Keep Me Journal - Editorial Point of View by Jill Dewdney
Ordinarily,
we don’t waste our precious time on needless, unnecessary media or opinions
that serves no purpose other than to rile up the masses but this time we felt
that we had to respond.
Sunday, January 13, 2019
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Lac Ste. Anne County Blows Up Bridge Clearing Beaver Dam
Beaver +1 Lac Ste. Anne County - $50,000.00
Although this may be funny if you are a beaver, this certainly is not funny if you are a ratepayer of Lac Ste. Anne County. LSAC has many Bridges which are in desperate need of repair and are on this years budget as well as future years Budgets.An attempt to clear a beaver dam with explosives directly underneath a bridge on TWP 540 has resulted in damage done to two girders that will need to be replaced and will cost LSAC $50,000 + which is not included in this year's Budget or any future Budget.
In the September 13, 2018 Council Meeting, Councillor Lorne Olsvik asked administration for an update regarding damage done to the bridge on TWP 540.
“They had to get the water moving, followed all the safety procedures and practices, used minimal charge and it just happened,” said Aren Skogstad, Agricultural Services Manager.
Reeve Joe Blakeman wanted to know any other options that could be done rather than spending the $50,000 to fix the bridge.
Joe Duplessie, general manager of infrastructure and planning, added that the life expectancy for that bridge is another 25 or so years. “We’ve got other bridges as well with bigger priorities,” he said.
Maybe what the Council should of asked for was to view the Pre-Job Hazard Assessment and asked;
- Was this approach the only option?
- How was this an acceptable Risk?
- Who signed off on the Procedure?
- Is there an investigation to this unnecessary Asset Loss?
Where is the improved accountability that our Councillors campaigned on?
Monday, September 10, 2018
Lac Ste. Anne County Rezoning for RV Use
“Mortgageability” And What It Means To You
WHY DOES THE
ABILITY TO PLACE A MORTGAGE ON YOUR PROPERTY AFFECT YOUR RESALE VALUES?
You may not be aware
that when you are applying for a mortgage, the property has to qualify just as
much as you do. There can be many instances why a bank will not lend on a
property, such as:
- It is reaching the end of its economic life and the bank wants to know that the house will last longer than your 25 year mortgage.
- The property may be a mobile home and the bank needs to know it is properly affixed to the foundation and to current building code standards, so it doesn’t “disappear” one day and they lose their security.It doesn’t have potable water or sewer/septic, or year round access.
- The property could be in a state of excessive disrepair.
- The home is smaller than the minimum square footage requirements for that lender.
- The bank may not like the way the property is zoned.
Lenders will look a
variety of criteria and you must hit every single one of their boxes in order
for them to lend on the home. So why does a lender care about all these things?
Banks/lenders have to
look at the risk they are taking - both for their shareholders and because the
government mandates them to. If you are buying with less than 20% down payment,
it is a law in Canada that your mortgage must be insured to protect the banks
from any potential losses. There are 3 insurers in Canada. You pay the premium
on this insurance and the bank is protected if they have to sell it at a loss
during foreclosure. Some lenders will require you to have this insurance even if
you have more than 20% down payment in order to protect themselves. And then
there is a whole other conversation about bulk insurance that we won’t discuss.
Mortgage insurance qualification is extremely important because the insurer can
(and will) veto a bank’s pre-approval based on many variables. The ability to
have this insurance also permits buyers to look at a home with less that 20%
down payment.
It is extremely easy
for a property to be devalued by more than 20%. A property is only worth what
someone is willing to pay for it. A home in bad condition or in a bad location can
quickly lose value. For example, having a gas station built next to your home
could cause the values to decrease. Or being on a busy road can also impact
your values. Sometimes even minor cosmetic fixes can improve the value of your
home. This is why it doesn’t take much to make a bank squirm and the banks are
not in the business of losing money. They are concerned about hundreds of
thousands of dollars being on the line in a single mortgage and whether they
can quickly sell the home if needed.
