The Community
Press Telling your story
Volume 112, Issue 39
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
WHITE DEER A RARE SIGHT
$1 Including GST
Keystone XL pipeline project to go forward with April construction start in Hardisty Leslie Cholowsky Editor
JOE HARTUNG PHOTO
This almost-white deer is an unusual sight in the Flagstaff region. Obviously not a true albino, which are estimated to appear at a rate of one in 20-30,000, the animal above is more a piebald, a genetic variation of white-tailed deer, not caused by parasite or disease.
Kurek hosts virtual town hall to discuss COVID-19 and other issues Leslie Cholowsky Editor
Taking into account social distancing and restrictions on public gatherings, Battle River-Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek held a virtual town hall meeting via social media on Wednesday, March 25. “It’s been a heavy couple of weeks for people in this constituency and people across Canada,” he said at the start of his broadcast. Kurek expressed his thanks to all essential workers remaining on the job. “Two weeks ago we could not have imagined our country virtually shut down,” Kurek said. He urged listeners to practice good hygiene, to reduce contact with others; “If we can reduced the spread, flatten the curve, we can save lives. “I encourage you to maintain social distancing.” Kurek said the pandemic has had a devastating effective on the
county, citing an unbelievable one million new Employment Insurance applicants, “And that was a few days ago,” calling it “unbelievable.” Kurek gave a shout out to his constituency office staff, who have been hard at work, even with the doors closed to the public, on the telephone and emails, “Pointing people in the right direction.” Kurek also praised the hardworking MLAs within the Battle RiverCrowfoot region, “As well as our cities, towns, and counties who are working very hard for residents at this time.” Kurek addressed travellers, asking those residents currently at home to respect travel restrictions in place. “If you are abroad, please get home. If you are overseas please register with Global Affairs Canada. If needed there are emergency loans available to help you get home if you are stuck.” Kurek praised measures taken by the government to expand Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, to in-
crease GST rebates, and Child Benefits. “There are even more measures to come.” He said that he was happy with expanded EI benefits especially to those who may not have been eligible for benefits in the past, including self employed individuals. Kurek said over the past few days, “I have spoken to many, many business owners; many having a tough time, and hoping to avoid having to lay people off as people stop coming in.” He spoke about benefits to business like financing through BDC, available if companies are in need. “Alberta has already seen a significant impact,” Kurek said, “especially to small- and medium-sized businesses in Battle River-Crowfoot. He praised the provincial government for introducing measures to small business, like deferring education property tax, reducing or deferring Workers Compensation fees, and compensating doctors for See KUREK P7
The province of Alberta announced Tuesday, March 31, that it has finalized an agreement with a Calgary based company, TC Energy Corporation, that will provide financial support to accelerate construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, starting April 1. “We cannot wait for the end of the pandemic and global recession to act,” says Premiere Jason Kenney. “There are steps we must make now to build our future focussed on jobs, the economy, and pipelines. “Today we are moving forward with a project that is essential to our future prosperity. “This investment in Keystone XL is a bold move to re-take control of our province’s economic destiny and put it firmly back in the hands of the owners of our natural resources, the people of Alberta. The Government of Alberta is confident that this is a wise investment. After construction is complete, we will be able to sell our shares at profit. In addition, the project will have a net return of over $30 billion to the Alberta taxpayer through royalties and higher prices for Alberta oil in the next 20
years.” In the announcement, the province says that Alberta’s oil export capacity is limited by the lack of pipelines. “Without the ability to export more oil, there is no incentive for producers to invest in more production in Alberta. Completing KXL will signal to the oil and gas industry, and to investors around the world, that they have a future in Alberta. Without more pipelines, the future of our oil and gas industry is capped; with today’s announcement, employers and investors should have the confidence to maintain existing projects and to spend new money on new projects.” Construction is to begin immediately in Alberta, at the Canada-US border, in Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska. Hardisty Mayor Doug Irving says the town has been meeting with representatives from TC Energy for the past FEW weeks as details of the construction unfolded. He says, “This will bring big benefits to Hardisty; part of their proposal is the pipeline, but there will also be construction on new facilities and permanent sites. Those will be of more benefit to us in Hardisty. See KEYSTONE P7
Page 2 - The Community Press, Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Province puts funds into COVID-19 community supports Leslie Cholowsky Editor
Last week the province announced $30 million to municipalities, charitable and non-profit organizations to provide help to individuals, seniors, families, and other vulnerable Albertans who are isolated or impacted by COVID-19. Funding will be distributed through grants from local Family and Community Support Services. Calgary and Edmonton will receive $9- and $7-million respectively, with another $14 million to Family and Community Support Services Association of Alberta to be distributed to municipalities and Metis Settlements in the rest of the province. Flagstaff Family and Community Services Executive Director Lynne Jenkinson says, “This is a program designed to fill upcoming needs in our communities.” She’s looking to spread the word to organizations throughout the region so they can apply through FFCS for funds. “There is no guarantee of funding, however the forms are simple and to the point, so should not take a long time to fill in.” It’s a time for community groups to get funding to start or continue programs that will address the needs of those most vulnerable in our communities. “This will also open up FFCS’s communication lines with charities and civil societies in our region on what emerging and long-term needs are during this pandemic,” Jenkinson says. “This funding is available until March 31, 2021, but I do think it will be expelled along before then. “Please share this with anyone that you think may be interested in applying for funds, or a group that has an idea and possibly FFCS can run the pro-
SUBSCRIPTION REQUEST FORM Name: ___________________________________
gram for them during this extraordinary time.” Jenkinson wants to remind all Flagstaff and area residents, “If you have any social or human services concerns during this extraordinary time in our history, please phone FFCS at 780-385-3976; please leave a message, the phone picks up after four rings. “We will try our best to refer you to the assistance
you need or assistance that you can access.” They also have a Facebook page under Flagstaff Family and Community Services with lots of information, for those with access to the internet. “You can also message us under that page. “Thank you to the entire Flagstaff Community for helping each other out as we all go through this together.”
