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Residents seeking time with town council face new rules

Written on October 1, 2026. Posted in Civic & Government.

Anyone hoping to make their case to Pincher Creek town council now gets five more minutes to do it, but they’ll need to do more of the work ahead of time.

Council adopted a rewritten procedural bylaw Sept. 28 that gives delegations 20 minutes instead of 15. It also requires written requests 10 days in advance, any slides by the same deadline, and a clear statement of what the delegation wants from council, such as funding or a letter of support.

Bylaw 1596-26 also drops three sections on petitions and changes how council chooses its deputy mayor. It passed second and third readings with one clerical fix and no other changes since first reading on Sept. 14.

The new bylaw repeals and replaces Bylaw 1596-24 in its entirety, following a months-long review by administration that found several outdated or incorrect clauses. The work is part of a broader review of town policies and procedures.

Delegations

The town’s chief administrative officer now sets the format for delegation requests, and submitting one doesn’t guarantee a spot at the next meeting. A person or group that has presented can’t return on the same subject for three months unless council waives the rule by special resolution.

CAO Konrad Dunbar said the goal is to give administration enough information to prepare for requests before a meeting, rather than fielding requests council has no information about.

“It’s not great for us when a delegation comes in and says, ‘We want this,’ and I don’t know about it,” he said.

The change can allow some requests to be dealt with at the same meeting rather than returning to a future agenda, he said.

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Coun. Valerie Wynder questioned whether allowing the CAO to prescribe the format for delegation requests could unintentionally create barriers.

“I’m just wondering if limiting it to a specific online form or something might exclude some members of our community from being able to navigate that and have a delegation, because they maybe don’t have the skills to submit online,” she said.

She added that future administrations could interpret the provision differently and make it harder for some residents to bring matters before council.

Dunbar said the wording is intended to give the town flexibility as it moves toward more online and digital processes. The report to council says requests could come by form, online submission or email, as technology allows.

Coun. Mark Barber said staff would likely help any resident who struggled to submit a request in the required format.

The discussion also focused on whether council should make decisions immediately after hearing from a delegation.

Coun. Sahra Nodge said she supports receiving information in advance but does not want every request decided on the same night.

“Sometimes, there’s value in waiting two weeks to discuss something, because we can get caught up in the enthusiasm of a presenter and be very gung-ho and keen in the moment. And I’ve found that the reflection time from when someone presents something and then you’re deciding a couple weeks later is a valuable time to just kind of think about it,” she said.

Ace of spades card on ad for Chase the Ace at the Pincher Creek Legion

Mayor Wayne Oliver agreed, saying there can be value in allowing a request to “percolate” before council makes a decision.

The bylaw gives council several options after hearing a delegation. It can receive the presentation as information, refer it to a committee, defer it to another meeting, appoint a special committee or deal with the matter at the meeting. Deciding that night takes a special resolution if the request isn’t a separate item on the agenda.

Dunbar said council retains that flexibility, and the changes were meant to create options for council, rather than obligations, while allowing administration to prepare items that are ready for a decision.

Petitions removed

The biggest change to the bylaw came at first reading, and it wasn’t in the original draft.

Nodge raised concerns that the bylaw’s petitions section conflicts with how the Municipal Government Act defines a petition, which is a formal process that requires signatures from a set percentage of electors.

She said using the same term for a much less formal process risks confusing residents about which route actually compels council action.

Dunbar said the sections were intended to address requests to council rather than create a separate public petition process. He noted other written requests can already be handled through the bylaw’s provisions on communication with council.

Council agreed the petition sections overlapped with the bylaw’s broader delegation and correspondence provisions and voted to remove sections 118, 119 and 120.

An older couple smiles while leaning on a wooden railing outdoors, above text describing their $879 profit share from Vision Credit Union and a website link.

On Sept. 28, Nodge noted that a heading in the bylaw still referred to petitions, and council struck the word before passing the final readings.

Deputy mayor and committees

The changes also give council greater flexibility over the deputy mayor position.

The old bylaw provided for an automatic eight-month rotation. Council now chooses its deputy mayor each year using whatever method it considers appropriate. Dunbar said councils can use different approaches, including votes or dividing the position among multiple councillors.

Committee preferences are also handled differently. Councillors will provide their preferences to administration before the organizational meeting and staff will compile the responses into one summary for the agenda package.

Dunbar said this allows councillors to see which committees have attracted interest before making appointments. Council retains authority over the appointments.

Another change gives council, rather than staff, authority over councillor seating at the organizational meeting.

The annual council meeting schedule is removed from the body of the bylaw, and council instead sets its schedule by resolution at the organizational meeting.

Dunbar said this avoids amending the procedural bylaw whenever council wants to change a meeting date.

Event poster for a Secondhand Dreamcar concert at the Empress Theatre on November 20, 2026, at 7:30 PM, featuring a photo of the band members.

Correspondence and reports

The updated bylaw consolidates provisions dealing with communication to and from council. The old rules assumed signed paper letters, but Dunbar said most communication now comes by email.

Under the new wording, the CAO determines whether correspondence should go on an agenda, receive a direct response or be referred to the mayor, while council is still informed about what was received and how it was handled.

The bylaw also formalizes written council reports, following council’s June 22 direction to move away from verbal reports during meetings. Reports are due by 4 p.m. the Wednesday before each meeting, and a verbal report no longer counts.

One change doesn’t appear in the bylaw at all. When council finishes its agenda, the mayor now simply adjourns the meeting and notes the time, with no motion or vote, Dunbar told council Sept. 28. A motion is still needed to end a meeting before the agenda is done.

Council’s Oct. 26 organizational meeting will be the first held under the new rules, including choosing a deputy mayor and setting council’s seating and meeting schedule.

A Piikani mother puts one foot in front of the other for her daughter

Written on September 30, 2026. Posted in Culture & Community.

Beside a campfire under a full moon, in a supporter’s yard near Surrey, B.C., Stephanie English opened the small bundle of her daughter’s belongings for the first time.

Police gave her the bundle 10 years ago. It holds items found with Joey-Tiiah English, a 25-year-old mother of three from Piikani Nation who was reported missing in Calgary in June 2016.

Some of her remains were found weeks later in a wooded area of Calgary’s Crescent Heights neighbourhood. According to facts agreed to in court, she died of an overdose, and a man she had been using drugs with dismembered her body afterward and discarded it.

The man, Joshua Weise, pleaded guilty to indignity to a human body and was sentenced to 18 months in jail. Police searched a Calgary landfill but found no more of her remains, and Stephanie has never been able to bury her daughter in full.

Stephanie opened the bundle Sept. 23, partway through a run from her Piikani Nation home to Vancouver, surrounded by people who understood her grief.

Stephanie ran through a highway tunnel, up and down hills in the Okanagan, stopping in communities that have suffered losses like her own.

She made the run ahead of her ninth annual walk to Calgary, which starts Oct. 2. Her mother, Patsy English, Joey-Tiiah’s daughter and her own daughter followed in a vehicle. It was their first visit to Vancouver.

“This was primarily a spiritual journey for myself,” Stephanie says. “I am really humbled by what was going on; I am still processing what I experienced. I got a lot of support from the community of sisters that know and understand.”

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She means families who have lost daughters, sisters, aunts, grandmothers and Two-Spirit loved ones to violence or disappearance, and who, she says, have too often seen police and society fail to solve or stop those crimes.

Stephanie is grateful for the reception she got in Invermere and other stops along the way. She recalls stepping onto the long Fraser River bridge feeling especially heavy-hearted.

For many years, she has carried the weight of running to create awareness of not only her daughter’s case but also the cases of many others. This time, she thought about how more and more people are speaking out.

“I pray that more people will wake up and get out of their silence once they start reaching out for help,” Stephanie says.

She believes the silence many feel over such losses is slowly starting to lift and says Indigenous liaison workers in police services are pushing their colleagues to take these cases seriously. Stephanie says she no longer feels institutionalized racism when dealing with police.

People seem willing to listen, she says, even if concrete actions have not been taken in her daughter’s case. As she ran, her spirits lifted, especially when she saw a pair of eagles and their young flying overhead.

At a small gathering in Vancouver-Hastings, people shared songs and prayers. There, Stephanie met people she calls sisters and brothers in the Sisters in Spirit movement, including Dennis Saddleman, the author of From Residential School to Word Warrior.

At the same Surrey campfire where Stephanie opened Joey-Tiiah’s bundle, she, her mother, her daughter and her granddaughter were gifted blankets with thunderbird, butterfly and star designs.

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Much still weighs on her.

Stephanie says governments have not honoured the treaties signed with her people, and she points to a foster care system she calls broken, human trafficking she says is getting worse, and ongoing discrimination against First Nations people.

Above all, she continues pushing to recover the rest of Joey-Tiiah’s remains, which she believes are in a Calgary landfill.

“It makes me push harder with love, the more we get denied, the more I push deeper,” she says.

Stephanie invites all who are able to join her on the annual Sisters in Spirit walk to Calgary. Walkers leave from Range Road 274 and Highway 3 at 6 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 2.

The next day, community members will welcome them at the Awo Taan Healing Lodge in Calgary. From there, the walk continues to destinations in the centre of the city.

Stephanie asks those who cannot join what she sees as a form of bridge-building to keep the participants in prayer.

If this story raises concerns for you, the national support line for families and survivors of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people is available 24 hours a day at 1-844-413-6649. Alberta’s 24-hour Addiction Helpline is 1-866-332-2322.

‘We walk for those who cannot walk beside us’

Written on September 30, 2026. Posted in Culture & Community.

Stephanie English of Piikani Nation brought the following statement to Shootin’ the Breeze before setting out Sept. 20 on this year’s Calling My/Our Spirit Back Unity Walk. Inspired by the deaths of two of Stephanie’s daughters, it carries a message of remembrance and healing while honouring families of missing and murdered Indigenous and two-spirit people, residential school survivors and all impacted. This year’s walk, the ninth annual, is a walk, ride, run format from Brocket to Vancouver, and a finale at the Sisters in Spirit gathering in Calgary on Oct. 4. She asked it to be printed exactly as written.

Our walk is more than footsteps. It is my mother’s love for our daughters. It’s prayer and a call for Justice. My greatest dream is to one day bring my daughter Joey-Tiiah’s remains home from the landfills and to lay her to rest with dignity. Joey-Tiiah Gentle Woman deserves this.

Until that day comes, I will continue walking, not only for my daughters but for every MMIWM2S+ person and for every family still searching and morning praying and waiting.

I walk so our families do not lose hope or faith. I walk carrying the love of those who have gone into the spirit world, believing their spirits are beside us. Singing, dancing and praying, and reminding us to do good in this life.

I also walk for our younger generations. I want them to see that we can break cycles within our families and communities with truth, honesty and respect. We can follow our visions and teachings given us, stand together, protect one another, and protect the lands that held our people for thousands of years to this day.

This journey is about Unity. We must stand together as One people and One Nation.

No mother should have to fight to have a landfill searched for their Child. No human being should be treated as garbage or as disposable trash.

Until our loved ones are brought home, we will continue to walk, pray, speak their names and demand that they are not forgotten. As a mother, this is a 365-day reminder why I speak and seek help and support of the four directions across Turtle Island.

Search All Landfills. Bring Gentle Woman (Joey-Tiiah) and our loved ones home.