Now let’s speak
specifically about the zoning piece. The County of Lac Ste. Anne is wanting to
rezone 17 or so subdivisions due to excessive non-conforming use within those
neighborhoods. Non-conforming use is when property in the neighborhood is being
used for purposes that are not allowed by the municipality’s bylaws. In this
specific case, the non-conforming use is the use of vacant land to house
multiple recreational vehicles for camping purposes without a permanent
dwelling/house/cottage on the same land. Some people don’t want to live in a
residential subdivision that is being utilized like a campground, so they won’t
buy the home to raise their family.
One of the insurers specifically said their
concern is “these lots could end up being large camping-type sites and that
limits the appeal for people wanting to buy regular homes in the area”. So the
proximity of lots being utilized exclusively by RV’s, to lots being used as
homes, could affect the resale appeal of the home in their opinion.
At first the County
wanted to call the zoning recreational. Very few banks will lend a mortgage on
a house zoned recreational, and I did provide proof of that to my counsellor
via bank policy manuals and email responses from the lenders. Now they are
changing the zoning name to Rustic Residential to try and mitigate that risk
for the residents who own homes in these neighborhoods. As a result, I
canvassed the exact same lenders and most said they would treat it the same as
recreational, because it is just a different name for recreational and the use
is still the same. Some said they would only do it if it was insured. Well that
was promising so I asked CMHC and Genworth if they would have a problem with
the new zoning since I have had declines on this type of property zoning
before. Both have advised that they have declined these types of “mixed use”
subdivisions and will continue to do so as they become aware of them. Once a
subdivision is “black-listed,” there is no going back. Every time a property in
one of those postal codes is applied for - it will be manually checked to see
if it is in one of those subdivisions.
So what does this mean
for the houses that are already existing in these neighborhoods? If you have a
single family dwelling and you have a buyer that qualifies no problem for the
mortgage, they may still be declined because it is a “mixed use” subdivision.
That buyer may be told by the bank that they need to put 25% or 35%
down payment. Or maybe the bank isn’t interested at all and that buyer would
need to pay cash. How much is your home worth if half the people who are
interested cannot get financing?
This lack of available
financing then causes a marketability spiral. Some people would still want to
buy the home regardless but don’t have enough down payment (or don’t qualify at the
only banks that offer the 35% down payment option). As prices drop, lenders
become even more cautious and it then becomes a race to the bottom. It’s a
self-fulfilling prophecy, they don’t lend out of fear of declining property
values, which in turns means less sales, which causes values to decline.
So then what? The
young family who originally bought in a neighborhood that is no longer what
they purchased into, and bought with 5% down payment may be in a position where
they have to pay tens of thousands of dollars to sell. Why? Because property
values have declined to a level where their mortgage is now higher than what
they can sell their home for. Or they have to choose whether they continue to
raise their family in a campground setting.
Make no mistake- they purchased
into a property zoned as a residential subdivision and that is being changed on
them, through no fault of their own.
I don’t think most
people realize that it is significantly harder to qualify for a mortgage these
days than it was even 2, 5 or 10 years ago. Having a property that is virtually
unmortgageable is certainly not going to help.
I have no alignment or
agenda except that if I elect to keep my home (which is my primary residence,
not my 2nd home and yes it is in one of these neighborhoods), I have
been told to expect a significant decline in values. I can’t and won’t set
myself back that much financially. My agenda is that the people who live by me -
need to know the ramifications of what is going to happen to their equity if
they stay. I didn’t even think about this until I was trying to finance a
property at Pigeon Lake and it was declined for being too “recreational” even
though it wasn’t zoned recreational.
Council needs to know what they are knowingly doing to young families who reside in this County. The “Recreational County” as they called it at the last Information Meeting. That slogan won’t raise any red flags with insurers…(sarcasm).
