The RM of Ritchot held their regularly scheduled council meeting on Wednesday, March 16. For the time being they are continuing to use a hybrid meeting model wherein the council meets in person but there is also an online and phone format available for participants to join.

The meeting consisted mostly of brief public hearings.

The first concerned the matter of a commercial site variance for 421 Main Street in Île-des-Chênes. A request was made to vary the site area from 20,000 square feet to 7,993 square feet, and the site width from 150 feet to 73 feet for the purpose of building an automobile service station.

This request was granted unanimously pending adherence to the standard conditions.

The second public hearing was held in regards to a request to vary the rear yard setback at 97 Alberic Bay in Ste. Agathe from 25 feet to 20 feet for the purpose of building an attached deck and sunroom. This request was also granted unanimously, pending adherence to the standard conditions.

The next public hearing was for 2 Bartman Drive in St. Adolphe. The request here was to vary the corner side yard setback from eight feet to 5.88 feet for a single-family dwelling. This request was unanimously granted with no conditions.

Julie Hildebrandt of 1926 Carriere Road in Grande Pointe petitioned council to allow a home-based private massage therapy business. Hildebrandt’s request was unanimously granted subject to standard conditions.

The February 2022 Building Permit Report indicates that 17 permits were issued during the month for a total of $4,565,000, with a total building permit fee of $11,056.65. This represents an increase from 2021 when 14 building permits were issued.

Mayor Chris Ewen commented that he felt these represented strong numbers for the municipality.

Finally, a first reading was given to a proposal to close Juniper Bay in Île-des-Chênes. This reading was approved by council.