[0:02] of the mate. We pay favor respects to
our first nations and matey ances
[0:06] and reaffirm our relationship with one
another. We'll move to the adoption of
[0:10] the agenda. So any changes to the agenda
convinced also move
[0:22] in favor.
[0:25] We move to adoption the minutes of the
special meeting held on the 11th of
[0:30] August
[0:34] and move as presented also move as
presented
[0:39] second
favor
[0:47] now move to delegation public hearings
and we have into the lead cand
[1:01] Yeah, I might just stand actually if
that's okay.
[1:05] All righty.
Well, good evening, Mayor and Council.
[1:09] Thank you very much for having us this
evening. My name is Megan. I'm the CEO
[1:14] and co-owner of Into the Weeds Cannabis.
And thank you very much for the
[1:19] opportunity to present to you today.
So into the weeds cannabis is a 100% uh
[1:27] Saskatchewan owned company with a
background in retail pharmacy, grocery,
[1:31] liquor, and now retail cannabis. We are
also majority female owned and operated.
[1:36] This is something we are very proud of.
We understand that operating businesses
[1:41] in Saskatchewan and communities,
including smaller communities, and we
[1:45] understand that being a good local
business means more than simply opening
[1:49] a door and making sales. Today, we
operate nine cannabis retail stores
[1:54] across Saskatchewan. That experience has
given us a strong understanding of
[1:58] regulated retail cannabis and what it
takes to operate responsibly in
[2:02] different communities.
[2:06] Here's a quick glance at our executive
team, which consists of myself and my
[2:10] sister Jenna, who's here with me today.
As I said, we are a majority femaleowned
[2:15] and operated company. And because we are
a family-owned business, we are
[2:19] personally invested in the success of
the company and in the communities where
[2:23] we operate. We are not a large outside
corporation coming into a community and
[2:27] handing over the operation to someone
else. We are directly involved in the
[2:31] business, our stores, our employees, and
our community relationships. That
[2:37] personal involvement is something we
would bring with us to Laur.
[2:43] Here we have a glance at some of our
current locations which include our
[2:47] Kraton, Saskatoon, Devdon, and Big River
location. One thing these locations
[2:54] demonstrate is that our stores are
designed to fit into the communities
[2:57] where they operate. We have experience
working with different types of
[3:00] buildings and different community
environments. We take pride in
[3:04] maintaining professional, secure, and
welcoming retail spaces. Our goal in the
[3:09] range would be to bring that same
approach to the proposed location.
[3:13] And next we have our Spiritwood,
Melfort, Langenburgg, and Birch Hills
[3:19] locations.
Then one more down we have our newest
[3:23] location which is in Nippoin. We just
opened in April. I'd also like to point
[3:28] out that we are one of three stores in
Nippoin which has a lesser population of
[3:32] Laurange.
So, and next up here we have a proposed
[3:37] location for Lange at 516 Lange Avenue.
This property is located in the downtown
[3:44] commercial area. Our intention is to
invest in this existing commercial
[3:48] property and renovate and improve it for
use as a retail cannabis store.
[3:54] Next up, we do have a letter of support
from the property owner, Penny, which I
[3:58] will read aloud to you now.
Dear Lange Mayor and Town Council, my
[4:03] name is Penny Spoolie, owner of Penny's
Hair Design. I have lived in Lange since
[4:08] 1988 and have provided a service to our
community and in North for 38 years. I
[4:14] put my heart and soul into my business
for many years. And now I'm ready to
[4:17] sell my building and property and move
on to the next chapter. I have accepted
[4:22] an offer to purchase my building from a
reputable business person wanting to
[4:26] open a new store location in Lrange for
my commercial property to sell. The new
[4:30] owner needs to be approved for a
business license by the town of Lrange
[4:34] to operate their store at 516 Lange
Avenue. This location is in the middle
[4:39] of the commercial district of downtown
Lange or two other similar stores
[4:43] currently operate. There are no bylaws
prohibiting a third business of this
[4:47] kind in the town of Lange and I support
their ability to enter a fair, open,
[4:52] competitive market. I don't believe
Langetown Council should protect the
[4:56] current two operations from a new
competitor entering the market and thus
[5:00] prohibit my building from selling. My
property has been listed for sale on the
[5:05] multiple listing service for 156 days
and this is the only buyer to make an
[5:09] offer to date. Please consider your
application for a business license and
[5:14] support my ability to transition to
retirement after 38 years of service to
[5:18] our community. Best regards, Penn.
[5:23] Okay, next up, so jumping back into the
presentation, uh we do want to make one
[5:28] point very clear that this application
is not about introducing cannabis to
[5:32] Lange. Retail cannabis is currently
available in the community. So the
[5:36] question is not whether cannabis will
exist in Lange as it already does. Our
[5:41] application would simply add another
license option for consumers and allow
[5:44] for additional consumer choice and
business competition. And we believe
[5:48] that that distinction is important.
Next up,
[5:56] so we also want to address some
community and safety concerns. A
[6:00] licensed cannabis store is not elicit
drug activity. Retail cannabis operates
[6:04] under strict provincial regulations.
Sales are age restricted. Stores are
[6:09] licensed and monitored by regulators and
the retail environment is secure.
