Pembina Hills regional division chairman Doug Fleming died yesterday.
Fleming had been absent from PHRD meetings for several weeks for medical reasons, but recently returned.
Yesterday the board’s Acting Supt. Colleen Symyrozum-Watt broke the news of Fleming’s death, saying he had devoted his public education career to serving students, parents and communities.
“He provided over 40 years of service as a teacher, vice principal, principal, coordinator, director and associate superintendent of schools,” she said.
She said Fleming was elected school board trustee for PHRD in 2007, representing Westlock. He served as board chairman since October 2010.
Barrhead residents, as well as other residents of the Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock riding, had the chance to meet and mingle with Wildrose Alliance leader Danielle Smith at the Seniors Drop-In Centre Feb. 21.
The “Dinner with Danielle Smith” evening drew close to 200 people, and was a party fundraiser and provided an opportunity for people to meet with Smith and candidate Link Byfield. It also served as a means to let the party know what issues were important to its voters.
Highlighting the evening was a speech by Smith, who outlined what the Wildrose Alliance stands for and what she and her party would do to change the culture at the Legislature should they form the next Alberta government.
Countering claims she’s heard that label the Wildrose as “extreme” or far right, Smith instead characterized the party along more positive lines.
“The Wildrose is not extreme,” she said. “The Wildrose is the party of Albertans who care.”
In the early going of her speech, Smith devoted a lot of time to the concept of “freedom,” and how it captures the essence of Alberta. Where once Alberta was the place of freedom – borne of its frontier roots – it’s now become a place where the people apparently don’t know what’s best for them.
Fort Assiniboine School was locked down on Tuesday after reports of gunshots while students were outside.
Staff brought the children into the school and alerted the RCMP, which sent members of the Barrhead detachment to the scene.
The school was reopened after the police investigated but were unable to find out where the gunshots came from.
“Nobody was injured and there is no evidence to indicate that anyone was in danger at any time,” said Sgt. Bob Dodds, from the Barrhead RCMP.
In a letter to parents, school principal Audrey Kluin said staff and students heard several gunshots at about 10:25 a.m. while children were outside for recess.
“Out of an abundance of caution, staff brought the children into the school, notified the RCMP and performed our school’s lockdown procedure, as per Pembina Hills administrative procedure,” said Kluin.
Kluin added that counselling would be offered to any child made nervous or afraid by the incident. Concerned parents were urged to contact her or the school counsellor, Charlene Assenheimer.
Her sweet spirit shines through every challenge she faces. Dad even calls Saige Werkman the happiest child he has ever seen.
In her four years, Saige has endured far more than most of us will in our lives. At six months she underwent a heart transplant.
Several major surgeries followed and then there were those agonizing 30 minutes when her life hung in the balance as hospital staff performed CPR.
Saige now has a weakened immune system, yet hers is not a tale of misery. It is one of joy – the joy she has brought to those whose lives she has touched, particularly parents Wes and Gloria and older sisters Hailey and Sierra, and the joy within herself.
Now Saige has another reason to smile: she has been granted the wish of a camper to spend summers with her family. It means she can enjoy the great outdoors, probably the favourite playground of any child, without travelling too far from Stollery Children’s Hospital where she goes for check-ups.
Saige’s “fairy godmother” was the Children’s Wish Foundation, which worked with Grove RV to supply the camper.
It may not have been a Ken Kowalski-style sweep, but Maureen Kubinec has been elected as the new MLA for Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock.
In a tight two-way race with Wildrose candidate Link Byfield, Kubinec emerged victorious, having garnered 7,447 votes, compared to 7,106 votes for Byfield.
Those votes gave Kubinec 45 per cent support, while Byfield received 43 per cent support.
Speaking two days after the final ballot was counted, Kubinec said learning she had won the election was a nice feeling.
“It felt pretty darn good,” she said. “It was very exciting and very humbling. It was good to have family and friends there to share it with.”
The fact the race was so close and came down to the final dozen polls reporting on election night did a number on her and her supporters, she said. They had ordered in food for the evening, but no one was in the mood to eat “because we were all glued to the numbers.”
The French Immersion program at Barrhead Composite High School has been suspended for the 2012-13 school year because of low enrolment.
It means there will be no junior high program for Grades 7 and 8, leaving BES the only French Immersion provider in Barrhead.
The decision has been greeted with dismay by the Canadian Parents for French, Barrhead chapter.
“I fear there could be a mass exodus,” said CPF, Barrhead chapter president Gene Anderson. “Three families have already indicated they will do this. The perceived lack of support for the program really bothers some parents. They can’t see any point in continuing to enroll children if the program is not maintained at the higher grade levels.”
Anderson also feared families could be deterred from moving to Barrhead if such a specialty teaching option was no longer available.
BCHS principal David Garbutt said it was not viable to continue the program with just four Grade 7 students, and seven Grade 8 students.
Well, that was some birthday party.
