Niverville Gets a New Water Main
SUMMARY:
Perhaps no other subject dominated Niverville’s coffee shops and water coolers in 2016 than the question of when and how Niverville would begin the transition to town water—and who would pay for it.
In January 2016, Niverville Town Council held a meeting with business owners and residents to discuss the proposed Main Street/Fifth Avenue Water Main Project. Days prior, these businesses and residents had received letters outlining the costs. This was the first many had heard about the project.
In order to take advantage of a $1.3 million government grant from the Building Canada Fund, council had to act quickly and complete the project no later than March 2017. The original scope of the project was to include cross piping, curb stops, and connections that would allow the water grid to be expanded in the future to areas north and south of Main Street.
Responding to some pushback, on March 29 council presented a scaled-down version of the original plan which reduced the costs by 40 percent. Council also gave affected property owners the option to avoid payment of their frontage fee in exchange for bearing the full costs of hookup at some future date. For those who agreed to pay, the frontage fees were reduced from $53.44 per foot to a more palatable $34.80.
As of April 8, approximately 50 percent of the property owners had signed up to pay their full frontage fee and council made the decision to go ahead with the project.
Construction was well underway by July. ProStar HDD, a contractor from Steinbach, won the bid and began digging and assembling pipes at various locations along Main Street and Fifth Avenue. One side effect was that the town’s sidewalk replacement project had to be put on hold.
The water main project was completed in late September, coming in 7.8 percent under budget.
Another water infrastructure project was announced in October, for water mains to run along Sixth Avenue from Main Street to Errington Way and along Crown Valley Road to Krahn Road. The town also announced upgrades to the Spruce Drive water treatment plant. These improvements are collectively pegged at $400,000 and will be largely paid for through cost savings from the Main Street project. ProStarr has once again been contracted to carry out the work.
Local Woman Wins National Award
SUMMARY:
Colleen Dyck, local maker of GORP clean energy bars, received a prestigious national award: Mompreneur of the Year. The award recognizes the achievements of the estimated 17,000 women and mothers across Canada who run their own businesses. 124 women were nominated this year.
Dyck is no stranger to winning awards, having also received honours from the Great Manitoban Food Fight and Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers. GORP has been recognized as the Manitoba Food Processors Company of the Year, as well as Get Outside ’s Best Sports Nutrition Food of the Year for 2015 and 2016.
“I was extremely humbled and honoured to be the one to accept the award on behalf of all the working moms out there,” Dyck said. “[It is] a huge honour that has reaffirmed to me how important it is to support and recognize each other.”
Further Twinning of Highway 59 on the Table
SUMMARY:
In 2006, the Government of Manitoba twinned Highway 59 from Winnipeg until just south of Île-des-Chênes. At the time, a government report cited safety issues and the booming economy in the southeast region.
In the spring of 2015, representatives from five municipalities and the towns of Niverville and St-Pierre-Jolys formed a group called the Highway 59 Partners, whose objective is to address the needs of all communities in the southeast in terms of twinning the highway. Mona Fallis, Mayor of St-Pierre-Jolys and spokesperson for the Partners, said in January 2016 that she anticipated further meetings with the province. No new developments have since come to light.
Larry Halayko, executive director of construction and maintenance for Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation (MIT), has said that further twinning of the highway is not currently part of their approved multiyear capital program. He added that the province is planning a functional design study of the stretch of highway from Île-des-Chênes to Highway 52 sometime in 2017.
Niverville Hosts Home Inspirations Show
SUMMARY:
On March 18–20, the Niverville Heritage Centre hosted the annual Southeast Home Inspirations Show, sponsored by the Niverville Credit Union. The event has been held every year since 2013.
Exhibitors came from Steinbach, Landmark, Lorette, Niverville, and beyond.
The featured presenter this year was Kelsey Kosman of Dollhouse Designs, who focussed on the ways in which interior design plays a role in many aspects of a person’s life.
Niverville Faces Water Supply Questions
SUMMARY:
The water main wasn’t the only big water-related story in Niverville this year. After homeowners in The Highlands and Fifth Avenue Estates received repeated notices to reduce their water usage, residents began to ask questions about the long-term viability of the town’s water supply. Town council also advised residents of water rate hikes for both 2017 and 2018.
Mayor Myron Dyck said that the plant has two wells, with the potential of a third well. The aquifer from which the town receives its groundwater is immeasurably large and sufficient for everyone’s needs, but the problem lies with the amount of micro-sediment in the existing well bank, an underground storage space from which the wells draw water.
“Essentially, [it’s] a big sand cavern,” Dyck said. “When you take water out of it too fast, the sand caves into the water and it needs to settle out.”