Protect our daughters, sisters, mothers, grandmothers/fathers, uncles, nephews and two-spirited, and our future Generations.

We walk for those who cannot walk beside us. We speak for those whose voices were taken and not heard.

And we will not stop until they come home.

This is for all walks of life, yet it hits harder for me as a First Nation mama bear.

Love,

Natowawhkii (Walking Holy Woman)

Stephanie English

Calling My/Our Spirit Back Unity Walk, First Nations, Indigenous Healing, Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, MMIWM2S+, Remembrance, Residential Schools, Two-Spirit

Dancers in regalia covered in long, brightly coloured fringe dance down Fort Macleod's Main Street past a stone bank building, while spectators and drummers watch from the sidewalk.

Drum Grid brings drums and dance to Fort Macleod’s Main Street

Written on September 29, 2026. Posted in Arts & Creative Pulse, Culture & Community.

Spectators didn’t stay put for Drum Grid: A Sonic Journey with A’sitapiiksi on Friday evening in Fort Macleod. They followed the beat.

The free street performance, part of New Music Lab’s Unfamiliar Trails: Coming Together Festival, saw the Coaldale Prairie Winds Secondary drumline playing Drum Grid, a piece by Pulitzer Prize-winning Diné composer Raven Chacon.

The drumline led the crowd along the town’s main street, from one stop to the next, where the A’sitapiiksi Powwow Club performed different dances at each location, including grass, jingle, and fancy dance styles to traditional Blackfoot drumming and singing.

The powwow club started in June, after Maria Crowshoe’s grandson said he wanted to learn to dance. Randy Plain Eagle choreographed the performance with Justin Many Fingers, working with the young dancers over about six hours of rehearsal in the weeks before the show.

Dancers were from the Piikani and Kainai nations and Fort Macleod.

Dancers in feathered bustles and headdresses dance down Main Street at sunset, backlit by the low sun, their long shadows stretching across the pavement past historic storefronts.

Members of a high school drumline in yellow and black shirts walk along a downtown sidewalk carrying snare drums and hand drums, led by an older man playing a frame drum.

Young women and girls in fancy shawl regalia spin with their fringed shawls outstretched in a Main Street crosswalk, as a crowd behind them watches and films on their phones.

Members of the Coaldale Prairie Winds Secondary drumline march down Main Street playing hand drums from sheet music, led by a man with a frame drum, with snare drummers following behind.

Two girls in pink and blue regalia with fringed shawls and beaded crowns stand on the street, with jingle dress dancers behind them.

High school drummers with snare drums and hand drums stand in a row outside a red brick building, waiting to play.

Young dancers in full regalia carry white, red and blue flags down the centre of Main Street under a cloudy sky.

A fancy dancer in bright pink, green and purple regalia with feathered bustles and white fringe spins mid-step on an empty Main Street in Fort Macleod, lined with historic brick and stone buildings under a pale evening sky.

Three hand drummers sing and play painted hand drums outside a brick building, as a dancer in a black shawl decorated with shells and a beaded belt faces them in the foreground.

A line of dancers in colourful regalia performs on the street outside a laundromat, while hand drummers in cowboy hats sing and drum on the sidewalk behind them.

Jingle dress dancers in red, pink and green regalia lined with rows of metal cones dance on a sidewalk, one woman holding a feather fan, as other dancers and spectators gather behind them.

Drum Grid, Indigenous powwows, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Piikani Princess

Heading for My Little Corner and editorial by Shannon Peace

Referendum fatigue is real, and so is Oct. 19

Written on September 24, 2026. Posted in Opinions.

If you turn the pages of this week’s issue with a sigh and feel weary at the sight of yet another referendum story, I understand. I feel it too.

This week’s paper leans more toward hard news than usual. It wasn’t planned, it’s simply how the stories came together.

There’s an article on campaign signs going missing around Pincher Creek, a look at who’s behind the signs popping up everywhere, and a report from a session where Piikani and Kainai members shared their questions about treaties and ID at the polls. Cornell Van Ryk’s opinion series continues as well, based on reader feedback. He’s a local willing to put his name beside what he believes.

The Mailbox is open to anyone who would like to respectfully share their thoughts.

Unless something significant comes up, you won’t see this much referendum coverage in one issue again.

So why keep covering it?

We hear in conversation that many people aren’t sure what they’re being asked. If that’s you, you’re in good company. A recent Angus Reid Institute survey found one in five Albertans said they found the referendum questions difficult to understand.

There are 10 questions on the ballot. Questions 1 to 9 are answered with Yes or No, and Question 10 offers a choice between two options.

With more than two dozen registered campaigns and a separation petition before the courts, it’s a lot to take in. Our team is doing the best it can to help, from as many angles as possible. It’s not an easy job!

My primary role right now is in fact-checking and editing. It takes time and care to check against sources and to make sure claims are attributed. It’s slow work and is why some of these stories took longer to publish.

The question that seems to cause the most confusion is Question 10. It ISN’T a vote to separate from Canada.

It asks whether Alberta should remain a province, or whether the provincial government should begin the constitutional process to hold a later, binding referendum on separation.

It asks whether Albertans want a separation vote, but it isn’t that vote.

Whatever your view, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read the questions before marking your ballot.

Elections Alberta is independent of the provincial government and of the campaigns. The questions, rules, and how and where to vote are found on its website at elections.ab.ca.

If voting by mail, request your special ballot by Friday, Sept. 25. Completed ballots must reach Edmonton by Oct. 16. I’m aiming to return mine at least a week ahead of that deadline but my package is yet to arrive.

Personal beliefs are clashing and there is division in our community. Being civil to one another isn’t the same as agreeing and doesn’t mean every argument holds up. It’s fine to disagree and to respectfully say so.

The same goes for the signs. Whether a sign speaks for you or not, the person who put it up is a neighbour who cares, just as you do.

Signs, speeches and newspaper stories can only do so much. On Oct. 19, it’s your ballot that counts, whichever boxes you choose to check.

On Oct. 20, the signs will come down and we’ll all still be Albertans. We’ll still live here, still be neighbours and still hold a variety of opinions.

The work after the vote will be finding our way back together as a community.

How we do that is up to us.

Alberta Independence | Separation, Elections | Referendums

Twin Butte mental health fundraiser aims for smiles, not sorrow

Written on September 24, 2026. Posted in Community Life, Health & Wellness.

Guests at this year’s Twin Butte mental health fundraiser are invited to dig out their best 1950s and ’60s outfits for an evening organizers want to be anything but sombre.

“We want this event to be happy, and for everyone to walk away with a smile on their face, and to know that everything is OK,” says Jeny Akitt, who owns Twin Butte Country General Store and Restaurant with her husband, Phil.

The store and the Twin Butte Community Society host the annual fundraiser Saturday, Sept. 26, at Twin Butte Community Hall. This year’s theme is Cheeseburger in Paradise. Cocktails start at 5 p.m., with dinner at 6.

The evening includes dancing, live and silent auctions, and live music from Peter and the Wolves. Tickets are $50 per person, with all proceeds going to the Canadian Mental Health Association, Alberta South Region in Lethbridge.

The Akitts started the fundraiser in 2022 with Jaime and Scott Mitchell, whose 17-year-old son, Zachary, died by suicide in 2021.

Akitt estimates that the event has raised close to $80,000 for the CMHA since it began, adding that its purpose hasn’t changed as the event has grown.

“We would just love for everyone to join us for this great event and to know that everybody goes through hard times and that we’re here to support you,” she says.

Akitt says the fundraiser is also about making conversations around mental health more common in rural communities.

“I think that starting the conversation and knowing that you’re not alone out there and that everything is OK and to talk about things that are bothering you or just how you’re feeling is not a bad thing,” she says.

The evening is intended to be a celebration, despite the circumstances that inspired it.

Tickets are available from Akitt at 403-627-4035.

Individuals and businesses can donate auction items by calling Akitt or Mitchell Welding, at 403-632-9458, to arrange drop-off or pickup.

Folks who can’t attend can donate to the Canadian Mental Health Association online at cmha.ca.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text 988 any time to reach the Suicide Crisis Helpline. The Alberta Mental Health Help Line is available 24 hours a day at 1-877-303-2642.

Council pushes back on provincial gravel pit rules

Written on September 23, 2026. Posted in Civic & Government, Environment.

MD of Pincher Creek council will tell the province it has concerns about changes that give provincial gravel pit approvals priority over local planning, following its Sept. 8 meeting.

Council also heard a neighbour’s objection to a proposed gravel pit east of Pincher Creek and agreed to keep subsidizing waste service at Castle Mountain Resort.

Provincial gravel pit approval changes

Council directed administration to send the province the MD’s concerns about proposed changes to how gravel pits are approved.

Alberta Environment and Protected Areas is updating its Code of Practice for Pits. The changes follow amendments to the Municipal Government Act through Bill 28 and recommendations from the provincial Sand and Gravel Task Force.

The province and municipalities have each played separate roles in approving aggregate pits on private land, with the province focused on environmental impacts and municipalities on land-use planning.

Bill 28: Municipal Affairs and Housing Statues Amendment Act, introduced a new section to the MGA that makes provincial approvals paramount. Municipalities are required to bring their land-use bylaws and planning documents in line with decisions made at the provincial level rather than running a parallel approval process.

The MD received information from Rural Municipalities of Alberta, which said in a Sept. 18 statement: “Based on what is known and not yet known about how x. 619.1 will be implemented, the change may introduce significant risks to municipalities, landowners and industries.”

The RMA lists:

—Impact of poor co-ordination and alignment across different government processes.

—Limited ability to appeal a pit registration coupled with a lack of public hearing or community engagement in the provincial registration process.

—Unclear division of roles and responsibilities with potential unintended consequences.

—Need for improved communication and inspection and enforcement measures to prevent expansion of operators with a poor history of compliance.

Proposed gravel pit rezoning

Council also held a public hearing on Bylaw 1374-26, which proposes changing the land-use designation of a quarter-section east of Pincher Creek (NE-7-9-1-W5) from agricultural to direct control. The proposed rezoning would allow gravel pit development on the property.

The public hearing drew a written objection from an adjacent landowner, but no one appeared in person to speak against it.

The neighbour argued there is no need for a third gravel pit within less than a mile of the site, urging the MD to explore alternative sites or expand existing pits rather than disturb native grassland.

The letter raised concerns about dust, noise, traffic and groundwater contamination, and said the pit could put the writer’s property, livestock and family at risk, and permanently harm land values. The letter asked council to reject the application and prioritize conservation of the grassland over further extraction.

Gavin Scott, senior planner with the Oldman River Regional Services Commission, outlined the history and reasoning behind the proposed amendment.

An open house is scheduled for Oct. 1 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the MD council chambers.

Castle Mountain Resort to keep free recycling and garbage service

Council agreed to continue providing Castle Mountain Resort Inc. with a fully subsidized cardboard recycling service and residential garbage bin after reviewing the expense of the arrangement.

Administration will write to the resort to say the service continues at no cost for now but could be revisited.

The cost varies, says Jessica McClelland, executive assistant for the MD. The landfill picks up a full cardboard bin at an average of $317 a trip, plus the landfill’s tipping fee.

“Some months it’s once; some months it could be twice,” she says.

