Fort Simpson Village council briefs Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Nov 19/04) - The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs sent an outline of its proposed funding for 2005/06, which will result in another $8,000 reduction in Fort Simpson's budget.

"What, they've cut us? They've never done that before," Mayor Raymond Michaud said facetiously.

Overspent

Senior administrative officer Bernice Swanson reminded council that a committee meeting is set for Monday. She said she is aiming to have a draft budget prepared for that date.

"The bottom line is definitely going to be red," she advised.

Form a plan

At Councillor Tom Wilson's behest, council passed a motion to initiate a community plan and request related funding from the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Wilson, who is the village's representative on the Fort Simpson Resource Development Impact Group, said the community is in need of a community plan and light-industrial lots. "Our act isn't together and the pipeline will be coming through," he warned.

Rich in history

Fort Simpson was almost certainly a place where York boats were manufactured, according to Stephen Rowan, of the Fort Simpson Historical Society. In a presentation to council at Monday's meeting, Rowan said evidence from two archaeological digs at Heritage Park indicates that the viking-like freight boats were made from spruce and tamarack in Fort Simpson during the 1800s. Rowan noted that the results of the archaeological dig were highlighted at a conference in Kingston, Ont. last month. The local excavation will be front and centre at another archaeological conference in Nanaimo, B.C. next year, he said. "People are very interested in what happened here," said Rowan, who added that there will hopefully be more excavations to come.

He also urged council to support the preservation of the old rectory, a 93-year-old building owned by the Roman Catholic church. In addition to its historical value, the building could be a tourism draw as a museum or a place to exhibit arts and crafts, regional tourism manager Gerd Fricke said.

Mayor Raymond Michaud said council may consider waiving property tax on the site to help cover the building's liability insurance costs in the interim.

Dogged vote

An amended dog control bylaw was given first reading on Monday evening.

Changes to the bylaw would permit the dog catcher to destroy any canine found running loose without a current licence tag and would not require the animal to be seized and impounded first. Licenced dogs would be impounded until the owner pays a fine and reclaims the pet, to a maximum of three days.

In a recorded vote, Mayor Raymond Michaud and councillors Bob Hanna and Kim Squires were in favour of the proposed amendments. Councillors Dave Wright and Tom Wilson were opposed. Deputy mayor Dennis Nelner and councillors Betty Hardisty, Owen Rowe and Norm Prevost weren't present. The second and third readings of the bylaw will take place at upcoming council meetings.