On the Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 to

Driver licensing system changes

By Murray Green

Almost half a million Alberta drivers will benefit from the elimination of the Class 5 and Class 6 advanced road tests under the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program.

Starting in spring 2023, Alberta will no longer require the advanced road test for Class 5 and Class 6 driver’s licenses. Albertans who successfully complete a 24-month probationary period will automatically qualify for their full Class 5 or Class 6 driver’s license and save $150 by not having to take a second road test. Furthermore, an additional road test will no longer be required to upgrade to a Class 4 license.

These changes are focused on reducing costs and red tape for hundreds of thousands of Alberta drivers while ensuring Alberta roads remain safe.

“Many Albertans have told us that the advanced test costs too much, is a roadblock to finding jobs and has created unnecessary red tape. That’s why we are eliminating the advanced road test for (Class 5) passenger vehicles and (Class 6) motorcycles as well as the additional Class 4 road test while maintaining strong safety standards for drivers,” said Prasad Panda, Alberta Minister of Transportation.

GDL drivers must have no suspensions or traffic violations within their last 12 months of probation, including zero tolerance for any alcohol and/or drug consumption.

Drivers who exhibit poor driving behaviours and incur demerits, or are ticketed for other unsafe driving offences during the last year of their probation will have their probationary period extended for an additional year. Drivers will also be allowed to reduce their probationary period by up to six months if they complete an approved driver training course.

An additional road test will no longer be mandatory to obtain a Class 4 driver’s license, which is required to transport passengers in taxis, ride-share vehicles, limousines, small buses and ambulances. An enhanced knowledge test, driver medical and vision test will still be required to obtain a Class 4 license. With this change, Alberta’s government hopes to attract more competition to the ride-sharing industry.

Eliminating the advanced road test in the GDL program was suggested by many Albertans in a 2019 survey on red tape reduction actions to be taken by government.

About 700,000 GDL drivers currently qualify to take their advanced road test. About 500,000 drivers will be eligible to automatically exit out of the GDL program.

Over the past five years, about 65 per cent of drivers did not take their advanced road test and 99 per cent of motorcycle riders did not take the test.

The current GDL program requires drivers to pass a basic road test, be on probation for two years and be suspension free for the final 12 months of probation before they can take the advanced road test to earn their full driver’s license.

FROM SEPTEMBER 12th to OCTOBER 22nd, 2022

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NEW EQUIPMENT

Murray Green, Camrose Booster

The Camrose County Regional Fire Department members received funds for new ice rescue equipment, an iPad and MegaMover transport carriers at the Silver Creek Golf Course on September 19. Golf campers Brenda and Eric Wyatt presented $1,435 on behalf of the Baconfest Golf Tournament in August. The fire department also received $834 from the Silver Creek Members Tournament featuring entertainers Wine Chicks with Picks (who also donated) at the yearend tournament. An ice rescue training session will be held at the golf course’s ice skating pond in the winter.

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By Lori Larsen

Representatives from the Camrose Sport Development Society Kodiaks organization, directors Greg Wood, Kevin Pratt and Kevin Gurr presented City of Camrose council with a report on the status of the organization during the September 6 Committee of Whole meeting.

Part of the presentation was a request that council consider a rent reduction for a minimum of the first two years of the current 2022 to 2026 lease by eliminating the lease payment on the sky box suites and on the lit concourse signs.

Wood began by providing some background on the Camrose Sport Development Society.

“The Sport Development Society is a non-profit society that was set up to bring Junior A hockey to town 26 years ago.”

The Society began with 27 members, but has decreased over the years; however, Wood said they are in the process of currently rebuilding the board.

“We have always considered a good partnership with the City. The new facility was built in mind with the Kodiaks and the Vikings. It was built as a spectator arena, so we were the benefactor of some foresight of putting the rink together.”

Wood continued, “Because of the Kodiaks success, (in a large part thanks to Boris Rybalka, past head coach and current manager of Kodiaks organization) we had some pretty big years where we won some championships.”