Council needs to know what they are knowingly doing to young families who reside in this County. The “Recreational County” as they called it at the last Information Meeting. That slogan won’t raise any red flags with insurers…(sarcasm).
I can tell you, many
residents in our subdivision have lodged complaints about the non-conformance
issues for the last 4-5 years. Everyone has their own reason based on the specific
challenges they have faced. This isn’t a new problem, it is an escalating
problem. We have incurred considerable expense to appeal this type of use at
SDAB hearings and nothing has changed. This is the Council’s and
Administration’s agenda. Every subdivision within that list of 17, will be
painted with the same brush.
Everyone has a
different opinion. Some subdivisions are OK with the proposed rezoning and some
are not. And at the end of the day - that is also OK. Everyone is entitled to
their opinion and everyone should be heard.
I wish you all well in
whatever decisions you need to make about your homes, where you reside, and
what this will mean for you personally. But as an owner of property in the
County of Lac Ste. Anne - you now know more about mortgages than 80% of the
population, and we haven’t even scratched the surface.
LSAC COUNCILLORS LET THEM KNOW HOW YOU FEEL
Joe Blakeman | Reeve, Councillor, Division 5
Email jblakeman@lsac.ca Ph. 780 918-1916
Lorne Olsvik | Councillor, Div. 1
Email lolsvik@lsac.ca Ph. 780 937-5360
Nick Gelych | Councillor, Div.2
Email ngelych@lsac.ca Ph. 780 9039393
George Vaughan | Councillor, Div. 3
Email gvaughan@lsac.ca Ph. 780 967-3469
Steve Hoyda | Councillor, Div. 4
Email shoyda@lsac.ca Ph. 780 674-8080
Ross Bohnet | Councillor, Div. 6
Email rbohnet@lsac.ca Ph. 780 786-4290
Lloyd Giebelhaus | Councillor, Div. 7
Email lgiebelhaus@lsac.ca Ph. 780 785-2095
Friday, April 27, 2018
LSAC COUNCIL PASSES 2018 BUDGET
LSAC COUNCIL PASSES 2018 BUDGET WITH AN ADDITIONAL 2.25% INCREASE FROM 2017
At yesterday's Council meeting the 2018 budget was passed. In the first 2018 Budget Draft which LSAC Administration presented to Council on March 29th, Administration "Recommended" approval on the Proposed Budget with an increase of 3.5%. We believe that as a result of LSARA communications with Council and Councils subsequent review of that Draft Budget, it has resulted in the reduction of the Budget Spending to the 2.25% increase which was passed.Tuesday, April 24, 2018
2018 LSAC DRAFT BUDGET LSARA'S REVIEW
Analogy of Overspending using Your Money
We look at the County as a Corporation, one that ALL RATEPAYERS have Shares in. We have a “board of directors” elected to ensure our Corporation does not run into the red and runs efficiently.If the corporation runs into the red, guess who has to inject more money into operations? You guessed it, the Shareholders (otherwise known as Ratepayers). If the employees of your Corporation were increasing their budgets by more than 13% in each department, would this be alarming to you?
Thursday, April 12, 2018
REVISED LSAC 2018 DRAFT BUDGET PART 2
Today three of LSARA’s Executive took the time out of our schedules to attend the County Council and Administration Meeting. We let you all know yesterday that we felt that this was an important meeting. Some of our executive members got together last week and conducted a comprehensive review of the Proposed 2018 LSAC Budget. LSARA posted it for your review and feedback and it was also posted on the County Website.
Thursday, March 29, 2018
LSAC 2018 DRAFT BUDGET
DRAFT BUDGET TO BE PRESENTED IN TODAY'S
LSAC MARCH 29 2018 COUNCIL MEETING
Today is the day LSAC Council will discuss the official release of the LSAC 2018 Draft Budget in their regular scheduled council meeting. What they choose to do with it is to be seen. LSARA has reviewed the Draft Budget Proposal as prepared by Administration and has some initial observations for the Ratepayers of LSAC to be advised of, as would be anticipated.