[6:13] Licensed cannabis retailers operate
openly, transparently, and under
[6:17] government oversight. That is the
environment that we operate in at our
[6:21] existing stores and that is a standard
that we would bring to the range.
[6:26] Next up here we have our community
involvement slide. So community
[6:31] involvement is a very important part of
how we operate our business across
[6:36] Saskatchewan. We have already supported
a number of local organizations and
[6:40] community initiatives. And some examples
of our involvement this year include
[6:45] $1,500 donation to the Devdon Recreation
Board, sponsorship of the Nest Creek
[6:50] Music Festival in Big River, donations
to the Kraton and Fire Department for
[6:54] their work during the devastating fires
in the north last year, donations of
[6:58] microwaves to the Devdon community
school, and Christmas turkeys for the
[7:02] Devdon Matter Senior's Home in addition
to many more. If we are approved in
[7:07] Lanch, our intention is to become active
supporters of local organizations and
[7:12] community initiatives here as well.
[clears throat]
[7:17] And to finish, I would like to summarize
why we believe approving this
[7:21] application would benefit Lange. First,
it represents investment in a downtown
[7:25] commercial property. It supports a local
property sale and allows the current
[7:29] owner to move forward with her plans. It
contributes property tax revenue and
[7:34] creates local employment opportunities.
And we would also be renovating and
[7:39] approving an existing building which
puts an existing commercial property
[7:43] back into active use. And importantly,
approving approving another licensed
[7:48] cannabis retailer does not mean creating
more cannabis use in Lange. It simply
[7:53] means giving adults who already choose
to consume cannabis another safe, legal,
[7:57] and regulated place to purchase it. We
believe that this is a straightforward
[8:01] opportunity to bring another responsible
locally owned Saskatchewan business into
[8:05] our own. We have the experience and the
proven track record across Saskatchewan
[8:10] and we have the support of the property
owner and we are prepared to invest in
[8:14] the property community. Thank you for
your time and for considering our
[8:19] application and we would be very proud
to be a part of Laurent.
[8:25] I guess I can stay here if anybody has
any questions for me.
[8:36] If there's no questions likely because
you covered everything in your
[8:39] presentation,
>> I hope so.
[8:42] » My only thing was Nipoint's population
is 5,033.
[8:47] » Yes.
>> Our population is 2668.
[8:50] » Sorry, I should have said in the tri
community area. The surrounding
[8:53] population I guess as well.
>> Yes.
[8:57] So with two other shops in existence,
yes, there's still a market.
[9:04] » Yes.
>> Share to capture.
[9:06] » There is. Yes. Especially with the
surrounding area. Um there are other
[9:11] areas that are more saturated as well.
Um I'd also like to point out I guess
[9:17] too that of the stores that are here,
they are actually larger groups than
[9:20] into the weeds. Um both groups have 10
plus stores as well as us. Um, so yeah,
[9:27] we based off of the population and our
current experience in stores that we're
[9:31] in, it definitely would be viable to
have more than two stores here.
[9:36] » How much competition do you have in some
of the other sites?
[9:39] » Um, we definitely do. So like we have
competition in Kraton. So we we mostly
[9:44] target rural smaller Saskatchewan. Um,
rural areas much smaller than Lange even
[9:49] like Debbon for example, Birch Hills,
Langenburg. Um, so a lot of the areas
[9:53] that we're in have one store, but some
of the other communities that we're in
[9:57] have two to three. And then as well as
say like Saskatoon, there's 40 plus
[10:01] stores. More than to importance for a
fun fact. [laughter] Yeah.
[10:12] » Well, thanks for your presentation.
[10:17] » Deliberate again further down.
Okay. Okay.
[10:22] » [clears throat]
[10:33] » Okay, we'll have a motion to enter in
committee.
[10:41] » All in favor?
Carried.
[10:47] I guess we'll
enter in discussions about the budget.
[10:52] That's pretty early in the year.
[10:57] » Timelines.
>> We got some timelines that are done
[11:00] there. Um I've already started getting
all my preliminary manuals ready. U got
[11:06] the draft sheets ready to hand out to
everyone. Um, so basically we got the
[11:11] timelines listed there starting
pretty much tomorrow all the way till
[11:16] November 23rd when everything gets
similar to the last few years. Uh, we're
[11:22] same thing we're going to have our
budget open houses
[11:26] um dates.
Um,
[11:31] looking at there there's a few
differences that we're uh going through.
[11:35] uh wages were probably going to be
around the 5% increase um estimating
[11:42] based on the CPI so far this year.
Um
[11:50] yeah, so
[11:53] everything listed there. Does anyone
have any questions about the budget
[11:57] process?
upset.
[12:02] » Okay.
>> Yeah. I guess it's, you know, it's nice
[12:04] to be proactive and I know you got a
number of things that, you know, may be
[12:09] affected by things in the market or
whatever. So, that's I I like the
[12:15] approach and I think it's good. They
have the open house plan sometime in
[12:20] between the 3rd and the 17th of
November. So, uh, we'll be well underway
[12:25] and get public input into that and, uh,
the final adjustments potentially in
[12:33] December, which be ready to go for
January 1.
