July 2018

196 197 trimecabinets.com 1-800-810-6644 Kleefeld, Manitoba Tri-Me Cabinets was founded in 1984 by two brothers with a vision. Harry and Lawrence Funk set out with a goal to provide high quality, custom built kitchen cabinets with personalized after sales service. Combining modern technology and traditional values, Tri Me Cabinets & Millwork Ltd. continues to strive to provide you with products that ensure high quality workmanship and long lasting customer satisfaction. THE RURAL MUNICIPALITY OF HANOVER newcomers loved to have a lot of space. So, there was a push, say, 15 or 20 years ago, to develop a lot of rural residential developments–properties of two to five acres, each.”Most recently, however, the push is to encourage residents, both old and new, to relocate to RM’s urban town centers.“Right now, it’s a challenge for us because these rural residential developments do cost more to maintain and pro- vide services -be it gravelling, dust control, or snow removal.” “Also, 20 years ago, standards for road construction weren’t as high or sophisticated as what we want, nowadays,”Lahaie adds.“So, now,we are looking into trying to encourage urban development in our community; it’s a more sustainable way to develop street construction, utilities, and recreation. It’s way more affordable and sustainable to try to encourage people to live in urban areas, rather than in rural, residential, two-acre properties. So,we are invest- ing a lot of money in reconstructing these roads in these developments, but we’re trying to encourage urban subdivisions with our local developers.” Lahaie explains that while the first generation of new immigrants,with their own churches and schools in the rural areas, have stayed somewhat apart from the larger community,“We are forecast- ing an influx to the urban areas from the second generation and the third generation as they come to assimilate with the rest of the population of Ha- nover.” Accommodating this expected urban wave has required a change of focus in the rural municipali- ty’s primary agenda.“Now that we’ve expanded our wastewater and our water utilities,we’re concentrat- ing our efforts on recreation,”Lahaie reports.“Mostly because of our large population growth lately; these immigrants bring a love for sports and want to use our infrastructure more than usual.They have a love for soccer, so we’re looking to soccer pitches, rather than the more Canadian hockey rinks -maybe an indoor soccer complex could be in our future.” In fact, in addition to providing more walking paths and bike trails, in an effort to promote more “active transportation,”Hanover is already in the process of planning a communitymultiplex.“Back in 1967, the province provided a lot of infrastruc- ture money to build ice rinks, and now, the two ice rinks that we have in our municipality are feeling their age,” says Lahaie.“So, it’s time to renew them. We’re looking at multi-use facilities that can be used for not just the young and active people who are playing hockey or skating.We need a facility to be available for our senior population, as well– walking tracks, activity rooms, a social hall; a place where the whole town can congregate and use.” There is a grassroots steering committee in place, and Lahaie hopes that with its fundraising efforts, plus help from the provincial and federal govern-