The Rural Municipality (RM) of Prince Albert held their first-ever ‘Ratepayer Appreciation Day’ at their grounds Friday.
“We’re really trying to promote economic development in our community,” said economic development officer, Cheyenne Deoliveira, who planned and organized the event. “We’ve got this Highway 2 service road that’s growing pretty fast. So we wanted to give everybody an opportunity to show themselves and show their businesses and connect our community with our businesses.”
From 11:00 a.m to 2:00 p.m, attendees enjoyed a fun afternoon of free ice cream provided by the Moo Cow Ice Cream Truck, kids’ crafts and a bouncy castle from the Conservation Learning Centre, a barbecue, a trade show, and a fire truck showcase by the St.Louis Fire Department.
“There’s a big divide between the office and the ratepayers. So we really wanted to build that and show them that there’s a safe space for them to come to us,” said Deoliveira.
The Rural Municipality of Prince Albert is an organization that acts as local government for the rural lands in the Prince Albert area, managing local roads, building rules, and community services.
Deoliveira first took on the position of economic development last year, noticing that the organization has never hosted a gathering similar to the event.
“We’re looking to grow and showcase the businesses and so everybody can come and see what we have and try to attract new growth to the RM,” said Deoliveira.
Tyrell Tate, the RM of Prince Albert’s reeve, added that, “It’s really good for the entire community itself, like the entire RM. There’s not a lot of places for everybody to gather and visit, have a social interaction.”
The grounds were filled with laughter, community chatters, and smiling children, to which Tate said that he “heard a lot of positive feedback from people.”
“That’s mostly what I’m getting is it’s really nice to lounge, sit, have a burger, mingle, go through the trade show, see all the businesses, and learn more about the new businesses that are moving in and existing businesses,” he said.
Deoliveira added that many of the businesses also provided positive comments, stating that “they really enjoy having an opportunity like this to connect with residents and people close by.”
Though it is the first year of the event, Deoliveira and Tate hope that this will become an annual event in the future.
“I really hope so. I think the feedback we’re getting is amazing and I think that everybody appreciated it. It’s been a long time since we’ve had something like this in the RM, and I think it’ll just continue to grow,” Tate said.