However, he indicated that the Kodiaks business works primarily on the basis of spectators attending the games.

“Ultimately, if we can attract 1,000 to 2,000 spectators into the seats at the arena, the numbers work pretty well. When we can’t, things don’t work as well as we would like.”

He added that fan attendance and some very generous donations (parents) over the years to the facility are crucial to the continued success of the organization.

“From that point of view, we consider this a partnership with the City, there is no profit taken out of this organization. There is no profit motif, whatsoever. It is a community team and there are a few of us still around to try to keep it running.”

Community Impact

Gurr, one of the original investors and board members, spoke on the contributions the Kodiaks organization has made and continues to make to the City.

“We have been on a Royal Junior Age challenge which was a 10-day tournament that brought to the community teams and young athletes from around the world to come and participate. For us, it was a great opportunity to showcase the new facility and the community,” said Gurr, adding that many of the Kodiaks players went on to bigger and better things because of that exposure.

“In 2011, we hosted the Royal Bank Cup (National Championship). City employees were involved with that and it had great success and exposure for the City and the good economic impact.”

He reported that studies conducted after those events indicated that the direct impact was about $2.5 million in the community, and as much as $4 million into the province.

“Also, about six times over the last 10 years, we have hosted a showcase which brings all teams and 40 scouts, using local hotels and restaurants. While it was not necessarily a profitable event for the Kodiaks organization, it brought good economic impact for our community.

“When I speak with people in our (restaurant) industry and the hotel industry, they definitely feel that impact.”

In conclusion, Gurr said that over the years, the Kodiaks continue to create some economic impact and that they appreciate the partnership they have developed with the City.

Pratt added that the economic impact of the arena and all the events (curling) they have been able to have, the arena has been good for Camrose.

“We have names mentioned on Hockey Night In Canada of some players who played in Camrose, so it is pretty good PR.

“We have had some successes, as Kevin (Gurr) mentioned, and we managed to have a bit of a slush fund, but these last three years with COVID have really kicked the heck out of us. Hopefully, we get back to having 800 to 900 people in the arena over the next two or three years, but the last three years has been brutal for us and it really put a dent in our bank account.”

Murray Green, Camrose Booster

Camrose Kodiaks take on the Okotoks Oilers in the first match of the year.

Budget

Reporting on the budget, Wood said the following: “We have cut our expenses the best we can; our budget should be somewhere in the $750,000 range, which is sort of middle of the road for all the teams in the league. There are some that are a lot higher, a few a little bit lower.”

Wood said that in order to maintain, they need a competitive team to win some games and excite the fans. “We have cut our expenses down. We are quite a bit below that this year.

“The single biggest problem that we have right now is that about a third, 35 per cent, of our budget is fan support, and right now, we are at about 200 season tickets. We need about 800 people in the seats to make our budget work.

“Our guess on fans, and hopefully we are wrong, but the pandemic has done a lot of things to people’s interpretation in terms of whether they want to get out.”

He explained that at this poin,t they are looking for ways to reduce expenses and try to save the surplus. “We are budgeting to lose about $80,000 this year just because of that.

“We are just looking at the sky boxes and sign rental and if there is a way we can have a reprieve so our surplus doesn’t disappear on us.”

Council inquires

Mayor PJ Stasko asked, “Is there any other way to optimize the facilities that you rent with any other user groups? Are you open to that?”

Wood replied they are willing to do whatever they need to make it work.

Pratt indicated that the Bear Den, which he said was built and paid for by the Kodiaks organization, has been used by other community groups, such as minor hockey and figure skating, at no cost to the user group.

Wood said that as well, the sky boxes are provided to other community users, such as the curling club, and that the only ask is Kodiaks season ticket holders would get first dibs at using the sky box for other user events, which would include them paying the other user ticket price.

Councillor Kevin Hycha asked if the Kodiaks currently have anything in the works in the way of tournaments that would bring people to Camrose, therefore supporting Camrose businesses.

