1-877-465-8279 6305 - 44 Avenue, Ponoka CONNECT & WIN OR YOU COULD WIN 1 OF 30 VEHICLES! FROM $ 1 ,000 TO $ 1 0 ,000 TOWARDS YOUR PURCHASE OR LEASE Vol. 67, No. 50 | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015 | 403-783-3311 | WWW.PONOKANEWS.COM CONNECTING THE COMMUNITY Recycle and waste Amanda Henderson-Kada (standing), executive director of the Ponoka Rising Sun Clubhouse, answers questions Monday, Dec. 7 on the town’s new recycle and waste management program set to start Jan. 4. Please see our story on page 2. Photo by Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye Hat trick of losses a self-fullfilling prophesy for Stampeders Story on page 25 Some nifty little memories of our Ponoka history Story on page 5
Amanda Henderson-Kada (standing), executive director of the Ponoka Rising Sun Clubhouse, answers questions Monday, Dec. 7 on the town’s new recycle and waste management program set to start Jan. 4. Please see our story on page 2.
Photo by Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye
Hat trick of lossesa self-fullfi lling
prophesy for StampedersStory on page 25
Some nifty littlememories of ourPonoka history
Story on page 5
2 PONOKA NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015
Dave McPhee, director of operations and property services for the Town of Ponoka, answers questions Monday, Dec. 7 on the town’s new recycle and waste management program set to start Jan. 4.
Photo by Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye
Residents pack Kinsmen Centre to understand new waste management program
The Kinsmen Community Centre was full to the brim on Monday, Dec. 7 with town residents who were curious to learn more about the recy-cle and waste management program that is set to begin Jan. 4.
The open house organized by the town brought together residents who had lots of questions and concerns about the new program, among them how street front pick-
ups will affect residents who have their garbage collected in back alleys and if the two week collection pickup for garbage is too long to wait.
Residents could submit their questions in writing or speak directly to organizers. Among the speakers was Dave McPhee, director of operations and property ser-vices for the Town of Ponoka, and representatives from Green for Life Environmental (GFL), the company hired to run the waste management and recycle program.
Also in attendance was Amanda Henderson-Kada, executive director of the Rising Sun Clubhouse, which has been in charge of the blue box recycle program in Ponoka for the last 18 years. Henderson-Kada was optimistic about the new program.
“Moving forward I do un-derstand that there is an op-portunity for us to co-exist,” she said.
Later she confi rmed that about 75 per cent the club-house’s existing customers
had reaffi rmed their business and she added that about 25 to 30 new customers had signed up, which she was pleased with.
In an earlier interview, Henderson-Kada explained while the new way the re-cycling program is to work would create some free ca-pacity for their workforce because sorting would no longer be required, it would still be diffi uclt for them to take on too many new customers. “Our priority will be our existing customers,”
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Paige Brose, Admin. Asst. with BB/BS presents Terry Zimmer with a cheque for $1447.50. Terry was the lucky winner of the Ponoka Gold Rush Monthly Lottery for the month of November. You to could be a lucky winner! December draw will be Thursday, Dec. 31. Contact Big Brothers Big Sisters for more information.
PONOKA GOLD RUSH NOVEMBER WINNERPONOKA GOLD RUSH NOVEMBER WINNER
BY JEFFREY HEYDEN-KAYEPONOKA NEWS
she said.The biggest questions that
appeared to be on everyone’s lips was, “Why?” To answer that McPhee provided some background to the town’s re-cycling and how it compares to the rest of the province. He said the province has required municipalities to have 60 per cent of waste go to recycle streams by 2015.
When he started several years ago, McPhee said he determined that the town was not reporting its waste streams to the province and was recycling less than 10 per cent of its waste, even with the recycle station downtown. He said over 90 per cent of municipalities in Alberta have now been implementing mandatory recycling pro-grams, and Ponoka has now joined the list.
The challenge one resident saw is with large families on a bi-weekly schedule. McPhee said the intention with two week pickup is to encourage recycling but added that there may be other options for residents like having two garbage bins. As the program has yet to begin, planners will have room to re-evaluate the process.
“What I’m asking the com-munity is to work with us. Let us know,” offered McPhee.
One metre space needed for pickup
Chris Duiker, who oversees community pickups with GFL, said the reason for the one metre diameter space is to ensure a safe pickup of the 65 gallon garbage cans. The special cans, with large wheels, are designed for easy transport over snow to the street. Automation makes it cheaper for residents to col-
lect garbage and for recycling, using the clear blue or clear garbage bags, there will be one more collector throwing bags into trucks.
Two specifi c products are not recyclable: Styrofoam and glass. While Styrofoam may have a recycle symbol, Duiker says it is not. Glass is the same. “Some communities are accepting it but there is no recyclable product for it,” explained Duiker.
Another area of concern was over back alley pickups. McPhee said there are some alleys that trucks will not fi t in safely. Some of that has to do with aging infrastruc-ture and new equipment. However, there may be areas where special accommoda-tions need to be made, he added.
Despite these challenges GFL will conduct annual sur-veys on collections in town to determine problem areas. Duicker added that while they do have some pickup guide-lines and they will be working closely with residents and the town to fi nd a system that works for everyone. “There’s ways to make things work,” said Duiker.
Recycle as much as neededThere is no restriction on
how much can be recycled.Duiker said the company
does request a rinse of cans but they will collect them if not rinsed. “We prefer that you rinse them. The only reason for that is food debris attracts birds,” explained Duicker.
Town staff confi rmed during the meeting that most grocery stores and hardware stores in town will sell the clear blue or plain clear gar-bage bags for recycling.
Compost collectionThere was some confusion
over composting as the green bins supplied by GFL had stickers showing household foods could be composted. McPhee clarifi ed there was an error when sending the bins as the town can only collect yard waste during the summer months for its com-post site. Duicker added that the summer months were designated for yard waste collection as that is the time plants grow.
Hazardous waste such as paint cans and aerosol cans are now accepted at the town’s transfer site and res-idents will be able to drop them off for free year round.
Duiker said since the pro-gram is new to Ponoka, for the short term the company will collect everything. As things progress he said residents may see a sticker to provide feedback on what is working and what isn’t.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015 PONOKA NEWS 3
Police arrest man in possession of stolen vehicle
Reports of a suspicious man landed him in trouble with Ponoka RCMP.
The call came in Sunday, Dec. 6,when offi cers locat-ed Jesse Cecka in poses-sion of a stolen truck from Red Deer. As the investiga-tion continued offi cers, lo-cated tools used for break-ing in to homes, say police.
Among the other items located were several sto-
Clues searched in death of Maskwacis woman
Maskwacis RCMP are looking for any information related to the death of 25-year-old Christy Crane. She was found injured on a rural road on the Samson Cree Nation and later succumbed to her injuries.
Photo supplied by Maskwacis RCMP
Explanation helps man stay out of jail
A Ponoka man was fortunate to walk out the way he came in last week.
Scott Wiebe, 26, pleaded guilty at Ponoka Provincial Court on Friday, Dec. 3 to one count each of driving while disqualifi ed, driving without insurance and failing to appear in court and nearly wound up leaving the courtroom in handcuffs if not for the judge accepting the man’s expla-nation.
Instead, Wiebe was handed almost $3,500 in fi nes as well as an additional one year driving ban.
According to the facts presented by the crown, back on Jan. 8, 2105, an RCMP offi cer in an unmarked vehicle spotted a vehicle known to belong to Wiebe - who had his licence suspended nearly three months earlier for an impaired driving conviction - parked at the 7-11 in Ponoka. The offi cer believed Wiebe may be driving it, so he waited and the pulled over the vehicle after it left the parking lot.
Wiebe was found driving the car, which was also found to no longer have insur-ance.
While admitting he was driving when
BY JEFFREY HEYDEN-KAYE
BY JORDIE DWYERPONOKA NEWS
len credit cards and mail belonging to 15 residents in the Ponoka County area.
Police charged Cecka with 26 counts of posses-sion of stolen property related to the fi nd. He is remanded in custody until his court appearance set for Friday, Dec. 11.
Woman dies of injuriesMaskwacis RCMP inves-
tigators seek the public’s assistance in the death of Christy Crane, 25, who was
found injured Dec. 6 on a rural, gravel road in the Samson Cree Nation.
At the time police said Crane was taken to hos-pital for treatment, but she was later reported as having succumbed to her injuries the following day.
Police said they could not conclude whether the nature of her death was
criminal and a statement said an autopsy was to be conducted later alongside putting out an appeal to the public for assistance.
Anyone with informa-tion regarding this inci-dent is asked to contact
the Maskwacis RCMP at 780-585-3767. If you want to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers by telephone at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or by Internet at www.tipsub-mit.com.
he shouldn’t have been and that the car wasn’t insured, Wiebe provided an expla-nation to the court that seemed to satisfy the judge to the point where it kept Wiebe out of heading to jail.
He told the court, prior to sentencing, that the car had been parked at his place of employment - a job he has since lost due to transportation issues - since his impaired conviction, but that day he was told it had to be moved and Wiebe felt there was no other option than to do it himself, adding he knew he shouldn’t have done it.
Judge J.B. Mitchell stated during sen-tencing that he took Wiebe’s explanation at face value, adding he had no reason to doubt Wiebe’s version, and also noted it isn’t the most egregious example of this type of offence as well as the fact Wiebe has had to fi nd a new job as a result.
“Like I tell all of the people that appear before me that are convicted and sus-pended from driving, there is always the chance that you will go to jail if you are caught behind the wheel without having your licence,” stated Judge Mitchell to Wiebe.
continued on page 4
LOCATED IN THE LOW PROFESSIONAL BUILDING
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Local Travel Agency Executive Gets Insider Advice From Emmy-winning TV Host Anthony Bourdain
Orlando, Florida – Oct. 23 – When
traveling to another country, it’s important to
truly embrace their culture, especially when it comes to the local cuisine, said Anthony Bourdain, American chef, cookbook author, and star of CNN’s PARTS UNKNOWN, to an audience of more than 900 travel professionals in October in Orlando, including Theresa Turner from Direct Travel & Cruise Centre, Ponoka.
Theresa was attending the annual conference of Ensemble Travel Group, a member-owned organization of approximately 850 top-tier, independent travel agencies in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Direct Travel & Cruise Centre has belonged to Ensemble for 30 years, and is able to offer many valuable travel benefi ts to its clients through this affi liation.
“As the conference keynote speaker, Anthony Bourdain really captivated the crowd with colorful stories from his 15 years of food and travel adventures,” said Theresa. “To many people, food is more than just a meal. It’s a way of telling a story and sharing one’s history
and love of their country and family. Bourdain encouraged people to get out of their comfort zone when visiting a new destination and “eat what’s offered”. Be grateful and polite on the road, he said.”
Theresa was joined by other travel executives from around the world at this large industry gathering held this year at the Omni Orlando Resort at Champions Gate. In addition to Anthony Bourdain and a series of business and industry speakers, conference delegates learned of new products and programs developed by Ensemble, all designed to signifi cantly enhance their customers’ vacation experiences and improve their agency’s business practices and profi tability.
Also at conference, Theresa and other attendees helped raise a record $121,000 through a raffl e and live auction to benefi t the Make-A-Wish organization. In the last fi ve years, Ensemble members and partners have donated a total of $464,000 to this worthy cause that has given hope, strength, and joy to children with life-threatening conditions since 1980.
“ Quality and comfort is our No.1 priority - so go ahead and smile!”
Y O U M A Y Q U A L I F Y F O R D E N T U R E S T H R O U G H
T H E S E N I O R B E N E F I T S P R O G R A M .
C A L L T O D A YF O R I N F O R M A T I O N
PONOKA D E N T U R E C L I N I C
• Danny Jones •
5101 - 49th Ave • 403-783-3771
4 PONOKA NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015
Religion
The best news
We live in a world fi lled with tragedy.
If there’s anything this hurting world desperately needs, it is good news. Not
MATT SEALYChurch of the Open Bible
only the world in general, but individuals need good news because their lives are often fi lled with suf-fering and sorrow.
The Christmas story as told by Luke offers not only good news, but the best news in the world. The angel told the shep-herds, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11).” The best news in the world is that Christ the Lord has come as the Savior for all.
Maybe you’re thinking, “That’s nice, but to be quite honest, it doesn’t relate to the problems I’m facing. This story doesn’t touch the things that I struggle with on a daily basis.” But if you’re think-ing that, you don’t under-stand the signifi cance of this news as it relates to
you personally. The news that “there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord,” is abso-lutely the best news there is or ever could be. It’s the best news because God Himself came to be your Savior. He came to give you forgiveness and sal-vation through the gra-cious gift of Himself. He came to give you peace and hope through His amazing love. He came to bring you “great joy.”
Since this good news is for you it demands a per-sonal response. Each one must respond as the shep-herds did that night. They didn’t say, “Wow, that was a cool experience” and sit there the rest of the night with their sheep. They didn’t sit around discussing what they had heard. They immediately responded to the news by believing what God had revealed to them through
the angel. Their faith was demonstrated by their going to Bethlehem to see it for themselves and then to return, glorifying and praising God.
