Crowsnest Pass Herald - February 24, 2024

VISIT US AT: crowsnestpassherald.ca CONTACT US AT: passherald@shaw.ca 403.562.2248

Crowsnest Pass

Herald

Vol. 94 No. 7

February 21, 2024 $1.25

Serving our communities since 1930

Family Fun on Family Day The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass hosted Family Day activites at the MDM Facility in Bellevue. Hundreds of families participated in the event on Sunday, February 19.

See more photos of the event on page 8 and 9.

Nicholas L. M. Allen photo

2 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Crowsnest Pass Municipal Council briefs NICHOLAS L. M. ALLEN Pass Herald Reporter In a recent council meeting on February 13 at 1 p.m. there was a public hearing directed towards the deliberation of Bylaw 1175-2023, an amendment designed to facilitate the realignment and consolidation of properties.

The specific objective of this amendment is to align a portion of the Bellevue underground Mine property with a residential area, primarily designated for yard purposes. The proceedings of the public hearing were marked by a lack of written submissions, prompting the opening of the floor for attendees to express their opinions.

Chris Matthews, representing the Bellevue Underground Mine, provided insights during the public hearing about the reason for the sale. Matthews explained that the realignment is a collaborative effort with a neighboring property, intending to formalize property boundaries and ensure proper caretaking. Following Matthews’ explanation and the absence of further comments, the public hearing was officially concluded.

Transitioning to requests for decision, the spotlight was on Bylaw 1139-2022, which revolves around the topic of road closure. This bylaw is linked to a sale previously greenlit by the Council, having received the necessary sign-off from the Transportation Economic Corridors.

The ongoing road closure process is geographically situated just above Hwy. 44. The council moved decisively to pass both the second and third readings of the bylaw, with the discussion shedding light on the details of the road closure and its implications.

In continuation, Bylaw 1175-2023, a land use bylaw amendment, took center stage. This particular amendment focused on the rezoning of a specific land segment, transitioning it from retail commercial to residential use. The essence of the amendment lies in consolidating this rezoned area with an existing residential parcel.

Administration’s recommendation for moving on to the second reading found favor with the council, and approvals were secured for both the second and third readings.

A broader administrative update ensued, providing an encompassing overview of various municipal departments and their ongoing activities. The CAO’s office in-

itiated the discussions, emphasizing community-wide capacity building and grassroots economic development sessions. Pertinent queries were directed towards the CAO, particularly concerning collaborative efforts with regional partners such as Alberta Southwest.

The CAO further expounded on coordination efforts with a TV show production crew, hinting at an impending public announcement once requisite information is secured. Noteworthy updates were also shared, with a pump expected to arrive in April, and detailed plans for construction activities, including hydrovac operations for the Atco Gas Main.

Moving to the Finance department, inquiries were made, specifically regarding the surge in business license invoices. The discussion revolved around a year-overyear comparison, indicating a substantial increase attributed to the rise in tourist homes. This discussion underscored the dynamic economic landscape and its impact on municipal revenue streams.

Departments such as Development, Engineering, Operations, and Protective Services received their respective updates, with noteworthy achievements in the Protective Services department, including an awareness session with 30 attendees and the on-boarding of new crews, earning praise from council members.

The status of the outdoor rink was also discussed, with a somewhat pessimistic outlook for the cur-rent season, citing unfavorable weather conditions.

Corporate Services emphasized the availability of complaint forms both online and through the app, detailing the process for issue resolution. A call for enhanced public awareness regarding this process was discussed, possibly through utility bills or other channels. This discussion underscored the importance of effective communication channels for issue resolution and community engagement.

More information on this and future council meetings is available at crowsnestpass.com.

Crowsnest Pass Music Festival celebrates 99 years CROWSNEST PASS MUSIC FESTIVAL SOCIETY Submitted

This March will see the Crowsnest Pass Music Festival celebrate its 99th year.

With classes running from March 11th to the 20th and the grand concert on March

The Crowsnest Museum is located in downtown Coleman - 7701 18 Ave, Coleman, AB T0K 0M0 Open Monday to Saturday from 10 am - 5 pm.

22nd, this is one of the longest-running festivals in Alberta. Performers are given solo and ensemble opportunities to perform for highly qualified adjudicators, receiving valuable feedback to help them further improve their artistic endeavours. This year we have 206 entries.

This year’s adjudicators include Lynne Dalcin (piano), Elaine Higgin Case (vocal, musical theatre, speech), Ronelle Schaufele (bowed strings and orchestra), Tyson Oatway (guitar and high school band), as well as Tina Alexander (schools). These distinguished professionals have much to offer our local students and we look forward to hosting them.

Vocal and musical theatre classes will be held in the CNP Public Art Gallery, guitar classes at Crowsnest Consolidated High School, violin at Crowsnest Community Christian Centre, and piano again at the Art Gallery. The following week will see school groups performing in their respective school buildings. The 2024 Week-At-A-Glance is available on the festival’s website and Facebook page with more details. Admission to each session is by donation; 50-50 tickets will also be sold, with the draw held during the grand concert at Crowsnest Consolidated High School on March 22nd.

Music festival gives both students and the public a chance to hear great performances and gain advice from professional musicians. Good luck to all this year’s performers - we can’t wait to hear you!

Check your label to see if your paper is due

Visit passherald.ca to renew

Wednesday, February 21, 2024 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - 3 Frank Slide Template.qxp_Layout 1 2023-01-30 11:44 AM Page 1

POLICE BRIEFS Between February 13 and 19, the Crowsnest Pass Police Department responded to 34 calls for service, of which none were unfounded. A total of three charges were made during this period.

The calls included six traffic offences, one dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, one provincial statute, one trespass at night, six national survey codes including victim services, one uttering threats against a person, one assault, two thefts under $5000, one theft over $5000, two mischiefs, two break and enter, five suspicious persons/vehicle, two lost/found, one assist to the general public and two well-being checks.

In the recent law enforcement updates, a variety of incidents were reported, spanning traffic offenses, assaults, thefts, and suspicious activities. Notably, on February 16, law enforcement received a BOLO (be on the lookout) from British Columbia involving a vehicle that had fled from authorities. The vehicle was later located in Blairmore, leading to the arrest of the driver and two passengers. The trio had attempted to evade police, and all three occupants were apprehended without incident, subsequently held for a bail hearing.

In terms of theft-related offenses, there were two reports of theft under $5000 and one case of theft over, which involved the unauthorized taking of a motor vehicle.

In a separate incident, a holiday trailer was targeted by an individual who ransacked it, taking dirty blankets but leaving behind items of value. Although no damage to property occurred, insufficient evidence

hampered further investigation, as there were no witnesses or security footage available.

On February 16, a hit and run transpired in Coleman, though fortunately, there were no reported injuries. Law enforcement is actively investigating the incident where a vehicle struck another, and the driver fled the scene.

Another concerning incident involved an assault, where the complainant, following a breakup, faced physical harm from their ex-partner. Although the complainant chose not to pursue criminal charges, they were provided with resources to obtain a restraining order for their safety.

Addressing community safety concerns, there were reports of suspicious persons knocking on doors, particularly in the early morning hours of February 19.

One instance revealed that a person was seeking help due to vehicle trouble, mitigating potential alarm.

Throughout the week, law enforcement engaged in various traffic-related incidents, including routine stops, assisting with subpoena service, and addressing speeding violations. Additionally, a breach of a court order was reported, but it did not escalate to a severe level.

In response to an uptick in suspicious activities, law enforcement urged residents to secure their homes and vehicles, emphasizing the importance of keeping doors locked. The community was reminded of the recent incidents involving individuals attempting door handles and advised to remain vigilant.