[12:36] » Yeah, that's right. Hit the ground
running with the challenges that we
[12:41] faced in the last year. I think
done pretty well,
[12:47] » I think. So,
[12:51] » okay.
[12:56] I don't have any comments.
[13:07] » [laughter]
>> I have
[13:11] the update on the kind of date.
>> This is just I guess a general date as
[13:18] to where things are at. So back in uh
November 2025. Uh we entered into a list
[13:23] agreement with Little Bear Early
Learning Center to operate out of the
[13:28] previous high schools space at Mel
Gunlex. And I know we've been looking
[13:32] hard to uh get some funding to do some
rentals and uh get operational there
[13:38] because we know that uh there's a need
here right now for daycare spots. Um and
[13:44] just just as a reminder really just to
know that uh the lease came into effect
[13:49] technically uh this August 1st, so just
a couple weeks ago. Uh and they have
[13:54] installed December 31st of this year um
before they have to start like doing uh
[13:59] payments to the town. So, we're suing to
hear something concrete back from them
[14:04] if they're moving ahead with some
renovations and have the plug in to do
[14:07] so or if they're not able to at that
point. And so, December 31st is really
[14:13] what the part is there and then the
lease payments kick in. We're assuming
[14:17] that they're not going to start those
lease payments without having the
[14:21] funding secured. Um and then on the
other side of things, uh as we've uh
[14:25] heard North Atlant College back in
March, uh they do have some funding
[14:28] secured for daycare spaces in the
region. I think up to 90 seats is what
[14:34] they were uh what they had received
funding for. Um I'll say approximately
[14:39] though. Um that was back in March and uh
I know that they they are planning uh
[14:46] how they're going to meet that need. Uh
at the time we heard that uh
[14:52] hear something more concrete in April
and we're certainly looking forward to
[14:56] hearing an update from
[15:00] the last
they were going to break it up into 30
[15:04] units were going to be at the river
campus
[15:07] renovation done there. Soon as they
completed that then they were going to
[15:11] move on to the bigger phase which
looks like there's some interest in the
[15:17] in the property next to the front office
here. So that that won't happen till the
[15:21] other one is completed.
>> They've given no timelines for that.
[15:28] » I think we're into spring completion
spring at the end of campus.
[15:41] We'll move on to the uh the highway
science.
[15:48] Things have changed I guess with the
chamber not operation anymore and so I
[15:55] guess we got some decisions ahead of us
in terms of how we want to operate that
[16:04] want to lead that conversation
[laughter]
[16:08] not touching up
I mean there are some questions there to
[16:12] lead the conversation the background is
there um first and foremost we're just
[16:17] confirming that you want to see that
program continue and that you're not
[16:20] looking to discontinue having signs in
the community and uh if so we've got a
[16:26] number of questions there just to give
us some guidance on how you'd like to
[16:29] see it administered going forward
administration heard that the chamber
[16:34] was going to dissolve so we contacted
guess
[16:41] about taking it over and so we received
you know this current uh tenants Yeah,
[16:47] invoicing things of this nature. We were
already undertaking to do the invoicing
[16:50] for 2026. It wasn't completed by the
chamber for this year. We took an
[16:54] inventory and drew a map as you've seen,
took photographs and all this sort of
[16:59] thing so we could inform this report and
talk to these uh talk to council about
[17:04] these issues and let them move forward
with something to bring back
[17:07] future management of the of the port.
Did I am I understand that correctly
[17:14] that there are no signed agreements in
place for any of the existing signs? Is
[17:19] that what I read was reading?
>> That's my all
[17:22] » not a single one. No, that was the
response I got when I asked the chamber
[17:26] and the but of course that is something
we could look at doing moving forward
[17:30] and and uh you know obviously that would
give current tenants an opportunity to
[17:36] sign multi-year lease agreements maybe
with some increases that are that are uh
[17:41] played out over the over the years to
come because we've also done some
[17:44] research in that regard and the rents
that we char are charging are cheap when
[17:49] we look at others throughout the
province maybe not so much
[17:53] married to our neighbors to the south
corridor. Of course, we also have a ban
[17:59] corridor there. As you probably noticed,
a lot of the stuff that's advertised
[18:02] there related specifically to the ban in
some way, shape, or form.
[18:08] » So, do right on near the landfill.
>> Correct.
[18:12] » Okay. And just Yeah.
>> I'm not sure [clears throat] the history
[18:14] of that and how they managed to acquire
that because I think it's part of the
[18:17] highway right whereas ours is piece of
land that we own adjacent to the highway
[18:21] corridor. Yeah,
[18:27] » know the uh you know there's one
billboard first of all point about the
[18:33] report know from our from our
perspective that the actual structures
[18:37] on which the billboards rest we have to
assume are owned by the people that put
[18:41] the signs up in the first place. there's
nothing [clears throat]
[18:45] anything to the contrary and that's why
you'll see some of the advertising would
[18:49] not have anything in behind their sign
even though the the zoning file that
[18:54] requires that they treat the rear of the
sign if they choose not to doubleside
[18:58] the sign. There is the one billboard
sign that has both the chamber on it
[19:03] which is obviously becoming defunct and
then there is uh the advertising the
[19:08] floor longterm care and fundraising for
that on the reverse. So obviously the
[19:12] chamber sign will become available for
advertising and I've already got
[19:16] interested parties to advertise on it.
