Mayor’s Message November 2015

Well it seems that after having a beautiful Hallowe’en, Winter has decided to finally arrive with some nasty, icy roads. We are doing our best to ensure safe driving conditions for all of our community but would ask that you take your time on bad weather days and leave a little more space than usual between you and the car ahead.
Council and City staff have been continuing efforts with the Provincial government for those adversely affected by the flood this summer. You may not be aware of this but there was a recent change in Municipal Affairs and a new Minister was appointed. While the department itself is still moving issues and projects ahead, there was a bit of a pause with this change and that means our Disaster Relief Program application review has been pushed back. Instead of it landing on the Minister’s desk at the end of October, the new expected date is likely to be the first week in December.
I had the opportunity lately to meet the new Minister, Danielle Larivee, and stress to her the importance of this application as well as what it means to those residents who have paid money out of pocket for everything from restoration to clean up of flood damaged materials. She has experienced the fire in Slave Lake that decimated that community as well as the flood that happened shortly after that disaster, so she can relate. Minister Larivee has assured me our DRP application is a top priority for her but we will continue to push to make sure Chestermere stays at the top of her list. We will continue to advocate on your behalf and update you as we get more information. Thank you for your patience.
We continue to have economic benefits that have come out of our City status and are working hard at marketing the 101 acres of land we recently acquired. We invite all of our residents to help market those lands, and all commercial opportunities, with their own employers. With the downturn in oil there are companies looking to move from downtown Calgary and relocate to smaller spaces. There are also those companies looking 5 to 10 years ahead and planning their next expansions. If you are aware of any opportunity for our community please don’t hesitate to contact our Economic Development department at 403-207-7050 or jlacasse@chestermere.ca. We’ll build a stronger Chestermere by working together.
Finally, if you’re looking for a great Christmas gift for the hard-to-buy-for person in your life, why not consider a donation in his or her name to Christmas with Dignity? This program offers a hand up to those in need in our community and can be accessed not only at Christmas but any time of the year. Recipients are screened and expected to give back to the community in some meaningful way, so we all benefit from it. A special fundraising event with a children’s market will be held December 6th and we hope to see you there! Donations and information can be found at the municipal building or by calling 403-207-7050.
There’s so much beauty to enjoy in our community, even when it’s cold and icy. I hope you get the chance to take it all in; it’s good for the soul.
Take care
Mayor Matthews