Candace Derksen

A recent surge of interest for the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) in the Altona/Rhineland area has program operators baffled. 
    
Stephanie Harris, Economic Development Officer for SEED, reports the number of registered profiles on their website grew by almost 35,000 in the last month, nearly doubling the total to about 81,000. These candidates have also been submitting applications to the RNIP program. One participating business received nearly 10,000 applications, she added.

Administrators and Council have put together a prelinary 2023 budget for the Town of Altona that Mayor Harv Schroeder says meets the needs of the community amid rising inflation, while keeping tax increases as low as possible.

"(We) met on February 21st. We had a really good meeting with lots of conversation and discussion," he explained. "Council has added their input and a few changes were made."

Despite high inflation, Schroeder says the group was able to come up with a financial plan that kept tax increases relatively low without reducing services. 

A familiar face will be leading Prairie Dale School in Schanzenfeld next school year.
    
Anny Froese, who has been serving as Vice Principal and Resource Teacher at the school since 2019, will take over as Principal starting in September. 

Crews have been scraping, digging, and leveling earth for just over a month now, and Phase 1 of Altona's industrial park expansion is progressing well. That's the latest update from Mayor Harv Schroeder.

"Fast Brothers are living up to their name. They are working quickly and effectively so far," he explained. "The last update that we received is that they are continuing to put in the manholes and sewer lines. They are also making progress on the retention pond which is necessary for drainage of the development."

Council and administrators for the Municipality of Rhineland have emerged from a two day planning session with six priorities to focus on this term.

"We hope to set the stage for the next four years and then annual plans are supposed to be reflected in these priorities that we set for ourselves," explained Reeve Don Wiebe. 

The priority areas identified as a result of the session include water management.

Those who supported the Altona Library's relocation were honoured at an intimate celebratory evening hosted by the South Central Regional Library at the new, bigger space in the Altona Mall.
    
The idea to move to library to the mall was hatched, and became reality, in just a year-and-a-half, and Laverne Siemens, a representative on the Board of Directors, said the effort is an example of what can happen when a community rallies behind an effort.

"We're incredibly grateful for it," says Morris Mayor Scott Crick following last week's news that the community is finally getting a new daycare with added capacity. 

After being overlooked in the initial announcement back in November, the town has now been included in Phase 2 of the expanded federal/provincial ready-to-move daycare project initiative. Government will provide a modular facility with an additional 104 childcare spaces in the community.

2023 budget deliberations are progressing well for the Municipality of Rhineland. That from Reeve Don Wiebe.

"The L.U.D. budgets are basically completed," said Wiebe, noting Council and administration is just waiting on the 2021 audit and final accounting for 2022 before solidifying the 2023 budget. 

"The Finance committee is now looking at all expenditures and new budget allocations," he added.

All of this, noted Wiebe, is in preparation for the Municipality's public budget consultation scheduled for March 22nd at 10 a.m. at Council Chambers in Altona.

The final tally is in, and the 2023 Asham U18 Men’s and Women’s Curling Championship is one of the most profitable in the event's history, according to the Altona Curling Club which hosted the event at the end of December. In a news release, the Club noted the event turned out a profit of just over $20,000.

A grassroots group is looking to reduce the environmental footprint of Altona's largest public facility, the Millennium Exhibition Centre. 

The Earth Team, made up of five local citizens, is conducting a green building audit in the second of a three-phase, three-year federal program that is providing about $60,000 to the community for climate action.