I think it's safe to say that we own
[19:22] that one
>> or at least by default.
[19:26] » Yeah. [clears throat]
You know, we would do as part of any
[19:30] future planning in terms of managing
that thing, we would send out a letter
[19:34] to all the tenants and, you know,
describe that they could stay and have
[19:40] the option to sign, you know, or are
required to sign an agreement and give
[19:45] them options for years, the cost, you
know, and all the rest. that you know
[19:48] council lay a pricing scheme for it to
see the prices to increase over time.
[19:55] suic
that are there right now. Are they are
[19:59] they do they are the annual things like
this expire year?
[20:04] » Right now the annual fee is $250 a year.
It's only cheap advertising.
[20:10] And we can I guess we can wrap up you
know before before the start of next
[20:14] year and
you know maybe existing signs
[20:20] uh just just kind of lease the space or
whatever but but I think in terms of new
[20:26] structures it would be considered after
any new request that we require them. I
[20:32] think the approach would be moving
forward and just obviously something you
[20:35] know to be discussed with council is
that part of any agreements to sign and
[20:40] moving forward is that we would take
over the ownership of the structure so
[20:42] we control what's going on there and
obviously if somebody wants to pull out
[20:45] we don't expect them to remove the
structures obviously got some value
[20:49] maybe you know in doing that we give
them a discount I don't know what that
[20:53] looks like but um doesn't make any sense
to get rid of them and I'd like to see
[20:58] advertising on both sides of the home
now I I suspect that what advertisers
[21:02] are doing is, you know, obviously
they're paying the chamber now us their
[21:06] annual fee and then they're suddenly
seeing the back of the sign in some
[21:10] cases. You know, like you'll see two
businesses being advertised and they're
[21:13] probably making more money on the on the
reverse side than they are in terms of
[21:17] what they're paying the chamber as a
whole. And I should just say that, you
[21:21] know, in reaching out to the current
tenants uh either by email or letter
[21:26] depending on how I was able to get a
hold of them, we did indicate that we we
[21:29] are taking it over again. is our land
and uh we will be looking at potential
[21:35] rent increases as well as um what else
was there? Just let them know that it
[21:42] may be the requirement for rental
agreements moving forward in the future.
[21:49] It would be nice in that area too to
landscape it a bit and have
[21:54] a little water.
That's another issue because the chamber
[21:59] is part of the agreement that the town
has with the chamber where obviously the
[22:03] whole idea behind allowing them to
manage it was to garner uh income for
[22:07] not for-p profofit organization was that
they maintain the grounds of all the
[22:11] grounds the swamp and you know it's been
rough for us to try to get them to do
[22:16] that on occasion you know keep it up to
a certain level obviously you know if
[22:20] we're going to do it that's probably
would you know fall on our community
[22:24] services department So we'd have to talk
to Conor about what's that going to take
[22:28] in terms of manpower and time and
estimated cost and all the rest of it
[22:34] » factor that in with the uh with species
>> correct
[22:39] » I know coverage done some research cover
type but you know piece of look at what
[22:44] the advertising fees are built signs and
other areas I think are charging $200
[22:50] a side um we're getting now $250 $50
because tax gates want to sign and uh
[22:59] some of the price you're getting up to
$1,000.
[23:03] » Um probably start around with the
household.
[23:07] » I'm underestimating.
>> Sorry. Is that um yeah, you're looking
[23:10] you're looking close to
usually around 3 to 350 per month is uh
[23:17] more than the average of what they
started at Sasser
[23:22] traffic areas but still that's something
we can look at in more detail.
[23:29] Well, I think I think things plan to
offer you something that look at what
[23:35] the costs are and what they need in
terms of opportunities here.
[23:40] » That uh we have some thought to is uh
advertising for not for profits. Right
[23:44] now we have MAD and SAD combined
advertising uh people against drug
[23:50] driving and u I know that the uh town
waved the development permanent fee when
[23:57] they first put that sign up and then the
chamber subsequently gave them free rent
[24:02] and you know I think you know we either
reach out to say that we're going to
[24:07] allow this continue for a certain period
of time and then [clears throat] maybe
[24:10] at some point in time you know
advertising for an off property to say
[24:14] pay the go rate or they don't advertise
because otherwise we're just going to
[24:17] get inundated with you know requests for
free advertising on on the you know on
[24:21] the billboard corridor and you know the
idea is to garner income to pay for not
[24:26] only the upkeep of those lands but also
help you know town offers I think that
[24:31] that's the way to go and then it makes
it more simple if we kind of you know
[24:35] take that out of the equation where we
have to deal with these requests for
[24:38] free advertising
>> make it level across the board
[24:41] » exactly you want advertising that going
rate is availability.
[24:45] » Yeah, I I looked in at at one point I
looked into getting what a sign out
[24:50] there produced and
the structure alone I was given an
[24:56] estimate of $1,500.
>> Yeah.
[24:58] » And the sign another $1,500.
>> Yeah. Sometimes in some cases the signs
[25:04] are upward.
>> Yeah.
