Council Meeting Highlights - March 18, 2026

Regular Council Meeting

Meeting Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026

In attendance:  Mayor Fule, Councillor Brown, Councillor Chisholm, Councillor Hyde, Councillor Langmaid, and Councillor Wegener

Absent: Deputy Mayor Wiley

DELEGATIONS     

True North Society

• The True North Society came to speak to Council. They have embarked on a project to construct a new building with second stage housing in Strathmore. Partner funding has been secured for the project, as well as the Society's own investment in purchasing land. They are on schedule to break ground this spring and came to Council to request financial support with development permits and/or the levy on their land.

BUSINESS

2026-2029 Council Strategic Planning

• Earlier this year Council held a three-day Strategic Planning Workshop to develop their Vision, Mission, Values, and six Strategic Priorities.
• These elements are the foundation for municipal decision-making and guide how Administration develops operational plans, budgets, and performance measures. These priorities are reviewed annually, allowing Council to adjust direction as conditions evolve to ensure the Strategic Plan remains a relevant and effective tool throughout the term.
• Council adopted the 2026-2029 Council Strategic Plan as follows:

Vision: A vibrant and flourishing place where people love to live and be part of community.

Mission: To foster a dynamic, and vibrant community, where residents can fully participate and thrive. We continue to be forward thinking in our work to provide value added services, balance growth and sustainability, and preserve Strathmore's culture and heritage for future generations.

Values:

• • • Act with Integrity
    • Be Caring
    • Be Collaborative
    • Be Solution-Focused
    • Be Innovative
    • Focus on Sustainability

Strategic Priorities:

• • • Community Connection Supporting the wellbeing of our residents through opportunities for connecting with others, contributing to the community, and being fully involved residents of Strathmore.
    • Managing Growth Manage growth to provide a sustainable grassroots oriented community for both present and future residents.
    • Financial Resilience Strathmore will apply best practices which enable resilience against unforeseen financial impacts while sustaining momentum on strategic priorities.
    • Economic Growth Implementing comprehensive intentional strategies and actions to increase job opportunities and improve the living standard for the residents of Strathmore.
    • Protecting Water and Green Spaces Planning, managing, and protecting green spaces, and outdoor amenities, by adjusting practices and policies to address changing environmental conditions.
    • Community Safety and Wellbeing Strathmore continuously improves community safety, health and well-being.

Strategic Planning Policy No.1114

• The policy is in place to outline the process for development, annual reviews and quarterly reporting of the Strategic Plan.
• The proposed policy was updated to include the new 2026-2030 Strategic priorities.
• Council adopted Strategic Planning Policy No. 1114 and rescinded the previous policy, No. 1110.

Medical Services Update

• Mayor Fule gave an update to Council on a to work with local and regional stakeholders to continue to pursue a CT scanner for Strathmore so that residents can have timely access to services. There are plans for joint letters of support to be sent to MLAs.
• Council directed Administration to work with neighbouring communities on advocacy for Diagnostic Imaging to be brought to the Strathmore Hospital.

Happy Gang Building Lease

• The Happy Gang Society aims to foster connections and offers fun activities for seniors in the community.
• The Happy Gang has operated from the Lambert Centre since the early 1980s. They have a building lease agreement in place with the Town, which allows them to use this Town owned space for their programs. This agreement was up for renewal at the end of March 2026. A new 4-year agreement was drafted.
• Council authorized the Chief Administrative Officer to sign the updated 2026 lease agreement with Happy Gang.

2026 Operating Budget Amendment – Reserve Transfer – Water Continuity Project – Emergency Response Funding

• This funding will ensure that Administration has adequate budget to cover the first 3 to 5 days of an incident in the event that water is cutoff to the Town. These funds will only be used in the event of an emergency.
• Estimated daily costs would be approximately $20,000/day for water supply and $100,000/day for trucking, for a total of $120,000/day as follows:
  • Overland Piping In the unlikely event the Town would need to connect to an external water source to meet the fire flow demand and supplement the water supply the estimate cost is approximately $100,000 for setup, $17,000 per day to operate and $100,000 to decommission the system.
  • Water Hauling In the unlikely event the Town must haul water daily to meet resident demand (approximately 3,500 m³/day), the required trucking capacity would be significant. Using 30 m³ tridem trucks, the Town would require approximately 30 trucks per day, assuming four loads per truck per day. If smaller trucks are required (e.g., tandem/tanker units), the Town could require up to 40 trucks per day.
• Council authorized the pre-approval of the transfer of $300,000 from the Water Capital Reserve Fund to the Water Operating Budget, with funds only to be used in the event of an emergency relating to water.

