HONORING A TRUE FIREFIGHTER’S LEGACY
After years of courageous service, we bid farewell to one of our dedicated firefighters as they retire from the department.
The strength of any fire department lies not in its equipment or buildings, but in the dedication and heart of its people.
Without individuals like this, our communities would not be as safe or supported. Fire Chief Chris Wilkins wrote this piece as a dedication to Kurt Orbanski and his time with the fire department.
“On May 26th, 2025, we gathered for one final practice with a man whose dedication has left a lasting mark on our department and our hearts. After 27 years of service, Kurt officially retired from the fire department.
“Kurt has been a steady, reliable, and courageous presence in every call, every challenge, and every victory we’ve shared. His knowledge, mentorship, and quick wit made him not just a great firefighter, but a brother to us all.
“We ended the night with a celebration in his honor. Stories were shared, laughter echoed, and more than a few tears were held back. Kurt, your boots may be hung up,
RM of Ste. Anne 2025 Council Meeting Dates
June 25, 6:00 pm
July 9, 9:00 am
July 23, 6:00 pm
August 13, 9:00 am
August 27, 6:00 pm
September 10, 9:00 am
September 24, 6:00 pm
LUD of Richer Meeting Dates
July 2, 7:00 pm
August 6, 7:00 pm
September 3, 7:00 pm
Meetings of the RM of Ste. Anne and Local Urban District of Richer are open to the public. Council meetings are held in the Council Chambers of the RM Office at 395 Traverse Road and continue to be recorded and livestreamed via www.rmofsteanne.com. LUD of Richer Committee Meetings are now held at the Richer Young at Hearts Club at 22 Dawson Rd.
Committee of the Whole *
June 17, 9:00 am
July 15, 9:00 am
August 19, 9:00 am
September 16, 9:00 am *may be subject to change
but your legacy will walk with this department for years to come.
“Thank you for 27+ years of unwavering service, dedication, and
heart. You’ve made a difference, and you will be deeply missed.
“Enjoy your well-earned retirement, brother.”
La municipalité de Ste. Anne est maintenant officiellement et fièrement bilingue. Pour les informations et les services en français, vous avez tout simplement besoin de nous les demander. Nous sommes en période de transition, alors nous apprécions votre patience et vos demandes.
LUD of Richer Garbage Pickup Day - Fridays Electronic Recycle Day First Tuesday of each month
Documents and information may be provided in alternate formats upon request.
Richer Fire Department with Kurt Orbanski (center). Photo from Richer FD Facebook
2025 BUDGET CHALLENGES
The full 2025 Financial Plan presentation in video format, and other related documents, have been uploaded to our website at www.rmofsteanne.com/main.php?p=123 on the “Financial Plans and Audits” page which can be found under the Resources menu.
The full 2025 Financial Plan presentation, and other related documents, have been uploaded to our website https://www.rmofsteanne. com/main.php?p=123 on the “Financial Plans and Audits” page which can be found under the Resources menu.
The 2025 Financial Plan posed unique challenges. The 2025 assessed property values increased significantly over 2023/2024 values (roughly 23% overall).
Unfortunately, this assessment increase was not consistent between all types of properties (i.e. commercial, farm, higher value residential, lower valued residential).
This led to difficult decisions needing to be made in the budget to maintain the level of municipal services we’ve come to expect, while moderating the tax impacts on ratepayers.
Council worked diligently to ensure that the resulting tax burden was as fair and manageable on our
property owners as possible while also accounting for the rising service delivery costs and inflationary pressures on the 2025 budget.
In the end, when comparing to the 2024 budget, Council is lowering the total budgeted municipal expenditures by approximately $177,000, but increasing the amount to be collected through property taxes by roughly $220,000.
This amounts to a reduction to each of our mill rates as follows:
• Rural Mill Rate: Reduced from 4.83 mills (2024) to 4.129 mills (2025) – a decrease of 0.701 mills
• At-Large Mill Rate: Reduced from 4.801 mills (2024) to 4.125 mills (2025) – a decrease of 0.676 mills
• LUD Mill Rate: Reduced from 8.012 mills (2024) to 6.518 mills (2025) – a decrease of 1.494 mills
We encourage ratepayers to review the financial plan on our website and contact our office with any questions.
2025 Budgeted Projects
The following projects were approved in the 2025 budget for the RM of Ste. Anne, with most of them being funded by 2024 surplus funds, or through reserve funds.
Throughout the coming months, our staff will begin working on these special projects, in addition to our regular maintenance operations, hoping to complete as many as possible in 2025:
• Secure the purchase of a new Tanker truck for the Giroux Fire Department, to be fully acquired in 2026, to replace the current aging unit which has seen better days,
• Create new pathways in the La Coulee area to further develop our trails network in this area (with funding support from MB Trails Grant)
• Renew the municipal Development Plan to facilitate and stimulate economic development
• Land Purchases for economic
development purposes, with no specific plans in place yet, but we have to start somewhere!