Library seeks support for dark sky event

Pincher Creek Municipal Library asked the MD for financial support for a dark sky event planned for January 2027. The library plans to expand the program to two days, running 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day.

The total cost is expected to be $8,200. The library has already secured $6,000 through grants, leaving $2,200 to raise.

Council received the request as information and recommended the library contact the MD’s grant writer to explore other funding options.

Lundbreck growth study

Council gave second and third reading to Bylaw 1373-26 after a public hearing at which no one spoke and no written submissions were received.

The bylaw amends the MD’s municipal development plan, replacing an existing hamlet policy with new wording that requires the Lundbreck Hamlet Growth Study be referenced in all future development matters in the hamlet.

It also calls for the study to be periodically updated with current data and progress on its action items.

Council approves ALUS letter of support

Council also approved a letter of support for Alternative Land Use Services, which is applying for funding through the Ecosystem Services Grant Program.

ALUS pays farmers and ranchers to maintain wetlands, grassland and other habitat on working land.

Committee meeting

The MD council committee met earlier the same day. Committees make recommendations rather than decisions.

Food centre reports increase in demand

The Pincher Creek and District Community Food Centre told the committee it served 427 people between May 2025 and April 2026, including 282 existing clients and 145 new clients.

The number was up from 412 people in 2024-25 and 197 in 2023-24.

The centre provides free food hampers to eligible residents in the town and MD, based on a means test.

An average of 77 households were served each month. The centre recorded 785 deliveries and 140 pickups. People in Pincher Creek can have hampers delivered, while rural residents generally pick them up in town.

The centre reported $392,314 in income and $341,895 in expenses for the year. Board chair Davina Brown also reviewed the centre’s strategic priorities and outcomes with the committee.

Councillors discussed ways the MD could help promote the food centre, including a program that allows ranchers to donate beef in exchange for a tax receipt.

Tourism group seeks $12,500

Representatives from the South Canadian Rockies Tourism Association told the committee the organization is seeking municipal funding for the 2026-27 year to support regional destination marketing and management.

Senior board adviser Sacha Anderson and executive director Erin Fairhurst outlined the association’s work, which they said helps secure additional partner funding and supports tourism projects without adding to the workload of municipal staff.

The association said the municipal contribution would form part of an 80-20 funding request to the province, with the town and MD of Pincher Creek, and Improvement District No. 4 providing the 20 per cent local share.

The association outlined several areas of planned work. One is a resident sentiment campaign aimed at helping rural residents understand tourism and provide feedback about its growth.

It is also developing a detailed inventory of tourism assets across the MD. The inventory will include attractions, recreation sites, events, accommodations, short-term rentals and visitor services. The association said the inventory could help identify needs such as signage, parking, washrooms and trails.

Another proposed focus is public education around responsible recreation. The association plans to promote Leave No Trace principles, safety guidelines and appropriate recreation areas.

The association also detailed its regional advocacy work involving transportation, signage, trails, parking, cellular coverage and recreation access. It said a regional approach could help connect local priorities with provincial tourism strategies and future funding opportunities.

The association is also exploring a destination marketing fee, a levy on hotel and other accommodation bookings that funds tourism promotion. It said any such fee would require local discussion, industry participation and municipal consideration.

RMA convention plans finalized

The committee also reviewed plans for the Rural Municipalities of Alberta fall convention and trade show, running Nov. 2 to 5 in Edmonton.

Couns. Dave Cox and John MacGarva will take a budget and finance course Nov. 2, then join the remaining councillors, the chief administrative officer and the public works manager for the convention.

Catch the wind: Business loan partnership pitched to council

Written on September 23, 2026. Posted in Business & Economy, Civic & Government.

A regional non-profit is proposing a formal partnership with the Town of Pincher Creek that would give local businesses access to interest-free improvement loans, free consulting and business training.

The proposal by Community Futures Alberta Southwest includes loans of up to $25,000 for business improvements, with the town covering interest costs within a council-approved annual limit. It was presented by Mark Brown, executive director, at town council’s Sept. 14 regular meeting.

“Catch the wind” is a reference to the Cowley Ridge wind farm built west of Pincher Creek in 1993. Brown used it as a metaphor for the untapped energy of local entrepreneurship, saying ambition and local capital, like wind, generate nothing until something is built to capture them.

“There’s a second invisible force in the town: the energy of people with ideas and businesses to build,” he said.

Brown identified four challenges that can hold back small businesses: capital leaving the region when loans come from national banks, a financing gap for viable but unproven businesses that banks decline to fund, an aging group of business owners without succession plans, and entrepreneurs building businesses without outside guidance.

He cited a failure rate of about 75 per cent within five years for small businesses in Alberta.

To address those pressures, Brown proposed a partnership built around four components. The first is a referral pipeline, in which town staff would direct entrepreneurs who inquire about business licences or starting a business toward Community Futures for free consulting, coaching and training.

“Most businesses would get these services free. We provide up to six hours of free coaching or consulting,” Brown said in a later interview. “We also offer free online education, and then if a business decides they want to take that part of it farther, they can.”

The second component is a redesigned business improvement loan program offering interest-free loans of $5,000 to $25,000 over terms of three to five years.

Community Futures would administer the financing and report back to the town. Its own board, not council, would approve each loan, a process Brown said typically takes one to four weeks.

Brown said the redesign grew from a 2025 Community Futures survey of more than 900 business owners across southern Alberta.

“The research we did said that that program is still needed, but $10,000 doesn’t buy you much nowadays,” he said.

“So, they’re looking for an increase to that from $5,000 to $25,000 in amounts, up to five years, and again, interest-free, or the town would pay the interest on that loan over the course of that loan,” He said.

The third component is joint promotion, with Community Futures and the town advertising Pincher Creek’s business-friendly programs together rather than separately.

The fourth is a standing seat for Community Futures in the town’s economic development discussions.

Brown also described a separate service, the exit navigator program, aimed at helping business owners prepare for retirement or ownership transitions. He said it is underused but important for keeping storefronts from sitting vacant when longtime owners retire.

He asked council to direct administration to work with Community Futures on a memorandum of understanding. This would set out how the partnership would work, what it would cost the town and who would be responsible, while providing real numbers for council to base a decision on.

Community Futures has similar formal arrangements with the towns of Cardston and Claresholm, and Brown said he is also in talks with the MD of Pincher Creek about the program.

Community Futures Alberta Southwest is a non-profit funded by Prairies Economic Development Canada, the federal economic development agency for the Prairies. Brown described it as a one-year contribution agreement with Ottawa.

It serves Pincher Creek, Fort Macleod, Cardston, Claresholm, Waterton and other communities in the region from its office in Fort Macleod. Its focus is on economic diversification and support for the agricultural and tourism sectors.

According to figures Brown presented, the organization has funded 391 businesses and invested $21.3 million since 1999, with about $2.23 million currently circulating through repaid and re-lent loans.

In Pincher Creek, Community Futures has approved 96 loans totalling $5.31 million since 1999, with about $760,000 still in circulation.

Business Loans, Business Succession, Business Training, economic development, Entrepreneurship, Small Business

Treaty rights, ID hurdles top concerns for First Nations voters

Written on September 23, 2026. Posted in Civic & Government.

For some Piikani and Kainai members, the Oct. 19 referendum raises a question that isn’t on the ballot: what a provincial vote can mean for treaties signed with Canada.

For others, the harder question is whether they can prove who they are at the polls.

Both concerns came up Aug. 29, when about 30 members of the two First Nations gathered at the Fort Macleod community centre for a referendum information session billed as a chance to “be informed, be heard.”

Organizer Nicole Crowshoe Johnston’s main goal was getting First Nations voters registered and encouraging attendees to request mail-in ballots. The last day to do so is Friday, Sept. 25.

Johnston and guest speaker Stephen Carter urged a No vote on the referendum’s nine policy questions.

“Our treaty is with Canada”

One attendee asked how Alberta could enact anything affecting First Nations, “given our treaty is with Canada.”

Carter agreed, saying there “was zero discussion about what First Nations rights would look like in an independent Alberta.”

He said the referendum itself could not count as consulting First Nations.

The premier’s office disagrees that consultation is required.

“Seven hundred thousand Albertans signed petitions asking for a referendum on this issue. The referendum question does not trigger any duty to consult,” Sam Blackett, press secretary to the premier, said in a statement to Shootin’ the Breeze.

First Nations have already taken the argument to court. Johnston said they could not rely on a few chiefs to push back against the independence movement.

“We need to stand behind the chiefs,” she said, referring to court action by the Chiefs of the Blackfoot Confederacy over treaty rights and the Crown’s duty to consult.

On May 13, the Court of King’s Bench sided with Piikani, Siksika, the Blood Tribe and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, quashing the chief electoral officer’s decision on Mitch Sylvestre’s separation petition on treaty rights and duty-to-consult grounds.

The province and Sylvestre appealed. The Alberta Court of Appeal granted a partial stay allowing signature verification to continue. On July 24, Elections Alberta declared the petition successful, with 222,597 verified signatures, more than the 177,732 required.

Normally, a successful petition on a constitutional question goes to the justice minister, who must refer it to cabinet for a referendum before the next provincial election. Elections Alberta says those steps are on hold pending direction from the Court of Appeal.

Sylvestre’s petition asked: “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?”

That question is not on the Oct. 19 ballot.

Question 10, which is on the ballot, is not a vote to separate.

It asks whether Alberta should remain a province, or whether the provincial government should begin the constitutional process required to hold a later, binding referendum on separation.

Johnston said that even if the separation question were overturned, the Oct. 19 vote and its other questions will go ahead.

Proving who you are

Several attendees described difficulties with recent changes to Alberta’s ID and driver’s licence rules. One man said his federally issued Indian Status card was not recognized when he sought a provincial ID card.

Others cited new costs including a $100 fee to replace an expired licence, plus the expense of obtaining birth certificates and marriage licences, especially for those who had lived in other provinces or the United States.

Attendees also shared practical help. One pointed to the ID program at Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge. According to Alberta Health Services, it runs Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to noon, helping homeless, at-risk and recently housed people, as well as others served by AHS programs, get Alberta ID and health cards.

Another said people living on reserves can get help proving their identity at home. Elections Alberta’s voter brochure confirms that voters on a reserve or settlement can have an attestation filled out by “a person in a position of authority,” such as a chief or chair, office administrator or elder, who can confirm their identity and where they live.

Johnston urged attendees to request mail-in ballots to avoid long lines, and volunteers with laptops helped people register on the spot.

“Who might be next”

Other worries went beyond the ballot box.

One senior who shares a Calgary rental with two grandchildren in post-secondary studies said the family pays $3,500 a month for rent and utilities.

“On my pension, it’s a real struggle to cover food and other basic expenses,” she said. “Even getting food from the food bank is tough as it is often old and mouldy.”

Another attendee raised Question 4, which asks: Assuming that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to qualify for public health care and education as they do now, do you support the Government of Alberta charging a reasonable fee or premium to individuals with a non-permanent immigration status living in Alberta for their and their family’s use of the health care and education systems?

She said that if Albertans vote to charge immigrants for health care, Indigenous people could be next, citing relatives in the United States who became homeless after being unable to pay for care.

“When we start excluding people from services based on race, we have to be careful of who might be next,” Carter said.

Who ran the session

Johnston is a Calgary resident who describes herself as a community advocate with roots in Piikani Nation.