Reminder to residents of computer, credit card and Revenue Canada scams asking for money or cash cards, claiming there are warrants out for arrest. Do not give out personal information to per-sons you don’t know. DO NOT OPEN EMAILS if you are suspicious of its origin.

Do NOT buy gift cards for payment to Revenue Canada.

Do not send money to anyone claiming you have won a prize and need to send money for delivery.

The Simple Raven’s Post

BY AVNER PERL

A New Human Some time ago I was listening to a past American president’s campaign speech.

He was threatening harm to people who didn’t support him for the next elections.

To me, that is the end of democracy. I wonder what we are planning to do next.

Years ago, I came to Canada to build a new life. There were no refugee hotel rooms or any financial help or direction, as provided by the gov-ernment today.

Now we have the potential of a government next door that insists that we should pay higher taxes and increase military spend-ing or the neighbors will ask the enemies to harm us. Things are changing but not to benefit me. My situation is not improving relative to my ef-forts. Am I taking things personally or am I crazy to see it this way?

I am a firm believer in the potential of mental health science to help peo-ple.

We can go a long way with the right kind of help. Keep the physical body well, understand the mental part and work with the spiritual as-pect. Being short on any of those will not provide for a pleasant exist-ence. I accept mental health help for me and for those I am with. I take help when provided.

Combining the above, I come up with a crazy conclusion. Humans are mentally sick. Not just some of us, but all or most of us. We are born with a self-preserve mechanism that protects us from destroying our-selves and perhaps the world we live in. It’s like a reflex. If my hand gets close to a fire, the hand jumps away from the fire faster than I can think. Am I in a reality that I understand, or is my mind building a new existence? Is “now” the end of the way we were? If so, which way do I want it to go? All options are open.

Where I grew up in Israel, we had Jackals and Hyenas. The Hyenas are a female-dominated species. At twilight, they produce a blood-curdling cry that freezes the heart and paralyzes the prey. Their principal weapon is fear. At night I used to lie

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in my bed and hear the hyenas, thinking that Satan is out and we are doomed. Now I am old and again I have the feeling that some evil force is dominating humans and we have no es-cape plan. Satan, Trump, Putin, Netanyahu, and other power-seeking selfish entities compete to dominate and shape us. Here, evolution is just starting on a new trajectory. If we humans can survive a major change in how we are made, the species will emerge differently than it went in. It will be changed mentally, drawing upon something old but new that we named “spiritual”. Now I am visualizing five billion people going in the same direction, with no force or coercion to dominate others. Can it be done? I remember we are over five billion, but we are all one. My imagi-nation is building a new, better human being, but there is very little time to properly plan what it should be Imagining a new form of human being is difficult, since I am looking for a new and improved version. Repeating old mistakes will not do. We shouldn’t be aiming at simply increasing the population as we always were. It’s done and now quality takes over from quantity. A new human should include something immaterial we call beauty. We are done with efficiency.

People have been digging the natural resources up for thousands of years, finding new ways to dig better and more. Name a natural resource and you find us extracting it very efficiently and refining it even faster. We don’t need all that we produce and can use recycling for the rest of our lives. The new humans will do exactly that. Life will be tied to our ability to adapt to new ways. For generations, we have been learning the wrong things, causing overproduction and death to our planet. By cheat-ing and making useless things, our so-called business drowned us in gar-bage and built useless projects. Now our noses are against the wall.

It is time for the cheaters to face reality and come back to where we need them.

We don’t need all their extra oil and gas or other things they make just to be rich.

No need for more roads to China either. What we need is a change of heart.

The new people I am imagining will keep busy by helping and educating others.

In the new (imaginary) world, all the effort will be aimed towards what we know is good. Weapons will not be needed and nature will be al-lowed to punish those who go against it. People will see a reality in which there is a hell on earth for those harming our planet and the good people on it.

Nature, or God, as I call it, is a harsh judge. It does what is needed and can’t play human games considering humans’s forever-changing feelings. Throwing people to the mercy of that court is a harsh step, but some-times is necessary if we don’t learn what will save us the easy way.

Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/ Feel free to check other articles and comment.

4 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - Wednesday, February 21, 2024

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

PROPOSED BYLAW NO. 1170, 2023 7:00 pm, March 5, 2024 Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Council Chambers 8502 - 19AVENUE COLEMAN PURSUANT to sections 22, 216.4, and 606 of the Municipal Government Act, Revised Statutes of Alberta 2000, Chapter M-26, as amended, notice is hereby given that the Council of the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in the Province of Alberta will consider a bylaw to close a portion of a roadway located in Coleman, as legally described and depicted in the sketch below.

THE PURPOSE of this bylaw is to close to public travel, create titles to and dispose of portions of a public roadway in accordance with section 22 of the Municipal Government Act, Revised Statutes of Alberta 2000, Chapter M-26, as amended.

THEREFORE, TAKE NOTICE THAT a public hearing to consider the proposed Bylaw No. 1170, 2023 will be held in the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Council Chambers at 7:00pm on March 5, 2024. Each person shall be allotted 5 minutes to present their position.

AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that anyone wishing to provide slide decks, maps, videos or a written submission regarding the proposed bylaw should email: reception@ crowsnestpass.com with the bylaw number and public hearing date clearly marked in the subject line no later than 12:00pm on February 27, 2024. Verbal presentations (limited to 5 minutes) will be accepted at the public hearing.

For questions regarding the proposed Bylaw Amendment please contact the Development Officer by calling 403562-8833 or emailing development@crowsnestpass.com.

A copy of the proposed bylaw may be inspected at the municipal office during normal business hours.

DATED at the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in the Province of Alberta this 7th day of February, 2024.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING PROPOSED BYLAW NO. 1173, 2023 7:00 pm, March 5, 2024 Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Council Chambers 8502 - 19AVENUE COLEMAN PURSUANT to sections 216.4, 606, and 692 of the Municipal Government Act, Revised Statutes of Alberta 2000, Chapter M-26, the Council of the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in the Province of Alberta hereby gives notice of its intention to consider proposed Bylaw No. 1173, 2023, being a bylaw to amend Bylaw No. 1165, 2023, being the municipal land use bylaw.

The purpose of Bylaw No. 1173, 2023 is to rezone the lands legally described as a portion of Lot 1, Block 3, Plan 191 1496, within SE¼ 16-8-4-W5M, containing ±2.45 ha (6.06 acres), as shown on Schedule ‘A’ , from “Non-Urban Area – NUA-1” to “Grouped Country Residential – GCR-1”.

The subject lands are municipally described as 8917 27th Avenue and are located in the Coleman area.

The purpose of the proposed amendment is to provide for the opportunity to use and develop the lands in accordance with the provisions of the “Grouped Country Residential – GCR-1” land use district.

THEREFORE, TAKE NOTICE THAT a public hearing to consider the proposed Bylaw No. 1173, 2023 will be held in the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Council Chambers at 7:00pm on March 5, 2024. Each person shall be allotted 5 minutes to present their position.

AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that anyone wishing to provide slide decks, maps, videos or a written submission regarding the proposed bylaw should email: reception@ crowsnestpass.com with the bylaw number and public hearing date clearly marked in the subject line no later than 12:00pm on February 27, 2024. Verbal presentations (limited to 5 minutes) will be accepted at the public hearing.

For questions regarding the proposed Bylaw Amendment please contact the Development Officer by calling 403562-8833 or emailing development@crowsnestpass.com.

A copy of the proposed bylaw may be inspected at the

PASS POOL - EMPLOYMENT We are hiring for the 2024 season! Please check out the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Career page to see the details and qualifications required for each opportunity.

We hope you apply to be part of the team today!

Summer Seasonal- May – September Wages- Starting at $17.00/ depending on position and qualifications.

