The Village of Empress

Splash park is open for the season

Splash park hours will be 10 am to 8 pm daily.

Planning for our Future

Join us May 29th 1:00 p.m. at the Empress Community Hall for the first in a series of planning sessions to set direction for our next 5-10 years. Council want to hear what your priorities are; what you want to see happen in Empress. Everyone Welcome.

Combination Assessment and Tax Notices Mailed

Please take note that the combination assessment/tax notices were mailed May 1, 2017. If you haven’t received your notice, please contact the town office to get a copy of the notice.

Any assessed person who wishes to lodge a complaint in writing, must do so on or before June 30, 2017 to:

The Clerk of the Assessment Review Board

Village of Empress

Box 159

Empress, Ab. T0J 1E0

Annual Empress Community Garage Sale

The Village annual garage sale goes this Saturday May 6th starting at 9 a.m. Always lots of treasures uncovered. Watch for balloons.

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.

Empress ATB Agency

Empress ATB Agency is moving into the 21st Century going live on our new computer system March 14, 2017, We are so excited and want to invite everyone in to help us celebrate with coffee and cookies 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Skating Rink Open

The skating rink is ready. Thank you Mike! Holiday Hours will be 12 noon till 8:00 p.m. Please use the east door entrance.