The Municipal District of Bonnyville has commenced a comprehensive review and update of the Land Use Bylaw No. 1667, signalling a proactive approach to aligning municipal regulations with evolving community needs and development trends. 

As mandated by provincial legislation, all municipalities are required to maintain a Land Use Bylaw alongside other statutory plans, such as Municipal Development Plans and Area Structure Plans. Recognizing the necessity for periodic revisions to accommodate changing circumstances, the M.D. has embarked on this initiative to ensure that its regulatory framework remains relevant and effective.  

The current land use bylaw, adopted over seven years ago, has undergone minor amendments and additions over time. However, an overarching update is now deemed essential to integrate recent revisions to other statutory plans, address emerging development trends, and meet the evolving needs of the community. This endeavor also aims to ensure compliance with provincial legislation and incorporate best practices in land use planning.  

The M.D. has engaged Stantec Consulting's expertise to facilitate this comprehensive review. The undertaking is expected to span nine to twelve months, during which Stantec will collaborate closely with municipal stakeholders to gather input, analyze data and draft proposed revisions.  

Community engagement lies at the heart of this initiative, with the M.D. emphasizing the importance of soliciting input from residents to shape the updated Land Use Bylaw. Two open houses have been scheduled in May to provide opportunities for public participation.  

Wednesday, May 8 – Eastbourne Hall, 6 pm to 8 pm 

Thursday, May 9 – Riverhurst Hall, 6 pm to 8 pm 

In addition to these events, the M.D. will keep residents informed through various channels, including the M.D.’s residents' newsletter Rural Review, local newspapers, the official website and social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram @mdbonnyville and X @mdbville. The public is encouraged to actively engage in the process and provide feedback directly to the project team throughout the review period.  

Regular updates on the progress of the Land Use Bylaw review will be provided at council meetings, which are open to the public and accessible for viewing on the M.D.’s YouTube Channel. 

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Lakeland College is celebrating what they’re calling a transformative $1 million donation from alumnus Bill Robinson of Vermillion. The generous gift is set to enhance student support and strengthen the campus farm.

Half of Robinson’s donation will establish an endowment, providing financial assistance through bursaries for first-year students attending full-time, in-person studies at the Vermillion campus. The remaining half will be allocated to bolster beef cattle initiatives, focusing on campus farm improvements and applied research projects.

A proud graduate of the 2-in-1 Agriculture program in 1958, Robinson, later returned to Lakeland 30 years after graduation to pursue electrical training. His family legacy at Lakeland includes his father, Lyle, a 1927 graduate, and his mother, Annabel, who served as the Dean of Women for three years.

Expressing his deep connection to Lakeland, Robinson stated, “The college has been a big part of our family for years. I hope that this gift will help the college continue to grow, while also providing funding support to the students who need it most so they can attend the college and get a great education.”

Reflecting on his time at Lakeland, Robinson considers it among the best moments of his life, emphasizing the valuable lessons learned and the close connections forged with classmates.

Dr. Alice Wainwright-Stewart, President and CEO of Lakeland College, thanked Robinson for his generous gift and ongoing support.

“Bill’s generosity will help us continue to modernize our campus farm, which is used by our more than 650 agricultural sciences students as well as applied research staff,” says Wainwright-Stewart.

“In addition, the Bill Robinson Bursary will help remove financial barriers for many students, creating greater access to a Lakeland College education. Bills got a big heart, and he cares deeply about our college, our current and future students, and our community. We are so appreciative of his amazing support.”

In recognition of Robinson’s significant contribution, Lakeland College has named a 150-seat classroom in the WHT Mead Building at the Vermilion campus the Lyle and Annabel Robinson Lecture Theatre, honoring his parents.

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The provincial government rejected an amendment that would make its referendum results on exiting the Canada Pension Plan binding

The United Conservative government used its majority to vote down the New Democratic Party’s amendment to Bill 2 that aimed to enforce adherence to referendum outcomes.

