december 11, 2015 strathmore times

8/20/2019 December 11, 2015 Strathmore Times

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Times Associate Editor

Regardless of thunderous foot stomping, roaring ap-plause, numerous standing ovations, and unanimouschanting by hundreds of Albertan farmers pleadingtheir case to kill what is often referred to as the omi-nous Bill 6, NDP Minister of Agriculture and ForestryOneil Carlier announced he will continue to vote infavour of the legislation when it comes time for a de-cision. The announcement proved disappointing to 500

farmers, who, many with their children in tow, at-tended the Dec. 5 town hall meeting in Bassano. Afternearly two hours of raising concerns, asking ques-tions, and highlighting fears about their livelihoods inregards to penalties associated with the bill, farmersand ranchers pushed for an answer on the agricultureminister’s personal views and loyalties to the indus-try’s workers in relation to Bill 6.

“I absolutely heard the constituents, I think Derek[Fildebrandt] knows this,” said Carlier. “Will I stand in

the legislature and stand with the Wildrose to kill this bill, or will I stand with my colleagues and pass it? I will stand with my colleagues. I’m only being honest.”

Strathmore/Brooks Wildrose MLA Derek Fildeb-randt organized the event after controversy surround-ing the legislation resulted in numerous protestsprovince-wide and various meetings across Alberta inan effort to slow down the bill or derail it entirely.

Bill 6 – the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act, will subject farms and ranches to provin-cial Occupational Health and Safety laws, and make

Worker’s Compensation Board insurance mandatoryfor paid agricultural workers. Much debate followedover the past few weeks due to what the NDP havecalled miscommunication and a lack of consultation

with farmers and ranchers. While Carlier stated over the weekend that changes

will occur to the legislation, those in attendance in

Bassano remained vexed at his remarks to side withhis colleagues and not the farmers. In response farm-ers asked Fildebrandt whether the Wildrose Party in-tends to kill the bill if voted into government.

“The short answer is yes, the long answer is, im-provements can be made to legislation around farmsafety; this bill doesn’t do it,” Fildebrandt said. “Now,

when it’s all said and done, when the governmentrams this through, perhaps there will be parts thatcan be kept. But the way we do it, we’re going to sendthis to a committee. If there’s a Wildrose government

you will see consultations. Maybe some of the partsof this bill stay, but surely some parts will not. You’llhave your say, farmers will be heard, and Bill 6 as itstands before the legislature right now will not stay inexistence if we are forming government.”

Continued on Page 6

NDP Ag Minister says hewon’t stand with farmersagainst Bill 6

Miriam Ostermann Photo

Kill Bill 6!Darcy Walde, a farmer from Gem, showed his opposition to Bill 6 along with over 500

other Alberta farmers who showed up at the Wildrose Party organized Bassano town

hall meeting on Dec. 5. For more coverage see Pages 3 & 6.

Page 19

Learning weekend


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Page 2 • Strathmore TIMES • December 11, 2015 www.StrathmoreTimes.com

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Enmity and criticism remained steadfast against the con-troversial Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act, after hundreds of agriculture industry workers received what they considered evasive responses to their tailoredquestions at the Bassano town hall meeting on Dec. 5. The platform, organized by the opposition Wildrose Party,

provided over 500 farmers the opportunity to address theirconcerns and questions to the NDP Minister of Agriculture

and Forestry Oneil Carlier directly. While many farmers voiced their frustration regarding thelack of communication and misinformation surrounding Bill6, others spoke out about their rights and worries relating totheir livelihood.

“The reality of it is, 98 per cent of all farms in Alberta arefamily-owned, and we are here today to tell you that weare going to stick together; all of us,” said Aleta Steinbach, whose family has farmed in Alberta for 119 years.

“We deserve the right to choose WCB or private insurancethat suits our operation. Rachel Notley said WCB was fail-ing workers and today she wants to saddle the farmers andranchers with it. Private insurance covers a lot more than WCB. Are we going to legally get the right to choose our bestinsurance? You say one child is too many to die, and not oneperson disagrees with you.

“Last year by your records we had 17 agriculture-relateddeaths. How about all the deaths that are on our highways;

350 last year. That’s the most regulated and policed in ourcountry. How about the 31 poor children that died in govern-ment care in Alberta last year? They are just as important asour one agriculture child.” The bill, which seeks to extend workers compensation and

Occupational Health and Safety legislation to paid employ-ees on Alberta farms and ranches raised red flags province- wide resulting in protests and rallies demanding to shelvethe bill or kill it entirely.

Farmers and ranchers banded together when the NDP gov-ernment failed to consult the industry workers on Bill 6.

“I’m here so I can have this open and honest conversation,and we know that you are the experts and all of us want ouremployees safe at work,” said Carlier, who was praised byFildebrandt for accepting his invitation to attend the meet-ing.

“Of course farming and ranching is more than a job, it’s a

way of life. Myself, ministers, MLA’s and our premier have allheard from farmers and ranchers who are concerned this bill will divert their way of life. We take those concerns very seri-ously because that was never the intent of this bill. On behalfof our whole caucus we are sorry. We should’ve provided the

Opposition firm against Bill 6

Bill 6 protesters started a convoy from Strathmore on Dec. 5. Manyothers were expected to join between Strathmore and Bassano along

Highway 1 en route to the Derek Fildebrandt hosted Farm Safety Town

Hall Meeting at Bassano School.

Save the farmers!

Justin Seward Photo

details about how we planned to protect ranch and farmingfamilies when we first introduced this bill.”

Carlier added that the government is currently workingon amendments to the bill, and assured the crowd that thegovernment will consult and collaborate with farmers andranchers to ensure the regulations make sense. Furthermore,he said that family members and neighbours will still helpout around the farm, children will continue to participatein 4-H, and that the bill only pertains to paid farmers. As aresponse one farmer asked the crowd to raise their handsif they have ever received money from their farm, resulting

in most of the hands shooting up into the air. The minister was also asked whether farms could be seized as collateralif they are unable to pay fines associated with the bill, thatmany farmers said they can’t afford to pay. Stuart Thiessen,feedlot operator of Namaka Farms, attended the meeting andcommented on the difficulties of finding answers to comply with the bill.

“I’m very concerned about the lack of communication of both parts, and we have now moved to a point where therhetoric is loud on both sides, we’re not talking,” he said.

“I have to implement WCB come Jan. 1, and I cannot getanswers on how to do this. I don’t know what I’m supposedto do. I have a farmer who delivers to me and he’s not WCB.Is he now my contractor? Am I going to do like all the other big corporations and say nobody without WCB can come onmy site? That really hurts all the little guys that I deal with.I’m tired of fighting.”

Natasha Lausen, whose family’s grain farm is near Strath-

more, helped organize a convoy that covered the distance

from Strathmore to Bassano. She alsoechoed the concern of lack of transpar-ency in communication, and said the bill fails to acknowledge the values ofrural Alberta and the provisions of Al- berta farm services.

“Minister, I was at Okotoks and I be-lieve that you and I can both agree thatthe citizens who attended this meeting were not shown the utmost respect,”Lausen said to Carlier.

“The meeting was held outdoors in

a parking lot in the cold in December. This government has lost the confi-dence of Alberta’s farmers. This bill isflawed. We deserve clarity. Suspend itnow. Please demonstrate accountabilityin facilitating meaningful discussions with agricultural stakeholders in 2016.”

