Tag: Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

Categories
Economic Ft Mac

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Council Considers Green Building Rule Changes

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, green building rule changes

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is considering some green building rule changes, with revisions under consideration that could alter the green standards currently required for downtown development. The discussion was started when Coun. Tyran Ault proposed a motion that calls for the removal of the Canada Green Building Council LEED Gold building standard as part of the land use requirements for developments in the downtown area. As the standards and requirements currently stand any Centre City area project that involves more than 1,000 sq. ft must be built according to the Gold certification level instead of one of the lower 3 LEED levels that are also available. Coun. Ault’s motion first came up on June 9 of this year, and it is under consideration by the entire council.

The green building rule changes being considered by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo would make it easier and less expensive for developers to meet sustainability and green building requirements. There are 4 levels of LEED certification. These are Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Certified. According to Coun. Ault “We’re really not seeing any movement in the downtown core in terms of buildings going up, especially from the private sector, … that was originally envisioned when council approved the City Centre Land Use Bylaw. One just needs to take a look around to see it may not be working,” he said. “I think we need to be more realistic with what we’re asking developers while still being concerned with the environment at the same time.”

Categories
Ft Mac

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Reviews Rules for On Street Parking

on street parking, Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo will be reviewing the rules for on street parking because of concerns that have been voiced about congestion and safety. During the council meeting last Tuesday Coun. Keith McGrath moved a motion for this review. The municipality will review the parking standards, bylaws, and policies so that a plan can be developed which will address any concerns about traffic and pedestrians. McGrath explained at the meeting that “Over the years, it seems that our safety issues have grown. You can’t see kids coming across the sidewalks … I’m just glad I’m not a kid, because I know what’s going to happen.” A number of council members also identified concerns with the current on street parking in many areas. Concerns cited included visibility issues, and traffic that is limited to a single lane.

Council member Meagher was also concerned about on street parking in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Meagher stated “If Fort McMurray was a living being, we would probably have triple-bypasses in every community There’s streets where you go down and if you have a truck, you just hope that you’re not scratching vehicles on either side … to me it’s like having a blocked artery.” Some of the proposed improvements suggested by McGrath include parking limitations so that vehicles are only on one side of the street, and establishing setbacks at certain locations including crosswalks, residential corners, and intersections so that visibility is increased. Mayor Melissa Blake said “In the neighbourhoods themselves, this is where people are impacted. I know it’s not going to be a fun topic, I know it’s going to cause concerns for people that just don’t have the ability to meet their parking requirements within their own property, but we really need to give consideration to all these elements.”

Categories
Ft Mac Politics

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Council Member John Chadi Returns

council member John Chadi, Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

Council member John Chadi is back, and he attended a meeting of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo council last Tuesday. Chadi has been receiving treatment for bile duct treatment, and he has received a terminal diagnosis for the disease. After being elected to the seat for Ward 2 in October 2013 Chadi was diagnosed with the rare form of cancer and he has missed almost all of the council meetings since then as he fought to survive the disease. Shortly after being elected Chadi needed to ask for medical leave, but he is now back on a case by case basis depending on his health. Few were unsympathetic about Chadi’s absence from council meetings because everyone was aware of what was going on.

Council member John Chadi discussed his position on the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo council with the media. Chadi said “The determination is to fight as hard and as much as I possibly can. At some point in time, and I can’t say when, we’re no longer going to be here. So I guess the point I would make is that we’re going to make … an impact while we are here as much as (we) can.” The councilor also talked about why he did not just telecommute for the meeting, saying “I felt that I needed to be here. I’m not sure how many meetings that I will be able to attend, but I can tell you that as long as the health is okay … I will definitely be here.”

Categories
Ft Mac

New Winter Maintenance Plan Explained by Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo to Educate Residents

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, winter maintenance plan

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is hoping to educate residents about the new winter maintenance plan that starts when winter hits this year. Road plowing and other maintenance changes will affect many residents as the municipality switches to a rotating plowing schedule instead of what was previously used. On specific days street parking will be banned in each neighborhood, with a weekly schedule, and permanent no parking signs have already been ordered. According to Robert Billard, the road maintenance manager, “We wanted people to be aware of what the signs were about. The largest thing will be the communication with regards to the zones and having people comply with it.” The new practice will start in October and continue through April.

In the past the winter maintenance plan in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo was much different. Snow which was located on residential roads was removed and trucked away periodically, approximately once or twice each year. The new winter maintenance plan passed the council vote last December, and it will continue the old strategy of clearing green spaces and boulevards by plowing the snow off to one side. There were information sessions held so that residents understood the new maintenance plan. Plans for weekly maintenance in months other than winter months were cancelled. Billard explained “Once those areas are swept up and cleaned up, after that happens there really isn’t a requirement to be there once a week … but we are going to try to coordinate the closures with the zones.”

Categories
Economic Ft Mac

Transit Services Taken Over by Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, transit services

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has taken over the transit services in the area. Municipal staff are hoping that people who use the transit services did not notice anything different, and that the transition will continue to go smoothly and without any problems. Control of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo transit services was assumed by the municipality on May 22, last Friday. Roughly 90 days ago the changes were announced, with the municipality canceling the current contract with Tok Transit in order to bring these services back in house. Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo transit services manager Tony O’Doherty said “They won’t even notice that the transition has actually happened. (It’s) been going good. There will be some hiccups, but other than that we’ll be okay. There’s a little more detail involved than what we anticipated at first, but the contractor’s been co-operative in working with us.”

When the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo assumed control of the transit services many of the people who worked with Tok Transit have been helping with the transition during the 90 day escape clause period. A transit services audit last October showed that contract requirements were not being fulfilled. As a result the administration presented a business plan to the council and the municipality made the decision to make the switch to an in house method instead. Tok Transit Is now suing the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo over the contract for transit services. Tok alleges that the audit was misleading and that the contract was canceled without cause.

Categories
Alberta Ft Mac Health

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Under Fire Ban

fire ban, Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is under a fire ban that is province wide. This ban includes the Urban Service Area of Fort McMurray and the Fort McMurray Forest Protection Area. The fire ban was implemented because of the weather, which has been hot and extremely dry lately. Provincial areas under the fire ban prohibit any open fire in a backcountry area, random camping areas, and campgrounds. Existing permits are suspended while the ban is still in place. Cooking is still allowed in these areas as long as gas or propane stoves or barbeques are used. Also allowed in these areas are the CSA approved portable propane fire pits. Anyone who violates the fire ban may be fined up to $5,000, and is the violation leads to an emergency response because a fire starts the individual in violation can be charged for the costs involved.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has announced that the only outdoor fires allowed in the Urban Service Area is barbeques, every other type of fire is prohibited because of the fire ban. A Government of Alberta spokesperson said that the last province wide fire ban happened in 2011. To find out more and to access detailed maps individuals can go to albertafirebans.ca. According to the provincial department of Agriculture and Forestry data there have been 629 wildfires since April 1 in the province. Since Monday there were 15 wildfires in provincial areas that were not under control. In the Fort MacMurray area alone there have been 24 wildfires so far, with a total of 3 hectares burnt.