• New Christmas Lights to be installed on the Hydro posts in Giroux to help raise the holiday spirit
• New crosswalk being installed in Richer, in front of the school, to improve safety and pedestrian accessibility.
• LUD sidewalks are being rebuilt along the east side of PR 302 north of Dawson to make them smoother and wider for increased accessibility and safety.
• And various road and drainage projects will also be done as time and weather permits.
GRANT POLICY REVISED
2025 FALL INTAKE DEADLINE ANNOUNCED
Council has made minor changes to the Municipal Grants Policy.
Please review the new version of our grant policy for important updates, including application criteria and reporting requirements.
You can find the newly changed policy and application form on our website or by scanning the QR code.
All eligible organizations are welcome to submit their applications by the October 17, 2025, deadline using the new application form found at the end of the policy.
SPRING GRAVEL ROAD
MAINTENANCE PROGRAM
Every year, the RM of Ste. Anne puts considerable efforts and resources into the maintenance of our gravel roads.
Our Spring Maintenance Program consists of 6 essential phases:
1. Pulling up the edges of the road and reclaiming gravel from the shoulders (can be done before the spring thaw, depending on conditions)
2. Waiting for the frost to be completely gone
3. Grading the roads intensively to reclaim material and smooth out the surfaces
4. Adding fresh gravel where it is needed
5. Grading the new gravel to shape and pack the road surface
6. Applying Dust Control
This intensive annual work starts in spring as soon as the frost leaves the grounds with the graders “reclaiming” the roads.
The reclaiming work consists of blading the edges of the road, which have vegetation growth from the past season, and pulling that material back onto the roadway. This then gets mulched and mixed into the gravel on the road as the machines are working the road surface and taking out the bumps in the road.
By reclaiming the roads, we don’t lose all the gravel that’s been pushed to the side of the road by
traffic, and we also keep the width of the road from shrinking over time as the weeds and grass creep onto the road surface.
Once this has been done, we apply fresh gravel to our roads. Each year, Council selects various contractors from the bids received, to supply and deliver gravel to the roads that need it most.
After the roads get fresh gravel, then our equipment will smooth it out, shape the road surface in a way that rain will drain off it, and pack it all down to stabilize the road surface.
Dust Control, being a liquid dust abatement substance called Magnesium Chloride, is then applied in accordance with the Municipal Policy, being to every intersection and at most driveways. Dust control application serves to reduce the dust, and therefore increases safety on the roads. This substance
also helps bind the gravel together, preventing the loss of material as traffic drives on the roads, and reduces the grading that is required during the year. Applying dust control also serves to reduce the nuisance dust residents might otherwise experience.
The RM does not apply dust abatement product to every road, or at every driveway, as this product is very expensive. Individuals who are willing to pay to receive additional Dust Control may contact the Municipal Office for more information. Unfortunately, as there is only one provider of dust abatement material in Manitoba, the RM of Ste. Anne does not have very much control over when the product and contractor may be available to service our roads. Equipment breakdowns and environmental conditions are also a source of delays that we’ve often
seen. Although these barriers are frustrating to encounter during our spring maintenance program, we thank the public for your understanding and patience as we work diligently each spring to bring the roads up to the standard we’re used to seeing all year round.
Please remember when encountering equipment on the roads to stay safe by slowing down and only passing if/when safe to do so, or by finding an alternate route.
NOISE PERMITS IN THE RM
Planning a backyard wedding, fireworks display or any work that may create loud noise?
Certain types of noises are regulated in the RM of Ste. Anne. If you’re hosting an event or undertaking work that could disturb others, please apply for a noise permit. The cost for a noise permit is $25.00.
To request a permit, email cao@rmofsteanne.com with the following details:
• Date and time of the event/ work
• Property location
• Description of the noise/event/work
• Your full contact information (name, mailing address, email, and phone number)
For more information, please consult our Noise By-law #2023-02 (by scanning the QR code) or contact our office!
Photo courtesy fortdistributors.com
Dust control application serves to reduce the dust, and therefore increases safety on the roads.
After the roads get fresh gravel, then our equipment will smooth it out, shape the road surface in a way that rain will drain off it, and pack it all down to stabilize the road surface.
Photo by Myriam Dyck
PLANNING A LARGE BURN?
If you’re planning on doing a large burn, be aware of current burn bans and understand your responsibilities to ensure a safe and controlled burn.
Here are the steps you should take before igniting large burn:
1) Check for a burn ban
- For Municipal restrictions, you can check our website or Facebook
- Provincial and Municipal updates can be found at www.gov.mb.ca/ wildfire/burn_conditions.html
2) Check our Fire By-Law to know your responsibilities
3) Contact the local fire chief to inform them of the type and date of burn
4) Make sure you only burn as advised, and when safe to do so
5) Have ample water available
6) Clear the area around the burn site of combustibles
7) Ensure there is little to no wind
8) Follow the advice of the Fire Chief
For more information, please consult our Fire By-law #2024-10 (by scanning the QR code below) or contact our office!