What about you?How will you respond to
the simple but profound message that the baby Jesus, born in Bethlehem, is Christ the Lord, a Savior born just for you? That is absolutely the best news in the world, no matter what your situation in life. Jesus didn’t leave heaven and come to this earth and go through the suf-fering of the cross just to give you a boost or a few tips on how to have a happy life. He knew that we desperately needed a Savior.
In a world fi lled with more and more bad news, may we each cling this Christmas to this good news that a Savior was born for you and me.
“The real consequence for you though is another con-viction, an extended driving ban and some big fi nes.”
One-year banA 32-year-old man from the Louis Bull First Nation
ended up with the minimum penalty allowable along with a lengthy period of probation after the judge be-lieved there was a better way to deal the case.
George Twins pleaded guilty to one count each of driving with a blood alcohol level over 0.08 and driving while unauthorized after he was seen weaving across several roads in downtown Ponoka around midnight on Saturday, Nov. 7 and found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.23. Twins also didn’t have a licence, as it had not been reinstated after a previous impaired conviction.
Twins received $1,200 in fi nes and one year ban on driving along with an 18-month probation that has several restrictions placed on him, including alcohol treatment.
The crown did ask for fi nes nearing $3,000 to go with an 18 month driving ban. However, Judge Mitchell expressed concern with that suggestion after fi nding out Twins has a large family, is unemployed and has a signifi cant alcohol problem.
“What are you doing gunned to the gills at midnight with six kids at home? The party is over and you need to put your big boys pants on and grow up. And with no job, the likelihood of such an unrealistic fi nancial pen-alty being a deterrent and getting paid off is slim, yet the toolbox I have to deal with this is limited. However, I think we can do something better than $3,000 in fi nes,” said Judge Mitchell before sentencing Twins.
“Despite what happened, I believe probation would perhaps be useful if you can come to grips with your alcohol problem and employment troubles. Hopefully, this will go a long way to redirecting you in a more positive direction.”
One month jail A former Ponoka man will spend some further time
behind bars as a result of pleading guilty to charges of shoplifting and failing to appear in court.
Andrew Rain, 35, now living in Ma-Me-O Beach, ad-mitted to stealing a number of pills from the Shoppers Drug Mart in Ponoka back in June of 2014 and then not showing up for his trial that was set for Oct. of 2014. Rain was handed a 30-day jail sentence with 12 days credit for the time he had already spent in jail.
Rain’s lawyer explained that his client has not been in trouble since that incident, and moved away specifi -cally so he would no longer be involved with the drugs and alcohol lifestyle he had been leading.
Judge Mitchell was pleased to see the man’s change, but added the charges combined with his previous record left him little choice but to send him a message with a term in jail.
Time served A woman who is fi ve-months pregnant and having
to deal with some other personal issues was cut a substantial break after pleading guilty to charges of shoplifting and failing to appear in court.
Chelsea Rain, 22, from Ponoka, was sentenced to eight days in jail - which amounted to time served - after calling the crown’s suggestion of a $500 fi ne impractical given the circumstances. Rain was charged for taking several personal hygiene and makeup items from Shoppers Drug Mart back in May of 2014 and then not showing up for a pair of court appearances that same year.
In handing out the sentence, Judge Mitchell took into account Rain’s present situation of trying to regain her independence after getting out of what could be con-sidered a controlling relationship and support her two young children with another on the way as well as the relatively small value ($69) of items taken.
continued from page 3
Court briefs
PLEASE RECYCLE YOUR PAPER!PLEASE RECYCLE YOUR PAPER!
Your Guide To Local Houses
of Worship
CHURCH DIRECTORY
PONOKA WORD OF LIFE CHURCHPastor Rob McArthur 403-783-5659
9 miles east on Hwy 53 403-782-9877Jr. Church during service for children
Sunday Service 10:30 am
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015 PONOKA NEWS 5
Refl ections of Ponoka
Remember When...Photo courtesy of Memories Remain 1999
2015 will mark the 34th anniversary of the Ponoka Secondary Campus’ sponsorship of the local Santa’s Anonymous campaign. In this delightful 1999 photo, the high school students celebrate with Santa and have always been most appreciative of the amazing community support that they have always received. As always they are looking forward to helping others have a very Merry Christmas with the jolly delivery of treats in and around Ponoka in mid-December.
Photo courtesy of Fort Ostell
Dick Slater and his congenial drivers faithfully served the 7 days- a week year round dray delivery service from the Canadian Pacifi c Railway Station to countless stops and tasks around Ponoka with this magnifi cent team of horses from 1920 to 1968 when the station closed. Also shown in the photo are driver John Benson on the left and proud owner Dick Slater on the right.
Some nifty little memories
of our Ponoka history
Throughout the early growth on the Alberta Prairies, each communi-ty, big or small, includ-ing our own Town and County of Ponoka, has
proudly developed their own unique personali-ties, stories, characters and events that should always be told and never forgotten. As I browse each week through the history books, I really
BY MIKE RAINONE FOR THE NEWS
look forward to fi nding so many delightful vi-gnettes of our colorful past, which I can, in turn, share with you in words and pictures.
*In the very early days most weddings and even funerals were held in the local hotels because the fi rst churches were too small to hold everyone who wished to attend.
*The fi rst sitting of the very popular and long-standing Ponoka Burn’s Night celebra-tion was held in the posh dining room of the Royal Hotel, at which Mr. George Gordon, found-er of the Ponoka Herald was quoted as announc-ing in all his Scottish wit that “from all the lumps on main street, you can sure tell that Ponoka is no one horse town.”
*Horse racing was very common in the early days, and the hardy contestants from in and around Ponoka and the Hobbema Indian Reserves made many a mad dash on their steeds from Alger’s Store on the corner of Railway Street to the bottom of Fisher Hill, with many a friend-ly ‘wager’ placed.
*The business of the Ponoka Town Council was always front and centre on many subjects of local interest. In 1914, they received a letter
from irate citizens con-cerning the pollution in the Battle River, and then on February 2, 1917 a public meeting was held to discuss the question of a local municipal hos-pital, which wasn’t com-pleted until 1947.
*In 1918, the thriving Town of Ponoka was thrilled to welcome the community’s fi rst veter-inary surgeon and den-tist Mr. W. F. Scott, who worked on the horses downstairs in Larsen and Peterson’s Stable, and then tended to those citizens with tooth prob-lems in the upstairs of-fi ce. Chester Matuisch, the son of Mr. L. B. Matuisch was the fi rst known fl ood victim of the Battle River in 1905, and a Mr. Greenison sold tombstones and made to order coffi ns in the early days of long ago.
*With steady growth and successes, the Town grew rapidly with the cost of expenses and amenities steadily on the rise. In 1915, the business tax assessment of the community was $19,008, but by 1971 had risen to $759,530. Early pioneer George Bowker sold enough lumber to build the entire town during the 1920s, and also opened the fi rst fu-neral home while Walter Gee harvested from his
gravel pit just west of town for many years, and shipped it by the train load throughout the province.
*When the Town of Ponoka was incorporated in 1904, the staff consist-ed of the secretary-trea-surer and one gentleman who served as the handy-man and the policeman. With substantial growth along the way, in 1937 an electrician was added to the staff and the month-ly payroll was $500, but then by the 1970s, the town staff had grown to 24 regular employees with a monthly payroll of $16,000.
*Throughout the years, the fi ne folks of Ponoka and district have always displayed big hearts and deep pockets when it came to helping others, gathering together to prepare care hampers for our soldiers over-seas in two world wars, sending tons of food and supplies to fami-lies in southern Alberta who had been ravaged during the ‘dirty 30s’ by several years of devas-tation and poverty due plagues of grass-hop-pers and army worms, loved to hold house rais-ing-bees, and so much more. One stormy and cold December, when the roads were bad, dear old Santa Claus made his
annual much-anticipat-ed visit to Ponoka in a helicopter, which land-ed at the C.P.R. parking lot and was followed by a gala afternoon festive family party. Nobody ever complained about train whistles in those days, because it meant that the supplies, the mail and visitors were coming to town, and that all was well down the line to the rest of the world.
*Three of the biggest milestones of our col-orful history along the way included: the fi rst telephone pole across the street from the Royal Hotel in 1903, water and sewer in 1948, and the gas being piped into town in 1946. The gas prompt-ed a grand celebration hosted on 50 street with a huge bonfi re hosted by the Ponoka Volunteer Fire Department, who had collected all the ob-solete ‘outdoor biffi es’ just for the occasion.
We have only just touched on some of the ‘magic moments’ of our history, but with your ongoing assistance, hos-pitality, and communi-ty pride through several proud generations, we will continue to share these cherished tales of then and now for as long as all of us are willing and able.
6 PONOKA NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015
It is wise to see and admit a mistake and try to correct it, but sometimes the mistakes infl ict much too damage that might prove impossible to undo.
Whether provincial gov-ernment’s Bill 6, in its ini-tial form, will turn out to be that kind of a mistake, only time will tell; but one thing is certain for any-body to bet their boots on: Wildrose and, if they can, Progressive Conservatives will try to milk this cow
How will Notley sail the boat?
MUSTAFA ERICEditor
5019A Chipman Ave., Box 4217, Ponoka, AB. T4J 1R6Phone: 403.783.3311 Fax: 403.783.6300 Email: [email protected] every Wednesday by PNG Prairie Newspaper Group in community with: Regional Publisher, Michele Rosenthal
All editorial content, advertising content and concepts are protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is forbidden.
Dear Editor,As some European countries, the U.S. and others
strategize for war precipitated by the Paris attacks, it is important to recognize that the recent history of terror-ist attacks in Britain, Spain, France, Canada and the U.S. have predominantly been the actions people raised in those countries.
So-called home grown terrorists have been almost exclusively responsible for acts targeting unknown and random individuals and groups. That suggests a mo-tivation not only to instill random fear and panic in a population, but also to do so with the near certainty of their own deaths or capture. An ideology or belief system
that seeks to instill fear no matter what the public or personal costs suggests a way of thinking that not only devalues lives of others or themselves, but suggests a in-credible alienation from their own day to day lives. Such alienation or dissatisfaction is subject to any leadership that can engage individuals and give them meaning no matter what the loss to their personal autonomy. Witness the Jonestown tragedy in Guyana, where 900 people died in the grip of an Indianapolis preacher’s cultic control.
How do we challenge that kind of ideological control and in the process teach and safeguard values and a way of life that we live out daily? As someone said, the
answer is in the details which we need to sort out and not merely at a physical, instrumental or purely military level.
If our beliefs and lives are worth anything, we should spell this out in deeply and meaningful human terms, and stop the demonization of others that can only lead to further alienation that reinforces “us and them” re-lationships. Dealing with a history of deep or perceived grievance including historic colonialism involves a level of emotional discipline and maturity in conversation and in outreach on both sides that might stretch our resources for years to come.
George Jason
How do we deal with hatred in the long term?
Opinion
until the voting day in the next provincial election.
Rachel Notley’s NDP gov-ernment has been apolo-getic ever since the uproar by the farmers and ranch-ers made the leadership of the governing party realize the impropriety of the un-necessarily hasty steps to legislate in a highly sen-sitive area of provincial politics.
Not only have both ministers, Minister of Jobs, Skills and Training, the main architect of the botched legislative draft and Minister of Agriculture made statements express-ing regret for having taken a wrong step, but Premier Notley herself appealed to all farmer communities in an open letter to be patient until the amend-ments could be introduced to Bill 6.
And the amendments, as announced last Monday, seem to be far reaching enough to satisfy the main concerns of the farmer and rancher communities.
According to the state-ments by Lori Sigurdson,
Minister of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour, and Oneil Carlier, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, the amendments will make sure that owners of farms and ranches and their family members, as long as they choose to do so, will be exempt from Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) reg-ulations and Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) coverage. Put sim-ply, the requirements for regulatory coverage under the new shape of Bill 6 will be only for those indi-viduals who work on the farm in return for a wage. Given this clarifi cation, neither 4-H activities will be curtailed, nor children or neighbours or friends helping with farm work will come under the pro-tection of the worker-des-ignated regulations.
Given that Alberta is still the only province in the country without legisla-tion protecting agricultur-al workers, the need for regulatory arrangements to protect the rights of em-
ployees working on farms is obvious.
And this is agreed by most of the stakeholders.
But Wildrose seems to be dissatisfi ed with the changes. After the announcement of the amendments, Wildrose MLA for Rimbey–Rocky Mountain House–Sundre riding Jason Nixon said more consultation was needed before any legisla-tion on the matter and he called on the government to either kill Bill 6 or send
it to legislative commit-tees for review.
It is quite apparent that opposition parties will not stop attacking the govern-ment over Bill 6 until they have made enough politi-cal capital out of the fi rst major blunder of the NDP.
It will be interesting to see how Mrs. Notley and her government will weather this storm: Will they resort to reefi ng, low-ering their sails to reduce the speed of their boat or will they use tacking or
jibing maneuvers without cutting down on speed to swerve through the waves to leave the storm behind and reach quieter seas?
