Cold Lake Air Show
The Municipal District of Bonnyville is proud to be a sponsor of the 2024 Cold Lake Air Show. The event will be held July 20 and 21, 2024.
This year’s event promises to be amazing as it celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force and the 70th anniversary of Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake. With static displays, aerial displays, and more, there is something for everyone!
Tickets can be purchased online at coldlakeairshow.com/tickets-souvenirs
Air Show BBQ at Shaw House!
In celebration and recognition of the historic celebration, the M.D. will have a few special things happening the week of the air show.
On July 17, the Shaw House Visitor Information and Interpretive Centre (2 46300 TWP RD 611) at Moose Lake will host a fundraising barbecue from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For $5 you will receive a hamburger or cheeseburger and a beverage. Proceeds will be donated to the Cold Lake Royal Canadian Legion. The first 100 people will also receive a 10 per cent discount voucher for The Ridge restaurant at Kinosoo Ridge Resort and a commemorative Kinosoo cup.
Air Show menu at The Ridge
Speaking of Kinosoo Ridge, they’ll be celebrating the air show too! The resort and The Ridge restaurant will be open July 17 to 21 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Guests will receive a $5 discount on all individual Adventure Park tickets.
After your climb, go to The Ridge and grab a bite from their special Air Show menu!
• Pulled Pork Sammie with fries and slaw - $10
• Cheeseburger with fries - $8
• Maple Bacon Burger with fries - $10
• Chicken fingers (4) with fries - $6 (Upgrade your fries to poutine for $3)
• Hot dog - $4
• Grazing Board (feeds up to three people) - $30
• Breakfast Sammie - $5
• Air Show Breakfast Special (The Full Send) - $10!*
@TheRidgeAtKR
And if you’re at the air show, be sure to drop by our booth! We’ll have some free swag to give away, contest prizes, and lots of information on Kinosoo Ridge Resort programs and all M.D. Parks & Recreation facilities.
BIRTHDAY PACKAGES
TEAM BUILDING AT KINOSOO
STAR TING AT $35/PERSON
We offer:
• Fun at the Adventure Park and Target Golf
• Lunch and dinner options
• Lounge venue
• Audio and video equipment
• Free burgers
AGRICULTURAL SERVICES
Rural Beautification nomination deadline extended
The deadline to nominate a friend, neighbour, or even yourself for the M.D.’s biannual Rural Beautification awards has been extended to July 15.
If you or someone you know in the M.D. has a beautiful yard and/or shelterbelt, you can fill out the nomination form at bit.ly/RuralBeautificationTour.
The winners will be showcased during the 2024 Agricultural Service Board Tour & Awards on August 8, 2024. Tour participants will tour the winners’ properties as well as local agricultural businesses and attractions. Lunch and a steak supper will be served.
Tickets are $25 and are on sale now at bit.ly/2024AgTourTickets
Have questions? Contact the Agricultural Services Department at 780-826-3951.
What’s happening in the Ag Services Department
The roadside mowing program usually starts around June 15. The roadside mowers focus on mowing all arterial roads before moving to secondary roads.
The M.D. roadsides will be mowed twice. The subdivision mowers are well into their summer schedule, mowing the hamlets monthly and subdivisions three times during the season.
M.D. Weed Inspectors are busy checking industrial, private, and municipal properties for noxious weeds. They continue to identify populations of burdock in the M.D.
Burdock is a biennial invasive species native to Eurasia. The noxious weed thrives in undisturbed areas such as grazing reserves, forested areas, and riparian zones. Normally, burdock is not found growing on cropland that is tilled on a yearly basis.
Scentless chamomile and oxeye daisy are two other noxious weeds found across the M.D. These are easily identifiable by their white flowers. If you have any questions regarding weed identification and control options, give Ag Services a call and one of our weed inspectors would be happy to assist you. We want to thank all M.D. landowners for their continued cooperation and assistance in reducing noxious weeds.
