City of Cold Lake

News release: Bumpy financial start for city’s electric vehicle chargers Cold Lake, AB – The City of Cold Lake’s electric vehicle chargers saw steady use after a few early bumps in the road relating to connectivity. The high cost of energy, however, means that the City would need to charge as much as six times more than it currently does to recover the cost of operating the chargers. “The City of Cold Lake installed two chargers as an initial step towards supporting electric vehicles, as well as provincial and federal emission reductions and sustainability goals,” Mayor Craig Copeland said. “It is good to see that they were being used, but with initial numbers showing that the operations result in a large subsidy for EV users, we are unsure if the chargers are financially sustainable, given the electricity costs and the transmission and distribution fees we are seeing.” The City of Cold Lake charges 50 cents per minute of charge time, which is toward the higher end of the rates charges for EV charging in northern Alberta. It also receives a special electricity rate designed for EV charging stations and to incentivize the use of electric vehicles. Yet the operation of the chargers ended up with a $6,818 loss after a short six months and limited use, largely due to the distribution and transmission charges. Read full release: https://lnkd.in/gZwiQ5j7

News release: Enclosed mobility devices bring up bylaw debate Cold Lake, AB – Council will be sending a letter to the Ministry of Transportation and Economic Corridors, to see if the Provincial Government will be looking into regulations surrounding mobility aids. “Mobility aids have come a long way since the traffic laws were created,” said Mayor Craig Copeland. “Some of them are designed to look like small cars, but they don’t follow the same rules as cars.” Council discussed the usage of mobility aids, specifically small, enclosed transportation units, at length after receiving multiple reports of the devices driving on the Millennium Trail and roadways. “Technically as a mobility aid, it’s allowed on the trails,” said Copeland. “But people walking and biking are getting honked at by these tiny vehicles, and forced off to the side, which isn’t what we want to hear.” A specific model in question is the Gio, which at nearly two metres in length, and 1.3 metres wide, looks and operates similar to a Smart Car. The Gio, however, is smaller, fully battery operated, has a maximum speed of 29km/h, and classified as an enclosed mobility aid. “It could be compared to something like a golf cart. It doesn’t go very fast, but it’s still almost 700 pounds barreling down the trail,” said Copeland. “We’re starting to see a handful of them around and understand more residents are ordering them. If an accident or collision were to occur, there’s a lot of loose ends as to how it could be resolved.” Mobility aids do not require a driver’s licence, insurance, or registration to operate and are considered a “pedestrian,” meaning they are allowed on trails, sidewalks, and roadways to get around, just as a person walking would. “We want to know if the Government of Alberta is working on updating the legislation for these kinds of devices,” said Copeland. “We’re sure we’re not the only municipality facing these kinds of encounters, and before we start making any decisions ourselves, we are hoping the Province will take a lead, as it’s their legislation that needs to be adapted to accommodate this new technology.” Questions were also raised on the use of Class III electric bikes and scooters, as these types of equipment are known to have speed capacities well beyond 30km/h, as they don’t have governors built into this Class of imported equipment. As a municipality, the City of Cold Lake could update its Off-highway Vehicle and Traffic Bylaws to regulate the use of these kinds of devices. Council’s Corporate Priorities Committee recommended that Council write to the Minister of Transportation first, before considering the scope of municipal regulation requirements. - 30 -

News release: Building incentive programs look at start to finish Cold Lake, AB – Two new building incentives were discussed by council, as a way to encourage new home development and revitalize the properties of abandoned properties. The Starter Home Incentive Policy, if passed by Council, would focus on building small, affordable homes in the area to help get residents and families into the housing market. “The housing market can be quite challenging to break into, and so it’s important for a community to have a variety of housing options,” said Mayor Craig Copeland. “We’re hoping this policy will create some more affordable homes for people who don’t already have equity built up in real estate.” The draft Starter Home Incentive Program is geared toward creating single detached homes, with a smaller footprint, or row housing with up to three units. As proposed, the draft policy considers that a qualifying starter home would have up to 1,400 square feet of above-ground floor area and take up a footprint of 700 square feet or less. Row houses of up to three dwellings may also be considered. As a starting point, the policy is aimed at homes with a sale price of $350,000 or less. In exchange for the creation of these starter homes, the policy would rebate the first homeowner’s municipal taxes over the first three years of ownership and refund the builder a portion of the development permit costs incurred. The full policy will return to a future council meeting for any changes and a decision on whether council will move forward. The second incentive program focuses on derelict residential properties, where homes have been abandoned and renovation or redevelopment is hindered by the cost of demolition. Faced with several options to consider, Council opted to pursue the idea of waiving or rebating landfill fees for the demolition of approved derelict buildings, up to the amount of $10,000. “Some buildings can’t be saved, and the cost to remove them is high,” said Copeland. “At least this way we can try and alleviate some of the costs in order to bring the property back to something that make sense to develop again.” Details of the draft policy will return to a future council meeting for changes or approval. For more information on other building incentive programs offered by the City of Cold Lake, visit https://lnkd.in/gPzxcPN3 - 30 -

