SUSPENSE BUILDS OVER FATE OF PLASTIC BAG BAN
On Aug. 4, the city's Solid Waste Minimization Working Group Committee met with representatives of Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba (MMSM) as a follow-up to MMSM's presentation to council on July 19. "There were some offers put forward," explained Coun. Oswald Sawh, "and we put forward some things that we thought would make the offer even better."
The committee "still has information to gather", according to Sawh, but will make its recommendation to council on whether they should continue trying to push through the bylaw which would eliminate the sale or free offering of single-use plastic bags such as grocery bags at the next council meeting on Aug. 30.
MMSM has agreed to make some funds available to the city to reduce plastic bag usage, but those funds are conditional on there not being an outright ban on single-use bags.
PRAIRIE BYLAW ENFORCEMENT LEAVING TOWN
Prairie Bylaw Enforcement, which has been providing its services to Thompson since the summer of 2007, will be leaving Thompson effective Aug. 31.
Ian Thompson, Thompson's fire chief and director of public safety, noted that the decision to have the Prairie officers leave Aug. 31 rather than stay through the Labour Day weekend as had been originally planned was "strictly a financial decision," as the original ending date would fall in the middle of a work cycle.
"These people would only be booked for one week," Thompson said. "They'd have to be paid for two, but they'd only work one."
Insp. Ken Poulsen, head of the Thompson RCMP detachment, noted that the RCMP have had a greater presence on patrol in the downtown area since June. "We've looked at some peak periods over time, and we've scheduled dedicated shifts," Poulsen said.
BUILDING MANITOBA FUND PAYMENTS ABOVE EXPECTED LEVELS
A letter dated July 30 from Ron Lemieux, provincial minister of local government, revealed that Manitoba communities had been given the second and final installment of the Building Manitoba Fund's 2010 general assistance payment, at a rate of $159.92 per capita based on 2006 census data, which works out to $2,150,284 for Thompson.
According to Thompson accounting project specialist and former chief financial officer Carol Taylor, that amount is over $100,000 more than the city had budgeted for.
JULY PUBLIC WORKS REPORT
Council received the monthly report from the public works department. "We're continuing to patch and cover some of the main arteries," said Wayne Koversky, director of public works.
Nine excavations were completed in July, consisting of five water main repairs, three service repairs, and one main valve replacement. The city's main garbage truck was out of service for "a couple of days," forcing the city to use an old truck with two swampers.
