"Municipal Involvement Day" for Grade 6 students familiarizes students with local government. Students submit an essay discussing why they'd like to be Mayor or Councillor for a day. The Mayor reviews the essays and chooses seven students who will become Junior Council on May 22. The students tour various City facilities, have lunch with Mayor Petrie and City Staff and then participate in a Junior Council Meeting in the afternoon.

Brooks Music Festival Concert March 19, 7PM in Griffin Park Theatre. Schedule and venues on website.

STARS 5 year average of missions flown in Brooks is 26 per year.

Since 2010 in the Brooks and County of Newell:

• 302 total residents have been flown

• 223 picked up in Brooks

• 79 flown from 24 locations in 3 provinces

The County of Newell has committed to a fixed rate of support in its budget. The STARS lottery raises $10 million, leaving $18 million per year that must be fundraised. Lottery deadline March 21, Draw March 28.

New Downtown Brooks (BRZ) Board of Directors

• President: Kourtney Hiebert

• Vice President: Andrea Flatla

• Secretary/Treasurer: Karen Harris

• Director: Sandy Haberman-Melvill

• Director: Christie Waldner

• Director: Debbie Smith

• Director: Nathan Peesker

• Director: Dustin Fowler

• Director: Stuart Ward

Downtown Brooks is striving to create an environment where businesses can collaborate, share ideas and drive meaningful change. Part of the plan for 2024 is to host more events downtown that bring together the local business community and promote new trends, projects and initiatives.

Hydrogen Hub in the Brooks Newell Region - Grant funding is being sought for a pilot project to convert a small number of Class 8 trucks to operate on a hydrogen diesel fuel blend. The project aims to gather data to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of hydrogen as an alternative fuel source, potentially stimulating local demand. Successful completion of the pilot project may lead to the construction and operation of a Hydrogen Hub by Integrated Energy and Power Solutions Canada (IEPS), a private sector hydrogen fuel developer.

Uplands residents shared their concern about a proposed zoning change for the lot separated by the alley from the Walmart parking lot. They argue that mixing high-density residential with existing single-family homes is unfair to current homeowners. Instead, they suggest exploring new subdivisions for high-density properties, such as between the College and quad ball diamonds, to meet rental demand without disrupting established neighbourhoods.

The proposed rezoning aligns with the Residential Development Objectives of the Municipal Development Plan:

• A mix of housing densities and tenure is encouraged in new residential developments so that a variety of housing choices are available.

• New development should complement and connect with the existing built-up areas of the City.

This location is within walking distance of a school, shopping and future parks and greenspace. These amenities make for good long term success of a multi-unit residential project.

Train Derailment on February 5th, at 4:40 pm, a CP Train derailed beside Hwy 1A and Hwy 873. 17 train cars and 34 C-Cans were derailed, some containing hazardous material. Fortunately, none of the cars were leaking due to the damage and there were no injuries.

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