www.minnedosatribune.

com
Vol. 129 No. 37 Friday, November 18, 2011 Minnedosa, Manitoba Canada R0J 1E0 90 cents + tax

Appearance of Between a rock and a hard place bias in R.M. of Saskatchewan

By AMANDA BOYD

espite declining a conditional use application for a non-farm dwelling in the R.M. of Saskatchewan a mere two months ago, during a public hearing in Rapid City on Tuesday, November 8th, Council approved just such an application made by Mark Ford and Lisa Munro. Ford and Munro applied for the conditional use order after Fords father, Robert, was granted a subdivision on his land. As this new parcel of land is not large enough for the Ford/ Munro home to be considered an accessory building to the existing farming operation, a conditional use application had to be made for a non-farm dwelling in an agricultural zone. In attendance to voice their opposition to granting the conditional use application were Lynn Forbes and her father David. Th Forbes application had e been denied by Council in September when they applied for a conditional use order to construct a nonfarm dwelling on 6.31 acres of land they own in the R.M. During that public hearing, a petition was presented to Council that had been signed by 59 ratepayers of the R.M. Th petition voiced opposition to e granting further conditional use orders in the R.M., stating, I am concerned that approving such conditional use orders will set the stage for the removal of agricultural operations from existing agricultural zones. Several letters had also been submitted in opposition to granting conditional use orders for nonfarm dwellings. One such letter from a ratepayer specifically stated, We feel that the Planning District and Municipal Council should be very careful in approving such conditional use orders as it will surely set the stage in the future for the removal of agricultural operations from existing agricultural zones. With the establishment of non-farm sites/dwellings etc. we begin to create an urban rather than rural community It was this petition and these letters of opposition that were the deciding factors in the decision to decline the Forbes application. Ms. Forbes presented this petition to Council during the Ford/Munro hearing, stating, Council has set a new precedent of not granting conditional use orders for non-farm dwellings in an agricultural zone If council is to be viewed as acting impartially and without favouritism, this conditional use application for a non-farm dwelling by Ford/Munro must be denied.

Photo by Amanda Boyd

Bob Manns of the Minnedosa Rotary Club (C) watches as workers from Cardinal Signs drill the hole for the service clubs new electronic billboard on Main Street.
By AMANDA BOYD of roadblocks along the way. Th original location e for the sign was hoped to be at the corner of Main Street and 2nd Avenue N.W. in front of Minnedosa Community Conference Centre. After some discussion, the location of the former MCI sign on Main Street was chosen. Th is location, along the banks of the Little Saskatchewan River, brought its own challenges. Th e dr ill encountered rocks about six feet down, and work had to be stopped until someone could come and help break-up the rocks. Th hole should be e at least eight feet deep for the sign to be stable. As of press time, work was stalled but it was hoped that drilling would commence again later in the week. A concrete base will be poured and in approximately 10 days the sign should be ready to go up. Th e electronic billboard measures 4x10 and will allow non-profit groups to promote upcoming events. Minnedosas Rec. Director will be in charge of inputting and updating information on the sign and it is predicted that several community events will take advantage and benefit from the new sign.

Continued on Page 3

n preparation for the installation of the Rotary Clubs new electronic billboard, Cardinal Signs of Brandon began drilling at the site location on the east side of Main Street between the CP track and Main Street Bridge, Monday morning. This project has been ongoing for some time and has faced a number