Richard Froese
South Peace News
Updated address signs have been popping up recently in Kinuso and rural parts of Big Lakes County.
Work started Oct. 19 to install the new blue residential address signs at the entrance to each property, says a Big Lakes news release dated Oct. 18.
Big Lakes ordered 108 signs but not all have been installed as of Oct. 31.
The new addresses and signs are essential for emergency services personnel, such as fire, ambulance or police, to respond to addresses quickly in an emergency.
New signs and addresses conform to the same standards as the signs within all other Big Lakes hamlets and rural properties in accordance with Bylaw 18-2023.
Big Lakes has shared the new addresses with Swan River Gas, Telus, ATCO and the Alberta Municipal Data Sharing Partnership for emergency services.
Residents may have to update their address with any other utility company or billing agency.
Anyone with questions about their new address may phone Big Lakes administration in High Prairie at (780) 523-5955.
To learn more about how the rural addressing system works, check out the Rural Addressing Page on the county website at biglakescounty.ca.
The issue of rural addressing and signs was raised at Big Lakes council meeting in November 2023.
Council was updated about inconsistent addressing in the area by Pat Olansky, director of community services and planning.
After the Village of Kinuso dissolved as a village in 2009, addressing was inconsistent with the rest of the hamlets in the county and the provincially-endorsed municipal address system, Olansky wrote in her report at the Nov. 22 meeting.
“Administration began to re-address Kinuso in the years since dissolution, however this project remains substantially incomplete,” Olansky told council.
During discussion on rural addressing, many council members stated they wanted to ensure addresses are accurate to aid emergency services and utility companies and for other people to locate specific properties easily.