New commitments for Council

by Lucie Roy

At the Annual Organizational Meeting held in Council Chambers Oct. 13, two Standing Committees of Council Appointments were proposed and added to the list, and another was removed.

Chamber Liaison New

Councillor Stephen Dafoe said he would like to see a Chamber Liaison added to the list, particularly someone to go to the luncheons and keep the door open between Town and Chamber.

Dafoe said he took the liberty to call Morinville & District Chamber of Commerce President Simon Boersma just to touch base with him on the idea. Dafoe said Boersma thought it was a great idea.

He proposed Councillor Nicole Boutestein or Councillor Gord Putnam, both of whom frequently attend the Chamber luncheons.

Councillor Rob Ladouceur questioned the appointment being just the Chamber and suggested making the appointment for Rotary meetings as well.

“I just do not want to snob another very important group,” Ladouceur said. Dafoe countered that if the Rotary joined the mix, so too should the Lions Club and other important service groups. As such, he recommended letting his motion stand for a Chamber liaison.

The motion passed and Boutestein will serve that role with Councillor Brennan Fitzgerald as the alternate.

Sturgeon Regional Family Violence Prevention Committee

Although there was a Family Violence Prevention program in the past that was well received, funding was pulled. Mayor Lisa Holmes said the Town and Council should champion starting it again as the RCMP identified it as a priority.
Holmes said the Town could offer space, and the ability to advocate the federal government to get funding reinstated.
Before the unanimous vote, Councillor Stephen Dafoe said, “You have 150 per cent support from me on this.”

Regional Tourism Action Plan removed

Councillor Nicole Boutestein questioned the Regional Tourism Action Plan and the fact that they last met four years ago. Though it is still an ongoing committee, a motion was made to remove this committee due to the infrequency of meetings.

Finance & Audit Committee removal request fails

Councillor Nicole Boutestein made a motion to remove the Town’s Finance and Audit Committee from the list, stating it was a group that had not met for at least three years.

The Committee consisted of members of Council and two members of the public. The administration said the committee looked at policies when Council did not have Committee of the Whole meetings, but now that they did, it was no longer required.

Councillor Stephen Dafoe said he opposed the motion and asked for a recorded vote, arguing current Council had not had an opportunity to do something with the committee and should, given the desire around the table to restructure the budget process.

Boutestein’s motion failed 0-7. Terms of reference will be brought back to a future meeting to reinstate the committee.

Few changes to standing appointments

Councillor Rob Ladouceur will come off Growth Plan Task Force as an alternate and Roseridge Landfill as the designate. Those appointments will go to Councillor Stephen Dafoe.
Ladouceur moves to Library Board, replacing Councillor Brennan Fitzgerald, who moves to Community Futures, replacing Dafoe.
Councillor Nicole Boutestein joins Councillor Dafoe on the general Capital Region Board. The addition of Boutestein gives two alternates to Mayor Lisa Holmes on the board.

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