by Colin Smith
Domestic disputes top Sturgeon Victim Services files in Morinville in 2021
In 2021 Sturgeon Victim Services opened 216 files for occurrences that took place in Morinville.
The statistics were contained in a letter to council by the agency, which provides aid to victims of crime and trauma in communities in the Sturgeon Region.
It opened 600 files overall during the year, up from 534 in 2020.
Domestic disputes made up the largest number of Morinville files, 39, with the second category being Other: Violent, at 38. There were 27 Family Violence files, 24 Sexual Assault, 16 Threats/Harassment, 14 related to the Mental Health Act and 13 Assault (common).
The other 14 categories had file numbers in the single digits. There were three files for Fire, one of which was the St. Jean Baptiste fire on June 30. Sturgeon Victim Services partnered with other local agencies and the Red Cross in helping the 40 people who were evacuated from their homes during that disaster.
The Town of Morinville is supporting the agency with $8,800 in funding for the years 2022 and 2023.
Boersma and Balanko appointed to EMRB Task Force
Council has appointed Mayor Simon Boersma as its representative to the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board Growth Plan Five-Year Interim Review Task Force and Councillor Rebecca Balanko as the alternate.
The task force’s purpose is to provide oversight and direction on behalf of the Metropolitan Region Board for the implementation of the growth plan.
“I think it’s important that we sit at the table and have a voice, and a lot of this could come back to us in growth,” said Councillor Ray White, who moved that council make the appointments.
The task force will likely meet four to six times over the term of the project, perhaps more.
