Forty Mile looks for farm family of the year

Posted on October 19, 2023 by Ryan Dahlman

By Anna Smith
Commentator/Courier

With harvest largely over, the councillors of the County of Forty Mile No. 8 are back and working harder than ever.

It was noted by CAO Keith Bodin that they had reached a real estate agent in regards to selling some of the excess County properties, though no progress has been made as of yet in moving forward with sales.

They received a delegation from the Foremost and District Agricultural Society. The society was seeking support in the operation of a community structure, which has made significant progress in the building of it in the past year. Members note that they have already been approached to potentially have several events on site, and they believe that it will be a significant space for the community.

Talks of markets, rodeo events, and various other community interests being hosted inside are already underway, and the society requested $10–15,000 as assistance in keeping the doors open while they work on self-sufficiency.

After discussion, the decision was pushed until a later meeting.

There was further discussion on the nature of the Coffee with Council dates, clarifying the desire for a more informal discussion with residents as opposed to a strictly formatted Town Hall type setting; the reason for this was cited by council as a desire to ensure that everyone felt they would be able to be heard, where the stricter setting can be discouraging to residents who aren’t already vocal.

Discussion was put forward to ask for further clarification on the Farm Family of the Year award, which is done in partnership with the 40 Mile Commentator; the current application, noted Council, didn’t specify some of the requirements put forward by BMO, such as that applicants needed to reside on land that they were actively farming. 

Councillors debated which issues to bring forward to the RCMP in a future meeting; it was brought forward that there is a lack of positive presence in communities, and that Council would like to see officers present for more than dealing with legal issues or handing out traffic tickets.