The Mayor for Tache says there are a lot of things being planned for the community of Landmark in 2018. For starters, Robert Rivard says this is the year the new water system will be built in that community. Rivard says growth in Landmark has been at a standstill and once the new water system is in place, it will prompt construction of new homes. He expects the population will likely double within the next decade.

Rivard says the anticipated growth in Landmark, combined with what is going on in Lorette, has the municipality bracing for a significant growth spurt. The 2016 Census showed Tache with a population of 11,568 residents. Rivard says over the last five years the municipality has been growing at a rate of about 3% to 5% per year. But he says they soon expect growth will hit a rate of 6% to 8% per year and says by the next Census they could have as many as 16,000 residents. This could have Tache vying with Hanover and Springfield for the heaviest populated municipality in Manitoba.

"We've already been warned by the provincial department in Steinbach that they don't think we'll be able to handle the growth that's coming at us from what they have seen and people asking about developments and that in Tache," says Rivard. "They've given us the warning to be ready in this coming year and in the next couple of years that they are expecting a lot of growth in Tache."

Rivard says in order to prepare for this growth they plan to hire a Development Officer in 2018. He notes the lagoon in Landmark should have capacity to handle growth for the next 15 to 20 years. The Lorette lagoon was just expanded in 2017.

Meanwhile, also in 2018, Rivard says they will be building a dike on the east side of Landmark. The dike will run approximately three miles and Rivard says it will probably stand only about 18 to 24 inches off the ground with a drainage ditch beside.

"It will allow for any major events, rain especially in the melt in the spring to just bypass Landmark and go straight into the Seine River Diversion," he says. "Landmark is a very low spot in the municipality and it always collects water."

Rivard says this project will cost about $3 million and the province is covering 90 percent of the tab. He expects the project to start in spring or summer.

Also this year, Rivard says there could be some movement on plans for construction projects concerning recreation facilities in the municipality. He notes they are in the early planning stages for a rec centre for the east end of the municipality near Ste. Genevieve and Ross. Rivard says they are also looking to expand the Landmark arena in the not too distant future by adding a new lobby and dressing rooms.

"Even though it's the newest in the municipality it's starting to show its age and they want to plan ahead and get things in place for future years," he says. "So we are working on that one."

Rivard says he is also hopeful that in 2018 they will see some movement on the new rec centre being planned for Lorette. He notes fundraising has started and Rivard would like to see a clearer picture of how this project will be funded by year end.