2026 Budget Change of Scope – Reservoir Projects

• Brentwood Reservoir is nearing it's end of life, and as such, projects have been ongoing to allow for it to be decommissioned and removed from the distribution system. These works are anticipated to be completed by mid-year 2026 and the decommissioning was planned to proceed in the latter half of 2026. Recent developments in Calgary, and the region, have proven the benefit of having sufficient and surplus potable water storage. Although Wildflower Reservoir is sufficient for the needs of the Town, additional storage provides further insurance in the case of potable water delivery being interrupted.
• The reservoir projects have a combined project budget of $7.7M, with $6.3M planned to be expended by mid-year 2026. The remaining budget was targeted for the decommissioning of Brentwood Reservoir however this proposed scope change would allow those funds to be re-directed to planning of expansion at Wildflower Reservoir.
• Council authorized a change of scope for the Reservoir Projects, halting any further work on the Brentwood Reservoir Decommissioning and allowing for preliminary design of Wildflower Reservoir Expansion to occur.

Wheatland Housing Management Body (WHMB) – Capital Maintenance Reserve Fund

• In 2024 the Town received a letter from the Wheatland Housing Management Body requesting approval from all member municipalities to create a Capital Reserve Fund. During the October 16, 2024 Regular Council Meeting, Council discussed and directed Administration to reply with the letter included in Attachment I, which indicated that the Town of Strathmore would like the WHMB to look at establishing a Repair, Maintain and Replace Fund as a Capital Reserve. As part of the establishment of this fund, Council requested that the purpose of the funds to be identified (to support with transparency and set parameters for funds to be leveraged for their original, intended purpose). The Wheatland Housing Management Body is now requesting approval from their member municipalities to establish a Lodge Capital Maintenance Reserve Fund for the current Lodge.
• The WHMB were also seeking direction regarding limits the municipalities wish to establish on capital reserve balances.
• Council approved the establishment of a Lodge Capital Maintenance Reserve Fund by the Wheatland Housing Management Body (WHMB) and directed Administration respond to the WHMB indicating the desire to establish a total annual contribution limit of $350,000 on their Capital Reserve Fund balances.

Alberta Municipalities 2026 Call for Resolutions

• Council received information regarding the 2026 call for resolutions from Alberta Municipalities.
• Alberta Municipalities represents over 260 municipal governments. Their vision is to be a  “change agent that enables municipalities to be a fully engaged order of government with the capacity to build thriving communities.” In order to do this, they conduct an annual resolutions process that enables member municipalities to bring forward common issues and solutions and seek member approval – to give direction to ABmunis’ to advocate to the federal and provincial governments on members’ behalf.
• If there is a municipal issue that Council feels strongly requires advocacy by Alberta Municipalities (ABmunis) to the provincial or federal governments then sponsoring a resolution for debate at ABmunis' 2026 Convention is an excellent way to bring attention to the matter and empower ABmunis to take action (if the resolution is supported by the majority of ABmunis' members.) There is no requirement for Council to submit a resolution if it is not a priority in terms of how Council wishes to leverage its resources.

BYLAWS

Bylaw No. 25-27, Land Use Bylaw Amending Bylaw (Lakewood Phase 2 Amendments: Secondary Suites, Garage Suites, and Reduced Side Yard Setbacks)

• The application proposes land use bylaw amendments for the Lakewood community. The developer has indicated to the planning department that there is demand for secondary suites, garage suites, and 1.2m side yard setbacks in Lakewood's most recent phases.
• The proposed amendments include:

1. 1. Adding "Secondary Suite" as a permitted use for 42 serviced, but undeveloped lots, located in Phase 2B. The 42 lots are currently designed R2X - Medium Density Attached Residential District (R2X).
   2. Adding "Garage Suite" as a permitted use for 34 laned lots located in Phase 2B and 6 laned lots located in Phase 2A (totaling 40 lots). The lots are currently designated R2 - Low Density Residential District (R2) and R1N - Single Detached Residential (Narrow Lot) District (R1N).
   3. Reducing the side yard setback requirement from 1.5m to 1.2m for 33 future R1N lots in Phase 2C.

• Council gave First Reading to Bylaw No. 25-27, being a bylaw to amend the Town of Strathmore Land Use Bylaw and directed Town Administration to schedule a public hearing for Bylaw No. 25-27 on April 15, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers.

*Council Highlights provide a brief review of the information given and discussions had at Strathmore Town Council Meetings. Council Highlights are not presented as official minutes of the meeting and do not include items discussed in a closed meeting.

Official meeting minutes and agendas can be accessed here.

Watch the full meeting here:

March 18, 2026 – Regular Council Meeting – Part 1

March 18, 2026 – Regular Council Meeting – Part 2

Watch all past streams here:  https://www.youtube.com/@TOStrathmore/streams