Meet Your Elected Officials

I trust everyone is looking forward to the end of winter and the onset of spring. It has been great to see the amount of snow this winter as this region needs the moisture desperately

As you may be aware, the Town of Hanna is undertaking a review and revamp of the Town of Hanna Land Use Bylaw (LUB). The Town has had a Land Use Bylaw in effect since the 1960’s and there have been several revisions since then with the last revision approved in 2012. It is good practice for a municipality to review their Land Use Bylaw approximately every ten years to ensure it is meeting the needs of the community and is compliant with any changes to the Municipal Government Act.

There has been a lot of controversy over the Town of Hanna and Palliser Regional Municipal Services reviewing and proposing changes to the 2012 Land Use Bylaw. The process of the bylaw review is getting confused with the 15-Minute City concept and alleged ties to the Smart Cities Alliance, Green Space Alliance, and the United Nations. I want to take a moment to let everyone know that the Town has not discussed any of the 15-Minute City principles during the preparation of the draft Land Use Bylaw and is not affiliated with any of the Alliances identified above.

A Land Use Bylaw directs the use and development of lands and buildings. By establishing land use districts ( or zones), the LUB regulates the types of activities and buildings that can be placed on any specific property. It also contains regulations such as maximum building height and lot coverage, building setbacks from property lines, corner lots, and reverse corner lots. The Land Use Bylaw also provides for permitted and discretionary uses in each land use district or zone.

Provincial legislation requires every municipality in Alberta to have a Land Use Bylaw. A Land Use Bylaw is the tool used to implement Hanna’s long-term vision on a day-day-to-day basis.

The Town has been very transparent with the entire process and mailed over 100 letters to property owners whose property is proposed to be re-districted. The letter provides the information and the rationale for the re-districting and allows the property owners the opportunity to discuss any concerns they may have with their property being re-districted.  An open house was held Feb 23 at the Community Centre with a very good turnout of people both from Hanna and the surrounding areas although the Land Use Bylaw is specific to the Town of Hanna corporate limits.

As a result of the feedback and questions received, a decision has been made to extend the timeline so residents can provide feedback on the proposed changes, The deadline, formerly set for Mar 1 is extended to Mar 22. This extension delays the next steps in the process which are:
– First Reading of the Bylaw,
– A Public Hearing, and
– Second and Third Reading
Those dates are yet to be determined.

Secondly, your 2023 Assessment Notices have been mailed.  Property owners are asked to review and understand their assessment. If there are questions or concerns please discuss them with the Town Assessor whose contact information is on the Assessment Notice. You can also attend the Open House and speak directly with the Assessor May 8 at 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

Remember to reach out to me with any concerns, issues or topics regarding the governance and operations of the Town of Hanna.

Respectfully,
Danny Povaschuk, Mayor