The Rural Municipality of St. Laurent has approved the purchase of a new snowblower attachment to improve winter road clearing operations.
Council approved the acquisition during a special meeting Feb. 24, authorizing the purchase of a 108-inch snowblower from GenAg for $12,500 plus taxes. The equipment will be funded through the municipality’s equipment reserve.
Public works requested the upgrade, noting the municipality’s current snowblower no longer meets operational needs.
Three quotes were obtained before council selected the GenAg unit.
The purchase was approved while the municipality is operating under an interim budget, which restricts capital purchases unless funded through reserves or leasing.
Council also heard concerns about vehicles parked near roadways during winter months. Coun. Maurice Leclair reiterated the need for residents to move vehicles away from roads to allow crews to clear snow effectively.
A discussion around Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) sparked significant concern to council members.
“Given the approximately 13 kilometres of lakefront property within our boundaries. AIS can severely disrupt the local ecosystem, negatively impact the fishing industry and diminish the tourism experience by creating unsafe or undesirable conditions for visitors,” chief administrative officer Billie Jean Oliver explained. “Proactive planning and mitigation efforts are essential to prevent the introduction and spread of new AIS in Lake Manitoba.”
In other business, council gave first reading to a zoning bylaw amendment that would rezone a property in NE 9-16-4W from agricultural restricted to seasonal recreation.
The municipality also confirmed acceptance of a $7,500 contribution from the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities to support bilingual services and renewed its annual $600 membership with the organization. Oliver explained that the funding supports bilingual services by ensuring services can continue to be offered in both English and French.
“This includes ensuring the timely translation of council minutes, encouraging and support individuals who wish to learn French and upgrading community signage to reflect both official languages,” she added.
Other funding discussions include seeking funding for approximately 5,000 books to add to the new library. These books would include French and Michif language content ensuring they have sufficient resources.
“We are excited to have our library offer content that reflects who we are as a community,” Oliver said, noting 5,000 books is the baseline requirement to be considered a “fully functional” library. If funding is achieved, the next steps would be sourcing the books.
Council is also seeking funding for accessibility enhancements withing the municipality. Potential projects include improving both interior and exterior accessibly to buildings, working with recommendations from the economic development officer.
Other economic development priorities for the year include securing provincial property required for the lagoon expansion and collaborating with the Manitoba Métis Federation to finalize an agreement for the land surrounding the library sit and public works/fire hall yard.
“These two initiatives represent the most significant drivers of our economic development strategy moving forward,” Oliver added.
She said one additional priority will be to continue to work with Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (CDEM) and local businesses, identifying employment gaps and what is needed to help close them.
Council also proclaimed March 26 as Purple Day in the municipality to raise awareness of epilepsy and show support for residents living with seizure disorders. While nothing official is planned yet for the occurrence, Oliver noted staff are considering wearing purple and adding purple decorations to their office.
The meeting was held after the municipality cancelled its regular Feb. 18 council meeting due to a health-related quorum issue.
