Electoral tide sweeps through Victoria Beach

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This article was published 29/07/2018 (2938 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Victoria Beach residents have elected a new reeve by a resounding 4-1 margin, kicking their former municipal leader to the curb following months of discord at the popular Lake Winnipeg summer destination.

But reeve-elect Penny McMorris’s administration, which will include a new cast of councillors, has its work cut out for it, thanks to a beleaguered public service and a provincial “do-not-consume” water advisory.

Acting fire chief Wolf Kraft said Friday’s election results mean things are finally looking up for the community.

“The election results speak to the fact the community was not happy with the leadership under Brian Hodgson as reeve. The vote was pretty much 4-1 in opposition to his leadership skills,” Kraft told the Free Press on Sunday.

McMorris, who served on council and often found herself at odds with Hodgson, took 1,089 of 1,339 votes in the two-person race, which saw voter turnout of roughly 56 per cent.

Victoria Beach, located roughly 100 kilometres north of Winnipeg, has 1,200 cottagers and 400 permanent residents.

No councillors stood for re-election, so outside McMorris, the RM will have a new council.

The election comes after months of problems in the community.

On the night of the election, the province issued a do-not-consume advisory for the local water supply, saying it wasn’t safe to drink, even after boiling. That’s just the latest concern related to the water supply in Victoria Beach, which has been plagued by issues all summer.

“Our community is in a bit of disarray right now, and the new council is going to have their work cut out for them,” Kraft said.

In April, former fire chief Brad Patzer, who also held other positions with the RM, was fired after butting heads with Hodgson and other councillors. McMorris was the only councillor to vote against his firing.

In response to his dismissal, members of the fire department threatened to walk off the job, and hundreds of community members rallied to support him.

“It’s hard not to second-guess yourself, but the election results show that the community was behind the fire department politically. I think that was a huge part of the election,” Kraft said.

Kraft said in May 2017 there were four employees with the RM, including Patzer, who were qualified to run the water-treatment plant.

By the start of summer, however, none of them was employed with the RM because of repeated conflict with councillors, Kraft said.

“Two quit, one was fired, one took stress leave… So, the workforce is very slim right now, and they’ve had to contract out because they don’t have the manpower,” he said.

Water issues began in May, when service was shut off before the long weekend because of a broken water pump at the plant.

On Friday, the provincial government reported “the system has been compromised after an unauthorized chemical was added to the treatment process.”

The level of concern is so high that parents have been warned not to bathe their children in case they accidently swallow water.

It’s unclear what caused the issue or when the water will be safe to consume.

The new reeve and council will be sworn in today, and Kraft said he believes they will investigate what went wrong.

He said he’s hopeful that under the direction of the new council, old wounds will be healed and Patzer may be brought back as fire chief.

“We’ve had employees quit, take stress leave, be fired, there have been issues with the fire department and the water system, there are deeper reasons for that. But, there’s been lots of positive talk about getting back together and rebuilding,” Kraft said.

“Obviously, (Hodgson) thought he was doing the right thing, but it contradicted with what the community wanted. He charted his own course. I think now there’s some positive indication there will be some changes.”

McMorris and Hodgson were unable to be reached for comment.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @rk_thorpe