News Advertiser PAGE 19
www. NewsAdvertiser.com
November 24, 2021
Vegreville Residents Request Cat Bylaw Michelle Pinon News Advertiser Enough is enough. That’s what two Vegreville residents say when it comes to dealing with cats who continually use their yards to urinate and defecate. Both Roy Mills and Anton Powley have written letters to the Town of Vegreville about the problem and are asking for the municipality to draft a cat bylaw to deal with the ongoing issue.
Mills said the problem has progressively worsened over the past few years. “This problem is centered around the large number stray cats and pet owners’ cats that continually use our yard and our neighbours’ yards to urinate and defecate. Pet owners in our area let their cats
roam free without regard for neighbours that have to contend with their cat’s filthy mess. We have tried to talk to the irresponsible pet owners but there has been absolutely no response to rectify the problem.” Mills said he’s spent more than $250 replacing plants that were dug up and replacing urine smelling dirt, buying pet repellents, and using moth balls. Even chicken wire has not prevented them from doing their business. “I believe a cat bylaw is necessary to encourage all these irresponsible cat owners to start assuming the responsibility for their pets. The licensing fees would help in the enforcement of this bylaw,” added Mills. He also provided copies of Cat Bylaws that are in place in Red Deer, Calgary, St. Paul and Vermilion. Powley expressed the same concerns and said he is tired of picking up after someone else’s pet. He outlined some of the measures he’s taken to deter the cats as well. He believes the town should have bylaws to deal with the problem. “Any amended or proposed bylaw should be expanded to not only include dogs, but cats. These bylaws, with enforcement would start making owners responsible.” The letters were presented at the Nov. 8 town council meeting. Councillor Taneen Rudyk said it is a difficult topic and that
D L SO they understand the concern of these individuals, but thought they need more time to digest the information they shared and to look into additional information. She recommended they refer the item back to administration. Mayor MacPhee said he would let Mr. Mills and Mr. Powley know that we will be taking a look at this issue probably closer to the end of the year. “I know
they’ve given four examples of communities and municipalities that have cat bylaws, and it’s a very hard bylaw to enforce, but when the neighbour can’t do the right thing and take care of their cats and look after them, I feel that we should be doing something here. We’ll come up with a plan that will work for our community. Just hold tight and we’ll get it done.”
Homelessness Task Force Established in Vegreville Michelle Pinon News Advertiser Homelessness is often viewed as an urban issue, but that is not the case. It is a growing problem in both urban and rural areas throughout the province. Tina Warawa, Chair of the Vegreville & District Family and Community Support Services, (FCSS) said it is a growing problem, and one many people don’t even realize. That is the main reason that a local Homelessness Task Force has been set up in the community. “What we’ve seen in our community is often people get driven from larger urban centres towards the smaller communities, sometimes because they are less expensive to live in. We’re seeing more and more homelessness and more people not realizing what it is either. A lot of people don’t even think it’s an issue in Vegreville. They don’t realize there are people living in the streets, there’s people living in their vehicles or there’s people a paycheck away from it. Nov. 2 was the first meeting of the Homelessness Task Force run through the FCSS with my role there. I wanted to highlight a couple of things in regards to the Homelessness Task Force. Number one was there needs to be an education component to the community because there is a lot of people who don’t necessarily realize what homelessness or the different categories that people can be and still be considered within the homelessness. That can include not just the thought of somebody who is physically out of their home, but also people that would be couch
surfing, overcrowding positions, and how quite often in small communities like ours we think that we don’t have this problem, but we might be closer to it than we realize.” Warawa said there is no emergency shelter in Vegreville. Prior to COVID-19 the Alberta Works Centre was open and could have dealt with some emergency funding. That office is closed, and Warawa wonders what can be currently done to assist with the need and demand for assistance. “One of the first steps we’re taking, both on the departmental side and from council, is that I’ve reached out to our MLA as well, because our number one thing we want to make sure is that isn’t a duplication of some programs that are in place. So, we need to know what the plan is. We know the timeline is getting close as the weather is getting colder. One of the main questions we’re asking is there a strategy for dealing with homelessness in our region, and if so, what is the strategy. The second wanting to know was with places like the Alberta Works Program not being an open walk in centre at this point, what is set up? A tentative meeting with Fort SaskatchewanVegreville MLA Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk has already been scheduled. Warawa, along with town council FCSS representative Justin Curtis will be in attendance at the meeting. Armstrong-Homeniuk said she is looking forward to hearing from the members of the task force. “This is something we would all like to address and I look forward to meeting with the group.”
VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY AT 7:00PM
4920 51 AVE
5109 45A AVE
4904 51 AVE
4808 54 ST
4421 51 ST
4206 47 ST
$159,900
$299,900
$219,000
$79,700
$285,000
$316,900
FAMILY HOME MLS E4267442
UPGRADED BI-LEVEL MLS E4266134
2 LOTS MLS E4266104
CUTE BUNGALOW MLS E4265234
FULLY RENOVATED MLS E4265241
OPEN CONCEPT MLS E4262478
Holden
Vegreville
Lavoy
Innisfree
Vegreville
Vegreville
Laura Danilak Realtor
780 632 1376
Elite
Office: 780 464 4100 lauradanilak@remax.net
www.lauradanilak.com
