Icy weather kept any planned delegations away, so this week’s meeting of the Neepawa Town Council jumped right into Council reports.

Councillor Jason Nadeau had a busy month, with reports from Westlake Employment, the Western Manitoba Regional Library Board, the Yellowhead Centre, and the Rossburn Subdivision Trail. Of particular note were the statistics from Westlake that they have helped support training for at least 28 Class 1 drivers and 49 Health Care Aides this year, as well as a notice from the regional library that they will be making a small increase to their levy for the coming year.

Councillor Yvonne Sisley shared the success of the Haunted Forest, a partnership between the recreation department and the Kin Club, Settlement Services, and FilCan, which drew hundreds of visitors. Council Darryl Gerrard noted that on October 29 they were visited by Malaya Marcelino, newly sworn-in Minister of Labour and Immigration, and had some initial meetings to share information about the community.

Manager of Operations Denis Saquet reported on a preconstruction meeting for the new water main project, which will start mobilising materials in December. In news that the community has been waiting for, he also reported that the Park Lake project is just a week or so from being completed, with the temporary bridge scheduled for removal some time next week. For residents, he noted that fall yard waste pickup is now complete and any additional yard waste must be delivered to the compost site and that they are dealing as best they can with the icy conditions, but residents should be cautious as it will take some time to complete.

Up for discussion was a request received for a significant rental increase for the County Courthouse, which was received long after the budget was set for the year. The County Courthouse is a partnership between the Town of Neepawa, the RM of Rosedale and the Municipality of North Cypress-Langford. There is existing legislation regarding its governance that needs to be reviewed and adhered to going forward. Council defeated the motion, leaving their contribution at the level that was budgeted for this year.

Council has received its annual monetary commitment from the province for maintenance of provincial roads that run through town including Main Street, Mountain Avenue and Commerce. For snow removal services, it will continue to contract two separate local companies who have been splitting the work for the past few years.

Council is in the process of reviewing a new tree protection bylaw which will cover what can and cannot be done with and to town-planted trees, and as well what property owners and contractors must consider when working near trees. The bylaw also includes provisions for community engagement and education. Council will review and revisit the proposed bylaw at the next meeting.

Finally, Council will be doing a regular review of their accessibility plan, this time paying particularly attention to addressing how information is presented to the community and ensuring that there are accessible options and alternative distribution methods that meet current standards

Also covered were the regular financial reports, the annual increase for 911 services, and updates on the airport farming project.