Here’s a recap of what happened at the March 27th regular meeting of Moose Jaw City Council.

Britannia Road – Viterra

Viterra got the green light to close Britannia Road occasionally to accommodate their future growth. They’re hoping to upgrade their local elevator and are looking to invest $18 million of capital into the Moose Jaw facility which has been here for 100 years and employs 37 staff full-time. Once the upgrades are complete, they would need to close Britannia Road once a week on loading days.

Westheath School Procurement

A $2.5-million budgeted construction project for the 2024 season has been pushed ahead to 2023 after Council approved moving funding forward to align with school boards and to create 16 more lots near the new Westheath Joint-use School. Cash flow was available from the AgriFood Park budget as costs in 2023 will be approximately half of what was scheduled to be constructed, with the remainder in 2024.  Civil works is expected to begin construction this spring/summer. This will create cost savings through economy of scale with a larger joint tender project and saving mobilization and demobilization costs.  This plan will also save internal resources in planning and engineering departments by contracting out Engineering.

Review Update from SAMA

The Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency presented a recap of information including their income approach, rent model and the 2023 Cap Rate. This year cap rates went from 14 to 11% with the new groupings they’ve introduced, with many commercial properties’ cap rates increasing or decreasing due to changes with property details SAMA implemented this year.

Parks and Rec 

Major Equipment Upgrade

Thanks to Mother Nature and City Council, the Parks and Recreation department will be getting a new dump truck and a snowblower attachment for an existing front end loader. The total cost of both purchases is over $136 thousand, however about $24 thousand in surplus funds from savings on the purchase of an Ice Resurfacer in this year’s budget will be put towards that cost.

Special Occasion Permit

A permit to sell alcohol for consumption off-site at the Moose Jaw Homegrown Farmers’ Market on Langdon Crescent this coming May to October 2023 has gone through. Additional insurance will not be needed as no consumption will be taking place at the event. The Moose Jaw Homegrown Farmers’ Market will start up at the end of May.

Special Occasion Permit

This coming Canada Day High Street will be closed for one block in front of The Royal Canadian Legion Branch #59. Council approved their submission for a special occasion permit to host a cabaret on July 1^st subject to conditions.

Moose Jaw Event Centre Ice Plant Repair

City Council has approved some needed mechanical upgrades to the Moose Jaw Events Centre. Over the Christmas holiday season, the ice plant lost a significant amount of refrigerant levels at the Moose Jaw Event Centre. The cost of the repair and extra refrigerant is $45,000 before tax. A request was made to access $53,000 with taxes included from the Moose Jaw Event Centre Moderate Term Portfolio, as budget has already been decided for this calendar year. The Motion was carried, and council directed Administration to create a reserve fund specific to the Events Centre in the 2024 budget discussions.

Special Needs Advisory Committee

Council approved a request from The Special Needs Advisory Committee for help from the Communications Department to help spread the word about their Ramp Project through Stop Gap. The Ramp Project looks to residents who need assistance gaining access to building with physical limitations to apply for the program. Details will be coming through the city’s social media accounts in the future, or you can make a submission through StopGap.

NEXT MEETING

For videos and minutes of previous meetings, and to see future agendas, check out the City Council minutes and meetings page at moosejaw.ca or use the City Council button on the free City of Moose Jaw app.

The next regular meeting of MJ City Council is Monday, April 10.