Wood replied, “We have had the showcase for five or six years then rotated out, but it could appear in the rotation again. There are certainly facilities in our league that can handle it because you need two ice surfaces, and we are one of the few that can do it. But now there is a bid process (to host the event). We would be putting our bids in,

but there are no guarantees.” Gurr added that because of Camrose’s appeal to host event, as it is centrally located close to the airport, it is always an opportunity, but currently the whole league is in some transition. “It has to be set up properly and it is quite a risk, but some of us are eager to do it. We love our facility, so for us to take advantage of it, that is not out of the question.” Councillor Joy-Anne Murphy inquired about any funding assistance from the government. Wood indicated that the government provided wage subsidy through COVID, and the province, in conjunction with major junior, provided every team with $120,000. “That helped get us through. The first year of COVID sputtered–that season didn’t happen at all. “Last year, there was an actual season, but again fan related, it was the worst case scenario because it was pretty much full cost but no fans. So that funding from the province helped all the teams out, and I think we were able to latch onto some help through the City as well. They had some COVID money and we were able to get a reduction on the lease. We did benefit from that last year.” Wood also mentioned that one of the other unfortunate results of COVID impacting Alberta Junior A hockey was that players (parents) now pay to play, in essence to help pay the billeting cost. Councillor Don Rosland asked if other teams in the league are having the same issue. Wood replied that all the teams in the league are struggling, even the premier franchises. “We are hopeful to reinvent ourselves and get some excitement back in the rinks and I think that teams will see the attendance grow. We just don’t know how quickly it will come back for us.” Wood explained that there are some online subscriptions which do help with funds. Councillor Lucas Banack spoke in favour of supporting the request made by the Camrose Sport “The Kodiaks have been in town for 26 years and have done a tremendous Development Society. “The Kodiaks have been in town for 26 years and have done a tremendous amount amount for the community,” commented for the community. I would City of Camrose councillor Lucas Banack. like to see us work with them to help alleviate the financial stresses currently being absorbed by them.” Hycha mirrored that sentiment and also spoke in favour of supporting the request. Councillor DJ Ilg also spoke in support of the request and the Kodiaks. “I am in the position to see having a team of this calibre and what it brings and what it gives back (to the community). If it were a for-profit business, it would be different. It is as important to the City of Camrose that they (Kodiaks) get back in a financially stable position as it is for them (Kodiaks). “This is a hockey community and the youth look up to these guys as role models. The give-back from this organization is incredible.” A motion was carried to direct administration to work with the Camrose Sport Development Society to create a business case for consideration during this year’s budget deliberations.

Like a river flows

In my last years of teaching at Augustana, I have done something out of the ordinary at the start of the first class in my courses. I teach psychology, so why would I start the course by showing pictures of rivers? After spending so many years teaching lots of the important things in psychology, I have decided that there are other important Tim Parker, things that students should Psychology, also know about, especially

University of Alberta if they haven’t heard it be-

Augustana Campus fore.

I start by showing them a picture of the Amazon River, which has lots of meanders, or slow moving curves. Next, I show a picture of the fast flowing North Saskatchewan River which has a much straighter path with few meanders.

At this point there are lots of puzzled looks as the students are thinking “Has he finally lost it?” I ask them if they can guess why I’m showing them these rivers. I ask them if they remember some of the extreme weather events that have occurred over the past couple of years, or even earlier. For example, do they recall the heat dome that enveloped BC in 2021 when the town of Lytton was destroyed by forest fire? Do they recall that last winter the state of Texas underwent a deep freeze that knocked out the entire power system for days? Were they aware that more recently the temperature reached a record high of over 40C in London, England?

Then I say “Here’s another type of river I want to show you. It’s what is called an atmospheric river.” At this point I show a picture of the jet stream. This picture, which is labelled normal, shows a relatively straight jet stream. Then I tell them that the jet stream is driven by the difference in temperature between the frigid air in the Arctic above the jet stream and the much warmer air below the jet stream. Under normal circumstances this is a big difference and the jet stream is quite fast and straight.

