January 8 Tofield Mercury

$1 including gst

Your LOCAL Media since 1918!

VOLUME 107: ISSUE 19

Officer involved shooting in Beaver County - pg 7

www.tofieldmerc.com

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Obsidian Ridge hosts first winter wonderland Kelsey Witham Staff Reporter

Obsidian Ridge, a wedding venue located in the west end of Beaver County, hosted their first ever ‘Winter Wonderland’ event over the span of four days during the holiday season, Saturday, Dec. 28 to Tuesday, Dec. 31.

The festive event offered a variety of activities including face painting, a holiday market, and a train ride that was referred to as ‘The Polar Express.’ Winter activities such as sledding and skating were also open to enjoy.

“We considered the event a success! This was our first year running it and we had over a thousand attendees over the four days,” manager of Obsidian Ridge, Raechel Hurd said.

The holiday market consisted of twelve local vendors, mini pot pies, frozen maple syrup, kettle corn, s’mores, and festive drinks were also available for purchase. The event offered giveaways to help collect food for the local food bank.

“A light display was installed, to create an enchanted forest walkway that the children really enjoyed,” Hurd stated.

Obsidian Ridge plans to host this event next season and are looking forward to offering other festival style events in the future.

“A special thank you to all the vendors, volunteers, and staff, as well as our sponsors that helped make this event possible,” owner Layson LaFayette shared.

Thousands of attendees came out to enjoy the winter activities during the Winter Wonderland at Obsidian Ridge on Dec. 29.

Above, skaters enjoyed their time on the ice. LISA KUFLAY PHOTOS

The Polar Express

Above: Families walked along the brightly lit and decorated paths. Below: After walking people could warm up inside and check out the various vendor tables.

Page 2 - The Tofield Mercury, Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Local holiday decorating contest winners announced Kari Janzen Staff Reporter

The municipalities of Tofield, Ryley, and Holden each held their own local holiday lights decorating contest again this past Christmas, encouraging residents to celebrate the festive season.

The winning busi-

nesses in Tofield included Holli Mack Fitness with first, second went to Quilting Country, and third to Tofield RCMP, as voted in by the people. First place in the residential category went to 5135-53 Ave., second to 4511-55 Ave., and third to 5115-56 Ave. In Ryley, first place, receiving $100, went to

4835-54 Ave. and Highway 14 Regional Water Services Commission.

Second place, with a $50 prize, was awarded to 5104-54 Ave., and the Beaver County Shop, and third place, winning $25, went to 4916-54 Ave., and the Ryley Liquor Store.

In Holden 5139-51 Ave. received the grand

The Holden Post Office was the commercial winner in Holden's holiday lights contest, and won $25. PHOTO SUPPLIED

prize title and $100, first place with a $80 prize went to 4835-49 Ave., second place and $60 was awarded to 5015-50 Ave. and third place with $40 went to 4815-51 Ave. The Holden Post Office was the commer-

cial winner, receiving $25.

“All the prizes are in Greenbucks so it can be spent in Holden, sponsored by the Economic Development Committee,” Village of Holden administrative assistant

Amber Kostyk said. Participation was down in Holden and Tofield in terms of entries for the contest, while the Village of Ryley doesn’t have registration and includes all decorated Continued on Page 14

In Holden, first place, with a $80 prize, went to 4835-49 Ave.

780-918-9300 www.lorenzteam.com 5118 50 St., Tofield, AB 4335 53 Ave. Tofield • 2,200 SQFT 1979 2 storey home.

• 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms.

• 22 x 22 attached garage.

• Wood burning fireplace.

• Main floor laundry.

$294,900

1 Beaverhill View Crescent Tofield • Super location for this corner lot on the north edge of Tofield.

• 53 ft x 131 ft lot can accommodate a great number of house plans.

• Fenced on two sides.

$75,750

780-662-4623

www.home-time.net

Kevin Smook - REALTOR®

Celebrating 25 years of serving our Community!

5107 50 St. Tofield • 1979 commercial bay with floor

Greg Litwin, Real Estate Associate greg@lorenzteam.com

area of 760 SQFT. • Plenty of off street parking.

• Suitable for Office and/or retail space.

$75,000

HWY 626 and RGE RD 180 Beaver County • 142.80 acres of farmland. 85 acres cultivate, balance in pasture.

• Has a high building site, 2 dugouts, and fencing on two sides.

$425,000

The Tofield Mercury, Wednesday, January 8, 2025 - Page 3

Christmas Hamper Program MP Kurek slams PM as he moves towards resigning served 110 this Christmas Kelsey Witham

serves families across Tofield, Ryley and Beaver County West.

The program served 110 families this holiday season.

Food donations were collected at various events and locations including the ‘Stuff A Bus’ event that happened during Winterfest. C.W. Sears Elementary School students collected cereal boxes, and watched with great joy as the 290 boxes created a large domino train that lined the hallways.

Ryley School students were able to collect 155 boxes of stuffing which

Staff Reporter

During the holiday season, the community came together once again to help support the Christmas Hamper Program that

Ryley School students collected over 155 boxes of stuffing to donate towards the Hamper Program. Staff and Students stacked the boxes into a large pyramid to see just how big their donation could be beofre sending it off to the Food Bank.

they stacked into a pyramid, and was also donated to the hampers.

“The community’s generosity, including the school’s contributions, ensures families have a Christmas meal as well as additional food items to help get them through the winter break,” Vanita Eglauer, hamper organizer, said.

A majority of the items in the hampers are nonperishable items, but also include a fresh protein such as a turkey or ham, milk, bread, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables.

A seasonal committee, with most members being volunteers, help collect, pack and deliver the hampers, each holiday season.

“The Christmas Hampers have been a great resource for the community for over 15 years and have received significant community support this year,” Eglauer said.e.

Ever want ed to run a full pa but weren ’t sure if y ge ad in the paper ou could a fford it?

IT’S OUR ANNUAL

FULL PAGE AD SALE!

John Mather Staff Reporter

Reaction has been quick after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Jan. 6 that he will eventually be stepping down as both Liberal leader and Prime Minister.

Trudeau made the announcement but his leaving won’t become effective until a successor to him as Liberal leader is chosen and he has also prorogued Parliament until March 24, preventing opposition parties from delivering a non-confidence vote before then.

Battle River-Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek, a longtime

vocal opponent of the Prime Minister, didn’t hold back in offering his condemnation of the outgoing prime minister.

“Today, we see a coward and liar announce to the nation that he is terrified to face the people he is supposed to lead.

Trudeau’s staying or going doesn’t matter;

the entire Liberal Party are putting themselves and their own interests before their country.

“Not only did he announce his resignation, but Trudeau also announced that he is shutting down Parliament and committees for two months.

“He blames parliamentary dysfunction Continued on Page 15

5TH VEGREVILLE DOLL & TOY SHOW (sponsored by DollQuest & Toy Treasures)

VENDORS NEEDED!!!

WHO ARE INTERESTED IN SELLING :

ANTIQUE , VINTAGE , COLLECTIBLE , NEW AND HANDCRAFTED DOLLS & TOYS .

May 31, 2025 $50/ 8’ table VEGREVILLE SOCIAL CENTRE, AB 4802 - 47A STREET contact Virginia at:

780-278-4880 workman.virginia @ gmail.com

Mid-Winter Machinery & Attachment Consignment Auction Hwy #16 East, Alberta - Online Auctions Selling equipment to all four Western provinces and the Northern USA. Listings are now being accepted for our Mid-Winter Machinery & Attachment Consignment Auctions at our Hwy #16 East Location

H #16 E S Y F

SAVE

7 10 , 2025

Location: Hwy #16 & Rge Rd 185 (1 Mile East of Hwy 834) South Side of the Road

Phone: (780) 208-2508 Office Aaron Olson - (403) 913-9644 Justin Janke - (780) 515-0888

OFF! es of u s s i For the5 - Feb. 25 Jan. 1 ay just

You p

* k w / 5 2 $3 k w / 0 0 a $65)

r extr (Colou

OU...

Y F I MOREny papers N E V mpa VE E ont) OR SAin our 4 co Tofield, Lam st u j Book taff, Viking, y a p

You

(Flags

Furt

s count s i d r he

for

le w multip

eeks

!!

WOW!

$5

act y . Cont

780-662-4046 adsmercury@gmail.com

*Promotion is just for full page ads, not all ads in the paper. Other currently discounted promotions may not overlapp

our l

d per to a p l a oc

We are now accepting Listings for this Sale. Any items prelisted by January 10th will be included in our Sales Posters, Newspaper & Radio Advertising, Web Page, Social Media and extensive mailing lists.

Whether you have one piece or a complete line of Machinery give Aaron a call at (403) 913-9644 or Allen at (403) 783-0556 to discuss the best option for you to realize top dollars.

ay!

Allen B. Olson Auction Service Ltd. Rimbey Office - 403-843-2747 - Toll Free - 1-855-783-0556 Hwy #16 East Office - 780-208-2508 Rimbey & Hwy #16 East, Alberta - License No. 165690 Email: abolson@telusplanet.net - Website: www.allenolsonauction.com

Page 4 - The Tofield Mercury, Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Interview with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith Premier speaks with Legislative Reporter George Lee about matters important to rural Albertans

Alberta’s rural heartland will continue to inform the UCP agenda in 2025, Premier Danielle Smith said in a year-end interview aimed at audiences beyond Calgary and Edmonton.

Health care, public safety and housing for seniors are among the issues that small-town, small-city, and countryside Alberta can expect continued progress on, she told George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter and Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association's legislative reporter.

Edited for flow and clarity, the full yearend interview with the premier follows.

George Lee: Good day, Madam Premier.

It’s nice to connect with you.

You and your party have completed a busy year, with about two dozen UCP bills making it to the floor of the legislative assembly and being passed into law.

So as you look back on 2024, how would you describe the approach you’ve taken in advancing your agenda and serving Albertans?

Premier Smith: Yes, it is nice to connect.

And yes, it has been a busy year.

We went into the election talking about key issues that my caucus had identified, like affordability, jobs and the economy, and making sure we have enough people to fill the growing demand for new workers. We had to deal with the significant and growing issues of public safety and mental health, and we also had to reform the health-care system and stand up to Ottawa.

So those have been my guiding principles for my first two years on the job.

Lee: Starting with affordability, jobs and the economy, what have you and your government accomplished?

Premier Smith: We’ve introduced major affordability initiatives. Over the past three years, some $6.5 billion has been spent on helping people with everything from electricity prices through to a fuel tax reprieve through to subsidized childcare, low-income transit passes, food bank grants and discounts for seniors.

It's just remarkable to see the number of people who have come here and who keep coming because there are so many great jobs. Yes, there’s a higher level of unemployment because when people arrive and they're looking for work; there's always a lag time. But the economy keeps

building and keeps creating incredible numbers of new opportunities.

Our construction sector is booming, up 35 per cent year-over-year, including an increase in home construction. We keep hearing multi-billion-dollar announcements, like those from the Industrial Heartland area, all the way to De Havilland and their development of water bombers in Calgary.

So we're pleased about what's happening there.

Lee: Albertans are still experiencing that lag and other economic challenges.

What do you see coming to fruition in 2025 that will help catch things up to the positives in the economy?

Premier Smith: We constantly have new projects that are being updated and announced. And one of our most effective ways of getting to the finish line on those is with our Investment and Growth Fund.

