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Volume 24 Number 5
May 2023
Your COMMUNITY... Your NEWSPAPER
Rural Municipality of Vanscoy’s Withdrawal from Fire Commission Sparks Backlash
O
n March 28 the Rural Municipality of Vanscoy issued a public notice stating that they were withdrawing from the Delisle & District Fire Commission, leaving the remaining two minority shareholders, the Town of Delisle and the Village of Vanscoy, to fend for themselves and the residents in the R.M. wondering where their firefighting services would now come from. The notice also states that the R.M. is in negotiations to secure mutual aid agreements for the future and assures residents that there would be no disruption to services for the remainder of the current agreement, which will expire on December 31, 2023. Many residents are concerned about just what those future agreements will provide, as fire insurance rates are based on distances from fire stations and life and human safety obviously rely on response times. R.M. resident Terri-lyn Lenz came across the notice on social media and contacted her Division Counsellor and the Reeve, who responded but would not share any more information. She requested to be a delegate at the April 13 R.M. council meeting where she again expressed her concerns and asked for Council to better explain as to why the council was moving to effectively dismantle the fire commission by withdrawing, since the RM holds the majority of the assets and taking them out would leave the commission disfunctional. She has yet to receive any response.
Spring Cleaning in your Community
Details on Page 5
The RM Review has also reached out to all members of the R.M. council for comment with no response yet. Terri-lyn has since set-up a Facebook page and has organized a couple of meetings for concerned citizens, the most recent on April 24, where 100 residents filled the Vanscoy hall to discuss a course of action to get answers from the R.M. council. After much discussion, a petition to force a binding referendum on the R.M. to immediately cease their intention to withdraw from the Delisle & District Fire Commission and to hold
public hearings before taking any action to change their participation in the fire commission. 15% (about 500) of R.M. residents, are required for the petition to go to the council. There is an irrevocable 6 month deadline, from date of application to withdraw from the commission, and many residents want a response before that happens. More information is on their Facebook page at RM Vanscoy residents concerned about fire protection service or email to vanscoycitizens@gmail.com
The Village of Borden responds to an update from the Government of Canada on the issue of retroactive RCMP costs April 12, 2023 Borden, Saskatchewan – The Village of Borden responded today to the federal government’s disappointing decision to pass unbudgeted and unaccounted-for costs on to municipalities. Despite months of municipal advocacy led by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), provincial-territorial associations, and local leaders across Canada, the federal government has indicated in the most recent federal budget it will not be meeting the request to absorb the retroactive costs associated with the latest RCMP collective bargaining agreement. Tuesday’s budget further confirmed that communities across Canada that are dependent on RCMP services for local policing, including the Village of Borden, are expected to cover these costs—a decision falling well short of the call from municipalities to fully absorb the costs. “Our council is extremely disappointed in this confusing decision made by our Federal Government that leaves small municipalities on the hook for large sums of money. We will be challenging this decision prior to releasing any funds.”
Local governments were not at the table for these negotiations. And while cost estimates were provided to some municipalities, these turned out to be far below the final agreement’s increase over six years, with retroactive pay going back to 2017. The cost to the Village of Borden associated with these retroactive payments is expected to be substantial. This decision is an example of a federal commitment that deeply impacts municipalities, without municipalities being properly consulted or involved. Municipal governments are paying a growing share of policing costs but cannot run deficits and have limited revenue tools. FCM has clearly reiterated the need for municipalities to be actively involved in any future processes regarding contract policing, calling this recent decision unacceptable. This is a position supported in full by the Village of Borden
Citizens file application to halt SaskPower’s expansion of gas fired generation
Listings on Page 7
Coming in the June Issue of the RM Review...
Saskatoon, SK. April 14, 2023 - Saskatchewan Power Corporation, Crown Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Saskatchewan will be challenged in court by Saskatchewan citizens who are deeply concerned about the impacts of dangerous climate change. Climate Justice Saskatoon and seven Saskatchewan residents, aged 15 to 80, filed an application at the Court of King’s Bench on March 31, 2023, claiming that government action to expand gas-fired electricity generation violates our Charter rights to life, security of person, and equality. SaskPower is currently building a new gas-fired electricity plant near Moose Jaw and is planning to build another near Lanigan, SK. The current provincial Management and Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Regulations permit SaskPower to increase its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, thereby accelerating dangerous climate change. Saskatchewan has the highest GHG emissions per capita in Canada and according to the Supreme Court of Canada and our
Saskatchewan Court of Appeals, we face an existential threat to the future of all life on this planet caused by ongoing GHG emissions. Dangerous climate change is upon us and is made worse by these inexcusable actions by our government and SaskPower. The applicants argue our Charter rights are violated and that the government has a duty to mitigate its emissions. The applicants are asking the Court to order SaskPower to set a reasonable target to decarbonize and achieve Net-zero emissions as soon as possible. This Court application should provide helpful clarification for all parties and spur important dialogue about our shared power future. For more information contact: Email: info@sustainablesask.ca or climatejusticeyxe@gmail.com
FRE E to Ent er
CONTEST
INDEX
$650 IN PRIZES Details on Page 9
Contact Us .................... p. 2
Spring Cleaning ............ p. 5 Nick Kossovan ................. p. 8
Agriculture Reports ......... p. 10
Down the Road ................ p. 2
Community Reports ......... p. 6
Mother’s Day
Local Businesses ............. p. 11
Council Reports ............... p. 4
Garage Sales .................. p. 7
Contest Page 9
Business Directory .......... p. 12
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