POOL PROGRAMMER- The Pool Programmer is responsible for the coordination, administration, and delivery of the programming at the Pass Pool including day to day oversight of staffing, scheduling, programs, and cash receipting.

LEAD LIFEGUARD- Under the direction of the Pool Programmer, the Lead Lifeguard provides supervision for Lifeguards, monitors activities at the pool and functions as a Lifeguard.

LIFEGUARD/SWIM INSTRUCTOR- Under the direction of the Lead Lifeguard, Lifeguard/ Swim Instructors provide pool supervision, and lesson instruction ensuring patrons have a safe and enjoyable experience at the Pass Pool.

LIFEGUARD- Under the direction of the Lead Lifeguard, Lifeguards provide pool supervision ensuring patrons have a safe and enjoyable experience at the Pass Pool.

JUNIOR GUARD/GUEST SERVICES- Under the direction of the Pool Programmer or Lead Lifeguard, Junior Guard/ Guest Service positions provide junior lifeguarding duties by providing deck coverage and support lifeguards. Guest Services staff accept payment and provide friendly and positive customer service to visitors for a variety of offerings at the pool including season and day passes, lessons and concession items.

GUEST SERVICES- Under the direction of the Pool Programmer, Guest Services accept payment and provide customer service to visitors for a variety of offerings at the pool including season and day passes, lessons and concession items.

Apply online today! https://www.crowsnestpass.com/living-here/employment-opportunities-page/careers

NOTICE OF DEVELOPMENT PERMIT LAND USE BYLAW No. 868-2013 The Development Authority of the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass recently approved the following development application(s): • DP2024-005 – 1805 124 Street, Blairmore (Lot 5 Block 1 Plan 1721JK) For an existing “Single Detached Dwelling” with a front deck and a rear porch (permitted use); An existing “Accessory Building up to 72.8m2” with a 25% variance to the side yard setback; demolition of the existing garage (27.75m2); and a proposed “Accessory Building up to 72.8m2” (permitted use) • DP2024-010 – 11625 19 Avenue, Blairmore (Lot 4 Block 2 Plan 8010276) For an addition to the existing “Single Detached Dwelling” and “Accessory Building” (permitted use) • DP2024-011 – 2615 Valley Ridge Drive, Frank (Lot 5 Block 2 Plan 0714175) For a proposed addition to the “Single Detached Dwelling” (permitted use) with a 12% variance to the west side yard setback.

• DP2024-013 – 251 “A” Southmore Place, Blairmore (Lot 6 Block 1 Plan 0812254) To operate a “Tourist Home” (discretionary use) Any persons claiming to be adversely affected by the above discretionary development permits or variances may file an appeal by March 7, 2024, to SUBDIVISION AND DEVELOPMENT APPEAL BOARD (SDAB) through our Municipal online form or to the or the Land and PROPERTY RIGHTS TRIBUNAL, as may be applicable.

Subdivision and Development Appeal Board: Online Form Submission: https://portal.laserfiche.ca/ o8468/forms/Development_Appeal Fee of $400.00 must be paid with the appeal (will be contacted for payment once the form is sent).

Land and Property Rights Tribunal: 1229-91 Street SW Edmonton AB T6X 1E9 Development Officer Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Phone: 403 562-8833 Email: development@crowsnestpass.com

OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER 2024 Order of the Crowsnest Pass - Outstanding Volunteer Awards. Nominate a deserving community volunteer before March 8! This year also marks our 12th annual Youth Award and $1000 scholarship!

For details and nomination forms, visit https://www. crowsnestpass.com/living-here/volunteer-crowsnest

BOARD VACANCIES The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass has vacancies on the following Boards & Committees: PASS POWDERKEG SKI SOCIETY The Board and Committee Application Form and the applicable Bylaw or Terms of Reference for each Board & Committee are available at the Municipal Office or online at https://www.crowsnestpass.com/municipal-government/boards-and-committees/board-and-committee-application-information.

Applications may be returned to the Attention of Bonnie Kawasaki by: Mail: Municipality of Crowsnest Pass, P.O. Box 600, Blairmore AB, T0K 0E0 Email: bonnie.kawasaki@crowsnestpass.com In person: 8502 – 19 Avenue, Coleman (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm) - Fax: 403-563-5474 The Municipality does not retain applications. If you are interested in volunteering, please resubmit your application.

8502 - 19 Avenue, Coleman Box 600, Crowsnest Pass, AB, T0K 0E0 ph: 403-562-8833 e: reception@crowsnestpass.com www.crowsnestpass.com After Hours Public Works Emergencies: 403-562-2021

Wednesday, February 21, 2024 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - 5

Crowsnest Pass Curling Club Boxsocial Bonspiel

Nick Allen photos

Shots of the Boxsocial Bonspiel featuring curlers from the Pass and pincher Creek on February 17.

24024ds1

AGM

Crowsnest Pass Allied Arts Association Monday, March 4th, 5pm at the Art Galley Everyone is welcome! Join us for some treats, and a yearly review of what the Galley actually does year round Please email cnpaaa@shaw.ca for Agenda package

Community Events Listing Sponsored by: Event

Date

Time

Place

Brat Pack

Tuesdays

10-11:30 am

CNP Library

Adult Colouring

Wednesdays

6-8:00 pm

CNP Library

Teen Movie Night

Feb. 23

4:30 - 7 pm

CNP Library

Poker Run

Feb. 24

9:30 am

Atlas Staging Area

This space could be your spot!

Contact The Pass Herald if your non-profit organization would like an event listed

passheraldads@gmail.com

6 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Herald Editorial LISA SYGUTEK Sometimes I wonder what goes through people minds.

As you know, I’m not a huge social media person.

Facebook, in my opinion, is a cesspool of negativity. I’m not on any of the public forums that denigrate people under the pretence of community engagement.

I live in blissful ignorance of what people are saying on those sites.

Occasionally, however, someone sends me a post and I can’t help but wonder what rock some people live under.

The newest one I was sent was by a group called the Protect Alberta’s Rockies and Headwaters. I tried to look up the garbage they spew on their site about the Crowsnest Pass and the people who make up this valley to only see that they blocked me. Now, I’m intrigued. Why would a public group block a person who owns a newspaper in the valley they often disparage? My only guess is that they don’t want the people of the Crowsnest Pass to read the garbage they say about them. I have one word for this group and its commentators, you are all COWARDS. Just for some background. The group is irate that Northback (formerly Riversdale) is donating $75,000 to the Livingstone Range School Division to feed students that face food insecurity.

This amount will be donated annually and is not a one-time donation as some believe it to be.

I asked for some screenshots of what this group said, and these are a few of the comments.

“This is Northback trying to buy their way into getting support of the people living in the Crowsnest Pass”.

Northback is “bribing the UCP at a time when the Oldman is nearly dry is disgusting”.

“Feeding your children, before you poison them”.

“Some humans are very cruel and greedy. All about the mighty dollar, no matter who or what it destroys”.

“This is absolutely Northback trying to buy their way into getting the support of the people living in the Crowsnest Pass. Anyone who would think it’s anything other than that are sadly delusional.”

There are many but I thought I’d just send you a few.

First, many of these people don’t understand that the money goes to every school in the division, not just the Crowsnest Pass.

Second, they obviously don’t understand that food insecurity for children in this division is real. Kids go hungry and my guess is with the increased cost of housing, food, and utilities that many are only getting one meal a day!

I wonder if any of these commentators have donated anything to the division to feed the students. It’s easy for them to virtue signal on their computers in their warm homes all built with steel made from coal.

Perhaps if we had a coal mine in the valley, people from all over the school division could get jobs in the mine. Jobs that pay a living wage. They wouldn’t have to hope that their kids get a meal at school when their own cupboards are bare.

