Seniors and vulnerable residents in the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124 may soon see a dedicated discount for private driveway snowplowing, while standard fees are slated to rise.
Council reviewed proposed amendments to the private driveway snowplowing policy during its May 20 Committee of the Whole meeting.
According to an administration report included in the agenda package, the goal of the amendments is to reduce the financial burden on the municipality while continuing to assist residents who wish to age in place. The report says the snowplowing program currently costs the municipality around $23,000 a year to administer.
To minimize that municipal subsidy, administration proposed increasing the standard flat fee for an M.D. snow flag to $75 for the upcoming winter season.
The current low rates have recently raised eyebrows even among local agricultural workers. During the meeting, councilors noted that the municipal service was currently priced so low it was difficult to justify keeping it there.
However, the updated policy includes a specific provision to protect vulnerable residents from the price hike. Under the proposed amendments, seniors aged 65 and older, as well as disabled residents, will receive a $25 discount. This brings their total cost down to $50 per flag.
Director of Field Services Shari Spencer presented the item to council, highlighting the conscious administrative effort to expand the local safety net.
“I added a few things in there (referring to the report) in order to include people with special needs as well in the discount portion,” Spencer said.
The report says residents claiming the senior or disability benefits may be asked to prove their residency, age, or disability to ensure the system remains fair for everyone.
“That is for the administration to make sure the senior is actually residing at the place where the flag is being bought for,” Spencer told the council.
Administration also plans to introduce a visual system to actively prevent program misuse. The report says discounted flags will be sold in a completely different colour than standard flags and must be strictly tied to the buyer’s residence.
“We will use a two-colour system (referring to the flags) and we are going to use our software to make sure that our operators are aware of which colours are qualified for the discount and which are not,” Spencer said.
Council received the presentation for review and broadly agreed with the direction of the changes. The amendments are expected to be brought forward to a regular council meeting prior to July 2026 for final approval.
Armaan Khanna
Local Journalism Initiative
Reporter