As many of you know farming is unpredictable. The weather, fuel prices, and equipment costs are all external factors that have huge impacts on agricultural operations. This spring, we started with very dry conditions. Farmers faced fears of drought, feed shortages, and fire. In response, the Ag Services Department created a Wildfire Workbook for Farms and Acreages. This workbook is a tool to prepare your operation in the event of a wildfire. It helps answers questions such as:
• “Where can I haul my livestock to?”
• “What water sources do I have available?”, and; “How can I fire safe my property?”
Even though the threat of wildfire may have decreased, now is a good time to head over to our website and download a copy of the workbook to complete today. bit.ly/WildfireWorkbook
The M.D. continues to control problem beavers that affect municipal infrastructure.
Long-term control measures such as exclusion fencing and pond levellers in problem beaver areas have been implemented.
Landowners who are affected by beaver activity can sign-up for the Beaver Control program. Find out more at bit.ly/BeaverControl
If you have any questions or concerns regarding our programs, please contact the Ag Services Department at 780-826-3951.
The 2024 Municipal District of Bonnyville Land Ownership Map is now available online.
This year, for the first time in over 20 years, the Land Ownership Map was created inhouse, by the municipality. Why is that important? It means M.D. staff will be able to make corrections to the map in a timely fashion.
Property owners are asked to review their properties on the map at bit.ly/MDOwnershipMap. If a landowner would like to request a change such as correcting their name on the map, they can complete an online request form at arcg.is/15aO55
Other accepted changes include removing names from properties, switching full names to initials, or simply replacing the information with a last name.
Please note – name change/initials change requests must match the ownership information on the Alberta Land Title Certificate.
The information on the M.D. Land Ownership Map is current as of May 6, 2024.
The M.D. strives to make the map as accurate as possible. Should you find any errors, please use the form link above to report it.
Physical copies of the map are available for $10 at the Main Administration Office at 4905-50 Ave. in Bonnyville.
PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
Municipal lands in your neighbourhood
Do you know if you have municipal or environmental reserves in your neighbourhood? The Planning & Development Department is here to help! In the coming months, M.D. employees will be identifying Municipal Reserves (MRs) and Environmental Reserves (ERs) by installing informative signage in the following neighbourhoods:
• Birch Ridge Estates (NE-13-65-2-W4M – Cold Lake)
• Whispering Spruce (SE-3-65-2-W4M & SW-2-65-2-W4M – Cold Lake)
• Ethel Lake (NW-14-64-3-W4M & NE-15-64-3-W4M)
What is a MR?
Municipal Reserves (MR) are designated lands usable for various public purposes, including parks, recreation areas, school board facilities, green spaces, or as buffers to separate lands used for different purposes.
What is an ER?
Environmental Reserves (ER) are valuable for helping safeguard and improve the environment. Typically dedicated alongside lakes, streams, or other water bodies, these lands play a crucial role in limiting pollution and facilitating access to the waterways.
Additionally, landowners in the above-mentioned neighbourhoods will receive information via mail identifying these MRs and ERs in their communities. This is part of the 2024 Municipal Lands and Reserves education initiative, a collaborative endeavour with communities regarding land stewardship.
The M.D. has already installed these informative signs in the multi-lot subdivisions on the southwest side of Crane Lake. It is the intention of the M.D. to complete the same in as many neighbourhoods with MRs and ERs as possible.
For more information, visit bit.ly/PreserveReserve or scan the QR code.
M.D. to host major investment attraction event this September
The Municipal District of Bonnyville will host SiteLink Forum 2024 – a premier event focused on investment attraction for site selectors, economic development professionals, Realtors, developers, engineers, utilities, and other service providers.
This three-day event, which starts September 18, provides, training, networking, best practices, and information on emerging trends for investment attraction.
The forum will feature site selection professionals from across North America including Paige Webster President of Webster Global Site Selectors of Phoenix, AZ.
Webster will be accompanied by David Gaines the Managing Director of Goldstone Consulting Group, Michael T. Edgar, the CEO of SelectGlobal, and Rob O’Brian founder and principal of O’Brian and Associates, LLC, as well as four other investment location advisors.
