Hinton News

Councillors will get $12,000 per term for professional development, rather than $3,000 per year, to simplify accounting. Any attendance at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities must be covered by this allowance.

The Council Remuneration Committee recommended that comparator municipalities have a population between 8,000 and 12,000 with an average assessment base ranging between 80 and 120 per cent of Hinton’s assessment base.

On Oct. 23, an RCMP officer with the Roving Traffic Unit conducted a traffic stop with a pickup truck on Highway 16 and made several observations that led him to suspect the lone male occupant was in possession of illegal drugs.

The financing program aims to reduce barriers for property owners to install energy-efficient and renewable energy upgrades to their homes. The participating municipality finances the upgrade, and the owner pays the cost back through property taxes.

A 100-unit cap was initially proposed, but council raised it to 130 to accommodate existing operators.

Simon Sharp, a field officer with Fish and Wildlife, reported there had been multiple sightings of black bears looking for easy food before the winter.

"If it's allowed to keep going forward unchecked, it would be the largest thermal coal mine in Canadian history."

"I think it’s taking a bit of a load off of our citizens in the short term, but it’s also putting away money for the inevitable capital projects that are coming forward.”

"I don't think the wild-west approach of not having a cap and just letting the market do what it will is actually appropriate in this case."

Nursing staff will remain on-site to provide triage, assessments and referrals for patients to alternate emergency rooms in nearby communities, if needed.