Sangudo may only be a tiny hamlet these days, but June 15-17 it had the hustle and bustle of a market town as its population suddenly exploded.
Hundreds descended on the Lac Ste. Anne community for a three-day extravaganza to mark its 100th homecoming. Main Street, the arena and sports grounds teamed with families, some of whom came from as far away as Edmonton, Sylvan Lake and Slave Lake. From ball games to a bean bag tournament, from face painting to a scavenger hunt, from glitz and glow tattoos to playing in a horseshoe pit, from an art and craft show to a tractor pull, the business of having fun boomed.
Thankfully, the weather seemed to respect the occasion; those clouds never darkened into anything very menacing and the sun continually made its presence felt.
This was great news for the many who lined up by the racetrack on Saturday for one of the day’s highlights – helicopter rides laid on by Whitecourt’s Taiga Helicopters.
Although Friday had seen a wiener roast and some local entertainment, Saturday was the big day, the day when the party really got into full swing, starting with an 8 a.m.-11 a.m. breakfast. By the time breakfast was over, a huge parade of brightly decorated floats began wending its way through the hamlet from Sangudo Community School. People lined the streets to cheer, wave and take photographs.
Meanwhile, inside the community school an art and craft show was drawing plenty of visitors. One stall contained a mix of watercolours, soapstone carvings and guitars and ukuleles.
An official cake cutting and plaque unveiling ceremony took place inside the arena. There were performances by the Sangudo Community School Choir, followed by a roast beef dinner, a dance, fireworks and a midnight supper – a spectacular end to a spectacular day.
Sunday featured a show and shine by the Mayerthorpe County Cruisers, a church service with live gospel music and hymns and a tractor pull.
“It’s absolutely awesome.”
Seventy-five-year-old Mazie Moebes could barely contain her delight after she heard the news she never thought she would hear.
Direct Energy says Moebes is to recover all the money she paid for bills that should have gone to another customer. The total comes to $1,287.56.
It brings a happy end to a 16-month saga that began when she gave Direct Energy the wrong address, confusing her Fort Assiniboine home number with that of a neighbouring business.
Such a small mistake, but one which cost her heavily. The gas and electricity bills she received in 2011 were: March 29, $153.94; April 28, $443.69; June 2, $357.07; June 28, $734.82; July 28, $517.58.
She was also paying for her own power usage, which meant she was being double billed. Worried about being called to account for alleged delinquency, she continued paying while knowing something was wrong.
Barley crops flooded, canola fields glinting under the sun but concealing several inches of water, pasture swamped, broken river banks, marshy verges, partially submerged roads …
It is a sight Barrhead farmers like Leonard Schmidt are sick to death of seeing. After all, he saw much the same last July.
In 2011 he believed action had been taken to fortify the dikes and prevent the rain-swollen Paddle River spilling into his farmland and surrounding areas. The thunderstorm on Monday, July 23 proved him wrong as floodwater swamped his fields again, destroying crops he grows to feed his cattle in the winter.
“The worst thing about the river system from the dam downstream is that if the water goes over the dikes it stays nearly for ever,” said Schmidt. “You almost have to wait until it evaporates.”
A few minutes’ drive from Schmidt’s house is Liz Corbett’s farm.
Corbett said floodwater coming from Sangudo and Connor Creek rushed across her land on Tuesday morning, damaging pasture and hay land.
She reckons reseeding alone will cost $1,500, excluding other expenses like diesel.
Marvin Brade is the Barrhead County councillor for the southwest corner of the county, which includes the farms of Schmidt, Olson and Patterson. After inspecting the fields of cereal grain canola, hay and pasture, he reported a lot of damage.
Brade said one of the challenges facing farmers was that there is no provision in crop insurance that covers flooding.
Hundreds of balloons were released into a clear blue sky for the opening ceremonies of Neerlandia’s 100th birthday Friday, Aug. 3.
The ceremonies, led by Dennis Nanninga, opened with the singing of the National Anthem. The crowd saw presentations from Lambert Veenstra on behalf of MP Rob Merrifield, MLA Maureen Kubinec, reeve Bill Lee who came even with a broken ankle, mayor Brian Schulz, Dave Terpsma on behalf of the Neerlandia Historical society, and Henry Strydhorst on behalf of the Neerlandia Funeral Society.
Everyone joined in to sing Happy Birthday, and Neerlandian Rulie Nanninga cut the birthday cake.
The Wildrose Rodeo Dance has been around for about 25 years. It is as much a tradition as the rodeo itself, a Saturday night social when cowboys kick up their heels, dance and drink. It is also a $6,000 money-earner.
Now the music has died and the dancing become a memory after organizers scrapped this year’s party because they were unable to hold it in the curling rink, its historic home.
The rink has a legal capacity of 149 people: a higher number would breach fire safety rules. The Barrhead Agricultural Society, however, says the rink has been licensed in the past for up to 400 dancegoers, the usual attendance number.
