The Council of the RM of Lumsden met via Zoom for its regular meeting on November 26, 2020. All Councillors, The Reeve - Kent Farago, and the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Monica Merkosky were present. There was a conflict of interest declared by Cody Jordison for the employee Christmas gift and staff Christmas party agenda items.
The Public Works Manager, Leighton Watts, informed Council he wasn’t currently working out of the shop due to Covid-19 precautions.
Sgt. Chad Clark RCMP
Sgt. Chad Clark, the new Commander of the Lumsden RCMP Detachment, presented as a delegation to Council. He introduced himself, noting he has met with the town and other communities as well. He wanted to take the time to meet Council and to find out if there was anything that they wanted or needed differently from the RCMP.
He arrived in Lumsden in mid-September and has a 20-year career with the RCMP. He said that while he doesn’t live in Lumsden, he is committed to being in the community on his off time by being at the rink and having people know him and see him. He recognized the difficulty that COVID-19 has presented and how that has affected how he would typically like to introduce himself in the community. He said he is very happy to be there and excited to work with Council.
He recognized that most problems come from the city, and he said he considers Lumsden a decent area with decent people. He said he is wide open to concerns and comments from Council. Council passed on their concerns to Sgt. Clark. In the April - June community policing report, there was only one impaired driving charge, youth dangerously racing cars, ATV use in areas where they shouldn’t be and people using a spot as a shooting range. Councillor Jordison commented that since Sgt. Clark has come to Lumsden he has noticed an increase in visibility and was appreciative. Sgt. Clark said that he had initiated a log patrol to see where the constables are patrolling, which he will be able to use as a tool to make decisions as to where they are needed. He said that impaired driving is a priority.
Sask Clubroot Initiative Advisory Board
Councilor Langford requested Council make a motion so he may participate on the Sask Clubroot Initiative Advisory board.
The Saskatchewan Clubroot Initiative Plan in May of 2020 indicated that Clubroot is a soil-borne disease caused by a microbe that affects a host of plants, including cruciferous field crops such as canola, mustard, cabbage, etc. In Saskatchewan, the Ministry of Agriculture monitors commercial canola fields for Clubroot symptoms and the Clubroot pathogen’s presence through an annual survey.
Langford said the board gives input to the Ministry of Agriculture on legislation related to Clubroot. Before COVID, the board met quarterly and currently, they have met twice via Zoom.
Councillor Andrew was concerned with Langford’s educational background and what would make him a good representative for a seat on the board. Langford explained there is representation on the board by the different agencies and several farmers who have dealt with Clubroot. He said his background includes attending an agricultural college. He was a grower for thirty years in the commercial vegetable business and has grown crops affected by Clubroot, and has stayed in touch with farmers.
Andrew continued to voice his opposition, saying that it would be more beneficial if a representative were more in touch with the broader agricultural community in the RM. The Reeve said that Langford was stepping up and asked Andrew if he was doing that. Andrew responded, saying that sometimes that no representation is better than some representation. Jordison stepped in at this point and said he disagreed with Andrew’s comment, noting that the qualifications Andrew was looking for are already in place on the board.
There was some confusion after Andrew asked Langford if he could leave the meeting. After Langford left the meeting, Reeve said that Langford had not declared a conflict of interest and therefore was not required to leave the meeting, noting that only Langford could declare a conflict and that Council could not declare it for him.
As Langford had already left the view of the camera, Council was unsure how to call him back to the meeting. Eventually, Langford returned, and the Reeve said he didn’t have to leave and asked if he was declaring a conflict, which Langford said he was not as it was a volunteer position. After additional discussion, Andrew requested a recorded vote, which passed to support Langford. In favour; Farago, Jordison, Neuls and Schlosser. Against; Andrew, Garbutt. Langford abstained.
COVID
The CAO reported that there would be a temporary staff shortage because of COVID-19 precautions. As a result, the office will be closed from November 26 – December 1. Staff will be available by telephone and email during the days the office is closed, and there is a drop slot in the door.
The CAO noted a new mandatory mask policy; however, the office had been practicing the masking since the previous week. They are trying to be as careful as they can through masking, sanitizing, social distancing and limiting the number of people in the office areas.
Meetings of Council are available to be viewed by the public via Zoom. The next meeting is on December 17 @ 1:00 pm. Contact the Municipal Office to arrange for a Zoom meeting invitation.
Jennifer Argue, Civic Reporter, LMT - Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Note: These reports are abridged for content