While Minister Carlier said he would vote with his colleagues in favour of the bill when decisions need to be made, hetold the crowd he heard the constituentsand will take their concerns back to hisgovernment. Also present at the two-and-a-half-hour long town hall meeting

were Conservative MP Martin Shields, Wildrose MLA Dave Schneider, WildroseMLA Rick Strankman, and Shadow Min-

ister of Health Drew Barnes.

Hundreds of farmers raised their hands when Wildrose MLA Derek Fildeb-randt asked who wanted to kill Bill 6. Cam Morishita (l) and Maureen Wil-

liams, who farm in Rosemary, attended the Bassano town hall meeting on

Dec. 5. Miriam Ostermann Photos


4/28


680 Westchester Road, Strathmore, AB T1P 1J1 • 403-934-3133 • Office Hours: M - F 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

www.strathmore.ca

WINNER OF THE 2012 VENTURE MAGAZINE’S BEST SMALL COMMUNITY TO DO BUSINESS IN

T O W N O F

S T

R A T H M O R E

The next regular

Council Meeting

will be

December 16, 2015

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING, DECEMBER16, 2015, 7:00 PM: BYLAW NO. 15-30

Bylaw No. 15-30: Proposed amendment to the Land Use District Map in

the Land Use Bylaw by changing the land use designation of Lots 9 -10,

Block 31, Plan 2131JK (303 Waddy Lane) from R1 – Single Detached

Residential District to R3M – Medium Density Modest Residential District

as shown on Schedule “A” attached.

A copy of the proposed Bylaws may be inspected by the public during

regular office hours, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday at the Town

Office (680 Westchester Road, Strathmore, AB), or can be found on the

Town website (www.strathmore.ca/bylaws_under_review). Please

contact the Town Office if you would like an opportunity to review and

provide input on the proposed amendments prior to the Public Hearing.

The Public Hearing will be held at the Council Chambers, Strathmore

Municipal Building, 680 Westchester Road, Strathmore Alberta

on Wednesday, December 16, 2015, commencing at 7:00 pm with

procedures in accordance with the Town of Strathmore Council

Procedural Bylaw #07-11 and amendments thereto. Any person or

group of persons, or person acting someone’s behalf, who claims to be

affected by any or all of the proposed bylaws may present suggestions

or concerns by making a submission to the public hearing.

Written submissions to the Public Hearing or the name of any person

wishing to make an oral presentation at the Public Hearing must be

received by the Planning and Development Department prior to 12:00

noon on Thursday, December 10, 2015 as outlined in Bylaw #07-11 and

amendments thereto. If your written submission is not received by this

time, please provide fifteen (15) copies for distribution at the Public

Hearing. Each person wishing to address Council at the Public Hearing

shall complete their verbal presentation within five minutes. Please note

that written submissions will become public documents once s ubmitted to the Town, unless otherwise requested.

Schedule “A”

PLEASE KEEP OFF THE ICEDUE TO THE WARM TEMPERATURES THIS WINTER

SEASON, THE ICE IS NOT FULLY FORMING. PLEASE

BE CAUTIOUS AND STAY OFF ALL WATER BODIES!

The Town of Strathmore “FEES, RATES, CHARGES AND PENALTIES FOR

SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE MUNICIPALITY” Bylaw #15-39 has been

amended by Mayor & Council.

This amendment will include a need to increase the associated Utility

Rates for 2016 as outlined in the above summary table.

These changes will come into effect for both Residential and the

Commercial properties.

These changes come into effect January 1, 2016. These changes will

be reflected on your Dec 15-January 2016 bill for Route A and for Route

B it will affect your January 1-31, 2016 bill.

This increase has come as a result of The City of Calgary increasing their water rates to the town and increase in cost running the

distribution system.

VOLUNTEERS FORDOWNTOWN DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE

The Town of Strathmore is seeking Two (2) Community members who

would like to volunteer to sit on the Town’s Downtown Design Review

Committee.

The Purpose of this Comm ittee is recommending to the Town of

Strathmore Approving Authority and Council, regarding:

A) Exterior building material and design features,

B) Mix of land uses,

C) Site landscaping,

D) Public Art,

E) Streetscaping including street furniture,

F) Density bonusing

G) Signage including awnings and wayfinding,

H) Parking reductions,

I) Height of Structures,J) Pedestrian access points.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Jennifer Sawatzky,

Municipal Clerk at 403-934-3133.

COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS – DECEMBER 2, 2015

• Mrs. Lisa Sader gave Council an Update on the progress the Town

has made since the Alberta Walkability Roadshow took place in

2015. Mrs. Sader thanked Council for all of the progress made on the

improvement of walking trails within the community.

Mr. Robert Breitwieser presented Council with an award that

Strathmore has won from the Choosewell Challenge called “Creating

Supportive Environments”.

• Representative from the Hope for Syria Initiative spoke with Council.

The group is trying to bring a family from Syria to Strathmore.

Many fundraisers have taken place to raise funds to support the familyand local students, businesses and groups have all been involved.

The group would like Council to help relay accurate information to the

community and to help create a welcoming environment.

The group has a Facebook page and email address for anyone who

would like to get involved.

• Council pledged the following support to the family being sponsored

by the Hope for Syria Group to come to Strathmore:

- A one year Library Family Pass

- A one year Family pass to the Family Centre

- A one year Family pass to the Aquatic Centre

- Support from Family Community Support Services

- Support from the Seniors Advisory Committee – Buddy Program

- Support from the Strathmore Youth Club to provide programs free of

charge to the children of the family.

• Mr. Waldo Munoz from the Chamber of Commerce spoke with Council

on a number of issues. The Harvest Healing Centre is currently exploring

a few initiatives including a Drop In Centre, a Soup Kitchen, a Resource

Centre and a Detox Centre. Mr. Munoz explained that the group is

looking for financial support at this time to get the programs up andrunning.

Mr. Munoz also spoke with Council in regard to incentives for

companies to use local services.

Council directed Administration to meet with Mr. Munoz to discuss the

matters indicated.

• Council gave first, second, third and final reading to Bylaw No. 15-39

Fees Bylaw Amendment Bylaw.

• Council accepted the report on the Water Distribution Crossing WID

Wildflower to Strathmore Lakes for information.

• Council postponed the matter of the replacement of the Fire

Department Truck to the December 16, 2015 Regular Council Meeting and

direct Administration to bring more information to Council on the truck.

• Council approved the 2016 Operating and Capital Budget with the

exception of the Heritage Days Budget and with an amendment to the

FCSS budget to add an additional $20,000 for funding to community

programs as recommended in the report by the Deputy CAO.

• Council approved the 2016 Operating Heritage Days Budget as

presented.

• Council set the reserve minimum bid on 514 Hillview Gate (Plan

0513757, Block 11, Lot 8) equal to the Preliminary 2015 Assessment value

of $355,080.00.

• Council appointed Councillor Sobol to the Traffic Advisory Committee.

• Council appointed Mr. Jonathan Moore to the Strathmore United Way

Committee for one term ending October 30, 2016.

• Council accepted the WADEMSA fire requisition rate for 2015

at $2.00/per capita and that Council direct Administration to inform

WADEMSA of this motion and in addition to let them know that Council is

further examining the WADEMSA proposal for future rates a nd will have

an answer for them by the end of January 2015.

: : .

::

_ _

., ,

, :

. , ’ ,

.

: .I ,

..

