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Rocky View County's top news stories of 2020

COVID-19

Like the rest of the world, Rocky View County’s (RVC) year was defined by the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating impact on society, families and the economy.

On March 16, just 11 days after the first case of COVID-19 was identified in Alberta, RVC issued a press release indicating County Hall was closed to the public and council and committee meetings were cancelled, with agenda items rescheduled to online meetings in the following months. The County initially hoped to reopen its facilities in early April, but closures were extended due to the situation’s unpredictability.

Unlike neighbouring municipalities, RVC did not declare a State of Local Emergency in the spring, with then-Reeve Greg Boehlke saying such a measure would be redundant after the Alberta government had already declared a state of emergency.

County Hall reopened in a limited capacity May 4, on an appointment-only basis. On June 22, complete public access to the facility was reinstated, with limited public attendance at council meetings again allowed.

Staff at County recreation facilities established their own timelines to reopen, and many granted access to the public throughout the summer.

Large processing plants in RVC were particularly susceptible to COVID-19 outbreaks. The Harmony Beef processing plant reported outbreaks in May, August and November, while the Amazon Fulfillment Centre also faced outbreaks.

Service providers and non-profit agencies also felt the negative impact of the pandemic. Rocky View Regional Handibus Society, which transports seniors to doctor appointments, cancelled more than 80 per cent of its trips in the early days of the pandemic before rebounding during the summer. The Airdrie Food Bank, which serves the surrounding region, reported increased usage and decreased donations, leading to significant food shortages.

Community events were also a casualty of the pandemic. Events like the Bragg Creek Community Association’s Skuzzy Beach Party fundraiser, Cochrane Lions Rodeo, Airdrie Pro Rodeo, the City of Chestermere's Water Festival and Taste of Bragg Creek were cancelled, while other events like the Crossfield Farmers’ Market, Bragg Creek’s Spirit of Christmas and the Balzac Christmas Market were modified to address health concerns.

Still, the community found ways to offer activities. In Crossfield, residents were encouraged to decorate and place Easter eggs in their windows for a modified Easter egg hunt. In Irricana, a classic car parade and drive-in movie took place to cap off the summer.

The pandemic also impacted schools. In March, Alberta Education ordered the closure of all schools, forcing local students and teachers to begin learning and teaching from home. For the remainder of the school year, teachers used webcam technologies to conduct their classes. Rocky View Schools also closed access to its playgrounds, with municipalities like Crossfield following its lead soon after, eliminating an important recreational option for families already missing formal programs.

While schools reopened in September, the return didn’t come without difficulties. Despite heightened cleaning measures and new safety protocols, schools weren’t always able to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within their halls and classrooms. Several RVS schools experienced at least one case of COVID-19 during the first semester of the 2020-21 school year. A second wave of the pandemic in Alberta sent students in grades 7 to 12 back to at-home learning for December.

The efficacy of wearing masks became a politicized and hot-button issue. Urban municipalities surrounded by RVC including Airdrie, Cochrane and Chestermere passed mandatory mask bylaws throughout the year, which were enacted in November as a second wave of the virus rolled through Alberta, causing case numbers in the Calgary region to soar. RVC did not institute a mandatory mask bylaw, but masks became mandatory at County facilities Nov. 25, after the Alberta government declared a second state of public health emergency. County Hall was closed for a second time Dec. 7

As of Dec. 22, the County had recorded 615 total cases of COVID-19 in 2020, with 515 recoveries and one death. In nearby urban centres, Airdrie saw 1,397 total cases and eight deaths as of the same date, while Cochrane recorded 206 cases and one death and Chestermere saw 503 cases and no deaths.

SanctionsOverturnedweb1Supporters of Couns. Kevin Hanson, Samanntha Wright and Crystal Kissel demonstrated outside the Calgary Court Centre Jan. 22 before a Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta hearing related to sanctions imposed on the councillors. The sanctions were later overturned in July. File Photo/Rocky View Weekly

Sanctions Overturned

Sanctions imposed on three Rocky View County (RVC) councillors were overturned this summer after the councillors had their day in court.

On Jan. 22, Couns. Samanntha Wright, Crystal Kissel and Kevin Hanson took their grievance with sanctions imposed by the rest of council in June 2019 to the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta. On behalf of the sanctioned councillors, lawyer Michael Nivens argued the sanctions should be struck down because the trio’s procedural rights were violated, the sanctions were passed in bad faith and they were patently unreasonable because they went too far.