News release: City’s annexation approved through Order in Council   Cold Lake, AB – The City of Cold Lake has annexed two quarter sections of land from the Municipal District of Bonnyville (M.D.), approved through Order in Council, effective October 1, 2024. The two quarter sections of land were annexed as the owners of the majority of the land were pursuing a residential estate development which they wanted to connect to water and sewer services. The M.D. and the City agreed that the easiest way to accommodate the extension of municipal services to the proposed developments were for the quarter sections to fall within the corporate limits of the City of Cold Lake. “This annexation allows for a new development to come online and for city services to be extended to the development efficiently and effectively,” Mayor Craig Copeland said. “The M.D. of Bonnyville and the City of Cold Lake had a hard look at the situation and what the future is going to bring, and together we made a decision that’s best for the entire region.” The annexed lands are located at the north end of the City, adjacent to Cold Lake First Nations’ land to the west and Horseshoe Bay Estates to the east. Affected landowners in the annexation area will be taxed at the lower of the tax rates between the City of Cold Lake and the M.D. of Bonnyville for the next 50 years. If the subject land is subdivided, redesignated, or connected to city services at the request of the landowner, it will then be taxed at the City of Cold Lake tax rate. “The M.D. always appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with our neighbours,” said M.D. Reeve Barry Kalinski. “As the area continues to grow, residential areas with city services will be desirable for people looking to move here. This annexation supports the future growth and economic diversity for the region identified in the M.D.’s Strategic Plan.” For the 2024 tax year, the subject lands will be assessed and have their taxed collected by the M.D., with 25 per cent of the taxes provided to the City of Cold Lake. Beginning in 2025, the subject lands will be assessed and have the taxes collected by the City of Cold Lake. Over the course of the coming weeks, the City of Cold Lake will be reaching out directly to the annexed landowners to provide information regarding the transition to the City. More information can be found at: https://lnkd.in/g__xjveq. - 30 -

Council highlights Council compensation policy passed Cold Lake, AB – The recommendations of the Elected Official Compensation Review Committee, which is comprised of four community members and two council members, were accepted at the Oct. 8 Council Meeting. “The members of the review committee did a great job going through a lot of information to come up with these numbers,” said Mayor Craig Copeland. “Especially for those who have children and want to get into politics, some of these numbers can help alleviate the costs borne by attending meetings and committees as an elected official.” The recommendations will begin Jan. 1, 2025, and include increases of: 5% to Council honorarium (in addition to annual CPI indexing); 20% to Council per diems (+$50 over 8 hours excluding social events); 10% to meals reimbursement; and 25% to mileage reimbursement. New additions included: $1,000 annual Health and Wellness Benefit; $100/month Vehicle Allowance (for business within City); Up to $250 municipal branded clothing; Up to $500 annual partner tickets to events; Up to $200/month dependent care reimbursement; Up to $500 annual driver reimbursement. These recommendations came after the committee had reviewed the pay packages of neighbouring municipalities, as well as comparable municipalities around the province. Food Cycler Program goes ahead Cold Lake, AB – Cold Lake residents will be given the option to participate in a Food Cycler program, where residents can bring a countertop food recycle machine into their homes. Interested residents will pay a small portion of the cost for the machine, while the municipality subsidizes another portion. A total of 100 units will be available, on a first-come-first-served registration basis. More information on how to sign up for the program will be made available closer to the launch date, through the city’s social media and website. Grant funding requests total $22,500 Cold Lake, AB – The Lakeland Scuba Society will receive $5,000 from the Community Capital Grant Program to use in purchasing a new air compressor to fill oxygen tanks. In order to provide matching funds, as part of the grant program criteria, the society will be providing in-kind services to the city in the amount of $5,000. The in-kind services were approved at the Oct. 8 Council Meeting. Also approved at the Oct. 8 Council Meeting were several applications for the Community Recreation, Art, Culture, and Heritage Investment (CRACH) Grant, including: Cold Lake Community Learning Centre for $5,000; Ronald McDonald House Charities Alberta for $10,000; and Stepping Stones Crisis Society for $2,500. - 30 -

News release: Fire Investigation Courses take place in Cold Lake Cold Lake, AB – Fire Investigation courses were hosted in Cold Lake last week, bringing Fire Investigators and subject matter experts together from public and private agencies, the Government of Alberta, RCMP, Alberta Wildfire, and the insurance industry. “We had experts come in to teach photography from a forensic and crime scene perspective on what remains after a burn,” said Fire Chief Jeff Fallow. “It’s a valuable learning experience for Fire Investigators from all over Alberta.” The courses included Forensic Photography and Essentials of Fire Investigation. The Essentials course concluded with hands-on investigations of a variety of ignition scenarios from live burn cell fires. “We had some great fire scenarios that the instructors staged, and our own firefighters extinguished,” said Fallow. “Then we go one step further and take a look at the evidence and fire patterns that are left behind after the fire is out, to determine the origin and cause of the fire.” The course was hosted by Cold Lake Fire-Rescue and presented by the Fire Investigation Association of Alberta (FIAA). The internationally recognized FIAA is a volunteer, non-profit organization designed to support and develop fire investigators and the science of fire investigation across the province. For more information on the FIAA, visit www.fiaa.ca - 30 -

Congratulations Mayor Craig Copeland!

