The RM of Ritchot held a virtual council meeting on Tuesday, November 3.

Crime Report

The meeting started with Staff Sergeant Guy Landreville of the St. Pierre RCMP detachment presenting the municipality’s crime statistics. During the discussion, Mayor Chris Ewen brought up the increased amount of reported property crime throughout the region and asked if this may be a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff Sergeant Landreville conceded that it could have something to do with that, but a lot of it is drug-related.

Ultimately, Landreville said he is “not overly concerned” by the increase in reported crimes.

The other councillors raised concern regarding a perceived spike in the theft of vehicles.

“Every single theft of vehicle that we’ve had has been related to people leaving their keys inside their vehicle,” Landreville explained. He further remarked that one resident said to him that it’s his right to leave his keys inside the vehicle; that’s why he has insurance. “So that’s the type of mentality we’re dealing with.”

Councillor Janine Boulanger brought up the issue that there has been a lot of action in the area due to “quad and dirt bike action,” and that some residents have called the RCMP about this. Landreville indicated that if he were emailed with the exact locations and times of these incidents, he could send out the Eastman Traffic Services Roving Traffic Unit to assist.

“I always tell people, be careful what you wish for, because there’s not going to be any warnings,” Landreville said. “They’re going to be nailed with heavy tickets… if you guys call me and you want action, then there’s going to be action taken.”

Mayor Ewen then asked the staff sergeant about break-ins, some of which happen multiple times at the same location. He specifically pointed out recent incidents at Adventure Power Products in Île-des-Chênes, calling it a “free-for-all.”

In regards to this concern, Landreville noted that the RCMP currently have two suspects in custody for that crime and another suspect is on their wanted list. He reported that two of the motorcycles that were stolen from Adventure Power Products have been found and that police are still searching for three more.

Landreville encourages everyone to look at the possibility of investing in alarms or hiring private security for their businesses.

Council asked about current staffing levels at the St. Pierre RCMP detachment.

“Normally we’re at 15 fully operational members,” Landreville said. “Right now, we are sitting at 11… It’s not good right now, that’s all I can say. We’ll continue providing the best service we’ve got, but it’s actually not very good right now.”

He then noted that the RCMP training depot had been shut down due to COVID-19, so they simply aren’t getting newly trained cadets.

Speed Limits in St. Adolphe

Next, council discussed the speed limits at the south end of St. Adolphe. Currently, the speed limit in that zone is 90 kilometres per hour, with the speed slowing to 50 at the outskirts of town. Council is working to have that changed, adding a 70 kilometres per hour zone to allow drivers a more gradual transition.

In the meantime, a recommendation has been put forth to council requesting that a radar mobile sign be erected at the south side of the community to better enforce the current speed limit.

This motion was carried with a 5–0 vote.

Waiving Penalty Fees

The RM’s administration has asked council to waive the penalty fees on late payments for water and sewer services.

In the ensuing discussion, council raised the issue that the current pandemic restrictions encourage people to stay home so they can remain healthy, but this can put significant pressure on members of the community when it comes time to pay their bills.

This motion was also carried with a 5–0 vote.

Fire Protection Grant

The final discussion of the meeting revolved around potential community funding in the form of a grant for Ritchot Fire Protection.

“Our fire department has put together a proposal that would see some dollars being invested in the fire hall design for the Île-des-Chênes community,” said CAO Mitch Duval. “There would be an application as well for a tanker/water carrier… that would serve the RM of Ritchot.”

The proposal would also request funds for a gear extractor, which is a giant washing machine for turnout gear, as well as funds for a rescue program. All told, this amounts to about $500,000 worth of projects.

Council unanimously carried the vote, supporting the proposal.