We like that program, especially, because it has allowed us to announce things in rural Alberta and elsewhere.

We're getting concerned that there's only so many houses that can be built and so many jobs that can be created, and that we're getting overwhelmed by the number of newcomers over the last three years. That’s why we've gone to our federal counterpart to allow us to have more control, so that we can identify economic migrants who fit into the jobs that we need and so we can get a handle on the overall number of people coming into the country through various streams. Because it's overwhelming not just us but all the provinces.

We’re worried that we're out of balance and that it's going to start impacting Albertans.

We want to continue to be a destination point for economic migrants because that's a mutually beneficial relationship. If we can have a pathway for someone to become a citizen and fill a job gap, that's perfect.

But we’re very concerned that the numbers of international students, temporary foreign workers and asylum seekers are just too much for the country to handle.

And we've been telling the federal government that.

Lee: Let’s shift to that part of your agenda, then - Alberta’s relationship with Ottawa.

Premier Smith: Standing up to Ottawa; I could talk about that all day long.

We’re pushing them out of our lane so that we align on a 2050 target for carbon reductions, but we don't want them to do anything that will impair investment in electricity or oil and gas production, or any of the other things that we feel that they shouldn't be doing.

So we're going to continue those fights as well.

Lee: There’s been movement in Ottawa in the shift of the Clean Electricity Regulations net-zero target year to 2050 from 2035, matching Alberta. Why don’t you support the federal government on that?

Premier Smith: The Constitution describes federal powers and provincial powers. If I were to say, I'm going to start my own Alberta currency in 2035, and then they came back and said you can't do that, that's unconstitutional. And I said OK, I'll wait until 2050 to set up my own currency.

That isn't the right answer. We're not allowed to set up our own currency. It's in the Constitution, that's a federal power.

That's what we're trying to argue. You stay in your lane and we'll stay in ours.

And so it doesn't matter that they are aligning with where we intend to get to anyway by 2050. What matters is we're the ones who get to decide what that pathway looks like, not them.

We’re glad that they're not intending to put punitive new actions in prematurely, but it’s still not their jurisdiction. So we’re going to keep fighting them on that.

Lee: Public safety is among the priorities you’ve mentioned. That’s a huge issue in rural Alberta, especially as it relates to high crime rates and policing shortages.

Premier Smith: We’ve empowered our sheriffs and continued to roll out new teams, and we've got a couple more teams to come to deal with the border and with fentanyl and with shutting down drug houses.

We’ve heard loud and clear from rural Alberta that they need more hands on deck, and we've been delivering on that.

The same with our mental health and addiction work. We know that you aren't going to solve this problem just by addressing the supply side. You've got to address demand. We've got to make sure fewer people are getting addicted and

staying in addiction.

So we've got a strategy we've been rolling out in rural Alberta, with our corrections facilities that have therapeutic living units, and our recovery communities in Red Deer, Lethbridge and Gunne.

We've got several more coming, including on First Nations, that will create 1,000 new beds dedicated to treatment for mental health and addiction.

Lee: Is it the government’s goal to replace the RCMP in Alberta?

Premier Smith: That’s going to be very much up to the RCMP. The RCMP have not lived up to their obligation to us. We have contracted for 1,911 officers, and at any given time, we're down by 400. We can't let rural Alberta go without policing.

If the RCMP can’t find the personnel to fill those seats, we're going to. We’re going recruit sheriffs, train them up to the level where they can be deployed as police officers, and we're going to do the job.

And we've done that with our Fugitive Apprehension Sheriffs Support Team and with our Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods unit. SCAN has investigated more than 9,500 properties in 126 communities that have been issued safety orders.

We've got north and south surveillance teams in place to support communities, and now there are these border and fentanyl teams we want to put in place.

We want rural Albertans to feel safe.

That's the number one goal.

And perhaps if the RCMP is able to meet their obligation to us, then we'll see more officers from them. But we can't wait. We have to make sure that we're filling that gap, and that's what we're doing.

Lee: Tell us more about the border initiative.

Premier Smith: It’s going to be very important. We're dispatching 51 sheriffs to the border with sniffer dogs and commercial vehicle inspection teams and drones.

We’ll establish a two-kilometre-wide zone to catch people going both in and out, because we know there's a problem with gun smuggling, human trafficking, fentanyl smuggling. We also want to make sure that we're not causing problems from here with any organized crime or gang activity crossing the border.

We’ve been very pleased, by the way, to get feedback already from landowners along the border offering their help.

The Tofield Mercury, Wednesday, January 8, 2025 - Page 5 Lee: Policing relates directly to the government’s relationship with the two associations representing municipalities in Alberta — Rural Municipalities of Alberta and Alberta Municipalities. A common complaint from them in 2024 has been that the province does not consult with them enough when it comes to legislation directly affecting their member municipalities. How do you respond to that?

Premier Smith: We were very unhappy when the federal government came in and inked side deals with a couple of municipalities on housing.

We've got a big problem with housing affordability. What we perceived is that the federal government was picking winners and losers, and when you've got a province with 320 municipalities, and only four or five contracts are signed, that makes a lot of losers.

So we looked at what they were doing in Quebec. The reason Quebec announced a $900 million partnership with the federal government is that they have a law that says you can't do a workaround. If you want to have dollars flow through, you have to go through us, and that’s so the province can use its partnerships with municipalities to make sure that communities are treated fairly.

How was a small community supposed to have any leverage in trying to put their issues on the radar screen of the federal government? That's part of the reason why so many are left out.

We treat our municipalities fairly. We have a local government fiscal framework, and we made sure every single municipality was no worse off under the new formula than under the old one.

We also have processes in place to hear different pressures and be able to do different grants. The feds don't have that, so they should be working with us to use the network that we have to ensure the dollars get to where they're needed.

Lee: How about Bill 20, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act? Premier Smith: People should get used to the fact that this is probably one that's going to have to be amended almost every session. There are just issues that keep coming up. We collect issues that different municipalities raise with us that need a regulatory change and then we implement them.

Next time, we’ll probably do a technical briefing when the bill comes out, so that the municipalities know what the changes are and why we've made them, and so that there’s nothing misconstrued about what it is that we're trying to do. Almost everything we've put in there has been in relation to a problem that we've had to solve or that municipalities have had to solve.

Many individuals in Edmonton and Calgary have asked for political parties, so we're doing a pilot project on that to see if there really is enthusiasm for political parties in Calgary and Edmonton. The two largest cities are the test case, because they already have a lot of money from unions and corporations that are setting up what are basically PACs [political action committees], and so that's kind of like a hidden form of political party. We want that to be more transparent.

On a couple of occasions, we’ve had to change municipal bylaws, and again it’s Calgary and Edmonton.

In Calgary, we had to change the way that they were charging their local access via electricity, because, quite frankly, it was unfair to consumers. And then in Edmonton, when they wanted to continue public health orders, after we'd gotten rid of them, we had to strike down their bylaws.

So it's not often that we want to use that, but it's cumbersome to have to go through and set up a law by a different minister. We wanted to give the Minister of Municipal Affairs more authority to identify those problems, if they emerge, and have a different process to deal with them.

Lee: What’s your perspective on health care issues in Alberta, especially rural Alberta, and what is your government doing to address them?

Premier Smith: We've got a major rural strategy that has us spending $311 million upgrading our existing operating rooms so that they can be high performance and get more surgeries done in local communities. We’re also doing this through charter surgical centres. We've got knees and hips now happening in Rocky Mountain House, and we'll be having more in central Alberta and southern Alberta as we finalize contracts.

The nurse practitioner initiative is all about giving people another health-care option. So we've got nurse practitioners incentivized to set up shop in rural Alberta and work evenings and weekends, and 60 or more have signed up.

Our pharmacy strategy gives more ability for pharmacists to practise in a broader scope. So we've got a network of pharmacies that are building out all over the province to make sure they can provide those services, including prescriptions and some primary care.

And then the major reform we're doing of Alberta Health Services will involve a rural strategy. We want, for example, to get more surgeries done in more facilities closer to home.

Lee: Has the restructuring of Alberta Health Services gone as smoothly as you would have liked?

Premier Smith: I'm very happy, actually, with where we find ourselves. We're entering 2025 with real clarity.

We've got Primary Care Alberta, which is going to be responsible for doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and other frontline professionals to get everyone attached to a family doctor. That was really important work to do.

We've got Recovery Alberta, which is going to take the lead on building out 1,000 beds for mental health and addiction, as I mentioned earlier, to make sure we have another and better place for people who are suffering from those two ailments to be able to get recovered and hopefully live normal lives outside of the hospital.

We made the decision to create Assisted Living Alberta, under Minister Jason Nixon, so that we can partner with communities and with municipalities, the nonprofit sector and the for-profit sector, on building what we think is going to need to be 12,000 new beds for seniors. So I'm very pleased that we've got that.

And with acute care, we finally have Alberta Health Services as a service provider, focusing on the hospitals that

they run, Covenant Health focusing on the hospitals they run, and the charter surgical centres I mentioned before.

We've got a new approach to making sure we've got EMS drop-off, so we've got our well-trained paramedics able to be out treating patients.

I feel like the structure is finally what it always needed to be, to be able to make the changes that we need to make. And so I think it's going to be amazing the progress that we'll make in 2025 and beyond.

Lee: And would that include attracting more doctors and oncologists, for example, and other professionals to make health care more accessible in Alberta?

[Editor’s note: The interview took place before the province’s announcement of a new model for compensating doctors.]

Premier Smith: The opening of the cancer centre in Calgary, I think, was a huge catalyst. Being able to offer a research environment for oncologists is going to be such an advantage, at the preeminent, most modern facility in the country.

It takes time, from when construction is completed to when you're able to fully staff up and have the equipment ready to go. But we're there now, so I'm excited about that.

Also, in partnership with the premiers across the country, we've all realized that we've got these issues of labour shortages in different areas, and that we've got to have a better understanding of how many of each type of specialty we need to graduate and where we are going to do that work. There'll be a report back on that in the spring.

We’ve already begun building out additional training for nurses in rural Alberta, and initial additional training for doctors in rural Alberta with new programs in Grande Prairie and Lethbridge.

The idea is that if you train them in place, they'll probably stay in place. And so we’ll see a lot more of that: training locally to be able to meet local needs.

Lee: Let’s talk about you and your mandate as Premier. What does it mean to you to earn 91.5 per cent support from the UCP membership?

Premier Smith: Well, let’s look at the contrast with what's happening in Ottawa with Justin Trudeau. Half the time we don’t know who's in charge or whether he's going to continue to be in charge.

And we're on the cusp of the most important negotiation of our country's history with the incoming U.S. president, who wants to slap 25 per cent tariffs on us.

That's what happens when you don't have a mandate and you don't have your party firmly behind you.

I feel Alberta is going to be vitally important in trade negotiations, and I feel like my party has given me a mandate to be very strong in pressing Alberta's interests to make sure that we can avoid tariffs.

These things matter. If you don't have that kind of certainty, it undermines your bargaining position and undermines your negotiating position. And I'm just pleased that we're in a position of strength so that we can tackle these negotiations head on.

Lee: Anything else specific to rural Alberta that readers should expect in 2025?

Premier Smith: We're doing a consulta-

tion right now on the Water Act. We want to preserve first-in-time, first-in-right, but we have to figure out ways we can build new reservoirs. That will allow us to create more opportunity for more water rights, so we can have more development.

