Bad news. Canada Post is negotiating with the municipality for space to locate super-mailboxes in Nesbitt, after two failed efforts since January to find a suitable postmaster and new building. Expect official confirmation sometime this month that the Nesbitt office will be permanently closed. Beyond the loss of postal services and a paying job, Nesbitt […]
What a person doesn’t say can be as important as what they do say. Here’s an example from the Oakland-Wawanesa council meeting on Tuesday, May 21. Head of council Dave Kreklewich refused to apologize for misleading residents about the increased municipal tax burden on Oakland since amalgamation with Wawanesa in 2015. I called for the […]
I submitted my council nomination papers on Friday, which means the good folks in Ward Two of Oakland-Wawanesa will have to make a choice on June 20. Neil Bok and I are seeking the vacant seat in Ward Two. More could still join the race because nominations are open until May 15. To all candidates […]
As a long-time journalist, I am fascinated with what’s called ‘managing the message’. That’s when somebody with something to say doles out what they want you to know. Their version of the truth. Let’s take recent events in Oakland-Wawanesa. Within 5 weeks, two councillors resigned and a new budget was approved, despite petitions and challenges […]
Like a predictable movie, council unanimously approved the 2019 budget Friday, pushing municipal spending to an all-time high and tagging rural ratepayers with 86% of the costs for services shared with Wawanesa. In doing so, Oakland-Wawanesa councillors ignored petitions and requests from residents for a fair tax solution. But they promised to try harder next […]
A new national survey shows farmland values in the Westman area increased 4% in 2018, which means farmers in Oakland-Wawanesa should expect more property tax pain. Farm Credit Canada (FCC) issued its annual Farmland Values Report on Monday, showing the average price per acre in southwest Manitoba is $2,641, although some sold in 2018 for […]
What is the price for taxation fairness in Oakland-Wawanesa? It’s $139,872. That’s how much Oakland taxes will subsidize Wawanesa in 2019, unless this council ends a taxation imbalance that started with the 2015 amalgamation. Chart 1a shows Oakland paying 86% of At Large taxes compared to Wawanesa, despite rural residents making up only 65% of […]
Since 2015, Oakland-Wawanesa council has repeatedly dismissed calls to fix the budget imbalance in which Oakland pays disproportionately more than Wawanesa for shared services. With another municipal budget expected to be approved on May 2, I want to recap council’s unwillingness to find a fair tax solution: August 2015. Council muzzles rural councillor Dennis Rome […]
During the April 15 public meeting in Nesbitt, I formally asked council to delay passage of the 2019 budget until new councillors are elected to replace Dennis Rome and Barry Fowell, who resigned in March. The unexpected departures give Wawanesa council members a 3-2 voting edge over the remaining rural councillors and seriously undercut Oakland’s […]
I am campaigning for election in Ward Two – Rural North and ask for your vote on June 20. Although we just elected a new council last October, two rural councillors unexpectedly resigned in March. That’s forced by-elections in Ward Two and Ward Three – Rural South. I encourage you to read the resignation letters […]