County lawyer Janice Agrios, meanwhile, argued the sanctions should stand as long as council was found to have acted in good faith and with reasonable actions. She painted a picture of three disgruntled elected officials who found themselves in a minority on a series of votes and embarked on a path to escalate tensions and try to discredit their colleagues, breaching RVC’s code of conduct along the way.

Justice James Eamon originally intended to reach a decision by February or March, before COVID-19 brought the courts to a halt. His decision overturning the sanctions was eventually delivered July 15.

In a 47-page decision, Eamon found the sanctions followed “a rational path” corresponding to breaches of RVC’s Code of Conduct Bylaw before striking them down “for failure to adequately address [a] reasonable apprehension of bias allegation.”

Eamon added even if the apprehension of bias were addressed, he still would have set aside most of the sanctions.

At the end of July, prior to breaking for the summer, the majority of council voted to direct County staff to initiate an appeal of the decision.

WrightDisqualifiedweb1In January, Rocky View County council voted a court order to have Coun. Samanntha Wright disqualified and removed from council. File Photo/Rocky View Weekly

Wright Disqualified

RVC council began the year by seeking a court order to have Coun. Samanntha Wright disqualified and removed from council.

On Jan. 14, council voted 6-3 to seek Wright’s disqualification following a legal decision that she had violated pecuniary interest rules set forth in the Municipal Government Act by voting on planning applications for land neighbouring her own property.

More than a year prior, on Jan. 8, 2019, Wright took part in a public hearing and vote on a conceptual scheme and land use redesignation for the Bearspaw Heights development. At the time, the applicant raised concerns about a possible pecuniary interest and requested Wright’s recusal. After Chief Administrative Officer Al Hoggan pointed out pecuniary interests are “the sole purview of the councillor to determine,” Wright insisted she did not “have any pecuniary interest.”

After council’s first decision to seek Wright’s disqualification, a special council meeting was held Jan. 20 where she was again called upon to resign after it came to light she owed outstanding property taxes. In an affidavit, Hoggan said Wright owed more than $10,000 in municipal taxes dating back to 2018. Wright, meanwhile, has insisted the failure to pay the taxes was an honest mistake, as her husband is in charge of managing her family’s finances.

Council voted 5-3 to ask Wright to resign before the next council meeting Jan. 28. After she refused to resign, council voted to apply to the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta for her removal.

CAOCommentsweb1A small rally to draw attention to systemic racism took place in Crossfield in July. Comments by CAO Ken Bosman about Black Lives Matter thrust the issue into the spotlight.

CAO Comments

Facebook comments in June by Crossfield’s chief administrative officer Ken Bosman caused a fracas in the community and led to an investigation.

In reply to a resident’s question about local interest in a Black Lives Matter rally in Crossfield, Bosman criticized the movement and George Floyd, whose videoed death in May at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, Minn. served as a catalyst for worldwide demonstrations.

Following Bosman’s comments, a letter attributed to Mayor Jo Tennant denounced Bosman’s post and claimed it breached Crossfield’s Code of Conduct and External Communications Policy. It also committed members of council and Town staff to cultural sensitivity training.

However, the letter was then removed and replaced with a statement indicating the letter was composed by “a subset of council acting without the authority of council as a whole.”

The Town indicated both Bosman’s post and Tennant’s letter would be reviewed by council and a third party. Further comments from the Town were not provided, as it had become an internal issue.

At a special Town Council meeting close on the heels to the incident, some residents called for Bosman to apologize publicly. Bosman said he had reached out and apologized to those who expressed concern about his comments.

Motivated by the event, a silent protest to draw attention to local racial issues took place in Crossfield July 7 and drew approximately 15 people.

CrossfieldByelectionweb1The three candidates in Crossfield's byelection fielded questions from residents at a forum in September. File Photo/Rocky View Weekly

Crossfield Byelection

Two new councillors were elected to Crossfield Town council following a byelection Oct. 19.

Kim Harris claimed an overwhelming victory with 382 votes – nearly half the total. Meanwhile, a tiebreaker was required to decide the second seat after Justin Gustafson and Jo Lambert were deadlocked on election night with 194 votes apiece.