We want to make sure our waterways are protected from zebra mussels. We don't have the same problem that we're beginning to see in other states and provinces yet, but it would be devastating to our irrigation system if zebra mussels found their way into our waterways. So we’ll be improving our monitoring system, and there are some pretty aggressive initiatives south of the border that we want to keep an eye on.

We are also about to launch a broadbased review of rural hospitals. We want to know: how are they running? What are they doing? What do they need to do more of? What repairs need to be made?

What equipment needs to be put into place? What kind of personnel do they need to make sure people can get care closer to home?

There’s building out our schools, through the $8.6 billion in spending over three years we’ve announced for accelerated construction. We’ve got a big demand all over the province, but some communities are hit more than others.

Some are bursting at the seams. We’ll be hearing from school boards about what their priorities are, and hopefully we’ll be able to get those schools built faster.

Lee: Anything else you want to talk about that isn't getting heard from your perspective?

Premier Smith: There are so many things. I mean, this is the reason why I wanted to represent a mixed riding.

Medicine Hat-Brooks has got a quite large, mid-sized city and a mid-sized town. And then it's got some smaller villages like Rosemary and Duchess, as well as some hamlets like Patricia and Tilley, and a lot of rural areas.

Representing a community that's mixed like this gives me a snapshot of what's going on in other rural communities. I hear about concerns about services at the local hospital. I hear about mental health resources that need to be coordinated through navigation centres. I hear concerns about getting more local seniors housing.

I hear about schools that need to be rebuilt or modernized. I hear about frustrations regarding certain roads and highways and bridges. I hear about campgrounds that need to be reopened.

There are a lot of local issues that I take care of, and that informs the framework for me, to know where there needs to be policy change, to know what needs to be elevated to the provincial legislature.

I'm very aware that a lot of issues take place in rural Alberta. That's why I'm just so pleased that we've got such a strong rural contingent of MLAs so that those voices are always at the table.

Lee: Premier, thank you. I hope we can connect again soon.

Premier Smith: Yes, let's do this more regularly.

Lee’s full interview with Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi can be read at thecommunitypress.com tofieldmerc.com

Page 6 - The Tofield Mercury, Wednesday, January 8, 2025

OPINION

Want to have your say?

Write a Letter: news.tofield@gmail.com (all opinions must be signed to be published)

JOHN’S RANT

Trudeau pulls pin and leaves Canada in limbo So without any real sign of remorse, Justin Trudeau has called it quits.

Thanks for the memories and don’t let the doorknob hit you in the butt on the way out.

In his maudlin words he said he worked hard for middle class Canadians.

Sure he did.

He called middle class Canadians systematic racists. He took offence when middle class Canadians took some trucks and protested in Ottawa, raided their bank accounts, and allowed a few of the court cases against organizers to drag out for years even though the charges amounted to nothing more than mischief.

Trudeau will undoubtedly go down as the worst Prime Minister in this country’s history.

He said he loves Canada and always worked for Canada.

But this is where you have to substitute the word Quebec for the word Canada!

In actuality, his poli-

cies have done more to divide the country and foster more separatist sentiment in many regions of the country.

And those who want to replace Trudeau … well they’re all tainted with the same baggage.

With one possible exception.

Christy Clark, former B.C. Liberal leader is rumoured to be running.

She has had no contact with this current federal government, but her chances of wooing the Liberal masses (is here really such a thing) is slim to none.

With Trudeau gone and a lame duck for the next couple of months, one has to ask who is running Canada?

As it’s written down on paper it should be Justin Trudeau. He, after all, is the Prime Minister.

But he’s destroyed any credibility he may have had, and as readers know I don’t think he had too much to begin with.

His party, the Liberal

don’t seem to want him.

Obviously the other major parties in opposition are apparently aligned to all for a non-confidence vote, something that is long overdue.

That vote would require the support of NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, who has previously done everything he can to avoid toppling the government.

Now he says he is ready, but that gold plated pension he’s chomping at the bit for doesn’t kick in until the end of February.

But with Trudeau’s last act of proroguing parliament until March 24, it guarantees Singh will get this.

So will he once again support his buddy’s Liberal cabal?

Would the people in Burnaby South really re-elect this duplicitous so-called leader after he’s done more to support Trudeau for nothing more than personal gain?

Now, up until m i d - D e c e m b e r, Chrystia Freeland

could have been called to step in for Justin, but he cast her aside much like he has done with other strong women around him, so she resigned and he hasn’t appointed a new deputy prime minister.

He named Dominic LeBlanc as the new finance minister but not as deputy prime minister.

He also got a taste of his own medicine when financial guru in Liberal circles, Mark Carney, didn’t take up the offer to be finance minister after Trudeau told Freeland that’s who he was casting her aside for.

An Angus Reid poll over the holidays showed the Liberals had nose-dived to 16 percent in public opinion polls and they would only win six seats if an election were to be held.

How the mighty have fallen.

So who’s running the country?

Justin took off to hide away in B.C., where he could ski with the kids in relative anonymity over Christmas while

he pondered his fate.

Or so he hoped.

Except he cruised the streets with his posse of RCMP security detail and a few advisors.

So needless to say he was soon spotted by some BC citizens who casually informed Trudeau they didn’t want him in their province, or words to that effect.

So again, who’s running the country?

It seems it has fallen to the provincial premiers.

And leading them is Alberta’s Danielle Smith.

In a couple of weeks, she’ll be attending President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

The only Canadian leader at this event.

She’ll be joined by several aides and bureaucrats who will hold meetings with U.S. officials in Trump’s cabinet and discuss how his proposal of 25 per cent tariffs against Canada can and should be avoided.

She and her crew know the value of Al-

berta’s oil and gas exports to the American market, along with other Canadian exports.

Putting tariffs on this would hurt the American economy as much as it would hurt Canada’s.

Further, Smith has met with and joined an organization of Western U.S. governors who all share similar things in common to both countries.

She has been making the circuit of U.S. cable news networks presenting the case of Canadian exports.

With her knowledge of the subjects raised and her conversational, as opposed to confrontational, style she has been making breakthroughs with U.S. leaders.

In all, it seems Smith is currently leading Canada as the country prepares for the Trump administration.

It makes for an interesting few months at the start of 2025.

JOHN MATHER

SUBSCRIPTION REQUEST FORM Name: ___________________________________ Address: _________________________________ Town: ________________ Prov: _______________ Postal Code: __________ Phone: _____________

Published & Distributed every week at Tofield, Alberta

P.O. Box 150, Tofield, Alberta T0B 4J0 Phone 780-662-4046 E-mail: (Advertising): adsmercury@gmail.com, (News): news.tofield@gmail.com Funded by the Government of Canada

Rates for a one year subscription are:

Within Canada: $40.00

Kerry Anderson

Lisa Kuflay

Crystal Moren

John Mather

Jana Semeniuk

Kari Janzen

Publisher

Manager

Production

Kate Priestley

Office Assistant

(Prices include G.S.T.)

Send payment to:

Box 150, Tofield, AB. T0B 4J0

or pay online anytime at tofieldmerc.com

Reporter

Reporter

Reporter

Michelle Anderson

Payroll Administrator

Disclaimer: Advertisements designed, set, and produced by The Tofield Mercury, as well as pictures, news, editorial content, and other printed material are protected by copyright laws and may not be used or reproduced without the expressed and signed written consent of The Tofield Mercury. In addition, we reserve the right to edit, delay, and/or refuse any and all letters and other material submitted to us without notice.

**Submitted Letters to the Editor and Opinion columns reflect the exclusive thoughts and opinions of the article’s author, and do not necessarily represent the views of this publication or its staff.**

The Tofield Mercury, Wednesday, January 8, 2025 - Page 7

RCMP Report Alberta RCMP officer involved in shooting in Beaver County On Monday, Dec. 23, Tofield RCMP were on scene of a police incident in the area of Range Road 200, located south of Township Road 502.

While officers responded, residents were asked to avoid the area, follow directions of officers, and refrain from posting photos or videos on social media until after the incident has ended. The release said

there was no risk to the public.

In an update provided the following day, RCMP said at approximately 12:10 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 23, members of the Tofield RCMP Detachment attended a rural residence located in Beaver County to arrest a male wanted on outstanding warrants.

Members established containment, notified the

neighbouring residents for safety, and the Alberta RCMP Emergency Response Team from Edmonton arrived to provide assistance.

Unfortunately, during the interaction the male was fatally injured.

Life saving measures were immediately attempted but were unsuccessful and he succumbed to his injuries on scene. No other members of the public or RCMP officers were injured.

In compliance with legislative requirements, the Director of Law Enforcement was immediately notified resulting in the deployment of ASIRT to conduct an independent investigation. The RCMP believes in ac-

Make sure they know you want your vehicle brought to

TOFIELD AUTOBODY

Tofield RCMP looking to speak with owner of Dodge pickup Tofield RCMP is seeking the public’s assistance in relation to a fire that occurred at the Tofield RCMP detachment.

The fire, which took place in the early morning hours of Dec. 2, 2024, has been deemed an arson by investigators.

Tofield RCMP are looking to speak with the driver of a dark coloured 2009-2012 Dodge Ram 1500 series Quad Cab who was

countability and transparency and in so doing will provide full support to the ASIRT investigators. Events like this are difficult for everyone involved.

You can choose where your vehicle is taken for repair unless: • Your vehicle is impounded • You’re unable to express your wishes or • You don’t have written emergency instructions

seen driving in the area at the time of the fire.

Anyone with information on this incident or the driver of the vehicle are asked to contact Tofield RCMP at 780-662-3352.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.

• Complete collision service • Windshield Repair & Replacement • All Insurance Companies • Guaranteed Workmanship

780-662-3432 4908 - 52 Ave.

COIN COLLECTIONS CASH FOR COIN COLLECTIONS & ACCUMULATIONS OF COINS! ROYAL CANADIAN MINT COINS, OLD COINS, OLD PAPER MONEY, SILVER COINS, GOLD COINS, RARE COINS ETC Also buying all Silver, Gold, Nuggets, Scrap, Coins, Old Jewelry, Bullion, Ingots, Sterling Silver, Old Quality Watches working or not, Rolex, Omega ++

TODD 780-504-7995 BROAD REACH at an AFFORDABLE PRICE

Advertise Province-wide with a combined circulation of over 650,000 for only...

Ask about the

799

$

Value Ad Network

or visit your community newspaper

Bardo Lutheran Church Salem Mennonite Church Worship: Sundays at 10:30 AM 49232 Rge Rd 184 Tofield, AB Pastor Calvin Andringa Sunday Worship Services: In Person – 10:00 AM Streaming – 10:00 AM Livestream available at: tofieldalliancechurch.com

We find joy and hope when we are joined to and rooted in Christ!

Pr. Peter Beckman www.bardolutheranchurch.ca 780-662-2762 • 5907 - 49 Street 5609 48th St. - 780-662-3411 TOFIELD COMMUNITY CHURCH Sunday Worship Service 10:30am

Tofield United Church

www.tofieldchurch.com

4832 - 53 Ave, Tofield

4619 - 57 Ave

(780) 662-3 3166

plus GST

Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association

toll free 1-800-282-6903 x225 email classifieds@awna.com

Church Directory

Lead Pastor:

Jon Stewart Children/Youth Pastor:

Nathan Nichols

Sunday Worship Service @ 10 am in person or via zoom/phone

for more information call 780.662.3471 or email tofieldunited@gmail.com

Pastor Mark Loewen 780-662-2365 Sunday School for all ages at 9:45 am Sunday Worship 10:45 am

St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Parish Pastor: Fr. Jim Corrigan Sunday Mass @ 11 A.M. 5523 - 50 st. Tofield, Ab.