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The Community Press, Wednesday, April 1, 2020 - Page 3
Utility bill deferrals not universal, must meet guidelines Leslie Cholowsky Editor
In an effort to help Albertans who are experiencing financial difficulties due to COVID-19 restrictions or layoffs, the Province of Alberta introduced a 90day utility deferral. It’s important that Albertans recognize some essential points they must consider before accessing this support. The utilities in question are electricity or natural gas only. Town services like water, sewer, and waste do not qualify for deferrals under this program. If a town utility bill includes natural gas services, only that portion of the bill may be deferred.
Sedgewick CAO Jim Fedyk says, “It’s important to note that this program has specific qualifications, as stated by the province: This program is available to Albertans who are experiencing financial hardship as a direct result of COVID-19.” For example, this would only include those who have lost their employment or had to leave work to take care of an ill family member, or who are prohibited from working due to self-isolation or self-quarantine regulations. Any deferred payment must be pre-arranged through the customer and utility provider, in that persons accessing the support cannot just
not pay a bill, they must advise the utility company of their circumstances and intent to defer payment. Finally, deferred payments are not eliminated, merely put off. Under the guidelines of the program, utility companies must give clients a 90-day deadline to pay, but customers will then be required to bring their accounts up to date. While the province has stated that it will work with utility companies to develop a payment system to help consumers pay back their deferred utilities within a reasonable time period, there’s no information available as to how long that might be, and customers
should be prepared for the possibility that these amounts will become payable after the 90-day period has elapsed. The important thing to remember is to work with natural gas and electricity providers directly to arrange full or partial deferment, and that a deferment merely gives additional time to pay, but does not eliminate these costs. Individual municipalities could choose to extend deferrals to include town bills down the road, but that decision, or even a discussion, at this point, has not yet been discussed by most councils.
5005 - 50th (Main) Street, Killam 780-385-3712 www.fcal.net
Call 780-385-3712 or email director@fcal.net for an appointment if you need access to the internet, a printer, or a fax machine. Check our Facebook @FlagstaffLearning All in-person classes are cancelled and our office is closed except by appointment.
NOTICE Due to COVID-19, the following changes will take place:
Financial concerns? We’re here for you. These are extraordinary times. We know that during this time of turmoil resulting from COVID-19, financial concerns are top of mind for many. If you’re directly impacted by COVID-19 and facing financial difficulties as a result, please reach out. Contact your local branch to discuss financial relief options, including the deferral of mortgage, line of credit, loan and car payments.
If you need medications, please call ahead or use the Guardian App (Diem for Guardian) so that you will not be waiting for your prescription. Give our Pharmacy staff ample time to prepare. This is mandatory! We will be delivering when needed.
Our temporary new hours are as follows:
Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 4pm We will be Closed all Lunch hours from 12 to 1 pm
Visit us at whatsyourshare.ca/covid-19-update and on Facebook @VisionCreditUnion for updates as they become available.
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Hours: 9-5 Monday thru Friday, 9-4 Saturday & closed Sunday
Page 12 - The Community Press, Wednesday, April 1, 2020
April 2020 Meetings
C Council ouncil M Meetings eetings
FFlagstaff lagstaff C ounty C ouncil M eetings County Council Meetings aare re cconducted onducted the 2nd and 4th W ednesday of each month Wednesday a.m.. unless ccommencing ommencing at 9 a.m otherwise planned. C ouncil and Committee Committee meeting Council agendas are are aavailable vailable at the County’s C ounty’s website website at: flflagstaff.ab.ca/council/meetings-andagstafff.a . b.ca/council/meeetings-andminutes minu tes
780-384-4100 1-877-387-4100 Email: St ay C onnected with Us: Us: Stay Connected
M Monday onday to to Friday Friday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p .m. p.m. ((Closed Closed Noon - 1 p .m.) p.m.)