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
LSAC COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA MARCH 8 2018 ADMINISTRATIONS RECOMMENDATION, ADVISE TO STRIKE THE POLICY? REPEAL THE MOTION FROM 2016? WHY NOW!!!
Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
You will recall that LSARA has recently reported to you, the Ratepayers that the pending sale of the old Lac Ste Anne Administration building had not followed a due process.
We told you how we have been providing information from the Municipal Government Act as well as other bodies with respect to the process that should have been undertaken. In our communications, we also advised both Council and Administration that there was a motion that must be addressed, 812-16 from November 10th, 2016. “Direction for old Office”. That motion DIRECTED Administration to obtain costs to demolish.
Monday, March 5, 2018
WHAT ARE THEY TRYING TO HIDE???
LSARA has made several requests to obtain the Lac Ste. Anne Policy Handbook and any Policy relating to the Disposition of County Assets. Robert Osmond, Assistant County Manager and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Lac Ste. Anne County replied to us in a email dated February 27 2018;
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
FACT OR FICTION DISPOSAL PROCESS OF LSAC ASSETS
LSARA sent a letter to Council in December with concerns on the PROCESS of the sale of the Old Administration Building. We are definitely not opposed to a sale but our concerns are:
- Were council advised by the CAO properly of the processes necessary to sell this building?
- It is the responsibility of the LSAC CAO to inform the council of the background history of this building. There was a motion (812-16 November 10, 2016 “Direction for old office”) on the table put forward from a previous council to obtain costs to demolish.
- LSAC CAO should have advised current council that before any other discussions, this motion needs to be dealt with, even if just a motion to rescind.
- There is no evidence that there was discussion in any LSAC Council Meeting minutes regarding this motion. Administration did not follow the direction of previous Council's motion in obtaining costs to demolish and certainly the “request for proposal process” would have been part and parcel of that motion.
- Also of note was the fact that “A GROUP” came forward with the recommendation of selling the building. Was this group one and the same as the one that a Council member is a Director of?
Monday, February 26, 2018
LSARA ACCUSED OF TRYING TO DIVIDE AND CONQUER
LSARA ACCUSED OF TRYING TO DIVIDE AND CONQUER
To: LSARA
From: All Council LSAC
County Council and I appreciate the opportunity to attend your Annual General Meeting this evening but have concerns on your process. As such, Council will not be able to attend this evening. There is much skepticism regarding the purpose of the last minute restrictions imposed on Council by your e-mail of February 17th, along with apprehension that there is a strategy to divide and conquer this Council. (Click to View LSARA Invitation to Attend)
Saturday, February 24, 2018
WE WANT TO HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY
LETTER TO LAC STE. ANNE COUNTY COUNCIL
Reeve & Council.Lac Ste. Anne County.
P.O. Box 219, Sangudo Alberta. T0E 2A0
22nd. Feb. 2018
re: County response to L.S.A.R.A.’s invitation to Council to attend their A.G.M. as observers.
Support them or not, this organisation represents the rate payers of this County, and as such, asks questions of Council in order to keep the ratepayers informed and elicit information in answer to members’ queries. If they feel that something is out of order, they bring that to the attention of ratepayers and Council and Administration through their Facebook page and Blog.
Thursday, February 22, 2018
LSARA 2ND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Another Successful Annual General Meeting
LSARA hosted its second Annual General Meeting last night with approximately 60 Ratepayers in attendance. Thank you to those who had an opportunity to join us!We conducted a number of business items such as a review of the 2017 AGM along with the financial information for review and a motion to accept as read.
LSAC COUNCIL MEETING TODAY "NO AGENDA AGAIN"
WHAT DO WE PAY FOR THIS WEB SITE???
