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At the March 13 regular meeting of Council, a new municipal election bylaw was passed that clarifies the rules for Town elections in accordance with the Local Authorities Election Act. Bylaw 4514/2017 also rescinds 56 outdated bylaws that are now incorporated into the new bylaw.

"We wanted to update the bylaw to make the voting process more inclusive as well as rescind 56 previous bylaws that relate to municipal elections," says Kara Rusk, manager of legislative services and returning officer for the Town. "The Town's elections standards will now be much clearer for candidates and the voting process will be easier for residents."

The bylaw clarifies the nomination process and required voter identification while also authorizing advance voting, special ballots, incapacitated voting from home and automated voting for all future municipal elections.

"Due to changes to the Local Authorities Election Act, the nomination process will change for the upcoming election," adds Rusk. "Individuals interested in running for Mayor or Council must file an application with the Town before accepting or allocating any funds towards an election campaign."

In addition to the notice of intent application, candidates must also submit 15 signatures in support of their nomination.

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The annual Community Wellness Challenge will run from April 3 to May 14, 2017 in High River and is open to all ages and levels of activity. The six week challenge is designed to motivate participants into living a more healthy and active life.

Teams will consist of four participants and can be made up of anyone, whether it's family members, friends coworkers or neighbours. Individuals can also register and organizers will help them find a team.

Over the course of the challenge, teams will earn points for physical activity and wellness goals that are met each week. For example, Physical Activity points are earned every time a participant takes part in either 15 minutes (adults) or 30 minutes (children) of physical activity.
Wellness Points can be earned daily by choosing any or all of the below healthy choices:

• Decreasing the amount of television watched or video games played
• Eating a homemade meal
• Not drinking any alcohol and pop or smoking
• Drinking the recommended amount of water in a day
• Eating the recommended amount of fruits or vegetables in a day
• Getting a good night's sleep
• Attending information sessions (see link below)

There is also the opportunity to earn Bonus Points. Information on this, as well as overall details on the Wellness Challenge, can be found in the registration packages that are available at the following locations:

• High River Library (909 1 Street S.W.)
• Bob Snodgrass Recreation Complex (228 - 12 Avenue S.E.)
• www.highriver.ca under Residents then Community Programming menu

More information can also be found by following the High River Wellness Challenge on Facebook.

Registration is $10 per person and payment can be made at the High River Library. Methods of payment include Visa, debit card, cash or cheque (made out to the High River Library).

This program is a partnership between the Primary Care Network Calgary Rural, High River Library, McBride Career Group, Alberta Health Services and the Town of High River.

The Town of High River will be holding a public hearing on the proposed new Land Use Bylaw (Bylaw 4510/2017) on Monday, Apr. 3, 2017. 

The goal of the new Land Use Bylaw is to be more user-friendly, to allow for more flexibility, to encourage growth and development rather than hinder it, and to allow for decisions to be based on the following principles:

Put people first

• To provide a high level of service to citizens in their built form
• To emphasize form over function (use) as form is permanent
• To emphasize walkability
• To remove any unnecessary rules

Allow for (sustainable) stewardship of the land for the long term

• Use '100 year eyes' (long term goals over short term gain)
• To emphasize design quality

One of the main features of the proposed bylaw is reducing the number of land use districts from 41 to six, as well as being more permissive rather than prescriptive. The bylaw will also have a new organizational format that will include a strong web-based component to allow for more convenient access and use.

Information and resources on the project are available on the Town of High River website at www.highriver.ca under the Public Forums menu. A draft of the proposed Land Use Bylaw, as well as feature articles and an informative video can also be found online.

The rewrite of the Land Use Bylaw began in early 2016 and has consisted of extensive research, listening to stakeholders and public engagement with the community.

The public hearing will be held at 3 p.m. in Council Chambers at the Town Office located at 309B Macleod Trail S.W., High River, Alberta. 

If further information is required, please contact Breelyn Gray, Planner 2 at 403.603.3640 or [email protected].

National Volunteer Week runs from April 23 to 29, 2017 and the Town of High River is encouraging all residents to submit their nominations for Volunteer of the Year.

Volunteers make a difference in the community every day, whether it's shoveling a neighbours sidewalk, sitting on a board or committee, or donating their time to a local non-profit, sports team, or community group. This is a chance for residents to recognize the volunteers in their lives.

Nominations will be accepted until April 11 and the Volunteer of the Year in each category will be announced at an appreciation night on April 25. All community volunteers, as well as nominees are invited to attend.

Nomination forms, as well as more information on all National Volunteer Week activities can be found on the Town of High River website at www.highriver.ca under the Public Forums menu.