The Peace River Town Council met on Monday, August 10. Here are some of the highlights:
New board appointments
Two temporary appointments and one three-year appointment were made to the Peace Regional Subdivision and Development Appeal Board
Two three-year appointments were made to the Community Services Board
ICF Regional Agreement Negotiations
Council confirmed their willingness to participate in a regional intermunicipal collaboration framework committee with the goal of negotiating a regional intermunicipal collaboration framework agreement. This is important because the future agreement will encourage cooperation and cost sharing with our neighbouring municipalities for key services.
Mayor Shelly Shannon, Councillor Carr, and the CAO will participate on this committee moving forward.
Reports
At Monday's meeting, Council received second-quarter reports from every Town department. Here's a quick look at what's been happening across the organization from April to June.
Corporate Services
The 2025 Audited Financial Statements were completed and submitted to Municipal Affairs, and as of June 30, 95% of 2026 property taxes had been collected.
A successful Health & Safety Week delivered 12 training courses across 28 sessions; roughly 15 summer staff were onboarded, and a new Director of Corporate Services was hired (starting August 17). The IT team also resolved 1,084 support tickets, most in under an hour.
Protective Services
Community Peace Officers were equipped with AXON body-worn and in-car cameras, dispatch transitioned to the Lacombe Police Service, and a new CPIC program launched through INet Safety.
The Town activated its Incident Command Post and declared a State of Local Emergency during the Heart River ice jam, with 94 personnel from the Town and partner agencies working together, with some around the clock. The Fire Department also answered 86 calls in Q2 and welcomed 13 new recruits.
Community Services
The Peace Region Family Resource Network grant was renewed at $589,368/year for two years and now includes a new Infant and Child Development stream supporting children ages 0-12.
The Peace Regional Pool’s rebuilt hot tub reopened May 25, and the Norman Boucher Arboretum revitalization wrapped up. Community events drew big crowds, with roughly 1,000 at the Easter Egg-Stravaganza and 600+ at the Teddy Bear Picnic.
Infrastructure and Development
The team began sidewalk overlays (starting on 101 Street) and are building a tracking system to map sidewalk conditions, prioritize repairs, and plan future budgets.
54 building permits issued year-to-date, with an estimated $10.6 million in construction value, alongside 33 development permit applications, approved on an average of just 4.2 days.
CAO & Legislative Services
Council drafted a new Strategic Plan (with facilitator 13-Ways); an interim CAO was appointed on April 20, and recruitment for a permanent CAO is underway.
A contract was awarded to Open North to build the Town’s new Privacy Management Program, now mandatory under Alberta’s Protection of Privacy Act. Regional Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework (ICF) discussions with Neighbouring municipalities are also getting underway.
View the meeting recording on YouTube.