"LAC STE. ANNE COUNTY HAS A CONTRACT WITH RDECA WHO PROVIDES COMMUNICATIONS AND WEBSITE ASSISTANCE. THE VALUE OF THEIR CONTRACT IS $45000.00 ANNUALLY"
THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR YOUR TAX DOLLARS
NO AGENDA AGAIN? Why?
Saturday, February 17, 2018
HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT ALL THESE INCREASES?
Not sure what to call this one? Its all about
BUDGET, WAGES and JOB LOSS!
Most of you reading this post have been employed in some aspect in you lives. Whether you hold the all important role of the caregiver, homemaker, worked for a mom and pop company, a multi national corporation, were self employed, you’ve likely held a job. Fair to say that you have paid taxes, had wage increases and losses, have suffered job loss or a job change of your own making. Sometimes those same jobs presented you with an opportunity for you to define your working conditions, your shift and maybe even how you would be remunerated.Friday, February 16, 2018
FREE MEMBERSHIP AND RENEWAL OFFER
As we told you in an article a few weeks ago, LSARA continues to be actively interacting with Council and Administration regarding items we feel have the ability to impact us all. We go well beyond what you SEE in our posts on Facebook and on our Blog. An interesting poll for us would be to understand from you, our readers, how much time you think it takes us to research, write and edit the articles we present to you.
Monday, February 12, 2018
Why Was This Asset Dumped
Why was it so important to liquidate this Lac Ste. Anne County Ratepayers ASSET without a proper Policy in place as well as no Commercial Appraisal and no fair Tender Process.
Did our CAO and Councillors ensure that the County Ratepayers best interests were taken into consideration?
- 11280 Sq Ft Commercial Building
- 3 Commercial Lots
- No Recent Building Condition Reports
- No Commercial Appraisal to Determine the Actual Value
- No County Motions, Resolutions or Advertising as required by the Municipal Government Act
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
ANYONE RECOGNIZE THIS
LAC STE. ANNE COUNTY ASSETS
Anyone recognize this? This is the Old Administration building on main street in Sangudo. It is our best estimate that the building was listed on December 19th AFTER an offer was received apparently on the 16th of December 2017. Having that information, LSARA did what we always do, put the questions forward to council and administration regarding the proposed sale of the building.Friday, December 15, 2017
Lac Ste. Anne County Council Meeting Today
NO AGENDA AGAIN?
WHAT DO WE PAY FOR THIS WEB SITE???
ON THE HOME PAGE YOU CAN CLICK ON
"COUNCIL SESSION HIGHLIGHTS"
THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR YOUR TAX DOLLARS
Monday, November 20, 2017
No Council Meeting This Week
Changes to the Municipal Government Act
Most of you will remember that LSARA has had the occasion to put forward a petition and a few other communications to the Municipal Government. The Act itself is law. It is how Municipalities must operate. It governs everything from how an election runs in a County, to identifying the duties of a Councillor or Elected Official. It also regulates how and when Council Meetings are to be advertised.Tuesday, November 14, 2017
County Ratepayer’s Association calls FOUL over FOIP bill
LSARA has been patiently waiting for our FOIP requests to be addressed. We have also been affording the new council of 2017 (some old some new) and Administration the opportunity to get in the swing of Council.
Saturday, November 4, 2017
WHO IS LSARA?
LSARA IS YOU AND ME!
PROUD RESIDENTS OF LAC STE. ANNE COUNTY WHO CARE WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR COUNTY!
LSARA is a condensed version of our registered society name "Lac Ste Anne and Communities Ratepayers Association". We are a dedicated group of volunteers that identified a need to present issues in the County of Lac Ste Anne as we understand them. We believe it is in all our best interests to ensure all Ratepayers and other potentially affected community members know the Hot Topic items, understand them and can effectively respond to them.
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Perleeese… tell me that we are not going down this road again – wasting more money!!
Perleeese… tell me that we are not going down this road again – wasting more money!!