She is inspired by Tania Cameron, an Anishinaabe woman from Ontario who launched First Nations Rock the Vote in 2015. Cameron announced on Facebook Sept. 2 that Treaty 8 had hired her to educate members and mobilize communities for the Alberta referendum.

Carter has managed campaigns across the political spectrum, including for former Wildrose leader Danielle Smith, former premier Alison Redford and Calgary mayors Naheed Nenshi and Jyoti Gondek. He recently launched Alberta’s Voice. The registered third-party advertiser has raised more money than any other referendum campaign to stay in Canada.

Carter’s slogan sums up his position: Stay in Canada. Vote No to the Nine.

Though the session was promoted as a chance to receive information, Carter urged a No vote on all nine yes-or-no questions rather than explaining each one.

“If any option takes three lines to express, vote against it,” he told the audience, a line he returned to several times.

“I don’t trust Danielle Smith to do it right,” Carter said. “The nine questions remove us from Canada. They are separation questions under the guise of other topics.”

Blackett said the questions grew from the government’s Alberta Next town halls, and that “Albertans’ frustrations have been fuelled by the last 10 years of disastrous policies from Ottawa under Justin Trudeau that hurt Alberta’s economy and broke the immigration system.”

“During the Alberta Next town halls, Albertans made it clear that the status quo cannot continue. Albertans have demanded real change, and these nine questions are how we deliver it,” he said.

“Our government has been clear: we support a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada. This means Alberta remaining a province of Canada while advancing provincial autonomy and fighting to undo Ottawa policies that harm Albertans and intrude on our constitutional rights.”

How to vote

The referendum is Oct. 19. Voters can cast ballots in person on voting day, at an advance poll, or by mail-in special ballot.

Special ballots must be requested by Sept. 25 and received by Elections Alberta by Oct. 16.

All 10 questions, and information on requesting a special ballot, are on Elections Alberta’s website at elections.ab.ca.

Town and MD approve $467,255 for six community groups

Written on September 23, 2026. Posted in Civic & Government.

Six local organizations will receive a combined $467,255 in 2026 funding from the Town and Municipal District of Pincher Creek after councils reviewed their requests at a special joint budget meeting Sept. 9.

Funding amounts are split equally between the town and MD.

The meeting also prompted a push to rethink the joint budget process, after councillors questioned whether recurring recipients should be treated as ongoing budget lines and raised concerns about incomplete financial information.

Councils also approved 2027 per-capita grants for 21 community groups.

Pincher Creek Municipal Library

The largest allocation is $285,000 for the library.

The library requested a 7.5 per cent increase in its municipal funding for 2027, followed by annual increases of five per cent from 2028 through 2030.

Representatives told councillors library visits are up an average of 10 per cent since 2022 and cardholders by six per cent. Programming sessions are up 25 per cent and participation is up 20 per cent over the same period.

The library also highlighted expanded programming, a reorganized children’s section and a partnership with United for Literacy. It would like to use the former Consistent Fitness space in the multipurpose facility for programming.

Library board members asked why they had not heard back on three expansion options presented months ago. Town officials said they cannot afford the $4 million originally sought from the town but are open to a lower-cost option.

Grant specialist

The Southwest Alberta Sustainable Community Initiative will receive $80,000 for its grant specialist position.

SASCI representatives said the program has helped secure $13.2 million in funding since it began in 2018.

The grant writer applied for $2.1 million and obtained $1.12 million in funding for 2025.

Humane society

The Pincher Creek Humane Society will receive $40,000. The shelter helped 276 animals in 2025.

The organization said veterinary costs are its largest expense at about $100,000 annually. It is exploring an in-house veterinary service to reduce those costs.

Heritage Acres

The Oldman River Antique Equipment and Threshing Club, which runs Heritage Acres Farm Museum, will receive $35,000.

The group had asked for $200,000 for redevelopment, conditional on securing more funding to hire staff. The club said the $200,000 would help unlock matching grants rather than cover operating costs.

Heritage Acres representatives said gate admissions for the museum’s annual show increased 64 per cent over the previous year.

The funding motion included an offer of a letter of support and future case-by-case funding talks.

Search and rescue

The Southwest Alberta Regional Search and Rescue Society will receive $22,255. The society’s 30 members have volunteered more than 2,600 hours, not including administration and equipment maintenance.

The group responded to 22 call-outs in the previous 12 months, including incidents requiring helicopter and long-line rescue resources.

Historical society

The Pincher Creek and District Historical Society, which runs Kootenai Brown Historical Park, will receive $5,000.

Council members said incomplete financial information from the society made it difficult to make decisions involving taxpayer funds.

The society’s board president said there was confusion over what financial information had been requested and what had been submitted.

Joint grants under review

The councils directed the joint grant subcommittee to review the history of the six organizations included in the joint budget and develop a policy and framework for the process. Councillors also raised concerns about financial reporting from some organizations.

Councillors said joint grants are discretionary and do not guarantee ongoing funding. The review is intended to clarify how organizations become part of the joint budget and how future requests should be assessed.

Per-capita grants

For 2027, councils also approved per-capita funding for 21 community organizations:

—Syncline Castle Alpine Trails Association, $380

—McMan Youth, Family and Community Services Association, $500

—Pincher Creek Dolphins Swim Club, $1,500

—Five-Pin Bowling Association, $2,000

—Pincher Creek Mustangs Football Club, $2,000

—Windsor Heritage Drop-In Centre, $2,000

—Coalfields Community Centre, $2,500

—The Cowboy Show, $2,500

—Group Group Youth Society of Pincher Creek, $2,500

—Adaptable Outdoors, $3,000

—Pincher Creek and District Agricultural Society, $4,000

—Pincher Creek Care Bears Society, $5,000

—Pincher Creek Royal Canadian Legion Branch 43, $5,000

—Pincher Planters $5,000

—SASCI, $5,000

—Pincher Creek and District Community Food Centre, $7,160

—Pincher Creek and District Chamber of Commerce, $7,500

—Community Hall, $15,000

—Pincher Creek Handi-Bus Society, $15,000

—Allied Arts Council of Pincher Creek, $20,000

—Pincher Creek Family Centre, $30,000

Correction: A Sept. 23 version of this story incorrectly reported that overall attendance at Heritage Acres Farm Museum rose 64 per cent over the previous year. The 64 per cent increase was in gate admissions for the museum’s annual show.

Missing referendum signs a police matter, not a town one, CAO says

Written on September 23, 2026. Posted in Civic & Government, RCMP & Public Safety.

Signs promoting Alberta independence have been knocked down or taken repeatedly in Pincher Creek since they went up Sept. 8, according to a volunteer with the campaign that placed them.

They asked not to be named for fear of being targeted in the community. They filed a report with RCMP on Sept. 10 for the first incident but not subsequent ones.

Pincher Creek RCMP confirm they haven’t received further complaints about damaged or removed referendum signs since then.

According to the volunteer:

—Signs near Community Hall were pulled down the evening of Sept. 9 and moved down the fence line. One was broken in half and others piled together under horse manure.

—Four signs placed in front of the library were knocked down or removed each night from Sept. 11 to 14, and replaced each following day.

—Two of four replacement signs at the library were gone the morning of Sept. 16 and four signs were taken down on Remington Avenue the same day.

—Two large signs along Highway 3 were on the ground Sept. 16 after standing the night before.

Shootin’ the Breeze is not aware of any damage to or removal of local signs advocating the federalist position.

What the law says

In a June 29 post on Facebook, Elections Alberta said it is responsible only for monitoring the messages on referendum advertising and ensuring advertisers include the required authorization statement.

Complaints are handled by the RCMP. Pincher Creek RCMP confirm that damaging or taking a sign can be treated as mischief or theft under the Criminal Code.

Town’s role

The Town of Pincher Creek has no power to set rules for referendum signs, or to investigate when they go missing, says chief administrative officer Konrad Dunbar.

“We want to maintain a neutral stance,” he says.

Dunbar meets with any campaign that asks. Local independence supporters met with him before Aug. 31 to go over proposed sign locations.

“It is not in our mandate — we are not allowed to direct sign placement or remove signs. But we can confirm whether the locations a third party advertiser has in mind are on public or on private land,” he says.

A 2025 provincial amendment bars municipal councils from passing bylaws or resolutions about election signs or advertisements.

Dunbar says that before the change, each municipality could set its own sign rules, which for a provincial vote meant a patchwork. The amendment “created equal access all across the board,” he says.

If town staff need to move a sign for safety or mowing, they either contact the organization responsible or briefly move and replace it, he says.

Waterton Avenue is part of provincial Highway 6, so provincial highway rules apply. They prohibit signs on medians and signs that obstruct sight lines, interfere with traffic signs or create other hazards.

Placement guidelines

In an Aug. 20 letter to the Town of Pincher Creek, Let Alberta Decide lawyer Keith Wilson said volunteers had been told to follow guidelines similar to Calgary’s sign rules.

According to the letter, signs should:

—Not be placed within about 15 metres of an intersection.

—Not be placed within about 10 metres of a crosswalk.

—Be at least two metres behind the curb or roadway edge where practical.

—Not be placed on medians or traffic islands.

—Be spaced apart from similar campaign signs.

—Not block sight lines for drivers, cyclists or pedestrians.

—Not interfere with sidewalks, pathways, transit, traffic-control devices, utilities or municipal operations.

—Be securely installed and maintained.

Wilson said the campaign will remove its signs promptly after the Oct. 19 referendum.

Dunbar says the guidelines are in line with provincial highway guidelines.

He invites anyone with questions about sign placement to contact him at 403-627-3156.

Alberta Independence | Separation, Elections | Referendums

Council holds off on cutting utility franchise fees

Written on September 23, 2026. Posted in Civic & Government.

Pincher Creek town councillors put off a decision on utility franchise fees Sept. 14 after debating whether trimming the charges to ease pressure on residents’ bills was worth the hit to the town’s budget.

Council also heard Northback Holdings’ economic case for its proposed Grassy Mountain coal mine, voted down a funding request from the library, and set a date for its tax recovery auction.

Council debates utility costs

Council deferred decisions on both the natural gas and electricity franchise fees to Sept. 28.

It was asked to set the franchise fee percentages for 2027 and 2028 at once, as the town now budgets on a two-year cycle. Residents pay these fees on their gas and power bills.

The natural gas fee with Apex Utilities has sat at the maximum allowable 35 per cent since 2024, bringing in about $849,000 in 2025. The electricity fee with FortisAlberta, capped at 20 per cent, brought in about $673,000 in 2025.

Coun. Brian McGillivray proposed reducing the gas fee to 30 per cent, saying residents are facing difficult choices between groceries, rent and utility bills.

Coun. Sahra Nodge has historically supported the higher fee because it allows the town to collect revenue from utility customers who do not pay property taxes. However, she said the increasing dollar amounts have changed her view.

Chief administrative officer Konrad Dunbar told council a reduction from 35 to 30 per cent would reduce revenue by about $134,000. He said that could affect the town’s target of a three per cent tax increase and that keeping services at current levels might require other changes.

Mayor Wayne Oliver said framing the fees as percentages was misleading, since a household’s actual savings from a five-point cut would amount to only about a dollar or two per bill.

He asked administration to report back on how much franchise fee revenue the town collected last year compared with what was budgeted. He also suggested councillors review their own annual utility bills before making a decision.