Finance Minister Nate Horner dismissed the amendment as "vague, confusing, and repetitive," and reiterated the government's commitment to respecting Albertans' choices in a referendum, without limiting future government decisions

Another voted-down NDP amendment aimed to dedicate income from the proposed Alberta pension plan to prevent diversion for political projects. The UCP bill would mandate the investment of funds transferred from the CPP into an Alberta pension plan but does not address the fate of income generated from the plan.

As the legislative proceedings advance to the committee of the whole stage before potential final reading. The opposition intending to vote against the bill, introduces amendments to address perceived shortcomings.

Faced with a potential filibuster, Government House Leader Joseph Schow swiftly passed a motion imposing a one-hour time limit on future debates over amendments.

The pension debate originated from Premier Smith's call for consultations based on a government report suggesting Alberta's entitlement to 53 per cent f the entire CPP fund. Critics question this calculation and the federal government warns of potential risks to CPP stability if Alberta were to withdraw.

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Someone wanting to become a nurse will no longer have to leave Lloydminster and the area to complete their studies with a new deal for 16 seats between Lakeland College and the University of Saskatchewan.

The agreement was announced at the Lloydminster campus on Tuesday with officials and students present to celebrate the prospect of graduation of the first group in the spring of 2025.

Cassandra Surina is in her third year in the College’s nursing program. The Vermilion resident says the program is really wonderful.

“It gives people here the opportunity to complete their Bachelor of Science in nursing and become a registered nurse without having to travel to the big cities to get the schooling. So, it provides a lot more opportunities for everybody.”

Another facet under the Saskatchewan government is the student loan forgiveness program which Surina can also take advantage of.

Lakeland College’s president Dr. Alice Wainwright-Stewart says the idea has been on the cards for about two decades. She credits the input of Lloydminster MLA Colleen Young.

“I think probably a catalyst was our Colleen. Colleen could see the logic and she also knew information that we didn’t know about where there were other seats in the province. And so, she could go to bat for Lloydminster.”

Dean of Nursing at the University of Saskatchewan, Dr. Solina Richter says it means a lot for the university to be able to expand its live where you learn values for the benefit of more students in rural areas.

“We can expand to the rural and remote areas and give students more access to quality education – that they will stay in the communities where they do their education,” says Richter.

At a cost of some $20,000 a year to become a nurse, students like Surina have expressed their delight at not having to move away from their families to pursue their dreams.

Presently there are some 20 clinical spaces at the Lloydminster Hospital and officials see the next steps as growing placements for the nurses to get on-the-job training at both Wainwright and Vermilion hospitals.

Files from GL

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On October 30, 2023, Cold Lake RCMP was notified of a break-and-enter that occurred overnight at the Cold Lake Transfer Station.

The suspect gained entry to the Transfer Station by the landfill tower, causing significant damage to the building.

While Cold Lake RCMP continues to investigate, we are asking for public assistance in identifying the suspect in the attached photo provided.

If you have information about this incident, please call the Cold Lake RCMP at 780-594-3302 or call your local police.

If you want to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), by internet at www.tipsubmit.com, or by SMS (check your local Crime Stoppers www.crimestoppers.ab.ca for instructions).

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This upcoming Saturday, ceremonies will take place throughout the Lakeland to commemorate Remembrance Day.

In Cold Lake, 4 Wing is once again playing a significant role in the commemoration at the Cold Lake Energy Centre. Spectators are urged to gather at Imperial Oil Place at 10:30 am, with the parade kicking off at 10:45 am. Meanwhile, the Bonnyville event will unfold in the open air at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #183, starting at 10:45 am. A poignant moment is anticipated as 100-year-old WWII veteran Willie McGregor is expected to lay a wreath during the ceremony. Inside, attendees can enjoy coffee and refreshments.

Over at the St. Paul Rec Centre, early arrival at 10:00 am is encouraged for observers, as a half-hour of videos commemorating November 11th will precede the program. The official proceedings commence at 10:30 am with the entrance of the 401 Tactical Fighter Squadron from 4 Wing and the participation of first responders.

