Town Council Holiday Open House

Today's open house is from 3:00-7:00 PM at the Peace River Museum, Archives & Mackenzie Centre (10302-99 Street). It's an opportunity to meet your new mayor and council members and talk to them about where they see Peace River heading in 2011 and beyond.

Light refreshments will be served and the Peace River Community Choir will perform.

For more information, call the Town Office at 780-624-2574.

Peace River Town Council Committee of the Whole: November 1, 2010

Items on Monday's Committee of the Whole agenda include:

• An update by Staff Sergeant Brian Bohlken, RCMP Detachment Commander, on the annual performance plan
• The July and August RCMP reports
• My request to join the library board as a public member 
• A backgrounder from Wendy Nickel, the Town's Finance Manager, on the 2011 budget process. This budget process is intended to be completed earlier than in previous years, which is something CAO MacQuarrie has been moving staff towards for two years. I note that there is a budget open house scheduled for January 5, 2011. January 24 is the proposed date for Council to adopt the 2011 operating and capital budgets, with the tax rate bylaw to be passed in April.
•  Significant Events for September and October 2010 from the CAO, Corporate Services Department (which includes Planning & Development, Communications and the official election results), Community Services Department (which includes Family & Community Support Services--FCSS, Recreation, & Administration), Protective Services (Fire Department & Bylaw Enforcement plus Safety Committee Meeting minutes), Engineering, Infrastructure & Public Works Department.
  
  From Corporate Services, note the initiative from the museum to join a project so that Peace River's historical bylaws from 1914 to 1964 can now be accessed. Note that the link in the report doesn't work. Bylaw No. 1 was about animal control--something the Town recent revisited. While dogs don't roam the way they did in 1914, animal control continues to be challenging--now it's uncontrolled barking dogs.
  
  Planning & Development: In September and October there were 2 commercial building permits issued (total value of $15,000 and 4 residents (total value of $721,700).
  
  Recreation: A first draft of the Parks and Trails Master Plan is being reviewed prior to presentation to Council on November 8. 

• Request for Decision: Think Local Market Initiative (proposed website).
• Request for Decision: Visitor Friendly Community Assessment draft terms of reference
• Request for Decision: Peace Region Waste Management Company Proxy. This is a request to appoint a proxy holder, who will vote on behalf of the Town of Peace River, during shareholder meetings.
• The official list of 2010/11 Council Member Appointments to Boards & Committees
• A request to cancel the November 22 Council meeting, since mayor and council will be attending the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association convention in Edmonton

Under Information items:

• Provincial Fund-raising Functions and Provincial Political Contributions. This letter from Elections Alberta clarifies proper payment policies for councillors that attend political fundraisers.
• Northern Alberta Development Council (NADC) Communique for September 23, 2010.
• Letter from Transport Canada accompanying a copy of the Rail Freight Service Review Panel's Interim Report and a letter of response from PREDA (Peace Region Economic Development Alliance).
• Thank you letter from the U of A Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry for the Town's involvement with the Preclinical Networked Medical Education (PNME) pilot project. Thirteen second-year students spent 4 weeks here as part of that project.

Peace River Museum Events: Pi Kennedy- A Métis Trapper & Mercy Flight Re-enactment

Pi Kennedy - A Métis Trapper
Local photographer, Stuart Barr, has collaborated with Libby Gunn of Fort Smith to produce a photography exhibit about another "life of Pi," in this case, Pi Kennedy, an 86-year-old trapper. The exhibit will run throughout February and March.

The opening gala (Thursday, February 5th, 6:30-8:00 PM) will feature an unedited documentary film and stories in conjunction with the regular storytelling event.

Wop May Mercy Flight Re-Enactment

We are awaiting the arrival of the Wop May Mercy Flight portion of the Spirit of Edmonton Project, honouring the 100th anniversary of aviation in Canada and Alberta and the 80th anniversary of the original mercy flight in 1929.

The date of arrival of the bi-plane in Peace River depends on weather and mechanical conditions and will be announced on the local radio station, via word of mouth and on the museum blog (http://peacerivermuseum.blogspot.com/).

The museum blog tells the story of the original flight and this article from the Edmonton Journal describes the whole project:

http://www.where.ca/edmonton/article_feature~listing_id~66.htm

Peace River Museum Book Launch: October 15

The Peace River Museum, Archives & Mackenzie Centre is hosting a book launch of The Peace: A history in photographs by Don Pettit on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 from 7:00 to 8:30.

There will be a book signing, DVD presentation (The Peace: A Vision so Strong), and refreshments.

For more details, visit the museum's website.

I hope to see a big crowd at there!

Peace River Museum, Archives and Mackenzie Center Public Consultation

Last night I attended the evening session of the public consultation undertaken by our museum. The museum staff and advisory board will use the public feedback to develop a new 5-year plan.

I think this is an exciting initiative, inviting community members to participate in the planning, and the large attendance seems to be an indication that people want to have a say in the direction of public institutions.

After introductions, an historical overview of the museum, a briefing about museums today, and comments from Gerry Osmond, Executive Director of the Alberta Museums Association, facilitator Larry Stewart led us through activities that helped us generate discussion and ideas and then organize those ideas.

Our museum has recently been designated a "Recognized Museum" by the Alberta Museums Association new accreditation program, becoming one of only 76 facilities in the province with that designation. Congratulations to all those who were involved with obtaining the designation!