Northback outlines economic impact of coal mining

Northback CEO Brad Johnson presented council with findings from a socioeconomic impact study the company commissioned from the accounting firm EY to support its bid to revive the Grassy Mountain coal project in the MD of Ranchland, north of Blairmore.

Johnson said Northback provided EY with project data, including expected costs, employee numbers and other activities. EY then used Statistics Canada data and economic modelling to estimate the project’s broader effects.

The proposed mine would require about $1.4 billion in capital investment during a two-year construction period, Johnson said.

According to the study, about $1.2 billion of that spending could contribute to Canada’s gross domestic product during construction.

The study also estimates about $14 billion in additional Canadian exports over the life of the project.

Johnson said the mine could support about 9,577 full-time-equivalent positions during construction. Operations could support about 1,756 full-time-equivalent positions nationally.

He said the regional impact could include about 875 full-time-equivalent jobs, including direct, indirect and induced positions. Northback expects about 425 full-time-equivalent employees to work directly at the mine.

Johnson said the company expects about $3.8 billion in wages over the mine’s operating life and that about 90 per cent of its operating spending would remain in Canada.

The company is still completing its integrated application for regulatory approval. Johnson said Northback expects to submit the application within the next six months. That could be as early as December, depending on the completion of technical modelling, particularly related to water.

He said the regulatory process could eventually lead to a statement of concern process and additional information requests.

Oliver asked how Northback would address housing needs if the project proceeds, saying the region has limited housing options and could see an influx of workers.

Johnson said Northback has considered the issue and expects employee busing to be part of its plans. The company could provide transportation from Pincher Creek and communities farther east, as well as from Crowsnest Pass, he said.

Johnson also said Northback owns surface land in Crowsnest Pass and is open to discussions with the municipality about potential housing opportunities.

Library funding request denied

Council voted 6-1 against contributing up to $1,100 to Pincher Creek Municipal Library’s two-day dark sky planetarium program, planned for January 2027. Coun. Mark Barber was the only member in support.

The expanded two-day program is expected to cost $8,200. The library has secured $6,000 through grants and is seeking the remaining $2,200.

McGillivray questioned whether the town should contribute while looking for ways to reduce spending and support residents facing financial pressures. He said the request should have gone through the joint funding process instead.

Tax recovery auction set for November

Council approved the terms and process for its 2026 property tax arrears recovery public auction, set for Nov. 16 at 3 p.m. in the council chambers at town hall.

Council also set reserve bids for two properties heading to auction, a mobile home lot at $26,600 and a house at $313,400, based on assessed values.

Oliver questioned whether the reserve amounts were reasonable and why the figures must be discussed publicly.

Dunbar said the practice follows the Municipal Government Act’s requirement that current owners have the opportunity to recover their assessed value.

Regional water planning grant

Council agreed to join the MD of Pincher Creek’s application for a 2026-27 Alberta Community Partnership grant for a regional water and wastewater expansion and upgrade plan. The MD would serve as managing partner, with the town as a participating partner.

The proposed plan would examine the costs of servicing areas including the Pincher Creek Airport and Pincher Station.

The grant program can cover 90 per cent of eligible planning costs, up to $150,000. The application deadline is Oct. 1.

Council reviews second-quarter finances

The town recorded an operating surplus of about $2.24 million for the first six months of the year, largely because the full year’s property taxes were billed in that period. Council accepted the operating statements for the six months ending June 30.

Total revenue for the period reached about $9.18 million, about 75 per cent of the $12.15-million annual budget. Net municipal property taxes came in at about $5.66 million, essentially matching the full annual budget.

Other revenue was closer to the halfway mark:

—User fees and sales: $1.47 million of $2.92 million.

—Franchise and concession fees: $816,000 of $1.43 million.

—Government operating transfers: $623,000 of $838,000.

—Rental income: $322,000 of $829,000.

Total expenses stood at about $6.94 million, or about 52 per cent of the $13.41-million annual budget, in line with the midpoint of the year.

Salaries, wages and benefits made up the largest single expense category at $2.37 million, about 46 per cent of the $5.19 million budgeted for the full year.

Recreation and culture was the largest department expense at $2.08 million of a $4.22-million budget.

Spending on water supply and distribution, wastewater treatment, roads and protective services all tracked between about 28 and 46 per cent of their respective annual budgets.

Dunbar said administration has not identified any major concerns with the statements. He said the town is also working toward more detailed quarterly reporting as it moves through its two-year budgeting process.

More funding for rural schools, but specialists still scarce

Written on September 16, 2026. Posted in Civic & Government, Education.

Alberta is adding thousands of teachers, classroom supports and student spaces as schools grapple with a surge of more than 90,000 students in four years.

According to Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides, the challenge in rural communities is not only how much funding schools receive, it is also how they get specialized professionals through the door.

At a Sept. 10 rural media roundtable, he said the province is giving rural and remote school divisions additional funding to cover the costs of bringing in specialists such as occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists.

Nicolaides said school boards, not the province, are ultimately responsible for hiring staff, but acknowledged recruitment is harder outside major cities. Some rural divisions fly in specialists and cover accommodation costs just to provide services to students in need.

“Our view is that the school boards shouldn’t have to bear that extra cost to provide the same level of service,” he said. “That’s why we’re giving them funding above and beyond what other school divisions will receive to help cover some of those extra costs.”

The province is providing $25 million for staff training, specifically in rural and remote communities, Nicolaides announced.

“Apart from training, some of that funding will go towards helping our rural and remote school divisions pay the increased costs associated with bringing other specialized staff out to their communities to help support students,” he said.

Complexity funding rolling out

The province’s 2026 budget increased education funding by seven per cent. Nicolaides said the investment is part of a broader response to rapid enrolment growth, increasingly complex learning needs, pressure on school space, staffing and classroom support.

Nicolaides said the province carried out its largest-ever data collection effort last fall, gathering information from 108,000 classrooms to identify where those needs were most concentrated. It subsequently committed $218 million to create 699 classroom-complexity teams.

“These teams will now work directly alongside teachers in our classrooms to help address diverse learning needs and give students more focused time and attention,” he said.

As of the roundtable, 566 of those teams had been established, including 211 in urban and rural areas outside Calgary and Edmonton. Nicolaides said 81 per cent of all planned complexity teams are now fully staffed.

Southern Alberta investments

Livingstone Range School Division received one new Grade 7-12 classroom-complexity team for 2026-27, and Holy Spirit Catholic School Division received two. Both allocations were made in July.

Each division also received $405,000 for three full-time-equivalent teaching positions through the province’s Class Size Reduction Grant. The grant is part of a $200-million provincial spend aimed at hiring more than 1,400 teachers for kindergarten to Grade 9 classrooms this school year.

This year’s operational funding is rising for both local divisions as well. LRSD is projected to receive $48.97 million, up from $47.79 million, while Holy Spirit funding is increasing to $66.43 million from $63.16 million.

Nicolaides said all divisions are receiving increased funding for students with diverse learning needs, with amounts varying largely by enrolment.

“We know that there are students in every corner of the province that need additional help,” he said.

There are 11 active school projects in the region, including St. Kateri Elementary School in west Lethbridge under Holy Spirit. The new K-6 school is expected to accommodate 250 students initially and 400 at full buildout. The estimated cost is $22.6 million.

In Livingstone Range, a replacement K-12 school in Nanton is under construction, expected to hold up to 607 students at an estimated $57.4 million.

Nicolaides also said the province is spending $200 million this year on modular classrooms, expected to deliver 6,000 student spaces more quickly than permanent construction allows.

Supporting students with disabilities

Nicolaides said funding has increased for several targeted programs, including grants for students with hearing or visual impairments and those with language delays and other disabilities. Program Unit Funding, or PUF, which supports students with severe language delays and other disabilities, rose six per cent this budget cycle.

Nicolaides said post-secondary institutions also receive funding to expand opportunities for students with disabilities.

On psychoeducational and cognitive assessments, he said delays are likely to continue due to a shortage of qualified professionals able to conduct them, not a lack of funding.

Alberta students rank among global leaders

Nicolaides touted Alberta’s results in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment, released days before the roundtable. Alberta ranked first among provinces in reading and science, second in mathematics, behind Quebec, and above both the Canadian and OECD averages in all three subjects.

The province reported 520 in science, 499 in reading and 489 in mathematics against OECD international averages of 482, 461 and 489.

Nicolaides said Alberta has typically placed second or third internationally and has improved relative to other provinces. He noted that PISA scores have declined globally since 2018, pointing to pandemic learning loss and increased use of technology and artificial intelligence as possible factors in falling global reading performance.

The Alberta Teachers’ Association welcomed the results but urged caution against overinterpretation.

ATA’s president, Jason Schilling, said last week the scores reflect teachers’ work despite rising enrolment and classroom complexity, but raised concerns about new expedited teacher certification pathways and their potential effect on instruction quality.

“Fully qualified and certificated teachers understand that there is much more to teaching than simple subject matter knowledge,” Schilling said, adding that PISA results offer only “a limited snapshot” of what happens daily in Alberta classrooms.

Nicolaides said the results show Alberta remains a strong-performing education system, but acknowledged they do not mean the province’s education challenges have been resolved.

“There’s more work to be done,” he said, “but I’m really confident and happy with the steps that we’ve taken to date.”

Class Size Reduction Grant, Classroom Complexity, Education Funding, Program Unit Funding | PUF, Programme for International Student Assessment | PISA, Rural Education, Students With Disabilities

Graphic with the text "Municipal News from the MD of Pincher Creek" on the left side, featuring a stylized image of people seated around a meeting table on the right.

MD brings back formal fire guardian appointments

Written on September 16, 2026. Posted in Civic & Government, RCMP & Public Safety.

Eighteen people in the Municipal District of Pincher Creek now have the authority to issue fire permits and enforce burning restrictions after council formally appointed the district’s full slate of fire guardians for the first time in several years.

Council approved 17 appointments at its Sept. 9 regular meeting, with community peace officer Robyn Potter confirmed separately at the Aug. 25 meeting. All appointments are retroactive to April 1, 2026.

The appointments are made under Alberta’s Forest and Prairie Protection Act, which establishes the province’s framework for wildfire protection, fire control and burning restrictions. The act sets out the fire season, allows for cost recovery and fire control orders, and outlines the responsibilities of forest officers and fire guardians.

It requires the council of a rural municipality to appoint, each year in time for the start of fire season, enough fire guardians to enforce the act within the municipality’s boundaries, excluding any portion that falls within a forest protection area. Those guardians may, at their discretion, issue fire permits for land outside that area.

Pincher Creek’s fire chief, Pat Neumann, says the role itself has not changed, and the appointments largely formalize responsibilities his department has carried out for years.

“We issue debris burn permits to allow people to burn and have firepits within the town and the MD of Pincher Creek,” Neumann says. “It’s a council appointment that lays out who has responsibility to not only issue permits, but also enforce any restrictive actions based on those permits.”

MD administration noted the appointments had lapsed for a couple of years. Neumann says that was tied to changes made to the Forest and Prairie Protection Act about two years ago.

“Part of the MD lies within what we call the forest protection area,” he says. “It’s not necessary to have somebody appointed to that because we’re no longer issuing permits within that forest protection area.”

