
Construction on new South Coaldale Regional Stormwater Management Facility underway
A new construction project that aims to better protect the Coaldale area from overland flooding is underway.
Work has started on a new South Coaldale Regional Stormwater Management Facility.
The town says for decades the community has been vulnerable to flooding events that have impacted homes, businesses and essential infrastructure.
The facility will help mitigate runoff from a 3,600-hectare rural catchment area during storm events.
Once completed, it will protect more than 750 homes in the town and Lethbridge County, along with roadways, municipal infrastructure and agricultural land.
Construction is anticipated to be complete by fall of 2026.
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CBC
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Residents in a small northern Ontario town face an 80% tax hike
Residents in the small northern Ontario township of Fauquier-Strickland are facing a possible 80 per cent property tax increase this year as the community works to dig itself out of a financial deficit. At a council meeting on Tuesday, Craig Davidson, a consultant brought in to help the community, proposed the tax hike as a way for the community of around 500 people to cover a $2.5-million operating deficit and retain its six employees. On July 29 the province offered the municipality $300,000 on the condition council approve a new budget by Aug. 31. At the council meeting Davidson said he was only given six hours to put together a budget for the municipality. "I remembered yesterday that there was $300,000 [from the province]," he said. In early July, Fauquier-Strickland Mayor Madeleine Tremblay said the municipality would need to shut off services like garbage collection by Aug. 1 if the province didn't intervene with financial support. At that time, council also proposed a tax increase of up to 200 per cent to pay off the municipality's deficit and cover basic services. But Davidson's proposal for an 80 per cent increase instead wasn't well received by residents. "They're trying to put a budget through that nobody can afford," said Donald Armstrong, who attended the council meeting on Tuesday. Nobody wants to move into a municipality that's literally on the verge of bankruptcy. - Donald Armstrong Armstrong noted that a majority of people in the small community are retired and on fixed incomes. He said he's been trying to sell his home, but that fell through when news about Fauquier-Strickland's financial troubles broke. "So now me and my wife are stuck here because we can't sell the house," Armstrong said. "Nobody wants to move into a municipality that's literally on the verge of bankruptcy." Alan and Dawn Gosnay moved to Fauquier-Strickland in December, attracted by the lower housing costs and an opportunity to live closer to their grandchildren. By the time the new year rolled around, Alan Gosnay said their property taxes went from around $2,300 a year to $5,600. Gosnay said another tax hike on top of what he's already paying would be devastating. "They might as well take a bulldozer to the town," he said, frustrated with the municipality's financial situation. Community members are planning a meeting Wednesday night to discuss possible solutions and bring new questions to council before the budget vote. Tammy Daigle has lived in Fauquier-Strickland for 33 years and is one of the meeting's organizers. "We're often shut down with questions and when we ask questions, they're overlooked," she said. Daigle said an 80 per cent tax increase would make it impossible for her and her husband to retire anytime soon. My husband, he's on sick leave right now waiting for surgery, but he was going into retirement and this changes that plan," she said.


CBC
an hour ago
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Federal judges deserve $28K-$36K salary hike, panel rules
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The commission's findings are in line with arguments from judges who have asked for a $60,000 top-up to their base salaries, but not with the position of the federal government, which argues that such a raise is ill-timed in the current context of budget deficits and economic uncertainty. The commission concluded the base salary of most federal judges should rise from $396,700 to $424,700, with the salaries of most chief justices rising from $435,000 to $465,700. At the Supreme Court, the chief justice's salary would increase from $510,000 to $546,000, while the eight other justices would get a $33,000 boost for an annual salary of $505,700. The raises would be in addition to annual increases that are in line with the average rise in salaries across the country. According to the commission, the salary adjustment is required to ensure that the best lawyers continue to apply for the bench. According to its calculations, the average salary among senior private-sector lawyers who could reasonably aspire to such a role exceeds $700,000. The commission was established in the late 1990s following a Supreme Court decision aimed at ensuring the independence of the judiciary from the executive and legislative branches, including on matters related to their remuneration. As part of the commission's consultation process, the federal government said annual raises linked to inflation are sufficient and asked for those increases to be capped at 14 per cent. In so doing, the government flatly rejected the judges' request for a salary top-up to compete with higher salaries in the private sector. "Not only does this increase have no legal basis, but it is insensitive to the current economic challenges of Canadians," the government said in its submission to the commission. In addition to their salary, judges benefit from a generous pension plan that is worth approximately $100,000 in additional annual compensation, according to the federal government. "Other factors, such as the desire to serve the public, security of tenure, and the quality of life associated with judicial office, are all important incentives for accepting appointment to the judiciary," said the federal government in its submission. The government insists it has no difficulty filling vacant judicial positions across the country, and denies the issue of salaries is a hindrance to recruitment. "The results speak for themselves: the bench has never been more diverse, and more qualified women, racialized persons, and Indigenous peoples are accessing judicial roles than ever before," the federal government argued. In response to the commission's report, a spokesperson for the justice minister said the government "will take the time to carefully consider the recommendations" and will offer its full response in the coming months. The Harper government rejected the commission's salary recommendations in 2006, citing the economic situation of the day. The judges and the government subsequently agreed to defer wage increases until the next round of compensation consultations. Government's options 'very limited,' senator warns Former Quebec Court of Appeal judge Pierre Dalphond warned the government could end up in Federal Court if it decides to ignore the findings of the commission's report this time. "The government's room for manoeuvre is very limited.... The commission has issued a report, and the government can only dismiss it if it can demonstrate that the report is unreasonable. That's quite a heavy burden," said Dalphond, who now sits in the Senate. In their submission to the Commission, the federal judges argued their salaries pale in comparison to those of experienced lawyers, which undermines efforts to recruit some of the most qualified candidates to the Canadian judiciary. In a joint submission, the Canadian Judicial Council and the Canadian Superior Courts Judges Association decried a gap of approximately $300,000 between the salaries of judges and those of comparable lawyers in the private sector. "This persistent, dramatic gap is a serious obstacle to ensuring that outstanding members of the bar remain interested in considering a judicial appointment," the judges' associations said in their submission. The judges' submission cites the Supreme Court of Canada, which held that financial security is a central feature of judicial independence. During consultations held by the commission, the chief justice of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice stated that in the current environment, it can be difficult to convince lawyers to apply for the bench. "A routinely cited reason for this lack of interest is the combination of the heavy workload of superior court judges and the perceived lack of commensurate pay for that work," explained Judge Geoffrey Morawetz. Fears over judicial independence According to the Canadian Bar Association, the federal government must endorse the commission's final proposal. "If the government declines to embrace fully the Commission's recommendations on judicial compensation and benefits, or delays acting on them, the integrity of the process for setting judicial compensation will be compromised. Ultimately, judicial independence may be threatened," the association said. In an interview, the dean of Osgoode Hall Law School, Trevor Farrow, said an apolitical process to establish judges' salaries is required to guarantee judicial independence. He added that this principle becomes even more important as the rule of law comes under attack around the world. "Judicial compensation should not be a political game, it should not be part of the political back and forth," said Farrow. Dalphond added that it might be useful for the commission to delve into other issues in coming years. For example, the former judge asked whether all judges in the country, regardless of the city where they sit, should have the same salary, given that recruitment problems are more acute in large cities. "Is there a way to have regional variations in base salary, with adjustments to take certain realities into account? This may be an avenue worth exploring," the senator said.


CTV News
2 hours ago
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City announces $15M for downtown student housing
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