Breakdown: waste water treatment plant equipment
The UV display system and septage screening unit in the waste water treatment plant are offline and in need of replacement.
The cost for both is $81,000 and was not included in the nearly $4.28 million capital budget council approved in January. On Feb. 17, council approved the purchase of the equipment, taking the funds out of the restricted fund for utilities.
The municipality contracts United Water to operate the plant and is responsible for all necessary capital costs to keep it running. Each year, in time for the budget process, United Water provides a list of items it needs to replace or repair in the plant. During the 2015 budget process, $177,000 worth of projects were deferred in the plant, pending grant funding.
The plant is currently able to function despite the equipment failures, but its operators have to operate it semi-manually.
Council was given the decision to either take the $81,000 from the utilities restricted fund—where such projects should be funded—or to defer the reconfiguration of the intersection at Geikie Street and Miette Avenue, instead using the funds earmarked for that project to purchase the equipment.
Administration advised council to defer the intersection project, instead of using the restricted fund, because that fund has been drawn down in recent years, without appropriate recapitalization.
“I would like it to come from the restricted fund because that’s exactly what it is designed for,” said Coun. Wall before the vote. “Even though it’s drawn down, that speaks to another issue, the fact is these kind of expenditures should be brought from the restricted funds associated with that utility.”
Council agreed, with only Coun. Helen Kelleher-Empey voting in opposition.
Breakdown: aquatic centre HVAC system
A broken shaft has caused the heating and ventilation system above the aquatic centre to fail, creating a logistical nightmare for its repair.
The building was built around the system, so there is no easy way to remove it.
“It will actually mean that we will have to take it out the side of the building or out the roof,” explained Yvonne McNabb, director of culture and recreation. “It’s not something that’s going to be easily replaced.”
The repairs will be made during the aquatic centre’s shutdown in April. In the meantime, a temporary fix is in place.
“We don’t really want to be shutting down the heating and ventilation system at this time of year,” said McNabb. “We can finalize those repairs when the weather’s a little bit better.”
McNabb is currently working with an engineer to determine the cost of the repair. She said she expects to have that information in a month.
Choosing to change the Charter
Council is being asked to join a movement to push the Canadian government to enshrine the right to a healthy environment in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
If it passes a declaration of support, Jasper’s town council would join councils from more than a dozen other Canadian communities—including Vancouver, B.C., Montreal, Que. and Yellowknife, NWT—in showing support for environmental rights.
This movement began with David Suzuki, who travelled across the country last fall, launching his Blue Dot Campaign.
“Of course it will take a very long time to get it into the Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” said Janet Cooper, environmental stewardship coordinator, “but the first step was to generate public interest, then to call on private individuals and then the next step is to try and get municipal council’s to say, ‘yes, our council supports this effort.’
“There are 110 countries that have the right to a healthy environment enshrined in their own laws and we’re trying to make that happen for Canada.”
Although generally supportive, Mayor Richard Ireland raised some concerns about the declaration, noting that the municipality doesn’t have jurisdiction over the environment or land use, planning and development in the community, so really it can’t make this declaration without conferring with Parks Canada.
“Better I think that we should have Parks join us in supporting the declaration than doing it alone.”
Coun. Dwain Wacko suggested that the issue be brought to the next intergovernmental meeting on March 10.
Nicole Veerman
[email protected]