News release: Countertop composting program considered by council Cold Lake, AB – Council is looking into a pilot program for a countertop food recycling program for Cold Lake residents. A presentation to council in August detailed the FoodCycler™ Pilot Program, which brings the portable composting machines into the hands of residents through municipal discount and subsidy. “It’s a neat concept,” said Mayor Craig Copeland. “We’re curious to see what kind of interest we get back from the community.” FoodCycler™ bins work by collecting and processing food scraps, turning it into dry, sterile, odourless, soil-like by-product after running for four to eight hours – typically overnight. This soil-like product can then be collected for garden use or tossed in a residential green bin for collection. “We’re always looking for ways to improve our environmental footprint,” said Copeland. “And there are a lot of positive economic impacts from recyclers like these.” Council is looking at subsidizing 100 units to start, likely through a sign-up program where residents interested in participating can register and pay their portion of the program cost. With the municipality covering the cost of $100 per unit, the automatic composting bins are discounted to $200 and $300 – down from $700 and $800 respectively – depending on the unit’s size. Smaller units are recommended for households with one to three people, while larger units are recommended for larger households. After the pilot program has completed, residents are welcome to keep the composters. More information about signing up for the food recycler program will be made available as the program gets closer to being launched. - 30 -

News release: Council signals no big changes for vendors at Kinosoo Beach   Cold Lake, AB – At the City of Cold Lake last Corporate Priorities Meeting, held Sept. 17, council signalled that it would not be looking at making big changes for vendors and food trucks at Kinosoo Beach. “The Corporate Priorities Committee felt that most of the changes we would like to see are too costly at this time,” Mayor Craig Copeland said. “We’ve spent a significant amount of money creating a beautiful community beach. It’s well used, and we have received rave reviews from the public about the amenities there. We will not be making any major changes to the beach at this time.” The issue was brought to a previous meeting after the City received complaints of a lack of parking at the beach that can, at times, be taken up by mobile vendors. Other complaints have been raised over the sound of generators, odours created by food service, and the general aesthetics of having commercial trailers parked in front of the beach and houses for much of the day. At that meeting, held Aug. 13, council delayed any decision so that there would be no interruptions towards the end of vendors’ summer season. The committee was presented with several options to better accommodate food trucks and other vendors, including creating a turn-around, widening the vendors’ promenade, dedicating parking spots along 1 Avenue for vendors and creating a parking lot with dedicated vendor space at the north most end of 1 Avenue. “Ultimately, there was no appetite for large, expensive changes that would change the nature of the amenities as they are,” Copeland said. “If anything, we want to see some small accommodations that may make life easier for mobile vendors but ultimately this is a public space and users need to share it as it is and within the established rules.” - 30 -

News release: City considers assisting with municipal election forums   Cold Lake, AB – Cold Lake City Council will debate the merits of assisting with the hosting of municipal election forums for the 2025 election and those beyond. “It’s increasingly difficult for our local media and other community organizations to step up and host election forums due to shrinking budgets,” Mayor Copeland said. “Election forums have been an important way for residents to get to know who is running for elected office and make an informed choice – they have been a mainstay at every election the City has held in recent history, and are well attended.” Councillors debated the merits of the City of Cold Lake providing a grant or other forms of assistance to host an election forum. These could include the cost of a venue, audio production, streaming the forum online, debate moderation, as well as costs associated with preparing the venue and clean up after the event. “Some might say it’s an easy decision and that if community organizations are no longer positioned to host these events, the municipality should step up to make sure they happen,” Copeland said. “But at the same time, the municipality does not want to create the perception that it is intervening in the process. We do not want to give incumbents a leg up over challengers, so the entire process must be at arms length. It’s important that these forums be neutral, and do not favour one or more candidates over others.” Discussing the issue at its Sept. 17 Corporate Priorities Meeting, Cold Lake’s elected officials were in general agreement that the City of Cold Lake should look into methods of providing financial assistance to a group or groups who want to take on the responsibility of hosting an election forum. They also cautioned administration that they did not want the city to have a role that can be perceived as influencing the event, however. “We are confident that our administration can come up with ideas about how the City can help ensure election forums continue as a democratic tradition in Cold Lake, while ensuring a transparent and open approach that guarantees neutrality,” Copeland said. “Forums are a great chance for residents to hear about candidates’ ideas and plans for the community and to make a decision on which direction they want to go. As important as they are to have, its equally important that they be fair.” Administration will research and draft options for programs that could assist with hosting an election forum or forums and bring the matter back for discussion at a future council meeting. The next municipal election in Cold Lake will take place on Oct. 20, 2025. - 30 -