To decide the seat, Town officials referred to the Local Elections Authorities Act, which stated in the event of a tie, the candidates’ names shall be written on identical sheets of paper and drawn from a receptacle. Whoever’s name is drawn is declared to have received an extra vote and won the vote.

Ultimately, Gustafson prevailed, joining Harris on council.

The two new councillors were sworn in at Town council’s Oct. 26 organizational meeting. Both councillors will serve a one-year term before voters again cast ballots in the October 2021 municipal election.

The byelection was necessary after Deputy Mayor Liz Grace and Coun. Beth Gabriel tendered their resignation from council at a special meeting June 22, citing a “dysfunctional and toxic” relationship between the Town's council and administrative team.

LangdonSchoolweb1The design for Langdon's new junior-senior high school was released this year. The school is one of five included in a public-private partnership. File Photo/Rocky View Weekly

Langdon School

A long-awaited junior-senior high school in Langdon took steps closer to becoming a reality this year.

The school was among five projects in a public-private partnership (P3) bundle announced by Alberta’s Ministry of Infrastructure on Sept. 9. P3s are funding models that divide the building and maintenance costs of certain infrastructure projects between government and private contractors. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, the contractor will build and maintain the five schools for 30 years before they are handed over to local school boards.

The Alberta government indicated in a November press release that three groups ­– Alberta Partnership for Learning, Concert-Bird Partners and Plenary-Maple High Schools – were invited to participate in the request for proposals (RFP) process for the P3 bundle. That process is anticipated to be completed in July 2021.

The Langdon school’s design was unveiled on June 18 at a RVS Board of Trustees meeting. The grade 7 to 12 school will be located on a serviced 40-acre plot of land behind the Buy-Low Foods on Railway Avenue West, which will also be the site of a future recreation centre.

Although the hamlet of Langdon has a population of more than 5,000 people, it does not currently have its own high school. Local students in grades 10 to 12 are bussed to Chestermere High School 13 kilometres away. Langdon residents have been advocating for a high school for many years.

NewReeveweb1Coun. Daniel Henn was appointed the position of reeve of Rocky View County in October. File Photo/Rocky View Weekly

New Reeve

Division 7 Coun. Daniel Henn was appointed reeve of RVC for the first time Oct. 27.

The first-term councillor was selected by his peers to serve as the County’s Chief Elected Official at RVC council’s annual organizational meeting. Henn will act as reeve for a one-year term. It is his first time serving in the role.

Henn said his main goal as reeve would be to bring a new approach to council and find opportunities for the body to operate as a more cohesive unit.

“I don’t think it is any secret that there is a little bit of division with this council,” Henn told the Rocky View Weekly following his election. “Maybe I am being naïve or it’s wishful thinking, but I would sure like to attempt to get this council working together a little better.”

Henn was nominated for the role by his predecessor, Coun. Greg Boehlke, who had acted as reeve since 2015 but declined a nomination to serve in the role for another year.

Division 2 Coun. Kim McKylor was appointed to act as Deputy Reeve. Another first-term member of council, it is McKylor’s first time in the position.

ElectoralBoundariesweb1Rocky View County approved new electoral divisions in October, shrinking council to seven members in the next municipal election. File Photo/Rocky View Weekly

Electoral Boundaries

In anticipation of the upcoming municipal election in October 2021, Rocky View County (RVC) council approved new electoral divisions.

A project initiated in July 2019 to review the County’s electoral boundaries culminated Oct. 27 when council unanimously adopted the Electoral Boundaries and Council Composition Bylaw.

Under the bylaw, the number of electoral divisions in RVC – and therefore, the number of councillors – will decrease from nine to seven.

The new divisions are meant to address changes to RVC’s population since the last time electoral divisions were reviewed in 2000. The optimum population in electoral divisions should be within 25 per cent of the population average, determined by dividing the County’s total population by the number of divisions. Based on 2018 census data, four of the current divisions do not meet the optimum population requirement, deviating significantly from the average population of 4,523.

The bylaw also changes the title of the County’s Chief Elected Official and Deputy Chief Elected Official. The title of “reeve” will be changed to “mayor” and the “deputy reeve” will be called the “deputy mayor.” The process for filling those roles will be unchanged, with each position occupied by a councilor who will be appointed by their peers.

The new bylaw will officially come into effect for the October 2021 municipal election.

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