The RM of Stanley is currently in the data collection phase for the low-pressure sewer system that is in the works. The goal is to find out how much public interest there is in connecting to the system, which will, in turn, let the RM know how much money they will need to borrow once the project is implemented.
Though Reeve Ike Friesen and CAO Terry Penner share that there has been interest, they say that there has also been concern among some of the villagers living in Reinfeld and Schanzenfeld.
“Three individuals came in and they presented a document with a number of signatures on there and it was sort of packaged as a petition representing I guess a number of people from the two villages... that were not supportive of the project or at the very least had questions that they'd like to have answered regarding this whole project.”
The concern
Waldemar (Wally) Neufeld, a resident of Reinfeld and the driving force behind the collection of signatures brought forward to the Stanley office, shared the reason for his concern with the low-pressure system.
“Basically, we got a letter from the RM of Stanley saying that we have to pay $16,000 for a new low-pressure system that will... pump the grey water out of our septic tank, which right now we are pumping into our septic fields. That doesn’t cost us anything right now... I was shocked.”
Neufeld said that his thoughts immediately went to his neighbours, wondering how they were going to pay the cost for a new system that was, for him, unnecessary.
“That’s how the whole idea got started... to see what people in Reinfeld and Schanzenfeld think about it and get the idea: Are they willing to pay it? Do they want to? Can they afford it? Or is it just me thinking this way?”
The signatures
After what Neufeld describes as a community meeting, he had collected over 640 signatures from the residents of the two villages, saying they were either opposed to the new low-pressure system or were requesting more information.
“And we went to the council and we talked to them for about 45 minutes, had a whole bunch of questions. We had zero information, even with a later email that I got, in the email I got some potential answers that they thought they were going to give us. There were no answers.”
One of the pieces of information highlighted from Reeve Ike Friesen was specifying that the low-pressure sewer system is considered a Local Improvement under the Municipal Act, meaning that it requires approval by a by-law.
Friesen shared that, “We’ve tried our best to communicate as well as we can, I realize it’s difficult. Everyone has a different way of getting their information... We’re trying to get out question and answer sheets to everyone in a mail-out.” He continued, “It’s difficult to get it right, but there are people at the office here who will answer questions if they ask.”
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Opting out
In collecting data for the Local Improvement project, Terry Penner said that since the project is a larger one, it does come with a significant cost. For those unable to afford a connection, he shared how it was important for the council to have a way for them to opt out.
“Which means they don’t have to connect to the low-pressure system. So, their existing septic field might be working fine, and they don’t need to do that, so they don’t have to.”
For Neufeld, it's the unknown variables once the system is installed that are part of the reason he feels the need to find out more information.
“We went and talked with Environment Canada, which regulates our septic fields. Based on that information, we don’t have to connect if we don’t want to, but with having the line in the ground, basically now, eventually we will be forced to connect... We would still pay.” He said, referencing the fact that once the line is in place, the province will require property owners to connect to it within ten years of having it available to them.
Reeve Ike Friesen shared, “That ten-year time frame was actually lobbied with the government. It was five years, and with some lobbying and discussions, we did get that extended to ten years.”
Finding ways to communicate
Neufeld did clarify that for him, this isn’t a personal matter, and that what matters most is that there is clear and concise communication with the villagers, and that their voices are being heard.
“I don’t want to create a riot. I don’t want to make people mad. I just want to help people that cannot afford to pay for food these days, that we have to donate to our neighbours. I just want to put it out there to say, we don’t want the line at all.” He said, “And to ask the RM of Stanley, please just be responsive. Be kind to us as villagers, and don’t push something on us that we don’t want.”
Both Friesen and Penner agreed that open communication was very important.
Penner shared that, “We’re willing to meet and call, and respond to emails and voicemails and all that... We know it’s hard to get good information out to everybody in their format, but I would just encourage people to do what they need to do to contact our office to get the information they need.”
For those looking to stay informed and up to date on the low-pressure system, they can do so by visiting the RM of Stanley website, signing up for the email list, subscribing to the Connect Stanley service, and regularly checking their mailbox.
- photo provided by Waldemar Neufeld -