Coffee and snacks after Mass, everyone welcome!

Contact Wendy @ 780-232-5300

Page 8 - The Tofield Mercury, Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Tofield sea cadets honoured at formal dinner Cassandra Lundbek Staff Reporter

On Saturday, December 14, the 56 Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps Nootka, Tofield, honoured their cadets with a formal dinner.

Sixteen cadets, dressed in some of their finest attire, were served dinner by their parents.

Tofield Legion Sergeant-at-Arms Chris Shaw attended as an honourary guest, presenting four members with memorial pins as a thank-you for assisting with the poppy fund this year.

The pins were presented to Master Cadet (MC) Manning, MC Torpe, MC Ferguson, and Civilian Instructor (CI) Cappella.

“The cadets really enjoyed themselves,” said CI Cappella, going on to describe how the kids spent the evening joking around and performing little skits.

They had a few door prizes and are hoping to have more next year, as part of efforts to increase community involvement and the group’s local visibility.

With several upcoming events, Cappella encourages new potential members to come out on Thursday nights at the Tofield Community Hall.

On January 18-19, current cadets will participate in a marksmanship weekend at the Sherwood Park Fish and Game Club, giving them an

opportunity to earn their marksmanship badge.

“We have a lot of really cool things planned for the kids to do while waiting

their turn to shoot,” stated Cappella, referencing boat building and other activities.

She added that the club is fortunate to

have a weekend meetup planned in Wainwright on January 24-26, where cadets will join others for a weekend of learning and camaraderie.

They will conclude the month with their Christmas party on January 30, which had to be rescheduled from December 19 due to weather.

The 56 Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps Nootka, Tofield, gathered together for a formal dinner on December 14. Six cadets were served dinner by their parents, and pins were handed out. Pictured Standing L-R: Tofield sea cadets Manning, Russell, Godin, Cross, Allen, Biglow, Bremner, Torpe, Ferguson, Meyn, Hall, Hill, Russell.

Seated: CI Tucker, CI Cappella, Tofield Legion Sergeant-at-Arms Chris Shaw, Coxwin Hill. LT(N) Braim, CV Boos, CV Cappella. PHOTO SUPPLIED

24104BA1

BEAVER EAVER C COUNTY S SEED EED CLEANING LEANING C O OP B CO O--OP OP BEAVER EAVER COUNTY OUNTY SEED C CLEANING LEANING C O OP For September Sale:November Common Seed Call OPEN to book yourOats, &BY October seed cleaning!

APPOINTMENT ONLY Pony and Barley Open byOats appointment only

Serving all the farms, ranches, acreages and towns in Beaver County

Chronicle

Bruce, Holden, Kinsella Ryley, Tofield, Viking

Phone780-688-3917 780-688-3917 •• Holden, Holden, AB AB Phone 780-688-3917 Phone AB Phone 780-688-3917 • • Holden, Holden, AB

The Beaver County

Hubert & Margaret Graham Parts, & Sales & Service Margaret Graham Hubert Sales & Service Parts, Bus: 780-663-3759 Bus: 780-663-3759 Res: 780-662-2384 780-662-2384 Res: Fax: 780-663-3799 Fax: 780-663-3799 ryalta@digitalweb.net

5108 - ryalta@digitalweb.net 50th St. Ryley, AB., T0B 4J0

A Free Weekly Publication Serving All of Beaver County

5108 - 50th St. Ryley, AB., T0B 4A0

Wednesday, November , 2025, 2023, Volume 16, Issue 46 Wednesday, 4, 2024, Volume 17, Issue 49 Wednesday,December January 8, 18, 01 Wednesday February 16 2022Volume Volume 15Issue Issue 7

County looks to adopt mediation services policy Patricia Harcourt Beaver County Council will consider adopting a Mediation Policy to help neighbours resolve conflicts within the county’s jurisdiction.

Council will consider approving Policy #CS-019, with its accompanying administrative procedure.

The policy is needed as Beaver County has entered into an agreement with Strathcona County Community Mediation Society (SCCMS) to provide conflict resolution services to county residents.

Margaret Jones, manager of legislative services, reports that do date a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed, “and a formal contract will be presented.”

The policy considered, “outlines the scope of services provided and guides how county residents may access them.” stated Jones, in her

report to council.

She added: “The policy will enable Strathcona County Community Mediation Services Society (SCCMS) to accept referrals from Beaver County as well as requests for assistance directly from residents directly.

“SCCMS can discontinue services if the parties do not act respectfully or when the mediation feels unsafe when engaging with one of the parties.”

Jones said that county residents will receive communication that this service is being made available to them. They can expect to find this information in the Chronicle, social media and county websites, Anyone wishing to avail themselves of this service can expect the county to provide space for meetings between the mediator and the residents, if requested by them.

The county will also be responsible for paying mileage to the SCCMS mediator if a meeting is held outside their offices in Strathcona.

The policy’s introductory mandate states that: “Beaver County regulates land use and encourages good neighbour relationships through the planning and community standards bylaws. To address conflicts that cannot be resolved independently or by other agencies or organizations, the county will partner with the Strathcona County Community Mediation Service to provide mediation services.”

Any county resident wanting this mediation service must contact the county in writing, including a list of requirements in the letter that include, in part, names and contact numbers the nature of the dispute and what efforts have already been

made to resolve the issue.

“The resident will be advised in writing if his/her request will not be referred, responded to, or mediation is being discontinued, and the reason for the decision,” states the policy.

Also, SCCMS ”will advise the county of any acts of violence and assist with investigations, if warranted. under the Workplace Violence Prevention Policy.”

SCCMS will provide the county, upon request, a list of county residents who have received mediation services and the outcome of this, with the information being provided “in confidence.”

One a month the general manager of community services will meet with SCCMS “to review the services provided.” The CAO and GM of community services will also do this on a semi annual basis.

County considers amendments to rural collaboration framework Patricia Harcourt Beaver County will consider additions to the framework for inter-municipal collaboration within the Beaver Region.

Council will also consider recommending a review to the municipalities in the Beaver Region of their Shared Services Agreements.

The idea is for administration “to execute an agreement to each of the following inter-municipal collaboration frameworks to enable an extension of the review process to 2027.”

Listed under this review were inter-municipal collaboration frameworks (ICFs) with Strathcona County, Lamont, Minburn, Wainwright, Flagstaff, Camrose

and Leduc.

Council can also ask administration to prepare a proposal for the Beaver Regional Partnership (BRP) for a review of the SSAs in the Beaver Region.

Margaret Jones, Manager of Legislative Services, provided background on this matter at the Dec. 18 county council meeting.

In 2020, the county entered into ICFs with “with each of its urban and rural neighbours,” she said, in accordance with the Municipal Government Act (MGA).

“The ICFs outlined the shared services between each pair of municipalities,” stated ones, in her report to council.

“The review (of Strathcona/Beaver ICF) is to be

considered by administration; in other (ICFs) it is to be considered by council or a committee of council.”

Changes to ICF legislation is expected for 2025, according to a Municipalities of Alberta notice, said Jones.

“The notice also indicates that the provincial government is recommending that municipalities with ICFs that require a review prior to 2027 attempt to work with each other to delay the review process until the spring of 2-27,” explained ones.

She added: “The county has excellent relationships with the rural municipalities and none have expressed the need for a review at this time.”

As for the ICFs with the towns of Tofield and Viking, and the villages of Ryley and Holden, administration suggested that the Beaver Region use the delay to review the process as an opportunity to review the shared service agreements, said the report.

“Many of the shared services agreements are 10 years old and there appears to be a need for some standardization or modernization in the way that expenses are calculated and/or recorded.”

For that reason, administration was recommending that this project be proposed for the Beaver Regional Partnership’s review, with a recommendation that each council participate, said Jones.

2 - Beaver County Chronicle, January 8, 2025

IȸȒȅ zȒɮƺȅƫƺȸ ‫ ًגא׎א ً׏‬ɎȒ xƏɵ ‫ً׏ב‬ ‫ ًדא׎א‬ƫȸǣȇǕ ƏǼǼ Ɏǝƺ ɖɀƺƳ ȵǼƏɀɎǣƬ ƫƏǼƺȸ Ɏɯǣȇƺ ɵȒɖ ƬƏȇ ȸȒɖȇƳ‫ٮ‬ɖȵ ɎȒ Ə ȵƏȸɎǣƬǣȵƏɎǣȇǕ ǼƫƺȸɎƏ ƬȒǼǼƺƬɎǣȒȇ ɀǣɎƺ ٢!ǼƏɵɀɎȒȇƺ٣ ǔǔȒ Ȓȸ Ə ƬǝƏȇƬƺ ɎȒ ɯǣȇ Ə ƬƏɀǝ ȵȸǣɿƺٍِ

ɯɯɯِƬǼƺƏȇǔƏȸȅɀِƬƏٖ​ٖǕ ǕȸƺƏɎ‫ٮ‬Ɏɯǣȇƺ‫ٮ‬ȸȒɖȇƳ‫ٮ‬ɖȵ

¨« ¨0«Áç Á æ (0 (nXz0 ¨ǼƺƏɀƺ ȇȒɎƺ ɎǝƏɎ Əȇ ƏƳƳǣɎǣȒȇƏǼ ȵƺȇƏǼɎɵ Ȓǔ ‫ ۏה‬ɯǣǼǼ ƫƺ ƏƳƳƺƳ ɎȒ Əȇɵ ȒɖɎɀɎƏȇƳǣȇǕ ɎƏɴƺɀ Ȓȇ hƏȇɖƏȸȸɵ ɵ ‫ِדא׎א ًה׏‬

¨ǼƺƏɀƺ ƺȇɀɖȸƺ ɎǝƏɎ ƏǼǼ ɎƏɴ ȵƏɵȅƺȇɎɀ Əȸƺ ȅƏƳƺ Ȓȇ Ȓȸ ƫƺǔȒȸƺ hƏȇɖƏȸɵ ‫ًד׏‬ ‫ِדא׎א‬ xƏǣǼƺƳ ȵƏɵȅƺȇɎɀ ȅɖɀɎ ƫƺ ɀƺȇɎ ɎȒ‫ ي‬ ƺƏɮƺȸ !ȒɖȇɎɎɵ ɵً Ȓɴ ‫« ً׎ג׏‬ɵǼƺ Ǽƺɵ ɵً ً Á‫׎‬ ‫ ׎ ג‬ ‫ ג‬ ‫ٽ‬ȵȒɀɎȅƏȸǸ ȅɖɀɎ ƫƺ Ȓȇ Ȓȸ ƫƺǔȒȸƺ ‫ٽ‬ȵ hƏȇɖƏȸȸɵ ɵ ‫׮ת‬ ‫׮‬٦٦ ‫ש׫‬ ‫׫ש‬ ‫׮׫‬ ‫׮‬٫٫‫پ‬ ªɖƺɀɎǣȒȇɀ٬ ¨ǼƺƏɀƺ ƬƏǼǼǼ٥٥ ‫ױװ‬ ‫ׯׯډשױװ‬ ‫׬ׯ‬ ‫װ׬ډ׬‬ ‫׬װ‬ ‫ ׬‬٫ ‫ש׬‬

