Tom Henihan
Express Staff
@SmokyRiverExprs
Smoky River Water Co-op AGM held at Guy Community Hall on April 2017, drew an impressive turnout.
“Attendance at the AGM was high, much higher than usual, which is wonderful to see,” says SR Water Co-op secretary Rita Maure.
Karen Lambert of Sylvain & Company presented the Audited Financial Statement and Marco Gervais, manager of the Smoky River Regional Water Commission was present to give his report.
Gerry Noel, appointed Chair for the AGM presented the Chairman’s Annual Report and following the annual report, the floor was open to those in attendance for question period.
The SR Water Co-op welcomed new councillor Marcus Sheane and thanked the outgoing member Daniel Aubin for his service to the Board.
The direction being pursued by the SR Water Co-op Board and the M. D. of Smoky River #130 for the coming year is to persist in applying for provincial and federal grants in order to continue expanding services to more residents.
“We are hoping that a Federal Provincial grant program may be announced this year,” says Maure. “Both the M.D. administration and the Water Coop Board are continuously searching for grants. The Water Coop Board thanks the M.D. for their continued support.”
The SR Water Co-op encourages everyone interested in receiving service to purchase a Water Co-op membership as these memberships show the provincial and federal governments the number of people in need of potable water.
The SR Water Co-op continually advise the MLA and MP of the unique characteristics of the Smoky River region where wells are not an option in most areas, dugouts are not a safe solution and the continuous water hauling required for cisterns is not an environmentally friendly solution.
On the other hand, SR Water Co-op connection is a safe, permanent solution and with government assistance reasonably affordable.
The SR Water Co-op recommends that residents speak to their MD Councillors, MLA’s, and MP’s as the more these representatives are made aware the more likely they are to support funding for the water co-op and eventually maybe put in place a regular annual budget.
Residents interested in learning more about the SR Water Co-op can contact Secretary, Rita Maure at 780-324-2124.