Summer 2014 - Walk for Water - Lake Winnipeg Foundation
For the first time, the starting point will be at the Dunnottar Community Club.
Please join us for this great event!
_______________________________________
The Village of Dunnottar has kept its status as an independent village, and will not be involved in amalgamation.
Thank you to all those who worked so hard on this campaign.
READ & LISTEN - Winnipeg Free Press Tuesday Sept. 11, 2013
CBC news story Tuesday Sept. 11, 2013
Excerpt "The NDP government is making some concessions to critics opposed to the government's plan to amalgamate small muncipalities. It says it will exclude communities such as Victoria Beach and Dunnottar, saying the resort communities are "unique."
Last night (Tuesday September 10, 2013) the Committee Hearings continued. Throughout we have had a strong Dunnottar representation including Mayor Gamble and Councillor Bob Campbell.
David Lewis was one of the last presenters, he reported that at the end of the evening Minister Ron Lemieux told the Committee Hearing about the exemption plan for the two communities.
Interlake Enterprise Wed. Sept. 11, 2013 by Jim Mosher
read here: "Exceptions to Amalgamation"
"Local Government Minister Ron Lemieux has heard the hue and cry in cottage country, where permanent numbers are below the threshold but which have large tax bases due to seasonal property owners. Lemieux says he has directed departmental staff to amend Bill 33 to exempt Dunnottar and Victoria Beach.
“Drafting is beginning with amendments to have Dunnottar and Victoria Beach not be required to look for partners to amalgamate with. Even though their wintertime populations are below a thousand, their summertime populations escalate really quite high,” Lemieux said in an interview yesterday. He said the tax and population base in both communities is growing.
“Those amendments are going to come forward,” he said."
excerpt from article
Please read Winnipeg Free Press Story (Sept. 4, 2013)
"Local Government Minister Ron Lemieux said Tuesday his officials have drafted amendments to Bill 33 that would allow resort communities such as Victoria Beach and Dunnottar to stay as they are. "I'm encouraged right now that this might be possible," Lemieux said in an interview." - reporter Bruce Owen
We are still encouraging Villagers to continue the letter writing, phone calls and appearing at the Committee Meetings with support for amending Bill 33.
Read the CBC story September 2, 2013 featuring photo of Betty signing the giant postcard to Premier Selinger!
CBC Radio Noon, Rick Gamble in conversation with Marilyn Maki on August 1, 2013
Listen - CBC Website
"Is Eulogy for Dunnottar premature?" Interlake Enterprise August 28, 2013
scroll down through letters to find this one.
Winnipeg Free Press - Tuesday August 27, 2013
Poplar piers are so iconic that the province features one on its website. (GOVERNMENT OF MANITOBA)
Anyone familiar with the southwest shoreline of Lake Winnipeg will recognize the area's iconic poplar piers.
These piers, erected each spring and removed after the September long weekend, offer much more than a pathway over the rocky shoreline out to the sand bars.
They are an evening escape from mosquitoes and a breezy reprieve from the hot afternoon sun. But mostly, they are a communal meeting space -- one of the last preserves of the public commons where, for generations, neighbours and families have interacted daily in ways long since gone in larger cities, suburbs and communities.
It takes a lot of hard work and craftsmanship to build a pier. It also takes a political commitment from the local government to pay the costs to erect and dismantle eight public piers that are only available for a few months each summer.
With the government's forthcoming Municipal Modernization Act, which will force smaller municipalities to amalgamate with a larger, neighbouring community, local services unique to individual communities are all on the negotiating table.
The Village of Dunnottar's historically significant public piers are an example of the culturally relevant local services that are at risk should the forced amalgamation come through.
Inexplicably, the one and only criterion forcing amalgamation is 1,000 permanent residents as reported in the 2011 Stats Canada census. Despite a voter's list of more than 1,800 and a summer population in the 3,000 range, our community will be forced to dissolve as our reported full time population is 696.
Well over 50 years ago, community services such as the public piers were a motivation for the ratepayers of Matlock, Whytewold and Ponemah to establish their own municipality. Until then, these beach communities were a part of St. Andrews. Along with Victoria Beach and Winnipeg Beach, our village was designated a cottage community by legislation.
Our elections occur in the summer when the majority of voters are present. Bill 33 completely discounts these voters, many of whom return each summer from various parts of Canada and around the world. Dunnottar's modernization will return it back from whence it came.