By David Chawner Nov 2, 2017
The new council hadn’t even been sworn in, but they’ll have to sort out the mess, because some-one in the County Office thought that it would be a great idea to conduct an “experiment” and test the use of road grindings from Hwy 37 as an alternative road topping in the sub-divisions just as the forecast was for Fall/Winter weather – snow?? rain?? cold temperatures??… sound familiar for late October??
Friday, October 27, 2017
NEW LSAC REEVE AND DEPUTY REEVE APPOINTED
Since the LSAC Web Site still has not updated the new Councillors information, LSARA would like to welcome the new Council and Congratulations to the new "REEVE" (not mayor) Joe Blakeman and Deputy Reeve Nick Gelych.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
LSARA Welcomes the New Council
LSARA Welcomes the New CounciL
The last four years have seen many changes in the County of Lac Ste Anne. Many of them have been changes the Ratepayers wanted in more consultation opportunities. Some of those issues were the New Administration Building, introduction of utility based Landfill fees, proposed Land Use Bylaw changes, RV proposed bylaws, loss of two Councillors with no by elections.Monday, October 16, 2017
TODAY IS THE DAY FOR CHANGE
TODAY IS THE DAY FOR CHANGE
Today is the day we all go to the polls to choose who we want to represent us for the next four years. All five incumbents are seeking reelection.
Mayor Hegy is seeking a second term for Division 2. Ever wonder how a BRAND NEW Councillor gets the top job? We sure have.
Saturday, October 14, 2017
THE TIME IS NOW
THE TIME IS NOW
Another term for the LSAC Municipal Council has elapsed and the Electorate are preparing to vote on Oct 16 for division representatives. While it is often difficult, if not impossible to grab the attention of our elected officials while they are in office, Election Day provides voters the once-in-four-year opportunity to pass judgment on promises kept or not kept during the term of this Municipal Council and an opportunity to make a change if warranted.Friday, October 13, 2017
LSARA REVIEW of the Lac Ste. Anne Governance Process and Practices Report
LSARA REVIEW
LAC STE. ANNE COUNTY FARMER REPORT
Russell
Farmer and Associates Consulting Ltd.
A
Report for Lac Ste Anne County
Administration
Building – Governance Processes and Practices
What is in our Review and in the Farmer Report
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
YOUR COUNTY'S FUTURE IS IN YOUR VOTE
The Quotes That We Need to Remember
Throughout the past few years the Lac Ste. Anne Ratepayers Association have been told many interesting responses to our quests for transparency. In the following days we will be posting some quotes that remind us all "WHY WE NEED TO VOTE"!!
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Isn’t it amazing
Isn’t it amazing
By David ChawnerIsn’t it amazing – there are people, including councillor/s, complaining about “ all the negativity in the media” and yet there is a simple solution – all Council has to do is be honest and straight forward with the people who will have to pay the bills! Frankly, if they are referring to me, I DON’T CARE. If I ask a question I expect to get an honest answer, which is my RIGHT – it’s MY money (and yours), not silence or B.S. The M.G.A. (Municipal Govt. Act) says – “all information that can be made public – should be” – and the restrictions are minimal.
Mr. Hegy’s pitch for a second term as councillor
Mr. Hegy’s pitch for a second term as councillor
By David Chawner
He seems to have forgotten a few of his “accomplishments” –
Thursday, October 5, 2017
County seeks to counter spread of false information Aug 30th
County seeks to counter spread of false information Aug 30th
By David Chawner
Lac Ste. Anne County’s recent advertisement “Straight Talk About County Finances” in which they allege that “misleading information about County finances has been spread” shows the County’s 2016 long-term debt as being $1.370,470. Under the Municipal Govt. Act (M.G.A.), municipalities are required to provide Municipal Affairs Dept. with audited financial statements which the Dept. then posts on their website (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B69V6QH-ValArZDc3SnVMYTZmSjA/view).
