Best wishes for a Happy New Year 2022!
Wind Event Recap: During the evening of November 30, starting around 7:00 pm and continuing into the morning of December 1, 2021, until about 7:00 am, I am sure you recall that we experienced a dramatic windstorm. You may still not be done with the clean up from it! I am writing a few words about this event to share a look at some of the behind-the- scenes information and a note of thanks.
That crazy night held a windstorm, power outages and fire occurrences – mostly started by downed power lines. Thanks to all the emergency responders from all agencies and municipal partners who assisted residents into the wee hours!
These included Foothills Fire Department along with neighbouring fire departments, our Foothills Public Works helping to provide access to sites on fire and tree removal, local RCMP providing evacuation notice to neighbouring landowners up the side of a ridge in the path of fire and other help, Foothills Ag Services assisting with tree removal, telecommunications technicians reconnecting outages, Fortis services dealing with a swath of power outages, arborists and many neighbours helping neighbours – sharing information, warning each other and helping with cleanup.
Our Foothills Regional 911 Call Centre brought in extra help to manage the 146 calls to 911. The Centre also dispatched 25 fire events with 55 fire departments responding, each response resulting in the tracking and monitoring of all responding personnel and equipment. In Foothills County, there were 9 incidents total (21 Fire Departments Dispatched), 7 fires and 2 Semi Rollovers. The Highway 762 area saw a lot of activity. In Willow Creek and Ranchlands, there were 11 Incidents total (26 Fire Departments Dispatched), 4 Fire Events and 7 Semi Rollovers. Within other communities in Southern Alberta, there were 5 Incidents (7 Fire Departments Dispatched), 5 Fire Events and 2 Medical Fire responses.
Power was out throughout our area and Southern Alberta, continuing for some residents until days later. Some fires went on throughout the day and were considered under control by the end of the day. However, a number of these reignited and needed to be attended again. Trees were down everywhere in the west country and signs were blown over throughout the entire county. County workers continued to clean up days and weeks later. Many of us will be getting some exercise with the chainsaw work to remove fallen trees. I hope you will fair well and get help in the clean-up!
2021 Spruce Budworm Event: On November 29, 2021, a workshop with presentations was provided for residents who were interested in this topic. As a follow-up, our Agricultural Fieldman has prepared a summary of information, which will be posted on the Ag Services page on the Foothills County Website: www.FoothillsCountyAB.ca
Sharing RMA News: Foothills County is a member of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA). As of December 2021, RMA released reports which explain the unique nature of Alberta’s rural municipalities.
Rural municipalities are crucially important to Alberta’s economic development and provide vital infrastructure and services to those living outside urban areas. In Alberta, rural municipalities cover approximately 85% of the province’s land, and face unique challenges in providing infrastructure and services to industries and residents spread across very large areas.
Despite this uniqueness, rural municipalities are often compared unfavourably to other municipalities in Alberta and elsewhere in Canada in terms of their fiscal performance. These comparisons are often based on inaccurate or misleading indicators. They also do not account for the differences among municipalities in areas such as size, scope of responsibility, level of federal and provincial support, economic activity, and many other factors.
RMA released “Alberta’s Rural Municipalities: Unique Size, Unique Responsibilities”, a report that highlights the limitations of interprovincial comparisons and emphasizes why rural municipalities are unique both within Alberta and across Canada. Building on this, RMA also launched a new web hub, which hosts the previously released report, along with a new report, “The MacKinnon Report: Many Questions, Few Answers”. This new report aims to counter arguments made in the “MacKinnon Report” related to per capita metrics. RMA members are well-aware that a small population does not limit the need for infrastructure to access Alberta’s natural resources and agriculture. Finally, a new “Position Statement on Interprovincial Comparisons” provides members and the public with quick information on RMA’s perspectives. Check out this link for access to all the information: rmalberta.com/news/albertas-rural-municipalities-are-unique/
For Other News & Updates:
Website: suzanneoel.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CouncillorSuzanneOel/
Email: Suzanne.Oel@FoothillsCountyAB.ca
With Best Regards,
Suzanne
Suzanne Oel – Division 4