These speakers will bring their experience and expertise in various industry sectors including aerospace, bio tech, geo-thermal, wind & solar, warehouse/distribution, data centres, corporate centres, retail, back office, agro-business, and high tech.
They will share their knowledge of industrial real estate, business relocation, creating meaningful economic development opportunities, bringing together investors, governments, workforce assessment, and business park feasibility studies.
SiteLink Forum 2024 is great for sharing knowledge and is an excellent venue to provide direct exposure to the M.D. business culture and investment opportunities.
The registration deadline is September 4, 2024. Find out more and register online now at bit.ly/SiteLink2024
The event will be held at the Best Western Inn located in Cold Lake, AB.
WATER SAVINGS
‘Water’ you talking about?
If residents are interested in voluntarily reducing their water usage, here are some cost-saving measures:
• Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only when they are full and save up to 4,500 L or 1,000 gallons per month.
• Keep a pitcher of cold water in the fridge rather than running the tap until the water gets cold.
• Shorten your showers by a minute or two and save 680 L or 150 gallons per month.
• Avoid letting the faucet run while shaving, brushing teeth, and washing vegetables and save up to 113 L or 25 gallons per month.
• While waiting for hot water, use a container to catch tap water for use on indoor and outdoor plants.
• Clean sidewalks with a broom instead of a garden hose.
• Always shut off the hose nozzle when using the hose. Be sure there are no leaks in any hose fittings.
• Cover pools and hot tubs when not in use to minimize evaporative losses.
• Water lawns and gardens in the morning or late evening to reduce water loss from evaporation. Over 30 per cent of your water can be lost to evaporation when watering in the heat of the day.
By implementing some — or all — of the above, you can save money whether you’re on a private (cistern or well) system or the municipal water system.
Have questions about our water systems? Contact the Utilities Department at 780-826-3951.
UTILITIES
To flush or not to flush?
Despite what the packaging may say, did you know flushable wipes can cause significant backups and blockages in your sewer and septic systems, and should not be flushed?
Recently, Municipal District of Bonnyville Utilities staff were faced with a massive sewer main backup in Ardmore. The culprit? You guessed it – “flushable” wipes. As you can see from the photo, these wipes do not break up into smaller pieces like regular toilet paper.
But wipes weren’t the only culprit. There was also a large amount of grease found in the system. This is usually caused through people washing or dumping grease from cooking down their kitchen drain. Grease should be placed in cans or wiped up with a paper towel and disposed of with your household waste.
Any solid matter you put down your toilet or drainpipes has the potential to cause expensive (and smelly) problems, whether you’re on a private system or a public system (like those in Ardmore and Fort Kent).
In order to prevent blockages, here’s a brief list of what not to put in your toilet, sink, drainpipe, or garbage disposal:
Pasta – Semolina content continues to swell once flushed down kitchen sink and will block drains, causing future plumbing problems.
Rice – Swells when dry or cooked grains allowed to run down kitchen drains.
Egg shells – Shells contribute greatly towards increasing granular waste. Shells also stick to other waste, creating more opportunities for blockages to form.
Coffee grounds – Plumbers are unanimous in their agreement that coffee grounds are one of the worst offenders for causing drain blockages. So, before rinsing and washing cups/mugs, dispose of grounds in the garbage or compost.
Grease – This includes cooked/melted fat from meat, poultry, sausage, bacon, skin as well as gravy.
All paper towels – While they may be biodegradable, they still absorb moisture and will clog drainage pipes.
Flushable wipes – Wet wipes, for instance, contain congealed grease and will not disintegrate like toilet paper does.
You can find a full list at bit.ly/MDBvilleSewerInfo.
OF NOTE...
Attention M.D. property owners
The M.D.’s 2024 Assessment and Tax Notices have officially hit mailboxes.
Notices were mailed out at the beginning of June. If you haven’t received notices for all of the property you own by the end of the month, please contact the M.D.’s Tax Department at 780-826-3171.
#TakeItToTheLake
It’s time to start planning your summer staycation!