In Elk Point, the ceremony kicks off with a parade at 10:45 am, starting from the Seniors Centre and leading to the Cenotaph. A brief program and two minutes of silence at 11:00 am will be observed, along with the laying of wreaths.

Lac La Biche's Remembrance Day observance also begins at 10:45 am by the Cenotaph outside the Legion building. Following the ceremony, they invite members to partake in a light lunch.

These gatherings serve as a tribute to our veterans, so join your fellow community members in honoring their sacrifices. 

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With temperatures cooling and snow arriving, the Water Security Agency (WSA) is reminding the public to ensure that ice is thick enough to safely walk, drive, or snowmobile on. 

Ice thickness can be unpredictable and difficult to assess at times. It does not freeze at a uniform thickness and its strength can vary considerably from one area to another. 

To be sure, check the ice thickness before you travel on it. As a guideline, you need at least 10 cm (four inches) of ice to walk on, 20 cm (eight inches) to drive a snowmobile or ATV on, 30 cm (12 inches) to drive a car or light truck on, and more than 30 cm (12 inches) to support a heavy truck. 

Guidelines are provided to help individuals decide whether to venture onto the ice. Thickness is just one consideration when evaluating ice safety. Clear, hard ice is the only ice recommended for travel.  

You should always check the ice conditions where you are before venturing onto the ice. 

Ice should be re-evaluated on every date visited, even if it was safe on a previous date. The date that ice becomes safe at a site varies year-over-year requiring the verification of the thickness each year as opposed to relying on past experiences. 

Also, avoid ice that: 

• looks slushy; 
• has thawed, then froze again; 
• is near moving water; 
• is layered, caused by sudden temperature changes; or 
• has structures on it, such as pressure ridges. 

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A blue-green algae advisory has been issued for Lac La Biche Lake, and Alberta Health Services is advising the public to be careful around the body of water.

Residents living near the shores of this lake, as well as visitors to this lake, are advised to take the following precautions:

• Avoid all contact with cyanobacterial blooms. If contact occurs, wash with tap water as soon as possible.
• Do not swim or wade or allow your pets to swim or wade in any areas where cyanobacteria is visible.
• Do not feed whole fish or fish trimmings from this lake to your pets.
• Consider limiting human consumption of whole fish and fish trimmings from this lake, as it is known that fish may store toxins in their liver. (People can safely consume fish fillets from this lake).
• Do not use water contaminated with cyanobacteria to water edible plants. This is particularly important for plants with edible parts exposed to the ground surface (such as cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, and other salad vegetables).

People who come in contact with visible cyanobacteria or who ingest water containing cyanobacteria may experience skin irritation, rash, sore throat, sore red eyes, swollen lips, fever, nausea and vomiting and/or diarrhea. Symptoms usually appear within one to three hours and resolve in one to two days with symptoms in children often more pronounced.

Cyanobacteria is naturally occurring and often becomes visible when weather conditions are calm. Appearing like scum, grass clippings, fuzz, or globs on the surface of water, cyanobacteria can be blue-green, greenish-brown, brown, and/or pinkish-red, and often smell musty or grassy.

Visitors and residents are reminded to never drink or cook with untreated water directly from any recreational body of water, including Lac La Biche Lake, at any time. Boiling of this water will not remove the toxins produced by cyanobacteria.

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Vermilion RCMP has arrested one person after receiving a tip about a stolen bicycle and the suspect. 

On May 30, 2023, at approximately 9:55 p.m. officials received the tip about the bicycle but it was gone when RCMP arrived on the scene. Officers then patrolled to other known locations where the suspect was known to frequent and located the bicycle. Afterward, RCMP entered into a possession of stolen property investigation. 

A male was identified and arrested at the scene and was found to be also breaching conditions and in possession of a stolen identity document. 

As a result of the investigation, Andrew James “AJ” Prill was charged with possession of stolen property under $5000, 2 counts of fail to comply with probation order, and possession of an identity document among others. 