“It doesn’t change anything for landowners, it doesn’t change how the permits work, it doesn’t change the legislation and the fines and the necessity to have permits,” he says. “It just adds one more step to specifically identify who issues them within an organization.”

Neumann says he raised the issue with his commission board and decided the appointments were worth renewing even though they were no longer strictly required.

Those approved alongside Potter include officers and administrative staff within the fire department: Mysti Ayers, Nichole Boissoneault, Lynn Brasnett, Sariah Brasnett, Ian Campbell, Jason Carney, Richard Claude, Kathryn Feist, Jennifer Fisher-Sundberg, Jordan Gervais, Tammy Jack, Anne Molnar, Patrick Neumann, Iris Reed, Lynn Roberts, William Thorpe and Michael Whittington. Appointment letters are to be signed by the reeve.

Potter’s appointment was handled separately because she was new to her position and was appointed before the annual slate came to council, says MD executive assistant Jessica McClelland.

Potter’s community peace officer designation also requires the fire guardian appointment for enforcement purposes. Next year her name will be included with the others.

“The role is primarily focused on wildfire prevention and compliance with the Forest and Prairie Protection Act and its regulations,” Potter says.

She also educates residents and landowners about safe burning practices without duplicating existing services.

“It is important to understand that a fire guardian is not replacing the local fire department or Alberta Wildfire. The various agencies have different roles and authorities, and the intention is to work together to prevent fires before they become emergencies,” Potter says.

She has not issued any tickets for fire-related offences since her appointment. Her approach will be education and voluntary compliance first, with enforcement available when legislation is deliberately or repeatedly disregarded.

Potter will also work with the local fire department and other fire guardians to provide residents with consistent information.

What it means for landowners

Any open fire within the town or the MD requires a permit, and permit holders must follow the conditions listed on their permits, which can include limits on wind speed, weather conditions and the materials burned.

“There is no unpermitted burning allowed in the town or the MD, whether it be a recreational fire pit or a debris burn,” Neumann says.

Potter says residents should first determine whether a permit is required, check current fire danger and review any restrictions or bans before burning.

“A fire permit is not simply permission to light a fire, it’s part of a broader wildfire prevention system,” she says. “The purpose is to make sure burns are conducted safely and that authorities know where approved burning is taking place.”

Conditions can change quickly and it’s up to permit holders to stay current on restrictions, even after a permit is issued. One issued today does not necessarily mean a resident can burn several days later if conditions have changed.

“People need to pay attention and watch albertafirebans.ca for the most up-to-date restrictions and possible bans that may be in place before they light a fire,” Neumann says.

Landowners are also responsible for monitoring a fire until it is completely out, and for any costs if a controlled burn escapes and the fire department has to respond.

“The onus is on the landowner to make sure they’re following safe burning practices,” he says.

The fire department reviews proposed burns before issuing permits. For debris burns, applicants provide photographs showing all sides of the proposed burn area. For larger burns, fire department personnel may visit the site to assess the conditions.

Residents with questions can contact Pincher Creek Emergency Services. Permits can be obtained online through the PCES website or in person at the fire hall.

Fire Bans, Fire Guardians, Fire Permits, Forest and Prairie Protection Act, Wildfire Prevention

Dogs, chickens and livestock: what the MD animal bylaw allows

Written on September 16, 2026. Posted in Agriculture & Rural Life, Civic & Government.

Municipal District of Pincher Creek council has closed a regulatory gap between two of its bylaws, passing an amendment to the animal control bylaw after giving it all three readings the same day.

The amendment, Bylaw 1375-26, adds the “hamlet transitional agriculture” land-use designation to the animal control bylaw, adopted in June 2025, bringing it in line with the MD’s land-use bylaw.

The amended bylaw does not create a new set of animal control rules. Instead, it ensures the rules already in place also apply to the fewer than 10 hamlet transitional agriculture properties in the MD, said development officer Laura McKinnon.

“There were no enforcement challenges,” she said, noting the gap was caught by administration during a routine review rather than a real-world dispute.

McKinnon said residents in hamlet transitional agriculture locations will now follow the same guidelines as those in grouped country residential districts.

While the amendment directly affects a small number of landowners, the broader animal control bylaw applies across the municipality. It sets rules for keeping dogs, licensing dogs, keeping livestock and chickens, and keeping prohibited animals and bees.

Dogs

Under the bylaw, most households are limited to four dogs, though that number drops to three for anyone living in a hamlet, a grouped country residential district, the Castle Mountain Resort or hamlet transitional agriculture areas.

Households wanting to keep more dogs need a development permit for an animal care service, or must show the dogs are used for an agricultural purpose, such as herding or guarding livestock. Exceptions can also be made for dogs temporarily gathered for a cultural or community event.

Any dog six months or older kept in those same areas must be licensed with the municipality.

Owners must apply in person, providing a description of the dog, disclosing whether it has been spayed or neutered, and paying a fee. Licences and tags cannot be transferred to a new owner, and giving false information on an application is an offence.

The one-time licence fee is $15 for spayed or neutered dogs and $30 for unaltered dogs.

Owners must keep their dogs from running at large. The bylaw also sets rules for dogs left unattended in vehicles or on properties accessible to the public.

Owners are responsible for cleaning up dog feces, preventing excessive accumulation on their property and ensuring dogs do not create excessive noise that unreasonably interferes with another person’s enjoyment of property.

A separate section lists threatening behaviours owners must prevent, ranging from chasing bicycles to biting or attacking a person or another animal.

Working dogs actively engaged in livestock management are exempted from some of these provisions when the behaviour in question involves livestock.

Vicious dogs

The bylaw treats vicious dogs as a distinct category with tighter obligations.

A court process determines whether a dog is formally declared vicious. This generally happens when an animal has caused severe injury to a person.

The designation follows the dog even if it is sold or given to a new owner. Once declared vicious, a dog must be microchipped or tattooed, spayed or neutered, and licensed annually. This annual licence costs $250.

In some circumstances, an enforcement services supervisor or designate can require a dog to be surrendered for a behavioural assessment while the matter is before the court.

On its owner’s property, a vicious dog must be confined indoors or kept in a secure, properly built pen. Off the property, it must be muzzled and leashed on a line no longer than one metre, under the control of an adult.

The owner must also maintain a secure enclosure on their property and post warning signs at entrances and on the enclosure.

Livestock

Livestock rules vary by land-use district. Farm animals generally cannot be kept within a hamlet without a development permit.

In grouped country residential districts and hamlet transitional agriculture properties, the number of animals allowed is capped according to a schedule tied to parcel size, covering species such as horses, cattle, sheep and llamas.

For example, the bylaw allows up to five horses, cattle, swine, donkeys or mules per parcel, with the number also tied to available land. The limit is one such animal per 0.4 hectares, or one acre.

Sheep, goats, llamas and alpacas are limited to one per 0.2 hectares, or half acre, with a maximum of 10 per parcel. Rabbits are limited to one per 0.1 hectares, or quarter acre, with a maximum of 20.

The limits are not cumulative. A parcel cannot use the maximum allowance for multiple livestock categories at the same time.

Owners of properties where livestock are bred, raised or kept must keep the sites in clean condition and dispose of waste in a timely manner.

Chickens

Rules for chickens differ between hamlets and larger residential parcels.

In hamlets, residents can keep up to four urban chickens. As per the bylaw, an urban chicken is a hen that is at least 16 weeks old, with a hen defined as a domesticated female chicken.

Roosters and hens that do not meet the bylaw’s definition of an urban chicken are not permitted.

In grouped country residential districts, the number of chickens depends on the size of the parcel. The limits range from 30 chickens on parcels between three and 3.99 acres, to 45 chickens on parcels between four and 4.99 acres, 60 chickens on parcels between five and 5.99 acres, 75 chickens on parcels between six and 9.99 acres, and 90 chickens on parcels of 10 acres or more.

The amendment extends those same limits to hamlet transitional agriculture properties.

Chicken care comes with its own set of standards. Each chicken must have adequate coop and outdoor enclosure space, food, water, shelter, ventilation and veterinary care.

Coops and enclosures must be kept sanitary and secure. Owners must prevent rodents and other animals from entering and remove leftover feed, trash and manure in a timely manner.

Owners must also follow biosecurity procedures recommended by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and keep chickens for personal use only.

Other animals and enforcement

A short list of species remains banned outright anywhere in the municipality, including wild boars, Norway rats and venomous snakes.

Bees and beehives are also prohibited in hamlets, Castle Mountain Resort and grouped country residential districts, as well as within 500 metres of a hamlet or grouped country residential area. The amendment adds hamlet transitional agriculture to those restrictions.

Penalties for violations vary widely by offence.

For example, having more than three dogs in a hamlet, grouped country residential district or Castle Mountain Resort carries a minimum $200 penalty. An unlicensed dog also carries a minimum $200 penalty.

Running a dog at large has a minimum penalty of $300, while excessive accumulation of dog feces carries a minimum $400 penalty.

Penalties increase for more serious dog offences. The bylaw lists minimum penalties ranging from $500 for injuring a person to $1,200 for attacking a person and $1,700 for an attack causing severe injury. Some matters require a court appearance.

Vicious-dog offences carry higher penalties. Depending on the offence, minimum penalties range from $550 for several licensing or containment violations to $2,000 for a vicious dog causing the death of an animal or livestock. Attacks causing the death of a person require a court appearance.

Specified penalties can also increase when the same provision is breached repeatedly within a 12-month period.

Animal Control Bylaw, Chickens, Dog Licensing, Dogs, Land-Use Bylaw, Livestock, Vicious Dogs

Town delays tourism funding decision, seeks more information

Written on September 9, 2026. Posted in Business & Economy, Civic & Government.

Pincher Creek town council has postponed a decision on a $12,500 tourism contribution after councillors questioned how much of the South Canadian Rockies Tourism Association’s work directly benefits the community.

At its Aug. 24 regular meeting, council heard a proposal from the association for a contribution toward regional tourism promotion and development.

While councillors see potential value in gaining access to provincial funding and regional tourism initiatives, they also want a clearer picture of how the organization spends its money and what Pincher Creek could expect in return.

Council voted to table the request until Oct. 26, and asked Coun. Valerie Wynder, who represents the town on SCRTA’s regional tourism advisory committee, to gather additional financial information.

SCRTA is the region’s official destination management organization, representing the Town and MD of Pincher Creek, the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass and Castle Provincial Park.

Erin Fairhurst, SCRTA executive director, told council the association is asking each of the region’s three municipalities for an identical $12,500 contribution for 2026-27.

According to SCRTA’s proposal, the contribution would support regional destination management and marketing while helping the association secure additional provincial funding.

Fairhurst said the timing is significant because of a temporary funding structure through Travel Alberta. Under that arrangement, every $2 a municipality contributes can be leveraged into an additional $8 in provincial support, a ratio available for one more year.

She said a financial commitment from municipal partners would also help SCRTA appear as a lower-risk investment to the province for future funding.

“In simpler terms, if we can find a way to have solid strategic and financial partnerships with our municipalities, the province will prioritize funding SCR over other areas,” she said.

Fairhurst said the association has reinvested about $1.8 million into the region since 2022 through grants, partnerships, marketing and other initiatives, with more than $60,000 in direct investment tied to Pincher Creek programming each year.