This is the hypocrisy of this group. Let me fill you in on a fact. Someone in Northback realized that kids were going hungry. They saw a need and filled that need by donating to a food program. It wasn’t to get points with the provincial government, it was to feed students.

The commentators on this group have obviously not missed a meal or they wouldn’t be sitting on their high horses disparaging such a noble deed.

Perhaps these commentators, and the locals who are spouting off on it as well, could use their spare time on social media to help fundraise for the impoverished in our community, but wait that requires some work on their part!

So, thank you Northback! Thank you for feeding some of the kids in our school division. I hope you get your permit and I hope you employ hundreds of people, allowing them to make a liveable wage, then perhaps you won’t have to donated to feed kids because their families can!

Herald “Letters to the Editor” Policy

Policy: The Pass Herald welcomes Letters to the Editor that examine issues, but reserves the right to edit for length, libel and syntax. Writers must sign letters and include first and last names, address and telephone number. Address and telephone numbers will not be published. Only in exceptional cases will the Pass Herald withhold the name of the writer and in those cases the writer must disclose his/her name, address and telephone number to the Editor.

Electronic email will be considered an electronic signature. Letters to the Editor do not reflect the opinion of the Pass Herald. Letters cannot exceed 600 words. We have limited space, but we do enjoy printing ever­y article. So please, to allow everyone to express their opinion, keep the letters short and to the point. We do have the right to refuse any letter that in our judgement may contain libel or libelous opinions. Should a litigation result from your letter, you as the writer are responsible but so is this newspaper as the publisher. The Pass Herald is a family owned community newspaper and therefore reserves the right to refuse any advertisement that in our opinion does not follow our mandate. We cannot accept advertisements or letters criticizing or disparaging other advertisers, companies or individuals or any advertisements directed to a religion or race. Deadline for submission is the Friday prior to publication.

2. The History What’s this Pride fuss Let’s keep it brief, and relatively local.

In Canada, until 1969, it was a criminal offense if heart fluttered when someone of your own gender all about anyways? your walked in the room and you acted on that crush. In

NOM DE PLUME If you’ve been on the Crowsnest Pass Facebook sites lately, you may have seen a stirring about the new Crowsnest Pride Society. Or maybe you’ve seen a rainbow sticker pop up on a few storefronts. And wasn’t there a Herald article about some vandalism supposedly linked to an “Everyone is Welcome Here” sticker? What’s all this Pride fuss about anyway?

Join us in exploring the new noise coming from a previously quiet part of our community, those who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ and their allies.

Let’s begin with two frequently asked questions of queers: 1) If you want to be treated the same as everyone else, why don’t you stop making such a fuss about yourselves? 2) Do pride groups have to be so gosh darn LOUD all the time?

These are valid questions! We’ll need to understand four queer-related elements to find an equally valid response. Let’s dive in!

1. The Basics All around the world, there are organizations that exist for the sole purpose of supporting their local queer community. “Queer” is a phrase that generally refers to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community…and that particular alphabet soup refers to people who identify as Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, or Asexual.

Organizations that support this community sometimes are called “Pride Organizations”. In this usage, the term “Pride” doesn’t refer to an event like a “Pride Parade”, rather, it refers to the broad idea that these organizations are trying to overturn centuries of shamebased beliefs regarding being queer. Instead, they promote the belief that queer humans can be proud of who they are, regardless of who they love or what gender they identify with.

America, this didn’t change until 2003.

Laws rendering it illegal for a woman to wear “men’s clothing” and vice versa existed until 2015 in some parts of Canada and until 2018 in some parts of America. Although not enforced recently, this historically provided legal grounds for arrests of queers who didn’t dress in “gender-conforming” ways.

In Canada, if you were gay and dared to follow your heart, that was sufficient grounds to be fired from your job until 1996 and denied from military service until 1992.

These and various other laws criminalized queer public existence while simultaneously creating a stigma against being queer. In turn, this gave license for public shaming, violence, and police brutality without recourse. The only realistic way for a queer person to have basic human rights of safety, dignity, occupation, marriage, and family was to hide their true selves, essentially, to live a lie in public spaces at all times.

But there’s another side of history: progress! In Canada, in 1996, it became illegal to discriminate against a citizen just because of who they loved or what gender they identified with. Before this, queers could be refused housing, employment, and government services. In 2005, ALL Canadian citizens were given the right to marry the person they loved.

America followed suit in 2015. And in 2022, Canada even put a stop to Conversion Therapy, which seeks to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, typically against their will.

3. 1969 Given the recent queerphobic stance of society, how did progress emerge for queers at all? A significant part of this answer is 1969. On June 28, 1969, a group of New York queers and their allies, who had lived their entire lives hidden or persecuted, finally decided that enough was enough! They refused to

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Wednesday, February 21, 2024 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - 7

Nick’s Notes A Book Review “The Ghosts of Lille” by Kimberley Kocken is a haunting and atmospheric debut novel that weaves together the chilling elements of supernatural terror and historical mystery. The story unfolds on the cusp of a notable change in Emma’s life as her family relocates to a remote village in Alberta, one that will be familiar to long-time residents of the Pass. This move sets the stage for a series of eerie events that will test the boundaries between the living and the dead.

As Emma grapples with a recurring nightmare on the eve of their move, the narrative takes a spine-tingling turn, linking her fears to the ominous history of Turtle Mountain, the site of Canada’s deadliest rockslide. The quaint house they settle into, surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of the area, soon becomes a source of disquiet as strange occurrences unfold, leaving Emma questioning her own instincts and the safety of her family.

The novel takes on a captivating dimension as Emma befriends Felix, an older resident, who becomes her guide through the dark tapestry of the house’s history. Kocken skillfully integrates supernatural elements, blending tragic and ghostly tales of previous inhabitants, creating a narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The stories shared by Felix gradually reveal a pattern of malevolent forces, raising the stakes for Emma and her family.

What sets “The Ghosts of Lille” apart is Kocken’s ability to infuse the story with a sense of place, drawing on her own experiences and the rich history of Alberta’s Crowsnest Pass. The author’s background as an Indigenous youth and her connection to the land add depth to the narrative, cre-ating a unique and authentic atmosphere.

As the suspense builds, readers will find themselves immersed in a tale of psychological tension, historical intrigue, and supernatural occurrences. Kocken’s writing is engaging and evocative, bringing the characters and the haunted setting to life. “The Ghosts of Lille” marks a promising debut for Kimberley Kocken, highlighting her talent for storytelling and her ability to craft a gripping novel that seamlessly blends the past with the present, and the natural with the supernatural.

The book is available locally at the Gilded Haus or on friesenpress.com.

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8 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Family Day in the Crowsnest Pass

Wednesday, February 21, 2023 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - 9

Tourism development and the Crowsnest Pass NICHOLAS L. M. ALLEN Pass Herald Reporter

During the Municipal Council meeting on February 13, a report for the Southern Rockies Tourism Development Zone was presented to the council.

Terry Goertzen, vice president of Economic Development at Travel Alberta, explained how the Southern Rockies Tourism Development Zone has been identified as a promising area for tourism growth and development.

Goertzen began the presentation by emphasizing the need to disperse visitors in Alberta beyond the legacy destinations that exist. These legacy destinations account for a significant portion of tourism visits and spending but face challenges due to seasonal compression. The goal is to create more opportunities for both Albertans and international visitors to explore lesser-known regions, reducing the traveler deficit in Alberta.

“Our focus is on the other parts of Alberta that can grow. We made a strategic decision to focus our staff, energy, and our investment energy beyond the Big 5,” Goertzen stated, signaling a shift towards exploring the untapped potential of regions like the Southern Rockies.

