Jumping right into planning matters, the RM of North Cypress-Langford has only a handful of returning issues to deal with this month. This includes setting the date for the public hearing for the new planning bylaws, February 15, and reviewing the status of some property repairs that were to be completed. When last we left them in December, there was still some dispute between the homeowner and contractor over responsibility. While little has changed, the homeowner now has an extended deadline to work within and the planning district is looking at updating the bylaws that helped lead to this situation in the first place, introducing some bylaw amendments that would redistribute some of the responsibility for work that does not meet building codes between the homeowner and the contractor

Council passes their Interim Operating Budget which covers operations between the first of January and the date when the official 2024 financial plan is passed. This is something every municipality needs to do to spend any municipal funds between budgets. This year’s numbers show a blanket 5% increase over last year’s to account for inflation, as there are no special budget items expected during that period.

As in many other municipalities, waste and recycling have been a big issue over the past few months, as more loads are being rejected and fined due to contamination. Because of this, the funding received through Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba can be less than the cost associated with transporting the waste. Council looks at ways to reduce the number of contaminated loads, such as additional staff or new regulations at transfer stations and public reeducation about how and why to recycle.

Deputy Reeve Olmstead talks about the work of the Health Action Committee and the difficulties navigating the red tape to get foreign-trained doctors into the community. This issue is also being discussed at the Provincial level, as the lengthy assessment process is causing problems for several municipalities.

Also covered at the meeting were committee appointments, additional correspondence, and the Municipal Emergency Coordinator role.