According to Dyck, the current filtration system can’t keep up when this happens.
An informational open house was held on September 22 at the Niverville Heritage Centre to inform residents about the process of locating a new water supply.
Apart from sandy sinkholes, a second problem lies in the salinity (dissolved salt content) of the underground water directly beneath and to the west of Niverville. The closer you get to the Red River, the higher the salinity of the water. Fresher water appears to the east.
For this reason, a target study area has been established east of Highway 59 and several miles north and south of Highway 311. The study area shows promise based on existing wells in the area that are providing quality water both at low-volume and high-volume demand and without disturbing agriculture. The study is expected to be complete by the fall of 2017.
Provincial Election 2016
SUMMARY:
Although Manitoba’s provincial election campaign didn’t officially kick off until March 16, Niverville councillor John Falk stepped down from his seat of seven years on February 22 to run in the Morris constituency for the Manitoba Liberals, who at the start of the campaign were polling higher than they had in 20 years. Falk said that many aspects of the Liberal platform strongly resonated with him.
Shannon Martin, who was first elected MLA for Morris in a 2014 by-election, ran for the Progressive Conservatives.
When Manitobans went to the polls on April 19, they resoundingly defeated the incumbent New Democrats, securing a historic 40 seats in the 57-seat legislature. In addition to sweeping victories across rural Manitoba, the PCs also broke new ground in Winnipeg, winning in areas they hadn’t competed in for decades.
Key promises from the PCs included rolling back the PST to seven percent, reducing costs by making government more efficient, and addressing Manitoba’s high debt.
After a disappointing campaign, the Liberals finished in third place, although they increased their seat count to three.
“I think the biggest thing Manitobans want is a responsible government that’s going to listen to them,” Falk said about the election results. “And they believe the PCs will do that… You got to give the PCs credit. They ran, for the most part, a very good campaign.”
Shannon Martin said he was excited to get back to work. “It’s still sinking in, to be honest,” he said. “The results are beyond my expectations, that’s for sure. I would have never imagined in my wildest dreams that we would get 40 seats. Shocking numbers.”
Big Policing Decisions on the Horizon
SUMMARY:
Over the past few years, there’s been a lot of chatter in Niverville about the need for a stronger police presence—and the community Facebook pages were abuzz in 2016 with stories of property theft and damage.
According to the Police Services Act of Manitoba, once a town reaches a population of 5,000, the level of policing must increase. After the 2011 census, Niverville’s population was 3,540. It’s anyone’s guess whether the current population exceeds 5,000, but we’re about to find out. The population data from the 2016 census is scheduled to be released on February 8.
“If it’s found that our population is over 5,000, it’s going to tip the threshold and we’re going to have to find monies for additional policing, monies that will be taken from other areas,” said Niverville Mayor Myron Dyck in January 2016.
New Doctor Joins Niverville Clinic
SUMMARY:
In the spring, Dr. Kiannaz Kiani moved her practice from the Niverville Medical Clinic to St. Pierre. On April 1, she was replaced by Dr. Mina Antonious, who began a four-year contract with Southern Health-Santé Sud. Antonious had served previously at the Health Sciences Centre, Grace Hospital, and St. Boniface Hospital as part of his family medicine residency. Antonious began his medical training in Egypt, where he was born.
French Children’s Show Films in Niverville
SUMMARY:
From November 2015 until May 2016, a television show filmed at the former church on Third Avenue South. The crew of the French children’s series Canot Cocasse transformed the church sanctuary into a lush campsite, complete with trees and grass, rocks, split logs, a canoe, and a tent. Behind the rocks and trees, a realistic blue sky presided over the campsite.
The 13-episode series follows the adventures of kids at summer camp with their families. In addition to the live-action footage shot in Niverville, each episode contains animated content produced by a company in New Brunswick.
“It’s meant to be an educational series, a fun series, an adventure series,” said producer Charles Clément. “A series where the kids will have lots of fun, hopefully crack out a few laughs, and then also learn a bunch of things. Things about the natural word, the natural sciences, and also just basic life lessons—how to be perseverant, how to share, how to be patient, how to be generous, how to not leave your friends aside in a moment of euphoria or excitement.”
Canot Cocasse will begin airing in January 2017 on UnisTV, a mandatory specialty channel carried across the country, and APTN, the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. If a second season materializes, Clément says he would love nothing better than to return to Niverville.
