Clearwater County Council Meeting Notes

by Helge Nome

Four delegations presented their cases at the regular meeting on November 22. County involvement in internet service to local residents was also discussed.

Members of an Agriculture Recreation Committee made a case for a recreational complex to be constructed on the newly acquired county lands near the Rocky airport. The total cost of the project is estimated at $22 million with approximately one half of the money potentially coming from municipal sources. Art Terpsma presented the case for a facility with a number of other people interested in the project in attendance. Reeve Alexander responded by advising the committee to broaden its base of community support for the complex before the County would become actively involved. Council did, however, carry a motion to make its airport  lands available as a potential site.

David Gummer, Wildlife Biologist with Parks Canada, made a presentation on the planned re-introduction of bison into the Banff National Park. 16 animals will be moved from Elk Island National Park into a controlled area on the eastern slopes of the Rockies in the Banff park for a trial period of 5 years.

Don Livingston and Ed Van Heeren made the case for County support for the Rocky Mountain House Search and Rescue group in its upcoming 2017 budget.
The group is a registered society and has entered into a cooperative relationship with the municipally controlled Clearwater Regional Emergency Management Agency. It has a broad volunteer base and is looking to replace capital equipment and upgrade skills and equipment to be able to participate in helicopter rescue operations.

The County is increasingly being asked to give financial support to local volunteer groups. This trend was affirmed by a delegation from the Prairie Creek Memorial Cemetery Association who asked for some $7,000 to $10,000 to replace a gate and fencing around the cemetery. Reeve Alexander said that the request would be considered during the 2017 budget deliberations. A related issue came up shortly afterwards in regards to the costs of demolishing the Taimi Hall which came in at $73,405; 33,405 over budget due to the need to dispose of asbestos in the debris.

The County’s electronic information system is in very poor health. This became evident during a presentation by Corporate Services Manager Rodney Boyko when he requested an amount of $50,000 over and above budgeted costs to deal with ongoing problems. The request was granted.

The broadband internet issue was back on the agenda with Community and Protective Services Manager Ted Hickey resubmitting a previously tabled item:
 “Broadband Request for Proposal - Focused Study Area”. After a good amount of discussion where previously held positions and beliefs were restated, it was resolved to release the full text of the TaylorWarwick Broadband Internet Study to the public. The agenda item under discussion was re-tabled until the next regular meeting.

Finally, on a positive note, Public Works Manager Marshall Morton reported that a tender for asphalt overlay of 22 km of the Prairie Creek Road  came in  $1 million below the estimated cost of $3.9 million. Good deal!

Caroline Elks donate to local library

Friends of the Caroline Library, Allison Hewitt and Barbara Lee received a cheque for $500 from the Caroline Elks represented by Richard Foesier, on Wednesday, November 16. The money will be used for non-budget items needed by the library. A silent auction of donated items to support the library is currently underway at ATB Financial in Caroline until November 25.

Caroline School Principal's Award for 2015/16

Award is presented to Mallory Westergaard by Caroline School Principal Dean Pilipchuk at the school's annual awards night on October 28, 2016. Mallory excelled in all areas of student achievement, including academics, sports, citizenship and leadership. This award is the highest recognition given by Caroline School.

Clearwater County Council Meeting Notes

By Helge Nome

Today, October 25, Council held its annual organizational meeting where Reeve and Deputy Reeve for the upcoming year are elected from within the group of seven councillors by the councillors. Some fifty community boards are also populated by a mixture of community members and councillors.

Following the organizational meeting, a regular meeting was conducted where crime statistics were presented by members of the Rocky RCMP Detachment.

With all seven councillors present, CAO Ron Leaf opened the organizational meeting, asking for nominations for the position of Reeve.

Councillor John Vandermeer took the floor and and expressed a lack of confidence in how Reeve Alexander had conducted himself over the past year. He nominated Councillor Graham who declined the nomination. He then nominated Councillor Maki for the position of Reeve. Maki declined the nomination. He went on to nominate Councillors Duncan and Laing in that order. Both declined the nomination.

The process ended up with Councillor Laing nominating Councillor Vandermeer and Councillor Greenwood nominating Councillor Alrxander for the position of Reeve. Both accepted the nomination and CAO Leaf collected the votes which were counted with the assistance of Staff person Christine Heggart. Alexander was elected for the upcoming year. The number of votes for each person was not disclosed.

There was a change in the Deputy Reeve chair: Councillor Maki replaces Councillor Graham.

For the upcoming year, the Municipal Planning Commission will have councillors Graham, Duncan and Maki serving, along with community members Cheryl Dezall and Kelly Spongberg.

Councillor Laing was not successful in getting on the Rocky Mountain Regional Waste Authority Board, where Councillors Alexander, Graham and Maki will continue to represent the County.