A Address: ddress:
12435 TTownship ownship Road 442 P.O. BBox P.O. ox 358 358 SSedgewick, edgewick, AB T0B 4C0
Public Works Updates Please refer to www.flagstaff.ab.ca for up-to-date road work happening throughout the County. Winter Road Maintenance: Roadways are cleared of snow as necessary. During normal winter conditions, County gravel roads should be cleared of snow within four days, unless there is heavy snow and persistent winds. One plow truck is designated to remove snow and apply sand/salt to oil and paved surface roads.
Flagstaff.ab.ca
Two graders are allocated for snow and ice removal on MG30 roads. Back roads or blind roads will not be plowed unless deemed necessary by Public Works. Please keep in mind that our seasonal crews will be out working on our roadways and to use extreme caution while travelling on these roads while they are being maintained in any way. We thank you in advance for your cooperation during this season.
The Community Press, Wednesday, April 1, 2020 - Page 13
News and notes from CHSPS Emily Tanton Student Reporter
Central High Sedgewick Public School (CHSPS) has had a tough go this year, with the fire that left students learning in trailers, and now COVID-19 has forced students to learn from home. CHSPS courses have only just become available online to Grades 1 to 11 on Monday, March 30, where applications such as Google Classroom, Google Meet, and other tools are being implemented to engage students. Grade 12 teachers worked hard to make classes available to the graduating class at CHSPS immediately and most core classes did not miss a day of learning after Alberta schools were shut down on Friday, March 13. The Battle River School Division (BRSD) has sent out recommendations for how long students should be working daily, which could be useful to parents who are unsure of how long their child should working at their courses. “Students up to Grade 6 should be spending about five hours per week on school work, while students in Grades 7 to 9 should aim for 10 hours and high school students should plan for about three hours per course.” School sports such as basketball, handball, and badminton have all been suspended for the time being, but students are still highly encouraged to stay active during their time away from organized sports. Travel Club was also cancelled for the Grade 11 and 12 students at CHSPS. The students had planned on going to London, Paris, Florence, and Rome, but there are plans already in place for the Grade 11 students of this year to have their own trip next year. Unfortunately for the graduating class of CHSPS, there’s little to be done about their lost experience. A silver lining for Grade 12 students is that, unlike every other school in BRSD, the CHSPS graduation ceremony is scheduled for September, which may be far enough in the future to continue as planned. Good luck to the students getting back into the groove of schoolwork and thank you to the teachers who are making their education transition as smooth as possible.
Campaign to increase awareness of youth vaping Emily Tanton Student Reporter Vaping has long been an issue faced in school divisions across the province and Battle River School Division has expressed concerns in the past about the rise of schoolaged youth becoming addicted to nicotine. Nicotine addiction from vaping has become an increasing concern in Alberta, with health coalitions releasing campaigns to increase legislation on e-cigarettes and youth vaping. After a national drug survey from early in 2020 revealed that 50,000 school-aged youth have tried vaping in the past 30 days, a Campaign for a Smoke-Free Alberta is urging Albertans to contact their MLA and petition for strong legislation to stop the rise in youth vaping.
The Campaign for a Smoke-Free Alberta is advocating for equal legislation on vaping as there is on smoking, including banning flavoured products. Vaping is the act of heating vaping liquid, which contains various chemicals such as glycerol, propylene glycol, and some with varying levels of nicotine and then inhaling the aerosol created. The aerosol travels through the mouth and lungs where it is absorbed into the bloodstream. The long-term effects of vaping are not as well known as those of smoking but nicotine is known to be a highly addictive chemical and exposing teens to it can create a dependency. The World Health Organization has predicted that “long-term use of e-cigarettes can increase the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and possi-
bly cardiovascular disease, as well as other diseases associated with smoking.” Alberta is the only province who has yet to pass province-wide legislation regarding vaping; the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (TVPA) is the only legislation enacted on a national level and so it contains the only restrictions on vaping in Alberta. The TVPA has forced e-cigarette companies to be transparent about ingredients in vaping liquids and about possible negative effects of using their products. It has also prohibited the sale or gifting of e-cigarettes to minors across Canada. Those who want to support the Campaign for a Smoke-Free Alberta can visit ProtectAlbertaKids.ca and those struggling with nicotine addiction and wanting to seek help can visit gosmokefree.gc.ca/quit or call 1866-366-3667 for support.
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