An open letter to Mayor & Council, Lac Ste. Anne County
An open letter to Mayor & Council, Lac Ste. Anne County
By David Chawner
Oh dear, Oh dear, Oh dear I was told that a councillor or councillors is/are upset about all the negative comments in the media …. (I hope they don’t mean me!)
Monday, October 2, 2017
Division 1,2,3 Forum Review
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Second Lac Ste. Anne County Candidates Forum
Second Candidates Forum takes place this evening (Sept 28) in Onoway at the Heritage Centre ( old elementary) school gym.
Divisions 1, 2 and 3. Moderated by Dale Johnson. If you want to know the candidates platforms, we urge you to attend. Consider what questions you may want responses to and participate in the question and answer segment.
DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE IN LAC STE. ANNE COUNTY
What you need to know in order to vote in the October 16th Municipal Election in the County of Lac Ste Anne
We think that it is very important that everyone exercises their democratic right to vote in this upcoming Municipal Election. It is also important that all voters inform themselves as to what the Voter Identification Requirements are.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Forum One Full House
Candidates Forum for Division 4, 5 6 and 7
LSARA and the DDRA hosted a Candidates Forum for Divisions 4, 5 ,6 and 7 in Darwell September 26, 2017. The forum was moderated by Terry Slemko and saw a host of candidates participate. In no particular order:Daryl Friesen Division 4 New Candidate
Steve Hoyda Division 4 New Candidate
Leo Blais Division 5 New Candidate
Joe Blakeman Division 5 New Candidate
Penny Leshenko Division 5 New Candidate
Amy Thiessen-Roy Division 5 New Candidate
Terry Nelson Division 6 New Candidate
Larry Daniel Division 7 New Candidate
Of the thirteen candidates running in Divisions 4 though 7, eight of them participated in the forum. The candidates that confirmed their attendance were all provided a copy of the Ten questions prior to the Forum in order to provide informed responses on the questions they would be asked.
LSARA provided ten so that they would have an opportunity to understand some of the questions that potentially could come from the floor. Each candidate responded to the same three questions that were selected.
They each began by introducing themselves and providing somewhat of a glimpse of what each candidate stands for, what they believe in and how they feel they can affect change. The selected questions were then responded to by each candidate and then the floor opened for questions.
There were a number of individuals that did come forward with questions for the candidates and all were provided an opportunity to respond. Many of the issues discussed surrounded communication breakdowns, accountability, taxation to name a few.
The upcoming Forum in Onoway on the 28th of September at 7 PM in the Heritage Center gym ( the old Onoway Elementary School) will host the Candidates from Divisions 1, 2 and 3.
It should be noted that LSARA sent out a communication to all the Candidates running in all Seven Divisions. We set a deadline for their response so that we could ensure that we set up appropriate time lines for the Forums and could ensure that there was ample time for all to participate.
With respect to current council, due to some communications and questions that we received, we actually extended the deadline to accommodate a response. Some of the current council chose not to respond to our invitation.
One indicated that he would not be in attendance as he was attending other forums. There were no other forums scheduled for last night.
One indicated that LSARA was hosting a Rally. So to ensure that there was no miscommunication, and to ensure receipt of the invitation, we sent another email explaining the forum.
One Councillor changed his mind after that email, the rest we heard nothing. So to say that LSARA is not open to working together is not a fair statement. We tried.
Approximately 175 people turned out in Darwell last night to hear what the Candidates had to say. What a fantastic turn from all the four Divisions. They were also people from other Divisions that indicated they choose to participate in both so that they can hear all the candidates.
This is not only an opportunity for the candidates, it is an opportunity for you, the Ratepayers of Lac Ste Anne County.
Hope to see you there.
Monday, September 25, 2017
LSAC Candidates Forum 2017 Darwell Hall
September 26th is the first of two LSARA Forums being held. The best way for everyone to get the most out of the candidates Forums is to be engaged in active listening and asking questions.
