Canmore

Sinkhole repair in Three Sisters gets approval

Canmore Town council has added a new capital project for this year that will permanently remediate a nearly five metre deep sinkhole in Three Sisters Mountain Village.

Late last year, Mayor John Borrowman announced the Town had received a $600,000 grant from the Province to fix the hole, located along a municipal pathway near Dyrgas Gate that formed in May 2010.

At its regular meeting on Tuesday (May 21), members of council voted unanimously to proceed with a capital project to fix the sinkhole, which was the result of an airshaft from Seam No. 4 in the No. 4 mine. The mine was closed in the 1940s.

In a presentation to council, Town manager of engineering services Andy Esarte indicated a significant amount of discussion had taken place regarding liability for potential sinkholes created from developing on undermined lands.

Read the full story at the Rocky Mountain Outlook.

School board stands firm on cell tower

Despite Telus claims the Town of Canmore is “running close to the limits in capacity,” the Canadian Rockies Public School division has reiterated its stance against placement of a permanent cellphone tower near a middle school.

With over 77 per cent of homes within town having access to Internet and 16 per cent strictly wireless service, a plan for the national telecommunications company to increase its capacity in certain areas could be delayed without new infrastructure.

Following up on its letter to members of Town council last year, CRPS has requested the temporary cellphone tower on Seventh Street, which Telus has proposed to make permanent, be relocated.

The tower’s current location is roughly a half block from Lawrence Grassi Middle School, an issue that has created concern for some parents and staff regarding the risk of adverse health effects.

Read the full story at the Rocky Mountain Outlook.

Council skips first reading of Three Sisters ASP

An area structure plan (ASP) for the remaining 80 per cent of developable land in Canmore has moved past first reading and will go directly to a public hearing following a decision by Town council at a special meeting, Tuesday (April 30).

Council unanimously voted to proceed with a formal public hearing on May 15 instead of first reading of a new ASP for Three Sisters Mountain Village (TSMV) due to a lack of confidence the plan would actually be approved as presented.

A public hearing is held following first reading of any new bylaw, but since the ASP has, according to both administration and councillors, uncertainty surrounding various issues, the hearing will precede first reading in hopes the applicant will make changes before the matter is brought back to council.

Read the full story at the Rocky Mountain Outlook.

Lady Macs drop home opener against Barbarians

The newly-christened Lady Macs roller derby team battled hard, but lost their debut bout of the season against a more experienced side from Kimberley, B.C. at Thelma Crowe arena in Canmore, Saturday (April 27).

Despite dropping the bout 246-132, the home opener against the Bavarian Barbarians representing the East Kootenay Roller Derby League was an overall success for the Bow Valley team and its newfound fans.

Read the full story at the Rocky Mountain Outlook.

Council increases budget for waste infrastructure

Canmore council has increased its budget for capital projects by $2.27 million, which will be funded from debt, to construct a regional waste transfer station and a municipal materials recycling facility at the Town’s wastewater treatment plant.

In addition to the extra funds for the two pieces of waste management infrastructure, the increased budget will also cover a new baler worth $70,000, for a total of $300,000 for recycling equipment.

Andreas Comeau, the Town’s manager of pubic works, made a presentation for council to approve the budget increase on Tuesday (April 24) at a special meeting that lasted over five hours due to a lengthy list of agenda items and discussion among councillors regarding the increase.

Read the full story at the Rocky Mountain Outlook.

Miners’ Union Hall granted renovation funds

The Canmore Miners’ Union Hall is one of the last remnants of the town’s coal mining history and over the next few months the building will be renovated to celebrate that history while also increasing its presence as a centre for the arts.

Last Friday (April 12), a matching provincial grant of $125,000 was presented to the Pine Tree Players, the theatre group that uses the hall, to complete exterior renovations.

Banff-Cochrane MLA Ron Casey presented the Community Facility Enhancement grant from the Ministry of Culture and congratulated the various volunteers who were part of preserving this piece of Canmore history.

“This is very much a representation of Canmore’s past, so it’s nice to see it being upgraded and brought back to at least its original look,” Casey said. “The Union Hall has always been the place where the community got together.” Read the full story at the Rocky Mountain Outlook.

Former Canmore day care owner acquitted of assault charges

A tale of deceit, motive and cruelty came to an end last week in Canmore Provincial Court after a former local day care owner and director was found not guilty of seven counts of assaulting children in her care three years ago.

Following a trial that took place in March 2011, which involved strong testimony from seven former employees of the now-defunct Dragonfly Daycare in Grotto Mountain Village, Susan Lee Preece was cleared of all charges by the Honourable E.J. Creighton on April 3.

In announcing his decision, Creighton also found the Crown’s key witnesses, the seven former employees, had a motive in their testimony to bring charges against Preece in an attempt to remove her from the child care facility.

“I believe these individuals colluded to bring forth these allegations with the objective that Mrs. Preece would be held criminally responsible for the allegations,” Creighton said. Read the full story at the Rocky Mountain Outlook.

Council hears review of Environmental Impact Statement

*published in April 4 edition of the Rocky Mountain Outlook.

The Town of Canmore’s third party reviewer of an environmental impact statement (EIS) for proposed development in Three Sisters Mountain Village (TSMV) has outlined three main issues for council to review before first reading of a new area structure plan (ASP) is presented at the end of the month.

Management and Solutions in Environmental Science (MSES), the reviewer, highlighted the functionality of wildlife corridors, mitigation options and cumulative impacts during Tuesday’s (April 2) regular council meeting.

A packed council chambers was present to hear the report, which was provided as information that, according to Town planner Steven de Keijzer, “forms a key foundation of the ASP policies and land use regulations,” as the Town considers a development that could increase the population by 9,000 at full build out.

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Canadian Rockies supports teachers’ agreement

The Canadian Rockies Public School (CRPS) board has vowed to support an agreement reached last week between the Province and the Alberta Teachers Association which outlines salaries for teachers, workload and hours of instruction.

Trustees from the CRPS board unanimously voted in favour of the tentative four-year agreement during the in-camera portion of its regular meeting on March 20, citing stability in allowing the school board to focus on its vision and goals.

“The labour stability for four years is a very big component of that, which helps us continue to move forward,” said CRPS superintendent Chris MacPhee. “The board is confident in the reassurances that the education minister (Jeff Johnson) is giving in support of the agreement moving into the future.” Read the full story at the Rocky Mountain Outloook.

Canmore firefighter/EMT recounts medical mission in Haiti

The night before Jacqueline Hutchison and a team of doctors and firefighters from across Alberta travelled to the earthquake-ravaged Republic of Haiti they received an important phone call from the organizer in charge of their trip.

A gang shooting had just occurred in Cité Soleil, one of the poorest areas of the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, where the group’s medical clinic was located and where they would spend two weeks, starting Jan. 24.

“She said she understood if people wanted to back out or if there was any need to have a reason not to go,” Hutchison, a Canmore EMT/firefighter, recalled. “It certainly made me think only briefly about it because I have experienced unrest in other parts of the world.

“There was some hesitation and I had a long talk about it with my partner and son, but at no time did I think I wasn’t going to go.” Read the full story at the Rocky Mountain Outlook.