Victoria Beach, Dunnottar, excluded from amalgamation plan

The NDP government is making some concessions tocritics opposed to the government's plan to amalgamate small muncipalities.It says it will exclude communities such as Victoria Beach and Dunnottar, saying the resort communities are "unique."

The government made the announcement Tuesday, and said the bill is a step closer to becoming law after being reviewed by a standing committee of government.

Local Government Minister Ron Lemieux said in a news relelase he was pleased with the turn out of those who spoke before the committee.

In reponse to their concerns, Lemieux said he will extend timelines for submitting amalgamation plans for communities where there are "significant complexities," or where flooding or other natural disasters have had an impact on the municipality's ability to meet the deadline of Dec. 1.

He said he will also allow Victoria Beach, Dunnottar and Winnipeg Beach to continue to holdtheir elections during the summer.