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Residents and stakeholders of the Village of Muenster are invited to attend an important community meeting on Tuesday, September 9 at 7:00 p.m., taking place at the Muenster School Gymnasium. Organized by the Village of Muenster, the meeting is a chance for community members to get updated on key municipal developments and provide direct feedback to Council and staff.
“This meeting is for everyone in the community or anyone with a vested interest in Muenster,” said Jan Sylvestre, Chief Administrative Officer of the Village. “It’s our opportunity to reconnect, share progress, and make decisions together about the future.”
The Village last held a similar public engagement session in 2023. At that time, community feedback helped shape the Village’s infrastructure priorities. According to Sylvestre, several of those projects have since been completed or are underway.
“With a new Council in place and progress made on our previous goals, it’s time to review what’s been done and what comes next,” she explained. “We’ll be updating everyone on the existing project list and exploring what to add moving forward.”
One major focus will be residential development. As Muenster nears a threshold of just seven available residential lots, the Village’s Official Community Plan triggers a need to start planning the next subdivision.
“We want to prepare the community for the scale of the investment required to grow,” Sylvestre said. “We’re talking about multi-million dollar infrastructure costs, and even if grants cover 73%, that remaining 27%, potentially over $1 million, has a significant impact on our finances.”
The meeting will also serve as an educational session. Sylvestre noted that many residents have questions about how their property taxes are calculated and allocated.
“We’ll be explaining where your tax dollars go, what stays in Muenster and what goes to entities like the Horizon School Division,” she said.
In addition, the Village will share updates on grant opportunities, including applications for funding under the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund, which could help offset future subdivision costs.
“There’s a lot of work already done with engineering reports and assessments, and we want to be sure we’re putting forward a strong application,” said Sylvestre. “But before we move ahead, we want to know what the community thinks.”
The agenda also includes discussions on regional collaborations, including the potential for a Community Safety Officer contracted through the City of Humboldt.
“It’s a service that could help with bylaw enforcement, but it comes with a cost,” said Sylvestre. “We need to know whether residents want to go down that road or continue handling enforcement in-house.”
Other updates will touch on the regional emergency measures initiative, where Muenster is participating in a broader agreement with Humboldt, the RM of St. Peter, and several nearby communities. Sylvestre said the initiative will eventually provide the area with a shared emergency response professional.
Beyond the presentations, the meeting will include 20 to 30 minutes of interactive stakeholder engagement.
“We’ll be breaking into small groups so people can have real conversations and then debrief together as a full group,” Sylvestre explained. “This is about ensuring every voice is heard—not just by the administration, but by Council and staff directly.”
The Village encourages all residents, business owners, and stakeholders to attend and participate.
“This is your community,” said Sylvestre. “We want you at the table.”
More information is available on the newly redesigned Village of Muenster website.