Sgt. Corey Buckingham of Vermilion RCMP says this was another great example of residents providing police with additional “eyes” in the community.  

"This allowed officers to follow-up on the tip and then use their local knowledge and experience to locate the stolen item and apprehend the individual in possession. Overall an excellent outcome that will now be before the courts.” 

Prill was held in custody pending a Judicial Interim Release hearing. Following the hearing, Prill was remanded to appear on June 5, 2023, at Alberta Court of Justice in Vermilion. 

Subsequent to this investigation, sufficient information was gathered to draft and obtain a search warrant for Prill’s property. The search warrant was executed and additional stolen items were recovered. 

Additional charges are pending. 

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Unvaccinated Canadians will soon be able to board a plane or train.

Federal officials announced Tuesday afternoon that, as of June 20th, the vaccine mandate for domestic and outbound international travellers will end.

The restriction was announced last October as a way to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Those coming back to Canada will still have to quarantine while foreign nationals arriving in the country will still need to be vaccinated.

Mask mandates will also stay in place. Officials say the changes are based on science and not on cutting down on long lines and delays seen at airports including Toronto and Vancouver.

They add the measures could be brought back if COVID-19 cases surge once again.

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Police were called to a couple of breaks and enters on March 5th, luckily no one was injured.

Around 4 AM residents of an apartment building were woken up to the sounds of someone kicking down their front door. After breaching into the apartment, the intruder tried to enter the couple's bedroom.

The couple closed the bedroom door preventing the person from entering.

The couple says they were terrified upon waking up.

"We didn't know what was happening, we just kept thinking to ourselves is this how we die. The whole situation went by in a flash and dragged on for eternity at the same time."

The couple commented saying how it has been hard getting back to normal.

"Sleeping has been hard, you hear a noise, and suddenly you flashback to that moment thinking it is happening again. You underestimate how quickly someone can take away your sense of security."

RCMP arrived and arrested the intoxicated 19-year-old male from Bonnyville and charged him with Breaking & Entering.

He is set to appear in court on April 5^th.

Later in the day, Bonnyville RCMP was dispatched to an apartment where a man had broken into his apartment and stole multiple televisions, clothing, and food.

The 46-year-old male suspect was located where RCMP arrived on the scene and found the man attempting to return the victim’s belongings prior to police attending.

The male was arrested and charged with Breaking and Entering.  He is set to appear in court on April 5^th.

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Some big rigs in downtown Ottawa are moving out voluntarily this afternoon as police continue to push into the epicentre of the Freedom Convoy protest.

Meanwhile, Ottawa Police say they have arrested more than 70 people and have towed at least 21 vehicles.

Some protesters are kneeling on the ground and are hugging each other yelling “Freedom.”

Ottawa Police tweeted earlier Friday that some protesters have put children between the line of officers and the protest site.  According to the police, those children will be taken to a safe place.  But Interim Chief Steve Bell says so far, they have had no reason to engage Children’s Aid to remove children from the crowd, "We implore all parents with kids there, get your kids out of there.”

As well another self-proclaimed leader of the Freedom Convoy has been arrested.

A Facebook Live video on his personal page shows Pat King being arrested on four charges including mischief, counselling to obstruct a police officer, and counselling to disobey a court order.

Earlier in the protest, the organizers of the convoy disavowed King saying he was not authorized to speak on behalf of the group.

Unconfirmed reports suggest another organizer Daniel Bulford has turned himself into police.

On Thursday night, two organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber were arrested and are awaiting a bail hearing Friday. Another main organizer B.J. Dichter has not yet been detained.

Meanwhile, remaining organizers of the Freedom Convoy are calling on protesters to take a stand. In a press conference streamed on the convoy’s Facebook page, Friday afternoon Tom Reisler, a retired Canadian Military Officer told demonstrators to still come to Ottawa.  He said, “you will win if you come and show your support.”