The $60,000 breaks down into more than $15,000 annually through shoulder-season grants and buy-in marketing campaigns promoting Pincher Creek businesses, more than $10,000 for digital media campaigns, and more than $30,000 for digital maps and base-camp promotions.

Those figures do not capture broader regional campaigns that also highlight the town.

The shoulder-season program has provided grants to groups and businesses including the Pincher Creek and District Chamber of Commerce, Flint Rock Ranch, Lost Things Distillery, Pincher Creek and District Agricultural Society, Pincher Creek Allied Arts Association and Thanksgiving Ranch, Fairhurst said.

But councillors questioned how much of SCRTA’s overall spending reaches Pincher Creek directly.

Mayor Wayne Oliver noted that if the $1.8 million invested since 2022 was spread evenly over four years, it would amount to roughly $450,000 annually. He questioned what the remaining funds — beyond the roughly $60,000 tied to Pincher Creek — were spent on.

Chris Matthews, chair of SCRTA, said the figures included regional marketing, work in other jurisdictions, staff costs and advocacy. He said SCRTA now has permanent staff — a shift from its earlier years as a volunteer, board-run initiative during the Covid-19 pandemic — and is supported with office space through Community Futures in Crowsnest Pass.

Coun. Sahra Nodge questioned whether Pincher Creek businesses were receiving the same level of benefit from SCRTA as businesses in the MD and Crowsnest Pass. She sought assurance that hospitality businesses in Pincher Creek, in particular, would see tangible benefits from the town’s contribution.

While the town has been involved with SCRTA for less time than the other jurisdictions, Wynder said, she believes Pincher Creek has significant opportunities to benefit.

She pointed to the town’s position as a potential base camp for visitors travelling to attractions such as Waterton Lakes National Park and nearby ski areas, and suggested SCRTA could help with projects such as trail-related infrastructure and sports tourism.

Wynder said SCRTA’s ability to access funding the town cannot, could be valuable, particularly because the town does not have a designated economic development position.

Coun. Brian McGillivray shared the concern about the return on a potential $12,500 investment and asked how much SCRTA funding goes toward payroll versus direct program spending.

Oliver wanted more information about SCRTA’s finances, including its number of employees, the share of its budget used for operating expenses and how its digital marketing campaigns direct visitors toward Pincher Creek.

Wynder told council she spoke with Fairhurst before the meeting and understood the contribution could be considered as part of the town’s 2027 budget rather than an immediate expense.

Council agreed, and passed a motion to postpone discussion until Oct. 26, directing Wynder to gather further financial information in the meantime.

In an interview after the meeting, Fairhurst said SCRTA has more than 20 members in Pincher Creek and the surrounding MD, supported through promotion, advocacy, professional development and funding opportunities.

This is the first time SCRTA has requested funding from municipal partners.

Fairhurst said SCRTA is also involved in a new Destination Canada project focused on the Highway 3 corridor, alongside Tourism Lethbridge, Tourism Medicine Hat and the Town of Taber — an effort she said presents an opportunity for Pincher Creek.

Before town council revisits the request in October, Fairhurst said, SCRTA hopes to deepen its relationship with all three municipal partners through active engagement and investment. She said a formal partnership would let the town guide tourism strategy while reducing duplication of work already underway.

Destination Marketing, economic development, Regional Tourism, Tourism Funding

Pond expansion will give golf course weeks of drought storage

Written on September 9, 2026. Posted in Civic & Government, Sports.

The Town of Pincher Creek has approved $178,500 to expand the Pincher Creek golf course irrigation pond. The project is expected to do more than keep the greens alive — giving the course 30 to 40 days of irrigation storage during drought, while potentially serving as an emergency water source for wildfire response.

Council passed the funding request during its Aug. 24 regular meeting, after hearing from Golf Club Society representatives about the project.

The money will be drawn from the golf course reserve fund, set aside by a previous council specifically for irrigation improvements at the course. It currently has a balance of $261,015.

Jason Bruns, an executive with the society, told council the project stems from a drought two years ago that nearly cost the course its greens.

“If we [lost the greens], it would be devastating to the golf course. It wouldn’t be feasible to rebuild all that,” he said.

The society’s written request states that during periods of high demand the existing pond provides only a limited supply of water. Depending on which areas of the course are being irrigated, the supply can last only a few days.

The project will expand the pond and add a high-durability liner. Bruns said the liner would make it easier to remove silt, control weeds and allow the pond to be cleaned out every couple of years.

The society received three quotes from local companies. The funding request included $90,000 for construction and excavation, $72,500 for the pond liner and $16,000 for engineering services.

With the expansion, the society expects 12 to 15 days of storage when irrigating greens, tee boxes and fairways, increasing to 30 to 40 days when irrigation is restricted to greens and tee boxes.

Wendy Desjarlais, vice-president of the golf course board, said the expanded pond would hold about five times the current capacity.

She said the additional storage could also benefit other recreational facilities that draw from the same water source, including Matthew Halton Field, which would keep water accessible during a drought.

“The size we’re looking at could potentially be used for a dipping site for helicopters in a wildfire situation, which could also be very helpful when things are really bad,” she said.

Bruns recalled a wildfire south of Pincher Creek several years ago when a helicopter struggled to find a nearby water source.

The expansion could also help the course deal with early-season water needs. Bruns said Alberta Environment does not provide water before mid-April. A larger pond could hold water through the winter to supply the course as it prepares for the season.

Desjarlais said the greenskeeper has used a personal tank to haul water and hand-water the greens during difficult conditions.

The society also said the expanded pond would reduce the course’s reliance on the town’s municipal water supply during peak demand.

Desjarlais said the pond draws dog walkers and snowshoers in winter, and the society has discussed adding waste-bag stations for pet owners. She said the greens are tarped for winter, which helps keep foot traffic off sensitive turf.

Bruns said the existing pond has been silting in for years and holds only about six feet of water at its centre, narrowing sharply away from the middle.

Council raised technical questions about the design.

Coun. Gordon McMullen asked whether the society had accounted for problems the Town of Taber had with a similar pond liner, where groundwater pushed the liner upward when the pond wasn’t kept full year-round. Desjarlais said engineers have already reviewed the design.

Mayor Wayne Oliver asked how much deeper the pond would be once finished. Bruns said the increase would be modest, since the system relies on gravity-fed suction to the pumps.

Coun. Brian McGillivray asked about long-term irrigation needs, recalling that during a previous council term the golf club had discussed a much larger remediation project estimated at more than $700,000.

Oliver said changes to the pump system had reduced the need for that larger project. The course replaced its older on-off pumps with variable-speed, soft-start models, letting it keep the existing irrigation setup rather than replacing it.

Several councillors called for stronger financial reporting, given the size of the request. Coun. Valerie Wynder supported a clear agreement because the money is taxpayer-funded and asked for a process outlining how the funds would be spent and what reporting would be required.

Chief administrative officer Konrad Dunbar said the town would normally require invoices or other documentation showing payments went toward the approved work, and said a short written agreement could formalize that.

Coun. Sahra Nodge said the golf course arrangement differs from some past funding models, since the town pays contractor invoices directly, rather than transferring money to the society.

She noted past instances of unclear invoicing and said she hopes the society will pursue outside grant opportunities for future projects in addition to drawing on the reserve.

“It’s probably a good idea to have some kind of document or agreement or even a one-pager on what each party is agreeing to around this just for clarity’s sake,” she said.

Nodge added that she had reservations the last time a version of the project came before council, tied to an earlier well proposal, but said updated engineering information addressed those concerns.

“Given what we’re seeing with the fluctuations in precipitation, having some more water storage capabilities within the town is good,” she said.

Project completion is expected by the end of this golf season, with the goal of finishing before winter so the expanded pond is ready for the 2027 season.

Along with approving the funding, council directed administration to draft a separate agreement with the society, outlining the invoice and payment process.

Drought, Irrigation, Water Storage

MD council briefs

Written on September 9, 2026. Posted in Civic & Government.

MD of Pincher Creek council waded into a provincial policing debate at its Aug. 25 meeting, backing a national campaign that asks the province to pause plans for a new Alberta Sheriffs Police Service.

Council also amended its animal control rules, reviewed a second-quarter enforcement report showing a jump in files, and heard a resident’s call for stronger water and land-use protections south of town.

Council backs police federation campaign

The MD is backing the National Police Federation’s Call to Action, which represents nearly 20,000 RCMP members across the country, including more than 3,100 in Alberta.

The campaign urges the province to pause further investment in an Alberta Sheriffs Police Service until a comprehensive, independent and publicly available feasibility study is completed.

The federation cited its own polling showing 76 per cent of Albertans are satisfied with the RCMP and 67 per cent feel they have not been adequately consulted on the creation of a provincial police force.

Enforcement files increase

Enforcement services investigated 45 files during the second quarter of 2026, up from 31 in the first quarter. Two files were carried over from 2025 and 40 were closed during the quarter.

Of the files investigated, 29 involved municipal bylaws, with animal control accounting for 16. Another 16 involved provincial statutes, including 14 related to the Traffic Safety Act.

Sixteen warning notices and 25 violation tickets were issued during the quarter, plus one remedial order and two orders under the Municipal Government Act.

Administration said third-quarter enforcement efforts would continue emphasizing education and voluntary bylaw compliance where appropriate.

With increased tourist traffic during the summer, enforcement efforts focused on traffic safety and compliance with rules of the road.

Animal control rules amended

Council approved Bylaw 1375-26, an amendment to the MD’s animal control bylaw, after passing all three readings. The amendment closes a gap that left one land-use category without clear rules for pets, livestock and bees. A public hearing was not required.

Administration told council the current animal control bylaw, adopted in June 2025, did not account for the “hamlet transitional agriculture” designation created under the municipality’s land-use bylaw.

The amendment aligns hamlet transitional agriculture with the requirements that already apply to grouped country residential districts — covering the number of dogs allowed, mandatory licensing, restrictions on bees and livestock, and limits on keeping chickens.

Dogs that are, or appear to be, at least six months old must be licensed when kept in hamlets, grouped country residential areas, hamlet transitional agriculture areas and Castle Mountain Resort.

Chickens kept in those areas must follow the limits and requirements set out in the bylaw, and excessive numbers are prohibited.

MD approves regional alliance fees

Council approved $4,077 in 2026 membership fees for the Alberta SouthWest Regional Alliance, based on the MD’s 2025 population of 3,262 at $1.25 per capita.

The MD had sold no regional business licences as of July 20, so it retained no revenue under the regional licence arrangement.

The fee will come from council expenses.

Coffee With Council dates changed

Council rescheduled two Coffee With Council sessions after a scheduling conflict.

The Division 2 session at Lundbreck Hall moves to Sept. 17 and the Division 5 session at the MD office to Nov. 17.

The changes followed the annual Southwest Region Elected Officials meeting moving to Nov. 26, which created a scheduling conflict with the original dates.

Council adopts governance policy

Council approved a new Municipal Governance Framework and Document Hierarchy Policy, setting out how the MD’s various guiding documents fit together.

Administration said it gives employees clarity on how different documents relate and who is responsible for approving and implementing them.

Under the new framework, department directors are expected to make sure staff understand the documents that apply to their work, while the CAO is responsible for approving directives and procedures and regularly reviewing all guiding documents.

ALUS tour attendance approved

Council authorized all members to attend an Alternative Land Use System tour on Sept. 15.