ƺ Ə ɮ ƺ ȸ ! Ȓ ɖ ȇ Ɏ ɵ ۴ ‫ ׎ ד ٮ ׎ א ׏ ד‬Ɏ ǝ ³ Ɏ ȸ ƺ ƺ Ɏ ً Ȓ ɴ ‫ « ً ׎ ג ׏‬ɵ Ǽ ƺ ɵ ً Á ‫ ׎ ג ׎‬۴ ‫ ׎ ב ו ב ٮ ב ה ה ٮ ׎ ז ו‬۴ ƫ ƺ Ə ɮ ƺ ȸ ِ Ə ƫ ِ Ƭ Ə

Beaver County Chronicle, January 8, 2025 - 3

ƺƏɮƺȸ !ȒɖȇɎɵ ǣɀ ƬɖȸȸƺȇɎǼɵ ƏƬƬƺȵɎǣȇǕ ɀɖƫȅǣɀɀǣȒȇɀ ǔȒȸ Ɏǝƺ ǔȒǼǼȒɯǣȇǕ‫ي‬ «Iª‫א׎ٮדא׎א‬XzI«‫ דא׎אٮאא׎א ي‬ÁƏȇƳƺȅ ³ȇȒɯȵǼȒɯ ³ƏȇƳ ÁȸɖƬǸ !ǼȒɀƺɀ‫ ي‬hƏȇɖƏȸɵ ‫ ׎׏ ۬ דא׎א ً׎א‬Əِȅِ nȒƬƏǼ Ɏǣȅƺ ¨ǼƺƏɀƺ ǔǣȇƳ ƬȒȅȵǼƺɎƺ ǣȇǔȒȸȅƏɎǣȒȇ ǔȒȸ ƏǼǼ ȸƺȷɖƺɀɎɀ Ȓȇ Ȓɖȸ ɯƺƫɀǣɎƺ ‫ ڽ‬ɖɀǣȇƺɀɀ ‫ڽ‬ «I¨ɀً ÁƺȇƳƺȸɀً nƺƏɀƺɀ ۭ ³ƏǼƺɀ

Xx¨ «Á zÁ ( Á0³ hƏȇɖƏȸɵ ‫ד׏‬ ‫ ׎בيח‬Əِȅِ ‫ א׏ ٮ‬ȵِȅِ ‫ ٮ‬JȒɮƺȸȇƏȇƬƺ ƏȇƳ ¨ȸǣȒȸǣɎǣƺɀ !ȒȅȅǣɎɎƺƺ xƺƺɎǣȇǕ ‫ ׎בيג ٮ ׏‬ȵِȅِ ‫« ٮ‬ƺǕɖǼƏȸ !ȒɖȇƬǣǼ xƺƺɎǣȇǕ IƺƫȸɖƏȸɵ ‫ד‬ ‫ ׎בيח‬Əِȅِ ‫ ׎בيג ٮ‬ȵِȅِ ‫ ٮ‬JȒɮƺȸȇƏȇƬƺ ƏȇƳ ¨ȸǣȒȸǣɎǣƺɀ !ȒȅȅǣɎɎƺƺ xƺƺɎǣȇǕ IƺƫȸɖƏȸɵ ‫ח׏‬ ‫ ׎בيח‬Əِȅِ ‫ ׎בيג ٮ‬ȵِȅِ ‫« ٮ‬ƺǕɖǼƏȸ !ȒɖȇƬǣǼ xƺƺɎǣȇǕ

áR Á³ R ¨¨0zXzJ Xz È« ! xxÈzXÁ Áç ç

ƺƏɮƺȸ !ȒɖȇɎɵ ǣɀ ȵǼƺƏɀƺƳ ɎȒ Ȓǔǔƺȸ xƺƳǣƏɎǣǣȒȇ ³ƺȸɮǣƬƺɀ ǣȇ ȵƏȸɎȇƺȸɀǝǣȵ ɯǣǣɎǝ Ɏǝƺ ³ɎȸƏɎǝƬȒȇƏ !ȒɖȇɎɵ !ȒȅȅɖȇǣɎɵ xƺƳǣƏɎǣȒȇ ³ȒƬǣƺɎɵ ٢³!!x³٣ِ Áǝǣɀ ǔȸƺƺ ɀƺȸɮǣƬƺ ƏɀɀǣɀɎɀ ȸƺɀǣƳƺȇɎɀ ǣȇ ȸƺɀȒǼɮǣȇǕ ƳǣɀȵɖɎƺɀ ȸƺǼƏɎƺƳ ɎȒ ǔƺȇƬǣȇǕً ȇȒǣɀƺً ȵƏȸǸǣȇǕً ȵƺɎɀً Ɏȸƺƺɀً ƏȇƳ ȅȒȸƺِ RȒɯ XɎ áȒȸǸɀ‫ي‬ !ȒȇɎƏƬɎ ³!!x³ (ǣȸƺƬɎǼɵ‫« ي‬ƺƏƬǝ ȒɖɎ ɎȒ ³!!x³ ǔȒȸ ǕɖǣƳƏȇƬƺ ƏȇƳ ɀɖȵȵȒȸɎِ !ȒȇǔǣƳƺȇɎǣƏǼ «ƺǔƺȸȸƏǼ‫ ي‬ɖɎǝȒȸǣɿƺ Ɏǝƺ !ȒɖȇɎɵ ɎȒ ȵȸȒɮǣƳƺ Ə ƬȒȇǔǣƳƺȇɎǣƏǼ ȸƺǔƺȸȸƏǼ ɎȒ ³!!x³ Ȓȇ ɵȒɖȸ ƫƺǝƏǼǔِ ȇ ³!!x³ ȅƺƳǣƏɎȒȸ ɯǣǼǼ Ȓǔǔƺȸ Ɏǣȵɀ ǔȒȸ ƏƳƳȸƺɀɀǣȇǕ Ɏǝƺ ƬȒȇǔǼǣƬɎ Ȓȸً ɯǣɎǝ ɵȒɖȸ ȵƺȸȅǣɀɀǣȒȇً ǼǣƏǣɀƺ ƫƺɎɯƺƺȇ ȵƏȸɎǣƺɀ ɎȒ ǔƏƬǣǼǣɎƏɎƺ Ə ȸƺɀȒǼɖɎǣȒȇِ ³!!x³ !ȒȇɎƏƬɎ ǣȇǔȒ‫ي‬ ¨ǝȒȇƺ‫ דגגזٮגהגٮ׎זו ي‬Ȓȸ ‫דגגזٮזחדٮוזד‬ 0ȅƏǣǼ‫ ي‬ƬȒȅȅɖȇǣɎɵȅƺƳǣƏɎǣȒȇ۬ɀƬƬȅِƬƏ

ȒȒǸ !Ǽɖƫ nȒƬƏɎǣȒȇ‫« ي‬Ȓɀɀ !ȸƺƺǸ !ȒȅȅɖȇǣɎɵ RƏǼǼً ‫« ׏ג׎׏בד‬Ǖƺ «Ƴ ‫׏ח׏‬ «ɖȸƏǼ ƫȒȒǸ ƬǼɖƫ ɎǝƏɎ ȅƺƺɎɀ Ɏǝƺ ǔǣȸɀɎ ÁɖƺɀƳƏɵ Ȓǔ ƺƏƬǝ ȅȒȇɎǝِ xƺƺɎǣȇǕɀ ȸɖȇ ǔȸȒȅ ‫¨ו‬x ‫¨ז ٮ‬xً ƏǼǼ ƏǕƺɀ ɯƺǼƬȒȅƺٍ ÁȒǔǣƺǼƳ ‫ ٮ‬ÁǝɖȸɀƳƏɵɀً ‫¨ ח ٮ ז‬x ƏɀƺȅƺȇɎ Ȓǔ ƏȸƳȒ nɖɎǝƺȸƏȇ !ǝɖȸƬǝً ‫ וד ובוג‬ɮƺً ÁȒǔǣƺǼƳِ àǣǸǣȇǕ

‫ ٮ‬áƺƳȇƺɀƳƏɵɀً ‫¨ ז‬xً ñȒȒȅ ȒȵɎǣȒȇ ƏǼɀȒ ƏɮƏǣǼƏƫǼƺِ JȒǼƳƺȇ àƏǼǼƺɵ nɖɎǝƺȸƏȇ !ǝɖȸƬǝً ‫ הד ואבד‬ɮƺً àǣǸǣȇǕِ ǝɎɎȵɀ‫ٖ​ٖ​ٖ​ٖي‬ƏȸƺƏ‫זו‬ƏƏِȒȸǕٖȅƺƺɎǣȇǕɀٖ​ٖ‫בٮוג׏׏‬ ³ɖƫȅǣǣɎɎ ɵ ɵȒ Ȓɖȸ ƺɮ ɮƺ ƺȇɎ‫ٱ‬ɀ Ɏ‫ٱٱ‬ɀɀ٦٦ ȅƺƺɎǣȇǕɀ ƏȇƳ‫ٱٱ‬Ȓ Ȓȸ ǕƏɎǝƺȸǣǣȇ ȇǕɀ ɎȒ Ɏǝƺ ƺɮ ɮƺ ƺȇɎɀ Ɏɀ ƬƏǼƺȇƳƏȸ Ȓȇ Ɏǝƺ ɯƺƫ ɯƺ ƫɀɀǣǣɎɎƺ٨ hɖ ɖɀɀɎ ǝƺƏƳ ɎȒ Ɏǝƺ ɯ ɯƺ ƺƫɀǣɎƺ ƺ٦٦ ɖȇƳ Ƴƺ ƺȸ Ɏǝƺ 0ɴ ɴȵ ȵǼǼȒ Ȓȸȸƺ ƺ ȅƺȇɖ ƬǼǣƬ ǣƬǸ Ȓȇ ! !Ȓ ȒɖȇɎɎɵ ɵ «ƺǕǣȒȇ 0ɮ ɮƺ ƺȇɎɎɀɀ ! !Ə ƏǼƺȇƳ ƳƏ Əȸȸ٫٫ á áƺ ƺ ǝƏɮ ɮƺ ƺ ȵƏȸɎȇƺȸȸƺ ƺƳ ɯ ɯǣǣɎǝ JȒ 0Ə ƏɀɀɎ ɎȒ ɀǝƏȸȸƺ ƺ ǼȒƬƏǼ ƺɮ ɮƺ ƺȇɎɎɀɀ Ȓȇ Ȓɖȸ ɯƺƫ ɯƺ ƫɀɀǣǣɎɎƺ٨