Village ratepayers will no longer be represented by four elected councillors and a mayor. As part of St. Andrews, the village's three beach communities could become part of a larger ward represented by one councillor. Currently, the total remuneration for five elected officials in Dunnottar is equivalent to the average cost of a single St. Andrews' ward councillor.
As its own municipality, the village's amenities have expanded to include a public landfill, sewage lagoons, a community centre, parks, the municipal office, a fully-equipped public works site, garbage and sewage collection and grass cutting. In this age of economic uncertainty, the village provides full-time employment for public works and office personnel along with many seasonal positions. It has also been recognized for its proactive environmental policies.
Notably, Dunnottar is ranked first on a list of "healthy" municipalities, as acknowledged in the Brandon University Rural Development Institute study used by the province to justify amalgamation. One reason for Dunnottar's strength is it already cost-shares a number of its services with its neighbouring municipalities where it makes sense to do so. Where it doesn't make sense, it works independently, the very reason for incorporating 66 years ago.
All of Dunnottar's services, jobs, public assets and political representation are now at risk, given initial analysis of the implications of the forced amalgamation. Good luck to the one councillor elected to represent Dunnottar as part of their expanded ward.
This is the short story of one municipality the modernization act will eliminate; there are many more stories like this across Manitoba.
I ask Premier Selinger to engage in sober second thought regarding forced amalgamation. Make it a voluntary exercise between municipalities which know best the unique needs and challenges of their communities.
At the very least uphold the spirit of the Manitoba Municipal Act, which recognizes the reality of cottage communities in law.
Articles 86(3) and 93.1(1) of the act regulate election dates and campaign periods in Victoria Beach, Winnipeg Beach and Dunnottar, by changing the municipal election dates from July to October, it will be more difficult to politically engage summer residents.
This is one indicator of a larger truth: forced amalgamation significantly reduces the number of elected municipal officials in Manitoba. By eliminating close to half of all municipalities, the province drastically reduces accountability. These changes do not bode well for the democratic process. How ironic the poplar pier, promoted with pride by the province on its Welcome to Manitoba homepage, may no longer be public in our area. With the risk of amalgamation, we face the unwelcome possibility the only piers stretching off the shoreline will be privately owned -- such is the legacy of imposed amalgamation with no consultation.
Bob H. Campbell is an elected Village of Dunnottar councillor.
For the first time, the starting point will be at the Dunnottar Community Club.
Please join us for this great event!
_______________________________________
The Village of Dunnottar has kept its status as an independent village, and will not be involved in amalgamation.
Thank you to all those who worked so hard on this campaign.
READ & LISTEN - Winnipeg Free Press Tuesday Sept. 11, 2013
CBC news story Tuesday Sept. 11, 2013
Excerpt "The NDP government is making some concessions to critics opposed to the government's plan to amalgamate small muncipalities. It says it will exclude communities such as Victoria Beach and Dunnottar, saying the resort communities are "unique."
Last night (Tuesday September 10, 2013) the Committee Hearings continued. Throughout we have had a strong Dunnottar representation including Mayor Gamble and Councillor Bob Campbell.
David Lewis was one of the last presenters, he reported that at the end of the evening Minister Ron Lemieux told the Committee Hearing about the exemption plan for the two communities.
Interlake Enterprise Wed. Sept. 11, 2013 by Jim Mosher
read here: "Exceptions to Amalgamation"
"Local Government Minister Ron Lemieux has heard the hue and cry in cottage country, where permanent numbers are below the threshold but which have large tax bases due to seasonal property owners. Lemieux says he has directed departmental staff to amend Bill 33 to exempt Dunnottar and Victoria Beach.
“Drafting is beginning with amendments to have Dunnottar and Victoria Beach not be required to look for partners to amalgamate with. Even though their wintertime populations are below a thousand, their summertime populations escalate really quite high,” Lemieux said in an interview yesterday. He said the tax and population base in both communities is growing.