School Division Grapples with Human Rights Complaint
SUMMARY:
On April 6, Michelle McHale appeared in front of the Hanover School Division (HSD) board to discuss its policies relating to the handling of LGBTQ issues. While investigating a bullying incident involving her child, McHale had learned that HSD educators are directed not to discuss or acknowledge sexual orientation in the classroom.
“Homosexual practices intentionally not being discussed in sex education, where heterosexual practices are discussed, is discrimination,” McHale said. She also pointed out that different treatment of an individual or group on the basis of a protected characteristic is explicitly prohibited by the Manitoba Human Rights Code. McHale requested that the board review its policies, since other school divisions in Manitoba operate under less restrictive policies.
Two weeks later, HSD responded to McHale’s request by defending its policies and emphasizing its compliance with the standards set out in the Manitoba Provincial Physical Education/Health Curriculum. They implemented no changes.
At a June 7 public meeting of HSD board, McHale’s request was seconded by openly gay Grade 12 student Mika Schellenberg. At that meeting, six trustees spoke against McHale and Schellenberg’s request, two spoke in favour of it, and one did not express his position. No vote was held, and an official decision was deferred to a future time.
Several controversial remarks made by HSD trustees at that meeting were widely reported in the national media. One trustee compared allowing in-classroom discussions of LGBTQ subjects to the tragedy of residential schools. Another trustee, a nurse by occupation, linked sex education with an increase in cancer rates.
On June 17, McHale responded by filing a human rights complaint against the division. As of October, McHale said she and her partner were waiting for the case to enter mediation.
The conflict set off a social firestorm across the southeast, culminating with Steinbach’s first Pride march on July 9. Though organizers anticipated a modest attendance, the crowd swelled into the thousands. The march was delayed to accommodate miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic trying to make its way into the city. Police and organizers estimate marchers totalled between 3,000 and 5,000.
Daycare Crisis Brews, Waiting Lists Remain Long
SUMMARY:
On April 7, Growing Minds Child Care (GMCC) held an informational meeting at the Heritage Centre to relay a sombre message: they weren’t certain GMCC would be able to offer school-age care for all of its enrolled children come September. The reason? Not enough space.
This wasn’t the first time GMCC had faced problems. In the past, two satellite locations had been opened on Main Street specifically for school-age care. Jason Moran, GMCC board and strategic planning committee member, said they were searching for a long-term fix.
Shortly after the April meeting, several parties came forward with proposals, all of which were assessed based on licensing regulations, operational requirements, and financial viability.
In June, GMCC accepted a proposal from the owners of the space at 21 Main Street and signed a lease agreement, effective August 1, 2016. The space, recently vacated by Corolla Designs, was immediately adjacent to their existing centre. Renovations were done to open the wall between the two units, combining them and creating space for 15 extra children.
Despite this solution, GMCC still has a lengthy waiting list. The GMCC board has not ruled out the possibility of future growth to meet the demand, but only if commercial space should come available that is more financially feasible.
“Now that we have created 15 additional childcare spaces, we plan to continue communicating with the province in regards to receiving priority consideration for operational funding,” said Rhonda Kenning, director of GMCC.
Niverville Council Annexes Land for Future Development
SUMMARY:
In a deal with the RM of Hanover, Niverville has acquired 340 acres of land in an effort to
further council’s mandate to promote and grow the business sector. Hanover and Niverville had originally agreed to a much larger 1,100-acre annexation, but the province turned it down, with the Minister of Agriculture not willing to risk losing valuable acres of farmland.
The first annexation
includes the roadway of Sixth Avenue North, from ditch to ditch, keeping the farmland outside the boundary but connecting the business park to the community. The second annexation portion would include 80 acres to the north of Third Street North, creating the potential for future residential development there. Finally, an 80-acre parcel
south of Highway 311 was included, bordering Sixth Avenue South, to be designated as highway commercial development.
The annexation came into effect on January 1, 2017.
Olde Tyme Country Fair Hosts Big Weekend
SUMMARY:
The 2016 Niverville Olde Tyme Country Fair was one of the best yet. According to the fair committee, roughly 12,000 people attended the June 10–11 weekend.
For the first time, the Saturday night concert was a licensed event. The fair partnered with Big Rock Brewery. According to the MLCC, the area in which fairgoers could have alcoholic beverages was the biggest in Manitoba that they’ve licensed. Because people respected these rules, it will most likely happen again next year.
Acts included headliner Gord Bamford, The Washboard Union, The Big City All-Star Band, local artist Brady Kenneth, and a well-received show by Archangel Fireworks.
Bumpy Rollout for Tax Incentive Policy
SUMMARY:
On Tuesday, May 10, Niverville’s council announced a new tax incentive policy, Policy F4-16, to encourage the development of local business.
