Sherwood Park Minute: Issue 135

Sherwood Park Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Sherwood Park politics

📅 This Week In Sherwood Park: 📅

• Council will hold a public hearing tomorrow at 9:00 am, and one of the three bylaws on the agenda would rezone about 12.54 hectares (30.98 acres) in the Cambrian Crossing area in Ward 4. The land, south of Fieldstone View and west of Hearthstone Boulevard, is currently zoned for agriculture pending future development. The applicant, Stantec Consulting Ltd., and the owner, Mattamy (Sherwood Park) Limited, are asking for a mix of residential, conservation, recreation, and mixed-use neighbourhood services zoning, in support of a subdivision application proposed at the same time. According to Administration, the change follows the Cambrian Crossing Area Structure Plan, which Council adopted in 2021 and amended in 2022 and 2025. Administration reports that no objections were received when the proposal was circulated. Council will be asked to give the bylaw all three readings at the hearing.
  
  
• Council will hold a budget meeting on Thursday at 9:00 am. The only business on the agenda is the Strathcona County 2027 Recommended Budget, which Council will discuss in closed session.
  
  
• Strathcona County Council will decide during its budget deliberations whether to spend up to $160,000 replacing stolen plaques on 24 brick street markers in Sherwood Park's Woodbridge Farms neighbourhood. Thieves took 84 bronze plaques from the markers in February. Councillor Robert Parks, who represents the neighbourhood, brought the motion at the October 20th Council meeting, saying residents have repeatedly asked for the signs to be replaced and that the markers are part of the area's character. The replacements would be engraved concrete plaques, which Administration estimates at about $76,000, with repairs to the brick pillars pushing the total to between $110,000 and $160,000. Parks said new bronze plaques, at $300,000 to $320,000, would never be considered given the cost and the metal's scrap value. Some Councillors questioned whether all County taxpayers should pay to preserve a feature of one neighbourhood when most use standard blade-style signs costing about $100 each, and Administration suggested a local improvement tax on area homeowners as an option. Council voted unanimously to take up the proposal in budget deliberations, which are scheduled to run into December.
  
  
• Strathcona County Council has voted 9-0 to extend the target for finishing residential snow clearing from 10 days to 12 days after operations start. Administration told Council on October 20th that more frequent freeze-thaw cycles, freezing rain, and a growing residential road network have made the 10-day standard difficult to meet consistently. Staff said the residential road network has grown by roughly five kilometers a year over the past five years, and recent winters have brought significant ice buildup on roads, trails, and sidewalks. The change applies to residential road clearing, with windrowing continuing under the existing service framework. The amended winter maintenance policy also formally adds Sherwood Hills Estates, which Administration said already receives the same service as similar neighbourhoods. Councillors questioned staff about trail maintenance, ice management, and future staffing and equipment needs, and Administration said additional staffing is being examined through the upcoming budget process.
  
  
• Strathcona County says it has made no decision to change its policing model, as Grande Prairie replaces the RCMP with its own municipal police service. The Grande Prairie Police Service officially took over policing within that city's limits on October 21st, becoming the first new municipal police service established in Alberta in roughly 70 years. Asked whether the change has prompted discussion of alternatives locally, Tom Sutton, the County's Director of RCMP and Enforcement Services, said the County regularly evaluates its policing and community safety needs to make sure residents receive efficient and cost-effective service. Sutton pointed to the County's integrated detachment model, in which municipal support staff, Community Peace Officers, and RCMP members work together on community safety initiatives. He also argued that the RCMP contract gives the County access to a broader provincial policing network, including specialized teams, equipment, and expertise when needed.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

Strathcona County says it has no plans to change its policing model following Grande Prairie’s transition from the RCMP to a municipal police service.

The County says its integrated detachment model combines RCMP officers, municipal support staff, and Community Peace Officers, while providing access to specialized provincial policing resources.

What do you think? Should the County have its own police service?

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

This week's sponsor is you! We don't have big corporate backers, so if you like what you're reading, please consider making a donation or signing up as a monthly member.

Having said that, if you are a local business and are interested in being a sponsor, send us an email and we'll talk!