Check into one of the M.D.’s 12 campgrounds on eight lakes, kick back, relax, and live life on lake time this summer! Book online at letscamp.ca.
Chickenhill Lake – 30-amp power
Cold Lake – 30-amp power and non-power tent sites
Crane Lake East and West – 30-amp power
Ethel Lake – non-power
French Bay on Cold Lake – non-power
Minnie Lake East and West – 30-amp power
Muriel Lake – 30-amp power, non-power, seasonal, and group sites available
Pelican Point on Moose Lake – non-power, group sites, and OHV friendly sites available
Vezeau Beach on Moose Lake – full-service, seasonal sites available
Wolf Lake – non-power
Follow us on social media for weekly campsite availabilities throughout the summer.
Find out more about our campgrounds at bit.ly/MDCamping, call 780-826-2245, or scan the QR code below.
This year’s tax deadline is September 15, 2024.
PRODUCED AND PRINTED BY THE MUNICIPAL DISTRICT OF BONNYVILLE NO. 87
4905 - 50 Avenue Bag 1010
Bonnyville, Alberta T9N 2J7
CONTACT US:
Main Administration
780-826-3171
Public Safety/Bylaw Concerns 780-812-3332
24-Hour Concern Line
780-812-5000
FIND US ONLINE
web - md.bonnyville.ab.ca email - info@md.bonnyville.ab.ca
Sign up for a digital copy of the Rural Review at md.bonnyville.ab.ca.
COPYRIGHT - The articles, logos, and photos in this publication are the copyright of the Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87 and may not be reproduced without consent.
WARD 1
Josh Crick
jcrick@md.bonnyville.ab.ca
780-545-5961 WARD 2
Darcy Skarsen
dskarsen@md.bonnyville.ab.ca 780-201-3478 WARD 3
Mike Krywiak
mkrywiak@md.bonnyville.ab.ca
780-573-6093 WARD 4
Don Slipchuk
dslipchuk@md.bonnyville.ab.ca 780-545-8443 WARD 5
Dana Swigart
dswigart@md.bonnyville.ab.ca
780-573-9095 WARD 6
Ben Fadeyiw
bfadeyiw@md.bonnyville.ab.ca 780-826-1462
MESSAGE FROM THE REEVE
bkalinski@md.bonnyville.ab.ca 780-573-6082
Heading into July, I’m happy to see crops are looking good, and there seems to be abundant pastureland for our local livestock farmers.
With the long dog days of summer finally in front of us, I urge all of our residents to get out and experience the amazing events being held across our region. From the 2024 Air Show in July to the bi-annual Agricultural Service Board Tour in August (more about that on Page 6), there’s something going on almost every weekend. Check out our online event calendar at md.bonnyville.ab.ca to help plan your summer.
Speaking of the air show, I’d like to say congratulations to the Royal Canadian Air Force on celebrating its 100th anniversary and to 4 Wing/Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary. RCAF and 4 Wing are an important part of the region, and their history is woven into the rich heritage of the M.D.
School’s out for summer, which means kids are outside playing. Please drive carefully and safely through the M.D., especially in areas where there are bike paths, walking trails, and playgrounds. We want everyone to have a safe, fun, and happy summer.
NOTES FROM THE DESK OF...
Susan Walker GENERAL MANAGER OF CORPORATE SERVICES
swalker@md.bonnyville.ab.ca 780-826-3171
Congratulations to all the students in the graduating class of 2024!
Graduating is a significant accomplishment. You have earned the celebration and should be very proud of yourselves! This is an exciting time for each of you. You are now prepared for life’s next adventure, whether it is continuing your education, finding a career, or taking a well-deserved break while you decide what is next for you. If it’s a career you are looking for, please consider the M.D. as a potential employer. Municipal government provides many different career paths that are challenging and rewarding.
July also signals the beginning of summer vacation for a lot of people. Go out and enjoy the natural beauty of our wonderful outdoors. Have some laughs, play, relax, and enjoy the company of the folks you care about. The long-range weather forecast for Alberta is warm and sunny for the month of July.
Enjoy your summer and above all, be safe.
Barry Kalinski