, .

LEGEND

R3M – Medium Density Modest Residential District

Second Street

Waddy Lane

First Avenue

Wheatland Trail

30

N

2016 UTILITY RATE INCREASEMeters Monthly Residential & Commercial Utility Rates

Monthly Rate January 1, 2016

Flat Water Maintenance Levy

5/8” x3/4” & 5/8”x1/2”$6.83 $6.83

Water Conveyance Levy $2.40 $2.40

Flat Sewer Maintenance Levy

& Storm Sewer Levy24.46 $24.46

Garbage Levy $16.39 $16.39

Total Monthly Maintenance

Charge$50.08 $50.08

Variable Sewer Charge 1.60 $1.60

Variable Water Consumption

Charge

0-30 m3 $1.83/m3

Over 30m3 $1.88/ m3 0-30 m3 $2.05/m3

Over 30m3 $2.10 /m3

Bulk Water $4.50/m3 $4.50 / m3

.

.

.

.

.

.


5/28

587-316-2000 Email: [email protected]

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JUSTIN SEWARD

Times Reporter

WA D E M S A ’ sOperations Direc-tor, Rob Witty, ap-proached Wheat-land County atthe Dec. 1 regular

council meeting with a request forcouncil to join themunicipalities ofHussar and Stan-dard and get on

board with the $2per capita increaseon top of the orig-inal $2 per capitaalready in place tooffset deficit ex-penses. Alberta Health

Services has beenrunning on a defi-cit since they tookover the fire dis-

patch from WA-DEMSA in 2013,and brought theissue up to get

Wheatland Coun-ty’s assistance.

“When we lostthat function of

WADEMSA receives county approvaldoing EMS dis-patch, we alsolost the revenuestream for dis-patching ambu-lances,” said Witty.

“In the dis-patch centre theycall/ answer 9-1-1. They dispatchEMS and fire as

well as their firstresponders. Since

we no longer dis-patch the EMS andno longer get paidto dispatch EMS,obviously that

was a significantsource of our rev-enues to keep thecentre open. We’rerunning a deficit

because we’re notgetting paid to doEMS dispatch atthe same fire dis-

patch caller 9-1-1.” W h e a t l a n d

County agreed toassist WADEMSAin the per capitafunding requisi-tion for the firedispatch.

C o u n c i l o rBen Armstrongthought it was vi-tal to keep the firedispatch on a lo-cal scale and thatis why councilhad no problemhelping WADES-MA out.

“We need dis-patch for our fireservice,” said Arm-strong.

“We as councilagreed a few years

Capsule Comments

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Strathmore RCMP is currently

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File: 20151543099


6/28


SHARON MCLEAY

Times Contributor

Dig a little deeper into your hockeysock and bathing cap this year, as Strath-more council voted on Dec. 2 to approve10 per cent flat fee increase on all usagerates and facility fees, with increases up

to 35 per cent for advertising and facilityspace. Fees apply to the Aquatic Centre,Civic Centre and Family arena.

“This is the third increase in a row to bring up our fees to industry standardand make them comparable fees,” said

Tracy Simpson, Community Services Co-ordinator. “We haven’t kept up increasesfor about seven to nine years in a row,so that is what we are proposing. Weare making changes in the facilities andthose changes are reflected in the fees.”

Simpson presented the schedule offees to council and stated the fees will

bring Strathmore more in line with thecharges other centres use for fees. Shesaid some areas were modified to ad-dress the usage differences, such as theholding capacity and advertisement rev-enues between the Gold and Blue hock-

ey arenas.Private dressing rooms fees in the are-na will be increased by 30 per cent each

year for three years, and will be chargeda flat monthly rate for year-round use.

One of the meeting rooms will beconverted into office space and rentedat $425 per month and could be shared

between two to three user groups whoneed office space in the arena. Storagespace will be charged $30-50 per month.

Councillor Steve Grajczyk asked if

Recreation costs increase

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Notes For YOU! TIMESSTRATHMOREIf you live in the area

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& Langdon) and are not receiving your

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give us a call 403.934.5589

Continued from Page 1

Although Carlier said the meeting wasrespectful, he was booed, called a liar,and heard numerous demands for hisresignation. Earlier in the meeting headdressed the crowd, apologizing on

behalf of the whole caucus, announcedamendments are currently in the works,and admitted details should’ve beenprovided when the bill was first intro-duced. While the NDP minister spoke about

the determination to consult with farm-ers and create a ‘made-in-Alberta solu-tion,’ he remained resolute against send-ing the bill to a committee, as had beenproposed and demanded by Fildebrandt.

“It’s not whether I support this goingto committee or not, that’s not relevant,”said Carlier. “We feel that value of this,

we want to make sure that the 200 onaverage that might get injured from Jan.1 to April 1 are covered with some form

of compensation.“I worry about not having that, I’m

worried the delay that the senate com-mittee might have. I would not supportsending it to the committee.”

Much to Fildebrandt’s surprise, Carli-er accepted the invitation to attend themeeting, attempting to answer many ofthe questions – most answers farmersfelt were evasive.

However, without the technical teamCarlier wasn’t able to provide answersspecifically dealing with the WorkersCompensation Board and OccupationalHealth and Safety procedures.

Summing up the meeting, hundreds ofhands shot up in the air when MLA Fil-debrandt asked who of the individualsin attendance wanted him and the NDPto kill Bill 6, which was followed by a“kill Bill 6” chant.

If the legislation is not shelved andthe bill is passed, changes are expectedto take effect on Jan. 1.

Controversial bill angers farmers

there were any reductions for patrons with special needs.

“I realize what this is all about but Ithink some of these people are strug-gling as it is,” said Grajczyk.

Simpson replied there were no directfees reductions for low income and spe-cial need families; however, there aremany free promotions sponsored, suchas the Lions’ one free swimming timeper week that families and individualscould utilize.

Councillor Walls asked whether thefees were comparable and if this raise

will create a loss of use for the facilities.“For the arena we do compare and we

are very competitive with our ice rates,the civic centre is a little lower but we

priced it to what we thought the com-munity can bear. The aquatic centre isa whole different thing; every pool isso unique and offers very different pro-gramming. We do our best to compareand we feel we are competitive to simi-lar sized communities.

Simpson said she didn’t think increas-es would decrease usage.”

Councillor Pat Fule pointed out the fa-cilities are repeatedly coming in with a$2,135,000 deficit and the town has to

do something to address those costs.Council passed first reading through

the third and final reading with a unani-mous vote on Dec. 2. A schedule of newfees will be available at the town officeand later posted on the website.

The Strathmore Outdoor Rink Committee received another four donations from Farm Credit Canada AgriSpirit Grant for $15,000, Strathmore Home Hardware for $1,000, OK Tire donated $5,000 andmissing in the presentations was Colpoys Welding for a $7,500 sponsorship on Nov. 18. The commit-tee has been able to rake in nearly $400,000 for the project through grants, donations and sponsorship.

Justin Seward Photo

Community spirit

Trinity Christian Acad-emy students packedshoeboxes full of hygieneitems, school suppliesand toys as a part of theOperation ChristmasChild’s Samaritan Purseto give to kids who haveexperienced war, disas-ters and poverty on Nov.23.