He also said that many intersections are blocked but there are still ways into the city’s core.  Almost simultaneously, another organizer was telling protestors it's time to leave.

In a tweet, co-organizer BJ Dichter asks the Ottawa police to allow the remaining trucks to leave peacefully.

The tweet was made after Dichter claimed to have witnessed police smashing the window of a protestor’s truck, drawing guns, and dragging the truck driver out.

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Despite the covid-19 pandemic, Bonnyville is hosting some thanksgiving events to celebrate the holiday.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 183 is hosting their annual Turkey Blast Challange to give a meal to the community.

Covid-19 restrictions are being kept in mind as proof of vaccination or recent test are required to enter.

The cooking will be done outside and passed out with people wearing personal protective equipment.

According to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 183, the last event was successful taking into account the circumstances.

The left-over food will be donated to a multitude of places.

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Keith Puetz has just won $111,365.40 on the may 12 LOTTO 6/49 Draw.

He says he checked his numbers on the WCLC's website and Puetz became speechless.

"All I could say was yeah!"

Puetz says he plans to do some shopping with his windfall and then put some of the winnings towards a shiny new car.

The winning ticket was purchased at the Bonnyville Esso, located at 5713 50 Ave.

He won his money by matching five of the six main draw numbers and the bonus on the May 12 draw.

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77 grams of methamphetamine, 8 grams of suspected fentanyl, and drug trafficking paraphernalia were found by police Friday the 24th.

Officials performed the drugs and substances search in the Wildrose Trailer park in Wetaskiwin after their investigation lead them to the residence in the park.

Wetaskiwin RCMP Detachment members started their investigation after Wetaskiwin saw 5 drug overdoses within a week, including one suspected drug-related death.

The RCMP have charged 4 people with the following crimes:

• Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking Methamphetamine
• Breach of Probation
• Fail to Comply with Undertaking
• Obstruct Police Officer

All four people have been reprimanded into custody and have scheduled court dates on the 28th and the 30th of September.

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EDMONTON, AB – “COVID-19 is surging once again in Alberta.”

That, from Premier Jason Kenney Friday as he held his first press conference in a month.

He says there is a concerning rise in hospitalizations made up of almost entirely unvaccinated Albertans. The ICU situation is worse he says, with a 93 percent jump in admissions in the past eight days.

In an attempt to address this fourth wave surge, Kenney announced new temporary COVID-19 measures set to take effect at 8am Saturday, Sept. 4.

• The province will make masks mandatory for all indoor public spaces and workplaces starting Sept. 4 at 8 a.m. Schools are not required to implement masking but school boards will continue to set COVID-19 management policies as they deem appropriate.
• Also, as of Sept. 4 at 8 a.m., restaurants, cafés, bars, pubs, nightclubs and other licensed establishments will be required to end alcohol service at 10 p.m.
• In addition, Albertans are encouraged to limit in-person contacts. To support this, the province strongly recommends that unvaccinated Albertans limit their indoor social gatherings to close contacts of only two cohort families up to a maximum of 10 people.
• It is also recommended that employers pause their plans to have staff return to work and instead continue with work-from-home measures. If employees are working on location, employees must mask for all indoor settings, except in work stations or where two-metre physical distancing or adequate physical barriers are in place.

The Premier also announced that Alberta will be the first province to offer a one-time incentive of a $100 gift card for all Albertans 18 and older who receive a first or second dose of vaccine between Sept. 3 and Oct. 14.

Kenney says one out of every five Alberta adults are not fully vaccinated and “their choices are now jeopardizing our healthcare system.”

Alberta Health Services announced Friday it is postponing scheduled surgeries and procedures across all zones, saying “the rise in COVID-19 cases in the community and the resulting demand on hospital resources means AHS must take further immediate steps to create additional ICU capacity.”

The Calgary Zone and South Zone are postponing up to 30 percent of scheduled surgeries, endoscopy and outpatient visits.

AHS says it will be maintaining urgent and emergent procedures, as well as prioritized cancer surgeries.

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