County of Paintearth council heard plans are underway for the 2025 municipal election. The report was made at the Nov. 26 regular meeting of council.
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Michael Simpson reported that he has begun reviewing recent changes the provincial government made to municipal election law and policy; such changes include the option of requiring criminal background checks of candidates and running under a political party’s banner in a local election, among other tweaks.
The CAO stated changes to the Elections Act don’t seem like they will have a major impact on Paintearth.
Simpson reported the county is currently recruiting a returning and deputy returning officer to conduct the election. He advised councillors he will provide an update soon.
Halkirk update
Assistant CAO Lana Roth noted in her regular report to council a few details about the Village of Halkirk’s dissolution.
It was noted adding Halkirk’s assets to the County of Paintearth insurance require the Ministerial order; further, it was noted Halkirk can continue to insure their assets for one more year on its current policy.
Roth also noted Paintearth has discussed tax collected at source (TCS) listing and how best to handle conversion to the County of Paintearth. Additionally, she noted a Nov. 20 meeting held with village staff to go through Halkirk’s information to help with the transition.
During their council reports councillors noted the town hall meeting held with Halkirk residents Nov. 25; all councillors stated they felt the meeting went well.
Ranching workshop
Simpson reported work continues on bringing Ranching for Profit workshops to the County of Paintearth.
He noted in his CAO report the workshops are offered from an American-based group, offering expertise on economics, finance, succession, ecology grazing, building more effective on-farm management teams and offering new tools for participants to use in their operation.
He noted the workshops range from a few hours to two days in length. Simpson stated once the workshop’s exact date is identified it will be advertised.
Healthcare support
The CAO reported he met with Paintearth Adult Learning and other county staff to discuss Norquest College’s licensed practical nurse (LPN) program and bursary details.
Many rural communities look at LPN’s as an effective way to support effective healthcare services.
Tournament costs
Councillors unanimously approved a request for funding from a local sports team that attended the 1A boys high school volleyball provincials; the event had already passed as the application noted the tournament was held Nov. 20 to 23 in Pincher Creek.
The County of Paintearth policy states the municipality will grant $50 per person to support local athletics, up to a maximum of $500 per team. Councillors approved a grant of $500.
Close look
Councillors heard a brief presentation from Basit Rizwan, a senior accountant with Ascend LLP, who noted the firm beginning the 2024 audit.
Rizwan explained the audit is conducted according to accepted accounting standards and is based on information provided by staff. It was noted auditors recently began working with a new accounting standard as well.
It was stated the audit began Nov. 25 with auditor’s final statement in April. Councillors accepted the presentation as information.
New parcels
Director of Community Services Todd Pawsey reported that the Municipal Planning Commission (MPC) approved two new subdivisions on Nov. 26, “…including north of Castor where we recently built access road.”
He also mentioned that the County of Paintearth received its first cryptocurrency mining development permit application.
