The Magazine of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities Winter 2005/06 Is there a GOLDMINE in your backyard? Diversity in Municipal Politics: Part III – Visible Minorities 2006 M.O.S. and TRADE SHOW Convention Re-cap • 2006 Education Series F EATURES New Planning Act 12 Diversity in Municipal Politics Series: Part III - Visible Minorities 21 Is there a goldmine in your Cover: A community's heritage backyard? 26 can be an untapped resource. The village of St. Claude's first jail is now a museum. 2006 M.O.S. Municipal Leader is published quarterly by the and Trade Show 29 Association of Manitoba Municipalities. Please address inquiries to: 1910 Saskatchewan Avenue W. Is your community Portage la Prairie, MB R1N 0P1 Phone: (204) 856-2366 the next Safe Community? 46 Fax: (204) 856-2370 e-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.amm.mb.ca Crystal Meth Note: The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the AMM or its Board. - what's Manitoba doing? 50 Publication management and production by: 2005 Convention Recap 58 3rd Floor - 2020 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3J 0K4 Ph: (204) 985-9780 Fax: (204) 985-9795 www.kelman.ca e-mail: [email protected] Managing Editor: Terry Ross Art Design/Production: Jackie Vitug Advertising Manager: Cindy Robin AMM Mission Statement D EPARTMENTS The Association of Manitoba President’s Report ............................. 4 Municipal Profile ............................. 24 Municipalities Executive Director’s Report ............... 5 Insurance ........................................ 54 identifies and In Brief ............................................. 6 Legal Corner ................................... 56 addresses the needs and Candid Camera ............................... 62 Upcoming Events .............................. 7 concerns of its MMAA Report ................................. 10 MTCML .......................................... 65 members in order to achieve strong and Municipal Ideas............................... 16 Professional Directory ..................... 69 effective municipal government. Education ....................................... 18 Reach our Advertisers ...................... 70 Municipal Leader | 3 P RESI D EN T ’ S R EPORT AMM Board of Directors A huge EXECUTIVE ‘thank you’ President Mayor Ron Bell, Town of Birtle to members Vice-President, Rural Ron Bell, President Reeve Garry Wasylowski, RM of Armstrong would be remiss if I didn’t begin this municipalities. The AMM will continue message by saying “thank you” to each to actively participate in this committee Vice-President, Urban and every delegate who attended the on your behalf, and we anticipate the first Mayor Lorne Boguski, AMM 7th Annual Convention in Novem- payments will be processed to municipali- Town of Roblin ber. Thank you, first of all, for your sup- ties very shortly. port and vote of confidence in my ability The first week in January saw the AMM DIRECTORS to lead this organization for another year, Board of Directors meet for our annual stra- Councillor Doug Dobrowolski and for your support of our two vice- tegic planning session. This session helped RM of Macdonald presidents, Lorne Boguski and Garry us to determine our internal direction in Wasylowski. Thank you for your voices, 2006. Among other things, we reviewed Councillor Rick Martel your opinions, and your positions on mat- our 2005 strategic plan, set policy priori- Town of Altona ters of importance to our association. We ties for the coming year, discussed the role Reeve Alice Bourgouin may not always agree, but the dialogue we of AMM directors, and examined member RM of Rosser have at events like Convention ensure we satisfaction. If there was an overriding are all better informed about the issues we theme to this year’s session, it was how Mayor Randy Sigurdson collectively face. Finally, thank you for we can best meet all of our members Town of Arborg your patience. Achieving a New Deal for needs, from north to south, from rural to Manitoba was not a quick or simple pro- urban, and from large to small. Our work Reeve William Danylchuk cess, and the negotiations certainly tested is sometimes a balancing act and we looked RM of Tache our organization’s unity at times. However, at various ways and means of making the fortitude shown by our members is a sure that work is relevant to each of our Councillor Art Rempel testament to how strong our association members. City of Steinbach truly can be when we stand together. In closing, MOS is just around the Since Convention, a New Deal Over- corner and it promises to be an exciting Reeve Roger Wilson RM of Birtle sight Committee has been formed, includ- event, as always. The first day is devoted ing members of the Provincial and Federal to professional development and the sec- Mayor Shirley Kalyniuk Governments, the AMM, and the City ond day to policy issues. In addition to Town of Rossburn of Winnipeg. This committee is charged