Justin Seward Photo

The true meaning

of Christmas


7/28


106 - 304 - 3rd Avenue, Strathmore

403-934-5533 [email protected]

www.soldbytamara.ca

Tamara DesjardinsYour Trusted Real Estate Advisor

Residential Resale / New BuildsCondominiums Commercial

Acreage Properties

Have youbooked yourChristmas

party yet?Contact us

to make arrangements.

403-934-2299

Ext 1

www.strathmoregolfclub.com

Visit our website:

strathmoregolfclub.com

JOHN GODSMAN

Times Contributor

Bob’s family is thought to have originated inEngland, but family history starts with his fatherRobert Beacom in Ontario. In the early years Can-ada Post would change his surname from ‘Bea-com’ to ‘Beacon’, so Robert changed his name to‘Beacome’. End of problem!

Robert traveled by train to the High River areain 1907, with a Mr. Hearn who purchased a teamof horses and a wagon, to move building materi-als from High River to Reid Hill, 11 kms northwestof Vulcan. Here they builta house and Mr. Hearnstarted homesteading.

Robert was deemed too young to start homestead-ing, so leaving Reid Hill,he walked to the BartchRanch five miles south ofMossleigh and worked at The Old Stone House, be-fore continuing on footto Gleichen, where he worked as a butcher forGleichen Cold Storage un-

til 1914, when he joined the Canadian Army serv-ing in France and Germany, before he was injured when a piece of shrapnel entered his back. Hepassed away in March 1961. After the war, Robertreturned to Gleichen and worked as a butcher forPacific Cold Storage, and met and married ThelmaIngraham, from Boston, in 1921. They later built alarge two story farmhouse on their half section of

land southeast of Mossleigh and raised fourchildren. Bob was born in 1928, their third child,and had two brothers and a sister. They attendedSunset Valley one room school, a mile from thefarm, until it closed in the late 1930’s, when they were bused to Mossleigh School through Grade11. At this time, Bob’s Dad was the butcher forthe Sunset Valley Beef Ring – a Co-op of farmers who shared meat cuts with other families in the vicinity, in the days before refrigeration. There is

an example of this at Pioneer Acres, near Irricana.Bob, at the age of 17, left school after a disagree-ment with the principal who insisted ‘cream’ washeavier than ‘milk’! He attended SAIT in Calgaryfor one term in 1947. At this time he had a girl-friend Verla Lausen, his future wife. Aided by Verla’s sister Francis who worked at CFCN Radioin downtown Calgary, Bob took part in the radioshow “The Pelican Man Show” where he played

his guitar and sang “You’re the only Star in myBlue Heaven” to Verla, who was listening to theradio at her home in Carseland! Verla’s family originates from Denmark. Her

grandfather, Hans Lausen, moved to Iowa inthe 1800’s. Her father Harry, mother Esther anddaughter Francis moved from Iowa to Carselandin the early 1900’s, by train with one cow andluggage! Verla was born in Strathmore in 1929, attended

by both Drs. Giffen (father and son), and attendedschool at Carseland through Grade 10. She andBob met at a dance in Mossleigh, and they were

married on June 30, 1950at

Knox United Church inCalgary, with the reception being held at the old Em-press Hotel. They had three chil-

dren Byron (Glenda), anddaughter Breanna, living inStandard, Glenda (Martin) with sons Justin and Travis,also living in Standard, andLyle (Debbie) who had nochildren. Lyle passed away

suddenly at age 46, in 2006.Bob held many interesting jobs throughout hislife, from being a builder in Strathmore, a farm la- bourer around Mossleigh, to grain buyer at Make-peace, but the one he treasures the most werehis 17 years as School Maintenance Supervisor for The County of Wheatland. This was the highlightof his working life, as he enjoyed excellent rapport with everyone, particularly the county councillorsand his fellow workers. His goal was to ensure thechildren of Wheatland County enjoyed attendingschools that were clean, well run, and had all theamenities they needed. During his tenure, he and Verla attended many SPOSA (School Plant Offi-cial Society Alberta) Conventions at different loca-tions around the province. He retired just beforehis 65th birthday, which allowed him to spendmore time at his favourite hobby – woodworking.

He spent ten years working with Candy Tashliko- wich, owner of Candy’s Corner, whose students were learning ‘tole painting’ on Bob’s handmade wooden items.

Bob and Verla have enjoyed their lives in theStrathmore area, as well as the three years theylived in the Black Diamond Lodge, and are nowenjoying their well earned retirement, at Wheat-land Lodge.

REMEMBERING OUR ROOTS ~ Bob and Verla Beacome

BOW RIVER ALLIANCE CHURCH

105 Main St. Carseland

[email protected] Worship: 10:30 amwww.bowriveralliance.com

RCCG PECULIAR PEOPLE ASSEMBLY

(1 PET. 2:9)115A – 3rd Avenue, Strathmore

403-667-7832Pastor: Dunmoye Lawal

Sunday Worship: 10:30 amThursday Bible Study: 7 pmwww.rccgstrathmore.com

STRATHMORE FULL GOSPEL CHURCH

50 Maplewood Drive • 403-934-2225Senior Pastor: Rev. Les Fischer

Youth Pastor: Kyle Lomenda

New Office Hours:9 am - 4 pm • Tues - Wed - Thur

Worship Service: 10:30 am

Children’s Church & Nursery in ServiceExtending Grace - igniting hopewww.strathmorefullgospel.com

LORD OF ALL (NALC) LUTHERAN

112 Lakeside Blvd. • 403-934-2374Pastor: Dawn Nelson

Worship ScheduleThursday Evening 7:00 pmSunday Family 10:30 am

Christian EducationFor All - Ages 3-103Sunday at 9:30 am

Join us in Praising our Lord, Jesus Christ!

HARVEST HEALING CENTRE CHURCH

102 Canal Gardens403-901-0893 / 403-880-3171

Pastor: Elizabeth Karp

Worship Sundays 10:30 amHealing Room Monday 7-9 pm

Now available at The Seed (our book nook)Living Books and Products

phone: 403-619-9279Come Join us for a spirit-filled time

of worship

STRATHMORE SEVENTH-DAY

ADVENTIST CHURCH

Meeting in the Lutheran Church112 Lakeside Blvd. 403-983-0081

Pastor: Ghena Girleanu

Services held every SaturdaySabbath School: 10 AM

Worship Service: 11 AM

www.strathmoreadventist.ca

SACRED HEART CATHOLIC

Holy Cross Collegiate School Gym

709B - 2nd Street, Strathmore403-934-2641

Pastor: Fr. Wojciech Jarzecki

Masses: Saturday 5 pm • Sunday 10 am

ST. MICHAEL & ALL

ANGELS ANGLICAN

“Becoming fully alive in Jesus Christ”

INTERIM WORSHIP LOCATION: 245 Brent Blvd., Strathmore (NORTH door) 587-727-0649

Pastor & Priest: Bryan Beveridge

Sunday Morning Worship 10:00 am

HOPE COMMUNITY

COVENANT CHURCH

245 Brent Blvd, Strathmore • 403-934-2424Worship Service Sundays 10 amLead Pastor: Glenn Peterson

www.hope-community.ca

STRATHMORE ALLIANCE

325 1 Ave • 403-934-3543Corner of 1 Ave & Wheatland Trail

Transitional Pastor: Jim Hathaway

9:30 am Sunday School for All Ages11:00 am Worship Service

www.strathmorealliance.com

STRATHMORE UNITED

Wheatland Trail & 3rd Avenue403-934-3025

Rev. Pamela Scott

Sunday Worship 10:30 amBabysitting Provided

Wheel Chair Accessible

Loop system for the hearing impaired

The Hope Bridges Society’s

board members, coordina-

tors, and local business own-ers, came out for the mount-

ing of three painted quilts, as

part of the society’s Painted

Quilt Project on Dec. 3. The

artwork was mounted to theoutside of the Leary Centre,

The Standard Shoe Shop,

and the Strathmore Chinook

Credit Union.

