April 23rd, 2014
By Sasha Kalis
Portage city council awarded a contract this week to the Manitoba Division of the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires. Councillor Ryan Espey says the two year contract is for by-law enforcement and parking meter services in the city. Espey notes the Commissionaires put forward a good proposal and their staffing in particular looks great, adding they employ former police and military personnel. He says the company was also the lowest bidder of the four tenders which came in. Espey adds this is something new for Portage la Prairie, combining parking meters and by-law enforcement into one. He says the city has been without a dedicated by-law enforcement officer for quite some time, so he's looking forward to seeing what the Commissionaires bring to the table.
In other business, council approved amending the existing procedures for 911 service dispatching to motor vehicle collisions. Espey notes they're writing it into policy that when the 911 operator gets a call, he or she will decide who to dispatch based on certain criteria. He adds the amendment states that if there's any doubt or if there are unknown details of the incident, 911 will send the fire department to the call.