Town of Ste. Anne Facing Rink Woes as Arena Ages RM Looking into Feasibility of a Richer Waste Water System

By Dan Guetre

At a recent RM of Ste. Anne council meeting they agreed to move ahead with the LUD of Richer Waste Water Servicing Feasibility Study thanks to a cost sharing agreement with Manitoba Water Services.

“The RM of Ste Anne received a grant for $100,000 to conduct a feasibility study for sewer systems in the LUD of Richer,” explained Brent Wery, the councillor who represents the community. “We are expecting the study to cost well under that amount and the grant should cover all the costs associated with the study. A cost share would have the RM of Ste Anne covering any costs over that grant amount.”

The purpose of this study is to look at alternatives to septic systems, such as a sewer system said Mike McLennan, CAO for the municipality.

“It is recognized that to move forwards into the future with dedicated settlement areas which include dense housing and commercial spaces, a sewer system is a necessity,” elaborated Wery. “The study will answer the question of the costs to develop a sewer system and if those costs are feasible with the current population size along with the risk/benefit of incurring such a cost.”

According to McLennan, the next step will be defined contingent on the results of the study.

By Dan Guetre services has been a topic for both the Town council and the RM council over the years.

Faced with an aging arena that requires more money yearly to operate, the Town of Ste. Anne is asking the RM of Ste. Anne to come back to the bargaining table to re-evaluate the multi-year agreement they had signed only a couple of years ago.

“Our recreation services are severely lacking funds (this has been the reality for many years) to operate our arena, library, sports fields, etc.,” said Ste. Anne Mayor Yvan St. Vincent. “If we aren’t able to strike a new Rec deal with RM we will have several very hard decisions to make in very near future and we are worried we won’t be able to offer what we’ve always been able to.”

Currently the arena is in dire need to replace some aging equipment.

“The Town needs a complete ice plant over haul, as most of the equipment is 40 plus years old, and R-22 refrigerant is no longer available,” explained Town of Ste. Anne CAO Marc Dakur. “This is the situation with most rinks in Manitoba. The cost to keep the doors open next season for hockey and curling ranges from $325,000 basic to $1.8 million [for a] new ice plant.”

With the high expenses on the horizon, the Town says they are not in a position to write a cheque without help.

“This is difficult to achieve alone without granting,” explained Dakur who hopes the surrounding rural municipality can work together and increase their financial share and justify it to their residents as an opportunity for everyone.

The lack of funds for recreation

According to a 2022/23 Arena budget provided by the Town CAO, the revenue for the arena is expected to bring in $382,058. General operating expenses are predicted to come to $184,331 leaving the arena $197,726.81 in the black. Unfortunately, the arena facility is carrying over almost $100,000 deficit from the previous year due to Covid19 restrictions and has a budgeted $396,943 in expected capital costs required to perform basis repairs and upgrades in order to keep the arena running, the largest of which is replacing the arena compressor at $350,000.

The Town of Ste. Anne and the RM councils have their joint meeting scheduled for around mid-February. This is an annual formal event where mutually beneficial ideas are discussed.

According to Randy Eros, Deputy Reeve of the RM of Ste. Anne, that would be a good time to broach the subject. While the RM of Ste. Anne has a plan to build out their own recreation services as part the creation of a development plan, he feels his council will be open to discussing this.

The Town of Ste. Anne is also hosting an open house discussion at their office in regards to the arena and curling rink “and its future” on Wednesday, February 8 at 7 pm.

The public is invited but they are asking those interested to RSVP their Recreational Services Manager, Sarah Normandeau by emailing rec@steanne.ca to be added to the list which will also be used as a sign in for the meeting.

“Our facility is in need of some significant upgrades to remain operational,” wrote the Town in a notice sent out. “The Town is facing some big decisions and large costs associated with our facility and the goal of this open house is to gather insights from residents and users.”

Following the announcement for an $8 million Federal/Provincial government commitment to help build a new Taché Community Centre in Lorette, Dawson Trail MLA Bob Lagasse is open to talk to the Town.

“As always, my door is always open, and when community leaders come to my office with plans or ideas, I do my best to help them execute them, just like we did with the new Tache Recreational Centre project,” said Lagasse. “If they need help with an application process, I am always happy to help with that as well.”

Even Chris Maxemuck, who created the first grassroots fundraiser for the Taché Community Centre 20 years ago offered to talk to those in the town who want to create a community led campaign or even talk to the Town council about his experience.

He also has some advice. “Based on my experiences I would definitely recommend four key points. One… Have Fun. Two… Be Positive. Three… Stay Focused. And four… Be Determined,” he said. “This can be a long and tiring process, have some fun along the way and always work to improve the lives of others.”