[25:06] » And then you got to hire somebody to
take you know put it up right with a
[25:10] lift or something. But the cost of
lumber no just that cost will be
[25:17] » I think we should really
not not close out all nonprofits or some
[25:24] that are really like mad and sad that
are really
[25:27] benefit all individuals we should
probably
[25:32] look at them with a different light I
think and
[25:37] hope it's
[25:41] the Boy Scouts of Tandem and that's
different than Mad Group or
[25:46] » Yeah. Maybe if it's specific like if if
we write a policy that's very specific
[25:50] um to do with like harm reduction when
driving or you know whatever it is very
[25:56] specific. Sure. But I do understand it
would be problematic. But that having
[26:01] been said if you wanted to limit the
percentage of signs in the corridor to
[26:04] not for profit purposes that would be
the way to go. Yeah.
[26:07] » And now you lost some opportunity and it
would be rather at you know rather than
[26:11] free it would be at a significantly
reduced rate.
[26:14] » And that's up to you folks obviously all
you're just putting this out so you can
[26:17] give it some thought and we can go back
and bring something forward that we can
[26:20] implement.
>> I like that idea. [clears throat]
[26:25] » Or maybe there's one double-sided sign
that the town has and it rotates
[26:29] annually or something.
>> Well, you could also do again some other
[26:34] ideas. We we obviously have a community
grant policy and if they want
[26:38] » the inind value of assign then that's
part of the ask just like facilities and
[26:43] anything else that you have.
>> So there's a few different ways we could
[26:47] do it. We just wanted to get a sense if
there's anything you felt strongly about
[26:50] so that if we do develop a brief policy
or a fee schedule that we capture your
[26:56] thoughts.
>> I think it's reasonable the direction.
[27:00] Does the council want to wait to until
we have a you know a set policy or guide
[27:05] guidance in place before staff rent out
existing space?
[27:10] » Yeah.
>> Yeah. I rented a science to June
[27:15] one month. I paid $3,600 for one month.
[27:24] » I think it's good to have it and I
actually I like the idea of the town
[27:28] maintaining the area. Um, it definitely
draws your metric. Like it you see it
[27:34] when you drive in and having as many
businesses that
[27:39] you know can be on there. It shows the
community that's thriving and continuing
[27:46] to grow. So I think it's
>> I didn't even know we had a tire place
[27:49] to build a new entire sign with that.
Yeah, [laughter]
[27:53] » about that is, you know, this is where
there's kind of, you know, this this
[27:56] disconnect is I got the DP application
in from from New of course we're only
[28:01] approving when we approve the dollar,
we're approving the sign, right? Okay.
[28:05] » And uh but it was a whole new structure.
At least this way once we take it back
[28:10] over, we'll be able to make sure all
this stuff is done properly and you know
[28:13] they're supposed to be properly space. I
think that one is but there but there's
[28:17] additional room along the corridor like
we have block 14 which you see fairly
[28:21] well occupied the signage as it stands
now but I think there's a bit more room
[28:24] for a couple more signs in there plus we
have block 13 in the cart
[28:28] » so we wanted to extend the billboard
area corridor we could you know we could
[28:34] do that
>> from an economic development perspective
[28:36] it's this is a smart move to to start
going on this and maybe offer half signs
[28:43] or you smaller signs for smaller
businesses in town to be able to promote
[28:48] some of those things, direction, that
kind of stuff.
[28:52] » It's the welcome into our town
DC
[28:58] used to drive by and they had a big
billboard sign there talking about, you
[29:01] know, economic development and said,
"Call the mayor's
[29:05] [laughter]
[29:09] number right on it."
>> [laughter]
[29:11] » I've never seen anybody go after
economic development to each other
[29:16] on the island.
>> I think because of the you know the
[29:20] nature of how wet it is in there I think
wouldn't be a bad idea to to roll out
[29:26] our geotech
sign is so that and then put some some
[29:31] little bit of top soil over it and you
would notice it there but at least you'd
[29:36] have a path to get to where the signs
are.
[29:38] » Yeah. I wish I wish we could start it
all over scratch, but obviously we're
[29:43] unable to do that, but we can moving
forward we can make those kinds of
[29:46] improvements.
We want to make sure it pays for itself
[29:50] at the very least and hopefully a bit
more.
[29:52] » Yeah.
>> And we'd probably want to have maybe a t
[29:56] like a renewal period would be during a
time where you can actually access
[30:00] space,
>> not in spring or
[30:05] [clears throat]
>> Yeah. Right now it's based on the
[30:07] calendar year and usually they send out
the invoices. Well, chamber used to send
[30:11] out the invoices in December.
>> Yeah.
[30:13] » And of course I learned that the chamber
did not send out the invoices for 2020.
[30:17] So we just got them out.
So while did you was there anything else
[30:23] that we maybe needed some more input on
there that
[30:26] » I haven't I haven't heard anything as
you know I think there was much
[30:30] broadening in there that is needed in
terms of again when maybe down the road
[30:34] we develop a policy and then the uptake
is strong or weak and you want to tweak
[30:38] the policy later that's all possible. uh
we just need to get something reasonable
[30:43] in place that council's agreeable with
so that uh we can get going on 2027 and
[30:48] if there is some maintenance things to
plan for future capital or operating
[30:52] budgets we can do that. Yeah. And
durationwise, I I don't know.