One of the key factors driving the focus on the Southern Rockies is the significant amount of money that Albertans spend in neighboring British Columbia, particularly in the Crowsnest Pass region. The goal is to retain more of this spending within Alberta, boosting the local economy and creating job opportunities.

“The potential here is immense. One really great hotel here is going to stop a lot

of people from going farther because there’s enough to do,” Goertzen explained, emphasizing the region’s existing attractions and natural assets.

The economic model presented in the report suggests that with strategic investments, the Southern Rockies Tourism Development Zone could experience a 5.1% growth in visitor spend, translating to $260 million over the next 10 years and the potential creation of 1,874 jobs. The model considered existing investments and jobs in the region as a baseline and highlighted the growth potential with additional investments.

“The opportunity we believe with investments, engagement, and conversations in the 10 zones, Southern Rockies is probably the third-highest opportunity across Alberta in terms of investment opportunity and potential growth,” Goertzen highlighted, showcasing the region’s strong potential for economic development.

The report also outlined the extensive engagement process, including conversations with 114 stakeholders, 63 businesses, and four communities in the region.

The survey results indicated strong community support for tourism development, with 91% acknowledging its importance and 80% expressing a welcoming attitude toward more visitors.

“More collaboration is needed. If we work together, we can attract visitors to stay longer. It’s about a sustainable, community-centric approach. We want it to be here in the long term,” Goertzen expressed, emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts for successful tourism development.

Acknowledging concerns about exploitation and maintaining the region’s quality of life, Goertzen assured that any development would be done in collaboration with the communities, ensuring sustainability and long-term benefits.

“As we move forward, we need community buy-in. Positive messaging and community engagement are crucial for shaping the future we envision,” Goertzen stated, underlining the importance of involving the community in decision-making processes.

The Discovery Report and Goertzen’s presentation offered a glimpse into the exciting potential of the Southern Rockies as a thriving tourism destination. With a commitment to sustainable development, collaboration, and strategic investments, the region aims to attract more visitors, boost the local economy, and showcase the natural and cultural assets it has to offer.

Nicholas L.M. Allen photos

10 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - Wednesday, February 21. 2024

MLA Petrovic frontline visits and conversations GEORGE LEE Local Journalism Initiative - Macleod Gazette Calling it an issue that’s “near and dear to my heart,” Livingstone-Macleod MLA Chelsae Petrovic said she’s digging deep into the health-care needs of her riding as a new delivery system takes shape in Alberta.

Petrovic said she’s speaking with frontline workers and touring health-care facilities to get as complete a picture as she can before heading to Edmonton for the reconvening of the legislature Feb. 28. Her work coincides with in-person public engagement sessions the UCP government is holding throughout the province to flesh out plans announced last year.

The government will reorganize Alberta Health Services into four groups: primary care, acute care, continuing care, and mental health and addiction.

Legislation to dismantle and replace Alberta Health Services is expected to reach the legislature before it breaks for summer.

Livingstone-Macleod MLA Chelsae Petrovic discusses what she’s learning about health care in her riding.

Livingstone-Macleod engagement sessions were held earlier this year in Crowsnest Pass, Pincher Creek, High River and Claresholm. Petrovic attended all four.

She said the sessions taught her plenty. “There’s always uniqueness to each community, even though some of them are just 20 or 30 minutes apart,” said Petrovic, who worked as licensed practical nurse be-

Pride fuss cont’d believe Society’s rhetoric that they were broken, sick, shameful people, and decided instead to accept who they were, to be proud of who they loved, and to believe that they deserved all human rights.

Acting together, they courageously stood up to their oppressors. Six days of protest ensued, including violence, police brutality, arrests, and above all, a refusal to let things go back to the old way. The message spread to other communities: We have a right to protest this! We have a right to exist in public spaces!

This event, called “Stonewall Riots”, marked the start of the fight for queer rights. The first ever Pride March occurred the following June. This march declared, “We’re here, we’re queer, and we’re NOT going back into hiding”. Thousands of previously “quiet” and closeted queers and their allies attended, daring to be seen in public spaces as their true selves for the first, brave, proud, time.

Imagine how it might have felt if, after a lifetime of being told that you’re shameful and must hide your true identity, you’re then given an alternate possibility!

Pride marches everywhere shouted this alternate message: You can be proud of who you are.

4. The Present State Okay, but now it’s 2024, in Crowsnest Pass. All of this is in the past: the marches have been marched and the battles have been fought. Queer individuals here are peacefully living their lives, stocking shelves, helping you get your car out of that snowdrift, or working hard in the mines. They are your neighbour, your restaurant server, or your relative. With a friendly smile, you say hello to them on the street on a regular basis. In other words, they’re just like anyone else

fore entering provincial politics as a UCP candidate.

“It’s actually pretty amazing how needs differ from community to community.”

Dozens of in-person engagement sessions lie ahead across the province – as early as Thursday, Feb. 15, in Athabasca and Slave Lake, and Friday, Feb. 16, in Westlock and Whitecourt, and as late as March 25 in Coronation and Hanna and March 26 in Consort and Provost.

Petrovic, a first-term MLA, said in a Feb. 5 interview that much of the uniqueness of each community’s challenges stems from the services each provides and its access to those it doesn’t. Fort Macleod Health Centre offers emergency, dialysis and home-care services, for example. Crowsnest Pass is remote enough that residents face a three-hour drive to see a cardiologist.

Claresholm, a town of 3,800 people where Petrovic was once mayor, has about 600 full-time, part-time and casual health-care employees for 284 inpatient beds across four facilities – acute care, mental health, detox and long-term care – plus multiple community services.

High River may be just 30 minutes from the south side of Calgary, but its health-care centre provides surgery, maternity care and palliative care. Pincher Creek has a unique funding model with its physicians, which Petrovic said in coming weeks she’ll be looking into deeply.

The MLA plans to meet frontline workers throughout the constituency. “I want to talk to the health care aides, I want to talk to the LPNs (licensed practical nurses), I want to talk to the RNs, I want to talk to the physicians. And I want to see the state of these hospitals.”

On tap were tours of facilities in Fort Macleod, Pincher Creek, Claresholm, High River and Nanton.

Petrovic also hoped to visit Aakom-Kiyii Health Services in Brocket, to “highlight even more of the unique needs across the riding.”

Petrovic worked more than 13 years in health care.

She started as a nursing student in Claresholm, before

transferring after about 11 years to the Fort Macleod emergency department. Most recently she was with the Piikani Nation’s Aakom-Kiyii.

Her interest in health care comes from her professional experience, from having friends and relatives still working in the system, and from being a regular citizen and health care user, she said.

The MLA appreciates the range of opinions and information she heard at engagement sessions, and how the ministry is running them. Mediators recorded responses and helped attendees focus their thoughts. “To have that open, honest feedback I think is going to be really beneficial for the minister and her team, and I think for Albertans across the board, too.”

The four engagement sessions in Livingstone-Macleod attracted 180 attendees, a spokesperson for Alberta Health said. “We’re very pleased with the level of engagement and desire of health-care workers, patients, families and caregivers to participate,” said press secretary Andrea Smith in an emailed statement.

“Through these engagement sessions, we have heard loud and clear that health-care workers and Albertans want to be involved in every step of the refocusing process,” she said. Consultations will continue to “make sure the new system is informed by those on the frontlines and the people who rely on it.”

Petrovic encourages those Albertans who haven’t been involved in the conversation to start taking part now. “It’s our health care. And I think that voicing our concerns, our opinions and our experiences is really going to help shape the way we go. There are no more engagements within my riding. But that doesn’t stop people from being able to go online and voice their opinion, or to reach out to my office and voice their opinion for me to be able to take back to the minister.”

living here. So, what’s all the fuss about today?

