Spring Yard Cleanup

Council has set May 1st as the day Village staff will make an extra garbage pick up for all your spring yard cleanup waste. Please have your grass and leaves placed in clear garbage bags so it can be diverted to the burn pile. Happy Spring!

Phone Scam

Sylvia dropped by my office today to play me a message she received this morning on her home phone. The man said he was an RCMP Officer and he was calling about Revenue Canada and demanded she call 844-613-1342. This is a scam. Please do not fret if you have received a similar call, and please do not let anyone bully you into paying any money. Notify the RCMP in Oyen about your call. (403) 664-3505.

Municipal Census

The Village of Empress will be conducting a Municipal Census beginning the week of April 10th to acquire an accurate population count. Population figures are used in most government grant formulas and we want to ensure that we are maximizing our grant dollars to offset tax increases. Please watch for the census enumerators who will be coming to your door. All information collected is confidential and will be used when considering new programming and services.

Dutch Elm Disease

The Village has been busy trimming Elm trees this winter and we are required to ensure all elm tree trimming is complete by March 31, and that all trimmed and removed elm wood is disposed of by immediate burning, burying or chipping. The Village will be burning the wood pile at the waste transfer station on April 18th, 2017. We encourage you to have your wood at this pile to be included in the burn.

Under the Alberta Agricultural Pests Act (APA) “Pest and Nuisance Control Regulation (PNCR)” the Dutch elm disease (DED) pathogens, smaller European elm bark beetle (SEEBB), and the native elm bark beetle (NEBB) are named declared pests. All municipalities, counties and MD’s in the province of Alberta have the responsibility and authority to prevent and control DED under the APA.

Fines may be issued for non compliance of this Act, therefore, we are encouraging all those who have stacked elm wood for use in firepits or fireplaces to have this wood removed to the wood pile at the waste transfer station before April 18th to be included in the burn.

We want to ensure that we are protecting our many beautiful elm trees in the community and thank you for your cooperation.