The RM of Woodlands experienced a cyber-security incident on Aug. 18 that involved an unauthorized distribution of a mass email from the municipal office.
The email’s subject line was “Rural Municipality of Woodlands” or “Rural Municipality of Woodlands Invitation” and the email prompted recipients to click a link to access a secure document.
A Sept. 12 written update from the municipality said if residents received and opened the email without clicking the link, there is no cause for concern. However, if residents clicked the link and entered their information, their email account might be compromised.
“We strongly recommend that you change your password immediately and revoke any active sessions to prevent unauthorized access,” states the update from the RM.
“Your privacy and security are of utmost importance to us. We are taking all necessary steps to strengthen our systems and prevent similar incidents in the future.”
The municipality’s insurance provider engaged CyberClan Enterprise Security to conduct incident response and investigation. Council accepted CyberClan’s $13,310 statement of work.
In other council news:
• Council gave second and third readings to a bylaw to widen a portion of Broadfoot Avenue, Good Street, Porteous Avenue and Parker Street in Woodlands.
“The municipality is completing a paving project around Woodlands School and would like to incorporate sidewalks as part of the project, as there are currently no sidewalks in this location,” CAO Kaitlyn Griffith said. “The Interlake School Division has agreed to transfer a four-metre-wide strip of land around the school property to the municipality. This transfer will allow us to widen the road allowances to better facilitate the incorporation of sidewalks.”
• Council gave second and third readings to a bylaw to provide for the protection of municipal infrastructure.
“The infrastructure bylaw is designed to regulate and enforce misuse of municipal infrastructure — primarily roads, ditches and culverts and signs,” Griffith said.
• Council conditionally approved an application for a Park150 Farmers Market.
• Council gave second and third readings to a bylaw for the reserve recreation fund.
“The recreation reserve bylaw was amended so that the municipality can use it to fund recreation programming, not just recreation capital,” Griffith said.
• Council gave second and third readings to a bylaw for cemeteries, which amends the existing bylaw by reducing the cost of memory wall plaques on the columbaria from $800 each to $500 each.
“After setting the prices for the memory wall plaques on our new columbaria, we discovered that only one person’s name can fit on each plaque. Council felt that $800 per name was not affordable and decided to adjust the price to $500,” Griffith said. “The overall impact on columbaria cost recovery is minimal, and we anticipate the revenue from the current columbaria to continue to be sufficient to fund the next columbaria purchase.”
• Council defeated first reading for a bylaw for a health-care reserve on Aug. 26. On Sept. 9, council gave first reading to a bylaw to create a reserve fund for personal care homes.
“Council would like to develop a reserve account designed to save funds for a personal care home,” Griffith said. “A reserve with a broader health-care purpose was considered on Aug. 26 but council felt that it did not meet their personal care home intent and so they defeated that bylaw. A new bylaw that is specific to personal care homes was considered on Sept. 9.”
• Council accepted a $1,200 quote from Dillon Consulting for a detailed survey of Lions Park to show the distance between key structures and property lines. Council had previously authorized staff to get quotes for a survey to help with park maintenance and development, while also committing up to $2,000 in employee wages for park maintenance.
“The RM of Woodlands accepted ownership of Lions Park in Warren from the Lions Club in 2024, with the LUD of Warren Committee committing to park maintenance. Maintenance challenges relating to the park’s sprinkler system and playground were discovered, and the LUD Committee has been working on a long-term maintenance plan for the park to ensure it is maintained to municipal standards,” Griffith said.
“The LUD Committee and the municipality have partnered with Communities in Bloom and other local community volunteers to offset maintenance costs and will be open to additional and ongoing partnerships in the future.”
At this early stage of park ownership, a formal vision for development of Lions Park has not yet been developed.
“The survey is the first step in determining where all of the existing infrastructure is in relation to the park’s boundaries and to aid in planning any future developments,” Griffith said.
• Canada Post told council that post office operations in Lake Francis are no longer viable and requested council’s support to either amalgamate postal services with another community or install community mailboxes in Lake Francis. Council believes that local access to mail is a priority for residents and authorized community mailboxes to be installed in the Lake Francis fire hall parking lot along the west side of the building.
• Council appointed Reid and Miller Chartered Accountants as the 2025 auditor for the municipality.
• Council authorized a $4,768.61 purchase from Long & McQuade, which includes a microphone and cable, a tripod non-telescopic boom, a live recording mixer, two peak active cabs and two heavy steel speaker stands.
“The municipality doesn’t own any audio equipment sufficient for a large room or for a large crowd, and we have needed to rent this equipment from Long and McQuade in the past,” Griffith said.
“As we considered renting it again this year, council felt it would be more cost effective to purchase the equipment for ongoing municipal use. We can take this equipment with us to community halls or public spaces for use at public hearings, meetings and other events.”
• Council is seeking a youth councillor to serve from October 2025 to May 2026. This position provides a chance for local youth to engage in municipal governance and represent the interests of young community members. The youth councillor will attend council meetings, learn about local government, share opinions and more.
• Council wrote a formal letter to Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor to express concern about a lack of maintenance on provincial roads in the RM of Woodlands. Many of these roads need gravel and grading to ensure safe and reliable transportation for residents, businesses and emergency services.
• Council will ask for financial assistance from the Manitoba Water Services Board for an assessment study of the Woodlands lagoon.
• The Warren Memorial Hall is a municipal building that is currently managed by a volunteer board. In the past, the board has applied to the RM for grants to help cover the hall’s operating expenses. Moving forward, the municipality is exploring options for a new funding arrangement wherein this support would be considered municipal building maintenance rather than requiring a grant.
• Council approved an extension to the construction of Erinview Hall to Sept. 30 due to delays in inspection timelines.
• The Local Urban District of Warren hosted an open house on Sept. 17 to give residents the chance to meet committee members, speak with local representatives, share feedback and learn what’s happening in the community.
• With the dissolution of the Rockwood-Woodlands Bylaw Enforcement and Animal Control Board, bylaw enforcement will be provided on a contract basis through the RM of Rockwood, along with some enforcement by the RM of Woodlands administration.
• Council is considering widening Twin Lakes Beach Road South.
“A portion of Twin Lakes Beach Road South is encroaching upon private property and has been for many years,” Griffith said. “The municipality proposes to purchase the impacted land from the property owners, which entails widening the legal road allowance. No actual construction work will take place, just a shift in property lines.”