Miriam Ostermann and

Wanda Reinholdt Photos

Hope Bridges

hangs quilts


8/28


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By Irene Knappe, Secretary / PR / Membership

Strathmore Legion Branch #10 NEWS

• The Legion has held its Elections, and here are the results for 2016, all in

by acclamation:

President: Jenny Schumann First Vice-President: Basil Dwyer

Second Vice-President: Open Sgt.-at-Arms: Open

Secretary: Irene Knappe Treasurer: Open

Branch Service Officer: Open

EXECUTIVE:

Teresa Stark, Gord Coutts, Brian Allemang, Ron McConnell, Jane Calkins, Rene

van Doorn, Julien Boucher 5 positions remain open on the Executive

• The Ladies Auxiliary is holding its Tea and Bake Sale, at the Legion, on

Saturday, December 5th, from 1:30 to 3:30. Admission is $2 and there will be

a door raffle

• Nowhere to go on New Year’s Eve? Come join us at the Legion and dance

the night away with BLUE STONE!!

Party favours, prizes, champagne

and snack at midnight. Your eve-

ning begins with no-host Cocktails

at 6 p.m. followed by Dinner at 7

p.m. and Entertainment at 8:30

p.m. Tickets are available at the

Legion Bar for $40 per person.

See you there!!

For further information, please call the Legion at 403.934.5119

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED AND GENEROUS SUPPORT!!!

LEST WE FORGET / WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

MARTINA VERGOUWEN

Strathmore Assembly of Youth

K&K Livestock, a family-owned western store, has been bring-ing quality horse products andequipment to Strathmore andarea since its opening 21 yearsago. The owners, Ken and Karen

Mix, understand what it meansto be involved with horses, andthey have over 39 years of expe-

rience working around them.Ken has competed in reining,

working cow horse, and cuttingshows, which all contribute tothe amount of hands-on assis-tance available to customers whocall or enter the store!

Upon entering K&K Livestock,it is a guarantee that one will begreeted by knowledgeable helpthat will ensure that the needsof the customer are met, makingthe company’s motto of excellent

customer service hold true. A family feel is exuded, and

after a few minutes in K&K, Istarted to feel like a member ofthe family as well! Along withadmirable customer service, theamount and quality of the prod-ucts at K&K is remarkable. K&KLivestock is the only westernstore in North America that sells

Vic Bennett performance saddles. When it comes to horse feed,

K&K Livestock once again stands

out. They offer Country Junctionfeeds, which are specially for-mulated for the dietary needs ofhorses in Alberta. These products are not only

available at the K&K store loca-tion, but can also be purchasedat different horse shows through-out the year, because Mix takes amobile store to a different horseshow almost every weekend dur-ing the summer months. Some ofthe major events that K&K can

be found at are the Canadian Su-preme, the National Finals Pen-ning in Calgary, and the CalgaryStampede Wrangler Futurity.

Even with their busy schedule,the Mix family still finds time togive back to the community byorganizing beginner riding clin-ics for local youth and 4-H clubs,as well as bringing in world-renowned trainers for more ad-

vanced clinics and seminars.K&K Livestock is having their

Customer Appreciation Day onDec. 19, so be sure to come outto find a Christmas gift for thehorse lover in your life! To contact K&K call the toll

free number at 1-877-934-5835,or send an e-mail to [email protected]. Directions: Corner of

TWP 50 and RR 265, located onthe west side of the road. Moredetails and store hours are avail-able on K&K’s website, www.kklivestock.com.

Community Spotlight: K&K Livestock

GET YOUR

CLASSIFIED

ADS IN THE

TIMES!

Call

403-934-5589

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

To the Editor Here is an open letter to

Premier Notley. The commentsmade by some members ofthe Legislative Assembly and

yourself shows there is verylittle or any knowledge of the

Agriculture Industry. What right does a govern-

ment have to say how mucha farmer has to pay a worker?

That is between them not gov-

ernment! This government istreating its citizens as slaves!I’m not about to become oneof your slaves. When you believe there are

regular working hours in ag-riculture, animals having their

babies only during the day,etc, you and your party showa complete lack of knowledgeabout the agriculture industryand people involved in it.

Think about the future of farms

To the Editor My husband and I live on a family grain farm withour two small children. Prior to pursuing our agribusi-ness, I earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing withDistinction and my husband obtained a Diploma in

Agricultural Production and a Second Class Power En-gineering Certificate. We are well accustomed to safe

work practices, safety legislation, liability insurance,and the culture of healthy workplace environments.

I would like to emphasize that Alberta farmers donot question the value of promoting safe work envi-ronments, nor the education and means to preventdevastating tragedies. After all, farms are typicallyfamily run businesses. However, this far reaching om-nibus legislation demonstrates the NDP government’slack of recognition of the special family nature ofsmall to medium farm operations. The presently proposed Bill 6: the Enhanced Pro-

tection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act, fails to ac-knowledge the rural cultural values that are fosteredin the provision of farm services. Nor does it differen-tiate between the uniqueness of farming operations.Rather, is appears to cloak the agricultural industry ina blanket of legislation without considering the im-pact of this decision. Or perhaps, the intended impactof this legislation is to reinforce the socialist ideologyof collective farming. Quite frankly, this Bill is draco-nian and, effective Jan. 1, 2016, will make criminals oflaw abiding citizens.

Unfortunately, statements released by the membersof the NDP government are incongruent with the leg-islation they intend to impose. Does Minister Lori Sig-urdson understand the implications of the legislationshe has proposed? Are we to rely on the hearsay ofpoliticians rather than the laws they chose to support?On Nov. 28, Premier Rachel Notley cited “miscommu-nication” in response to industry pressure. If this leg-islation is open for interpretation, these flaws must beaddressed prior to passing the Bill. The NDP government has lacked transparency in

communication with key industry stakeholders. Al- berta agriculture deserves respect, accountability, anda proper democratic process. The online survey cur-rently available to producers contains considerablepartisan bias. Public sessions are wait listed and lim-ited answers are being provided by government of-ficials for valid questions.

Stop Bill 6 now. Further consultation is required toensure the government understands the nature andimplications this legislation will have for the industry.Producers are willing to provide constructive feed-

back that will improve the safety and security of members of our industry, while respecting the rights ofproperty owners. Let us foster a relationship of trans-parency, respect, accountability, and trust.

Yours sincerely, Natasha Lausen

Wheatland County

Global Climate Conference will create misery

We have bailed hay late at night when it was too dry to do it dur-ing the day so you wouldn’t losethe leaves attached to the stems.Harvest time is critical time. Youhave to harvest when the grainis ready and weather is right. If

you don’t, quality of grain dropsmeaning less money. As for youPremier Notley saying other prov-inces have this type of legislation.Many farmers in those provinceshate it! We don’t care what other prov-

inces have or have not done. Welive in Alberta where generationsof farmers have produced food for

Albertans, fellow Canadians andcountries around the world withno government involvement. A Petition opposing Bill 6 has

been circulated and thousandsand thousands of people who

will be adversely af fected by Bill6 signed the Petition. The Petitionasks Legislative Assembly to “im-mediately withdraw its proposedBill 6” [The enhanced protectionfor farm and ranch workers act]from the legislative agenda, orderpaper and cease all further read-ings and debate of its content.If Premier Notley listens to thepeople involved, she will scrap it.