(0à0n ¨x0zÁ ¨0«xXÁ³ zȒȇƺ ƏɎ Ɏǝǣɀ Ɏǣȅƺ٫

IǣȇƳ ȅȒȸƺ ǣȇǔȒȸȅƏɎǣȒȇ Ȓȇ Ȓɖȸ ɯƺƫɀǣɎƺ ɖȇƳƺȸ Ɏǝƺ ³ƺȸɮǣƬƺɀ ȅƺȇɖِ

³ ÁÈ«( ç ç zÈ «ç ‫¨ ׏ ًז׏‬x ! xxÈzXÁç R nn ‫ ח‬ɮƺِ R n(0zً

³ɎƏɵ ǣȇ Ɏǝƺ ǼȒȒȵٍ

I « x «0 XzI ‫ي‬ (Əɮƺ ‫חבזדٮ׎אוٮ׎זו‬ Ȓȸ ƫƺƏɮƺȸǝǣǼǼȵǼƏɵƺȸɀ‫۬ו׏‬ǕȅƏǣǼِƬȒȅ

xƏǣǼǣȇǕ ǼǣɀɎ JƺɎ ȇƺɯɀً ȅƺƺɎǣȇǕ ǝǣǕǝǼǣǕǝɎɀً Ɏǝƺ ȸȒƏƳ ƬȒȇɀɎȸɖƬɎǣȒȇ ɀƬǝƺƳɖǼƺً Ɏǝƺ !ǝȸȒȇǣƬǼƺً ƏȇƳ ȅȒȸƺ ‫ ٮ‬ƳǣȸƺƬɎ ɎȒ ɵȒɖȸ ǣȇƫȒɴٍ

³ȒƬǣƏǼ ȅƺƳǣƏ

áƺƫɀǣɎƺ

IǣȇƳ ɖɀ Ȓȇ IƏƬƺƫȒȒǸً æ ٢ÁɯǣɎɎƺȸ٣ً XȇɀɎƏǕȸƏȅً çȒɖÁɖƫƺً ƏȇƳ nǣȇǸƺƳXȇِ

XȇǔȒȸȅƏɎǣȒȇ Ȓȇ !ȒɖȇɎɵ ȵȸȒǕȸƏȅɀ ƏȇƳ ɀƺȸɮǣƬƺɀ ƬƏȇ ƫƺ ǔȒɖȇƳ Ȓȇ Ȓɖȸ ɯƺƫɀǣɎƺً ƏǼȒȇǕ ɯǣɎǝ Ɏǝƺ ǼƏɎƺɀɎ ȇƺɯɀِ

ƺ Ə ɮ ƺ ȸ ! Ȓ ɖ ȇ Ɏ ɵ ۴ ‫ ׎ ד ٮ ׎ א ׏ ד‬Ɏ ǝ ³ Ɏ ȸ ƺ ƺ Ɏ ً Ȓ ɴ ‫ « ً ׎ ג ׏‬ɵ Ǽ ƺ ɵ ً Á ‫ ׎ ג ׎‬۴ ‫ ׎ ב ו ב ٮ ב ה ה ٮ ׎ ז ו‬۴ ƫ ƺ Ə ɮ ƺ ȸ ِ Ə ƫ ِ Ƭ Ə

4 - Beaver County Chronicle, January 8, 2025

BRCF provides funding to BeaverHill Bird Observatory Society The Battle River Community Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant to the Beaverhill Bird Observatory Society. Accepting the donation was Geoff Holroyd, Board Chair, and Remi, a Burrowing Owl. According to Holroyd, “This Battle River Community Foundation grant will allow the Beaverhill Bird Observatory to take our BirdSmart Education Program into rural schools along with a live owl and raptor.”

The BirdSmart Education Program, according to the Beaverhill Bird Observatory website, runs primarily in the winter months, with biologists giving presentations focusing on bird conservation, diversity, climate change

and research.

School presentations, in person and online, are given to Grades 12 to Pre-K and are linked to the Alberta school curriculum, integrating bird information into the sciences, social sciences and/or language arts.

The program is also available to other groups such as after-school groups, seniors’ homes, birthday parties, and more.

The Beaverhill Bird Observatory was established in 1984 and is the second oldest migration monitoring observatory in Canada.

The grant for the Beaverhill Bird Observatory Society is funded from income earned from the Grattidge Family Fund.

Battle River Community Foundation Board Member Sharleen Chevraux presents a cheque to Beaverhill Bird Observatory Society Board Chair Geoff Holroyd and Remi, a Burrowing Owl.

Notice of the 48th FSCD staff cuts worry parents ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Brett McKay

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Parents of children with disabilities are concerned that staff cuts within a provincial support program will make it harder for families to access the services they need.

Earlier this month, 12 caseworkers in Alberta’s Family Supports for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) program were informed their contracts will not be renewed when they expire.

FSCD is responsible for providing eligible families with various services, such as counselling, aides for behavioural or developmental support, and help with medical expenses.

The recent staff reductions, combined with the loss of seven FSCD caseworker positions in September, impacts families in several ways, says Keltie Marshall, cofounder Hold My Hand Alberta, a volunteer organization that helps parents of kids with disabilities.

“Reducing staff during a period of rapid population growth, alongside a stagnant budget for this department, means exorbitant waits of up to three years. It means we

are preventing disabled children and their families from accessing necessary therapies and services to help them thrive,” Marshall said.

“We cannot be silent when this is happening alongside another large provincial budget surplus.”

Ashley Stevenson, press secretary to the Minister of Seniors, Community, and Social Services, said funding for FSCD has been maintained at $233.8 million for the 2024-25 budget, and there has been no reduction in department employees.

“The department regularly reviews its recruitment needs on an ongoing basis to ensure staffing levels are stable and consistent across the province. As part of this process, the 12 temporary FSCD contractors that you mentioned were notified earlier this month that their contracts will not be extended once they expire,” Stevenson said.

“The end of these contracts for temporary employees will not affect the ability of families to access services in their agreements.”

Marshall said it is already a struggle for families have their child assessed and get on the waiting list for FSCD,

and education supports have been “reduced to unsafe levels, let alone levels where children can have their needs met and become their best selves.”

“Each thing we have to fight for and justify over and over is another brick in a parent’s backpack. It feels like our kids are always cut first and it is time for our community to come alongside us and start asking why,” Marshall said.

of the Beaver Heritage & Agricultural Society (Operators of the Ryley Swimming Pool)

Will be held on Monday, January 13th, @ 7:00 pm Village of Ryley Office

Everyone welcome!

FAT BEAVER INDUSTRIES Colleen West Viking, Alberta

1-403-929-0960 • Watkins Products • Farm Fresh Eggs • Blankets • Prayer and Counselling • Crocheted Baby and Granny Healing

The Tofield Mercury, Wednesday, January 8, 2025 - Page 9

Food Chain In Tofield School Vanessa Poitras Staff Reporter

On Tuesday, December 18, there was a food bank item chain set up in Tofield School to collect for the Tofield Christmas Hamper program.

Leading up to this event, the plan was to collect food and then have a line of students run from the school, outside, to the Tofield Community Hall.

The idea came from a parent—Leann Strilchuk. Unfortunately, due to the extreme cold, the plans changed and the students all partook from inside the school; the line beginning in the high school wing, down through the student lounge, by the gymna-

sium, down the junior high hallway, back up, by the office, down the elementary wing, and then out the office doors to an awaiting truck.

Total, there were 475 students (grades 5-12) and 49 staff participating in the human train. One food item at a time, they passed food down the line.

“Our final count was 959 items,” stated Principal Lazaruik, “the reason for the human chain was to have everyone actively participating in the donation to the Christmas Hamper.

“When we participate in acts of kindness in times of need it is a very fulfilling feeling.

“During the Christmas

OBITUARIES Marion Elizabeth Chrapko Aug. 21, 1945 - Dec. 18, 2024 Marion Elizabeth Chrapko of Ryley, Alberta, passed away on Wednesday, December 18, 2024 at the age of 79 years.

Left to cherish her memory are her partner Dodds Greenwood; and loving friends Beverley Dodds, Janet Hay and Precious.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

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

Burgar Funeral Home Camrose & Daysland (4817 51 Ave, Camrose, Alberta T4V 0V4) in care of arrangements.

780-672-2121.

“Dedicated service since 1906”

season, many struggle for many reasons.

Building community support for each other builds healthy communities.”

After the chain was finished the BRSD Mental Health Capacity

Building team provided hot chocolate to all the students and staff.

“This was a special gift to everyone for all the kindness our school has shown during this Christmas season,” stated Lazaruik.

OBITUARIES

Leala Arbon Jul. 30, 1933 to Dec. 17, 2024

Sanford Glen Boettger was born on June 8, 1940 in High River Alberta, the eldest of eight children. He passed away at his home in Camrose, Alberta on December 31, 2024 surrounded by his wife Gwen and three daughters.

Sanford lived the majority of his life near Tofield and learned to work hard at a young age where his creativity and ingenuity led him to his chosen career of farming along with brief work as gas attendant and mechanic. In 1975 he purchased his farm near Dodds, Alberta where he farmed, operated a backhoe business, then completed his career as a truck driver until his retirement in 2007.

He and Gwen moved to Camrose in 2011 where he continued to putter, fix, drive truck, and farm whenever the opportunity presented.

Sanford married the love of his life on November 26, 1965 and they began a full life on the farm. They were blessed with 3 girls Colleen (Paul) McKinstry, Marla (Gerald) Steinwand, and Leanne (Preston) Kostura all who reside in the Camrose area; ten grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Sanford became a Christian at a young age and deeply loved the Lord till his passing. He lived life fully, loved freely, humbly, and shared selflessly.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at Salem Mennonite Church south of Tofield.

Memorial donations may be made to the Mennonite Central Committee.

Leala Arbon of Ryley, Alberta, passed away on December 17, 2024, at the age of 91. She passed peacefully at Rosehaven Care Centre in Camrose. Left to mourn her passing are her children, Wade Arbon, Drew Arbon, and Stacey Arbon. Her grandchildren, Justin Arbon (Shelby), Katherine Arbon-Stensrud, Shannon Arbon-Stensrud, Kayla Lowe, Isabelle Lowe, Matthew Lowe, Susan Lowe, and Karson Lindstrand. Her great-granddaughter Ashtyn HardyArbon, the father of Stacey’s children, Kevin Stensrud, and numerous nieces and nephews.

She is predeceased by her husband, Norman Arbon, daughter-in-law, Stephanie Ovelson, and five brothers: Willard, Bruce, Aldous, Dearl, and Marvin. Five sisters, Vera, Alta, Beaulah, Treva, and Wilma, and her parents William and Letitia Montgomery.

Leala was born July 30, 1933, in Livelong, Saskatchewan. She was the second youngest child of 11 children.

Once she was old enough to leave home, she moved to Ontario for a while and stayed with her sisters Vera and Alta.

She moved from there to Edmonton, Alberta where she met her husband, Norman Arbon. Leala and Norman resided in Edmonton for some years and then moved to Tofield, Alberta. They were blessed with 3 children and began raising them in Tofield till 1977 when they purchased their farm in Ryley, Alberta. There, they finished raising their family, farming, raising cattle, and making Ryley their home.

Leala worked as an Administrative Assistant at the Ryley Wheat Pool for 10 years and then went on to be the Postmistress at the Ryley Post Office, where she worked until retirement. She enjoyed both jobs immensely and took great pride in her work. Once retired, Leala enjoyed time with her family, grandchildren and great-granddaughter.

Cremation has taken place. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. She will be laid to rest in Livelong, Saskatchewan along with her husband Norman Arbon, with Leala’s parents William and Letitia.

Donations can be made to the Salvation Army.

