Merger saved money, sped up decision-making, says mayor

The voluntary merger that created the Municipality of Shoal Lake 
saves taxpayers $60,000 annually and improved local government efficiency

Don Yanick is getting a lot of calls from municipal officials across the province these days about the hot-button issue of amalgamation. And when asked if it was worth it, the mayor of the Municipality of Shoal Lake points to $60,000 in annual savings and a much more efficient local government. “Right off the top,



Municipal leaders protest forced amalgamation

Municipal leaders say most Manitobans don’t realize what’s at stake as the province pushes municipalities with fewer than 1,000 residents to amalgamate. “It’s like Bipole III,” said Doug Dobrowolski, president of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities. “If you ask the average person on the street, ‘What is that?’ they can’t tell you. It’s the same

Municipalities object to amalgamation decree

Association of Manitoba Municipalities head says amalgamation is a complex process that can’t be rushed

The province has told municipalities to get on with amalgamation, rejecting their plea for more time for orderly planning. “It’s an expedited process,” said Doug Dobrowolski, president of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities. “We’re very concerned that the public is not going to have an opportunity to voice their concern here.” But that argument didn’t


Province wants municipalities to amalgamate

Fewer and larger rural municipalities are on the horizon with last week’s throne speech calling for mandatory amalgamation of the province’s smallest local governments. Ninety-two of Manitoba’s 197 municipalities no longer meet the Municipal Act’s population threshold of 1,000. Many of these now have fewer than 500 constituents and some even less than 200. Yet,

Province cuts ag spending

The province is cutting $1 million in funding for a program that helps livestock producers meet its new manure-spreading regulations. But a government spokeswoman for Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn called the reduction “a savings and not a cut” because the Manure Management Financial Assistance Program (MMFAP), which runs until March 2014, had lower-than-anticipated uptake. That


Communications breakdown added to emergency

Volunteer firefighters racing to reach fire-threatened Vita last week passed hundreds of vehicles headed the other direction and wondered what they were headed into, said veteran firefighter Alain Nadeau. “I’ve been doing this for 33 years and this was the scariest I’ve seen,” said the weary La Broquerie fire chief on Friday after an exhausting

Cosmetic pesticide ban coming to Manitoba

Consultations on a possible cosmetic pesticide ban have now wrapped up, but one farm group is wondering if they will have any impact. Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh suggested a ban could come into effect next year, following a press conference just prior to the October deadline for submissions held by Cosmetic Pesticide


Legal protection for municipal leaders revisited

Councillors want same legal protections as MPs and MLAs Municipal politicians are welcoming a move that could result in them being given a form of parliamentary privilege. After a series of lawsuits against councils, the Association of Manitoba Municipalities recommended in 2009 that mayors, reeves and councillors be protected from being sued from comments they

Province pulls plug on funds for RDCs

The province has dropped funding for seven regional development corporations serving rural and northern Manitoba, leaving the future of these entities uncertain. RDCs were created by the provincial government in the 1960s to jump-start economic development projects and have been jointly funded by contributions from municipalities and the province. Most were staffed by a manager