF $1,083 per month for curbside pick up of blue box recyclable items.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Monthly bills always seem to be on the increase. How does the Town budget for this?

ANSWER: Utility rates are approved by the Public Utilities Board and of course are billed on a consumption and usage basis. For example, in January of 2004 the Town’s Hydro bill was $7,397.83, Centra Gas $5,873.73 and MTS $964.57 for a monthly grand total of $14,236.13. We have other service billings that are negotiated by contract for 1, 2 or 3 years. Those would be such things as garbage pick up and tonnage disposed of. January 2004 pick up and disposal totaled $9,020.89. Animal pest control we pay at a monthly flat rate of $400.00 and sometimes incur additional expenses if an animal must be put down by a vet (i.e stray cat). So, some of the Town’s expenses are consumption based and other are contractually based. When budgeting, the contractual figues we know will change little. As for the consumption based expenses, we look at past years comparisons, and upcoming projects or circumstances that may effect those costs and budget accordingly.

October 22, 2003

THAT, the total cost for the Park Avenue Industrial Park sanitary sewer project was $309,657.88.

THAT, the charges to the town for enhanced 911 will remain the same at $2.84 per capita.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Are there any opportunities to volunteer with the Town?

ANSWER: There are many groups within Beausejour that are always looking for volunteers. Certainly one place you could enquire is with Bruce Schade at the Recreation Commission. There are also opportunities to be a Town representative on many boards such as the Museum, Recreation Commission, Library etc. We are currently looking for a Town representative to sit on the Brokenhead River Regional Libary Board. If you are interested in this opportunity, please call Town Hall at 268-7550.

October 8, 2003

THAT, the curbside recycling costs the Town $1,083.00 per month for NERRF to do the blue box pick up at the curb. Council feels this is an important service to the residents for the good of the environment, and so recyclables do not end up in the landfill.

THAT, the third quarterly payment of salaries for the firefighters of the Beausejour/Brokenhead Fire Department totalled $7,331.00.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: In the middle of the night, I woke up to a very loud train whistle. Doesn’t the Town have a noise by-law after 11:00 P.M.?

ANSWER: You were not the only one that was awaken in the middle of the night by the train whistle. The following day, Town Hall received many inquiries (as did I) regarding the train whistle in the middle of the night. Staff at Town Hall contacted CPR and it appears that CPR is regulated by Transport Canada to blow their whistle 24/7 when they are 1/4 of a mile from a crossing, until the engine reaches the crossing. Unfortunately, they happen to be at our crossing in the middle of the night. So, the Town’s by-law cannot pertain to the trains because of their regulation by Transport Canada.

September 24, 2003

THAT,Tuesday October 14th (north end) and Thursday October 15th (south end) are the “Fall Clean Up” dates. Please call Town Hall for information on items that can and cannot be put out.

THAT,the Town By-Law allowing snowmobiles and ATV’s on the streets (excluding Park Avenue & First Street) will come into effect October 15th, 2003 and is in effect until April 15, 2004.

THAT, for the period of June 21st to September 6th, 2003, Prairie By-Law issued 70 summons and 149 warnings. Disobeying a traffic control device and speeding were the two most popular infractions.

QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK: How much money do the taxpayers of Beausejour pay in school taxes?

ANSWER: The Town of Beausejour simply administers the collection of school taxes on behalf of the Division. Two separate cheques were issued August 31st. One to the Public School Finance Board for $389,902.59 and the second to the Sunrise School Division for $1,050,422.44, for a grand total of $1,440,325.03. The Town only retains the “municipal portion” of your property tax bill for infrastructure projects and operating.

September 10th, 2003

THAT, our first instalment of the year from the Provincial Government grant from the Video Lotto Terminals revenue was $21,864.88 which we received in July. We should be receiving the second portion in early October.

THAT, the July payment from the Manitoba Product Stewardship Program for recycling volumes was $4,791.75. This amount is forwarded to NERRF to cover their costs of operating the recycling program.

THAT, the latest quarterly payment for the RCMP in Beausejour was $54,140.87.

THAT, the latest quarterly costs for By-Law Enforcement Services in Beausejour was $16,614.50.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: My neighbours dog is forever in my yard. What can I do about this situation?

ANSWER: If you haven’t already spoken to the neighbour about the situation you may want to try that approach. If you have already done that and the dog continues to visit your yard, there are by-laws in place that the pet owner must obey. If they do not, they can be fined. If you would like specific information regarding all of the animal by-laws, please call 944-2914 24 HRS.

June 24, 2003

THAT, the town has spent $4,173.00 on dust control for the gravelled streets and back lanes

THAT, garbage pick up for the month of May cost $7,352.51

THAT, the MTS bill for the month of May was $992.86

THAT, the second quarter salaries for the members of the Beausejour Brokenhead Volunteer Fire Department were $19,551.75

THAT, this will be the last article until September as Al and I take a break in the summer.? Please continue to call with enquiries, but nothing will be printed till fall.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: There were some letters to the editor a while back regarding problems with cats.? What has every come of that?

ANSWER: Council requested some research be done in regards to what types of cat by-laws other towns had.? Several by-laws were received and we reviewed this information.? We are now in consultation with our animal control officer and will be writing a new by-law regarding cats within town.

June 11, 2003

THAT, the cost to repaint the crosswalks, curbs and parking stalls was $1,754.80

THAT, 911 costs to the Town for the 2003 is $7,872.48

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What is going on with Park Avenue and all of the loose gravel?

ANSWER: The highways department did some crackfilling repairs as they are the authority for Park Avenue.? We have been getting many inquiries, if you have any questions please contact the Highways Department.? The Highways Department does hire the Town to sweep and remove snow on their request.