Caroline News March 9 '09

Rhythm and Rhyme Fest in April

The annual Caroline Rhythm and Rhyme event is planned for April 5 at the complex with the theme “Old Boots”. Activities begin at 10am with fellowship followed by a day of Western Poetry, Music and Displays. Featuring local and other well known artists. Don't forget to bring your old boots! Admission: Adult $10, Family $20. Concession will open at 10am. For more information, contact Al at 403 722 2032, Teresa at 403 722 2578 or Louise at 403 722 2409.

Village Council Notes

Caroline's Fire Chief Resigns

All councillors and CAO McKinnon were present at the regular meeting of the Village council last Tuesday March 3 at 2pm in the Village office. The matter of the resignation of Fire Chief Patrick Blowers was noted in the written CAO Report, but was not discussed at the meeting. Fire service delivery in the region is currently in a state of transition with the paid fire services staff at Clearwater County increasing in number. Reportedly, the new designation for Caroline's top fire fighter will be “Battalion Chief”.

Public Works Report.

The written report by Foreman Ron Landry was submitted to Council as follows: “The Public Works Department have hauled a lot of snow that has been piled up off the streets. The water tap in the Little Green park has been leaking. This tap does not have a curb stop to turn off the water. We need to make a decision to either replace the existing tap and put a curb stop on it so that the water can be shut off for the winter, or we need to remove the tap.

Garbage collections are running normally, and we have moved the garbage truck inside the shop so that it is easier to start during the cold weather. We were also able to repaint the floor and pipes in the water treatment plant. The treatment plant will need repairs on the backwash system. This system is leaking and the leak is progressively getting worse with every use of the system.

The hot water system at the RV Park is in need of repair. I am pricing out the cost of replacing the existing system to a tankless hot water system.

CAO Report.

CAO McKinnon presented his written report as follows: (please insert report forwarded by email)

Board Reports

Councillor Van Dijk reported from the regional fire committee that resumes had been received for the regional fire trainer positon at Clearwater County.

Councillor Pryor reported from SPOG that Shell is looking at a program to maximize gas extraction from existing wells as production declines.

Council Rep. For Spring Convention.

Clearwater County is prepared to pay for a Village Council Representative to go to the spring convention of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties in Edmonton on March 23,24 and 25. Councillor Pryor will attend this convention.

Discussion On Off-site Levy Contract Proposal.

CAO McKinnon presented draft contracts prepared by Stantec Consulting Ltd. and Parkland Community Planning Services to determine off-site levies charged by the Village to developers tying into existing municipal infrastructure. The idea is to tie into a 10 year Capital Infrastructure Plan that Stantec is currently working on for the Village. This can be a potentially sensitive area as developers are inclined to challenge the validity of extra charges.

The proposed fees for the work of determining off-site levies are quite substantial, Stantec- $29,400.00 and Parkland- $16,850.00, and Councillor Van Dijk questioned the need for this work, which includes five workshops, among other things. After some discussion, Council decided to go ahead and sign the contracts.

Museum Donation

The Village has a plaque dedicated to the memory of Caroline Rebecca Nelson which reads “Forever honoured by her namesake- Village of Caroline”. Based on a request from the Caroline museum, Council donated the plaque to the museum.

Village To Enter The Merchandise Business

CAO McKinnon floated the idea of selling village promotional merchandise such as T-shirts, etc.

A motion was carried to allocate $1,000.00 to implement this idea.

Development Permit Appeal Fee

Council decided to introduce a $100 appeal fee for people that decide to make an appeal against a Development Permit. The fee is refundable if the appeal is successful. This is intended to be a deterrent against malicious or frivolous appeals.

Bobcat Gets Pat On The Back

CAO McKinnon reported that residents have called in to say that they are very happy about the Bobcat brush attachment which is used to sweep sidewalks

Council went in-camera to discuss unspecified issues.


Pen Meets Paper

Opinion by Helge Nome

Canadians are beginning to ask themselves: “What are we doing in Afghanistan?” And the public debate does not even touch on the real reasons.

In order to understand why our elected representatives are prepared to pour a substantial proportion of our Gross Domestic Product, 18 billion dollars, into a dusty mountainous region on the other side of the world, it is necessary to take a step back and review the ongoing global chess game for power that never ends and began when life took hold on the surface of the planet.

Afghanistan has always been important to the world powers of the day because of its strategic position.

Taken from Wikipedia, here is the real reason for NATO's military presence in Afghanistan:
“The Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline (TAP or TAPI) is a proposed natural gas pipeline being developed by the Asian Development Bank. The pipeline will transport Caspian Sea natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India. Proponents of the project see it as a modern continuation of the Silk Road. The Afghan government is expected to receive 8% of the project's revenue
The original project started in March 1995 when an inaugural memorandum of understanding between the governments of Turkmenistan and Pakistan for a pipeline project was signed. In August 1996, the Central Asia Gas Pipeline, Ltd. (CentGas) consortium for construction of a pipeline, led by Unocal was formed. On 27 October 1997, CentGas was incorporated in formal signing ceremonies in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan by several international oil companies along with the Government of Turkmenistan. In January 1998, the Taliban, selecting CentGas over Argentinian competitor Bridas Corporation, signed an agreement that allowed the proposed project to proceed. In June 1998, Russian Gazprom relinquishes its 10% stake in the project. Unocal withdrew from the consortium on 8 December 1998.
The new deal on the pipeline was signed on 27 December 2002 by the leaders of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.[1] In 2005, the Asian Development Bank submitted the final version of a feasibility study designed by British company Penspen. Since the United States military overthrew the Taliban government, the project has essentially stalled; construction of the Turkmen part was supposed to start in 2006, but the overall feasibility is questionable since the southern part of the Afghan section runs through territory which continues to be under de facto Taliban control.
On 24 April 2008, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan signed a framework agreement to buy natural gas from Turkmenistan.[2]
The 1,680 kilometres (1,040 mi) pipeline will run from the Dauletabad gas field to Afghanistan. From there TAPI will be constructed alongside the highway running from Herat to Kandahar, and then via Quetta and Multan in Pakistan. The final destination of the pipeline will be the Indian town of Fazilka, near the border between Pakistan and India.[3]
The pipeline will be 1,420 millimetres (56 in) in diameter with a working pressure of 100 atm.[3] The initial capacity will be 27 billion cubic meter (bcm) of natural gas annually of which 2 bcm will be provided to Afghanistan and 12.5 bcm to both Pakistan and India. Later the capacity will increase to 33 bcm.[4] Six compressor stations are to be constructed along the pipeline.[3] The pipeline is expected to be operational by 2014.[5]
The cost of the pipeline is estimated cost at US$7.6 billion.[2] The project is to be financed by the Asian Development Bank.[6]"
NATO is the military arm of what may be called the “Western Empire” which includes Canada, and the idea is to ultimately gain control of vast oil and gas reserves that used to be part of the Soviet Union and control the territory through which that energy is distributed. Hence our presence in Afghanistan.
The tribal people there have always resisted the intrusions into of foreigners into their territory and they have become very good at it through long practice. We are now on the receiving end of their skills, just like the Soviet soldiers used to be not so long ago.
From the point of view of the average Canadian the complete dishonesty of our politicians is a major issue: The top brass in all the political parties know exactly why our young people are being sacrificed in Afghanistan but tell the public and the young soldiers a completely different story, because the truth would be too upsetting for those that have lost loved ones.