REVIEW
www.ECAreview.com
East Central Alberta
o Thursday, April 4, 2013
Volume 102 - No. 14
Targeting East Central Alberta
Your favourite source for news and entertainment in East Central Alberta, reaching 83 communities weekly CLEARVIEW
Provincial labour agreement motion defeated 4 - 2 Bryan Passifiume
ECA Review Reporter
Ninety-one year old World War II veteran Dave Pennington (top) chats with the students who helped return his medals. Some of the students who participated were (clockwise from the left) Dalton Starosta, Marissa Paley, Sarah Tkach and Steven Chapman. ECA Review/B. PASSIFIUME
World War II veteran has medals replaced Bryan Passifiume
ECA Review Reporter It was fitting that a town named Veteran, Alberta on Thursday, March 28 be home to a touching tribute to a local war hero. Not only was Dave Pennington, a World War II veteran and fixture at Remembrance Day ceremonies reunited with his war medals, he proved that kids today don’t all fall under the stereotype of being selfinvolved and unmotivated. The story started on Remembrance Day in 2012. Ninety-one year old Pennington
was speaking to the Veteran School’s junior high school class about his experiences in the war, his usual practice on November 11. One of the students asked Pennington why he wasn’t wearing his medals. After a moment to collect his thoughts, Pennington told the student that he doesn’t wear his medals because he didn’t have them anymore. His medals had become destroyed in the years since his 1946 return to Canada after a grievous battlefield injury while fighting in Italy three years
previous. Mice had gotten into the box where he kept them and eaten the ribbons. As a result, the medals ended up being thrown away by his sister. Pennington’s story gave the students an idea: why not get Dave his medals back? The students immediately went to work. They contacted various people in both the Canadian Forces and Veterans Affairs office in Ottawa with Pennington’s story. After months of work, the class received a package from Ottawa. Turn to Surprise, Pg 2
Clearview School Board has joined other Alberta school boards in rejecting a labour framework agreed to by the Alberta Teachers Association and the Ministry of Education. The board defeated a motion to accept the agreement by a vote of 4 to 2 at their Monday, March 25 meeting. “We are trying to balance the good and the bad,” said board chair Ken Checkel. The Education Ministry and the Alberta Teachers Association agreed to a new labour contract on Friday, March 15. The four-year agreement includes a three year salary freeze with a two per cent increase in 2015, including a one per cent signing bonus. The agreement also limits a teacher’s annual instructional time to 907 hours per year, gives the teachers the ability to appeal the decisions of school board superintendents and includes a review of teacher workload. The salary increases were funded by the province, a move that smaller school boards such as Clearview support. Checkel also said that the length of the contract also appeals to Clearview, as the agreement ensures four years of labour peace in the school division. “If we were to negotiate locally, we wouldn’t have been able to get as good of an agreement,” he said. In addition, the contract also ensures that teachers in lower-paid school divisions would see their salaries increased to the provincial average. Teachers in the Clearview division are in such a situation. The caveat, according to Checkel, is the uncertainy of where both the provincial government and school board will be by the fourth year of the contract. Turn to Smaller, Pg 3
INDEX
FLYERS
Clearview schools ...........................3 Coronation council .........................4 Alliance news ...................................5 Obituary .............................................5 Real Estate/Homes .........................5 Prairie View.......................................6 Letters ........................................... 6, 7 Classifieds/Careers................12 - 14 Puzzle ..........................................13, 16 Sports ........................................15 - 16
OPINION: Masters at hiding massive budget deficits Page 6
Oilfield Services Directory
Agriculture
Pages 7 - 8
ANNUAL CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAYS You are invited to join us for a Pancake Lunch -
10 am to 3 pm
Red Deer – Thursday, April 4 Stettler – Tuesday, April 9 Coronation, Olds and Rimbey will be serving coffee and donuts DAILY during our ANNUAL SPRING PARTS SALE
Annual Spring Parts Sale – April 1st to April 12th
Stk# NT21918 Bunks Slideout
Sale $
21,900
All Pre-Camped Units Inspected & Ready to Go
Used are Priced from $5,900 up
NEW Canyon Trail 27FREL
stk# UF22113A Winter Pkg. List Price: $39,900
Sale
$
32,900
Lowes
Toll Free
Bargain Shop
1-888-782-4544
Rona
Pages 9 - 13
NEW Silver Creek 26BHS
IGA Sobeys Food Town Castor FCSS Colouring Contest
Highway 12 west of #2 towards Gull Lake Experience the Country Difference
“We’re Well Worth the Drive”
www.lacomberv.com
RIMBEY STETTLER CORONATION RED DEER OLDS 403-742-3740 403-578-3747 403-343-6101 403-556-6711 (403) 843-2205 1-800-371-3055 1-888-578-0800 1-866-343-6101 1-800-470-2388 1-877-843-2205