The newly formed Clearwater Broadband Foundation had requested a councillor appointment by letter. Councillor Vandermeer agreed to represent the county council on this board, with Councillor Duncan as the alternate.

Following the organizational meeting, Staff Sgt. Mark Groves and Sgt. Jason Penner from the Rocky RCMP Detachment made a presentation. Auto thefts were down in number compared to last time a presentation to council was made.

Property crimes in the area have increased in line with a province wide trend. Sgt. Groves noted that the detachment is now at full strength, and even a bit over, as he has been accepting junior RCMP members into his detachment with the idea of training them to perform at a high level in their work. He also noted that the newly appointed constable to Caroline School, Brian Bouchard, used to be a teacher and school principal before joining the RCMP.

A permanent Rocky RCMP satellite station at the Sunchild and O’Chiese reserves has considerably improved policing in that area. When asked by Reeve Alexander about an RCMP presence at Nordegg, Groves said that he could not justify keeping a member out there, based on population numbers. Sgt. Penner added: “It is a summertime deal” .

Caroline Seniors Center April Birthdays

Lawrence Stewart, Don Ellis, Sharon Delorme, John Bugbee and Roy Follis. They were all born in the month of April.

Volunteers are recognized in Caroline Community

The volunteer appreciation event was hosted in the Caroline Legion Hall with the guidance of Marjorie Peters.

 

Over 200 volunteers were recognized in the Caroline Community on April 13 as part of Volunteer Week celebrations. They were all nominated by community people who had to pay $2 for each name submitted. Some 80 people attended the event and enjoyed good fellowship and snacks along with lots of door prizes. The event was organized by volunteers from several community organizations.

Volunteers from the Caroline Fire Department present were: Tim Simard, Rick Foesier, Yvonne Evans, Rachel Young and Aeron Hisey

Caroline Election Forum from Helge Nome on Vimeo.

Moose browsing in the field on Easter Sunday 2015

Moose browsing from Helge Nome on Vimeo.

Rowsie the Blue Heeler puppy

Rocky Air Show 2013 from Helge Nome on Vimeo.

What's new - anyway?

Sol - in all his glory

Aerobatic Practice at the Rocky Mountain House Airport

Action at the Innisfail Airport

A Day at The Innisfail Airport from Helge Nome on Vimeo.

A fifteen minute glider flight over the Innisfail Airport

Roman's Glider Flight from Helge Nome on Vimeo.

Alberta - Land of Oil and Money

Elk Crossing Red Deer River

Elk Crossing Red Deer River from Helge Nome on Vimeo.

This female elk crossed the river not far from where I was sitting having my lunch on a gravel bar. She was never aware of my presence, giving an opportunity for some very rare footage

Spencer's Lacombe Atom Tournament

Spencer's Atom Hockey Game from Helge Nome on Vimeo.

Re-humanizing the enemy

First Solo Flight

Ethan's First Solo Flight from Helge Nome on Vimeo.

Mentoring Program Christmas Party in Caroline School

Mentorship program youngsters are ready to enjoy their Christmas tree cake

By Helge Nome

"Youngsters, volunteers and parents attended the Caroline Family Center Christmas Party on Tuesday, December 17, at Caroline School. It was an occasion to wrap up, for the season, the in-school mentorship program that is now in its 11th year of operation in Caroline School.

The young people in the photo are all teamed up, one to one, with an adult community volunteer that comes into the school once a week and spends an hour with her/his mentee during school hours. Multi-year relationships can develop from these matches with both parties benefiting from the experience.
The program in Caroline School is hosted by Wild Rose Public Schools and supported financially by the Clearwater Regional Family and Community Services Board. The program can potentially be made available in other schools in the Wild Rose Public Schools area if local people express an interest.
For more information contact Clearwater Regional FCSS manager Tracy King at tking@rockymtnhouse.com

Busy hands prepare colored Christmas treats

"Thank You!" to Caroline Elks

The Caroline Elks sponsored the attendance of Joshua Luoma at a summer camp at Camp Caroline at the beginning of July this year.
This was recognized at the Caroline Family Center last week where Joshua formally thanked Caroline Elks President Dick Foesier and his mentor Roman Kneblewski who is also a member of the Caroline Elks Lodge.

The Caroline Elks is a community organization that will sponsor individuals with particular needs based on requests received.

The Caroline Family Center, hosted in Room 30 in Caroline School and sponsored by the Clearwater Family and Community Support Services board, runs a mentoring program where volunteer adult community members are paired with local youngsters in a supportive role. Contact Caroline School for details.

