CANORA - Although town council put several checkmarks on the community’s list of required and desired projects in 2023, the list does not ever seem to get any shorter.
The most exciting accomplishment this past year was undoubtedly the opening of the new aquatic park. The facility cost about $2.6 million and was the biggest “splash” (pun intended) in terms of rec facility renewal the community has seen in a long time.
Based on the fundraising donations received and the number of patrons who attended the facility this summer, residents of Canora and the surrounding area certainly supported the idea.
Looking ahead in the same department, this year council commissioned a study on the feasibility of a new rec centre, which would include a skating arena. Once completed, the study will give council some solid data on what can realistically be achieved when it comes to the current skating rink and the probability of building a new one.
The Canora Tourism Fundraising Committee continued its awesome efforts in 2023, raising around $40,000 towards community revitalization. This was the result of tireless enthusiasm by volunteer committee members. The projects undertaken by the committee help the Town improve its appearance at no cost to taxpayers.
Not nearly as exciting or as visible, the Town replaced the main header and some other components in the main sewage lift station on Whitesand Drive this past summer at a cost of about $300,000. Not a planned expenditure but a bit of an emergency project, the work had to be carried out when the old cast header started leaking and was upgraded with stainless steel components.
While the lift station was bypassed, some other essential, but well-worn components were replaced. All of the sanitary sewers in town drain to this building and the sewage is then pumped from there to the lagoon, so it’s a very vital part of the community’s infrastructure that has to remain in operation all the time.
As always, the Town chipped away at bylaw enforcement, cleaning up nuisance yards and working with property owners to improve the condition and appearance of buildings as well. Council receives many compliments from visitors on the appearance of the town.
Looking ahead to 2024
Council has awarded the contract for the construction of a new transfer station to take place in 2024. After two years of planning, the $2.6 million project will see the creation of a new depot to replace the existing landfill. Solid waste management has been a challenging part of long-term asset management, and the new facility will mean all refuse will ultimately be hauled away to a landfill elsewhere.
Once the transfer station is up and running, council will move forward with the decommissioning of the current landfill in 2025. This project, which will involve capping and sloping the site, is estimated to cost $2.4 million, but the town has secured about $1.8 million in funding from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program grant program.
Work began on the latest water main replacement project in 2023, which will be completed in 2024. The project will see water mains replaced on Evelee Avenue, Seventh Avenue West and a portion of Mary Street at a cost of about $500,000. The cost of this project will be shared with the benefitting property owners as a local improvement program. The Town has diligently worked at replacing water mains over many years and more than 80 per cent of the lines have been replaced.
Once the mains have been replaced, council can turn its attention to repaving the opened streets and depending on costs and budget, looking at some of the other streets that need work as well.
Moving forward, council will have to make difficult choices. Costs are rising and there are only so many avenues to derive revenue. Council members are taxpayers too and are doing their best to keep taxes at a reasonable rate.
Unfortunately, after no increases for the last two years, council has already determined there will be increases to water rates and garbage collection fees in 2024. Water rates are going up five per cent and garbage collection will increase by $2 a month.
Planning and education in long-term asset management will become more important and so will a realistic level of public expectation. Initial data already shows that as costs are increasing, some municipal services may not be sustainable in the long term.
Deliberations on the annual budget will begin in February.
And, as always, council appreciates your feedback. I encourage residents to talk to and ask questions of your mayor or a councillor. We are all working together to keep Canora a great place to visit and a better place to live.