The difference between the two might be as big as jeopardizing the next pro-vincial election even be-fore completing one year in offi ce and laying the groundwork for a political force propelled to power by an urban thrust for a deeper understanding with a rural constituency it should not antagonize.
Letters
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015 PONOKA NEWS 7
This draft plan proposes where Town Hall and an arts and culture centre could be situated. The draft Recreation and Culture Master Plan is expected to come to town council Tuesday, Jan. 12 for consideration.
Illustration courtesy of the Town of Ponoka
Ponoka’s future recreation plan submitted for consideration
A few early steps have been taken in develop-ing the Town of Ponoka’s Recreation and Culture Master Plan.
McElhanney Consulting, the company hired by the town to put together a plan and the draft, has submitted its version of the draft master plan to town planners. The docu-ment highlights the pro-cess undertaken to come up with the current draft plan: background review, comparison and com-munity input, inventory assessment, establish goals and priorities, mas-ter plan and feasibility preparation and then a fi nal master plan.
Wes Amendt, director of community services for the Town of Ponoka, said planners are consulting with different commu-nity groups to fi nd out what their challenges and strengths are, and this document is going to help guide the process. The biggest challenge is bal-ancing wants and needs with what is affordable, says Amendt.
Most recently, the recre-ation advisory committee met with the two swim clubs in town, the Gators and the Pool Sharks. They provided some feedback against one recommen-dation to build a new pool with four lanes rather than the fi ve the town currently has.
Amendt said while they did discuss recreation fa-cilities and how a new pool would look, the draft document itself takes a long-term focus not only on recreation and facili-ties for it, but arts and cul-ture and parks. Feedback from community groups and residents helps out-line the needs and wants of the community.
“The recreation master plan is a larger scope doc-ument,” said Amendt.
He said the facilities are just one part of the equa-tion.
Ryan Crawford, presi-dent of the Sharks said it was a positive and informative meeting, which showed that many communities the size of Ponoka have pools with
BY JEFFREY HEYDEN-KAYEPONOKA NEWS
four lanes. While town planners haven’t made any decisions regarding a pool design, Crawford said the Sharks and Gators reiterated a desire to see a fi ve-lane pool.
“We can’t host a swim meet without fi ve lanes,” said Crawford.
To get to that point, both clubs indicated their support to raise addition-al funds to increase the lanes. “We’re defi nitely willing to help,” Crafword stressed.
He added the Gators need for fi ve lanes is greater as the club has more members.
Regarding the actual draft document, input from the community found that residents are interested in a strong path and trail network within Ponoka, strong desire for more arts and culture, a multi-use fa-cility or community hub, upgrades to current facil-ities, children’s activities, senior programming, ad-ditional programming, a new pool and new town hall.
An interesting facility comparison of Ponoka to three other communities with similar populations sizes Bonnyville, popula-tion 6,216; Devon, 6,510 and Rocky Mountain House, 6,773, shows that Ponoka does appear to have a fair number of amenities the others don’t.
While Devon does not have a curling rink, Ponoka has one with six sheets, which is one more than Rocky Mountain House and two more than
Bonnyville. Bonnyville is the only community be-sides Ponoka with an indoor swimming pool; while Rocky Mountain House has an indoor lei-sure pool.
As for indoor fi tness buildings, Bonnyville is the only community to own a multi-use building with a variety of recre-ation, athletic and com-munity services. Also fac-tored into the comparison were community recre-ation budgets: Ponoka, $2.2 million; Devon, $2.7 million; Rocky Mountain House $3.2 million and Bonnyville $3 million.
One reason Bonnyville’s recreation costs may be less than Rocky Mountain House is due to it being a shared operations with the Municipal District of Bonnyville.
Timelines proposed by McElhanney plan fore-sees a relatively quick construction of a com-munity activity centre in the summer of 2017. Phase one of a leisure pool construction is pro-posed to start in 2016 with a grand opening set for September, 2019. Construction work for a new library, arts and culture centre is tenta-tively set to be complet-ed between four to six years from now, in 2020 to 2022, with an events arena, which expands on the Ponoka Culture and Recreation Complex set for completion between 2023 and 2025.
The plan to repurpose the arena for other ame-nities or recreation is set for the same time period.
McElhanney proposes a seven or 10-year option for council.
Recommendations in-clude setting governance for the recreation centres,
which will help deter-mine how the facilities are run and payed for. It will also set the stage for programming and for an increase in arts and cul-
ture in the community.The draft plan is ex-
pected to come to town council for decision on Tuesday, Jan. 12 during a regular meeting.
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8 PONOKA NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015Belle Wittal won the Gingerbread House building competition as voted by her peers at the annual event at the St. Augustine school with her creation Christmas Bacon.
Photo by Mustafa Eric
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Please note our new Store HoursMonday - Friday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Visit us in our new, larger location at the corner of51 Ave and 51 St. (Center 51!)
Participating Food Bank Drop Location!
A big Thank You to all our contractors and everyone who helped in the moving and preparation for opening. Many people came forward to help us and we are very grateful.
This move has been made possible by the generous donations of people like you, and by our growing number of customers that return again and again for the many great buys that are available. We thank you, and we thank the volunteers as well who have helped us tremendously over the past seven years in ministering to people in our community and surrounding area, as well as in over 40 countries around the world. Come and see our wide selection of household items and more at very reasonable prices. With our move into larger facilities, we need more volunteers. Please come and see us if you may be able to invest 4 hours or more a week into this great ministry.
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UTILITIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEETHE TOWN OF PONOKA IS SEEKING FOUR MEMBERS AT LARGE
FOR THE NEW UTILITIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE.
The purpose of this Committee will be to explore various means of revenue generation, examine various funding and business models as they relate to town owned utilities, the natural gas distribution system and waste management.
If you are interested in joining this Committee, please submit a completed application form on or before December 20, 2015 to the Town of Ponoka.
Application forms are available at the Town Hall:5004 – 54 Street
Ponoka, Alberta T4J 1N8Or on the Town’s website at: www.ponoka.ca
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015 PONOKA NEWS 9
QUESTION OF THE WEEK - “How do you fi nd out about Town news and events?Please let us know, by going to our website at www.ponoka.ca and let us know if you prefer the website,
Facebook, Twitter, or the Hometown Weekly News. Of course, we think you should check them all!
HOMETOWN NEWS HOMETOWN EVENTSFEATURE NEWS – MAYOR’S LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
CLEARING UP MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE 50TH AVENUE ROAD REALIGNMENT AND BRIDGE REPLACEMENT.
In Case you missed it, this letter appeared in the December 2 edition of Ponoka News and is also on our website – read the whole letter by going to the homepage: www.ponoka.ca – look under News in the left hand column for the Mayor’s letter. Thank you to everyone who has commented on this letter, for your insights and support for this important project.
COUNCIL UPDATESNext meeting of Council: Tuesday, January 12, 2016. Please note this meeting will be at 6 pm at the Ponoka County Boardroom. Agenda packages are posted on the website under ‘Town Hall’ in advance of every Council meeting. Everyone is welcome to attend.
TOWN NOTICESOutdoor Ice will be available once temperatures cooperate! Let’s hope for a stretch of cold days! Roll out the Carts! New Waste Carts are being delivered this month! Look for your information package inside or check out the information on the Town website - Ponoka.ca. This is also a great time to consider supporting the Ponoka Rising Sun Clubhouse’s recycle program. For information about this option please call them at 403-783-5810.New Heritage & Downtown Committee is seeking members representing Downtown businesses and the public at large. Contact our Economic Development Offi cer Stephen Novak at 403-783-0116.Sign Up for Monthly Tax Plan payments - Please sign up by December 18, 2015 for the 2016 Tax Year. You will need to sign a form and be sure to bring a “VOID” cheque with you.Dog Licences are on sale until January 31, 2015 for $25 each. After this date they will be $40.Winter hours at the Waste Transfer Station have started: 10 am to 4 pm, Tuesday to Saturday.Christmas Holiday Schedules have been posted online – http://www.ponoka.ca/communityIce Rental: Small ice surface is available for rent. Contact Tamara @403 783-0131.
Ponoka Fire Department Weekly ReportPONOKA FIRE WEEKLY REPORT: NOV. 26 – DEC. 5
Remember to post YOUR event on the Town’s calendar – it is easy to do. Go to Ponoka.ca and you will fi nd it on our home page. We are happy to promote your events here and online!
AQUAPLEX NEWSThe Pool will be CLOSED this coming weekend for a Ponoka Pool Sharks Swim Meet. Come on down and cheer on our local athletes.We are taking registrations for our new Junior Lifeguard Club that is starting in January. Public Swim available from 9:30 am – 11:30 am and from 1pm to 4 pm Monday to Friday.Christmas Break 3 on 3 Hockey Challenge - December 29 and 30, contact Wes Amendt403-783-0118.
BOARD AND COMMITTEE VACANCIESHeritage & Downtown Revitalization Committee - are you passionate about heritage? Do you own a downtown business? Please consider joining this committee to shape Ponoka’s future. Call Stephen Novak, Economic Development Offi cer at 403-783-0116 or email [email protected] and Environmental Committee - Looking for four members at large for this new committee, which will explore new means of revenue generation, funding and business models related to Town utilities, natural gas distribution system and waste management. Please submit a completed Application on or before December 20, 2015 to the Town of Ponoka. Application forms are available at Town Hall or on the website.Are you a Town resident interested in Land Use Planning? The Town’s Subdivision and Development Appeal Board has two upcoming vacancies for members at large. Training is provided by Municipal Affairs. The purpose of the Board is to hear and decide upon appeals against decisions of the Subdivision Approving Authority or Development Authority. Please submit a completed Application on or before December 20, 2015 to the Town of Ponoka. Application forms are available at Town Hall or on the website.
In 2015, Town Council embarked on a program to address the current recreation and culture facility needs. The resulting Draft Recreation Master Plan replaces an old plan that needed updating, to better
serve the future needs of Ponoka residents. Existing data and updated facility evaluations provided a clear picture of future needs for the Town of Ponoka. This information was taken to the community through a validation survey, a booth at registration night and a community presentation. The new direction was supported by recreation committee on October 7 and the Town Council on October 20th. The Draft Recreation Master Plan is on the Town’s website for viewing. This plan will go back to Council in January for approval. Following this, if approved, a new round of consultation will begin focusing on an approved plan. We are still seeking input and comments before this plan goes to Council in January – so please have a look at the plan and call the Director of Community Services, Wes Amendt, if you have any comments or questions. His number is 403-783-0173. The map pictured here shows the three main components being considered to ensure that safe and
sustainable facilities are available for Town and County residents. This is still a conceptual plan for proposed facilities. Pictured here are: 1. Community Activity and Wellbeing Centre
Plans here include the development of a new leisure pool, community gym and entertainment arena; upgrades to curling rink and repurposing of the large arena
2. Town Offi ce SitePlans here include demolition of the old town offi ce and creation of a new town offi ce, library, arts centre and festival plaza
The draft plan also includes plans for a Hudson Green – Future Major Facility Site. Plans here include making this area the next major park and facility site in Ponoka with tournament level sport fi elds, day use area, wetland park, campground, and connection to trails Please come pick up a hard copy of this plan from Town Hall, or go to the website to see the details of the Draft Recreation Master Plan.
RECREATION FACILITIES FOR THE FUTURE
The Ponoka Fire Department took part in a community checkstop resulting in a donation to Victim Services and a donation of two bags of toys to Santa’s Anonymous. Victim Services provides a critical service to our community. Thank you to everyone who donated so generously!
A Hazardous Materials Awareness and Operations Course takes place this month. The course will be presented by Chief Wilkinson and evaluated by Chief Munshaw from the Taber Fire Department. This is an accredited course, and is required course for fi re fi ghters to complete their 1001 Level 1 and 2 training. We place a high priority on training. Fire fi ghters will learn fundamentals of responding to incidents involving Hazardous materials during this week long course.
The Fire Department responded to 3 emergency calls:
• 4 vehicle MVC
• 1 Alarms Ringing
• 1 Vehicle Fire
10 PONOKA NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015
Glenn Turple of Red Deer, 87 years young, was on his Honda Goldwing with a trike conversion kit passing through Ponoka on Wednesday, Dec. 2 to pay a visit to his old friends, Robert and Irene, at R Johansen Sales Ltd. He has been in business servicing Honda and Suzuki motorbikes since 1956, now working only”part-time”, leaving the bulk of the business to be run by his daughter.
Photo by Karen Douglass
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ARE YOU A TOWN RESIDENT INTERESTED IN LAND USE PLANNING?
THE TOWN OF PONOKA SUBDIVISION & DEVELOPMENT APPEAL BOARDIS LOOKING FOR TWO NEW MEMBERS. TRAINING IS PROVIDED.
The Subdivision and Development Appeal Board has two upcoming vacancies for members at large.
The purpose of the Board is to hear and decide upon appeals against decisions of the Subdivision Approving Authority or Development Authority. Training for Board Members is provided by Municipal Affairs.
If you are a Town resident and interested in land use planning, please submit a completed Application on or before December 20, 2015 to the Town of Ponoka.
