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Second Tawatinaw plebiscite nixed

A notice of motion to hold a second plebiscite regarding Westlock County’s continued financial support of the Tawatinaw Valley Ski Hill has been dismissed. Coun.
tawatinaw cleanup
There may not be any snow yet, but there was a flurry of activity Oct. 27 at the Tawatinaw Valley Ski Hill as volunteers prepared for the upcoming ski season. Michael Smith and Brent Batog help clean up as Wendy Batog supervises.

A notice of motion to hold a second plebiscite regarding Westlock County’s continued financial support of the Tawatinaw Valley Ski Hill has been dismissed.

Coun. Dennis Primeau introduced the notice of motion for the binding plebiscite at council’s Oct. 9 meeting and it was tentatively scheduled to be voted on Nov. 13.

The notice of motion read: “To have Westlock County engage the public in a second plebiscite regarding the Tawatinaw Valley Ski Hill. This would be to confirm the support or lack of support for the ski hill and as a council we must abide by the will of the people.”

After an in-camera session at council’s Oct. 23 meeting, Primeau was given an opportunity to withdraw the notice of motion, but he declined.

Its dismissal was then voted on and dismissed by a 5-1 vote.

“The notice of motion was not appropriate, therefore council voted to dismiss the notice of motion,” said reeve Lou Hall, citing the process Primeau went through as well as the timing of the notice.

During the Oct. 9 meeting, shortly after a visiting delegation scolded council for reversing its original decision to shut the ski hill down, Primeau rose from his chair and distributed copies of his notice of motion around the room while chief administrative officer Leo Ludwig was addressing council.

The county’s Procedures Bylaw allows for a councillor to ask council to reconsider a decision, but only if action to put that decision into place has not occurred.

In this case, the three-year agreement to operate the facility has been signed by the county and Friends of Tawatinaw and is therefore official and in place.

“The reeve declared it out of order,” Primeau said of his notice of motion.

“Basically, there’s nothing I can do about it. What I’m saying is that what was done originally was wrong and the reason they were able to do that to me was because they had progressed on the ski hill. I’m not happy about it, but I have to let go at some point.”

Primeau acknowledged that some ratepayers will “be livid” about the decision, but said he has no move to play and that voters should file council’s decision in their minds for the next municipal election.

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