The three needs addressed by these tax incentives were (1) the development of private business on Main Street, (2) life lease housing to meet the demand of more baby boomers, and (3) the encouragement of additional daycare spaces to meet the present shortfall. The tax refunds were to be spaced out over a maximum of four years per business and pertain to the percentage of the annual municipal portion of levied taxes. The percentage of the refunds would be dependent on the number of jobs created and the value of the infrastructure built, and decrease by 25 percent per year until the end of the four-year period.
Perhaps counterintuitively, the measure sparked some frustration and confusion from the business community. In the days following, the Chamber drafted a letter to council outlining their concerns, which including the speed of the rollout and lack of consultation with the business community.
Council and Chamber met on June 21 to discuss a series of clarifications, a meeting which ended productively for both parties. A letter from the Chamber to its members further indicated that the town had agreed to rework the policy and to review it in consultation with the Chamber.
New Development Takes Shape in St. Adolphe
SUMMARY:
The East Dike Expansion project currently underway in St. Adolphe will add over 300 acres of land to the town for development of Tourond Creek, a new residential subdivision. The dike, budgeted at $6.9 million, extends from the southeast corner of town all the way to Provincial Highway 210 on the town’s north side. The dike costs have been shared three ways between the federal and provincial governments and the
developer, the St. Adolphe Land Company (SALC).
SALC’s David Palubeski says the area has the potential for 1,400 new residential units. Phase One, already under construction, will initially see 90 new lots. Young families are their primary target demographic.
Six and a half acres have been set aside for commercial development, which the developers hope to get started on in 2017.
Shell and Tim Hortons Come to Niverville
SUMMARY:
Construction began in July on a new Shell gas bar and Tim Hortons restaurant in the commercial strip fronting Old Drovers Run. Town council unanimously approved an application by Miguel Forest to proceed with these two businesses at a special meeting on Wednesday, June 15.
“The town is growing at a fast pace and the infrastructure is not keeping up to it,” said Forest, the Niverville Shell franchisee and owner of the building. “There’s for sure a lack of pumps here for a town of 5,000 people.”
After a few delays related to getting power to the site, and a lot of online and in-person speculation, the businesses both opened in late December. The Shell station has seven pumps, including one high-volume diesel pump, and a 2,500-square-foot convenience store. The Tim Hortons has seating for roughly 25 people and includes a drive thru.
Kari Wilson, General Manager of Operations for the new Tim Hortons, is working with franchisee William Kent. “We have been involved with Tim Hortons for about 18 years,” Wilson said in November. “Our Niverville location will be the eleventh [store] in our group of family-owned restaurants.”
Both businesses have been received with great fanfare from local residents eager to see new brands and franchises set up shop in town.
Ritchot Tackles Main Street Revitalization
SUMMARY:
The RM of Ritchot is creating plans to revitalize the main streets of three of its biggest communities: St. Adolphe, Ste. Agathe, and Île-des-Chênes. Lesley Gaudry, Ritchot’s economic development officer, has said that the goal is to design main streets that serve as vibrant business districts.
“We have three towns that have changed quite a bit demographically as well as geographically over the last ten years, mostly due to residential expansion as well as a bit of commercial expansion in Île-des-Chênes and industrial expansion in Ste. Agathe,” Gaudry has said. “We… want to explore design features that enhance walkability and flow for multiple modes of traffic like vehicles and bikes.”
In November, HTFC Planning & Design conducted workshops to bring stakeholders together to help reach a consensus on development directions—anyone who has a vested interest in the main street such as non-profit organizations, parent advisory committees, seniors groups, and owners of storefront businesses.
Imagine Runners Undeterred by Poor Weather
SUMMARY:
For the ninth year running, Imagine Mental Health Matters drew crowds to Hespeler Park for a day of family fun with a sombre theme: there is no shame when it comes to mental health struggles and suicide is preventable. Approximately 300 people of all ages weathered the spats of rain and high humidity to join the Imagine team for a five-kilometre run or walk.
The Imagine event continues to gain notoriety in the southeast as a safe place to talk about hard issues. Year after year people show up in clusters, donning personalized shirts imprinted with the faces of loved ones who died of suicide.
Multiplex Committee Raises Funds
SUMMARY:
The Friends of the Plex, a committee of volunteers committed to realizing Niverville’s proposed $16.5-million sports multiplex, has been busy fundraising throughout 2016.
In mid-August, the committee submitted its first ask to the federal and provincial governments under the Small Communities Fund. This fund was created as a federal-provincial cost-shared program to provide infrastructure improvements, including recreation facilities, to communities with less than 100,000 residents. The project is based on a one-third federal share, one-third provincial share, and one-third municipal share. The committee’s ask from this program was for $10 million to match the Town of Niverville’s $5 million donation.