Friday, September 22, 2017
LSAC FORUMS CANDIDATES CONFIRMATION
Upcoming LSAC Forums Candidates Confirmation
LSARA is proud to host two forums in the next week. We have invited all incumbents as well as all of the new slate of candidates to these forums. In the interest of ensuring that we maximize the time for each forum and relevancy for each area, we are conducting two.Thursday, September 21, 2017
LSAC Municipal Election 2017 Candidate Forums
LSAC Municipal Election 2017
Candidate Forums
A little information for everyone on what you can expect at the Candidates Forums that are being held in Darwell co sponsored by DDRA on the 26th at 7 pm in the Hall for Divisions 4, 5, 6 and 7 and in Onoway on the 28th for Divisions 1, 2 and 3 in the Heritage center ( the old elementary gym) also at 7 pm.Sunday, September 17, 2017
Saturday, September 16, 2017
Record Numbers Putting Their Name Forward to Run in the 2017 LSAC October 2017 Election.
It appears that the people, the Ratepayers of Lac Ste Anne County are stepping up in record numbers and putting their name forward to run in the 2017 LSAC October 2017 election.
Friday, September 15, 2017
Grand Opening and a New Era for LSAC
Grand Opening and a New Era for LSAC
By Chris Yeoman LSARA President
On September 13th , the County of Lac Ste Anne held its official grand opening inviting in the Public with a ribbon cutting ceremony and a BBQ. Although I did not have an opportunity to attend the actual ribbon cutting ceremony, I did have an opportunity to go on a guided tour of the new $12 million dollar facility.
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
LSAC ADMITS MISREPRESENTATION OF LONG TERM DEBT PUBLISHED IN A RECENT ARTICLE
LSAC ADMITS MISREPRESENTATION OF LONG TERM DEBT PUBLISHED IN A RECENT LAC STE. ANNE BULLETIN ARTICLE AND PUBLISHED ON THE LSAC WEB SITE
In the September 11, 2017 Mayerthorpe Freelancer article written by Joseph Quigley, "County admits misstep in debt report" LSAC Admitted that the County misrepresented the "Long Term Debt" in a comparison chart included in the Lac Ste. Anne Bulletin Article and published on the LSAC Web Site called “Straight Talk About County Finances”.
Darwell District Recreation Association Registration and Information Tonight
The DDRA ( Darwell District Recreation Association) is
hosting a Registration and Information night for local Community Groups. This
is to assist the groups to provide information and potentially sign up new
members. 2017 marks the third year the
DDRA hosts this event.
Monday, September 11, 2017
UPDATE Meet the Candidates
LSARA is proud to present
"MEET THE CANDIDATES"
As the Candidates submit their Bio's to LSARA, we will add them to this Post to inform the Ratepayers who is running and what they stand for. If you are a Candidate please submit your Bio, Picture and which Zone you represent in a "Word File" by email to lsaracares@gmail.com and we will ensure to add it to this Post as they are received.Sunday, September 10, 2017
No Endorsements
May the Best Candidates Succeed!
While LSARA is actively participating in providing information on the candidates for the upcoming 2017 Election and providing candidate forums, we wish to ensure impartiality.
Several of the candidates are members of LSARA, with some holding Director positions.
Saturday, September 9, 2017
So, I ask you. Who is facilitating rumors? Who is being transparent?
So, I ask you. Who is facilitating rumors? Who is being transparent?
As we review some of our Articles that we have posted in this last year, we see that some have come full circle. What does that mean?
Well, the group that is now LSARA petitioned against the new Administration Building. Why did we do that? We did it because we believed (and still do) that much more research, review and consultation was required.
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Update LSAC Administration Building Project Status
LSAC Administration Building
Project Status Update
LSAC updated their Administration Building Project Status Update on their web site today. Too bad they did not use the "Correct Date"!
Here we have another attempt to avoid the disclosure of the real Issues and what is being done about them.