“Those amendments are going to come forward,” he said."
excerpt from article
Please read Winnipeg Free Press Story (Sept. 4, 2013)
"Local Government Minister Ron Lemieux said Tuesday his officials have drafted amendments to Bill 33 that would allow resort communities such as Victoria Beach and Dunnottar to stay as they are. "I'm encouraged right now that this might be possible," Lemieux said in an interview." - reporter Bruce Owen
We are still encouraging Villagers to continue the letter writing, phone calls and appearing at the Committee Meetings with support for amending Bill 33.
 |
| Photo: Bob Campbell |
Read the CBC story September 2, 2013 featuring photo of Betty signing the giant postcard to Premier Selinger!
CBC Radio Noon, Rick Gamble in conversation with Marilyn Maki on August 1, 2013
Listen - CBC Website
See full articles below or access the online news websites through links:
Iconic poplar piers at risk Winnipeg Free Press August 27, 2013
scroll down through letters to find this one.
Dunnottar withdraws plan to grab $300,000 of neighbour’s tax base
Dunnottar has scuttled its plan to annex a large swath of the
northern reaches of its sprawling neighbour, the RM of St. Andrews. The
tiny Lake Winnipeg village’s proposal was viewed by St. Andrews council
as audacious; it vowed to use all means at its disposal to resist the
takeover.
Had the village’s plan succeeded, it would have acquired potential tax revenue of almost $300,000, based on the current value of properties in the proposed annexation area.
After the village’s plan became public July 18, St. Andrews Reeve Don Forfar said his council was caught off-guard. It led to some bad vibes between both communities and their residents.
“We are not impressed because they ought to have talked to us first,” Reeve Forfar said July 23. “A good neighbour would have talked to you first.”
The recent Dunnottar decision underscores the government’s decision to stick to its guns on amalgamation. The Municipal Modernization Act, the yet-to-be-passed provincial legislation that sets out the amalgamation process, does not include any reference to annexation.
Dunnottar Mayor Rick Gamble penned a letter to announce council’s decision to withdraw its annexation bid. The village, the mayor said, would instead work with St. Andrews on a government-mandated amalgamation of the two communities.
“At this juncture, we will continue to work with the RM of St. Andrews towards developing a plan for an amalgamated municipality,” the mayor said in his letter.
Before offering an apology in his Aug. 21 letter, Gamble took aim at comments Local Government Minister Ron Lemieux had made to a Winnipeg Free Press reporter Bill Redekop. Lemieux is pointman on the government’s plan to force 87 municipalities in the province to merge with a larger neighbour. The affected municipalities have until the end of year to formalize key elements of their amalgamation plans.
Gamble cited Lemieux’s comment: “Having residents who are non-permanent is not a sustainable way to be running a municipality,” Lemieux said in the Free Press piece in the paper’s Aug. 1 edition.
Wrote Gamble: “Those non-permanent residents are charged the same tax dollars and have the same ability to vote in a municipal election as permanent residents. We believe they should be counted.”
The mayor closed with a somewhat qualified apology.
“When filing this [annexation] proposal, it was never the intention to destroy relationships, create animosity or generate bad feelings,” the mayor, referring to the mixed reaction the village’s plan generated, wrote. “We were exercising an option that is legally available to municipalities in an effort to preserve our community.”
“To the residents who were offended by this move,” he continued, “we offer our sincerest [sic] apologies. To those who supported this initiative, we thank you for your encouragement.”
It remains to seen whether amalgamation talks will result in a new municipality that will allow Dunnottar to “preserve” that community.
St. Andrews Reeve Forfar was conciliatory in a late-afternoon interview yesterday. “Rick [Gamble] and I have always been good friends,” Forfar said. “This time at least they showed me the letter before they sent the letter out.”
“I had no problem with the annexation. Their backs were to the wall — and desperate people do desperate things,” the reeve continued.
But there remains a lingering distrust of Dunnottar council. “I’ve now got a new relationship with that council. The thing is behind us,” said Forfar. “Rick and I are still good but there’s less trust with the village council.”
“Our goal will be the path of least resistance,” Forfar said. “We have south St. Andrews, Clandeboye, Petersfield, Matlock. This [Dunnottar joining the fold] is not unique. We will be respectful. At the end of the day, they [Dunnottar residents] become my people. As a politician, that is my focus. Most of the services are going to carry on.”
Gamble said yesterday evening that village council continues to hope the province will see the light. “We’re still hopeful that we can get an exemption in that, in my opinion, seasonal residents should be counted,” he said. “We do have a councillor who is seasonal [Lynne Guicheret] and there could one day be a seasonal mayor. The seasonal people put a lot of money into school division divisions, for instance. And they put a lot of money into the local economy.”
