Municipality Looking to Attract Home Builders to Communities

The January meeting of the RM of Rosedale Council reviewed correspondence received over the holiday break and focused on housing development throughout the municipality as well as how to attract and keep professionals in the area.

Rrain Prior – Local Journalism Initiative

One big area of focus for an agricultural municipality such as Rosedale is veterinary medicine. It’s a critical part of large animal and livestock operations in addition to maintaining health in other farm animals, and educational opportunities for new veterinarians are limited. The nearest school is at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, where Manitoba sponsors a limited number of spots but students are often incentivised to stay in Saskatchewan after their training. Council discussed the possibility of developing sponsorships or incentives, whether by themselves or in partnership with other local municipalities, for students and new graduates to come to or return to the area.

Council also received a request from the Whitemud Watershed District to approve the clearing of a blocked drain in the municipality, however Council was concerned they might not have enough information to understand the downstream implications of opening up that drainage area. However, the drain is an existing one, not a new build, so the downstream infrastructure should be adequate to handle the water flow.

The RM owns several lots in the towns and villages of the municipality, which they have in past meetings discussed being more proactive about putting up for sale. There are several examples to look to where other municipalities have incentivised buyers through low prices or tax breaks, but there is already interest in Rosedale lots from individuals and developers. The main barrier right now is that the municipality does not have a comprehensive list of these properties and has not assigned prices to them. That is a process that is now in progress, but it also requires reviewing and revising their building policies and possibly streamlining the sale process. While there are a lot of details to consider, there is also some pressure to move on it quickly as there are buyers prepared to start building as early as this spring.

Also discussed during the meeting were meeting minutes and reports from committees and outside organisations, a development agreement, and advertising options in local media.