BEAVER COUNTY SEED CLEANING CO-OP For Sale: Common Seed Oats, Pony Oats and Barley
Serving all the farms, ranches, acreages and towns in Beaver County
Chronicle
Bruce, Holden, Kinsella Ryley, Tofield, Viking
Phone 780-688-3917 • Holden, AB
The Beaver County
Hubert & Margaret Graham Parts, Sales & Service Bus: 780-663-3759 Res: 780-662-2384 Fax: 780-663-3799
ryalta@digitalweb.net 5108 - 50th St. Ryley, AB., T0B 4J0
A Free Weekly Publication Serving All of Beaver County Wednesday, February 2, 2022, Volume 15, Issue 5
Beaver County funds STARS at $12,000 per year Patricia Harcourt Beaver County agreed to fund STARS Air Ambulance a straight sum of $12,000 per year described as “a standing motion which will be recorded as a line item in on-going annual budgets.” The county previously gave a $2 per capita pledge for three years, a term which had expired. The per capita funding came to $11,810. Of the urban municipalities in the county, only the Town of Tofield contributes to STARS - and has committed to $1 per capita. The decision to give a straight amount was made after a January 19 county council meeting where STARS Foundation Senior Municipal Relations Liaison Glenda Farnden made the request. STARS remains under “strict protocols” regarding COVID-19, she told council, as one in every five missions is virus related. While the organization does receive funding from the government (20%), the majority of funds are received by fundraising efforts. Beaver County has had 79 air ambulance operations occur within its borders between 2017 and 2021, and there has already been a first mission in 2022. “Emergencies don’t always happen close to home and Beaver County residents have access to STARS across Alberta,” she said.
Referring to STARS’ $138 million fleet campaign, she said, just $4 million more is needed to complete the campaign goal. With a new fleet of helicopters, service will only get better. “This does result in STARS providing the highest level in critical care today,” she said. Since its inception in 1985, STARS has flown more than 45,000 missions with no cost to the patient. Beaver County has been in partnership with STARS since 1994. Farnham asked that the county switch from a per capita donation to a fixed rate of $12,000 per year. This allows it to be included in the county’s annual budget and avoids fluctuations based on changes in the population. Deputy Reeve Gene Hrabec (Division 3), who is also the county’s emergency services board chairman, stated that local firefighters “say a lot of
good things” about the STARS Air Ambulances and the staff who have landed in the county on missions. Hrabec said he “fully supports STARS,” and made the motion to give the organization a straight sum of $20,000. “I know they provide an invaluable service.” The gratitude shown STARS is indicated in the local statistics provided in the presentation, including that, from 2017 to 2021 there were 18 missions near Tofield, 20 missions from Viking Hospital (critical inter-facility transfers), 30 missions from Tofield Hospital (critical inter-facility transfers), five missions near Ryley, four missions near Holden, and one mission each for near Kinsella and near Cooking Lake. Yet, Ryley, Holden, and Viking have not donated any funds towards the running of the STARS Air Ambulance service.
County considers draft policy for halls, cemeteries, seed cleaning plant Patricia Harcourt Beaver County Council has asked administration to draft a policy for consideration for local halls, cemeteries, and facilities that qualify to be insured under the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) Insurance Policy. Assistant CAO Margaret Jones explained that Councillor Lionel Williams (Division 2) requested information regarding the eligibility of the Spilstead Community Hall to obtain property insurance through the county’s policy. “Rural community hall organizations obtain property insurance privately,” stated Jones in her report to council January 19. “Beaver County Council has recognized the
financial burden that insurance premiums can place on these groups and provides assistance in the form of a grant to a maximum of $1,000 per year. “The Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA Insurance) provides insurance coverage for Beaver County and approved non-profit organizations,” said Jones. Jones named the Kinsella Recreation & Agricultural Society, Bruce Sports & Stampede Association, Beaver Heritage & Agricultural Society, and Beaverhill Players as additions to the county policies for insurance, or “additional named insureds (called ANIs). Several things are required to be eligible as an ANI, including: be a registered non-profit
organization; bring a benefit to the greater good of the community; and, have a relationship with the county. Jones told council that “RMA Insurance will approve or deny the application at its discretion based on a risk assessment,” and can remove an ANI “at any time.” She added that, “RMA bills the county for the premiums and the county and the county, in turn, bills the ANI. Administration also administers the claims process, if necessary.” Earlier in the meeting, Williams told council that he wanted this “offered as an option.” Council will bring the draft policy back for debate at an upcoming meeting.