In addition to searching for corporate and individual donations, several events were held in the past year, including a spring pancake breakfast, barbecue lunches throughout the summer, a card-design workshop for kids, a fall fundraiser in Hespeler Park, and Supper with Santa at this year’s Winterfest. The committee also ran a 50/50 during the fair and provided a block wagon party for the community’s use throughout the summer. The wagon was rented 20 times from May to October.
The committee holds a weekly Chase the Ace event at Hespeler’s Cookhouse & Tavern. Also, Bigway Bucks are available in $20 denominations, ten percent of which returns to the multiplex. A community auction is planned for 2017.
The multiplex plans include a new 33,000-square-foot arena, a walking/running track around the 36,000-square-foot indoor soccer field, and a mezzanine spectator area with seating for 850. It will also house a playground for kids.
Open Health Niverville Unveiled at Gala
SUMMARY:
Niverville’s innovative new primary care access centre was the focus of the tenth annual Heritage Centre fundraising gala held on November 5. The event proceeds, totalling $45,000, will help to fund improvements to the new centre, expected to open in the spring of 2017.
“It is my hope, in presenting to you Open Health Niverville, that we tie our healthcare aspirations to those of this town, for whom I am both grateful and proud,” said Dr. Chris Burnett of the Niverville Medical Clinic. “We seek to create an environment that offers appropriate care, locally, timely and convenient, open to all regardless of race, religion, social standing, or sexual orientation. [The name] Open Health expresses our desire.”
The new 5,000-square-foot facility, to be located on the ground floor of the life lease project, will provide easy single-entry access to all of Niverville’s medical services including primary healthcare, lab services, a chronic disease team, public health, a Family First program, and mental health services.
Elementary School Gets Much-Needed Addition
SUMMARY:
Construction was completed in November on a 6,414-square-foot addition to the Niverville Elementary School, including new classrooms for four Grade 4 classes and one Grade 3 class. Since the start of the school year, the Grade 4 classes have been accommodated in existing spaces, including the library, music room, and multipurpose room. The school has worked to minimize the impact of these disruptions.
Additionally, the Hanover School Division has placed two new Niverville schools on its five-year capital plan, including a 650-seat elementary school. Those requests are currently being reviewed by the provincial government.
Fire Services Change for Many Rural Residents
SUMMARY:
Rural residents living outside the Town of Niverville’s boundaries on the north, south, and east sides have seen their fire protection services change. The New Bothwell fire department in the RM of Hanover is now the first to be dispatched to calls in these areas.
“The decision was made through the Niverville annexation discussions between both municipalities back in 2013,” said Luc Lahaie, chief administrative officer (CAO) of the RM of Hanover, who acknowledged that this has not been a popular decision for affected residents. “We are extremely confident in our fire protection abilities being the best in the province.”
For decades prior, the RM of Hanover and Niverville worked cooperatively through a fire protection agreement allowing the Niverville fire department to respond to calls outside of town limits. Hanover compensated Niverville $12,000 per year for these services. While that deal has ended, a new reciprocal fire agreement is now in place so that Hanover can still call Niverville if needed to assist for large fires and motor vehicle collisions.
Niverville EMR (emergency medical responders) boundaries will continue to extend west of Niverville to Highway 200, north to Highway 210, south to Highway 305, and up to a short section east of Highway 59. Only fire services have been changed.
Splash Pad Opens
SUMMARY:
The Town of Niverville held a grand opening for the Niverville Community Splash Pad on Tuesday, July 12, in Hespeler Park. Provencher MP Ted Falk and Morris MLA Shannon Martin joined Mayor Myron Dyck and fellow council members for the ribbon-cutting and a series of speeches. A crowd of 200 was on hand.
The 3,500-square-foot splash pad has two play areas, one intended for toddlers (up to age three) and another family area for those ages three to 12. South of the pad is a large maintenance building which includes new washrooms, change rooms, and a canteen. The pad itself was completely funded by the Town of Niverville.
Nathan Dueck Elected to Town Council
SUMMARY:
A vacancy on council was created when John Falk stepped down in February to run in the provincial election. That vacancy was filled by a by-election on September 14. Three candidates threw their hats into the ring: Nathan Dueck, Louise Billows, and John Falk, seeking re-election.
Dueck won the seat with 278 votes. Falk came in second with 174 votes, and Louise Billows fell into third place with 65 votes. Voter turnout was pegged at just 19 percent.