interesting and stimulating speakers, the with determining how to best implement largest municipal trade show in Manitoba Reeve Robert Misko the New Deal program. From the AMM’s takes place during MOS and we strongly RM of Hillsburg perspective, we want to make sure the encourage you to visit the many displays. process is as simple as possible for our The trade show runs from 9:00 am to 7:00 Mayor Rene Maillard members. There will be reporting require- pm on Monday, February 27 and concludes Town of Ste. Rose du Lac ments, of course, and municipalities will with the annual Wine & Cheese reception. be required to sign a funding agreement I look forward to seeing you at MOS! Reeve Karen Caldwell prior to receiving their funds. However, all RM of Pipestone parties involved are committed to ensuring Mayor Stan Ward these requirements are not too onerous Town of Virden or burdensome, especially for smaller Councillor Bert Lagimodiere Town of The Pas Councillor Jae Eadie The fortitude shown by our members City of Winnipeg is a testament to how strong our association Val Turner truly can be when we stand together. President of the Manitoba Municipal Administrators Association 4 | Municipal Leader E XECUTIVE D IRECTOR ’ S R EPORT Contact the 2006 AMM Staff lobbying Joe Masi, Executive Director 856-2360 course set [email protected] Joe Masi, Executive Director Linda Hargest, he AMM 7th Annual Convention has letters, position papers and at our regular Director of Administration & Marketing come and gone, and the work of car- meetings with Provincial Cabinet Ministers. 856-2361 rying out our lobbying direction as AMM Board and Executive members also sit [email protected] driven by you, our membership, has begun on a variety of external committees of govern- for another year. While further issues will be ment, so that we have active input into issues Tyler MacAfee, raised throughout the year at regular regional that affect municipalities. Some resolutions Director of Policy & Communications meetings and municipal visits, it is the resolu- are very straightforward and will be resolved tions voted on at the Annual Convention that at the staff level. Others are more complicated 856-2362 have set the main lobbying course of the AMM and will require a number of meetings and cor- [email protected] for the next 12 months. I’d like to provide you respondence before they are resolved. Reso- with a short overview of how we will chart lutions may be dropped only when they are Erika Rempel, this course. completed, (such as the changes to the Workers Administrative Assistant Immediately after Convention, the AMM Compensation Act that now recognizes the 856-2365 forwarded all accepted resolutions to the ap- needs of volunteer firefighters), or where the [email protected] propriate government departments for their outcome sought is not possible. In this situa- response. This is extremely helpful to the tion, the AMM Board of Directors must agree Lynne Bereza, AMM’s lobbying efforts as it gives us an on whether to drop the resolution. indication of where government stands on an The 63 resolutions passed by the AMM Communications Coordinator issue. This also ensures the issue appears on membership at Convention will be incorpo- 856-2366 the government’s radar. Once all of the gov- rated into our active files. Currently, the AMM [email protected] ernment’s responses are received, the AMM has 299 active files, including 237 resolutions will forward them on to our members. We and 62 policy files. We are certainly looking Patti De Baets, will also keep our members up to date on our forward to a busy year ahead. Rest assured that Finance Coordinator communications activities through our news we will work on ALL resolutions to the best 856-2367 bulletin, Municipal Leader magazine, resolu- of our ability, and continue to keep you up to [email protected] tions updates, and at our various events. In date on our progress. addition, position papers for each government Finally, the Municipal Officials Seminar department along with a searchable database & Trade Show takes place in Brandon on Kim Spiers, of active AMM resolutions, are available on February 27 and 28, 2006. I look forward to Policy Analyst the AMM website at www.amm.mb.ca. seeing you there! (Resource Management Issues) Once we know the government’s response 856-2369 to the issues, we will then begin to address [email protected] the active resolutions in a number of different ways. We will highlight the issues through Rachel Philippe, Policy Analyst (Social & Fiscal Issues) 856-2371 [email protected] The 63 resolutions passed Donna Belbin, by the AMM membership at Events Coordinator 856-2374 Convention will be incorporated [email protected] into our active files. The AMM fax number is 204-856-2370 Municipal Leader | 5 I N B RIEF New Rural a comprehensive website to help health Winter road safety Development scholarship authorities recruit and retain doctors at working group www.healthemployment.ca.