Application forms are available at the Town Offi ce:5004 – 54 Street
Ponoka, Alberta T4J 1N8Or on the Town’s website at: www.ponoka.ca
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015 PONOKA NEWS 11
Holiday crafters featured at winter market
There’s still time to take advantage of the winter farmers’ market being held at the Ponoka Legion.
The last two markets are set for today and tomor-row, Thursday, Dec. 10 at the Legion, says organiz-er Donna Merrill. There is quite a bit more giftware during the winter mar-ket as vendors and craft-ers look to entice holiday shoppers to their products, she said.
Folks love the baking items available, too, she added. There is something special about the holiday crafts.
“There’s a lot of TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes) into home-made crafts. There’s a lot of unique ideas,” she ex-plained.
Those good ideas trans-late into ideal holiday gifts and the Legion has been full of shoppers looking for that one gift they can’t get anywhere else. In an effort to reach out to the community, the farmers’ market hosts a 50/50 to raise funds for different community groups.
Last month the focus
There is still time to check out the sale items at the winter farmers market with two more dates set, today and Thursday, Dec. 10 at the Ponoka Legion.
Photo by Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye
Comedian Ol’ Ugly (John Glawson) out of Nanton entertains attendees of the Ponoka Agricultural Society’s volunteer appreciation supper Tuesday, Dec. 1 at the Calnash Ag Event Centre.
Photo by Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye
Ag society recognizes dedication of volunteers
A special volunteer appreciation supper was held by the Ponoka Agricultural Society (PAS) last week to recognize folks’ dedication over the year.
PAS president Lauraine Weir said without the vol-unteers the many events the society hosts would not be possible and this supper, held Tuesday, Dec. 1 at the Calnash Ag Event Centre, was one way to thank them. Looking at the many events they hosted, Weir suggests the society has strong com-munity involvement.
“It takes time, effort, talent and a little bit of money, sometimes a lot of money,” explained Weir.
She referred to the long hours spent at the ag event centre helping out at the ranch rodeo or during other ag soci-ety events. According to a fact sheet presented at the dinner, the society hosted 12 events this year.
Among those were the home and hobby show, ranch rodeo, cowboy chal-lenge, farming with hors-es, several rodeos and horse cutting challenges, the women’s conference, a youth ATV safety course and the society also spon-sored two $500 high school scholarships. Besides the regular committee and board work, the society has also taken over oper-ations of the Calnash Ag Event Centre, while the Ponoka Ag Event Centre Society is an operations
committee that monitors the day to day activities.
Weir said the more than 90 people in attendance, as well as the many spon-sors of the society, spend countless hours helping out. “They log hours in there (ag event centre) and sometimes they’re logging days.”
Other areas the PAS gets involved with sponsorship is with the empty bowls fundraiser, 4-H activities, the high school rodeo, at the Ponoka Stampede and other community events.
Weir suggests the PAS board realizes how im-portant those volunteers are and the supper is a way to show that. The eve-ning closed with comedi-an Ol’ Ugly (John Glawson) out of Nanton entertain-ing attendees.
BY JEFFREY HEYDEN-KAYEPONOKA NEWS
BY JEFFREY HEYDEN-KAYEPONOKA NEWS
was for the Community Christmas and this month the market is raising money for the Ponoka Food Bank.
Shoppers looking for something different can check out the Legion from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today or 3 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 10.
12 PONOKA NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015
Community Christmas lunchto be held at the Legion
Organizers of the
much loved Community Christmas are preparing in full speed for the event, which is set to be held
at the Ponoka Legion this year.
For more than 15 years, the Community
BY JEFFREY HEYDEN-KAYEPONOKA NEWS
Ponoka Community Christmas
If you are interested in volunteering please call Carla Prediger at 403-783-4078 or Val Schabert at 403-783-8799
Donations can be made by calling Bob Hepp Donations can be made by calling Bob Hepp 403-783-6165 or drop off at Rising Sun 403-783-6165 or drop off at Rising Sun
Clubhouse or Servus Credit Union - PonokaClubhouse or Servus Credit Union - Ponoka
December 25thRoyal Canadian Legion
3911 Hwy 2A, Ponoka3911 Hwy 2A, PonokaCoff ee & Entertainment - 10 am - 12 noonCoff ee & Entertainment - 10 am - 12 noon
Christmas Turkey Buff et Dinner Christmas Turkey Buff et Dinner with all the trimmings -12 noon - 1 pmwith all the trimmings -12 noon - 1 pm
a proud community supporter
Th e handivan for this event will be fr ee& bookings should be made through FCSS.
Thank YouThe Ponoka and District Health Foundation,(PDHF) would like to thank all those whoworked to make the Second Annual Festivalof Trees such a tremendous success.
$75,950 was raised at this event, far exceeding our expectations. A new birthing bed will be purchased as well as much needed new mattresses for the Ponoka Hospital & Care Centre. These purchases will improve patient care in our community.
We especially want to thank the Ponoka Ag Event Centre for initiating the event, the Calnash Ag Event Centre for hosting all three days, the many generous sponsors who contributed so much, those who attended and supported the Festival of Trees, and the multitude of volunteers.
Several people worked endlessly and devoted hours of time to the event- the organizing committee consisting of Sherry Gummow, Judy Dick, Cec Dykstra, Lori Jones-Holt, Theresa Turner, along with the decorating genius of Carol Dunn and Tammy Henkelman. They are the true heroes of the event.
The PDHF is truly grateful for the generosity of the community. All money raised in Ponoka stays in Ponoka.
Thank you from the boardof the Ponoka and District
Health Foundation
Are you passionate about Ponoka’s Heritage? Do you have ideas to share to make our Downtown Revitalization a reality?
The Town of Ponoka is seeking members for the new Heritage & Downton Revitalization Committee:
• Five (5) Members representing Downtown Businesses • Two (2) Members representing the public at large
If you are interested, please contact Stephen Novak - Economic Development Offi cer at 403-783-0116 or [email protected]
Christmas has been a time for folks to get to-gether and enjoy some ca-maraderie and fellowship on Christmas Day. Time of the event this year is set for 10 a.m. to last until 2 p.m. said co-organizer Carla Prediger.
Due to the location change, the lunch that used to be held at the Kinsmen Community Centre is now being set up at the Legion and organiz-ers are working on getting transportation for folks who cannot drive on their own. Anyone who needs a ride to the Legion can contact Ponoka Family and Community Support Services, who is working with the Wheelchair Van Society.
Free rides are available
for residents at their homes with the van and people can contact FCSS at 403-783-4462.
The biggest need right now is donations.
Prediger says they are accepting donations at the Ponoka Rising Sun Clubhouse, or to the Ponoka Community Christmas account at Servus Credit Union or with Bob Hepp and Company Catering, who is preparing the meal.
The event will include a kids candy table and small gifts for children. Prediger said they are looking for musical en-tertainment to help cre-ate a fun and light at-mosphere. “For most of us who get involved, it’s meeting such a need,”
said Prediger in explain-ing why she enjoys tak-ing part in organizing Community Christrmas.
“It’s morphed into this huge community event,” he added.
Prediger suggests it is an opportunity to give back and many residents will volunteer their time to help out. “We’ve got the people who need and the people who need to serve.”
There are spots avail-able for volunteers, she added. Positions such as greeters, servers, clean-up crews and individual helpers are needed in two hour or four hour shifts.
For more information call Prediger at 403-783-4078 or Val Schabert at 403-783-8799.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015 PONOKA NEWS 13Ponoka’s Community Christmas will continue this year but at a different location. This year’s lunch will be held at the Ponoka Legion with free rides from the Wheelchair Van Society available to those who need a ride. Contact FCSS for details on pickups.
File photo
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(L-R) Four-year-old Chantelle Normandeau along with her sister Alison, 7, and brother Damien, 9, hand over a few new toys plus some bags of food and a monetary donation to Ponoka Secondary students Samantha Utas and Diamond Reid, who were manning the Stuff A Bus campaign table at Hamilton’s IGA on Tuesday, Dec. 1. The annual event is aimed at gathering items to fi ll hampers for the school’s Santa’s Anonymous campaign.
Photo by Jordie Dwyer
Stuff-a-Bus sees increased
donationsGreat weather contributed to an ex-
tremely generous mood in Ponoka last week.
The annual Stuff-a-Bus campaign at both local grocery outlets on Tuesday, Dec. 1 elicited a tremendous response from the community, according to Karen David - organizer of Ponoka Secondary’s Santa’s Anonymous project.
David, who is the school’s off-cam-pus and distance learning coordinator, stated things went really well and that donations of money, food and toys all increased over last year. However, no spe-
cifi c fi gures were available at press time.“I think the great weather helped our
cause,” David said.“A big thank you to all those that do-
nated this year and a special thanks to Kassidy McCurdy and Cassandra Moulton for spearheading this event.”
About 20 students volunteered their time to sit at the collection tables at each store, along with fi ve Ponoka Secondary staff members plus three community members who assisted with the collec-tion of items including unloading every-thing at the school that evening.
David added that anyone in need this Christmas can still call the school at 403-783-4411 for assistance.
BY JORDIE DWYERPONOKA NEWS
CARRIER OF THE MONTHCongratulations to
Jayce Budd
Susan Whitecotton, Circulation Supervisor, presentsJayce with a $50 cheque recognizing excellent service in
delivering the newspaper for the month of November.
5019A Chipman Ave.Ponoka, Alberta
403.783.3311
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015 PONOKA NEWS 15
Free family Christmas movie at Ponoka Jubilee LibraryWe’ve added one more
Christmas program to our December calendar and this one is for absolutely everyone.
On Monday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m., we will be showing the movie ‘Arthur Christmas’, a clever and earnest ani-mated holiday fi lm, about
what happens when Santa misses his gift delivery to one child on Christmas, and what his son Arthur will do to fi x that mistake. The
movie will be shown in the back of the library on our projector screen, so bring any pillows and blankets you want to make yourself
BY JACLYN BERRY
more comfortable. Popcorn is being provided by Servus Credit Union. Hope to see lots of people out to enjoy a great family fi lm. And watch for regular movie days in 2016.
We still have room in our wreath making class tomorrow evening, for any-one who would like to take part. Enjoy an evening of festive fun as we create a swag wreath from fresh greenery, ribbon, holly and bells. For more information about cost or to sign up please contact the library at 403-783-3843.
Our tickets for the ‘Beer Tasting’ on Jan. 23 are 50 per cent sold. These tickets make a great gift for any of those beer lovers in your life. Spend the evening sam-pling 10 beers, from light to dark, with tasty food on the side. Jay Cottell, our regular wine tasting host, will be running through the basics of beer, so not only do you get to enjoy the fl avours, you will learn how they came to be. Be sure to get your tickets before they’re gone, space is very limited.
We want to thank ev-eryone who has fi lled out our ‘Annual Satisfaction Survey’ so far, and let you know we have been looking closely at the responses. With that in mind, we do want to respond to one of the comments we received. It was asked why we are offering free memberships, if it means that we have to ask for so many donations because of it. We offered free memberships in 2015, and will continue to offer them in 2016, with the idea that it removes a barrier for people who wanted to use the library, but for who the membership fee just wasn’t possible. And we have found that it works; we’ve had a 34 per cent increase in memberships in one year, which in the public library world is mas-sive. So if you would like to donate the $20 that we previously charged, we ap-preciate it; but if not, we completely understand. We don’t want anyone to feel like they have to pay to use the library.
We also had feedback that more programs were need-ed for tweens, so watch for a tween after school/book club in 2016, and another ‘Board Games & Pizza’ af-ternoon! The survey is still open online, check it out at https://www.surveymon-key.com/r/L9DPV6H.
Coming soon: From bestselling author Kathy Reichs comes her latest Temperance Brennan block-buster ‘Speaking in Bones’.
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16 PONOKA NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015
Family of 14 lose home to fi reIt took just minutes late
afternoon on Friday, Dec. 4 from the initial signs of
smoke to a full-fl edged home fi re that left a family of 14 on the Ermineskin Reserve without a place to stay.
While luckily no one was hurt in the incident ex-cept for some smoke in-halation, the fi re took all their earthly possessions
and their home, says fam-ily spokesperson Tara Cutarm.
Initial investigations point to a furnace that ap-
BY JEFFREY HEYDEN-KAYE pears to have seized but Cutarm says they won’t know for certain until Nations Liaison to the Fire Commissioner, Tom Littlechild, concludes in-vestigations.
It was a normal Friday for many of the family members who had just returned from school and were going about their routines when smoke started coming out of the vents. Cutarm said they made a quick investigation and found it to be coming from the basement.
Immediately everyone was sent to a neighbour’s home and one member
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extra parking and finished shed$449,900 ~ Call Lisa
AFFORDABLE BARE ACREAGE! - Lone Tree Estates (Gull Lake)- 2.61 acres- Gorgeous Lake View!- Bargain Basement Price!$87,900 ~ Call Lisa
- Fully finished, 3 bdrms, 3 baths- Lg kitchen w/island & 5 appl- Hardwood floors, oak cabinets- Gas fireplace, 2 decks & patio- Corner lot, 26x30 garage$339,900 ~ Call Bob
GREAT FAMILY HOME
NEW LISTING
ONE OF A KIND - 1882 sq ft Gorgeous Bungalow- 9 ft Ceilings & Large windows- Hardwood, FP, Large Bedrooms- Beautifully landscaped- Stamped concrete driveway - Upscale home w many upgrades!$459,000 ~ Call Bob!
