Currently, Waterways is the only community in the region with blanket restrictions remaining in place on any part of rebuilding. Without a flood mitigation strategy for all of Waterways and the Lower Townsite, homeowners would have to put in their own flood-proofing measures in order to have a development permit approved.
That could change at Tuesday night’s council meeting when members vote on a by-law amendment that would repeal the restrictions on building related to the provincial overland flooding legislation.
This after 68 per cent of residents from Waterways who took part in an RMWB survey said they want to go ahead with the status quo and rebuild as close to what they had before the fire as possible.
Also Tuesday night, council will look to confirm a move initiated last week to cancel the raises approved earlier this summer as part of several changes to the by-law governing the Wood Buffalo Recovery Committee.
Mayor Melissa Blake put forward the motion, which was unanimously approved by her colleagues, that asked staff to prepare the by-law amendment they’ll officially vote on Tuesday night. It will see increases in pay only for the three members sitting on the committee and only if they choose to apply for it. They would be paid at the same rate as the other non-elected members of the committee.
The by-law change would also allow the committee to meet less frequently, a move they’ve put on hold for the time being.
Council will also vote on whether to confirm the Wood Buffalo Recovery Committee’s unanimous recommendation for the permanent appointment of Dana Woodworth as leader of the Recovery Task Force.
There will also be a report on the full plan for compensation for owners of the firebreak properties. It was announced last week they would receive an up-front payment to help with the cost of debris removal but there will also be additional compensation for the damages done to their properties in the creation of the firebreak which helped to stop the spread of the wildfire. There are a total of 53 homes so far identified as having been affected.
Council will also consider the Rural Committee recommendation for the sale of five lots in Conklin to the Conklin Resource Development Advisory Committee, a non-profit community organization.
