Milestones 2019 2019 | Page 5

Be found when it matters most. Get on the Grid. Earlier this year, Council asked itself what it could do to enhance sustainability. How does (or how should) Lesser Slave River differentiate itself so that it can continue to be a prosperous region within Alberta? What does Council really control? The answers to these important questions came from a focus on lifestyle and incremental growth in assessment for right-sized municipal services that do not denigrate the experience for those of us already living here. Later in this issue, a discussion about the Lesser Slave River Economic Development Growth Policy is presented. Essentially, Lesser Slave River aims to be affordable to profit- focused businesses, farmers and homeowners alike by being open for business, and by reducing red tape in our planning and development process while protecting the public interest. At our core, we seek to preserve and enhance our status as a place where people want to live and work. I’d like to give a shout out to our citizens who braved last June’s flooding. Nobody likes high water lapping at their properties. Witnessing teamwork, neighbours helping neighbours, and volunteers pitching in the way they did makes me proud to be a Northerner. Fingers crossed; we will not experience such conditions this year. Regardless, efforts are underway to obtain assistance for flood planning and mitigation through the provincial government. This assistance is critical for Marten Beach and Eating Creek areas of the Municipal District. Given that we reside in a wilderness where flood and fire are a part of the fabric of our lives, I urge all of you reading this message to provide your current contact information to the MD (including your cell phone number) so that our Emergency Notification System can alert you to emergency or critical information. To “Get on the Grid” as we call it, please visit mdlsr.ca/Get-on-the-Grid. Rest assured, we are not spammers at the MD. If we are calling you with this system, you can be certain the information is important. As always, I thank Council for their governance, and of course the hard-working staff of Lesser Slave River. I know that I am very fortunate to work with both groups. Now…let’s enjoy summer! — Allan Winarski Chief Administrative Officer Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park. Courtesy of Travel Alberta. 05