AMAZING PROPERTY - Well cared for & maintained- 1134 sq ft, 4 bdrms, 2 baths- Recent upgrades- NEW 20x28 garage, large carport- Huge fenced lot- Ready to move in!!$279,995 ~ Call Bob!
q ,- Recent upgra- NEW 20x28 g- Huge fenced lSOLDSOLD
GREAT OPPORTUNITY- Piece of history, downtown
Ponoka- Beautiful brick building on
26x50 lot- Includes ALL equipment- Great Commercial Opportunity
to have everything in one place!$179,000 ~ Call Bob
- 6 bedrooms, 3 baths- 26x32 garage, 40x60 quonset & much more
$529,000 Call Deb
PERFECT FAMILY ACREAGE - 1.5 storey, 1,419 sq. ft.- 3 bdrm, 2 bath- 90 x 125 lot- Move-in Ready!$219,900 Call Deb
EXTENSIVE UPGRADES - 1,420 sq. ft.- 5 bedrooms, 3 bath- Oak cabinetry- Fully finished up & down$339,000 Call Deb
GREAT LOCATION
- 25 acre parcel that is set up for horses
- Reno’d 1695 sq ft home- 4 beds & 1 bath
$710,000 Call Jane
MOVE TO THE COUNTRY! - Comfortable 1 level living- 1 bed & 1 bath adult
townhouse- Conveniently located next
to all amenities
$194,900 Call Jane
ADULT LIVING! BEAUTIFUL, LIKE NEW! - 1207 sq ft with 4 beds & 3 baths- Open concept with many upgrades!
$389,900 ~ Call Jane
- Walkout bungalow with 4 beds & 2 baths- Open concept & energy efficient- Shows immaculate
$309,900 Call Jane
LAKEFRONT
- Very well cared- 2 bdrm, 1 bath- Recent upgraded windows, flooring, exterior paint & back deck
- 22’x22’ family rm with fireplace$199,900 ~ Call Todd
LARGE LOT/RIVER FRONTAGE CLOSE TO DOWNTOWN - 3 bdrm 4-plex- Bright spacious floor plan- Large kitchen includes appliances$219,000 ~ Call Todd
- Over 1200 sq. ft.- Fully Finished- Double Garage- Extra Large 70’x207’ Lot- New Carpet and Hardwood- Original Owner Home
$275,000 ~ Call Todd
IMMACULATE HOME- 2.67 acres with electrical, water, septic, garage pad & perimeter fencing for $159,000- 2.57 acres to build your dream home only $125,000- Located near Raymond Shores dock on NE side of Gull Lake
Call Todd for details
2 LAKE LOTS AVAILABLE
403-783-8881
#3, 5012-48 Avein the Wedin’s Prof. Bldg.
Brand new show home with upgraded contemporary fi nish. 2 bed, 2 full baths, living & den on main fl oor with deck. Triple att’d garage, cul de sac. 1364 Sq. Ft. MLS CA0064935. VIEW TODAY!
Call Rizwan 403-783-0898
RIVERSIDE (PANORAMA RIDGE)
$384,900
Newly dev’d fully serviced subdivision. Outstanding views of Battle River valley & town. Walk out basement possible. Corner lot, cul de sac, ready for immediate possession. MLS CA0064899.
Call Rizwan 403-783-0898$105,900
RIVERSIDE (PANORAMA RIDGE)
End unit town house backing onto the park. 2 bed with 2 ensuite baths & a half bath, walk in closet. Less than 5 min. walk away from grocery & gas. Near Centennial Center & golf course. MLS CA0058501
Call Rizwan 403-783-0898
RIVERSIDE
$227,000TO VIEW ALL LISTINGS VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.FIRSTCHOICEPONOKA.COM
TYLER FESSLERAssociate
Located in a serene developed neighborhood.1235 sq. ft. bungalow with fi nished basement. 4 bedroom & 2.5 baths. MLS CA0066635
Call Rizwan 403-783-0898
LUCAS HEIGHTS
$260,047
REDUCED
REDUCED
REDUCED
SANDRA LYONBroker/Owner
RIZWAN SYEDAssociate
CHANELLE LYONAssociate
LISA BONEAssociate
Beautifully fi n’d 2 bdrm townhouse, single att’d garage, appliances included. Located in Lucas Heights. Reasonable condo fees. Ready to move into. $230,000 + GST Call Sandra Lyon or Chanelle Lyon for more information
$230,000 + GST
LUCAS HEIGHTS
Over 1200 sq ft. home with everything on one level. 3 bedrooms and a 5 pc. bath, open concept, double attached garage. Located in the north end of Ponoka.
$225,000
NORTH END
Beautiful executive family home that is ready to move into! This 5 bdrm & 3 bath, 4 level split home has lots of wide open spaces & many upgrades. 2 bathrooms have been recently redone. Beautifully landscaped mature yard with new fence.Call Tyler or Sandra for more information.
LUCAS HEIGHTS
$379,000
Bi-level located in a north end cul de sac. Featuring 5 bedrooms & 2 baths. Hardwood fl oors through majority of main fl oor, kitchen & main bath recently redone. Double garage, RV parking, hot tub & fenced yard.Call Sandra or Chanelle for more information
NORTH END
$297,900
These are the remains of a fi re that destroyed a home on the Ermineskin Reserve Friday, Dec. 4. A family of 14 is out of a home and their possessions because of the fi re, however, no one was injured.
Photo submitted
called the fi re department while the oldest family member checked no one else was in the home. A short time later, the fi re department arrived but Cutarm said the home was fully engulfed in fl ames within nine minutes of no-ticing smoke.
She says everything they had, including Christmas presents, were destroyed in the fi re and the family is staying at a hotel in Wetaskiwin for now while they sort out their mat-ters. Fire crews were at the scene until after 9 p.m.
continued on page 17
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015 PONOKA NEWS 17
Ryder Hulsman, left, and his little sister Blaire paint their saltdough Christmas ornaments, with mom standing nearby, at one of the decoration stations at the Ponoka Public Library’s Family Christmas Craft day on Saturday, Dec. 5. About 20 families turned up to participate, where they also made their own decorations and placed them on a mini-tree and coloured and decorated paper gift bags. Photo by Jordie Dwyer
JOHN W. LOW Agencies Inc.5118 - 50th Street, Ponoka 1-800-392-8658 403-783-5512
WAYNEMcGARVEY
SHAWNA LOWBroker
BRIANHATALA
LOOKING TO BEYOUR OWN BOSS?
DEER CREEKChoice country
acreages, close to town. Sizes vary – some treed, others open with walk-out
potential.
6 ACREAGES AVAILABLE
Beautiful building sites just a short drive south of Ponoka in Jada Estates. Building restricitons make this property an exclusive area for upscale homes.
Call Wayne 403-704-0864Call Wayne 403-704-0864
This well established health food business with steady clientele is your opportunity. Business is a turnkey operation with quick possession.
Call Brian 403-704-7018Call Brian 403-704-7018
RED DEER LAKELAKE FRONT
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NORTH END
13.5 ACRESClose in
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PROFESSIONAL REALTORS OFJOHN W. LOW
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duplex unit 2 - 3 bdrm units fully rented.
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FIRST TIME BUYER OR REVENUE
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real estate central alberta6000 - 48 Ave., Ponoka
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$115,000 Call Deb!
• 924 sq ft Mobile on its Own Lot
• 2 B/R, 1 Bath
• Covered Front Deck
• Single Garage$115 000
•
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“They’re very shaken up. They’re quite lost right now,” says Cutarm of the family’s experience.
Community support has been strong and Cutarm says the family is over-whelmed by the support. A GoFundMe page has been created under Recovery from the fi re and a Facebook information page under Maskwacis Family in Need Due to House Fire has been created should anyone wish to donate.
Anyone wishing to do-nate clothing can call Cutarm who says there are three teenagers, six children under 12, a baby of three-years-old and three adults. For more in-formation call Cutarm at 780-360-5756 or visit the GoFundMe for donations.
continued from page 16
Housefi re
Anywhere, anytime, fi nd us online.www.ponokanew.com
18 PONOKA NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015
BSE risk is down, but defi nitely not out
There was a lot of good news for the Alberta and Canadian beef industry last week, but also a note of caution expressed.
On Monday, Nov. 30, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) released its report on the latest case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), which was found back in February on a farm west of Edmonton.
The good news to come out of the report was that this case - the 19th found in Canada since the fi rst outbreak in 2003 - was restricted to one cow that was born in 2009 and was from the same birth farm as a case that was found in 2010, which had been born in 2004. The other huge fi nding was that there was no contamination found of any of the commercial feed, or where that feed was produced.
The report concluded, just like the 2010 case, that the animal contracted the disease through feed that
CFIA releases fi nal report on 07 BSE positive cow, stresses importance of continued testingBY JORDIE DWYERPONOKA NEWS
had been stored in the same place as contaminated pre-mixed feed that was from processed and distrib-uted before the 1997 feed ban took effect.
“It only takes an extremely small amount - about 1/1000 of a gram - of residue from contaminated feed to be ingested to cause the disease. That’s like cutting a pea into 1,000 pieces and the animal eating one tiny piece, a speck of dust literally,” said Rimbey veterinarian Ian Giebelhaus - one of a few vets work-ing with Alberta Agriculture on BSE cases.
“The report clearly stated that the feedmills were cleared and there was no other evidence of other possible contamination.”
While all of that is good for the country’s beef in-dustry, as it means nothing will change regarding Canada’s beef exports, but the fact this case was found should give producers a sober second thought according to Giebelhaus.
“While this shows Canada is doing nothing to am-plify the BSE situation and we still maintain the en-hanced safety precautions on our feed supply, there remains a big message that we need to get across to producers - that is Canada, specifi cally Alberta, need to bring up the number of animals we are testing for BSE,” he said.
“Back in 2003, most producers thought this testing would be a short-term situation, but that is wrong. Testing is going to continue on for decades and, un-fortunately, our testing numbers are falling due in part to a too prevalent attitude that “it’s not going to happen to me”. This should matter and be a concern for all producers as it demonstrates to the world we remain serious about BSE.”
Giebelhaus added if the testing numbers keep dropping, even if there are no further BSE positive cases found, that lack of continuity or perceived lack of safety monitoring could give competing markets or countries an easy way to shut Canadian beef products out or a chance to use marketing ploys to state Canadian beef can’t relatively ensure the dis-ease isn’t making into the food chain.
“Let’s not give them that opportunity. If each pro-ducer with a dead or downer animal had one tested per year, that would meet Canada’s testing num-bers,” Giebelhaus explained.
“It’s a huge value to have the testing done. It helps meet our targets as well as assists in keeping the export markets open. All a producer has to consider is the $380 per carcass in extra export value for cuts that are not normally sold domestically.
“Just call your local vet if you have an animal not fi t for slaughter. Get a free visit, free exam, free testing and it all helps the beef industry as a whole main-tain our track record of being a good trading partner. We need to keep the borders open and the easiest way to do that is to demonstrate we are looking for BSE and do that in the right places in the right way. Canada has one of the best testing programs in the world but we just aren’t utilizing it to its utmost potential.”
Giebelhaus had hoped to see the CFIA report go a bit further and make a recommendation to have all old grain and feed storage bins destroyed as a way of eliminating this kind of residual contamination of feed.
“Those old bins and storage places - that are now holding machinery or motorcycles or just about any-thing - more than likely contain residual traces of potentially BSE contaminated feed. They have been sitting on properties for decades and if a farmer or some new operator decides they should use them again, we could have more cases down the line,” he stated.
“Personally, I would like to see the industry take the initiative to have all of those removed, burned down, destroyed since if there is even a trace of contam-ination, then all it takes is that minuscule amount to infect another animal and we have the industry going down that same road once again.”