The Dunnottar mayor hopes he and Forfar remain good friends. “I think St. Andrews is going to do its best to keep Dunnottar the way it is. Understandably, our residents are concerned about things like retaining the piers and the community club. Don has indicated that he is willing to accommodate that. That’s a pretty positive development. There have been some misunderstandings on both our parts.”
In the meantime, there’s some uncertainty as to whether the government can pass the amalgamation legislation before the current legislative session ends. “The December deadline has become very questionable,” Gamble concluded.
Had the village’s plan succeeded, it would have acquired potential tax revenue of almost $300,000, based on the current value of properties in the proposed annexation area.
After the village’s plan became public July 18, St. Andrews Reeve Don Forfar said his council was caught off-guard. It led to some bad vibes between both communities and their residents.
“We are not impressed because they ought to have talked to us first,” Reeve Forfar said July 23. “A good neighbour would have talked to you first.”
The recent Dunnottar decision underscores the government’s decision to stick to its guns on amalgamation. The Municipal Modernization Act, the yet-to-be-passed provincial legislation that sets out the amalgamation process, does not include any reference to annexation.
Dunnottar Mayor Rick Gamble penned a letter to announce council’s decision to withdraw its annexation bid. The village, the mayor said, would instead work with St. Andrews on a government-mandated amalgamation of the two communities.
“At this juncture, we will continue to work with the RM of St. Andrews towards developing a plan for an amalgamated municipality,” the mayor said in his letter.
Before offering an apology in his Aug. 21 letter, Gamble took aim at comments Local Government Minister Ron Lemieux had made to a Winnipeg Free Press reporter Bill Redekop. Lemieux is pointman on the government’s plan to force 87 municipalities in the province to merge with a larger neighbour. The affected municipalities have until the end of year to formalize key elements of their amalgamation plans.
Gamble cited Lemieux’s comment: “Having residents who are non-permanent is not a sustainable way to be running a municipality,” Lemieux said in the Free Press piece in the paper’s Aug. 1 edition.
Wrote Gamble: “Those non-permanent residents are charged the same tax dollars and have the same ability to vote in a municipal election as permanent residents. We believe they should be counted.”
The mayor closed with a somewhat qualified apology.
“When filing this [annexation] proposal, it was never the intention to destroy relationships, create animosity or generate bad feelings,” the mayor, referring to the mixed reaction the village’s plan generated, wrote. “We were exercising an option that is legally available to municipalities in an effort to preserve our community.”
“To the residents who were offended by this move,” he continued, “we offer our sincerest [sic] apologies. To those who supported this initiative, we thank you for your encouragement.”
It remains to seen whether amalgamation talks will result in a new municipality that will allow Dunnottar to “preserve” that community.
St. Andrews Reeve Forfar was conciliatory in a late-afternoon interview yesterday. “Rick [Gamble] and I have always been good friends,” Forfar said. “This time at least they showed me the letter before they sent the letter out.”
“I had no problem with the annexation. Their backs were to the wall — and desperate people do desperate things,” the reeve continued.
But there remains a lingering distrust of Dunnottar council. “I’ve now got a new relationship with that council. The thing is behind us,” said Forfar. “Rick and I are still good but there’s less trust with the village council.”
“Our goal will be the path of least resistance,” Forfar said. “We have south St. Andrews, Clandeboye, Petersfield, Matlock. This [Dunnottar joining the fold] is not unique. We will be respectful. At the end of the day, they [Dunnottar residents] become my people. As a politician, that is my focus. Most of the services are going to carry on.”
Gamble said yesterday evening that village council continues to hope the province will see the light. “We’re still hopeful that we can get an exemption in that, in my opinion, seasonal residents should be counted,” he said. “We do have a councillor who is seasonal [Lynne Guicheret] and there could one day be a seasonal mayor. The seasonal people put a lot of money into school division divisions, for instance. And they put a lot of money into the local economy.”
The Dunnottar mayor hopes he and Forfar remain good friends. “I think St. Andrews is going to do its best to keep Dunnottar the way it is. Understandably, our residents are concerned about things like retaining the piers and the community club. Don has indicated that he is willing to accommodate that. That’s a pretty positive development. There have been some misunderstandings on both our parts.”