2025 COMMUNITY CLEAN-UP RECAP
This year’s community clean-up was a huge success! On May 3rd and 4th families, friends, and neighbours came together to help make our municipality shine. The weather was great with warm weather and bright blue skies, making it the perfect weekend to clean up and show our municipality some love.
This year, 29 dedicated clean-up crews took to the roads and ditches across the RM, -
lected three full trailers of litter, about 430 cubic feet, helping to keep our community
To celebrate everyone’s hard work, a community BBQ was held on Sunday at the Dawson Trail Park. Over 100 hotdogs and drinks were served, and the afternoon was full of fun for all ages, including barrel train rides, face painting, and balloon twisting for the kids. A big thank you to the Richer Community Club and the Richer Fellowship
We’d also like to extend our gratitude to our sponsors for supporting this important initiative and helping make the event such a success. Thanks to them, individuals who
Finally, a heartfelt thank you goes out to every individual and group who pitched in to
RECYCLING ETIQUETTE
The RM of Ste. Anne offers residential recycling depots throughout the municipality.
You can find them at the following locations:
• The Municipal Shop Yard
• Paradise Rd (corner of 39E and 45N)
• LUD of Richer (Husky Gas Station)
• Giroux Fire Hall
To help keep these depots clean and accessible for all, we ask that you:
• Break down boxes - This helps prevent the bins from overflowing and leaves more space for other to use.
• Put all recycling in clear plastic bags - This reduces the chance of broken glass around the area and helps keep containers, bottles, and other items from blowing away.
• These bins are to be used for household recyclables only. No furniture, lumber, etc.
• Rinse your recyclables of food, grease and debris.
Thank you for your help in keeping these recycling sites clean!
Prizes donated by sponsors.
Face painting at the Community BBQ.
Barrel train rides at the Community BBQ.
Photos by Municipality of Ste. Anne
ACCUEIL KATERI CENTRE - STE. ANNE FOOD BANK
Save the date:
Accueil Kateri Centre, Ste-Anne food bank, will hold its 10th Annual General Meeting on Thursday June 19, 2025 at 7 p.m. at the Club Jovial, 157 Centrale Avenue, Ste-Anne. All are welcome.
Gardening season is upon us. Please remember to grow a little extra if you can, to share with the food bank come harvesting time.
For information on how to donate, please check the website: www.accueilkatericentre.ca or call 204-371-4984.
Thanks in advance for your generosity.
Accueil Kateri continues to grow. With more than 100 client-families attending the food bank every two weeks, all year round donations, are needed and gratefully accepted, be they monetary or food. The food bank could not exist without the generosity of the people of Ste-Anne, Town and RM. Thank you for your continued support.
RM OF STE ANNE MUNICIPAL OFFICE:
395 Traverse Road (Physical address)
Box 6, Grp 50, RR 1 (Mailing address), Ste. Anne, MB R5H 1R1
Telephone: (204) 422-5929 Fax: (204) 422-9723 general@rmofsteanne.com | www.rmofsteanne.com
Office Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Closed on Holidays
For specific inquiries, the following Administrative Staff may be contacted:
Chief Administrative Officer - Shelley Jensen cao@rmofsteanne.com
Legislative Officer - Nadine Vielfaure legislative@rmofsteanne.com
Operations Manager - Kevin Medeiros pw@rmofsteanne.com
Finance Officer - Tiana Bohemier finance@rmofsteanne.com
Finance Administrative Assistant - Ashley Poiron accounts@rmofsteanne.com
Development Officer - Hadiseh Bajelan development@rmofsteanne.com
Planning Administrative Assistant - Colette Martens planning@rmofsteanne.com
Administrative Assistant – Samantha Kornelson reception@rmofsteanne.com
RM OF STE. ANNE COUNCIL
Reeve: Richard Pelletier - 204-371-7756 reevepelletier@rmofsteanne.com
Councillors:
Ward 1 - Sarah Normandeau ward1sarah@outlook.com / 204-392-6900
Ward 2 - Kyle Waczko councillorwaczko@rmofsteanne.com / 204-510-4968
Ward 3 & LUD Council Rep – Patrick Stolwyk councillorstolwyk@rmofsteanne.com / 204-223-2570
Ward 4 - Brad Ingles ward4rmsteannebrad.i@gmail.com / 204-793-0671
Ward 5 - Robert Sarrasin robert.rm.steanne@gmail.com / 204-791-7735
Ward 6 & Deputy Reeve - Randy Eros reros@mts.net / 204-371-2959
LUD COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Chair John Lenton - 204-422-8496 / 204-371-1674 jlenton@rmofsteanne.com
Norm Bremaud - 204-371-9282 nbremaud@rmofsteanne.com
Jessica Ostrowski - 204-355-8245 jostrowski@rmofsteanne.com
RCMP: Steinbach Detachment - 204-326-4452
During an emergency, dial 911 / 204-326-1234
RAMS Animal Control Officer: 204-223-5521
RICHER FIRE DEPARTMENT:
For questions on burn bans or burn permits
Richer Fire Chief Chris Wilkins richerchief@rmofsteanne.com / 204-422-5966
