KAMSACK — The Kamsack Town Council decided not to permit golf carts to be driven within the municipality and upheld their decision to ban a proposed cannabis store during recent council meetings.
Golf Carts Decision
The council discussed the idea of allowing licensed golf carts within the town, a concept that had been approved by SGI (Saskatchewan Government Insurance) for municipalities. Town Administrator Barry Hvidston clarified, “The province passed legislation to allow golf carts anywhere in the municipality, providing certain requirements are met," including $2 million in liability insurance, lighting, and valid driver’s licenses.
However, after discussions with the RCMP, who presented potential issues but weren’t necessarily against the bylaw, the council decided against allowing golf carts throughout Kamsack. “We foresaw a lot of potential difficulties,” said Mayor Brunt. “The speed of the traffic, the fact that you’re not seat-belted in, we were concerned about the safety of passengers.” Brunt also emphasized that the golf carts wouldn’t have been allowed on highway connectors, such as Nicolation or Boulevard.
Hvidston added, “Mostly for safety reasons, we’re better off not having it,” but noted that residents can still drive their golf carts from their homes to the golf course and back using the most direct route.
Cannabis Store Rejection
The council upheld its original decision not to permit a cannabis store in the town, despite a second proposal from Tumbleweed Cannabis, who wanted to set up a location at the Petro Canada.
“There had been a lot of items brought up at the public meeting that we took into consideration,” Brunt said, citing concerns from residents. “That’s why we made the original decision and why we decided to stay with that decision.”
Community Building Fund
The council discussed the Community Building Fund, formerly known as the gas tax. The town will receive over $506,000 over five years, averaging $120,000 annually. “It sounds wonderful when you say half a million dollars,” said Brunt, “but it’s a hundred thousand a year, and that money has to go towards infrastructure.”
Hvidston noted that in the last five years, the funds went toward the trash transportation station.
Housing Study and Other Matters
The town is participating in a housing study initiated by Yorkton, which will be funded by the federal government if enough communities join. “If Yorkton can get enough other communities involved, this study is going to be paid for by the federal government. So the council has said, yes, we do realize that there's housing issues within Kamsack.” Hvidston said. “This study will probably present a lot of stuff that we already know, but it may present some options that we don't know. So the council decided, yeah, let's just jump on board and if it goes ahead, as long as there's no direct cost to the town, it's not going to hurt.”
The council also discussed a reduction in minor hockey fees, agreeing to lower the rink rental rate from $120 to $110 per hour after an increase earlier this year.
In addition, Mayor Brunt announced that Camp Molly, a fire service program for young women, had been canceled, and that Sherise Fountain, the Community Safety Officer, is back to working full-time. Kamsack also hosted a barbecue for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, with around 300 burgers served.
Mayor Nancy Brunt provided an update on the RCMP’s current staffing levels, noting they were “down five or six members,” with 14 constables, two corporals, a sergeant, and a staff sergeant expected in total. "That stretches them pretty thin," Brunt said, adding that they are in the process of getting new members.
Upcoming Events
Kamsack’s election is six weeks away, with October 9th as the deadline for nominations. Brunt confirmed she would not be running again. The council is also considering buying a piece of land from Imperial Oil to maintain a garden at the end of Main Street, although soil contamination issues will restrict any deeper development.
“One interesting thing is that the garden at the end of Main Street, Council found out that we don't own some of it. So one of the people who own it, Imperial Oil, has approached us about if we want to buy a section of it. So we're going through a little bit of study. We're going through some options to see if Council wishes to actually buy it. It is a little bit contaminated with the soil. But if it's meant for the garden site, then we can dig in it, but we can't say dig a foundation. We can't do development there.” said Hvidston.
The town’s fire hall will host a pancake breakfast on October 14th to celebrate Fire Safety Week. Mayor Brunt concluded, “We’re always looking for firefighters.”
