Highlights from June 27 Sturgeon County Council Meeting: 

Here are the highlights from the June 27, 2023, Sturgeon County Council Meeting: 

Land Use Bylaw Amendments 

After two public hearings – held April 11 and June 13 – Council passed Bylaw 1609/23. This bylaw allows interim developments in the Sturgeon Valley South area while protecting those lands for agricultural uses and for future development consistent with the Sturgeon Valley South Area Structure Plan. This bylaw also creates two land use districts in the Sturgeon Valley that will apply to most new residential development in the Sturgeon Valley South area when those lands are developed; no lands have been rezoned to these new land use districts. The Sturgeon Valley South area includes the lands between existing neighbourhoods and the cities of St. Albert and Edmonton, which will be developed to a higher density as required by the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Growth Plan. 

Council gave first reading of Bylaw 1631/23 – Bylaw Enforcement Officer Technical Amendments, which proposes to amend the Land Use Bylaw, Community Standards Bylaw, Civic Addressing Bylaw, and the Surface Drainage Bylaw. The proposed changes would allow the new Development Compliance Officer position to perform its duties including supporting residents, proactively enforcing key development interests (resource extraction, agritourism, etc.), and upholding safety/aesthetics within the community. A public hearing will be scheduled before Council considers the bylaw further. Details on the public hearing will be posted on the Public Notices page on the Sturgeon County website. 

Resource Extraction 

Council scheduled a Council Meeting for Tuesday, July 4, 2023, at 9 a.m. to consider third reading of Bylaw 1607/22 – Resource Extraction Amendments. 

Sturgeon Regional Partnership 

Council endorsed the Sturgeon Regional Partnership Terms of Reference and authorized the Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer to engage with the Sturgeon Regional Partnership (SRP) to further explore several potential initiatives including Regional Economic Development Collaboration, a Regional Buying Group, and a Regional Assessment Review Board.  

The SRP is a standing committee formed in 2014 by Sturgeon County and the Towns of Redwater, Bon Accord, Legal, Morinville, and Gibbons. 

New Shared-Use Pathway and Pedestrian Bridge 

Council authorized the execution of the Contribution Agreement between Sturgeon County and the Government of Canada under the Active Transportation Fund for a new shared-use pathway adjacent to Starkey Road and pedestrian bridge across the Sturgeon River. The cost of the project is $2.7 million for the development of these two projects, of which the County will receive $1,739,042 from the Government of Canada. 

Open Spaces Asset Management Program 

Council approved the reallocation of up to $100,000 from the Open Spaces capital project budget to allow for the development of an Open Space Asset Management Program in 2023. The multi-year plan (10 years) would identify open space capital infrastructure projects and their cost to address the current and future service objectives. Currently, the County owns more than $7 million in recreation assets. 

Contract Awards 

Council awarded the following contracts: 

• Gravel Road Improvements project to Doblanko Contracting Ltd. at a contract price of $1,568,638.05 (excluding GST). Gravel road improvements will take place in various locations throughout the County. 
• Villeneuve Hamlet Drainage Improvement project to Ideal Earthworks Inc. at a contract price of $614,960.00 (excluding GST). The project focuses on relieving the legacy flooding issues for the northern portion of the Villeneuve Hamlet located along Range Road 265 and west of Highway 44. 
• Bridge Culvert Replacement, Bridge File 00134 (2023-096), to Doblanko Contracting Ltd. at a contract price of $585,436.70 (excluding GST). The culvert carries Range Road 223 drainage over the tributary to the Sturgeon River. Council also approved a reallocation of funds within the approved budget and add additional funding in the amount of $37,558 from the Road Network Reserve to fund the project. 

Municipal Property Tax Relief Policy 

Council approved amendments to the Municipal Property Tax Relief Policy. The amended policy acknowledges compassionate grounds considerations to help differentiate from requests such as non-receipt of notice, payment errors, etc., contemplates other financial supports to enable the taxpayer to make tax payments, and balances requestors’ legislated privacy protections with transparency. 

Deputy Mayor Appointment Amendment Bylaw 

Council gave first reading of Bylaw 1630/23 to amend the Procedure Bylaw and Committee of the Whole Bylaw to amend the process of appointing the Deputy Mayor and revising the duties of this office.  Details on the public hearing will be posted on the Public Notices page on the Sturgeon County website. 

Next Council Meeting 

Council will be meeting on July 4 and July 18, 2023, starting at 9 a.m., before taking a summer break. The next meeting will be August 22, 2023, at 9 a.m. Future agendas and past meeting minutes can be found online.  

Fast facts about public hearings 

• For bylaws that require a public hearing, Council must give first reading of the proposed bylaw. This does not mean Council supports the bylaw; this allows the proposed bylaw to go to the next stage of the bylaw process, which is gathering public input. 
• Public hearings, along with other public notices, are promoted on the public notices page on the Sturgeon County website as well as in local newspapers. 
• Public hearings are open to any members of the public to view or provide input. 
• Viewing the public hearing: You can view the hearing in-person or via livestream at sturgeoncounty.ca/CouncilMeetings 
• Making a written submission: you can provide a written submission by email up to the close of the public hearing. 
• Speaking at the public hearing: you can provide a statement at the public hearing in person or via videoconference. You are encouraged to pre-register to speak in-person at the public hearing. If you wish to speak via videoconference, you must register at least 24 hours prior to the opening of the public hearing. Register by contacting Legislative Services at 780-939-8277. 
• When considering public input, Council considers how and to what degree the person is impacted by the proposed amendment.