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Vol. 17, No. 27, Wednesday, June 1, 2022 www.LamontLeader.com
Wild boars reported in the town of Lamont prompt warnings BY JANA SEMENIUK Wild boar sightings within the town of Lamont prompted warnings by town administration on their social media page May 24. Lamont Chief Administrative Officer Rick Bastow stated by email that a few calls were received regarding possible sightings, but no pictures were available to confirm. “We are working to quantify a possible presence,” he said. In Oct., wild pigs were spotted in Elk Island National Park, making it the first Canadian National Park to contain the invasive species. The sightings
were confirmed by landowner video and public sightings. Perry Abramenko, who runs the Alberta Government’s pig removal program, told the Canadian Press in Oct. that pigs have been spotted in at least 28 counties. "The number of reports received is increasing every year," he said. "Nobody can come up with whether there's hundreds or thousands." Wild pigs, not
native to Alberta, first came to the province as livestock in the 80s and 90s. While some are still farmed as livestock today, over the years others have escaped or produced hybrids. Not only can wild pigs destroy property, crops and do environmental damage, but they can also spread disease to humans and other animals such as tuberculosis, foot and mouth disease as well as parvovirus. Additionally, they can carry
transmittable parasites. According to the Alberta Invasive Species Council, adult wild pigs can weigh up to 150 kilograms. They are covered in a thick coat with males larger than females. Their upper canine teeth are visible when their mouths are closed The Town of Lamont social media page warning states that if you see a wild boar, to be calm and move slowly away from the animal being careful not to provoke it. Keep children nearby and dogs on leashes while noting the location and call the sighting in to the town office at 780-895-2010.
Village of Andrew deputy mayor challenged to resign BY JANA SEMENIUK The Village of Andrew Deputy Mayor Merwin Haight was challenged to resign his council position by village resident Chris Lupul, husband of former Andrew CAO Sheila Lupul, amid an allegation he was ineligible for nomination at the time of the Oct. election. Lupul stated, during the May 25 village council meeting’s public forum, he overheard a conversation in the village office shortly after the Oct. election which cast doubt on Haight’s eligibili-
ty due to arrears in property taxes. “When I questioned administration about the conversation, they would neither confirm nor deny the content,” said Lupul, who also refused to disclose the names of those he spoke with that day, stating Municipal Affairs said he didn’t have to. In addition to contacting Municipal Affairs, Lupul said he also contacted his own legal counsel, as well as researched the local authorities Election Act.
Andrew mayor gets devastating diagnosis, but still serving Village while getting treatments BY JANA SEMENIUK Andrew Mayor Barry Goertz made an announcement regarding his health in a statement read by councillor Tammy Pickett during the May 25 council meeting, where Goertz attended by speaker phone. Goertz has been unable to attend meetings in person since the beginning of May. “The last month has seen a lot of extreme changes for the village and me personally. As some of you are aware, I have been in extreme pain with my back for over a year now. At the end of April, after countless trips to the doctor's office and the emergency ward. It was finally told that the ver-
tebrae in my back are disintegrating and were surrounded by a metastatic mass. I was immediately transferred to the U of A for extensive back surgery, and I am presently in the cross cancer for treatment. I want to assure everyone that I will continue to represent and service our residents to the best of my ability. I will be attending council meetings via phone when necessary. We have delegated deputy mayor Haight to chair the meetings and to speak on behalf of Council as required. Please know we are doing our best and will continue to listen, learn, and strive to better our community,” read Pickett. Goertz has since been unavailable for comment.
“According to the local authorities Election Act Section 22. Ineligibility for nomination, no one is eligible to become a candidate under any of the following circumstances. If your property taxes are more than $50 in arrears, excluding indebtedness on current taxes and indebtedness for arrears of taxes for which that person has entered into a consolidation agreement with the municipality, you're ineligible for nomination,” he said. Lupul listed several other possible infractions including the Municipal Government Act (MGA) section 174 which states a councillor is disqualified from council if they were ineligible at the time of nomination. Lupul then quoted the village councilor code of conduct stating that all councillors act honestly, in good faith and in the best interest of the village. “I am requesting that this councillor that was ineligible for nomination on September 20, 2021, resign immediately,” said Lupul. “I am also on the fence if a formal complaint will be made to the RCMP regarding the affidavit offense which is a criminal offense.” Haight asked Lupul for the date, time, and names of those he spoke to regarding the allegation and Lupul again refused. “Given the condition our council is in right now with one already stepping
down tonight and Mayor Goertz not available that would leave the council inoperative,” said Haight. “Yep. I agree,” said Lupul. “But I do not want a deputy mayor who is not honest conducting business of the village in the future.” Councillor Osama Hamed, Andrew’s longest serving councillor, resigned at the beginning of the meeting, while Mayor Barry Goertz announced a devastating health condition preventing his in-person attendance at council meetings. The council team is made up of five members. The meeting went into a 10-minute recess with Haight in attendance and the public ushered out of the room. When the meeting reconvened, Haight left the building and Mayor Goertz, who was present by speaker phone, issued a statement. “We are going to take that request for investigation. For his (Haight’s) resignation we will receive it as a stayed resignation which means we do not have the power to answer this properly. And we are not going to guess. We're going to trust our interim CAO, Steve, and go through the process to find out exactly where we are and that will be handled with the utmost speed and accuracy so that we represent the village of Andrew in the best way possible,” he said. Continued on Page 14