Weber Funeral Home 780-662-3959 www.weberfuneralhome.ca

Weber Funeral Home 780-662-3959 www.weberfuneralhome.ca

OBITUARIES Sanford Glen Boettger Jun. 8, 1940 to Dec. 31, 2024

Page 10 - The Tofield Mercury, Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Business & Professional Services Directory Affordable Weekly Advertising! Sizes range from $50-160 per month

Automotive

Health & Beauty

Tofield Autobody *COLLISION REPAIR SPECIALISTS *WINDSHIELD REPAIRED & REPLACED

780-662-3432

FREE vehicle removal Cash paid for some Please call ahead for appointment confirmation Vehicle Removal: Weekdays AM Saturdays PM

780-662-2403 662-2403

For your automotive, farm and industrial supplies

780-662-3212 After hours: 780-914-8576

Insurance • Tofield

P RIMARY C ONNECTIONS M ASSAGE T HERAPY Registered Massage Therapy

For your vehicle parts needs

adsmercury@gmail.com 780-662-4046

“Masseuse Caboose” 5024-53 Ave.

780-662-4498 662-4498 Rhona Lawson R.M.T/M.T.A.A.

Heavy Duty Mechanic LICENSED HEAVY DUTY MECHANIC ~ MOBILE & SHOP ~ • AGRICULTURE • CONSTRUCTION • TRACTOR/TRAILER • SKIDSTEERS

KC

780-662-0165

• Mundare 780-764-2238

Commercial • Farm Auto • Home Recreational • Hail

Meat Packers 5020 - 50 Ave., Tofield, AB HOURS: Mon. - Fri. 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Saturday 8:00 am - 12:00 pm

SLAUGHTER DAY IS EVERY WEDNESDAY

780-686-6344

Phone 780-662-4842 for Appt.

Phone 662-4842 for Appt Fresh Meat & Sausage Counter

Construction

Insurance

LICENSED INSURED

Did you know that The Tofield Mercury provides laminating services?

GOLISH CONSTRUCTION LTD. CELL: 780-385-4179 JOHN GOLISH

• Siding, Soffits & Facias • Windows, Doors & Capping • Decks, Railings & Ramps • Shingles & Metal Roofing • Overhead Doors • Concrete Repair • Basement Development

• Bathroom Remodeling • Kitchen upgrades • Foundation Repair • Drywall Board & Tape • Paint & Texturing • Flooring & Tiling • Garages & Additions

Ritchie Agencies Insurance Ltd $YH _ 7RŴHOG

780-662-3833

FRRSHUDWRUV FD ORFDO ULWFKLH DJHQFLHV

No job too small, call to book your project!

Electrical • Farm • Residential • Commercial • 24 hour service

Authorized Provider of

We find insurance that works for you.

Call us for a free quote.

780-467-2122 112-85 Cranford Way, Sherwood Park, AB,T8H 0H9 BrokerLink.ca

• Wallet size $2.50 plus tax • Letter size 8.5”x11” $4.00 plus tax • Poster size 11”x17” $5.00 plus tax WE SELL PRINTER PAPER $8.95 + GST

Stop in today at The Tofield Mercury!

5312 50th Street 780-662-4046 • adsmercury@gmail.com

The Tofield Mercury, Wednesday, January 8, 2025 - Page 11

REMEMBER WHEN Spirit of the Olympics promoted by torch relay Ministik students hold Canadian flags and wait outside for the arrival of Glen Lawrence, acting mayor and Ward 7 councillor for Strathcona County, holding the torch for the relay.

This photo appeared in the Tofield Mercury on January 5, 2010.

Business & Professional Services Directory

adsmercury@gmail.com 780-662-4046

Affordable Weekly Advertising! Sizes range from $50-160 per month

Plumbing & Heating

Real Estate Kevin Smook

Roofing John Daoust Shingle Co. Box 576, Tofield

REALTOR ®

RED’S &D C

780-662-4623

Garnet Malin - Tofield, AB

Celebrating 25 years of serving our Community!

P LUMBING & DRAIN CLEANING

ES

•Boilers •New Homes • Renovations • Repairs •Distillers Ph: (780) 662-7237 Cell: (780) 238-7429

www.home-time.net

EE S FR ATE M TI

Cedar shingles & shakes, Asphalt, Repairs, Barns, Churches

John Daoust 780-662-4901 John Daoust 662-4901

Small Engine Repair SMALL ENGINE REPAIRS

Susan Lentz Real Estate Associate

CALL THE TOFIELD MERCURY 780-662-4046 FOR YOUR ADVERTISING!

(780) 385-5287

slentz.hometime@gmail.com susanlentz.nowrealestategroup.ca

Journeyman Outdoor Power Equipment Technician N.E. Beaver County General repairs on lawn tractors, lawn mowers, snowblowers, chain saws, water pumps, quads, etc.

Contact: Shawn 780-932-0131

Page 12 - The Tofield Mercury, Wednesday, January 8, 2025

CLASSIFIEDS

NOW ONLINE AT cariboupublishing.ca

All Classified Ads booked in our paper will also be posted online at the new online Classifieds Section at no additional cost. THOUSANDS of page views online every month in addition to our THOUSANDS of weekly readers. Plus our site is Employment.

Employment. Events.

Events. Thank Thank Yous.

Yous. Memorials.

Memorials. Services Services & & More!

More! Google SEO optimized. IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE WITH US!

CLASSIFIED AD RATES $20 minimum for first 35 words, 45¢ per word thereafter (G.S.T. not included) PICTURE $10

BOLD $5

ALL CLASSIFIED ADS MUST BE PREPAID BEFORE INSERTION unless customer has an account in good standing. All advertising subject to the approval of the Publisher.

THE COMMUNITY PRESS 780-385-6693 production.cp@gmail.com WEEKLY REVIEW 780-336-3422 vikingreview@gmail.com TOFIELD MERCURY 780-662-4046 adsmercury@gmail.com LAMONT LEADER 780-895-2780 lmtleader@gmail.com

COMING EVENTS COMING EVENTS Tofield Golden Club 5004 - 54 Ave Potluck and Annual General Meeting 11:30 a.m.

Thursday, January 16, 2025 Anyone 50 and over may become a member for $10 Phone Lynn 780-983-2557 for information TM01C The Annual General Meeting of the Friends of the Killam Public Library will be held on Monday, January 20th, 2025 at 7:00 pm. All interested parties are welcome to join us.

VIKING & DISTRICT AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY AGM MEETING Wednesday January 15, 2025 Viking Community Hall 5021 54 Ave at 7pm Everyone Welcome New Members Welcome LUTEFISK SUPPER Golden Valley Lutheran Church Friday, Jan 10th , 2025, at 6:30pm Tickets are $35.00 each ADVANCE TICKETS ONLY Contact Muriel at 336-2444

SUDOKU 3 4 5 8 5 2 6 4

CARD OF THANKS CARD OF THANKS

Clothing Sale Friday, Jan. 17 9 am - 4 pm Saturday, Jan. 18 9am-noon Daysland United Church

We wish to give our deepest thanks to everyone who supported us after the loss of our mother, Joann Forster. As this New Year begins, we carry fond memories of Mom and cherish all the support we received from those who called, sent cards, brought food, and made generous donations after her sudden passing in November.

Many thanks to Drs Hanton, Rami and Stanislav who cared for Mom over many years, as well as the nurses and staff at Killam Health Centre. Mom was well cared for anytime she spent in hospital in Killam and loved each and every one of you.

To the Home Care staff, we appreciate the care and kindness you gave to Mom over the last few years as you helped us keep her at home for as long as we could. She looked forward to your visits and cared deeply for each of you.

To the staff and residents at Bethany Meadows, while Mom hadn’t stayed there long, she grew close to many of you and appreciated your friendship and support.

Mom loved receiving flowers and Katherine and Dan at Budding Ideas always knew just what she would like, as evidenced by the bouquets we received at the memorial.

Les and Joe at Fee & Sons provided us with kind and thoughtful support, your compassion and professionalism helped steady us while making all the preparations for honouring Mom’s memory and saying farewell.

We are deeply appreciative of the community within the Killam Knox United Church. Reverend Deanna Cox officiated at the memorial and provided time and space for us to share memories about Mom. The United Church Women and Men provided a lovely meal for us to share with those who could attend the memorial and we thank Karen Waldner for leading this effort for us.

In lieu of Thank You cards, we have made a memorial donation to the Flagstaff Food Bank, Mom’s charity of choice. She felt fortunate to have the life she did and wanted us to pay it forward.

Mona, Chris, Calvin, Lesley, & Austin

Rosevale Cemetery Society’s Annual General Meeting will be January 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Strome Senior’s Centre All are Welcome.

Questions call 780-376-2134 FIREARMS WANTED FOR OUR 2025 AUCTION PROGRAM: Rifles, Shotguns, Handguns, Antiques, Militaria, Collections, Estates, Single Items. For Auction, or Possible Purchase: Toll-Free 1-800-694-2609, Email Us at sales@switzersauction.com or Visit Us @ www.switzersauction.com for Auction Dates & Details.

FOR RENT FOR RENT One br basement suite for rent available February 1st 2025. $800 per month, utilities included. Separate entrance. Shared washer and dryer.

Call or text 780-717-6783 for further details.

2 Bedroom House For Rent Near Hardisty. Small older home 2 kms out of town. Includes fridge, stove, microwave, washer & dryer. Recent reno’s. Very reasonable rate for the right person or couple.

Call or text (780) 699-3449 for details FOR SALE FOR SALE

2 7 1

2019 GM Fuel Pump. Part #13516865.

LIke new, asking $300 OBO. Phone 780-895-2408.

7 9

8

2

3 2 6 1 7

9 7

9

2

COMING EVENTS COMING EVENTS

Portable, maintenance-free 12’x12’ deck with attached ramp and two steps. (Buyers responsibility to move must be gone by the spring). Call Brian at 780-678-0053

ANSWERS

LOOKING FOR LOOKING FOR In search of land to purchase North of highway 14, West of highway 36 and East of Holden. (Bruce area preferred).

Want to be near family in that area Call 780 336 1022

The Tofield Mercury, Wednesday, January 8, 2025 - Page 13

CLASSIFIEDS

NOW ONLINE AT cariboupublishing.ca

All Classified Ads booked in our paper will also be posted online at the new online Classifieds Section at no additional cost. THOUSANDS of page views online every month in addition to our THOUSANDS of weekly readers. Plus our site is Employment.

Employment. Events.

Events. Thank Thank Yous.

Yous. Memorials.

Memorials. Services Services & & More!

More! Google SEO optimized. IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE WITH US!

MEMORIAL MEMORIAL

HELP WANTED HELP WANTED

SERVICES SERVICES

Eric Wieschorster September 30, 1944 – January 8, 2024

Part time support/ respite worker for adult male in wheelchair. Home is in the Round Hill area. Valid drivers license, will train, wages to be discussed.

Send resume to: broblin.br@gmail.com or text 604793-3756.

Roy's Handyman Services. Flooring, trim work, basement finishing, decks, fences, kitchen cabinet installs and carpentry work. Call 780-232-3097

SERVICES SERVICES PRIVATE MORTGAGE LENDER. All real estate types considered. No credit checks done. Deal direct with lender and get quick approval. Toll free 1866-405-1228; www.firstandsecondmortgages.ca.

01p

Your life was a blessing, Your memory a treasure, You are loved beyond words, And missed beyond measure.

01c

CRIMINAL RECORD? Why suffer employment/licensing loss?

Travel/business opportunities? Be embarrassed? Think: Criminal Pardon.

