CAO’s Message

In 2020, Municipal District of Bonnyville staff, residents, and businesses had a unique opportunity to show their dedication, resiliency, and innovative nature. We had to find new ways of doing business to keep our staff and residents safe, while maintaining our high standard of service delivery. The everyday business of the municipality was not interrupted — road maintenance and capital projects continued. Campgrounds opened, trails were built, and new play structures were installed. Our 100 percent canola field inspection for clubroot went off without a hitch, as did the roadside spraying and mowing programs, equipment rental program, and public safety patrols. When it was necessary to find new ways forward, staff proved their abilities to be innovative and adaptable. We conducted the M.D.’s first-ever virtual budget town hall. We took Council meetings online via Facebook and YouTube. We moved Kinosoo Ridge business practices to a virtual marketplace, and pivoted staff to more social media-based public engagement. Staff took the challenges of providing services to residents and visitors, faced them head on, and persevered in the face of a global pandemic. The 2020 budget was set months before COVID-19 arrived. It included a heavy focus on increasing recreational opportunities, as Council prioritized recreation as a way of enhancing the quality of life for residents — both current and future — while also addressing the need for economic diversity in the region.

In 2020, the M.D. broke ground on the Kinosoo Ridge Aerial Adventure Park, paved more trails near Moose Lake, began the expansion of the Cold Lake M.D. campground, installed power services at three M.D. campgrounds (Chicken Hill Lake, Crane Lake East, and Minnie Lake West), and started on the covered ice rinks for Ardmore and Cherry Grove. In fact, if you drive past the Cherry Grove Community Hall, you can now see the large structure that will offer shade and protection from the elements for the new ice rink that will open in the winter of 2021. The Infrastructure Services Department continued to improve and maintain M.D. roadways and bridges. This included the addition of a last minute project — the Lessard Bridge. High water levels and erosion of the Beaver River bank around the structure forced the closure of the bridge, as it became unsafe. A solution was found, and the bridge reopened to traffic by the end of July. In other water news, Council also began work on a drainage plan to help mitigate flooding and protect both M.D. infrastructure and residents’ homes. The Transportation Department, within Infrastructure Services, expanded in 2020, when the M.D. took over operations and maintenance of the Bonnyville Regional Airport from the Town of Bonnyville. This is an important feature in the community, as it is used not only by industry, but is also an integral part of the health system in the Bonnyville area, with medical flights landing and taking off on a regular basis. One of the greatest resources in the M.D. is our residents. From Public Safety to fire services, the M.D. is dedicated to protecting their wellbeing. In that vein, the M.D. invested heavily in our emergency services resources, capital assets and operations this year across the municipality. Looking into the future, the M.D., along with the Town of Bonnyville, adopted a regional economic development strategic plan, which will help retain and market current businesses, while attracting new ones to continue Council’s goal of making the M.D. more economically diverse. The Planning & Development Department continued with reviews and updates of Area Structure Plans while planning for the review of the M.D.’s own Municipal Development Plan and the Intermunicipal Development Plan with the City of Cold Lake. These forward-looking documents, in conjunction with the CAO’s office creating Intermunicipal Collaboration Frameworks with neighbouring municipalities, speak to the long-term planning Council has been working toward, as laid out in the 2020-2023 Strategic Plan. It was also a year of planning for the future with the completion of the Recreation Master Plan, the five-year Capital Roads Projects Plan, drafting the drainage and flooding mitigation plans, and the beginning of the creation of a Trails Master Plan to add to the abovementioned Recreation Master Plan. With these long-term plans in place, and with the proven dedication and innovation of our staff and residents, the M.D. has a bright and prosperous future ahead.