[30:57] Personally, I think it would be fine to
offer one, three, five year leases. And
[31:03] » yeah, I think I think the mess would be
that if you're going to offer a
[31:07] multi-year like 135, then you would
offer slight discounts on longer terms,
[31:12] » right? To give them inspiration to do
so.
[31:14] » I mean, obviously, if their business was
to was to go by the wayside in the
[31:17] interm and uh but we would still build
it annually. That's how that's what we
[31:20] do with all our shoreline decent and
what have you.
[31:23] » So, It would be really no problem.
[31:28] So
>> yeah.
[31:34] » Thank you.
[31:39] » Have a motion to rise and resource.
>> Make that motion.
[31:46] » I'll second
favor.
[31:50] Motion is carried.
We move into
[31:58] » Yeah, this is under the category of
administrative cleanup
[32:03] legislation. They're sticky that this
not be done in policy. So, when we were
[32:07] updating some of this stuff, we're just
inverting it into a new updated film
[32:13] that will replace all the previous
documents um with some minor minor
[32:18] improvements. Another looks like more
professionally done in 2020. [laughter]
[32:26] Slowly been improving. Yeah,
>> these are living documents. That's what
[32:30] happens.
>> Yeah, exactly. We we implement, we
[32:33] learn, we change. Yeah, tweak.
[32:48] » Okay. So, There's no questions and
chairman accepted.
[32:52] We'll have a first reading
six and conduct B number 71426
[33:01] » question. Has everybody read it?
>> Council shar.
[33:06] » Yes. [laughter]
[33:10] » I will move. Second
>> second
[33:16] deal in favor
[33:20] motion for second reading.
>> I'll make the motion for second reading
[33:25] the bylaw 71426
I'll second that second motion. All in
[33:31] favor?
Carries. We have a motion to have all
[33:35] three reading.
Question that we have three meetings.
[33:43] Second
favor.
[33:47] It's unanimous. Who will have the third
reading?
[33:51] Also
second
[33:55] by all in favor.
[34:00] Okay, we'll move to business and we have
the financial reports
[34:08] control
[34:12] approval checklisting for by for
any questions.
[34:25] I will move to approve the uh four
following financial reports.
[34:33] » I'll second that on paper
carried
[34:38] to building services report
[34:44] information building concerns.
[34:53] It's all that
[35:11] motion to
receive.
[35:20] Are you move or you
>> I'll second
[35:30] to
operations
[35:35] maintenance the temporary draft
agreement.
[35:42] Yeah. So, uh just a bit of a background.
Um we had talked to council off and on
[35:49] informally and formally
different meetings uh planning sessions
[35:55] about some of the challenges with the
certification requirements and staffing
[35:59] requirements to maintain our systems
under utilities.
[36:04] Of course with the new wastewater
treatment plant those may even increase.
[36:07] We're not 100% sure yet because they
haven't finalized design. Um and our
[36:13] most senior operator uh lead hand over
there who is does an excellent job
[36:21] getting closer to retirement. We know
that at some point we will lose that
[36:25] person and the other employees that we
do have or been with us for less than a
[36:31] year and that's kind of been an ongoing
challenge and can't can't get people
[36:35] that are trained and we can't keep them
long enough to train them. So one of the
[36:39] things we wanted to explore just in
terms of future planning was uh uh
[36:44] whether or not there was any interest
from the in contracting out this portion
[36:50] of our operation. Um much like uh the
waste the water treatment plant is
[36:55] administered by SAS water and we did
issue an RFP and we received two
[37:00] interested bids. One was uh the
preferred bid was with SAS water.
[37:06] Uh
after that we've had some meetings and
[37:10] uh discussed uh some operational and
contract issues
[37:15] and explored this further and we got it
to a point where we as administration
[37:20] would be recommending entering into a
long-term uh agreement with SAS water.
[37:26] The terms of that agreement are there.
Um they are likely to be on par or a
[37:34] little less than our staffing costs
right now. So this wouldn't be a
[37:39] budgetary concern
unless we had a ridiculous number of
[37:44] callouts
and we would also have overtime issues.
[37:47] So they kind of go hand in hand that
way. Uh one of the bigger concerns was
[37:52] of course is taking care of our staff
and in those discussions uh they've
[37:55] indicated they're more than interested
in all of our staff.
[38:00] Our most senior operator has been with
us a long time. We've given the option
[38:04] of
moving forward with SAS water or staying
[38:08] on in an equal kind of capacity with the
town. So any other employees would apply
[38:15] with SAS water as well. So that is a
process we have to go through after uh
[38:21] if if council deems it they wish to
proceed with this we will work with HR
[38:27] and the employees in question and uh get
them through that process. So that's
[38:32] kind of a high level overview. Uh it is
a 10-year agreement. We've set it up so
[38:38] that there is a fixed 2 and a half%
annual increase which is been on average
[38:44] or a little less than our CPI with the
employee costs. Um the only there is
[38:50] some provisions in there that if
certification requirements change from
[38:55] the legislated bodies or uh something
with our system requires an upgrade that
[39:00] we would then have to renegotiate uh the
rate uh which only seems fair. Uh but we
[39:05] tried to uh get as much security in this
agreement if we do go forward because
[39:10] there are some things that we would
change. We would repurpose some vehicles
[39:14] and try and we would take some money
elsewhere. We'd also get them set up
[39:18] with some office space and things like
that to support them.