US entry waiver. Record purge. File destruction. Free consultation. 1-800347-2540. www.accesslegalmjf.com.

SERVICES SERVICES

tfn Drywall Taping/Ceiling Texturing 40 years experience on the job, from commercial buildings to new homes to home renovations. No job too small.

Experienced Killam drywall taper/texturer here to help you with any job, big or small. Don't want to do it yourself? Give me a call!

Flagstaff Taping & Texturing Murray Cholowsky Call or text at 780-385-1251 tfnp

Does your club have an event planned?

Advertise in the Classifieds

Medical Taxi Service Personal Taxi Service to Edmonton and Back -$175 •Office Hours Mon-Fri 9-5 •Absolutely NO Hidden Fees •Escort to Reception/Waiting Room •Pick up and Drop off at your door •Top Notch Service!

•Includes up to 4 Hour Wait •Locally Owned and Operated 587-987-7810 Painting Quality Residential and Commercial Interior Painting.

Betty Tkaczyk 780-632-8749

CLASSIFIED DEADLINE MONDAY AT 5 P.M.

35. Emily Blunt’s character in CLUES ACROSS 1. “The Las Vegas of the “Sicario” East” 37. Beige 38. Mental sharpness 6. Cook 10. Manning and Wallach are 39. Valley 40. Alcyone’s husband two 41. A place to gamble 14. Chameleon 15. A way to fill up 43. Flightless Australian birds 17. What MLBers hope to 45. Call out somebody’s play in name over a P.A. system 19. Unhappy 46. US spy group 20. Indefinite period of time 47. Pancakes from buck21. Excites wheat flour 22. Males 49. Swiss river 23. Mongol leader Genghis 50. Disfigure 24. Turfs 53. Have surgery 26. Soda comes in them 57. Formal withdrawal 29. Not nice 58. Early English council 31. Professional organization 59. Square measures 32. Part of a play 60. 2,000 lbs.

34. Sea eagle 61. Siskel and __, critics CLUES DOWN 29. Cage for trained hawks 1. Mouths 30. Musician Clapton 2. Buffalo 31. Frozen water 3. You plug it in 33.

Semiformal men’s 4. Each evening attire 5. Largest English dictionary 35. Most worn (abbr.)

36. Common soap ingredient 6. King of Thebes 37. Former EU monetary unit 7. English name meaning 39. Provisions “mythical hunter” 42. Book parts 8. Indicates near 43. Republic of Ireland 9. More herbaceous 44. Partner to “Pa” 10. Gas-powered cars need 46. Sammy __, songwriter one 47. Dutch colonist 11. Dishonest individual 48. Clare Booth __, American 12. Systems, doctrines, theo- writer ries 49. Solar disk in Egyptian 13. The woman mythology 16. The whole of one’s hold- 50. Minute arachnid ings 51. From a distance 18. Witnesses 52. Monthly apartment cost 22. Doctor 53. Young women’s associa23. Paul __, Swiss painter tion 24. Kids look for him on 54. Tourist destination December 24 55. “Woman” in Ojibwe lan25. Single guage 27. Competitions 56. Pointed end of a pen 28. Predict the future

ANSWERS ACROSS: 1. MACAO 6. CHEF 10. ELIS 14. ANOLE 15. REPLENISH 17. WORLD SERIES GAME 19. SAD 20. EON 21. STIRS 22. MEN 23. KHAN 24. SODS 26. LITERS 29. MEAN 31. IEEE 32. ACT 34. ERNE 35. MACER 37. ECRU 38. WIT 39.

VALE 40. CEYX 41. CASINO 43. EMUS 45. PAGE 46. CIA 47. BLINI 49. AAR 50. MAR 53. GO UNDER THE KNIFE 57. SECESSION 58. WITAN 59. ARES 60. TON 61. EBERT ANSWERS DOWN: 1. MAWS 2. ANOA 3. CORD 4. ALL 5. OED 6. CREON 7.

HERN 8. EPI 9. FLESHIER 10. ENGINE 11. LIAR 12. ISMS 13. SHE 16. ESTATE 18. SEES 22. MD 23. KLEE 24. SANTA 25.

ONE 27. RACES 28. SCRY 29. MEW 30. ERIC 31. ICE 33. TUX 35. MANGIEST 36. ALOE 37. ECU 39. VIANDS 42. SPINES 43.

EIRE 44. MA 46. CAHN 47. BOER 48. LUCE 49. ATON 50. MITE 51. AFAR 52. RENT 53. GSA 54. RIO 55. KWE 56. NIB

Page 14 - The Tofield Mercury, Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Holiday Lights Contest Continued from Page 2

homes and businesses into the competition.

Kostyk said fewer people entered than in previous years, and Town of Tofield Assistant Chief Administrative

Officer Jeff Edwards said businesses entering the contest remained about the same, but fewer residents joined the contest.

“The business portion saw essentially the same strong level of participation. Unfortunately, the home com-

ponent did see less participation than years previous,” he said.

The Beaver County holiday decorating contest entry form was open until Dec. 31, and the winners will be determined at the first council meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 18.

4815-51 Ave. won third place with $40 in Holden's light up contest.

In Holden, 5139-51 Ave. received the grand prize title and $100 in this year's holiday lights contest

5015-50 Ave. got second place and $60 in Holden's light up contest.

The Tofield Mercury, Wednesday, January 8, 2025 - Page 15

MP Kurek Slams PM Continued from Page 3

as the reason for prorogation but failed to mention that it is Liberal scandals causing the dysfunction, specifically the Liberal Government’s refusal to hand over unredacted documents to the RCMP related to the $400 million Green Slush Fund scandal.

“We have seen this pattern since 2015, and Canadians have suffered the consequences.

“From attacks on energy, agriculture, and fundamental rights, Canadians are hurting after more than nine years of Liberal mismanagement.

“Regardless of who the leader of the Liberal Party is today or in the future, Canadians deserve better, and they deserve a choice.

“Common Sense Conservatives led by Pierre Poilievre are ready to restore the promise of Canada.”

Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs is currently out of the

country and was unavailable for comment on Trudeau’s announcement by press time.

Meanwhile Premier Danielle Smith, who spent much of the pre Christmas period meeting with U.S. politicians, and is planning on attending President elect Donald

Trump’s inauguration in two weeks, said she was disappointed with Trudeau’s decision and would rather have seen a general election called.

“I’m a bit disappointed that we didn’t get an election call today.

“I think that would have been the better

outcome, and it would have allowed for the prime minister to go to the public and see whether or not they support his agenda over the last number of years,” Smith said.

Smith said she hopes the next prime minister will be someone who

supports Alberta’s aspirations to double oil and gas production, remove the carbon tax, ensure there is no emissions cap on production and overall “stay in their own lane.”

Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said that

it doesn’t matter who leads the Liberal party in the future saying, “they don’t deserve another chance.”

He said as soon as there is a non-confidence vote the NDP will be voting against the Liberals in favour of an election

KILLAM, ALTA.

Campbell Campbell McLennan McLennan Chrysler • Dodge • Jeep

Killam ✦JEEP CHRYSLER DODGE Big Town Dealership, CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM Toll Free 1-877-385-2331 Killam, AB

www.campbellmclennan.com

We’re hiring!

We’re looking for an

Automotive Mechanic!

Congratulations to Debra Grinde & Frances Oomen

the January 8th winners of the Free Subscription Draw!

Are you tired of your current environment and looking for a change?

Do you want to work in a tight-knit rural community for an honest, prosperous Company?

If you possess leadership qualities, are full of energy, very well organized, a highly motivated individual, represent excellent communication skills, enthusiasm, and love helping customers and thrive on solving mechanical problems, WE NEED TO TALK! We offer a clean, fun, safe, and warm environment to work in. Competitive pay plan. Benefits package.

$3,080.00

Apply by resume Attention Wes, in person at Campbell McLennan Chrysler in Killam or by fax 780-385-3803 or email wcampbell@cmchrysler.ca or Gerry Keyzer Service Manager at service@cmchrysler.ca

Real Estate costs around the country keep going up and up. Imagine being able to own a great

commercial lot like this for under $20K!

Main Street Commercial Lot For Sale

GREAT INVESTMENT!

Viking, AB Great Commercial Lot on Main Street in Viking, AB.

ONLY ONE LIKE IT AVAILABLE! Large attractive central location, would be perfect for constructing a new building. Build yourself an office, rent out upstairs apartment.

Build two office spaces, use one/rent one. Pays for itself! Or place a pre-built on the property. The possibilities are endless. Located between bottle depot and busy restaurant, near Food Bank/FCSS, across from bank and financial advisors, near liquor stores & school.

WOW! A HUGE LOT Call Barb FOR JUST $15K?? 7780-385-0631

Last year, $3,905.60 was raised.

The Tofield Mercury; Kerry, Michelle, Brennan, & Garrett Anderson; Eric & Ally Anderson; Lisa, Derick, Kylie, Cody, Keifer, & Colton Kuflay; John Mather; Jana Semeniuk & family; Crystal & Hunter Inverarity; Kari Janzen & family; Kate Priestley & family; Mr. & Mrs. Anonymous; Anita Domoslai; Gilbert & Dorothy ....

Suchy; D. King; Harold & Barbara Conquest; Lillian .......

Grinde; Gerald Upton; Kelly Phillips; Beaverhill Bird Observatory; Geoff Holroyd; Rose & Joe Yurkowski; Brenda Williams; KC Insurance; Bruce & Bernice Peters; Ed & Vi Gara; Sylvia Race; Raymond Peterson; Darlene Williams; Leonard Nearing; Richard & Dana Koss;....

Ken & Marilyn Bruha; Stewart Ferguson; Sandy & Shirley Suchy; Linda Lyons; Dave & Treva Schultz; Mr. Handsom; Walt & Betty Neufeld; Ron & Shirley Goeglein; Ken & Eva Dodds; Wayne & Marilyn Lysons; Ron & Barb Romaniuk; Theresa Manderson; Sue & Aurel Perry; Joanne & Armand Goubault; Gloria Knudslien; Colaine Chapman; Sandy Brolly; Andy & Helen Hrabec; Ted & Gladys Whyte; Gord & Lynn Hryhirchuk; Vic Rudzcki & family; Hymanyk Family

$3,080.00 WAS THE FINAL TOTAL DONATED TO THE TOFIELD, RYLEY AND AREA FOOD BANK. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR THEIR DONATIONS AND SUPPORT!

Page 16 - The Tofield Mercury, Wednesday, January 8, 2025

D

?

A BABY IN E V A H U 2 O 02 Y 4 D I

ENTE R

!

T S OUR CONTE

We will celebrate the babies born in 2024 in our Feb. 5th, 2025 issue. Your baby’s photo will appear in our special BABIES OF 2024 feature for FREE! Send a clear photo of your baby, email to: adsmercury@gmail.com, or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the TOFIELD MERCURY, Box 150, Tofield, AB. T0B 4J0, or you can also drop it off in person.

Remember to add baby’s name, birth date, and the names of the proud parents and mailing address.

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS Monday, Feb. 3rd @ noon Your baby will appear in the paper!

Your baby will automatically be entered for a draw for a pair of baby sunglasses from TOFIELD EYECARE, a $50 gift certificate from UNCLE ROGER’S, FREE portrait session & 8x10 print with Carla Lehman Photography, and the winner will also receive a gift from the Tofield Mercury!