Sadly, the fight for queer human rights isn’t yet over. In the last six months alone, the queer community in the Pass has experienced vandalism to queerowned private properties, vandalism to queer-owned commercial property, threats against personal safety, a written commitment to making the queer community here feel “uncomfortable and unsafe”, and a written threat to “shut down” their gatherings.

To put it a different way, if you don’t identify as queer and have lived in the Pass for at least six months and haven’t yet experienced threats against your safety, vandalism to your property, or had to speak to the RCMP about concerns to your life, home, or loved ones, it’s possible that you’re enjoying some rights and privileges that the queer people in your community don’t yet have secured.

Putting it all Together We now have the necessary ingredients to understand the answer to the question, why all that fuss?

It is simply this: in the context of the recent history of oppression, the fuss is a counter-response to being forced into hiding for centuries. Queers have only just been granted the freedom to publicly exist, and they are NOT going to let this pass them by! Although queers actually can be quiet folks, content to just hike mountains, love who they love, and walk their four-legged fur babies, if a gesture of queerphobia arises, they will together stand tall.

Remember Patrick Swayze’s famous line in Dirty Dancing when “Baby” appeared at risk of losing her independence? “Nobody puts Baby in a corner!” he declared, as she visibly rejected Society’s expectation that her true self be diminished. If those queerphobic acts mentioned above hadn’t occurred here in the Pass, this new Pride Society probably wouldn’t

have been created; it emerged as an organic act of resistance against those who threatened, shamed, and attempted to oppress. While it’s true that the Pride Movement isn’t quite the fight that it used to be, queers unfortunately do still encounter queerphobic acts. Continuing the resistance against this is an important part of honouring their predecessors who lost so much, as well as maintaining forward progress for human rights.

The bottom line: queer hate won’t be tolerated.

Queer organizations will respond, every time, rising up with a community that’s stronger than the hate that’s received.

Remember back when women’s rights didn’t exist.

No voting, limited occupational choices, and no bank account; how did women get all those rights? They fought for them. Women and their allies got loud, held marches, created organizations, and burned bras in the street! After decades of being loud, they finally gained the right to fully exist in public spaces. Sixty years from today, Pride Organizations may be a lot less loud. Will they even need to exist? Possibly not. But today, around the world and here in Crowsnest Pass, queers are still in their fight…and responding quietly just won’t do.

So, when you see the Pride Society on Facebook or volunteering at a community event, know that it exists for a clear purpose: to continue visibly rejecting the oppression that still whispers, from time to time, from over their shoulders. It exists to send the message to those who would like to oppress queer humans in the Pass: nobody puts us in the corner, not ever again.

Today, the community stands tall and proud in who they are as humans, and the Crowsnest Pride Society mindfully continues to work toward a future free from queerphobic harm.

Reach Petrovic at 587-424-2004 or by emailing livingstone.macleod@assembly.ab.ca. You can also visit https://www.alberta.ca/shape-the-way to find out more, take a survey, listen to recordings of five telephone town halls, and register for remaining in-person engagement sessions.

Wednesday, February 21, 2024 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - 11

Pass Herald’s

Puzzle Page

12 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Thunder Hockey Updates U7 Thunder - Lindsey Michalsky U7 Thunder hit the road on Sunday February 18th to play Fernie A. This was their last away league game of the season. They will head into one more away tournament held in Fernie on March 2-3,2024. Today’s game saw goals scored by, Colter Michalsky, Bowden Williams, Gus Trotz, Austin Bley, Nixon Lafreniere and Van Pawlowski. There was a lot of hustle from the players and they kept gaining momentum and working hard for goals right up to the final buzzer.

Come cheer on U7’s last home game of the season on February 25th at 1:00pm against Taber Grey.

Fully cooked frozen meals and soups Laura’s fresh soups Monday to Friday Frozen Meals sold at Emilio’s Meracato Italiano in Blairmore Let Laura Cook Menu: Cabbage Rolls .....$18 Swiss Steak ..... $18 Salisbury Steak ..... $16 Beef Stroganoff ..... $18 Zippy Tomato Meat Sauce (Meatball and Hot Italian Sausage) ... $16 Tomato Meat Sauce with Meatballs ..... $16 Meatballs in Mushroom Gravy ..... $16

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Thunder U7

U13 Thunder - Lauren Kirkman

Thunder U13s Wrap Up The Hockey Season The U13’s played their final games over the weekend with a bittersweet end to the playoffs.

Playing against the top team in their tier, Thunder tried their hardest but couldn’t fly past the Hawks.

A Saturday evening in Vulcan, Thunder was keeping it close. With the Hawks just leading by one goal, it was an intense first and second period.

By the third however, Vulcan banked three more goals. Final score being 5-1 for the game.

Thunder goal scored by Nico Gillespie and assisted by Sam Graham.

Owen Kirkman was between the pipes making 46 saves.

Sunday afternoon, the U13’s hosted Vulcan for another nail biting game.

Keeping it tied by the end of the first period, the Hawks flew by scoring another three goals in the second and third. Final score being 4-1.

Thunders unassisted goal was made by captain Ryder Jorgensen.

A total of 45 shots were made on goalie Owen Kirkman.

With another season done, it could not have happened without our dedicated players & affiliates, coaches, team manager, parents, volunteers, referees, rink staff, and concession staff.

With most of the U13’s moving up to U15 next year, the team is excited to see further growth and team building.

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Photos by Lauren Kirkman

Thunder U13 playing on Sundays, February 18, in a playoff game vs Vulcan on home ice at the Crowsnest Pass Sports Complex.

Wednesday, February 21, 2024 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - 13

Looking Back

BY JOHN KINNEAR

An 11 Day Fix

Thirty days has September, April, June and November, All the rest I can’t remember.

The spring equinox is fast approaching and this year it lands on March 19th at 9:06 p.m. but those of us over 30 may recall a time when the first day of spring fell on the 21st. The insertion of an extra day (Feb 29th) this year will keep that equinox on the same date (the 20th) for some time. The equinox will not land on the 21st for us in the northern hemisphere again until the year 2101.

What you may or may not know is that while the year 2000 was a leap year the year’s 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not. The rule is that if the year is divisible by 100 and not divisible by 400, the leap year is skipped. So there will be no leap year for the year 2100. It goes 2088, 2092, 2096 and then 2104, which means 8 years without a leap year.

How and why all this leaping works is a tricky but fascinating bit of calendar manipulation history that dates back to the late 1500’s. It involves a Pope, Julius Caesar, some equinoxes badly out of whack and the unprecedented disappearance of 11 whole days.

A little bit of pre-Gregorian calendar history is probably in order at this point, so that I can lead you into how our calendar works today. Back as far as 2000 years ago stone alignments were used to determine the length of the solar year by marking the progress of the sun along the horizon. The solar or “tropical” year is about 365.2422 mean solar days so the seasons began on about the same dates each year as the Gregorian.

Ancient calendars depended on observational rules. The earliest was probably based on lunar observations using the “synodic” month, the interval from new moon to new moon, which is about 29.53 days. Hence calendar months contained 29 or 30 days but 12 lunar months, which totals 354.36 days, makes a lunar year that is 11 days shorter that a tropical or solar year.

Lunar years didn’t work, agriculturally speaking, so lunar/solar calendars were formed by adding an additional “leap” month when the observation of crops made it seem necessary. Apparently there were hundreds of calendars with variations formed at various times in different parts of the world, like Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, India and China. Imagine a modern-day traveler, nowadays; trying to figure out what day it was back in those times. Their iphone calendar app would crash. And let’s not forget the Maya, whose calendar divided the year into 18 -20 day months with a five day period at the end. That’s just about enough time to hold our annual Heritage Days, but my bet is that the Maya did a lot more “grizzly” things back then during those five days than we do on our five day celebration of our history.

