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Wheatland County proposes use of RVs for quarantine purposes

travel trailer

Wheatland County has proposed to make temporary amendments to its land use bylaw to allow residents to quarantine and self-isolate in their recreational vehicles due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Current bylaws prohibit the use of recreational vehicles as dwellings, temporary or otherwise, within the county, however, COVID-19 has made amendments temporarily necessary.
“Residents of Wheatland County had expressed concerns about whether they would be able to use their recreational vehicles to quarantine or self-isolate. In order to accommodate this, staff determined changes needed to be made to the land use bylaw,” Matthew Boscariol, general manager of community and development services, told the Mail.
A first reading of the amendment was heard during Wheatland County’s regular council meeting on June 16.
Prior to the first reading, research revealed Strathmore was the only municipality to make similar amendments in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Residents of the municipality are permitted to use their recreational vehicles, however, they require an on-street parking permit to do so.
Rocky View County, surrounding Calgary, made temporary amendments following the 2012 flood in Bragg Creek.
They placed a time restriction on the bylaw, with a date by which the vehicle would need to be removed and cease to be used as a temporary dwelling.
Wheatland County is using this amendment into consideration as an example on how to accommodate residents through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boscariol noted any

recreational vehicles used for quarantine purposes “must be self-contained with no discharge of sewage or wastewater outside of an approved sewage disposal system,” and each parcel within the county would be limited to one recreational vehicle under the bylaw.
Other amenities such as electricity and water from an outside spigot would need to be obtained through the property owner’s own dwelling, according to Boscariol.
A removal date has been temporarily set for October 1, 2021 though Boscariol noted Wheatland County would consider revisiting the bylaw should quarantine measures be needed beyond that date.
A public hearing was held ahead of the regular Wheatland County council meeting on Tuesday, August 18. Results of the hearing and minutes from the meeting were unavailable at the time of publication.


Carbon repairs flood damaged pathways

carbon walking path repairs

The Village of Carbon announced a number of capital construction projects to be completed, including repairs to a walking path which sustained damage in 2018 due to overland flooding.
Sections of the walking path, running adjacent to Kneehill Creek, were washed away when the creek overflowed its banks in 2018.
“We have been in talks with TrailNet for permission to use parts of their trail to tie into the village pathway system. This was granted at the end of the year 2019, beginning of the year 2020,” Carbon CAO Vanessa Van der Meer told the Mail.
Anchor Excavating from Linden has been contracted to complete digging on the path, and the village’s Public Works department will place gravel for the new walking area.
Van der Meer is hopeful the repairs to the walking path will be completed by the end of August, with completion of all capital projects by October 30.

Local artist’s work selected for touring exhibition

jim edit

Local artist, Jim Carlson’s work is being appreciated across the Canadain Prairies as part of a travelling exhibition.
Carlson specializes in folk art. A collection of his work was selected to be part of an exhibition called A Prairie Vernacular: Folk & Contemporary Art Narratives of Life on the Canadian Prairies. This gallery features about 200 works produced in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba from about 75 artists.
Carlson is a long time member of the Badlands Artists Association and came to his art later in life. His work often portrays nostalgic images in his signature folk art style.
“My work usually tells a story drawn from day to day life,” he notes. “I get great joy from my painting.”
A booklet on the exhibition notes the genre of vernacular art is largely defined as being made by individuals untrained in the visual arts, who may not even identify as artists.
“Artists represented in the exhibition include historic and contemporary untrained artists, as well as academically trained artists whose work speaks to the vernacular, in terms of the locality and history of the properties,” it notes.
Along with displaying his works at the Badlands Gallery, his works have been viewed throughout Alberta in the Alberta Foundation of The Arts Travelling Exhibition program. This is where his work was noticed.
“They became familiar with my work, so when they were putting this show together, they thought of me because of my type of art,” he tells the Mail.
Carlson was born in Stettler. He spent much of his professional life in the construction field and lived throughout British Columbia. He settled in Drumheller in 1988, where he began to paint seriously.
“I’m 80 and I have never been more passionate about art,” he said.
Prairie Vernacular has spent time in Moose Jaw, Medicine Hat, Swift Current, and Manitoba.


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