On behalf of Council, I am pleased to provide you with the highlights of the M.D. of Wainwright’s operations for the 2021 fiscal year.

In 2021, our construction crew improved approximately 15 miles of road. Construction projects were dispersed quite evenly throughout the municipality in 2021. The dry conditions last year made it possible to work in previously wet areas with relative ease. We finished off the year in Division 3, working as long as weather conditions permitted.

Our cementing and oiling crew added 7.5 miles of the cement base stabilization to our key local road network, making a total of 107 miles of cement within the municipality. Our focus going forward is to maintain our cement roads by re-chipping them. In addition, we provide a coat of fogging seal the year after the road is re-chipped, which seals the chip and prolongs its life. The M.D. re-oiled approximately 5 miles of rural road and Banjo Estates south of Wainwright. Various dust controls with Calcium and MC-250 were conducted by the M.D.’s oiling crew with the help of divisional graders as well.

In 2021, the M.D. of Wainwright hired a contractor to mill and re-pave 9 miles of Terminal Road and base pave just over 5 miles of Gilt Edge Road, formally known as S.H. 614. The remainder of road is scheduled for cement stabilization and chip seal in 2022.

Regular road maintenance continued as usual, with nearly 115,000 metric tonnes of gravel applied to our gravel roads. We use both private and M.D. trucks to haul and spread the gravel. We maintain our road maintenance grader fleet at seven graders, with one additional grader being used to supplement divisional graders as needed. This additional grader was busy reclaiming our gravel road tops when it was available. Also, to maintain our stockpiles of gravel, we hired a private contractor to crush 225,677 metric tonnes of gravel.

Riverdale Mini-Park, operated by M.D. of Wainwright staff, provided a very valuable service for campers and golfers, especially during the pandemic. Arm Lake, operated by a contractor, also provided another valuable service for campers, boaters and beach goers. Both parks experienced increased usage in 2021, as many people chose to stay close to home to enjoy convenient and economical recreational opportunities available right here in the M.D. of Wainwright.

The M.D. Administration team worked hard in planning and organizing these projects to ensure that they were successful. On behalf of Council, I would like to thank them for their dedication to the M.D. over the course of the year.

A general election was held during the year where we welcomed newly elected Councillors Robin Leighton, Richard Waddell and Michael Wildeboer. I would like to acknowledge and thank Phil Valleau, Ted Wilkinson and Ryley Andersen for their past service on M.D. Council.

In closing, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Council, Administration and all M.D. employees for their continued support throughout this last year.

Respectfully Submitted,
Bob Barss
Reeve