BONNYVILLE - The development of a Class II landfill on Crown land north of Crane Lake in the MD of Bonnyville was approved by MD of Bonnyville council March 12.
The landfill is to be developed by Pure Environmental Waste Management Ltd. and has received provincial approval, according to information provided to council by administration.
“They have a provincial disposition for the road and lands where the landfill will be located, and an Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act approval for construction, operation, and reclamation of the Class II landfill.”
According to the application, hazardous waste will not be received at the site, located 2.25 miles north of Crane Lake and west of Range Rd. 440.
“This landfill is for oilfield and industrial waste. It is commonly referred to as ‘dirty dirt’ that they pull out of those sites. So, it’s like drilling mud and stuff like that. They will not be accepting domestic waste at this time,” administration explained.
Approved by the Province as Tucker Class II Landfill, the site has approval for more than 10,000 tonnes per year of waste.
Cherry Grove fire hall
Council gave its approval to the development application for the construction of a fire hall and grader shop to be built by the MD in Cherry Grove northwest of Hwy. 55 and 46 street.
In providing background information to council, administration advised there will be operating noise from up to three graders and two fire trucks which will be mitigated by a 10-metre screen of trees between the site and adjacent residential properties to the north.
The MD received one letter in response to the chosen location noting that while the party was in favour of a firehall in Cherry Grove, it did not agree with the location being proposed, expressing concern the development would impact property values, “especially since the site is proposed not only for a firehall, but a public works area as well.”
CAO Al Hoggan said tenders for the project have been opened, however, the contract will not be awarded “until we work our way through the development permit appeal process.”
Kokum’s House funding
A motion to amend the 2024 operating budget to include a one-time contribution of $25,000 for sponsorship of the Cold Lake Native Friendship Centre Kokum’s House initiative was approved by council.
Coun. Don Slipchuk said he believes the men’s shelter program being offered through Kokum’s House is one that the MD should stand behind.
“It’s a great thing they are doing. I believe it also helps crime prevention because they are trying to take people off the streets.”
A delegation from the organization previously approached council in February seeking the MD’s support. Background information on the initiative provided to council explained that Kokum’s House “has worked in tandem with many local and law enforcement agencies to provide a safe, stable and substance-free home for transient men who are at risk for violence and substance addiction.”
The Cold Lake Native Friendship Centre is hoping to expand Kokum's House to provide services to more people of all cultural backgrounds and include women as part of their program.
While Coun. Ben Fadeyiw agreed the work of Kokum’s House is important, he cautioned council “we’ve got to be careful of staying in our lane,” and suggested mental health services and social housing falls into the province’s responsibility. “I think it’s important for the province to step in on this.”
Council also approved sending a letter to the provincial Minister of Indigenous Relations in support of the Cold Lake Native Friendship Centre Kokum’s House initiatives and to direct administration to arrange a meeting with the minister.
Council also requested administration bring back additional information regarding possible long-term funding options the MD could consider for Kokum’s House.
CNRL road agreement
A CNRL and MD partnership will see upgrades to four miles of Township Road 622 from Range Road 470 to Range Road 474. This upgrade is for CNRL operations in the Dupre area.
The engineered estimate for the project is $8.4 million. The total cost of the project will be covered by CNRL.
Administration informed council an agreement would see CNRL contribute $4.1 million up front to the project in 2024 and recommended to council a repayment plan whereby CNRL would pay $1.1 million annually over the next four years beginning in 2025 to cover off the balance of the project cost.
To enable this, council unanimously approved a motion to support an unbudgeted expenditure of $4.4 million in reconstruction costs on TWP Rd. 622 to be funded through cash flow reserves and directed administration to enter into an agreement with CNRL for the recovery of those costs with repayment to be completed by end of December 2028.
Prior to lending his support, Coun. Don Slipchuk suggested the MD might want to consider a shorter repayment timeline from CNRL and suggested a two-year repayment plan be considered.
“It’s not like they’re not making profits every quarter. I think it would be a benefit to our community to get our money back sooner.”
Coun. Ben Fadeyiw said it is likely CNRL has “X amount of dollars to put into the area and if we ask for more money . . . I’m afraid to lose a great opportunity of expansion to our roads. Yes, they are using it, and I think we have to work together with industry.”
He said a precedence had been set with previous agreements with CNRL and it is likely they budgeted this project on the same basis.
Coun. Dana Swigart cautioned council about looking a gift horse in the mouth. “It’s a freebie for us. Sure, it would be nice to have the money back sooner but you’re going to piss them off maybe by muddying it up. I don’t know if you want to do that.”
The TWP Rd project involves “a grade, base, pave for three miles from Range Road 470 to 473, and then a high-grade gravel upgrade for one mile from Range Road 473 to 474,” according to information provided by administration.
