It has been one year since the new Mayor and Councillors were elected.
For Councillor Jeff Peddle some highlights over his first year include working in the rural communities of the region and implementing the truth and reconciliation commission into the municipality by reviewing Moccasin Flats.
Council will be heading out to the rural communities this weekend to celebrate the grand opening of Conklin’s new multiplex and have their council meeting out in Anzac.
Going forward Peddle wants to continue working with Industry and other public providers and revitalize downtown to attract more people to our region.
“We are doing a lot of new developments in Timberlea but it’s trying to revitalize downtown with all the empty buildings downtown and make downtown more attractive to people,” said Peddle.
“I think if people have the luxury of getting a paycheck from Fort McMurray they should certainly consider living here.”
Councillor Keith McGrath also feels the Municipality needs to continue to improve their relationship with Industry, be more committed with people who are still rebuilding their homes following the 2016 wildfire and make mental health services a priority in the community.
He feels some of the biggest challenges him and his colleagues will face in the coming months are Moccasin Flats, addressing the mobile population, looking after the citizen that do live in the community and making sure they get treated probably when it comes to bylaw enforcement.
For Councillor’s Sheila Lalonde and Phil Meagher, they are proud of council for endorsing Bill-21.
Meagher noted that he was also impressed with their work on stabilizing the budget.
“I thought we did a good job with the budget, I think the surplus we just reported in the last quarter is a good sign we’re headed in the right direction however the next quarter will be more telling,” said Meagher.
“It’s going to be after the construction season and other than snow removable in the winter there’s not a whole lot taking police, so less money spent, so we’ll see how we balance and fair after the next report.”
Going forward Meagher would like to see Council become a stronger team with a big focus on the rural communities and finances.
The creation of the Economic Development Corporation will help Council achieve Meaghers goal of having the region become more fiscally stable.
Councillors Krista Balsom and Verna Murphy are both very excited about the project.
“I can’t wait to see what it’s going to mean for the economy and local businesses, I think it’s going to bring in new investment.
I think the residents are going to be happy when they see new retail, new restaurants and you want that to create a momentum to make people more interested in moving their families here,” said Murphy.
Murphy says she wants to focus on making life better for the people that are living in the region so they don’t move away, especially the youth and seniors.
“I think that if we make it good for children to grow up in Fort McMurray then they are going to want to stay here,” said Murphy. “And I think that it’s the same for the seniors. If we make it easier for them to live in Fort McMurray, whether it’s during the wintertime for their mobility or the services that they have or the services that they need or the medical attention that they can access, I think we’ll see the benefits of the seniors staying in the community as well.
With Willow Square moving forward Murphy is hopeful residents will choose to continue to call Fort McMurray their home.
Through their 2018-2021 strategic plan, She adds that Council will continue to work on the economic development, their customer service and trying to make things better for residents in areas such as snow removal and transits.