The ALUS program supports landowners in projects that provide environmental benefits while keeping land in agricultural production.

Resident asks for stronger land-use protections

Council received a letter from resident Heidi Eijgel calling for stronger land-use protections in the area south of Pincher Creek toward Waterton Lakes National Park.

Eijgel asked council to revisit the municipal development plan and create an area structure plan specifically for that landscape, arguing it plays a critical role in storing and filtering fresh water for the region.

In her letter, Eijgel wrote that a well on her property has seen its output drop significantly over the years and now shows elevated dissolved solids and salts. She links the change to pressure on the Waterton Biosphere and Castle and Porcupine areas.

She asked council to prioritize agriculture, wilderness and sustainable tourism and to resist further industrial development, while ensuring proper cleanup of existing industrial sites as operations wind down.

Hospital activity books get $279 sponsorship

Council approved $279 for a display ad in a hospital activity book for children, distributed free through hospitals, medical centres and victim services in Pincher Creek and surrounding areas.

The sponsorship comes from the MD’s budget for grants to groups and organizations.

Minor hockey receives $150

Council approved a $150 donation to Pincher Creek Minor Hockey for its Back to Hockey Camp on Oct. 3.

The association expects about 130 children, along with coaches and managers, to take part.

Wildlife fencing request received

Council received a request from the Southern Alberta Land Trust Society regarding wildlife-friendly fencing near the new Highway 3 wildlife underpass.

The organization is working with a landowner and neighbouring leaseholder to remove old fencing and rebuild roughly half a mile of fence to wildlife-friendly specifications, at an estimated labour cost of about $10,000.

SALTS said it is seeking outside funding for materials and equipment and hoped to organize volunteers to help remove the existing fence.

Other business

Council authorized Reeve Rick Lemire to attend the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation’s Bringing Hearts Home celebration and reception on Sept. 10. The event recognizes leadership and collaboration supporting cardiac care in southern Alberta.

Alberta Sheriffs Police Service, Alternative Land Use System | ALUS, Animal Control Bylaw, Land-Use Bylaw, Traffic Safety Act

‘It is a safety concern’ — town tackles trailer, e-scooter issues

Written on September 9, 2026. Posted in Civic & Government, RCMP & Public Safety.

Every spring, dozens of trailers appear on Pincher Creek streets and stay for months. Every summer, electronic scooters weave along sidewalks meant for pedestrians. And every year, according to one councillor, the town risks waiting until someone gets hurt before addressing the concerns.

At a Sept. 2 committee of the whole meeting, Coun. Brian McGillivray pushed council to confront both issues. McGillivray said he has seen e-scooters “ripping down” sidewalks and forcing pedestrians off their path. He also raised concerns about children and other pedestrians stepping out from behind parked trailers and into the path of vehicles.

In both cases, councillors wrestled with the same question: How can the town make its streets and paths safer before someone is seriously injured?

E-scooter usage

McGillivray pointed to Fort Macleod, which folded e-scooters into its transportation bylaw alongside bicycles, skateboards and inline skates. He said the approach is not about punishing riders but nudging them toward safer behaviour.

“It’s an incentive to have these people that are operating these e-scooters pay attention to what they’re doing on the trails, on the sidewalks, and so forth,” he said, adding the town should be “promoting safety at every opportunity.”

The town’s chief administrative officer, Konrad Dunbar, cautioned council that the legal situation surrounding e-scooters is more complicated.

Under Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act, power bicycles, including certain e-bikes, are defined and permitted under specific conditions. Dunbar said those devices can have motors of up to 500 watts and pedal assist capped at 32 km/h. E-scooters are a different story.

Dunbar said devices that do not meet the provincial definition are not currently legal on public roadways because they are not specifically recognized under the legislation. That leaves municipalities with limited ability to create local rules that would effectively authorize their use.

The province, however, is working on the issue. Alberta Transportation is considering a provincial framework for the safe and consistent use of personal micromobility devices, he said, work that could eventually lead to changes to the Traffic Safety Act.

The issue is also headed for discussion at the Alberta Municipalities convention later this month.

A resolution brought forward by the City of Spruce Grove calls on the province to establish a clear and consistent framework for personal micromobility devices, including e-scooters, while giving municipalities autonomy to enforce bylaws within their jurisdictions.

The resolution notes concerns around speed limits, age restrictions and helmet use, particularly among youth, and where the devices can operate. It also argues the current lack of clarity creates enforcement and public-safety challenges.

Couns. Mark Barber, Gordon McMullen, Bernice Cyr, Valerie Wynder and Sahra Nodge will attend the convention Sept. 23-25 in Edmonton.

For Pincher Creek, councillors agreed they could still act on safety without trying to legalize e-scooters through a municipal bylaw.

Mayor Wayne Oliver said the town should avoid messaging that suggests e-scooters are permitted when they are currently prohibited under provincial legislation. But he agreed the danger playing out on Pincher Creek’s sidewalks cannot wait.

“It is a safety concern, and it’s happening right now in Pincher Creek,” he said.

Nodge said the town could use its newsletter and other channels for a public-service campaign covering trail etiquette, including yielding to pedestrians, using a bell and wearing helmets.

McGillivray wants consistent signage on trails and repeated messaging on the town’s Facebook page and website, cycled every few months so it sticks. He said the campaign should cover all wheeled devices, not just e-scooters, and should reinforce that pedestrians have the right of way.

Council ultimately agreed to keep its approach general.

On a motion from McGillivray, council directed administration to develop a safety program covering wheeled devices on the town’s trail system and sidewalks.

Trailer parking on streets

Discussion turned to a problem that has bothered McGillivray since he moved to Pincher Creek: trailers parked on town streets for extended periods. He said he was rebuffed when he raised the issue during a previous term on council, but his concern remains.

McGillivray said he is not opposed to camping or outdoor recreation. The issue for him is what happens when large trailers obstruct a driver’s view of pedestrians, particularly children.

“I’m sadly awaiting news that somebody has stepped out behind one of those trailers, and has been hit by a car, or a truck, or a bike, or an e-scooter,” he said.

Oliver told council he counted 51 holiday trailers parked on town streets during a recent drive-around, plus another 38 trailers, including cargo and horse trailers.

Cyr said she has noticed the crowding along Bev McLachlin Drive, where trailers line the route from Main Street to the hospital.

“It does obstruct vision and I’ve seen kids and dogs almost ran over on a daily basis,” she said.

Dunbar told council that under the Traffic Safety Act, any trailer left unattached from its towing vehicle is technically considered abandoned after 72 hours and is not insured while disconnected.

McGillivray pointed to Wetaskiwin’s bylaw, which requires trailers to stay hooked to a towing vehicle and be moved every 72 hours, as a reasonable model.

Oliver questioned whether that would meaningfully improve safety, arguing a trailer obstructs a driver’s view whether or not it is hitched to a vehicle.

“There’s no improved visibility if a trailer is hooked to a vehicle or not hooked to a vehicle. The point is, is there improved visibility? And the answer is no,” he said.

McGillivray disagreed, saying an attached trailer at least carries insurance coverage if a pedestrian is struck.

“I’m just saying that there would be funds available to help with that child, to become well again, as opposed to where they may not,” he said.

Both McGillivray and Nodge agreed formal public engagement would be unlikely to settle the debate, given how strongly residents on both sides feel. But McGillivray said that was no reason to keep doing nothing and suggested council take another look at the town’s traffic bylaw.

“If it saves one child’s life, then the change that we might make to that bylaw would be worthwhile,” he said.

Barber said he hears complaints about the issue roughly once a month each summer, most recently from a resident concerned about a trailer’s slide-out extending into the roadway.

Nodge said any bylaw update should also address slide-outs encroaching onto sidewalks, calling it a matter of shared space as much as safety.

Council directed administration to research the town’s current traffic bylaw and bring back recommendations on trailer parking on municipal streets.

E-Scooters, Personal Micromobility, Traffic Safety Act, Trailer Parking

Metallic letter blocks spell out "FUNDING" on a striped, light-colored surface, with several other scattered blocks and letters visible in the background.

Rural access questioned as Alberta increases family support funding

Written on September 3, 2026. Posted in Civic & Government, Health & Wellness.

For families in rural Alberta, getting help during a crisis can be about more than knowing where to turn — it can also depend on how far they have to travel.

That concern was raised with Children and Family Services Minister Searle Turton during a rural media roundtable Thursday, as the province highlighted new funding for services supporting children, families and survivors of sexual violence.

Alberta is investing nearly $21 million in sexual assault centres and child advocacy centres, and making another $3.2 million available for Family Resource Networks that provide prevention and early-intervention services.

But with most specialized sexual assault services based in larger communities, reporters pressed Turton on how the province will ensure people in smaller and more remote areas can access the help they need.

Sexual assault services concentrated in hubs

The $21 million includes $17 million for 15 sexual assault centres and the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services, along with $3.7 million a year for eight child advocacy centres.

Most are based in regional hubs — Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, Lloydminster, alongside Calgary and Edmonton — with a handful in smaller centres such as Bonnyville, Hinton, Stettler and Banff.

The money is part of a provincial commitment to increase sexual assault centre funding by $10 million by 2028-29. Alberta says $6.3 million will be delivered by the end of the current fiscal year, and Budget 2026 includes more than $93 million for the prevention of family and sexual violence.

Asked whether the province plans to open sexual assault centres in smaller communities, Turton said the specialized nature of the work makes that difficult. Spreading trained counsellors too thin across roughly 360 communities, he said, risks diluting the expertise survivors need.

Sexual assault centres provide crisis response, counselling and long-term therapeutic care to people of all ages affected by sexual violence.

Turton pointed to the Alberta One Line for Sexual Violence as a provincewide service and said sexual assault centres also conduct outreach and education beyond the communities where they are based.

Prevention through Family Resource Networks

For rural families, Turton said, the province is trying to close the gap through its Family Resource Networks, which he described as refocused to target the areas of greatest need.

The province provides $66.7 million annually to the networks, which operate in urban, rural and Indigenous communities. Free services include parenting and caregiver education, home-based supports, child and youth development programs and short-term community-based mental health support.

Launched in 2020, the networks are meant to help families before their challenges become crises, as part of the province’s early-intervention approach to reduce the need for child intervention. In 2024-25, about 52,400 caregivers and 76,500 children and youth used Family Resource Network services, according to the province.

The latest $3.2-million grant call, announced Aug. 18, targets identified areas of need, including support for youth and caregivers, child development and in-home services. Applications are open until Sept. 29.

‘No family left behind’

Turton said making rural families aware of those supports is just as important as providing them and called on rural media to help spread the word.

“We have our Family Resource Networks and those preventative services in every corner of the province,” he said.

Turton said the province recognizes rural challenges, including geographic and distance concerns, and a perceived lack of access to specialized services.

For Turton, the focus is on making sure families can find support before their circumstances become more difficult, while maintaining specialized services for those who need them.

“I want to make sure that there’s no family left behind, and everyone has access to these supports when they need them,” he said.

Support for anyone affected by sexual violence is available through Alberta’s One Line for Sexual Violence at 1-866-403-8000, by phone or text, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Online chat is available at aasas.ca during those hours. In an emergency, call 911.

Alberta One Line for Sexual Violence, Child Advocacy Centres, Family Resource Networks, Sexual Assault Services, Sexual Violence

Province: Alberta | AB

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