In the meantime, there’s some uncertainty as to whether the government can pass the amalgamation legislation before the current legislative session ends. “The December deadline has become very questionable,” Gamble concluded.
28 August 2013
Winnipeg Free Press - Tuesday August 27, 2013
Iconic poplar piers at risk
Forced amalgamations of local governments threaten uniqueness
These piers, erected each spring and removed after the September long weekend, offer much more than a pathway over the rocky shoreline out to the sand bars.
They are an evening escape from mosquitoes and a breezy reprieve from the hot afternoon sun. But mostly, they are a communal meeting space -- one of the last preserves of the public commons where, for generations, neighbours and families have interacted daily in ways long since gone in larger cities, suburbs and communities.
It takes a lot of hard work and craftsmanship to build a pier. It also takes a political commitment from the local government to pay the costs to erect and dismantle eight public piers that are only available for a few months each summer.
With the government's forthcoming Municipal Modernization Act, which will force smaller municipalities to amalgamate with a larger, neighbouring community, local services unique to individual communities are all on the negotiating table.
The Village of Dunnottar's historically significant public piers are an example of the culturally relevant local services that are at risk should the forced amalgamation come through.
Inexplicably, the one and only criterion forcing amalgamation is 1,000 permanent residents as reported in the 2011 Stats Canada census. Despite a voter's list of more than 1,800 and a summer population in the 3,000 range, our community will be forced to dissolve as our reported full time population is 696.
Well over 50 years ago, community services such as the public piers were a motivation for the ratepayers of Matlock, Whytewold and Ponemah to establish their own municipality. Until then, these beach communities were a part of St. Andrews. Along with Victoria Beach and Winnipeg Beach, our village was designated a cottage community by legislation.
Our elections occur in the summer when the majority of voters are present. Bill 33 completely discounts these voters, many of whom return each summer from various parts of Canada and around the world. Dunnottar's modernization will return it back from whence it came.
Village ratepayers will no longer be represented by four elected councillors and a mayor. As part of St. Andrews, the village's three beach communities could become part of a larger ward represented by one councillor. Currently, the total remuneration for five elected officials in Dunnottar is equivalent to the average cost of a single St. Andrews' ward councillor.
As its own municipality, the village's amenities have expanded to include a public landfill, sewage lagoons, a community centre, parks, the municipal office, a fully-equipped public works site, garbage and sewage collection and grass cutting. In this age of economic uncertainty, the village provides full-time employment for public works and office personnel along with many seasonal positions. It has also been recognized for its proactive environmental policies.
Notably, Dunnottar is ranked first on a list of "healthy" municipalities, as acknowledged in the Brandon University Rural Development Institute study used by the province to justify amalgamation. One reason for Dunnottar's strength is it already cost-shares a number of its services with its neighbouring municipalities where it makes sense to do so. Where it doesn't make sense, it works independently, the very reason for incorporating 66 years ago.
All of Dunnottar's services, jobs, public assets and political representation are now at risk, given initial analysis of the implications of the forced amalgamation. Good luck to the one councillor elected to represent Dunnottar as part of their expanded ward.
This is the short story of one municipality the modernization act will eliminate; there are many more stories like this across Manitoba.
I ask Premier Selinger to engage in sober second thought regarding forced amalgamation. Make it a voluntary exercise between municipalities which know best the unique needs and challenges of their communities.
At the very least uphold the spirit of the Manitoba Municipal Act, which recognizes the reality of cottage communities in law.
Articles 86(3) and 93.1(1) of the act regulate election dates and campaign periods in Victoria Beach, Winnipeg Beach and Dunnottar, by changing the municipal election dates from July to October, it will be more difficult to politically engage summer residents.
This is one indicator of a larger truth: forced amalgamation significantly reduces the number of elected municipal officials in Manitoba. By eliminating close to half of all municipalities, the province drastically reduces accountability. These changes do not bode well for the democratic process. How ironic the poplar pier, promoted with pride by the province on its Welcome to Manitoba homepage, may no longer be public in our area. With the risk of amalgamation, we face the unwelcome possibility the only piers stretching off the shoreline will be privately owned -- such is the legacy of imposed amalgamation with no consultation.
Bob H. Campbell is an elected Village of Dunnottar councillor.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 27, 2013 A9
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