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PROVINCIAL / FEDERAL POLITICS
July 22, 2021 – Banished Lesser Slave Lake MLA Pat Rehn is back in as a serving MLA for the United Conservative Party government.
UCP caucus chair Nathan Neudorf made the announcement July 14.
The UCP says since his removal from caucus on Jan. 15, Rehn has worked tirelessly to rebuild trust with local families, businesses, elected officials and Indigenous leaders.
July 8, 2021 – A partnership to provide support for information technology [IT] for the Town of High Prairie and Big Lakes County has been initiated.
At its regular meeting June 23, Big Lakes council approved an Inter-municipal Collaborative Framework [ICF] agreement with High Prairie to add inter-municipal IT services.
Big Lakes council approved a second IT technician position to be funded from the operating contingency reserve for the remainder of 2021 and the regular operating budget for subsequent years.
June 30, 2021 – The recently completed Canadian census is not drawing a very positive response from McLennan town council.
“This damn census was a joke!” stated Councillor Sue Delaurier at council’s June 14 meeting.
There was no objection from any members of council.
“I agree,” said Councillor Dwayne Stout.
PROVINCIAL OPINIONS
July 21, 2021 – Treaty 8 First Nation chiefs and Elders from Treaty 8 communities met on July 11 at Willow Point near Sucker Creek First Nation to share their vision and ideas for the Treaty 8 Child Well Being Legislation at a naming ceremony.
Willow Point is the site where Treaty No. 8 was entered into on June 21, 1899.
“The focus of the developing legislation is to bring our children home,” Grand Chief Arthur Noskey says.
July 9, 2021 – The debt in Canada’s Prairie provinces has grown colossally during the COVID-19 pandemic, just as debt has in the rest of Canada and around the world.
At the end of 2020, Alberta’s debt was estimated at $98 billion, Manitoba’s was $28.6 billion and Saskatchewan’s was $15 billion.
These debts are an economic burden for the taxpayers and their effects will be felt in the long term.
June 30, 2021 – The following statement was released by the Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta June 22:
We, the sovereign chiefs of Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta, mourn the recent discovery of the mass grave of 215 children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School built on the Tk ‘emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation.
Not long after, we felt the pain and trauma again after the discovery of more than 100 children buried at the former Brandon Residential School near Sioux Valley Dakota First Nation.
LOCAL INTERESTS
High Prairie & Big Lakes County
July 22, 2021 – There will be no physician coverage at the Sacred Heart Community Health Centre emergency department July 17-19.
Alberta Health Services made the announcement July 16. No reason was disclosed for the disruption of service.
Specifically, the emergency department will be temporarily without on-site physician coverage Saturday, July 17 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., and again from 7 a.m. on Sunday, July 18, to 7 a.m. on Monday, July 19.
July 8, 2021 – We should not begrudge our friends at the other end of the lake [Slave Lake] for lobbying to secure better health services.
Whether you live in Slave Lake, High Prairie, McLennan, Donnelly, Falher or Peace River, it is up to local politicians to lobby the best they can for services.
It is why news from Slave Lake two weeks ago should send warning bells to High Prairie.
June 30, 2021 – Triangle’s popular weekend of mud bog racing returns on the first weekend of July after being ditched in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The Pioneer Threshermans Association will host the event July 3-4.
“It’s a circuit, so organizers want to keep it going,” association president Henry Nyberg says.
TOPICAL POSTS
July 22, 2021 – The old fire hall in Kinuso has been sold by Big Lakes County at a bargain price.
At its regular meeting July 14, council approved a recommendation to sell the old fire hall for $1 to the Kinuso and District Volunteer Emergency Response Society.
CAO Jordan Panasiuk stressed a clause has also been added to the agreement that disqualifies the society from capital grant funding from the County to upgrade the building and property.
July 9, 2021 – A Slave Lake house with a bad reputation got shut down by Alberta Sheriffs last week. Located on 3rd St. SW, the rented property was known for drug use and trafficking – it had also been the site of two deaths in the past year.
Just recently, someone died from an overdose at the rented home. Last year, someone was stabbed to death on the front lawn.
According to a news release, the court order to evict the tenants and close off the house for 90 days came via the Alberta Sheriffs’ SCAN (Safer Communities And Neighbourhoods) unit.