Crowsnest Pass Service Plus program 2015

The big green bins will be at the following locations:

Coleman Sportsplex

June 11-13  9am-3pm

Blairmore Shop

June 15-17  12pm-6pm

Hillcrest Shop

June 18-20  9am-3pm


Toxic and E-waste Round-up

Coleman Sportsplex   June 13  9am-3pm

Fire Departments/Rescue Meet with Administration

Big meeting Thursday night at the Elks Hall between, Administration, Fire departments and Rescue.

The press release is available on the municipal web site regarding Emergency and Protective Services.

Note: Another chance to voice your opinion on this issue http://www.crowsnestpasspromoter.com/


Here is the way it was explained to myself.

There will be a Director of Protective and Community Services hired, basically a replacement for the former Director (Cam Mertz) probably cost the community a little more money due to the expanded duties of the position.

Under that position will be a Manager of Protective Services/Fire Chief I am told that this will be another new full time position. (You are not going to fill this position for less than $80,000 a year, plus a pickup, computer, clerical support etc etc.)

Under that will be a Deputy Chief which I am told will still be a volunteer position.

Then from there the municipality will be broken into two areas West (Coleman + Blairmore) and East (Hillcrest + Bellevue) each will have a District Chief. So the four positions that used to be fire chiefs will now be replaced with a West and East District Chief.

Then there will be a rotation put in place (Emergency Response Model Deployment) which will for example in the West have Coleman providing coverage for week 1 and 3 each month and Blairmore providing coverage in week 2 and 4 each month.

Once again the way it was explained to be is each squad will have a minimum of five people on call during its turn in the rotation.

My opinion of where this is going. The Fire Departments have always been a very hot potato here politically. I was told a long time ago that the politician that stood up and demanded fire departments to be closed would be committing political suicide.

So how do you achieve that goal with out a huge back lash. First of all you bring in a consultant to look at your protective services. (Politicians love consultants, they have somebody to blame for their actions other than themselves).

Then you come out with a recommendation that says you could better serve the municipality by having two areas of coverage instead of the present four. In reality, you will only have one fire department in each area at any given time because in the East for example Hillcrest will provide coverage in week 1 + 3 and Bellevue in week 2 + 4.

Any of us that have been privy to the numbers will tell you that there are very few fires in the East end of the community, in a year the argument will be made that the East as been provided ample coverage with one department. Due to the fact that there were very few incidents and you have only one fire department covering you at any one time. Nobody will speak up in the west because their departments will not be touched at that time.

In essence the fire departments will do such a good job of providing coverage that they themselves will prove that you can get away with one department on each side of the municipality. Even our former Mayor stated in a strategic planning meeting that some where down the road there would only be two fire departments one on each side of the slide.

I hope that the municipality will maintain the fire coverage it requires, I also hope that there is going to be long term sustainable funding found to pay for another new position.

Municipal Press Release Crowsnest Pass

PRESS RELEASE


Crowsnest Pass Operational Services (Public Works) is implementing
plans to improve overall efficiency and service delivery to community
residents.

These plans include numerous functional changes that will see improved
utilization of resources, improved efficiency and increased accountability.

The first step will be the consolidation of the Blairmore and Coleman shops
into one facility which will be the Blairmore Facility. This facility will now be
known as the Crowsnest West Facility, while Hillcrest facility, which also
serves Bellevue, will be known as Crowsnest East Facility.

These changes will take place over a relatively short period of time and
residents should be assured that service levels will not be reduced as a
result of these changes.

Myron Thompson
Director of Operational Services
Municipality of Crowsnest Pass

Dream the impossible sometimes it does happen

It only seems like yesterday we were reading the stories, the editorials, you remember the "death of education in the Crowsnest Pass", "where will our young people receive an education", "throwing groups out in to the street".
Well I said it then and I will say it again fear mongering, if there is truly a need for something in a community that program or service will be provided its not about a building its about the service.
May 18 council was informed by our Community Services Director that he as a Memorandum Of Understanding with the LCC to relocate the Learning Consortium to the MDM.
I remember many people within council chambers and on the streets telling me that they would never relocate. Coming shortly instead of having two community centres running have empty we will have one running close to full.
Does that not make sense?

Anyway I will pass it back to the fear mongers what will it be next? they will move the Golf course? they will move the ski hill.

Isn't a community about having facilities spread out through the whole community, remember according to Census Canada 60% of our population lives somewhere other than Blairmore.
We now have a true Community Centre in Bellevue, a Ski Hill, swimming pool, Indoor sports facility at the Albert Stella in Blairmore, and an arena in Coleman.