Suzanne Oel – Division 4
Greetings! Sharing my News Update…
Community Standards Bylaw Review: On February 11, 2026, a request came in from Administration to review the Community Standards Bylaw. The Bylaw currently in place was authored in 2013. Since that time, some new types of concerns and associated enforcement have come up. The Bylaw requires a review to ensure relevancy. Council has requested the review of this Bylaw and awaits the report to provide further input. Public involvement will be invited when ready.
Finding More Efficiencies: Foothills County is investing in software programs which will help services to be more effective, cost efficient and timely. These will help with information management, with reporting and presentations to residents, and will save staff time and consultant costs. Areas that will be enhanced: policies and procedures, budget and finances, water utilities, burn permits, resident/business emergency pre-planning through the new “Community Connect” Fire Department platform (soon to be linked to the County’s website), and resident reporting through the new “FC Connect” service request portal accessed through the County’s website.
FC Connect – New Way to Report a Concern: “FC Connect” makes it quick and easy to report non-emergency issues directly to Foothills County. Submit service requests online. Add helpful details or photos. Track the status of your request in real time. Access County information and resources. You will see a tab on the top of the County’s website page: “Submit a Service Request”. Click this button and choose a request category, then select the type of request to submit. Enter the details. Contact the County if you need any assistance. www.foothillscountyab.ca
Crime Watch News: The High Country Rural Crime Watch AGM was held in March. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend! We appreciated an excellent turn out of our local and neighbouring RCMP members who shared updates and policing top requested priorities: traffic safety and police presence. We heard from the County’s Enforcement Services Manager about the department and top calls for service: traffic safety and dogs. Both reminded us to call in complaints in order to get a response. RCMP 24/7 non-emergency: 403.933.4262. Foothills County Complaints Line: 403.603.6300.
Cyber Security Tips: At the HCRCWA AGM, we also learned about technology, social media, and AI risks from our Cyber Security presenter. We were reminded of key take-aways for questioning email, phone or other contact that may be fraudulent: Why me? Why now? Stay calm. Consider multi-factor authentication for accounts. Scrutinize the email address from an email sender. Beware of the risk of identity theft when using social media (photos and location can be taken, enhanced by AI and used for ill, etc.) If it is too good to be true, it is likely a scam. QR codes can be intentionally setup or altered to send you to a criminal’s location. Free wifi networks can be fraudster-setup with seemingly legitimate names, such as “airport” free wifi, etc. Have a healthy skepticism of AI accuracy/adjusted photos/adjusted videos – its hard to tell which are real and which are fake. Stay alert! See more here: https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm
Officially in Wildfire Season: As of March 2026, the overall wildfire danger in the Calgary Forest Area, west of Foothills County, is low. Fast moving grass fires are of particular concern in late winter and early spring. Seasonal staff are now on board, including: wildland firefighters, dispatchers, patrol staff, information officers, warehouse support, lookout observers and airtanker base staff. Firefighters from the Calgary Forest Area, along with municipal partners, have responded to and extinguished 9 wildfires as of March.
Alberta Wildfire: Eight new helicopters have been added to the province’s fleet, including three equipped with night vision to assist with 24-hour operations. A five-person crew will be added to the hoist program’s four existing crews. This program allows helicopters to drop-off and pick-up firefighters in areas that are difficult to access. Plus, the Government of Alberta recently announced a $400-million agreement with De Havilland Aircraft of Canada to acquire five new Canadair 515 amphibious firefighting aircraft to strengthen the province’s response to wildfire seasons.
For Other News & Updates:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CouncillorSuzanneOel/
Email: Suzanne.Oel@FoothillsCountyAB.ca
Please visit High Country News online for my previous articles.
With Best Regards,
Suzanne
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