Ag Society president Adolph Bablitz said there was a mood of frustration on the board over the licensing restriction. It had reached the point where members were wondering whether it was worth Barrhead bidding for a future rodeo, he said.
“We are very disappointed,” said Bablitz. “The dance is the only way we can get the whole community involved. We have had a dance every year.”
Fire Chief John Whittaker said dance organizers had been deviating from the 2006 Fire Code by staging their event at the Curling Rink, which was only authorized to hold up to 149 people.
The matter had been raised before, but now it was felt that “enough was enough,” he said.
Whittaker accepted previous fire chiefs may have taken a different approach.
“We are not willing to take that same risk,” he said. “The code is there for a reason, it is there for public protection and we intend enforcing it.”
Barrhead discovered the recipe for success over the weekend was dedicated volunteers, teamwork, community support, and a lot of great food. Hundreds of people brought their empty bellies to attend the long awaited Taste of Barrhead event, which took over the Barrhead Elementary gym Saturday, Sept. 29.
A total of 24 tables and booths filled the gym, each offering something different than the next. There were tacos from Mexico, slider burgers from Western Canada, butter chicken from India, waffles from Belgium and Norway, and sushi from Japan, to name a few. Let’s not forget popcorn and cotton candy from Funland.
Dennis Donkers, who helped organize the Taste of Barrhead and participated himself, said the event went beyond his expectations.
Though everyone involved were hoping for a good turnout, when it’s the first time for something you never know.
The “Sold Out” signs popping up at vendor’s booths were a good indication people were enjoying the event. It’s estimated about 1,000 people stopped in to see what was happening and indulge in the delicious cultural experience.
“I think for the first year it’s great,” he said, smiling. “I think it’s definitely back on for next year, and we have more of an idea of what to expect.”
Former Pembina Hills school division Supt. Richard Harvey has been charged with defrauding the division by submitting excessive expense claims.
Alberta Justice spokesperson Jason Maloney confirmed Oct. 16 that Harvey is charged with fraud over $5,000 and breach of trust for allegedly submitting excessive expense claims to the school division between May 1, 2006 and Dec. 31, 2010.
He is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Barrhead Provincial Court at 10 a.m. on Jan. 8, 2013, and not in Court of Queen’s Bench in Edmonton.
The allegations against him have not been proven in court.
Harvey, 61, now resides in Newfoundland.
Harvey left his post at the division in October 2010 under mysterious circumstances. At the time the division would only say that he was no longer an employee, without offering further details.
Barrhead Town victims of July flooding can seek financial help through a government-approved disaster recovery program.
Applications to the Alberta Emergency Management Agency program will be accepted until Jan. 10, 2013.
Registration forms are available online or at the Town of Barrhead office.
The program helps residents, small businesses and not-for-profit organizations recover from non-insurable damage caused by overland flooding and groundwater seepage from heavy rainfall between July 23 and 31.
Mayor Brian Schulz said he was delighted when Minister of Municipal Affairs Doug Griffiths told him that Town residents would be eligible for flooding relief funds.
“I was very appreciative of that and thanked him on behalf of our community,” he said.
“I am very pleased that the government has stepped up and responded as quickly as possible,” he added.
Alberta Government has earmarked up to $58 million to offset costs of uninsurable losses from flooding after June and July storms.
For North Central Alberta – including Barrhead County, Whitecourt, Lac Ste. Anne and Woodlands – up to $5 million has been set aside for damage from July 23-31 rainfall.
Although parts of the town were flooded, the municipality did not suffer the extent of damage seen in various parts of the County.
A Barrhead County recovery program has already been approved.
Applications are accepted until Jan. 10, 2013.
Barrhead senior Scotty Smith was left stranded in St. Albert after being taken by ambulance to Sturgeon Community Hospital on Dec. 1 when he began feeling unwell.
The 70-year-old, who underwent a cancer operation in the summer, found he had no way of making the 104-kilometre trip back to Barrhead once doctors had checked him over and given him the all-clear.
Hospital staff told him he would have to make his own travel arrangements.
As Smith lingered at the hospital, knowing that it was already dark outside, with the temperature feeling like -20, his options seemed non-existent to limited.
Fortunately, Smith contacted a Barrhead friend, whose son-in-law happened to be in St. Albert and dropped by the hospital to pick him up.
Smith’s predicament has spotlighted the lack of public transport in rural communities in the province.
Barrhead Mayor Brian Schulz said he was appalled by the story of Scotty Smith’s predicament. He pledged to raise it with Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock MLA Maureen Kubinec.
Kerry Williamson, manager of media and issues management for Alberta Health Services, said AHS policy was that patients discharged from a particular facility were responsible for getting themselves home.
“We will work with the patient and their family before they are discharged to ensure they know when they will likely be able to go home, and that they are aware of their options in terms of transportation,” he said. “The most desirable option is having a family member or friend pick them up and bring them home.”