[39:22] So I'm happy to take any questions from
council. The savings
[39:27] they are from repurposing vehicle not or
the savings are from
[39:34] the town's yearly cost to operate.
>> Well, they'll be both or the vehicle
[39:39] ones would be obviously one time nature,
but the operating cost what we did is we
[39:44] looked at the costs that we would be
build under this uh service agreement
[39:50] and we only took those operating costs
that it would replace. So things like uh
[39:55] protective equipment for staffing,
actual salaries, wages and benefits um
[40:01] and things like that because we would
still get flow through billing for
[40:04] things like utilities and chemicals and
things like that.
[40:07] » So if you compared our staffing cost
to the proposal and some of the staffing
[40:13] related items,
we're looking at
[40:18] that's where the savings comes from. The
only proviso there is we've
[40:25] we've allowed for $40,000 in callouts.
We don't know what that will be. Right
[40:29] now we budget about 33,000 for callouts.
But yes, if you calculate overtime and
[40:35] staffing costs and benefits and all
those things and you compare them to
[40:38] this contract, that's where we're
projecting to be a little less.
[40:43] So, are we looking at [snorts]
our 10ear costs and this 10 year costs
[40:50] with some projected savings for each
year going forward? Hard to predict as
[40:56] council ultimately approves the the
rates or increases for employed
[41:00] employees. Um, at the end of the day
right now, our current policy is that we
[41:06] we increase our our wage and salary
grids by CPI. So the consumer price
[41:11] index for Saskatchewan year-over-year
September to September and we can budget
[41:16] for it for the next year and we also
have
[41:21] a performance merit portion that is one
up to 1.8%. That's what the steps in the
[41:27] grid are if they're not maxed out. So
the maximum CPI they can get in a year
[41:33] is 3.2% 2% which means if an employee
hasn't maxed out on their merit they
[41:40] could get upwards of 5% depending on
what inflation is doing but they could
[41:44] also get as low as zero depending on
what inflation's doing. So hard to say
[41:49] whether this is going to save
year-over-year but for if you look at
[41:52] the last five years it's been
our wages and benefits have probably
[41:58] gone up on an an average year of three
and a halfish percent. So we've allowed
[42:04] for two and a half%
as part of and that's hopefully covers
[42:09] any increases they have with their union
contract because obviously these will be
[42:13] union employees for the most part but
gets rid of the fact that we don't have
[42:18] to train or look for operators.
>> Yeah. No advertising cost, no training,
[42:23] on boarding. Um
basically anything that would be a staff
[42:29] related cost like retention bonuses or
things like that, we would we would save
[42:34] those. And then we would look at the
capital budget and the next two trucks
[42:39] that we have to replace, we'd be able to
repurpose the utility trucks and not
[42:44] have to spend those capital dollars as
soon. So that would also be a benefit.
[42:48] Did they
I know you were going to ask them about
[42:52] so they hire somebody and they bring
them in from I
[42:57] do they
perceive that those people are pick up
[43:01] residence here while they're
I think their intent is to have uh their
[43:07] core staff located here. The benefit,
one of the benefits that going with a
[43:12] contract has and I think is where we see
the potential savings is we have to
[43:17] staff to a level to have coverage for
vacations and leave periods whereas they
[43:22] have a pool of people they can cycle in
and they don't have to necessarily have
[43:27] the full cost of another body. So, um,
yes, there would be some people that
[43:33] they would probably cycle in depending
on those kind of leave needs, but, uh,
[43:37] we would expect that
>> if they if they hire the three employees
[43:41] we have, all they would just continue on
and that if they're going to provide
[43:45] that service and they need to be on
call, they need to be relatively local.
[43:48] There's usually a response time
requirement and things like that. And
[43:52] those costs would um
would cost us for them to come in on
[43:57] like on a rotational basis. This is like
they're being you're living right here.
[44:02] So,
>> yeah, we get So, the contracted service
[44:04] is the same 7 day a week. Uh there'd be
someone uh available. Um it's really
[44:12] outside of their shift where that call
out possibly be. So, if something
[44:16] happens at midnight, just like now, we
would get called out. In this case, they
[44:22] would get called out
>> and we may need to support them
[44:25] depending on what the issue is.
Are they thinking about upgrading remote
[44:30] monitoring where are they there any
discussion around that?
[44:33] » Well, one of the elements of this
agreement is that they included in the
[44:38] cost is that they would provide
operational improvement recommendations.
[44:42] Uh so things that we absolutely should
be doing, but then here's some things
[44:45] that would have a benefit and here's
what the benefits would be. And then we
[44:49] could present those with capital
budgeting and if they want to put in
[44:52] remote monitoring or or do some
different things. Um those would be
[44:57] things that we can consider.
