Coun. Brian Swanson was concerned that a letter from city council to the provincial government about the 2020 municipal election had not been sent, but city administration confirmed the correspondence was delivered.
In his report presented during the recent regular council meeting, Myron Gulka-Tiechko, city clerk and city solicitor, explained a copy of the letter dated Dec. 19, 2018 was sent from his office to MLA Warren Kaeding, the minister of Government Relations.
The letter reads, “This letter is to inform you that Moose Jaw city council adopted the following resolution at the regular meeting of city council held on Nov. 26, 2018: ‘That the City of Moose Jaw communicate to the provincial government our opposition to the recently announced proposed changes to the date of municipal elections.’”
Dog park maintenance
City administration also responded to an inquiry from Coun. Heather Eby, who asked on April 8 whether the municipality had a dog park maintenance policy and if there would be a spring cleanup.
In a report, Derek Blais, director of parks and recreation, explained the department relies on public compliance with The Dog Bylaw, which puts the onus on pet owners to clean up after their dogs.
Sec. 17 (1) and (2) of the bylaw states, “If a dog defecates on any public or private property other than the property of its owner, the owner or keeper shall cause such defecation to be removed immediately. Where, under subsection (1) of this section, the owner of the dog fails to remove such defecation immediately, the owner shall be in violation of this bylaw.”
To assist with public compliance and awareness, the dog park rules reflect the bylaw and are installed at the entrance to both dog parks, said Blais. The municipality also installs doggy bag stations at the dog parks and throughout the municipal trail systems.
“Similar to other municipalities such as Regina, the city maintenance of the dog parks consists of mowing, scheduled garbage removal, snow removal to the gate and minor site repairs,” he added, “while users are expected to help maintain and look after the space by picking up after themselves and their pets.”
The next regular council meeting is Monday, May 27.