Welcome Wagon Ponoka has had the privilege to honour some long term sponsors over the last few months. We appreciate our many sponsors’ support and generosity in helping us to welcome new people to the community, and congratulating families with new babies.Welcome Wagon visits people who are new to town, or have recently had a baby. Ponoka is growing and there are lots of people moving to town. Having a Welcome visit helps familiarize people to Ponoka. We give info about the town, community organizations, we provide maps and specifi c information, and answer any questions they have. A baby welcome is helpful for parents as we direct them to the many services and businesses who cater to family needs. We highlight the great businesses
and retail stores that are advertised in the basket. Welcome Wagon is important in Ponoka, as it makes people feel, well, Welcomed! A personal, friendly visit can encourage people to shop local, get involved in what’s going on around town, and it is Ponoka’s chance to make a good fi rst impression with people who move here. We are currently looking for more sponsors for our local Welcome Wagon basket. Contact us for more information. If you have moved to the Ponoka area in the last year, or had a baby in the last 6 months, please contact us to arrange to get your basket of goodies. For more info, call Heather at 403-704-3647, email: [email protected] or Sheila at 403-704-5255, email:[email protected]
Rowland & Parker and Associates - 10-year sponsorship with Community Welcome Program, Heather McCourt, Welcome Wagon rep presenting plaque to Alison Rowland
Mary Kay - 10-year
sponsorship with Community
Welcome and Birth of Baby
Programs, Heather
presenting plaque to Hillie
Feitsma
Ponoka News - 20-year sponsorship with Community Welcome and Birth of Baby Programs - Heather and Sheila presenting plaque to Judy Dick
Rexall Drugs - 30-year sponsorship with Community Welcome and Birth of Baby Programs, Heather and area manager Gayle Martin presenting plaque to Sherry McKinnon
Sommer Home Hardware- 20-year sponsorship with Community Welcome Program - Sheila McArthur, Welcome Wagon rep presenting plaque to Gary Colyn
A & W - 10-year sponsorship with Community Welcome Program - Sheila presenting plaque to Ervin Galler
Ponoka Eye Care - 20-year sponsorship with Community Welcome Program - (back l-r) Dr. Dennis Heimdahl, Dr. Wardell ZoBell, Susan Walker, Natalie Dyck, Danyell Hall, Dr. Marc Kallal, Shirley West. (front l-r) Heather, Welcome Wagon rep presenting plaque to Barb Jones
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015 PONOKA NEWS 19
East Ponoka 4HBeef news
My name is Riley Deleeuw, a senior member of the East Ponoka 4H Beef Club.
Since the start of the 4H year, we have done many exciting events. Weigh-in was on Oct. 12. The steers and heifers are looking very promising for this year. Thank you to Ponoka Vet Clinic for donating vaccines, implants and Ivomec for our weigh-in.
After weigh-in, we had a club meeting and were excited to meet all our new members. East Ponoka Beef was able to participate in helping out SMILE this year. SMILE is
a group that provides es-sentials for the homeless. This year, we gathered 21 packets of socks and ac-cessories for SMILE. We also had another meeting and discussed what events that our club will be par-ticipating in and what the overall year will look like. After the meeting, we had a hay ride with hot chocolate and a potluck. Even though it was cold, all of our members had lots of fun. On Saturday, Nov. 14, our club went to the Canadian Finals Rodeo and the Farm Fair, where we looked around at the trade show, watched cattle shows, and watched the rodeo.
On Dec. 7 we were par-ticipating in Learn-to-Do-by-Doing at UFA in pono-ka. Our club was also par-ticipating in the Ponoka Distract Fun day was held at the Rimbey Bowling Centre on Dec. 6.
As you can see, 4H is a club that allows us the participate in many activ-ities which help us grow and learn along with help-ing out our community. We would like to thank all our sponsors, buyers,busi-nesses, parents and com-munity members that make this possible.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the East Ponoka 4H Beef Club.
SUBMITTED
East Ponoka 4H Beef members mark their weigh-in day with a photo.
Submitted photo
BRENNAN TURNERFarmLead
Grains ended the month of November rel-atively quietly as mar-ket players tied up loose ends in their books to make things look de-cent! As it stands, oats was the big winner for the month, up 7.6 per cent with wheat markets being the worst-per-forming of the complex, down over 8.5 per cent in November. Corn was another big loser for month, down over 4 per cent while soybeans and canola went neck-and-neck at down -0.45 per cent and -0.8 per cent re-spectively in November. From a currency per-spective, the Canadian Loonie has lost about 2 per cent against the US Dollar (and down 13 per cent year-to-date), while the US Greenback has strengthened about 3.4 per cent. With other European currencies weakening in November (i.e. Eurodollar -4 per cent in November, British Pound -2.4 per cent), in-ternational grain buyers are able to effectively strengthen their sourc-ing game, namely from Europe and Canada.
This is exactly why more analysts are sug-gesting that Canada could actually move into the #2 position when it comes to the world’s largest wheat exporters, surpassing the US but still behind Russia. US wheat exports are about 16per cent behind the pace needed to reach the 21.8 million tonnes the U.S.D.A. has forecast-ed, whereas Canada is likely to top the 20 mil-lion tonnes estimated (Russia’s wheat exports are pegged at 23.5 mil-lion tonnes). Moreover,
The strong(er) gameFrench wheat has gotten more competitive with the depreciation of the Euro, so much so that 126,000 MT of French wheat has been con-tracted thus far this mar-keting year by Mexico! (Yes, the country right across the border from the U.S.) That amount is now greater than the entire volume of French wheat that Mexico has bought in the last 4 years combined.
Questions continue to swirl around the Middle East and whether or not the recent downing of Russian fi ghter plane by Turkish forces will give some life to the wheat markets.
Last year (the 2014/15 marketing year), Turkey was the biggest buyer of Russian wheat, purchas-ing 4.1 million tonnes, and this year they have already picked up 1.6 million tonnes through October, making them the 2nd-largest buyer be-hind Egypt. However, ru-mours are now making the rounds that Moscow is now suspending wheat exports to Turkey. The market hasn’t really reacted to this news yet mainly because there’s a lot of other options that Turkey has (given the size of available sup-plies out there – any-one around the Black Sea region could be a good fi t, or even possibly Canadian or Australia wheat given the cheap ocean freight).
Finally, the new in-coming Argentinian Agricultural Minister recently confi rmed that corn, wheat, beef, and sunfl ower export taxes will be immediately scrapped the day that new President-elect Macri steps into offi ce on December 10th. This would be a sharp decline from the 23 per cent tax on wheat and 20 per cent additional cost on corn exports from the South American country. Add in the lower value of the Argentine peso to the US dollar, this is a signifi cant change. As for soybeans, Macri will drop the export tax on the oilseed by 5 points to 30per cent when he takes offi ce, and then a further 5 points every year for the next 7 years. That’s notable for the world’s #3 grow-er of the oilseed at 57 million tonnes but will
only export (per most re-cent U.S.D.A. forecasts) 10.75 million tonnes in 2015/16, compared to neighbouring Brazil’s 100 million-tonne crop and 57 million tonnes of exports. All in all, it’s hard not to argue that Argentina’s soybean ex-port game will strength-en.
To growth,Brennan TurnerPresident & CEOFarmLead.comBrennan Turner is origi-
nally from Foam Lake, SK, where his family started farming the land in the 1920s. After completing his degree in economics from Yale University and then playing some pro hockey, Mr. Turner spent some time working in fi nance before starting FarmLead.com, a risk-free, transparent online and now mobile grain mar-ketplace (app available for iOS & Android). His weekly column is a summary of his free, daily market note, the FarmLead Breakfast Brief. He can be reached via email [email protected]
Are you a snow bird?STAY CONNECTED
WHILE YOU’RE AWAY
Chec k us out onlineWE’RE JUST A CLICK AWAY!
For more information and to consign please callWes Skeels 403-843-2439 or 403-373-3081Craig Jacklin 403-783-5561 or 403-783-1453Nanson Vold 403-783-5561 or 403-783-0349
Regular Sales every Tuesdaywww.vjvauction.com
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11 @ 12 NOONFRIDAY, DECEMBER 11 @ 12 NOON
PONOKA BRED COW & HEIFER SALE FRIDAY, DEC. 18PONOKA BRED COW & HEIFER SALE FRIDAY, DEC. 18
BRED COW BRED COW & HEIFER SALE& HEIFER SALE– OVER 300 HEAD –
Phil Donnelly, left, provides some assistance to Leonard Davis in measuring this typical mule deer rack during the Ponoka Fish and Game Association annual horn measuring day on Sunday, Dec. 6 at the group’s clubhouse. Close to 40 entries in various categories were received with the results and winner to be announced at their banquet set for Feb. 6.
Photo by Jordie Dwyer
Increased numbers shows hunting
gaining interestInterest seems to be up in hunting if the
numbers seen at the local annual horn measuring day are any indication.
Close to 40 entries were taken at the Ponoka Fish and Game Association event held Sunday, Dec. 6 at the group’s club-house, located about 20 kilometres north of Ponoka.
According to the association’s big game chair Ray Abt, the number of entries has picked up this year and last after having been slow for a few years previously.
“The numbers are getting better, mean-ing the interest is still there,” said Abt.
“This year, there were a lot of white tail and mule deer horns brought in, but no moose - something we usually see come in.”
One particularly positive sign Abt saw this year was the increase in the number youth entering horns.
“One great thing to see was about a quarter of our entries this year were from youth,” he said.
“I think this can be attributed to the week long summer camp we hold each year that has helped them develop more interest.”
The camp provides youth with training in how to properly and safely use fi re-arms and bows along with work on using various outdoor survival skills.
Another positive of the event was the increase in sales for one of the associa-tion’s major supporters - Rimbey’s Game On Outdoors - that had a selection of items on hand.
The results, along with awards for the winners, from the horn measuring event will be presented at the association’s an-nual banquet set for Feb. 6.
Tickets are available from any member of the executive and contact information can be found by visiting www.ponokafi s-handgame.ca or by calling 403-782-2893.
BY JORDIE DWYERPONOKA NEWS
LIKEUSON
TODAY!There are so many ways to use natural gas to enhance your indoor
and outdoor living spaces. When you’re in the market for new appliances,
think comfort, convenience and cost savings. Think natural gas!
For safety tips - and a chance to win a $10,000 Natural Gas Home Makeover -
visit ATCOGas.com./SafeHome
Safe at Home with Natural Gas
Natural Gas HomeMakeover
a
SAFETY TIP: During the winter months, when your furnace is working harder, check the filter once a month to keep the furnace running at its best.
BRIGHT & CLEAN
OPEN 6am-11pm
daily!3 sizes of washers2 sizes of
dryers
Comfortablesitting area
with tv
4205 64 ST., Ponoka • 403-783-8382P o n o k a • W e t a s k i w i n • L e d u c
ACCESSORIES20-40% OFF!Don’t forget to use up those credits and gift certifi cates
before Feb 2016.
including Joseph Ribkoff, Tribal & Simon Chang
A customer surveys a booth fi lled with Christmas treat packages at the Ponoka Royal Canadian Legion’s Christmas Craft Show and Sale hosted Saturday, Dec. 5. People who attended also saw other vendors selling items ranging from homemade clothing to items for the home to personal care products. The Legion also had a vast array of items - including a plush blanket - to raffl e off and several silent auction items along with food for sale as part of their fundraising efforts.
Photo by Jordie Dwyer
22 PONOKA NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015
Ponoka Moose LodgeNEW YEARS DANCE
Thursday, December 31, 2015Moose Hall, Hwy 2A, Ponoka, AB
(3 km south of Ponoka)
FeaturingLive Band MusicJuke Box Rock
• Dance from 8pm - 12:30am• $45 pp, limited tickets sold• Late Dinner is included• For more info call Fred or Jean at 403-783-8587• Tickets can be picked up from Fred or Jean• Or Walrus and Carpenter or Raspberry Patch - Ponoka
Drop-ins welcome at all events.Dec. 20 - 7 pm - Gospel Concert with “Strings n’ Things”
Regular Jam session every Saturday at 1pm
Billiards - Weekdays 1:00pm. Mon through Sat – 50 cents per game. Honour system
Monday Bridge 1:00pm
Monday Whist - 1:30pm
Monday Yoga - 6:30pm
Tuesday Canasta - 1:00pm
Tuesday & Thursday Exercise class 9:30am
Tuesday Pickleball 6:30pm Centennial Centre - contact Janice Mackie 403-396-3160
Tuesday Shuffl eboard - 7pm
Wednesday morning - PIANO LESSONS FOR SENIORS (Sara Driedger 403-790-1980)
Wednesday Sewing Guild 9:30am to 4pm
Wednesday Cribbage 1:00pm
Wednesday Yoga - 6:30pm
Wednesday Duplicate Bridge 7:00pm
Thursday Floor Curling - 1:00pm
Thursday Weaving 1:00pm Welcome to drop-in to see how it’s done
Thursday Bridge 1:00pm
Thursday Art Club Drop In Noon to 4pm
Friday “500” 1:00pm
Saturday Yoga 9:30am
Memberships available for 2016 - $10.00 per person. To rent our facility contact Dorothy @ 403-783-3027
or George @ 403-783- 3514 or leave a message @ 403-783-5012. Rentals are increasing and we would like
to invite our town administration, business groups, and general public (Wedding, funeral, and Birthday
groups), to inquire about rentals services and prices early in their planning. We may fi t your bill!
Ponoka CapitolTheatre
4904 - 50th St.Ph. 403-783-3639
PLAYING December 11 - 17 December 11 - 17
AGES 12-64 $9.00
AGES 2-11& SENIORS
$7.00TUESDAYS
& MATINEES $6.00
3D$3 EXTRA
SCREEN #2
Creed133 min2:00 PM
Sat & Sun8:00 PM Daily
Rated PG
SCREEN #1
Peanuts88 min
2:00 PM Sat & Sun7:00 PM Daily
Rated G
PlayingDec 17
StarWars7:00 PM
Alberta’s climate change plan set
up to failTimid leadership dooms
the plan to failure
Gene drives
Most powerful new tech-nologies are double-edged. Cars are a vast improve-ment on horses as a means of transportation, but they also kill more than three thousand people a day and they are a major source of pollution.