Our sun is a cool dude

Local pilots Ken Fowler and Eric Hanson flying their Harmon Rockets at Arlington

People power - with a little help from the gun cabinet

Close encounter - coming up

This silver dollar was just sold for $10million

A Flowing Hair Silver Dollar, the first silver dollar struck by the United States Mint, is pictured in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters January 24, 2013.

The Flowing Hair Silver Dollar more than doubled the previous $4.1 million auction record for a coin set in 1999, auction house Stack's Bowers Galleries said. Legend Numismatics, a rare-coin firm based in New Jersey, bought the coin, which was the highlight of the evening sale in New York that fetched a total of $17.2 million. "We felt in our heart that this would be the very first coin to exceed the $10 million barrier in auction and were in fact prepared to bid much high in order to acquire this unique piece of history," the company said in a statement, adding it had no plans to sell the coin in the near future.
Read article here

One Martyr Down: The Untold Story Of A Canadian Peacekeeper Killed At War

January 2, 2013 by Adam Day

 PATROL BASE KHIAM, SOUTHERN LEBANON.
JULY 25, 2006, 19:10 LOCAL

Two nights ago Wolf dreamed he would die in this bunker. He dreamed he was going to burn as the metre-thick concrete walls collapsed on top of him. And though he was now calm, Wolf was still pretty sure he was going to die and nothing happening at the moment could have changed his mind. The shells and bombs were right on target; the last wave had landed inside the small white UN compound and blew the door off the underground bunker, the last refuge of the four peacekeepers now under siege. Across Lebanon and across the world responsible people were trying to stop the attack: “You’re killing my people,” they yelled into phones and radio handsets. They were trying to save Wolf but something had begun and it wouldn’t be stopped so easily. Wolf tried to call his wife in Kingston, Ont.; the phone rang but all she heard was static. “I love you. I love you,” she yelled into the static. The peacekeepers called for help but there was no help. They were alone, trapped and unarmed in the middle of a Middle Eastern war zone, supervising a truce that didn’t exist on a mission that didn’t make sense.

This is the story of how Wolf–Canadian Army Major Paeta Hess-von Kruedener—came to be in that bunker and who killed him and why, which remains an unanswered question. It is also the story of the world’s oldest peacekeeping mission, the lost organization in charge of that mission and the failed dream behind it all.
Read moving story here

Speech by Bashar al-Assad on Syrian crisis

By Bashar al-Assad 
Damascus (Syria) | 6 January 2013

 Editor's Note: This is a long speech made by Syrian President Assad just a few days ago.
You will not see this kind of material published in the western mainstream media who has branded Assad as a murderer of his own people. Judge for yourself.

"Mr. Primer, Ministers,

Heads and members of the leaderships of popular organizations and trade unions,
Sisters and brothers,
Today I look at your faces and the faces of the people of our country as they are covered with sorrow and pain. I look into the eyes of Syria’s children and I don’t see an innocent laugh shinning, nor do I see toys that draw a smile on their faces. I watch the hands of elderly people and see them open to prayer for the safety of a son, a daughter or a grandson.
We meet today with suffering prevailing over Syria’s land leaving no room for joy in any corner of the homeland. Safety and security have been absent from the country’s streets and alleys.
We meet today and there are mothers who lost their sons, families who lost their breadwinners, children who became orphans and brothers who have been parted from each other, being martyred, displaced or missing.
If pain is pervading like a dark cloud over the country, the emotional state, though sublime, is not enough to compensate for the loss of the loved ones or the restoration of security and peace to the country or for providing bread, water, fuel and medicine nationwide.
Out of the womb of pain, hope should be begotten and from the depth of suffering the most important solutions rise. As the dark cloud in the sky conceals sunlight, it also carries in its layers rain, purity and hope of welfare and giving.
Read full speech here

China blazes trail for 'clean' nuclear power from thorium

Mr Jiang estimates that China has enough thorium to power its electricity needs for "20,000 years".

By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

The Chinese are running away with thorium energy, sharpening a global race for the prize of clean, cheap, and safe nuclear power. Good luck to them. They may do us all a favour. 

  

Princeling Jiang Mianheng, son of former leader Jiang Zemin, is spearheading a project for China's National Academy of Sciences with a start-up budget of $350m.

He has already recruited 140 PhD scientists, working full-time on thorium power at the Shanghai Institute of Nuclear and Applied Physics. He will have 750 staff by 2015.

The aim is to break free of the archaic pressurized-water reactors fueled by uranium -- originally designed for US submarines in the 1950s -- opting instead for new generation of thorium reactors that produce far less toxic waste and cannot blow their top like Fukushima.

"China is the country to watch," said Baroness Bryony Worthington, head of the All-Parliamentary Group on Thorium Energy, who visited the Shanghai operations recently with a team from Britain's National Nuclear Laboratory.

"They are really going for it, and have talented researchers. This could lead to a massive break-through."
Read full article here