Stirling submits application to federal government’s Smart Cities Challenge

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Garrett Simmons
Westwind Weekly News

The Village of Stirling has submitted an application to the federal government’s Smart Cities Challenge. At the May 2 meeting, council endorsed the approach and the application prior to submission.
“I think that’s significant for a community of our size,” said Stirling Mayor Trevor Lewington. “I know Lethbridge made a submission but I’m not aware of any other communities in our region that put together an application.”
Finalists in each of the three categories will be announced over the summer, as each finalist will receive $250,000 to build out the final proposals.
“We are competing in the category of communities under 30,000 population for a potential final prize of $5 million,” said Lewington.
Members of the public can review Stirling’s submission here: http://stirling.ca/government/financials/smart-cities-challenge
Council was also updated on a significant water main break over the weekend of April 22 and 23, which required water to be shut off to the entire community.
“We reviewed the causes, the initial response by our public works team and contractors,” said Lewington. “We also reviewed communication during the event. Overall, I was very pleased with how quickly service was restored, given the magnitude of what crews were dealing with. We recognized a number of community members that stepped up to help.”
At the May 2 meeting, council also confirmed the agenda and approach for the community Town hall meeting, which was scheduled for last night (Wednesday) at the Stirling Lions Community Centre. Council was set to present the highlights of Stirling’s strategic plan for the next four years. A budget review and property tax bylaw were also set to be presented, as Stirling was to also have guests from Axia speak about leveraging the community’s fibre access.
Representatives from Enmax were to discuss the municipal solar project, as well as available residential programs.
The strategic plan is draft for public feedback at this point, and can be accessed here: http://stirling.ca/government/financials/bussinessplan

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