Romans, during the late republic, used some of these lunar/solar variations.

These calendars were apparently more influenced by political considerations than observation. Julius Caesar recognized a need for a more stable, predictable calendar and with the help of the astronomer “Sosigenes” formed one. I guess the calendar was out by several months back then, what with all the political manipulations, so the year 46 B.C. was given 445 days to compensate and every common year after that was to have 365 days. Man, that 445 day-year must have had those Romans wondering if the year 46 B.C. was ever going to end! 45 B.C. was designated a “leap” year during which the month of February was extended by one day.

Unfortunately the “Julian” leap year rule created 3 leap years too many every 385 years (confused yet?) So the equinoxes (March and September) and solstices (June and December) kept drifting away from their assigned calendar dates. That’s

when the church decided to get involved, as the date of the spring equinox determines that of Easter. Pope Gregory X111, with the help of astronomer “Christopher Clavius”, introduced the “Gregorian” calendar.

The adjustment was made thusly: Thursday October 4, 1582 (Julian) was followed by October 15, 1582 (Gregorian). Like I said earlier, leap years were to occur in years exactly divisible by four, except (good grief) those years that end in “00” which must be exactly divisible by 400 to be leap years. The Gregorian calendar allows equinoxes to drift behind as each century progresses then pushes them ahead a little too much by the omitted leap year at most centuries end.

There have been many proposals made for calendar improvements (God forbid!). They go under the names of “universal”, “perpetual” and “fixed” calendars, the latter having 13 equal months of 28 days. They might be simpler statistically but boy do they ever screw up things like religious holidays.

During the French revolution a “reformed” calendar void of religious connections was adopted and took effect on September 22, 1792, the day the Republic was proclaimed. It had a 10 day week and 12 months of 30 days with the days left at year’s end given over to vacations and celebrations. Try working a 10 day work week and see if you feel like celebrating after! Napoleon 1(Bonaparte) put an end to that foolishness on January 1, 1806 and returned to the Gregorian system.

All this Gregorian manipulation came about because of an earth year that is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 56 seconds long. If our year was 11 minutes longer a leap year every fourth year would fix this problem just right.

Incidentally, if we hadn’t fixed this out of sync problem back then in 1582 Christmas would be rolling around sometime in August, something the Aussies and New Zealanders can relate to.

I read years ago about a woman leaper (born on the 29th) who turned 23 (actually 92) in the year 2000. She was 12 when her son turned 12! The final word on leap years for you bachelors out there is this: “Guys, get married on February 29th, you’ll save a bundle on wedding anniversary gifts.” It is in fact a tradition that women are allowed to propose to men on this day.

One last crazy piece of info that I’d like to share is how our calendar assigned date for Easter, which is a moveable feast, is determined. The date of Easter is determined through a calculation known as computus (Latin for “computation”). Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon, which is the first full moon on or after March 21st (a fixed approximation of the March equinox). Now I’m really lost.

Just for laughs let’s see. If someone is born this year on the 29th of February (they are called leaplings), they will be 18 in 2096 and will have to wait 8 years for their next birthday in 2104. So to be born on the 29th is to be forever young.

Fun fact: The mayor of the town of Anthony, Texas who is a leapling, got the town to start an annual leap year festival and birthday celebration for all leap year babies. They now proclaim themselves as the leap year capital of the world. Leapers come from all over America and abroad to take part in parades, birthday dinners and hot air balloon rides. Man doesn’t that sound like fun. They call themselves “29ers”.

I was born on the summer solstice (June 21) in 1948 which was a leap year. My life calendar has not much time left in it but the fact remains that all of us have a limited calendar and recognizing that time flies should motivate you to live your life to the fullest every single day.

Contributor photos

Photos left to right: Leaplings celebrating in Anthony Texas The Leap Year capital of the world:

14 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - Wednesday, February 21, 2024

THE

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SERVICES The Crowsnest Pass AA group has moved effective January 2, 2022. We now meet once a week. SUNDAY NIGHTS ONLY at 7:00 pm. Compass Fellowship Church. 2029 - 130th St., Blairmore, AB. Looking forward to seeing you.

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EMPLOYMENT

INTEGRITY POST FRAME BUILDINGS since 2008 BUILT WITH CONCRETE POSTS. Barns, Shops, Riding Arenas, Machine Sheds and more, sales@ integritybuilt.com 1-866-974-7678 www.integritybuilt.com.

COMING EVENTS EDMONTON COIN SHOW & SALE - March 9/10 2024, 10 am - 4:30 pm. Lions Centre 11113 113 Street, Edmonton. Free market evaluations. Dealers from across Canada * Auctions * Displays * WATCHES * Family friendly! www.edmontoncoinclub.com/ shows.

FIREARMS WANTED FOR OUR 2024 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.

3.2” version CUSTOM HOMES

VALUE ADS 3” wide version BROAD REACH at an AFFORDABLE PRICE

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

799

$

Ask about the

Value Ad Network

plus GST

Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association

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

3” wide version

or visit your community newspaper

Easy Calving Angus Hybrid wide version Bulls3.75” for Heifers

Charlton Cattle Co. has more than 40 years’ experience BROAD at anforAFFORDABLE PRIC raising onlyREACH easy calving bulls first calf heifers.

799

Advertise $ Province-wide

• 65 red and black easy calving yearling bulls on test (65-85 pound BWs) • Less than 1% assist rate in over 32,000 home-raised and commercial heifers • Six month breeding soundness guarantee with a combined An easy calving, stress-free springcirculation is just aofphone call away! over 650,000 for only...

Contact Daryl at 780-806-1229

Ask about the

CharltonCattleCo@gmail.com Value Ad Network 3.75” version www.CharltonCattleCo.ca

GET YOUR MESSAGE SEEN Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association toll free 1-800-282-6903 x225 ACROSS Alberta. The Blanket email classifieds@awna.com Classifieds or Value Ads reach over or visit your community newspaper 600,000 Alberta readers week3.75” wide version ly. Two options starting at $269 3.2” version or $799 to get your message out!

Business changes, hiring, items Part Time Assistant Coordinator for for sale, cancellations, tenders, etc.

Crowsnest Pass Hiring For: Now Hiring People areFor: increasingly staying Charlton CattleNow Co. has more than 40 years’ experience • Executive Director • Executive Director • General Manager raising only easy calving bulls for first calf heifers.

• General Manager home and rely on their local news• Financial • Financial Controller • 65 red and black easy calving yearlingController bulls on test (65-85 pound BWs) papers for information. KEEP peo• Less than 1% assist rate in over 32,000 home-raised and commercial heifers Apply Now Apply Now ple in the loop with our 90 Weekly • Six month breeding soundness guarantee bearhillscasino.com/careers bearhillscasino.com/careers Community Newspapers. Call An easy calving, stress-free spring is just a phone call away!

Ranchlands Victim Services Unit works in partnership with the Crowsnest Pass, Pincher THIS NEWSPAPER now or email Contact Daryl at 780-806-1229 Creek, Piikani, Fort MacLeod, and Claresholm RCMP detachments to provide support, classifieds@awna.com for details.

Employment Opportunity

Easy Calving Angus Hybrid Bulls for Heifers

RANCHLANDS VICTIM SERVICES SOCIETY UNIT

CharltonCattleCo@gmail.com

assistance, information and referrals to victims of crime and/or tragedy.

1-800-282-6903, 780-434-8746 X225. www.awna.com.

This part-time position requires a self-motivated individual to provide the Victim Services program service delivery to support victims of crime and tragedy in these communities on a regular and consistent basis. This position would provide a liaison between the Ranchlands Victim Service Unit, Child Family services, community agencies, criminal justice system, social services and RCMP. This position is subject to Grant funding.

