Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) convention: Nov. 23-25, 2010

Peace River's new Council will be attending the annual AUMA convention this week. Although the main convention started yesterday, there were pre-convention sessions on Monday that included:

• Now That You've Been Elected
• Is Your Municipality Viable: How to Find Out
• What New Elected Officials Need to Know
• Water Conservation Planning
• Effective Decision Making (a module of the Elected Officials Education Program). I was only able to attend one of the EOEP courses during my term on Council--the one on municipal financial statements and management--and it was excellent.

Tuesday there were policy debates on the various resolutions submitted by municipalities. When passed, these resolutions provide direction to the AUMA board and administration. A quick scan of the titles will give you a glimpse into what issues are on the minds of municipalities around the province.

For instance, Grande Prairie presented a resolution to request the government to establish a renewable energy expert panel. The resolution passed according to a tweet from Mayor Bill Given. Peace River's former Council submitted a resolution on the establishment of a Renewable Power Incentive Program In Alberta. Once I hear how the vote went, I'll update here.

The AUMA convention also has a huge trade show featuring products and services relevant to municipalities and many opportunities for social activities and networking that are valuable over a councillor's term.

Town of Peace River on Level 1 Water Advisory

On Friday the Town of Peace River declared a Level 1 Water Advisory because reservoir levels are at or below 75%. The full bylaw is available, but I've pasted the Level I below:

Town of Peace River
Watering Restriction Schedule
Schedule “C”

ODD AND EVEN WATERING DAYS: Using the last number of your address (odd or even) determines which days you may water your lawn.
LEVEL 1: When Reservoirs level is at or below 75%
ODD numbered addresses may water lawns: Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday
WATERING: may occur only during the following hours:
6:00 a.m. — 08:00 a.m.
4:30 p.m. — 09:30 p.m.
Odd numbered addresses consumers who use sprinkler systems on timers, can water their own lawn from 10.00 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

EVEN numbered addresses may water lawns: Monday, Wednesday and Saturday
WATERING may occur only during the following hours:
6:00 a.m. — 08:00 a.m.
4:30 p.m. — 09:30 p.m.
Even numbered addresses consumers who use sprinkling system on timers, can water their own lawn from 10.00 p.m. to 5.00 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday*. (*Consumers can set up their system to start as early as 10 p.m.)

Flowerbeds and vegetable gardens may be watered by hand, at anytime, using a watering can or a hose with a nozzle with a trigger shut off to restrict water flow. Sprinklers and like water toys may be used for  recreational purposes by children as long as children are present during use; includes children’s pools (capacity not more than 1000 liters).

Requests for site and condition specific irrigation scheduling for commercial or industrial operations using metered irrigation systems may be approved by the CAO or Water Treatment Plant Manager.