KAMSACK — Firefighting, library fees, town-owned buildings, its logo, the next SUMA meeting and a visit from the local RCMP were among items to concern town council at its regular meeting on Dec. 16.
Five recruits to the Kamsack Volunteer Fire Department were ratified by council, following a major training session conducted by Ken Thompson, fire chief, on Dec. 14. The five persons joining the department are: Michaela Schneider, Cole Fountain, Chad Matychuk, Makrym Kuzminchuk and Wyatt Schneider.
With these new recruits, the department is now close to having a full complement of about 24 firefighters, Barry Hvidston, administrator, said. All five new firefighters have received extensive basic training.
Members of the department meet each of the first three Mondays of each month, Hvidston said. The first is a general meeting and second and third are training sessions.
“Firefighters are constantly training,” added Mayor Beth Dix.
As a Christmas bonus and a “thank you for your service,” council decided to provide members of the fire department with $50 gift certificates redeemable from the Kamsack Co-op.
Discussing the protective services portfolio, it was noted Sherise Fountain, the Community Safety Officer, has provided first aid and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) training to most of the town employees as well as employees of Eaglestone Lodge.
Regarding town operations, it was said that council’s plans for the future will be a focus of its budget deliberations expected in February and March.
In July, council had consolidated all the fees it charges, from photocopying to tax enforcement and recreation, into one bylaw, Hvidston explained. The only significant change in the recreation fees was in hockey where the fee was raised from $100 an hour in 2024/25 to $120 in 2025/26.
These hockey rates are on par with most other communities, he said.
Regarding two town-owned assets, the Crowstand Centre and the former Shop-Easy grocery store building, council commissioned a study which indicated that it would be too expensive to bring the grocery building up to code so it will have to be demolished. An estimated $5.4 million would be needed to bring the Crowstand up to code.
No decision was made regarding Crowstand, but it is expected council will make a decision when it discusses its budget.
Both reports on the two buildings can be read on the Kamsack website.
Discussing the Parkland Regional Library, Hvidston explained that because Kamsack has a physical library, the community had been assessed at a higher level than communities without a library, but at the Library’s last annual general meeting, it was decided to request the same rate from all communities.
The rate adjustment amounted to a reduction of $2,117 in 2025 for Kamsack, Hvidston said. Because of receiving that much less money from the community, Parkland said that Kamsack would either have to reduce its library’s hours of operation by two hours a week, or town council could supplement the librarian’s wages by $2,140 in 2025.
Council decided to allow the library to remain open for those two hours and pay the extra amount, he said. The situation will be reviewed for 2026.
Councillors said they felt that a library is important because not all residents have easy access to computers and books.
Council indicated they hoped the librarian will conduct an increase in programming to attract more visits.
If more people are using the facility, council does not mind having to cover the extra costs involved, Dix said.
Council was told that 2025 will be the second of a three-year union contract, which had provided for increases of 6, 5.5 and 5 per cent over three years. In line with the contract, all town staff of union and non-union members will receive a 5.5 per cent increase next year. This also includes the amount being paid members of town council.
Meeting with the acting staff sergeant of the Kamsack RCMP detachment, which it normally does about two or three times a year, council was told that between 30 and 40 per cent of all calls made to the detachment office were calls from within Kamsack.
It was said that the detachment will be welcoming five or six new members by spring.
Discussing the Police Action Plan for 2025, council was told that the RCMP would want council’s input, including a knowledge of its priorities, by April.
Because the Town was successful in the appeal from Linda and Ferris Scobie about the veterinarian clinic being allowed to remain at 237 Third Street, council chose not to appeal the conditions that had been placed on the discretionary use permit issued to Dr. Ellen Amundsen-Case.
Expressing a desire to make changes to the Town of Kamsack logo, council agreed to remove the butterfly image from the word “Kamsack,” and may make additional changes in the future.
Council is planning to hire someone to create a new Town of Kamsack website early in 2025.
It was agreed council will continue to meet the second and fourth Monday evenings of each month, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Regarding the annual SUMA (Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association) convention in Saskatoon April 13 to 16, council was told all members of council, plus the administrator and assistant administrator, were invited to attend, but currently, three members indicated they would not be attending. Council authorized the attendance of Kelsey Rauckman, the public works manager, and Karl Morck, the water treatment manager, to attend the trade show portion of the convention.