But the problem is that the Arctic air is warming rapidly, which drastically reduces this difference. This makes the jet stream slow down, increasing the number of meanders in its path. Now students can see why the fact that slow rivers meander is so important. Southward meanders mean that the cold Arctic air travels south resulting in extremes like the Texas freeze. Northward meanders draw hot tropical air north, which accounts for the heat dome of 2021 in BC and the London heat wave this year. Incidentally, this also accounts for why Great Britain and the rest of northern Europe have experienced very cold winters in the past few years.

I present this information to students to provide them the ability to counter claims they may hear that extremely cold winters “prove” that global warming is a myth. For example, Republican Senator from Oklahoma James Inhofe, who was the Chairman of the Senate’s Environment (my emphasis) and Public Works Committee once opined that “It’s very, very cold out. Very unseasonable.” To prove his point, he pulled out a snowball and threw it at the Senate Chair. Apparently, he did not know about the jet stream and its meanders, or if he did, he chose not to mention it. I think that this is important information for students. Research shows more than half of young people say climate change makes them feel afraid, sad, anxious, angry, powerless and helpless. Helping them understand climate change will help empower them. Having this discussion is worth sacrificing my opportunity to present them with other invaluable psychology content for that brief time in class. My students find this information useful; some have even said they know people who should be told about this. For me, this is a positive outcome. Hopefully, my students, along with the broader community, will better understand and appreciate the ways in which climate change is impacting our lives and take more meaningful action against it.

ARMENA RURAL ELECTRIFICATION ASSOCIATION (REA) PURCHASE PROPOSAL OPEN HOUSE

Following a motion from Armena REA members, the Armena REA Board of Directors has requested a purchase o er from FortisAlberta for the REA’s electricity distribution assets.

FortisAlberta is pleased to present the o er of $13.84 million, or approximately $18,500 per site to the membership and is proceeding with the following information session for all Armena REA members.

We invite you to join FortisAlberta representatives at an open house where we will be available to answer any questions you may have about this proposed o er.

Open Houses: Oct. 12 | 4–8 p.m. Oct. 13 | 11 a.m.–8 p.m.

Location: Hay Lakes Recreation Centre

Member voting on the purchase proposal will occur at the Armena Special General Meeting, Oct. 20, 11 a.m.–8 p.m. at the Hay Lakes Agriplex

FortisAlberta is proud to operate and live in the 240 communities we serve. With more than 1,100 employees who reside in Alberta, this connection to our work – and to our home – means that our customers receive safe and reliable electricity service from a team that cares and who are dedicated to meeting the electricity needs of their neighbours, 24/7/365.

For more information about our upcoming open house, please call 1-844-514-4050.

Bantam Buffaloes in first place

By Murray Green

The Camrose Buffaloes bantam team are in first place in their division as they continue their undefeated season at 4-0. Camrose hosts the Fort McMurray Ravens on Sunday, October 16 at noon onHarry Andreassen Field in Kin Park.

The Buffaloes face the Wolverines in another rematch on Saturday, October 22 at 1:30 p.m. on Emerald Hills Turf Field.

Peewee

The Camrose Buffaloes peewee team defeated the St. Albert Fury, 51-19 on October 2. Camrose play on Saturday, October 22 at 11:30 a.m. on Johnny Bright Stadium (JP Bowl) to take on the North Edmonton Seahawks.

Atom

Atom Navy Buffaloes play the Beaumont Bears on October 16 and the Leduc Cats on October 23 to finish the regular season.

The atom Red Buffaloes play the Leduc Cats on October 16 and against Beaumont on October 23. All games are in Beaumont.

Betty Ann Kandt

March 25, 1942 ~ October 2, 2022

Betty Ann Kandt of Camrose, Alberta, passed away on Sunday, October 2, 2022 at the age of 80 years. Left to cherish her memory are her children Dale Kandt (Jane Hansen) of Hughenden, Dean Kandt (Shelley Rosland) of Camrose, and Cindy Ekdahl (Ralph Jonker) of Edmonton; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Betty was predeceased by her husband Roger; and parents Alex and Eileen Hildreth.