Time will tell.Finally and most important of

all Premier Notley, you and yourparty telling farm families howto raise their children. Childrenneed to be with parents, familymembers, grandparents so theycan learn what is acceptable to door not to do. It must be started atan early age. You don’t wait untilthey are 18. You want future foodproducers? You let current food

producers raise up their childrenthe way they know best. We are not perfect and accidents

do happen and all grieve when itdoes. We don’t want governmentinvolved with our children/grand-children! We often hear how government-

run childcare facilities, foster carefacilities have children who aresexually abused, horribly beatenand murdered.

Premier Notley, when you stopthe above from happening anddestroy your slaughter plants(abortion clinics) you still stay outof telling us how to raise up ourfamilies which God has given usthe privilege and right to do.

Will never be your slave,

Eileen Walker,

Strathmore

To the Editor

Please express my sincere thanks to the folks whodug me out of a soft snow drift on Highland Circle re-cently. Many thanks to the two gentlemen, my grand-

daughter Olivia Gibbs, her friend Jonathan and Jona-than’s Mom for the much appreciated help!

Joanna Howard Calgary

Thank you for the helping hand!


9/28


1. Teletype (Computers)

4. Loose-fitting sleeveless

garment

7. They __

8. Extinct Turkish caucasianlanguage

10. Tall N Zealand timber tree

12. Piedmont city on the

River Gesso

13. Burl __, storyteller

14. Made up of 50 states

16. Not or

17. Given a monetary penalty

19. Unnilpentium

20. ISU town

21. Equality for everyone

25. A lyric poem with complex

stanza forms

26. Actress Farrow

27. Scottish caps

29. Gobblers

30. __ Lilly, drug company

31. Process an animal hide

32. Describe in perfect detail 39. 1000 calories

41. American National Bank (abbr.)

42. MN 55121

43. Everyone

44. Substitute

45. Rubber, marching or head

46. Dance Latin rhythm

48. Inside of

49. A way to let know

50. Morning moisture

51. Point midway between

S and SE

52. Sales messages

1. Duty 2. Whatchamacallit

3. A citizen of Yemen

4. __ Dhabi, Arabian capital

5. Nickname

6. One seeded fruit (alt. sp.)

8. Fiddler crabs

9. Troughs of bricks

11. Exploiter

14. Atomic #104

15. Italian ice-cream

18. Algerian dinar

19. Consume

20. Macaws

22. Insignificantly small

23. Tooth caregiver

24. Direct toward

27. Bluish green 28. Caliph

29. Faucet

31. The bill in a restaurant

32. Capital of Tocantins, Brazil

33. Explosive

34. The most abundant of the

rare-earth group

35. Japanese sock

36. Kampala is the capital

37. Raged

38. Provides with property

39. Miniature racing vehicle

40. Signs

44. Express pleasure

47. Bridge-building degree

403.325.0372 • [email protected]

Wishing You & Your Familya Safe andDEBBEST

Christmas ever!!Jody Schneider Production ManagerKristina Bezic Office Manager

TIMESSTRATHMORE

Strathmore Times is published every Friday by Strathmore Times Inc. and is distributed by Canada Post to Strathmore, Carseland, Cheadle, Cluny,

Gleichen, Hussar, Indus, Langdon, Lyalta, Namaka, Nightingale, Rockyford, Rosebud, Speargrass and Standard. We also have various pickup locations

throughout our coverage area. Our 11,500 issues are printed by Star Press Inc., Wainwright, Alberta. The content in the Strathmore Times is copyright

and reproduction without the proper written consent of the Strathmore Times is strictly prohibited.

Contributors: Doug Taylor, Sharon McLeay, John Godsman, Kevin Link, Wendi Tashlikowich, Laureen F. Guenther

123 2nd Avenue, Strathmore, Alberta T1P 1K1 • 403.934.5589

Mario Prusina Publisher / Editor

Rose Hamrlik AdvertisingMiriam Ostermann Associate Editor

The Times welcomes letters to the editor for publication. All submissions must be signed and a phone number i ncluded for verification purposes. We reserve the right to

edit letters for length, legal considerations and taste. Please tr y and keep your letters under 400 words to ensure that it will appear as close to its original form as possible.

Alissa Jensen Production

Justin Seward Reporter

Manny Everett Office Manager

PAT FULE

Fule for Thought

I don’t think I’m a vain person. I mean I know I’ma few years beyond a mid-life crisis, and I know I’m

no Brad Pitt … I’m comfortable in my own skin. Butthat doesn’t mean I’ve totally given up on personalimprovement. That brings me to this past weekend. We had family and friends over to celebrate my

son’s graduation from university. Taking a look in themirror, I really noticed the bags under my eyes. It re-ally did look like “I had my bags packed,” so I wantedto find out if the urban m yths I’ve heard are true. Youknow, the idea that supermodels use “Preparation H”to lessen bags and wrinkles! Okay, here’s where myCatholic upbringing kicks in … it’s confession time!

I did buy Preparation H to see if it would get rid ofthose bags under my eyes! Actually, buying the stuff is almost as bad as having

baggy eyes! I found myself inserting the small pack-age in the middle of my groceries on the checkout till,so no one might see. Of course, then you’re desper-ately checking to see if anyone you know is nearby,and may see. The last thing I wanted was a pal to

shout out something about how I must have PILES of work to do, or something equally as witty and painful! Then there’s the cashier. I couldn’t make eye contact with her … she’d just told a new cashier that she hasgotten to know the name of her “regular” (no punintended) customers. That’s just what I needed … forher to know my name and remember my purchase!Even then, I was trapped. What was I going to say?

“No, no Miss. The cream’s not for my behind, it’s formy baggy eyes!” Yeah, either way it would be a disaster!So, I dropped off the groceries and Deb’s Mom and

she were unpacking! This was not going as smoothlyas I had planned. Luckily Deb thought I was facinga medical crisis versus a make–up one, and she hidthe cream in one of our bathroom drawers. I didn’tknow if this stuff was going to work, but I figured

at the least, it needed time! I dabbed a touch on myfinger and worked the miracle ointment in under myeyes. It felt okay, and every now and then I checked,and actually thought it was working. However, theone I bought had a numbing agent I guess, because Icouldn’t really feel the skin below my eyes! This actually reminded me of a time when Deb and

I were in the early days of our marriage. She had hurther neck, and all the muscles had stiffened. We boughtone of those mentholated rubs, you know … the deepheating kind. She and I watched TV with her parents

while I worked on her neck muscles. Unfortunatelyfor me, I had to go to the bathroom. What happenednext is best described from their vantage point. Aftera few short minutes, there was a high pitched screamfrom the bathroom!

I (or a certain anatomical part) was on fire! Oh sure,laugh! It was like a combination of fire and freezing!I didn’t know what to do, but suffice to say, I’ve been

way more careful since that situation!Okay, back to our party. My numb face and I had

fun during the evening, and I really did feel like thecream was working. Every now and then, I checkedthe bags, and dabbed just a bit more … until, I slipped

and stuck my eye! Again with the fire and ice thing,but this time in my left eye! I splashed water all overmy face trying to rinse out this crap! I came out andpeople must’ve thought I was crying … because I was!

