The Sagitawa Friendship Society and its winter Out of the Cold Shelter were the key focus of the November 10 Peace River Town Council meeting, where Executive Director Marissa Geldart appeared as a delegation to answer council’s questions and outline the shelter’s operations for the season.
Geldart confirmed the emergency shelter opened November 1 and provided council with an overview of current practices and community impacts.
Councillors pressed for details on several topics, including neighbourhood concerns, security checks for clients, cleanup and maintenance around the facility, expectations placed on shelter users, and coordination with the Peace River Correctional Centre for individuals released without housing.
In a recorded vote later in the meeting, councillors defeated a motion to provide the Friendship Society with a letter of support for its application to the province’s Temporary Emergency Responses Measures (TERM) funding program.
The Town’s letter of support is a condition imposed by the Province to be eligible to receive the TERM operational grant funding.
Elsewhere on the agenda, council moved forward with several administrative items.
All three readings of Bylaw 2179 – Meeting Procedures Bylaw Amendment passed, shifting the Deputy Mayor appointment to a one-year term from its past rotation every four months.
Council also reviewed the draft Business Recognition Policy, aimed at formalizing how local business milestones are celebrated and how nominees are evaluated for the annual Ambassador Award.
Council directed administration to revise the policy by starting milestone recognition at 10 years, requiring three years of operation before Ambassador Award eligibility, and involving the Economic Development Committee in policy review.
The updated policy will return at a later meeting.
The Town’s upcoming garbage contractor change was also highlighted.
Switching from GFL to Prairie Disposal is expected to save the municipality approximately $10,000 per year.
New garbage carts begin arriving this week (November 17), with GFL completing its final pickups during the week of November 24.
Residents should leave their GFL bins out afterward for removal. Prairie Disposal will take over collection the week of December 1, 2025.
Keith Hopper, Trending 55
