The newly elected Crowsnest Pass municipal Council held its first regular meeting of its Governance and Priorities committee on Tuesday, November 9, where Councillors made recommendations to themselves to consider at the next regular council meeting on November 16.
Instead of making motions to approve these issues, Council simply made motions to recommend a course of action, which will be voted for or against this week.

Waiver of arena ice fees
At the November 2 meeting of Council, a request was made by Rory Snider and Lisa Sygutek of Crowsnest Pass Minor Hockey for Council to support the group’s application to host the 2011 Pee Wee Provincial Championship from March 25-27.
The request went on to ask Mayor Bruce Decoux to attend the opening ceremonies, and for Council to waive ice fees for the weekend, or to reduce the fee of using the ice for the course of the event.
Sygutek, who spoke on behalf of CNP Minor Hockey, noted that other communities who have hosted the championships in years past have asked the same of their municipality, and were approved.
The current fee for using the ice at the Albert Stella arena is $57.40 per hour, and the total cost for using the rink for the course of the weekend would amount to around $2,800.
Council made a motion to review the reduction or waiver of ice fees and to consider it for the next regular meeting, should the bid by CNP Minor Hockey be successful.
This motion was passed unanimously.
At the November 9 G&P meeting, Councillor Emile Saindon recommended that Council consider waiving the fees, which was seconded by Councillor Larry Mitchell.
“They are going to contribute netting in the arena,” said Coun. Mitchell, noting that such netting is beneficial from a safety standpoint.
“We will be recommending waiver of the fees to the Community Services Board,” said CAO Gordon Lundy, noting that Director of Community Services Cam Wurtz was in favour.
A motion to recommend fee waiver for the event was passed unanimously, and will be voted on this week.

Municipal advertising
Following the presentation by Crowsnest Pass Herald publisher Lisa Sygutek at the November 2 meeting regarding municipal advertising in both local newspapers, Council discussed the benefit of whether or not to resume advertising in with both papers.
“Communicating with as much of the public as you can about council business is very critical,” said Mayor Decoux.
“The task at hand is to reduce the cost of advertising, and I am very concerned that this issue has come to the council.”
After much discussion, Mayor Decoux made the following recommendation: “that a motion be made to facilitate the council’s duty to inform the public, and that a draft policy relative to municipal advertising be prepared by administration forthwith. Further, in order to ensure that the broadest sector of the public is informed, that during the policy development period, advertising in all media resume, and that costs of such advertising be negotiated by administration.”
The motion to make this recommendation was passed unanimously, and Council’s final decision will be made at its November 16 meeting.