March 15, 2021 Council Highlights
A delegation from both the Fox Creek Minor Hockey Association and the Fox Creek Ice Kings came forward to Council to request that the Town push back the date of the ice surface removal in the Pembina Arena. With COVID-19 having greatly affected the amount of time the players spent on the ice, and that time mostly dedicated to practices instead of games, both organizations are hoping to be able to offer their teams an opportunity to play some exhibition games prior to the end of the season. Minor Hockey is especially eager to maintain the interest in hockey amongst the local children and the Ice Kings want to ensure that the players who are aging out get a chance at some play before they move on.
Council would later in the meeting approve the ice staying in until April 30th, 2021 as well as direct Administration to investigate the cost of leaving the ice in until the end of June 2021 and what that would mean for renters.
The Director of GMHL Junior A Hockey also took this time to announce that starting next year, the league will begin hosting a national championship. The championship games will consist of 30 teams and the location will be altered yearly between the different teams.
A representative from STARS also presented (via Zoom) to Council their annual report and what effects COVID has had on fundraising. As many may have expected funding in 2020 is down from previous years however, they are pleased to say that the 2021 STARS Lottery has sold out. As for reporting, the number of inter-facility missions in Fox Creek was 11 in 2020, a considerable increase from the previous year’s 3, while Scene and Searches for Fox Creek remained at 2. The #1 Priority for STARS is to maintain unimpacted operations, enhanced PPE measures, and maintain physician-driven strategy.
The Director of Recreation reported that, since the RFP for the Demolition and Removal of the Derald Palmer Memorial Arena went out, he has been in contact with 8 different companies who have shown interest in the project and required more information.
The CAO was pleased to announce that after years of working with the Province to obtain lands on the North Road, that the Town will have title to the lands in the next couple weeks. The legal team has the final paperwork and are in the process of registering the title to the Town of Fox Creek. Once completed, a plan regarding the sale of the properties will be developed.
Council provided first reading to Land Use Bylaw Amendment 824-2019-A02 which changes the regulations around home-based businesses. Currently, to ensure minimal disruption to neighbouring homeowners, the bylaw states only 1 business may be operated from a residence. This amendment will allow up to 2 businesses in a household but at the discretion of the Development Officer. A Public Hearing for Land Use Bylaw Amendment 824-2019-A02 will be held April 6th at 6:00 PM via Zoom.