As the night came to a very late end, I put my nowred swollen eye to bed, with a vow that I’d be waymore careful from now on! Sure, you may think I’mbeing a bit anal and that I must be bummed out thatit didn’t work (puns intended!), but I’m going to keepmy baggy eyes … I mean, it’s way better than my“cures” have been!

(“Fule for Thought” is a slice of life humourous col -umn that appears in the Strathmore Times, written bylong-time resident, town councillor, high school teach-er, coach, husband and father of two – Pat Fule. I f youwould like to get in touch with Pat, you can send himan e-mail at [email protected])

And Piles to go Before I Sleep (sorry Robert Frost)!

RILEY STICKEL

Crowfoot Multi Club Reporter

The 2015-2016 year has Crow-foot Multi Club with 11 membersand four projects. Elections wereheld and the following membershold these positions: KaitlynStewart - President; Sonia Pagen-kopf - Vice President; MarshallBiskup - Treasurer; Alex Pagen-kopf - Secretary; Riley Stickel- Club Reporter; Genevieve Cyrand Layne Neal - District Reps;Charlie Ziehr - Thank You Com-mittee; Corbin Neal and JaydenStickel - Special Events Commit-tee; and Jenna Parkyn - ProjectRep. The club attended Sandstone

Lanes in Drumheller for a fun day

of pizza and bowling, and every-one reported to have had a lotof fun. The club also volunteeredat the United Church Thrift Sale,helping the ladies pack up andcleaned up after the sale. The club was given a $300

donation from the Alberta 55+Games committee this summer

for volunteering, to be usedin the community, so the clubmatched the donation, and themembers shopped, packed anddelivered groceries to the Strath-more Christmas Hamper Societyat the Ag Pavilion. They weregiven a tour by Jean Buthfer andtalked about the need for thehampers. The project repor ts are: Fitness

Challenge met on Oct. 30 and

completed a Fitness Test, wherethey were timed running, flip-ping a tire, doing chest passes with a medicine ball, as manypushups and squats as possible,and shuttle runs. The sewing project met for a

fieldtrip in Calgary at Fabricland, where they got to know the store.

They picked up materials andpatterns for their projects. Theyalso met and had a ‘get to know your sewing machine’ night, do-ing paper sewing practice sheets. Archery had a meeting and

cleaned the quonset, then startedtarget practice. Their last meeting was on Dec. 7 at the CrowfootHall, where they had a mem-bers Christmas party and gift ex-change.

Crowfoot 4-H gives back

Dance thenight away

Teens aged 13-17 danced upa storm to hip-hop and the top100 songs during the first annual

‘Teen Night’ at the Strathmore

Civic Centre on Nov. 21. The

night was about planning some-

thing in a fun, safe environmentwhere they can enjoy hanging

out with friends.

Justin Seward Photo


10/28

SHARON MCLEAY

Times Contributor

Aspen Crossing dedicated thStrath-more town council passed the 2016 capi-tal and operating budget of $ 28,643,000,

which included a municipal tax increasefor 2016 of 2.5 per cent. A two per centincrease will be levied on new develop-ment properties. Homeowners will seeabout a $7 dollar increase in 2015 intheir tax bill, over 2014. The town recreational facilities are still

in deficit by $2,135,000 dollars. Munici-pal operational grants for $79,059,200

were listed for things like policing,FCSS, and MSI. Community projects,

Youth Centre, FCSS and Handibus services supported by the town were alsolisted. An increase of $1.50 per capita, with

$242,000 allotted to the library with anadditional $77,700 given specifically tothe Marigold Library System was sup-ported. Future library funding requests

will be presented to the town in January.“One of the actions this council has

committed to was to give our librarythe funds needed to move forward withtheir plans,” said Councillor Denise Ped-erson. Total capital spending for 2016 is pro-

jected at $3,436,000, with $2,253,000 al-lotted for infrastructure improvements,along with additional emerging project.

Councillor Pederson requested that anadditional $20,000 allotted for FCSS, tosupport outside community programs,preventing the loss of vital services. Aneeds assessment has been initiated totalk to stakeholders and identify needs

in the community and assess the sup-ports available to them. The needs as-sessment will be completed in 2016. Theadditional funds allotted in the 2016

budget will tide the services over untila 10-year strategic plan is in place. Thefunds will help special projects, such asFamily Resource support in the schools,Growing Families, Bridging the Gap andFive for Life programs.

“This will give agencies a certainty,until their future needs can be assessed,”said Councillor Pederson. “Our FCSS isin its infancy and this will help them.”

Both administration and council workon formulating the budget prior to itspresentation at council meetings.

“This is something we don’t take light-ly,” said Councillor Bob Sobol. “Admin-istration has worked hours and hourson this budget. Council has deliberatedover 19 hours on this budget and it isnot something we take lightly.”

Council thanked staff on their effortsregarding the development of the 2016

budget. The new budget documents can be obtained at the Town of Strathmoreon request and will be posted online in

the future.


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Capital budget with proposedincreases passed


11/28


SHARON MCLEAY

Times Contributor

When healthy eating andactive lifestyles collide, itgenerates people passionateabout supporting our com-munity in healthy initiatives.

Members of the Strath-more chapter of Healthy Eat-ing and Active Living (HEAL)met with Strathmore councilon Dec. 2 to summarize thegroup’s progress in conjunc-tion with council and com-munity group’s efforts to in-crease activity in the town.

“The town has been work-ing to connect parks in whichparticipants walk from parkto park,” said spokesperson

Robert Breitwieser. “To con-nect the parks with walking/ bicycle paths encourages walking.”

Lisa Sader outlined the various programs and ven-ues that are used to increaseactivity and thanked councilfor their support in makingupgrades within the town, assome of the previous walk- ways were only dirt tracks.HEAL participated in the Walkability Roadshow, whichgenerated a report that leadto pathway improvements inStrathmore. The other accomplish-

ments mentioned were thenew pickle ball and bocce ball courts installed, improv-ing walkability and beautyin the downtown, buildingthe moveable patios, paving walking paths.

HEAL looks for more op-portunities to get Strathmoremoving; for example, it orga-nized the family day Great

Skate event and the first Meet your Neighbour Day, held inthe downtown core, wheretwo downtown streets wereclosed, lined with locals dis-playing their wares, culturaland craft activities highlight-ed, while people walked andchatted with their friendsand neighbours. For moreinformation on HEAL, checkout their website at www.healourfuture.com.

Breitwieser is a memberof the Alberta Parks andRecreation Association andchampioned Strathmore bynominating them for theChoosewell award for thetown’s efforts to encouragecommunity participation in

healthy activity. Choosewellinformation and upcomingevents and challenges can beseen on the ARPA website, www.arpaonline.ca

“When you live in a com-munity that invests in well-ness, healthy choices be-come the easiest and mostpopular choices,” said GeneZwozdesky, Minister ofHealth and Wellness. “Takingup the ChooseWell challengeshows the ways in which acommunity can improve the well-being of its citizens, and we want to honour that ini-tiative. Helping Albertans

live longer and enjoy a highquality of life through pro-grams such as ChooseWell isa key strategy in our 5-YearHealth Action Plan.”

