Curb extensions, DARE, and vaping at Morinville council

Curb-bumps for busy streets?

A Morinville councillor says the town should add curb extensions to its sidewalks to help residents cross busy roads like 100 Ave. Council voted 6-0 in favour of a motion from Coun. Stephen Dafoe last week to have administration research which streets would be best suited to host curb extensions, and how many the town could build if it were to allocate all of this year’s photo radar money towards construction. Coun. Scott Richardson was absent. Curb extensions or bulb-outs are concrete peninsulas that extend from a sidewalk into a roadway to enhance visibility and reduce the amount of street pedestrians have to cross. Traffic engineers promote them as a way to slow down cars and improve public safety. “100th Ave. is really hard to get across,” Dafoe said in an interview, referring to the multi-lane provincial highway that cuts through town, and he’s heard many complaints about drivers who don’t stop for pedestrians. One reason for that might be that drivers can’t see pedestrians due to cars parked along the road, he said. Curb extensions would jut out past these cars, making people more visible. Dafoe acknowledged in council that adding extensions to 100 Ave. would be difficult, as it was under provincial control. Decisions on how many to build and where would happen later. Mayor Barry Turner backed curb extensions, noting that council had discussed them since at least the late 1990s. “It would be new to Morinville, but it’s been proven in other cases and it’s been discussed for a long time.” Planning and economic development director Greg Hofmann noted that curb extensions could be incorporated into any future roundabouts and would support the town’s Coeur de Morinville area structure plan by making downtown more pedestrian-friendly. Dafoe estimated the cost of building a few curb extensions at $30,000 and said the town had about $187,000 in its photo radar reserve. “I just look forward to the day when a resident can walk their teacup pig across the road safely,” he joked, referring to recent changes to the town’s pet bylaw that permit pet pigs. Council will get a report on curb extensions this Dec. 12.

DARE returns?

Morinville students may once again get drug abuse resistance education as town council dares to see if it can hire some teachers from out of town. Town council learned last August that the Morinville RCMP did not have the officers available to continue teaching the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Program in Morinville and Sturgeon County. Last week, council voted 6-0 in favour of a motion from Dafoe to hire an out-of-town bylaw or RCMP officer to teach the program in Morinville using $5,000 of the town’s photo radar money. Dafoe said he got this idea from town bylaw officer Sgt. William Norton, who told him the town’s bylaw department didn’t have the people available to teach this course on its own. While the jury’s out on the effectiveness of DARE when it comes to keeping kids off drugs, Dafoe said in an interview that the program does help teach kids to trust law enforcement, and that many schools and parents were disappointed by the end of this long-standing program. Administration will report back on this matter later this month.

Rules of vaping

Council also supported Dafoe’s request to have administration look into what Morinville could do to restrict the sale of vaping products to youths. Vaping is not currently covered under federal tobacco legislation, meaning it’s technically legal for youths to buy vaping devices (e-cigarettes) and liquids, Dafoe said in an interview. Bill S-5, currently before the House of Commons, would impose many of the same rules that apply to cigarettes to vaping products, including a ban on sale and promotion of them to those under 18. Dafoe said in an interview that residents had come to him concerned that local 12- to 14-year-olds had been buying vaping devices and liquids. While the owners of Morinville’s two vape shops told him they were not selling to youths, there were not any laws in place to stop them from doing so. “I think we need to fill the (regulatory) void,” he said. Administration’s report is due Dec. 12.