The Town of Hanna council heard a report on a vacant property the municipality has for sale and that the property needs reclamation. The discussion was held at the Dec. 9 regular meeting of council.

Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Matthew Norburn submitted his regular update to councillors, in which he noted, “I met with a land developer to discuss the land located on Palliser Trail.

“I also met with a separate developer regarding the potential purchase of the Main Street property. A meeting was held with our real estate agent to begin the process of listing the Main Street property.”

During discussion councillors wished to clarify exactly which Main Street property the CAO referred to.

Norburn responded the parcel he referred to was the former greenhouse property, adding the greenhouse had been removed.

Coun. Angie Warwick stated that she believes the property in question needs reclamation and wanted to know if everyone realized that fact. Norburn answered that a report was done on necessary reclamation work on that property and that the prospective buyer has read the report.

“So they’re fully aware of the situation,” said the CAO.

Legal notice

Later in his report Norburn stated a legal notice had been served regarding some municipal property. “A no trespass notice has been served, and it applies to all municipal buildings,” stated Norburn’s report.

Councillors accepted Norburn’s report as information.

Protection of privacy

Director of Business & Communication Laurie Armstrong discussed an upcoming cybersecurity course with councillors. She noted councillors can take the cybersecurity course over the internet on their own time to accommodate schedules.

Armstrong observed town staff are very protective of the taxpayer’s private data and pointed out the many threats that exist in the age of email, social media and the internet. She noted the Town of Hanna takes such threats seriously and is proud of the fact the town has never been the victim of such an attack.

Armstrong also briefly discussed common cybersecurity attacks such as phishing, which is a fraudulent email sent in such a fashion that it appears authentic.

Councillors were scheduled to take the training course in late Dec. or early Jan., 2026.

School supports

Community Services Coordinator Michele Toews’ report noted that counselling services with the school system will continue to be offered. “Prairie Sky Subsidized Counselling (PSSC) committee met with partners from Prairie Land School Division to discuss mental health supports in the schools and how our community offerings work in tandem to support,” stated Toews’ report.

“Year-end stats for PSSC will be available in Jan.”

Public Works

Director of Public Works Brent Olesen submitted his regular report and unsurprisingly it contained reports on snow removal. “We have done some snow removal on Main Street and with the warmer temperatures we have been sanding the intersections and streets,” stated Olesen’s report.

“What you must understand is when we sand it melts, dilutes the salt, freezes at night and it’s slippery again then once it warms up it starts to melt.”

During discussion Mayor Danny Povaschuk noted that staff are planning some facility tours for new councillors to acquaint themselves with Town of Hanna facilities.

Councillors accepted the staff reports as information.