FEED AND SEED ALBERTA FEED GRAIN: Buying Oats, Barley, Wheat, Canola, Peas, Screenings, Mixed Grains. Dry, Wet, Heated, or Spring Thresh. Prompt Payment. In House Trucks, In House Excreta Cleaning. Vac Rental. 1-888483-8789.

WE BUY DAMAGED GRAIN - Heated, Mixed, Tough, Light, Bugs, Spring Thrashed....Barley, Wheat, Oats, Peas, Flax, Canola. “On Farm Pickup”. Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252.

Responsibilities of this position focus on providing targeted services to ensure that victims of crime can access their rights as victims as outlined in both the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights and the Alberta Victims of Crime Act. The key to this service is the building and maintaining of relationships with the victim(s) that may require a facilitated referral approach. Relationships with community agencies/stakeholders and with other community representatives/members are also significant service targets. Additionally, it will be vitally important to participate in activities that promote victim services. The goal is to provide a consistent, safe response to all victims of crime.

Qualifications/Skills Required: • Post-secondary education in the human services field or equivalent related experience and education • Excellent problem-solving, time management and organizational skills • Excellent interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to build relationships with staff, volunteers, RCMP members and other community partners and stakeholders.

• Ability to work with diverse populations and people in crisis • A willingness to sometimes work a flexible schedule to accommodate events • Must be proficient in the use of technology • Must have a valid driver’s license • Must obtain and maintain an enhanced RCMP security clearance • Ability to work within RCMP-VSU operational policies and procedures • Complete all training through Alberta Justice and Solicitor Genera • Knowledge and experience working in the Criminal Justice System would be an asset Salary commensurate with education and experience Office Hours: Thursday, Friday, Monday – 4 hours per day Applications will remain open until a suitable candidate is hired.

Submit resume via email only to: shelly-anne.dennis@rcmp-grc.gc.ca Shelly-Anne Dennis - Executive Program Manager Ranchlands Victim Services Society Unit Office: 403-627-6040 We thank you for your application however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

www.CharltonCattleCo.ca

HEALTH HIP/KNEE REPLACEMENT. Other medical conditions causing TROUBLE WALKING or DRESSING? The Disability Tax Credit allows for $3,000 yearly tax credit and $30,000 lump sum refund. Take advantage of this offer. Apply NOW; quickest refund Nationwide: Expert help. 1-844-453-5372.

SERVICES 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.

WANTED COLLECTOR/ ENTREPRENEUR PURCHASING COINS & COLLECTIONS! CASH PAID! ROYAL CANADIAN MINT COINS, collections, rare & old coins, silver & gold coins, jewelry, nuggets, bullion, sterling, gold & silver! 250-864-3521.

WANTED OLD ADVERTISING: Dealership signs, service station, gas pumps, globes, oil cans, Red Indian, White Rose, Buffalo, Husky, Ford, GM, Dodge, Tire signs, Coke, Pepsi, etc. Call 306-221-5908.

OBITUARIES FORTUNASO JOSEPH “JOE” FORTUNASO, of Lethbridge, beloved husband of the late Eda Fortunaso, passed away peacefully at St. Michael’s Health Centre – Palliative Care Unit, on Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at the age of 97 years.

At Joe’s request, no funeral service will be held.

To send a condolence, please visit www.cornerstonefuneralhome.com

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Wednesday, February 21, 2024 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - 15

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Journeyman Certied Carpenter Licensed and Insured

Journeyman Certified Carpenter Licensed and Insured

This space could be your Bus: 403-634-3858 Contact Tina at email:pkkingsly@gmail.com passheraldads@gmailcom High Energy Maintenance Free PVC Windows & Doors

403 563 2040

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Janice@Boldblinds.ca

A&K SELF STORAGE Located in the Frank Industrial Park

Units range in size from 5' x 10', 10' x 10', 10' x 15', 10' x 20', sea can 8' x 20' and a 12' x 20' building with auto garage door.

Units are finished inside with hard board or plywood and freshly painted.

Some units are inside chain link fenced area. All units have interior lighting.

Area is secured by exterior lighting.

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL EXCAVATING Residential & Commercial Excavating WATER & SEWER - TRUCKING & GRAVEL SALES

jfilipuzzi@shaw.ca

Landscaping • Snow Removal

403-563-7285

lannie@westerraearthworks.com lannie@westerraearthworks.com

Strictly Roofing and Exteriors All types of roofing siding soffit, fascia

Dog Boarding • Dog Grooming •Dog Training

Master Trainer Jody Clark

403-563-5295 • 1405-61 St. Coleman, AB

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CODY 403.582.0108 cody@coxelectric.ca

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PRESTIGE CLEANERS RENT A CARPET CLEANER Clothing Alterations, Zippers, Coverall Rentals, Etc.

562-2112 Blairmore 425-7272 Sparwood

“We’re on top” over 30 years of experience Ten year workmanship warranty FREE ESTIMATES

Chad Fergusson 778.363.3484 strictlyroofing73@gmail.com

CROWSNEST

TAXI 403.583.4000

16 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - Wednesday, February 21, 2023

Professional Tax Filing & Accounting Services

Corporate Yearends & Tax Returns Personal Tax Returns Bookkeeping Services Payroll Services Quickbooks Certified

Valerie Sinnott, CPA, CA

403-627-1430 s val@lawsin.ca 686 Main St Pincher Creek

The tax man cometh soon BLAIR NYROSE Atlas LLP It is that time of year where our stress levels elevate as we think about having to file our taxes . Some will experience “Tax Pain” while others will walk away smiling as the government refunds them their hard earned money.

The first question we generally address at tax time is whether or not a Registered Retirement Savings Plan or RRSP should be purchased to reduce your income tax bill. The deadline to purchase an RRSP to help reduce your 2023 income taxes is February 29, 2024.

The RRSP is a deferral of tax in that we get a deduction for the amount of contribution made and we pay tax on the money when we withdraw from the RRSP. Deferring taxes can be a good thing especially if we contribute in high income years and draw the funds out in retirement when we are in a lower income tax bracket.

An annual contribution of $6,000 for 20 years with a 5% rate of return will provide you with $208,000 of retirement funds.

You can invest your RRSP in GIC’s, mutual funds or even individual stocks.

Your banker or financial advisor can help advise you on where to invest your funds.

We are also allowed to make Spousal contributions to an RRSP. The purchaser of the RRSP buys the RRSP in the spouse’s name but gets the tax deduction on their own return. This is especially effective if one spouse earns more than the other.

The government has placed limits on how much we can contribute to an RRSP. This is referred to as your contribution room. The formula is basically 18% of your last years “Earned Income”. Earned income includes your wages from employment, self employed income and rental income. Unused contribution room is carried forward and is not lost. The government provides you with your contribution room on your Notice of Assessment. You should take this with you when you go see your banker or financial advisor as there are penalties for over contributions.

The RRSP is an excellent vehicle to help save for retirement, especially if you are self employed or your employer does not have a pension plan. It is advisable to consult with your tax preparer, banker or financial advisor if you are unsure as to whether an RRSP will benefit you.

Tax & Accounting Services for individuals & businesses Business & Individual Income Tax

403-563-8470 Bookkeeping Payroll & T4 Filing GST preparations & returns Small business support Quickbooks Certified

Contact us today to learn more or to speak with a CPA.

Preparation Small Business Accounting & Bookkeeping Tax Planning & Compliance New Business Startups Financial Statements Budget Preparation Payroll Services 12931 - 20 Ave. Main Street Blairmore

403-329-1562

shauna.l@atlas.ca blair.n@atlas.ca david.a@atlas.ca david.l@atlas.ca