So here comes another double-edged technolo-gy, and its edges are very sharp. Gene drives can
GWYNNE DYERThink Globally
Like many Albertans, I was initially delighted at our government’s new Climate Leadership plan. Surely, I thought, Premier Rachel Notley’s team had deftly hit the sweet spot.
The plan promises to:• Speed up the elimina-
tion of coal-generated electricity.
• Price 90 per cent of car-bon emissions.
• Create a cap on green-house gas emissions from the oilsands.
• Result in a big cut in methane emissions.
• Encourage energy effi -ciency and energy-resil-ient communities.
spread an engineered mutation through an en-tire species with amazing speed, which means that you could, for example, make the breeds of mos-quitoes that transmit the malaria parasite to human being immune to the par-asite themselves. (You could also just wipe those species of mosquito out, but then a lot of birds and bats would starve.)
The idea of a gene drive was fi rst suggested twelve years ago by Austin Burt, an evolutionary geneti-cist at Imperial College in London. What drew his at-tention were certain nat-urally occurring “selfi sh” genes, known as homing endonuclease genes, that can get themselves passed on to the next generation more than the usual fi fty percent of the time.
Burt suggested that you might use those genes to build a “gene drive” that would spread some desir-able quality (like immu-nity to malaria) through an entire population in a relatively short time. But back in 2003 the task of manipulating genes was still diffi cult, lengthy, and unreliable.
It took Burt and his col-leagues another eight years to create a homing endonuclease that could fi nd and cut a gene in mosquitoes. Other scien-tists were working to make artifi cial protein systems that would do the same job, but it was slow and painful work.Then came CRISPR.
CRISPR (it stands for “clustered regularly inter-spaced short palindromic repeats”, but never mind)
refers to bits of viral DNA that bacteria carry in their genomes. With the help of an enzyme called Cas9, these CRISPRs protect the bacteria from attacks by hostile viruses. In 2012 researchers managed to modify this CRISPR/Cas9 system into a gene-editing tool.
CRISPR/Cas9 has trans-formed the business of ge-netic engineering, making it fast, accurate and cheap. It allows researchers to cut and paste practically any gene into any organism, and it has spread through the world’s biology labs like wildfi re.
Almost immediately Kenin Esvelt of Harvard University recognised that CRISPR is basically a hom-ing endnuclease, and in July of last year he and his colleagues publicly proposed turning it into a gene drive and listed some of the possibilities that opened up.
It could, Esvelt said, “potentially prevent the spread of disease, support agriculture by reversing pesticide and herbicide resistance in insects and weeds, and control dam-aging invasive species.” Sick of the cane toads that infest Australian fi elds? Modify them so that their skin is no longer poisonous to predators, and watch the problem go away.
“Since the 1970s we’ve been able to genetical-ly engineer individu-al organisms,” Burt said. “With gene drive, we could change the genetics of vast populations.” And we have gone from zero to 60 in less than a year.
Last January, Esvelt’s
lab made a gene drive in yeast. In March, biologists Valentino Gantz and Ethan Bier at the University of California, San Diego re-ported online in Science that they had created a gene drive in fruit fl ies. They had introduced a drive for yellow colour into females, bred them with normal males – and between 95 and 100 per-cent of the offspring were yellow.
They then started col-laborating with Anthony James, a molecular biol-ogist at the University of California, Irvine who has been working for thir-ty years on genetically modifying mosquitoes so they can’t pass on ma-laria. Using CRISPR/Cas9, the team are now within a year of a non-malaria-car-rying mosquito ready to be released into the wild – but they won’t do it.
James’s team have no intention of doing that it until there are clear and agreed rules for this sort of thing. They are well aware of the risk of unforeseen side-effects: “We’re not about to do anything fool-ish,” says James.
One of the precautions James took was to work with an Indian breed of mosquito, so that if one es-caped from his California lab it wouldn’t fi nd anyone to mate with. In the same spirit, as soon as Esvelt created a gene drive for a species of yeast he im-mediately set to work cre-ating another drive that could over-write the fi rst, cancelling the genetic changes it made. If things went wrong, the second one could be released and
would spread just as fast.As Esvelt said, “the possi-
bility of unwanted ecolog-ical effects and near-cer-tainty of spread across political borders demand careful assessment of each potential application.” You bet your boots it does.
This is a technology that can change the entire character of a wild species very quickly (or wipe it out) if just one individual that has been genetically altered in the lab acciden-tally escapes and breeds,
because the mutation will be passed on to ALL its descendants, and all of theirs, ad infi nitum.
And, of course, we are also talking about the pos-sibility that people with evil intentions might take common, harmless insects and make them lethal to human beings. This tech-nology will have to be han-dled with very great care.
Gwynne Dyer is an inde-pendent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries.
BY PHIL ELDERTROY MEDIA COLUMNIST
And it was supported by some environmentalists and scions of the oilpatch.
But now, having studied the full report of the climate change panel and the provin-cial government’s plan, I’m much less satisfi ed.
Certainly a government has to consider the political climate, not just the opinions of its core voters, and that the essence of politics is compromise.
But, occasionally, crises arise that test a govern-ment’s mettle - like climate change - and demand right, not popular, action. In these circumstances, governments must educate the public and lead courageously.
continued on page 23
Alberta’s climate change plan set up to fail WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015 PONOKA NEWS 23
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The government has failed to meet this challenge.
Alberta’s emissions level in 2030 will be the same as today, although it has been estimated that, without the plan, Alberta’s emissions would grow from 267 mega-tonnes (MT) in 2013 to 320 megatonnes in 2030.
Just halting this projected increase in emissions is not good enough. We have a critical problem and incre-mental responses amount to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
The Alberta Climate Change Advisory Panel points out that although “existing assets are fi xed and unlikely to relocate or shut down under reasonable carbon policy … domestic policy which serves to shift production activity to other jurisdictions would impose disproportionately large costs on Alberta for minimal, real emissions reductions.”
In other words, we can’t curb expansion. So foot-drag-gers will be allowed to set the rate of progress - no oil producer should act until its competitors do.
This may be pragmatic but it is not leadership.
Even ignoring the climate plan’s complexity and need for more bureaucracy, it has let Albertans, Canada and the world down. Surely the whole point is to reduce drastically, not just stop expanding, production of fossil fuels. Even if the Holy Grail is achieved and the
carbon intensity of oilsands production is cut to that of conventional oil, it will still be burned and add to the climate change that the policy is supposed to reduce.
The report says: “Many will look at these emissions re-ductions and claim that our policies will not place Alberta on a trajectory consistent with global 2oC goals, and in some sense this is true. The policies proposed for Alberta in this document would not, if applied in all jurisdictions in the world, lead to global goals being accomplished.”
The policy sets the green-house emissions cap for the oilsands a whopping 40 per cent-plus above the current amount, which is already of worldwide concern.
The document gives the game away. “The 100 Mt limit provides room for growth and development of our resource as a basis for a strong economy. Overall, Alberta’s new approach will incent changes that see the number of produced barrels increase relative to associ-ated emissions. The future production achievable within the annual 30-Mt ‘room’ in the limit will be higher than at any time in our past or present.” (my italics)
So we’re going to fi ght climate change by produc-ing more fossil fuels whose burning will add to the problem? No wonder the oilpatch is on side.
Indeed, it appears that the most carbon-effi cient oilsands producers will re-ceive more in subsidies per
barrel of oil produced than they pay in carbon tax. That will have the perverse result of encouraging more produc-tion by them than if there were no carbon price at all.
The carbon price is much too low. The environment should not be a free dump for pollution. The ultimate price of goods needs to ex-press their true cost.
But what is the true cost of carbon in the atmo-sphere? U. S. agencies peg “the social cost of carbon emissions today at $62 per tonne, increasing to $69 per tonne by 2020 and $110 per tonne in 2050, each in 2014 infl ation-adjusted U.S.-dollar terms.”
With this in mind, the Pembina Institute’s recom-mendation to the panel seems appropriate: “We recommend a carbon price starting at $40 per tonne of CO2 emitted in 2016, with a schedule for increasing it by $10 per tonne annually over the fi rst 10 years of the policy. This is generally the level of stringency necessary for Alberta to make a fair contribution to Canada’s international commitments.”
Yet the panel’s recom-mendation was for a $30 per tonne ceiling price by 2018. Timidity personifi ed.
I am dismayed that the re-port says “[w]hen compared to other leading jurisdic-tions, the Panel’s policies would likely lead to lower penetration rates of 25-30 per cent renewable genera-tion by 2030.”
Apparently this is because
continued from page 22 we’re going to rely on our cheap natural gas. But given that its emissions will also have to be cut in the medium term, surely a much more ambitious renewable target should have been set.
So what might have been better? A carbon tax, instead of cap-and-trade, offers sim-plicity, particularly if it is imposed across the board on activities generating greenhouse gases (including point-of-sale retail). And we must stop approving new oilsands projects until the sector’s emissions are re-duced enough to allow them.
Instead, we have started
The Christmas sale organized by the chamber at the St. Augustine school’s gym saw brisk business on Saturday, Dec. 4 with gift wrappers having long lines forming before their stands. Photo by Mustafa Eric
with policies set up for failure.
Phil Elder is Emeritus Professor of Environmental and Planning Law with the Faculty
of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary.Phil is included in Troy Media’s Unlimited Accesssubscription plan
24 PONOKA NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015
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lim
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See
dea
ler f
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etai
ls. ^
^ W
hich
ever
com
es fi
rst.
See
deal
er fo
r det
ails.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015 PONOKA NEWS 25
Sports
“New” is keyword for Broncs basketball this season
There is only one word that can describe senior high basketball at Ponoka Secondary this season - new.
Both head coaches of the Broncs senior girls and boys teams are in their fi rst season patrolling the bench, which also equates to even a veteran team having to adjust to some new things.
Tylor Johnson has taken over the reins of an inexperi-enced boys squad, while Cameron Horan is the new guy looking after a more veteran girls team.
The boys roster includes six Grade 12 players and fi ve Grade 11s to go with a pair of Grade 10s, but only four of those players were on the team last season and that has put them a bit behind according to Johnson.
“Everyone is new to me and that has us behind teams as far as preparation goes, as we don’t have the luxury of having guys who already know my systems,” he said.
”We are a very inexperienced group, but my expectations are very high for us this season. I have been impressed early on with the level of talent that we have. You will see us improve greatly from the start of the year, to the end of the season. We will be at our best come playoff time.”
Johnson’s goal is qualify for provincials, which will likely be done on the backs of their defensive play.
“We will struggle scoring at times, but we will keep games close with our defense. We are a group that will
have to work hard at becoming better scorers.”For the girls, Horan has two-thirds of his roster coming
back from last season and he couldn’t be happier with that.
With four Grade 12s, fi ve Grade 11s and three Grade 10 players, Horan believes their potential is huge and their goal is to not only challenge for the zone title, but make the provincial championship.
Both teams had a tough time in their season openers in Wetaskiwin on Tuesday, Dec. 1 - each coming out on the losing end.
“It went exactly how I thought it would go,” stated Johnson about playing a team who ended up fourth in the province last year.
“Like most teams in the league, they have the same coach and a solid group of returning players. We came out very jittery and turned the ball over a lot. The thing I preached is that our mistakes are completely fi xable.”
The Broncs’ fi xable items include working the boards at both ends, as they gave up 42 points by not being able to grab the offensive boards.
“You will never win with that kind of rebounding effort. We play a lot of zone defense, allowing teams to take long, contested shots, but the key is we absolutely have to rebound and we did a horrible job at that,” he added.
Johnson did say, however, that the boys are getting better fundamentally each day and the effort he sees in practice will go a long way to improving those weaknesses.
Meanwhile, the girls’ nerves early proved to be the big difference in their loss to Wetaskiwin. Horan stated that saw them down 18 at halftime, but the team was able to settle in and were only outscored by three in the second half.
Home tipoff The boys are excited to make their home debut
this weekend as the Broncs host their annual PUMP Invitational tournament, which tips off Friday, Dec. 11 with the hosts taking on Barrhead at 3:45 p.m. at the PSC gym.
The rest of Friday’s action will see Sylvan Lake face Holy Redeemer of Edson at 5:30, Grande Prairie Composite ver-sus Ryley at 7:15 and Rundle Academy of Calgary taking on Onoway at 9. The winners will head to the semifi nals Saturday (Dec. 12) at 12:15 and 2:30 p.m. with the third place game going at 5:45 and the fi nal slated for 7:30.
The consolation side semi’s will go at 9 and 10:45 a.m. with the seventh place game going at 2:15 and the con-solation fi nal at 4 p.m.
“I absolutely love tournaments because there is no pres-sure and they offer an exceptional opportunity for me to evaluate each player and allow our players to get valuable playing time and experience at this level,” added Johnson.
“We obviously would love to win our home tourney, but the main goal for us is just to continue getting bet-ter each day and be the best version of ourselves come playoff time.”