A private graveside service will take place.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Betty’s memory may be made to the Alzeimer Society of Alberta.

To send condolences, please visit www.burgarfuneralhome.com.

Ray Malick

Ray Malick of Sherwood Park, Alberta was born in Daysland, Alberta on July 12, 1931. He passed away in Sherwood Park, Alberta on September 30, 2022 at the age of 91 years.

He is survived by one sister Gladys Plishka; one sister-in-law Marie Malick; numerous family and friends.

Ray was predeceased by his wife Gloria; three brothers Milton, Larry and Dale; sistersin-law Linda and Norma; and brother-in-law Larry.

A graveside service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 15, 2022 at Daysland Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to the Daysland Cemetery.

Phone 780-672-2121 “Dedicated service since 1906”

The family of James Neff

…would like to thank and acknowledge Dr. Kevyn Letley, Dr. Julie Theng, pharmacist Susan Lavoie, Carol Wickstrom from Home Care; Bev Warnock from Home Care/Bethany; and the wonderful staff at Bethany Meadows (Spruce Cottage) for all of your exceptional care and compassion shown to our beloved dad, Jim.

Thanks to Pastor Rev. Dr. Deborah Ann Taylor for your unwavering support and love you showed him, especially during his last three years; also, for your spiritual guidance, ongoing support and a truly beautiful, hope-filled, Christ-centered sermon at his funeral. Thanks to Dr. Roger Admiral for your superb and moving piano playing at the funeral and to the congregation of Bethel Lutheran Church for providing and serving refreshments after the service.

Thanks to Colin Yuha and staff at Burgar Funeral Home for your professionalism and sympathy.

Lastly, we want to thank the many friends and acquaintances who have shown sympathy, support and love during this very difficult time. In lieu of individual thank you cards, a donation has been made in memory of Jim to the Hospice Society of Camrose and District. May God bless you all!

Jim was many things to many people over the years – a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, teacher, professor, music composer, choir director, mentor, colleague and friend, just to name a few. But to his children, he was first and foremost, our dad, and for that gift we couldn’t be more thankful.

In loving memory of Ty Christian Naslund

1999 ~ 2014 Remembering precious memories of you, sweet one. Missing you always, loving you forever. Always in our hearts, Mom, Dad, Ryan, Devin

Lila Lyseng

Lila Lyseng of Camrose, Alberta passed away on October 4, 2022 at the age of 85 years.

She was predeceased by her husband Lyle.

At her request, cremation has taken place and no funeral service will be held.

Memorial donations may be made to the charity of one’s choice.

The most important way to remember those you will never forget.

5016-50 Avenue Camrose, AB T4V 0S5 Phone 780-672-9420 INDOOR SHOWROOM

In memory of Macala Jane Kneeland

May 31, 1997 ~ October 13, 2004

A Child of Mine “I’ll lend you for a little while A child of mine,” God said For you to love the while she lives And mourn for when she’s dead. It may be six or seven years, Or forty-two or -three. But will you, till I call her back Take care of her for me? She’ll bring her charms to gladden you And – should her stay be brief –You’ll have her lovely memories As a solace for your grief. I cannot promise she will stay For all from earth returns, But there are lessons taught below I want this child to learn. I’ve looked the whole world over In my search for teachers true. And from all beings that crowd life’s land I have chosen you. Now, will you give her all your love? Nor think the labor vain? Nor hate me when I come to take This lent child back again? I fancied that I heard you say “Dear Lord, Thy will be done. For all the joys Thy child will bring The risk of grief we’ll run. We will shelter her with tenderness We’ll love her while we may –And for the happiness we have known Forever grateful stay. But should the angels come for her Much sooner than we planned, We’ll brave the bitter grief that comes And try – to understand.” – Author Unknown

Memorial Poems

Available for publication in The Camrose Booster. Ask for our 24-page booklet of poetry. Words of comfort to remember someone special.