Strathmore won theChoosewell challenge andBreitwieser presented theChoosewell award to May-or Michael Ell at the Dec. 2council meeting.

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keeping, insurance and administration; so she is very good ather job. When not helping people with their insurance needs.She enjoys spending time with her family and friends. “With-out the support of my family and friends I would not be whereI am today.” Her favoriate animals are turtles. She dreams ofswimming with sea turtles in Belize. Stephanie also like to lis-ten to all types of music and prefers that to watching TV orcruising the internet.

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husband Jesse are homeowners in Strathmore and are busyraising their three incredible children. Ayden is 15 and astrong member of the Air Cadets. Fenix at almost six yearsof age is a proud member of Sparks and little Wynter is aone year-old thriving member of the nap club. Lyndsay re-ally cares about people and will work hard to find you thebest rate for your home, auto or toys. Call her for a quoteand a joke as she is also well-known for her great sense of

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13/28


SHARON MCLEAY

Times Contributor

What Calgary does with water re-sources has once again impacted Strath-more. Rates for water utilities will beincreased to $2.10 from $2.05 per cubicmeter per month. It will mean monthly

household bills will see an increase ofabout $3.30 to $4.40 per month.

“The City of Calgary variable andfixed water charges are increasing, asthey have over last year. An increasingcost of services study was presented atthe l2014 fall workshop. An increase inoperating cost for EPCOR will reflectthe Statistics Canada CPI cost increasefor this coming year,” said the Town ofStrathmore Director of Corporate Ser- vices Mel Tiede.

The combined costs will increasefrom the projected department ex-penses for 2015, from $4,331,000 to$4,597,000 for the 2016 budget at anincrease of $266,000 total.

The rates for all utility charges, in-cluding sewer and garbage services, aremid-range and comparable with othermunicipalities in Southern Alberta There was an increase of $.22 per

cubic meter of water per resident in2014 and again in 2015. An additionalincrease is also expected for 2016-17utility rates.

FIRE TRUCK REQUEST SENT BACK

FOR INFO

In October, the Strathmore Fire De-partment’s truck towing/rescue boatsuffered significant water damage dur-ing a rescue operation conducted onEagle Lake. The insurance company wrote off the 2008 Chevy 4X4 ¾ ton

truck and only paid $11,000 in settle-ment, which will not cover replace-ment cost of a new truck and someof the equipment that was on board.Council was asked on Dec. 2 to ap-prove the purchase of a new truck ata cost of $40,000 that would be able topull a 5000lb payload, or purchase aused vehicle for about $30,000.

“The fire department needs a firerescue truck to meet the needs of thecommunity,” said Tiede. “We are deal-ing with this because it is an immediateneed.”

Councillor Brad Walls asked whetherother fire vehicles could be utilized fortowing purposes. He requested moreinformation on the truck’s uses and ifthere are any other options available inthe interim.

“I am assuming that they think this isemergent. We do have a machinery andequipment reserve, so we don’t wantto cause tremendous hardship,” saidCouncillor Denise Pederson.

Several councillors voiced they would like more information and coun-cil deferred the decision to the Dec.16, 2015 council meeting, requestingthat the Fire Chief be present to discussthe issue.

DOWNTOWN TO WILDFLOWER

WATER SYSTEM NEEDS REVAMPED

Gabriel Goral, Town of Strathmore

utility engineering assistant, presenteda proposal to Strathmore town councilon Dec. 2 , to upgrade water servicesin the downtown and Wildflower areas.He said current work proposals could be coordinated with a new pipelinethat would save the town money andadditional refurbishment costs in thelong term.

“It (current waterline) leaves thedowntown overly reliant on the Brent- wood reservoir, as there is only the onesmall 200 meter line leading to Wild-

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flower,” said Goral.Gabriel said to improve water distri-

bution for the Wildflower area, a larger500 meter pipeline will go across the WID canal, in the same area as the new walking bridge, and will loop a dualfeed to the existing core area, improv-ing the water networks resiliency now

and in the future. The estimated cost is$168,000 and was planned for in the2016 budget.

Council asked if there were costs tothe developers. Goral replied that re-payment for the project could be sup-plemented by charges in the develop-ment fees.

Council accepted the report as infor-mation.

CHAMBER TALKS WITH TOWN

ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

AND SUPPORT FOR LOCAL

BUSINESS

Chamber of Commerce President Waldo Munoz came to Strathmore

council on Dec. 2 to ask a pertinentquestion of council.

“I have been approached by differentcompanies and trades about what wecan do to encourage use of local busi-nesses,” said Munoz.

He asked council whether tradescoming into town could be required to

pay for business permits. He also asked whether local businesses utilizing outof town services could be required topurchase a permit to use outside services.

There have been discussions of thistopic in the past; however, residents feltit limited their freedom of choice andmight support services that may notnecessarily give them the best serviceproduct.

Munoz also suggested council con-sider a one-year tax break for newcompanies and create incentives formanufacturers and companies generat-ing employment opportunities for localresidents.

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Justin Seward Photo

Strathmore High School drama students did a

fabulous performance of the Howard Voland and

Keith McGregor authored ‘Murder Inn’ on Nov.25.

Ghostly havoc

Manny Everett Photo

Arlene Cox (l-r), Bev Hermanson and Rev. Pa-mela Scott were quick to wash up the dishes

after a delicious meal, during the Strathmore

United Church’s Ham and Turkey Dinner and

Silent Auction event on Nov. 21.

Dinner and Silent Auction


14/28

MIRIAM OSTERMANN


Numerous issues surrounding the 60-year-oldMarigold Library System’s headquarter building,are causing the organization to be proactive in un-dergoing a feasibility study.

For 10 years, the nearly 30-member staff were

faced with a dilemma of adapting to growing con-ditions or face a $6 million solution – a solutionnot currently available in the budget. The Marigold Library System, which is not a

public library but provides services to libraries in44 municipalities, is currently located in Strath-more, across from the Sacred Heart Academy inan old armory building constructed in the 1950s.For years, the organization has put up with heatingand cooling problems, flooding, lack of storage, water damage, and a deteriorating roof.

“Because Marigold is now the third largest librarysystem in the province, based on resident servicepopulation, we’re feeling more than ever that our building is too small,” said Michelle Toombs, CEOof Marigold Library System.

“We are certainly feeling the effects of not havingproper heat and cooling systems, and not having

adequate space to load and unload our vehiclesoutside in the dead of winter. This building would be good for some types of organizations. It isn’tgood for us anymore.”

Currently, the library system has $1.7 million inreserves saved but is restricted by the Alberta Li- brary Act in how to proceed with fundraising. Ac-cording to Toombs, library systems were createdover 50 years ago by the provincial government.Out of seven library systems, Marigold, which wascreated in 1981, is now the third largest, falling just behind Calgary and Edmonton. While regionalsystems received infrastructure funding from the Alberta government towards upgrading headquar-ters in the past, Marigold hasn’t received provincialfunding since 1989.

“We felt that it was reasonable that the province would support us again like they would for schools

and other institutions, and there’s been a great de-mand on infrastructure funding in the province,so we feel that we’re in the queue but maybe notthe top of the queue and we need to do some verysubstantial advocating to get there,” Toombs said.

“All the library systems support each other and work together and we’ve asked to have a meet-ing with the minister. Unfortunately the minister ofmunicipal affairs was recently switched to anotherportfolio. There have been six m

december 11, 2015 strathmore times

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