Creighton town council report: fire service bill received

The Town of Creighton has been handed the bill for two fires in 2015.

Councillors discussed correspondence from the Ministry of Environment at their Wednesday, April 12 meeting.

The town will need to pay the ministry $19,870 in expenses racked up during two fires, including a forest fire near the Creighton trailer court in May 2015.

Government water bombers, fire crews and equipment were needed to extinguish both blazes.

“When we have a bushfire close to the community and we request assistance, whether it’s a water bomber or a helicopter or whatever, we have to pay for it,” said Mayor Bruce Fidler.

The town originally faced costs of around $32,000, but received a $13,000 deduction after the Creighton Fire Department assisted provincial fire crews later in 2015.

Creighton Community School was also discussed at the meeting.

The school will receive its annual scholarship from the town this summer. In addition, councillors voted to buy a half-page ad in this year’s Creighton Community School yearbook.

Two requests from the school, each pertaining to this summer’s graduation ceremony, were referred to committees.

A letter requesting use of the Creighton Sportex for the ceremony was sent to the recreation, culture and tourism committee.

The environmental, public health and environmental development committee will look at the school’s request to hold a highway cleaning fundraiser.

The Elander Avenue storm sewer renewal project has taken the next step.

Council approved a consulting agreement for the project, moving it further along the design process.

The option being currently considered would replace existing pipes from Elander Avenue to Main Street with 900-millimetre pipe.

According to Associated Engineering, the company contracted to design the project, the new pipe would “increase the inlet and conveyance capacity by over double” the existing pipes.

Other improvements, including anti-flooding measures, overflow protections and ditch and culvert refurbishment, may be included in the project.

Creighton will be on the game board for the upcoming Flin Flon-opoly game, set to be released this summer.

Council approved buying a square on the game board, which will feature area streets and landmarks.

“I would really like to see the town be on there, considering it’s the Homecoming year and stuff like that,” said Fidler.

It is unclear which area of the board Creighton will sponsor. The game will be sold as a fundraiser for the Flin Flon Aqua Centre Community Committee, with businesses and groups offered the chance to buy individual squares.

Council approved a $10,000 payment cover the Creighton Community Centre’s operating costs for this year.

The town authorizes an annual payment to the centre to pay for repairs, utilities and supplies. The dollar amount has consistently remained around $10,000.

“The last number of years, we’ve given that much. There have been special circumstances over the years where we’ve had to give more when something went wrong, but that’s the usual amount,” said Fidler.

Ald. Shirley Owen excused herself from the council boardroom during the vote, citing a conflict of interest.

Council is waiting for additional information before filing an appeal of the latest census results.

“They are in the process of getting back to us to see what our next steps are,” said Fidler, referring to Statistics Canada, which produces the census.

To file an appeal, the town must provide supporting documents, including utility records.

While the most recent census found Creighton had 1,402 residents, the town’s unscientific tally of local residents put the population at 1,485 residents.

Council approved the renewal of a land lease involving Hudbay. The area, known as Parcel K, is currently being used by the company for a transmission line. The lease has been renewed for another five years.

“That’s something that’s pretty much automatic,” said Fidler.

The town also shared its 2016 list of in-arrears properties. Sixteen entries are on the list, totalling more than $22,000 in
unpaid taxes.