On behalf of Council, I am pleased to provide you with the 2023 operational highlights of the Municipal District of Wainwright No. 61 (MD).
In 2023, our construction crew improved approximately 7.5 miles of road with construction projects focused primarily within the eastern part of the MD. L.R. 1, northeast of Ribstone, was a challenging project requiring most of our crew’s time last year.
Our cementing and oiling crew worked on 9 miles of cement base stabilization on the MD’s key local road network. This included 2 new miles that were added making a total of 115 miles of cement within the municipality. We continue to focus on maintaining our cement roads by re-chipping 15 miles of road last year. 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. In 2023, we fogged 14 miles of road. The MD re-oiled approximately 6 miles of rural road. Various dust controls with Calcium and MC-250 were conducted by the MD’s oiling crew with the help of divisional graders as well.
The reconstruction of the Greenshields Lagoon was completed in 2023 and is now operational. The MD has received Provincial and Federal Government funding totaling $804,247 to complete this project.
Regular road maintenance continued as usual, with nearly 101,177 metric tonnes of gravel applied to our gravel roads. We used both private and MD 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 209,575 metric tonnes of gravel.
Riverdale Mini-Park, operated by MD staff, provided a valuable service for campers and golfers at a very reasonable rate. Arm Lake, operated by a contractor, also provided another valuable service for campers, boaters, and beach goers at very competitive rates as well. Both parks experienced increased usage in 2023, as many people chose to stay close to home to enjoy convenient and economical recreational opportunities available right here in the MD. We were incredibly pleased that Kidsport chose to hold its 6th Charity Golf Tournament at Riverdale in 2023. Kidsport has already committed to holding the 2024 Charity Golf Tournament at Riverdale.
The MD 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 MD over the course of the year.
The MD continues to work closely with its neighboring municipalities, the Town of Wainwright and the Villages of Irma, Chauvin and Edgerton (ICE). We are also pleased that our close relationship and partnership continues with our local military base, 3rd Canadian Division Support Base Detachment Wainwright.
In closing, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Council, Administration, and all MD employees for their continued support throughout this last year.
Respectfully Submitted,

Bob Barss
Reeve