Provincial party leaders go head-to-head during a pre-election debate hosted by the Association of Manitoba Municipalities in April.

AMM puts heat on infrastructure as next week’s election looms

Municipal funding should be higher on the priority list, association says

Municipal leaders say all parties appear ready to provide steady funding for municipalities, but aren’t giving infrastructure enough airtime as the provincial election draws near. “We need to see more,” said Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett in a Sept. 20 news release. “Building and maintaining core infrastructure – from water and wastewater to broadband – is a

red river

South-central municipalities, cities fighting to keep water flowing

WORRIES | Struggling dairy farmers not out of water yet, but are being careful, digging new wells, says Dairy Farmers of Manitoba

The water co-op that supplies some water to houses, hospitals, businesses and farms in Morden, Winkler, Altona, Carman and many other south-central communities has been forced to install temporary water intakes in the Red River after water levels fell too low to reliably reach its system. “For us, our life is turned right upside down


Derek Johnson, minister of municipal relations, speaks during a meeting of the standing committee on social and economic development on April 19.  photos: SCREENSHOT/KAP

Bill 37 a step closer to law, despite municipal leaders’ concerns

Changes to planning laws sorely needed to keep Manitoba competitive, developers say

A law that will allow developers to go over municipalities’ heads if land-use applications are rejected is one step closer to reality after it passed the committee stage on April 19. Bill 37, the Planning Amendment and City of Winnipeg Charter Amendment Act, would give the Municipal Board (a provincially appointed tribunal) jurisdiction to hear

File photo of a pumpjack in an Alberta field. (ImagineGolf/E+/Getty Images)

Alberta gives oil and gas drillers municipal tax break

Reuters — Struggling oil and gas companies in Alberta will get a three-year break on municipal property taxes for land where they are drilling wells or building pipelines, the provincial government said on Monday. The Alberta government said it would also lower property tax assessments on less-productive wells and eliminate a provincial tax on drills.



Municipalities unimpressed with Hydro hikes

Municipalities unimpressed with Hydro hikes

Manitoba Hydro hopes to increase rates 7.9 per cent annually for the next five years, 
a total 46.3 per cent jump over current rates

Local governments aren’t happy with word Manitoba Hydro is hoping to increase rates by nearly eight per cent a year for the next half-decade. Delegates from the Municipality of Pipestone raised the issue at the recent Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) western membership meeting and found plenty of support for their position. After the western

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Drought-hit tax deferral zones named

Ottawa has seen enough drought in parts of southwestern Alberta, southern and eastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec to offer deferrals on their ranchers’ 2016 income tax from breeding livestock sales. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay on Tuesday released the federal government’s initial list of municipalities designated for the 2016 deferral. In Alberta, those areas include Clearwater,



Judge hammer

Many jobs to tackle by merged rural municipalities post election

Staffing committees, redrawing jurisdictional boundaries — 
even how much a councillor is paid are all on the table

Municipal leaders who start serving on the newly amalgamated councils in Manitoba this week have their work cut out for them — from deciding which planning districts they’ll be part of to connecting with a public dispersed across wider territory. One of their big jobs ahead will be just staying in touch with ratepayers, predicts