[45:01] » I
certainly on board with
[45:09] » and we have had communication with staff
like just so council is aware we've been
[45:13] ongoing keeping them apprised of the
process what the intent was. uh the town
[45:19] was committed to protecting their their
employment and working with SAS water
[45:24] and we will continue to do so. What's is
there to now? Was there a target timing
[45:30] set for
>> well this the term was to start November
[45:34] 1st is projected in here but the also if
there was another agreeable date that
[45:38] made sense for both parties or employees
to come come aboard like let's say for
[45:45] some reason they need to hire an extra
body and they wanted to wait till
[45:49] » so we have to we have to agree to this
and then like in November
[45:53] » then they need to start yeah they need
to start getting ready to plan or or
[45:57] taking over the operation.
and staffing up and things like that.
[46:02] We've told them that the exact date
isn't super critical to us. Right now,
[46:08] we're running down a body, so sooner is
better. Um, but also that my I conveyed
[46:14] is I I wouldn't want it to be any later
than January. It's just easier for
[46:18] budgeting purposes if we're just
seamlessly moving to a new contract.
[46:25] Well, if nobody else
anything I proceed with the option I
[46:29] move the option uh the authorized
execution and close utility
[46:34] certification operator maintenance
agreement with SAS water corporation
[46:38] return November 1st 26 to December 31st
2036
[46:44] » I'll second
pasty second by sh
[46:50] discussion question those in favor
[46:57] tools. So that's good. I think we're all
on board. I think everybody's
[47:01] comfortable.
>> It's a lot of work been put into this.
[47:04] » Yeah. And we'll continue like we'll have
to give some updates to council in terms
[47:07] of the process for transition and the
also the community at large and what
[47:12] what that means to them if anything and
hopefully it is as seamless to the
[47:16] public as possible.
[47:28] Okay, we'll move to 8.4 development per
application for 516 run
[47:36] decisions
[47:46] a quick recap. It's your so
administration is has received a
[47:50] development permit application with
respect to consideration of a
[47:53] discretionary use to allow a cannabis
retail outlet to be established on the
[47:57] two properties of 516 Range Avenue.
Property owner selling its two adjacent
[48:02] lots and has entered into a conditional
sales agreement with the applicant who
[48:06] proposes to utilize the two properties
to accommodate the canvas retail outlet
[48:10] in existing building on lot one with
accessory off parking on lot two. These
[48:15] two lots would be consolidated as part
of the process should the development
[48:19] permit ultimately be approved.
Administration is recommending that
[48:22] council directs it to initiate a public
consultation consultation process before
[48:28] the matter is brought back to council
for further consideration.
[48:36] I'd make that motion that council direct
administration to initiate the public
[48:40] consultation process to consider
issuance of a development permit to
[48:45] establish a destructionary use of
cannabis retail on the subject
[48:49] properties described as lots one and two
block 7 plan Sierra 1750 extension zero
[48:58] commonly known as 516 Lange Avenue.
[49:03] Second. Second it may second the motion.
>> Any discussion around that before I pull
[49:10] the question?
>> This was strictly for the public
[49:13] consultation. Correct.
>> Yes.
[49:15] » What's is necessary when that's up?
>> We'll put a notice in the newspaper as
[49:20] well as uh soon as this is completed
I'll be going out with the applicants
[49:25] there to give them a sign to post on the
property and I'll be doing a letter
[49:28] notification to all property owners
within 75 meters surrounding the two
[49:32] properties.
We'll also be posting the notice on our
[49:35] notification board and on our website.
[49:40] Okay, that's all the question in favor.
[50:02] That's a pretty hefty lease.
[50:07] » So, uh, back in February, administration
brought uh, forward the intent to enter
[50:12] into lease agreements with us groups of
the Melhagen Juniplex who have either
[50:18] had existing space or had an appetite to
occupy new space or any space. Uh and so
[50:24] we have uh we've had discussions with my
heart and administration's bringing one
[50:31] lease for this evening with the
expectation for the other ones to follow
[50:35] subsequent.
So I I can answer any questions you have
[50:39] about the lease or um or the report. One
thing that I will note though is that uh
[50:46] back in February when we brought forward
uh the spaces that groups were looking
[50:50] to occupy um the ticket booth at the
front of the building right when you
[50:56] walk in uh what what wasn't listed but
in discussions with minor hockey uh
[51:01] there is interest to run some skate
shing out of the front table booth which
[51:05] is typical that you would simplify from
that location in ranks um administration
[51:10] doesn't have concerns about them doing
some this little defund to the service.
[51:15] » There's an obvious spot we missed when
we were looking for a place to put it.
[51:20] It's
space that's no longer
[51:25] very accessible to everybody coming in.
So, that's good.
[51:29] » Yeah. And we do get questions about it.
The JRCC does obviously that's not
[51:33] something that we currently have
in the past. Um but over the years it uh
[51:41] went away and his appetite to bring it
back through
[51:47] old skate sharpener still in the back
room there.
[51:52] » It was old.
I think they'd be looking at something
[51:57] smaller and uh I know some discussions
around what the options are out there
[52:03] and
compact these days.
[52:10] Okay, we have no more discussion. We'll
make a motion to
[52:18] adoption A. So make that motion that we
proceed with option A with auction
[52:25] move by council second.
All in favor
[52:31] motion car.
That's it for our hearing on business.
[52:35] We will have a motion to vendor. I'll
make a motion or a second
[52:42] case.