Stampeders Jordan Wombold (#6) and Connor Hoffman (#18) as well as the Blackfalds goalie watch Wombold’s shot tickle the twine for a powerplay marker, and a bit of redemption, late in the third period of a 9-2 loss on Wednesday, Dec. 2. The less than inspiring play that night unfortunately carried through the Stamps home and home weekend series versus Mountainview as they lost 3-1 and 7-5. Photo by Jordie Dwyer
Hat trick of losses a self-fullfi lling prophesy
for StampedersThree straight losses last
week along with some unin-spiring play has caused some concern for the Stampeders coaching staff.
The local Junior Heritage League squad were felled 9-2 at home by Blackfalds last Wednesday, Dec. 2, then lost 3-1 to the Mountainview Colts in Didsbury on Friday, Dec. 4 and were dumped 7-5 the next night at home by those same Colts.
Stampeders head coach Tyler Fiveland wasn’t happy with the performances of most of his players in any of the three games, but was especially disappointed with the efforts put forth in both home ice appearances.
“Our biggest problem is once things stop going our way or a call goes against us, the guys can’t seem to
stop the bleeding,” Fiveland explained.
“It’s like they get a huge mental block, then more things go wrong, they get down on themselves further and it all just keeps snowball-ing until we’re done for, we just can’t seem to gain any momentum and refocus on what needs to be done.
Fiveland added that’s ex-actly what happened against Blackfalds and on Saturday at home when they couldn’t fi ght back after giving up fi ve straight goals to the Colts.
“There were a couple of calls that I think were missed and it affected us. It’s some-thing we have to be able to overcome and that was what we took some time after Saturday’s game to talk about. We also need to really work hard on getting more shots and driving the net, as we had four goals on just 12 shots through two periods in that
game,” he added.“It’s just what we have
to do. We need to correct this heading into our game against Airdrie (Wednesday Dec. 9, 7:45 p.m. start), who we blew a 5-0 lead against the last time we played them.”
In Saturday’s loss, the Stampeders were given a kick in the pants right off the opening faceoff as the Colts opened the scoring just 33 seconds in. Ponoka managed to fi nd their stride later in the frame, with Justin Van Tetering tying it up just past the eight minute mark and DJ Horne notching a powerplay goal about seven minutes later to give the home side the lead after 20 minutes.
The visitors evened things up early in the second period before the Stampeders scored twice more - both off the stick of Nate Higgins - just short of seven minutes in and then a powerplay goal close to the
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BY JORDIE DWYERPONOKA NEWS
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halfway mark of the contest.Then the wheels fell off
the wagon and ran over the Stampeders, as the Colts scored three times in a two-minute span late in the middle stanza and followed that with another just 32 seconds into the third before salting things away with their fi fth straight goal with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Cody Lemon would get a powerplay goal with slightly more than three minutes to play, but there would be no comeback.
Friday’s contest was a
winnable one, according to Fiveland, but two huge mental lapses in the form of a powerplay goal and giving away a shorthanded effort cost them.
“Zeke (Leuck) was phe-nomenal in goal for us, but some stupid penalties and breakdowns keep costing us,” he said about the game where the Stampeders were also with their top forward line. Tyson Crampain had the lone Ponoka goal, which came with four and a half minutes to play.
Versus Blackfalds last
Wednesday, Mik Doell scored midway through the fi rst to cut the Wrangles lead to 2-1, but some bad penalties in the second saw the momentum shift with the visitors capi-talizing for fi ve straight goals the rest of the way before Jordan Wombold notched a powerplay marker with about three minutes left to close out the scoring.
Stampeders are hosting their annual free family skate on Sunday, Dec. 13 between 12:15 p.m. and 1:45 p.m. at the Ponoka Culture and Recreation Complex.
26 PONOKA NEWS Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Atom Stampeders earn pair of victories on weekend
Being able to hang onto a lead helped the Ponoka Calnash Trucking Atom team stay close to the division leaders.
The locals improved their Tier 5 Price division record to four wins and one loss by posting a pair victories on home ice on the weekend - 13-4 over Stettler on Saturday, Dec. 5 and clutching onto a lead to defeat Sundre 9-7 on Sunday, Dec. 6.
Head coach Mike Heidt was more than pleased with the offensive output, but it was the ability to play some stellar defense late in the game against Sundre that impressed him even more.
The scoring started early in that one, with Ponoka’s
Jackson Badry fi nding the twine only eight seconds into the game. Dacian Heinz would make it 2-0 two minutes later only to have Sundre score a pair 50 second apart around the seven minute mark of the fi rst period. However, Ponoka would score three more later in the period with Daylan Owen getting a pair and Heinz notching his sec-ond of the game.
The furious scoring pace continued in the second with Badry earning his second of the game 40 seconds into the middle period before Sundre scored three times in a fi ve-minute span to close the gap.
However, Nathan Parker’s goal with seven minutes left in the second combined with Owen notching his hat trick goal late in the frame would prove key as Sundre would draw closer in the third with two more, before the tension was released as Badry got his hat trick with just
over a minute left.Saturday’s contest was pretty much done early on with
Ponoka putting up a 7-0 lead after the fi rst period.Parker led the way with four goals on the day, while Owen
and Badry scored three a piece. Reannah Wood, Heinz and Carter Karwandy had the other goals for Ponoka.
The squad’s next action will see them hit the road to face Sylvan Lake on Sunday, Dec. 13.
Other weekend action for Ponoka teams saw the Fountain Tire Midgets fall 6-4 Sunday in Sedgewick, the Lacoka female Midgets give in to 4-1 to Camrose on Saturday, the PeeWee A Elks earn a pair of victories at home - 4-3 Saturday over Stettler then get past Maskwacis 8-7 on Sunday and the Atom A McDonalds squad take two on the road by defeating Blackfalds 7-4 on Friday night then edging Sylvan Lake 3-1 on Sunday.
Adam’s Chevrolet Super League Curling Results after week six:Pool “A”
Early birds - Ponoka’s U16 soccer team of 2014, who missed the provincial championship only in a penalty shoot-out that year will compete as the U18 team in the forthcoming season and head coach Gurjit Sandhu has started preparing his team both mentally and phyiscally for a shot at the title again with twice weekly indoor practices at the St. Augustine school gym. Sandhu was satisfi ed with his players motivation and skills as they practised four-on-four drills on Monday, Dec. 7.
Photo by Mustafa Eric
BY JORDIE DWYERPONOKA NEWS
Latest results from Ponoka curling league
Ponoka’s Dacian Heinz sees his shot fl ying over the Stettler goaltender and into the net after netting a breakaway early in the fi rst period of Saturday’s (Dec. 5) 13-4 victory on home ice.
Photo by Jordie Dwyer
In loving memory of Margaret MickeyDecember 4, 2011
Sadly missed along life’s way,Quietly remembered every day,No longer in our life to share,
But in our hearts she’s always there.
Frank Mickey and family
LLOYD, GwendolynnJan. 25, 1916 - Nov. 26, 2015
It is with great sadness that we relay the passing of Gwendolynn Lou Lloyd at the Ponoka General Hospital at the age of 99 years. She will be dearly missed by her grandchildren Aaron of Ponoka and his children Devon of Lethbridge, and Colton of Grande Prairie; Cody (Patricia) of Ponoka and their children Darien of Ponoka and Sydney of Los Angeles, CA; sister Muriel Badry of Summerland, BC. She was predeceased by her husband Owen Spencer Lloyd (Slim) in 2005 and their son O. Wayne Lloyd in 2010; brothers Clarence and Donald; sister Melva (Toots).Gwen, was born in Ponoka on January 25, 1916 and grew up surrounded by music. She played trumpet in the Ponoka Band and performed at community dances with her family. She and Slim were married on January 8, 1940 and farmed on part of the original Lloyd homestead until moving to town in 1983. Over the years Gwen was an active member of the community working in the Ponoka Post Offi ce for many years as well as volunteering at Tourist Information offi ce. Together with Slim she enjoyed many hobbies and adventures including traveling to Arizona for several years in the winter, vending at local farmers markets, attending and holding garage sales. Gwen and Slim were regulars at the Ponoka Drop-In Center where she spent hours playing Bingo and never turned down a game of Cribbage.Our beloved grandmother leaves us her many stories and words of wisdom; her humor and wit; she is our roots and our pillar and we will never forget her. Memorial donations are gratefully accepted to the Ponoka Drop-In Centre, FCSS or the Ponoka Covered Wagon Society for the Handicapped.
PALECHEK Garry
Garry Palechek was born in Ponoka on October 8, 1947 and passed away suddenly on December 2, 2015. Garry grew up in Hobbema before moving to Ponoka where he attended school. Garry married Joanne Krefting on November 21, 1970 and they had two daughters - Stephanie born November 6, 1973 and Jennifer born January 2, 1976. Garry went
to work with his dad at the Imperial Oil Bulk Fuel & Fertilizer Station in Ponoka and eventually took over the family business which he managed for many years. Garry also worked for Ponoka Fertilizer and Wespro Oilfi eld Services as well as driving bus for Hobbema Transport (from which he recently retired). His interests included curling, cars, guns (collecting and trap shooting), golfi ng, sailing, waterskiing, his dogs (he showed Bull Terriers), all animals, and spending time at the cabin at Pigeon Lake. Garry was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion, The Knights of Columbus, and a life time member of the Ponoka Fish & Game Association. He also served on the St. Augustine School Board. Garry is survived by his wife Joanne; daughters Stephanie (Derick) Jaffray of Lethbridge and Jennifer (Blair) Bartley of Ponoka; granddaughters Kailyn and Amber Bartley; brothers and sisters Philip (Janet) Palechek of Edmonton, Patricia (Frank) Cissell of Ponoka, Dianne (Joe) Dodds of Ponoka, and Allen Palechek (Darlene Gartner) of Edmonton; long-time best friends Lennie Newton and Wayne Sondergaard; as well as many other relatives and friends. He was predeceased by his parents Charles and Inez Palechek of Ponoka. A Funeral Service to celebrate Garry’s life was held at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Ponoka on Tuesday, December 8, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. with the Interment Service following at Forest Home Cemetery. Memorial donations are gratefully accepted to the Arthritis Society of Alberta or the Ponoka Wheelchair Van Society. To express condolences to Garry’s family, please visit www.womboldfuneralhomes.com.
Arrangements Entrusted ToPONOKA FUNERAL HOME
~ A Wombold Family Funeral Home ~
FILLINGERGordon
On November 23rd, 2015 Mr. Gordon Fillinger passed away suddenly at the age of 64 years, at home with his wife and his sons. Gordon was born January 18th,1951 to John and Helen Fillinger. He grew up east of Ponoka on their family farm. He was there until he married his school sweetheart and lifetime best friend Lorna Anderson on
May 23rd, 1970, at which time they purchased their fi rst farm in the small community of Tristram, where they started to build a life and their family. Gordon went to work on the drilling rigs until 1993 at which time he stayed home to farm. Gordon had a great passion for family friends and farming. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife and best friend of 45 years, Lorna; sons Ron (Sue), Jason (Kim), and Steve (Amanda); grandchildren Kyle (Amelia), Corey, Katira, Katanna, Evret, and Riley; sisters Valerie Wynnchuk (Alex), Ethel Walker (Bernard), and Jane Jones (Ken); brother-in-law George Scherrens; uncle Less and aunt Tres; as well as numerous other relatives and friends. He was predeceased by his parents John and Helen Fillinger, his brother Stephen and sister Barbara Scherrens. A Funeral Service was held at the Ponoka Funeral Home on Saturday, November 28th. Gordon will be greatly missed by those who knew him. He was a strong man who put up a good fi ght with his health issues. He always pushed it to the back of his mind as his Passion and Love of Family, life and farming are what kept him going. Memorial donations are gratefully accepted to the Alberta Heart and Stroke Foundation or the Alberta Cancer Foundation. To express condolences to Gordon’s family, pleas visit www.womboldfuneralhomes.com.
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Restaurant/Hotel 820Cameron Bay Holdings Inc. o/a McDonalds’s in Ponoka and Red Deer (Gasoline Alley East and West) is now hiring full time and part time Food Service Supervisors. Wages are between $13.95 to $16.00 per hour,depending upon experi-ence and qualifi cations. Candidates must be able to work a variety of shifts and have 3 to 5 years pre-vious experience. Must be able to supervisor up to 20 crew. Part-time applica-tions will be accepted fromCanadians and PermanentResidents. Apply in person4419 Hwy 2A, Ponoka,37479 Hwy 2, Red Deer,and 37428 Hwy 2, Red Deer or email resume [email protected] or fax to403-783-4251.
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30 PONOKA NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015
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Acreages/Farms ..............3010Houses/Duplexes ............3020Condos/Townhouses........3030Manufactured Homes ......3040Four Plexes/Six Plexes ....3050Suites ..............................3060Cottages/Seasonal ..........3070Roommates Wanted ........3080Rooms for Rent................3090Motels/Hotels ..................3100Offices ..............................3110Stores/Commercial ..........3120Industrial ..........................3130Warehouse Space............3140Garage Space..................3150Storage Space ................3160Land ................................3170Pasture ............................3180Mobile Lot ........................3190Misc. for Rent ..................3200
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Auctions 1530
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PONOKA NEWS 31WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015
32 PONOKA NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015
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