T8N Spring 2022

SPRING 2022 I t8nmagazine.com

HOUSE WORKS Abode Art by Jennifer Conneely

LUCK OF THE DRAW

The Dream Home Dilemma

HAILEY BENEDICT

Country, Covid & Creativity

SIMPLIFY SUSTAINABLE LIVING

Eco-Retailing’s Latest Trend Hits Home

FAMOUS FEMMES 10 Outstanding St. Albert Women

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Library cards are free for St. Albert residents.

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T8N MAGAZINE

VOLUME 9 ISSUE 1 Spring 2022 PUBLISHER

EDITOR

Rob Lightfoot

Gene Kosowan

Contents

ART DIRECTION

Brenda Lakeman DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT

B. Timothy Keith PHOTOGRAPHY

Brenda Lakeman CONTRIBUTORS

Gloria Loitz, Paula E. Kirman, Shima Zonneveld OFFICE MANAGER

Janice Lightfoot CONTRIBUTING AGENCIES Images page 30 parkheta/Adobe Stock

ISSN 2368-707X (PRINT) ISSN 2368-7088 (ONLINE)

For editorial inquiries or information, contact T8N magazine at info@t8nmagazine.com. Have something to say? Letters, suggestions or ideas can be sent to letters@t8nmagazine.com.

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION

Rob Lightfoot rob@t8nmagazine.com 780 940 6212 or visit t8nmagazine.com T8N magazine is published 6 times a year by T8N Publishing Inc. Copyright ©2022 T8N Publishing Inc. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.

Content marked by the Sponsored Content icon was produced in partnership between content producers and T8N magazine.

PRINTED IN CANADA

T8N PUBLISHING INC PUBLISHER & PRESIDENT

Rob Lightfoot: rob@t8nmagazine.com Mailbox #215, 3-11 Bellerose Drive, St.Albert T8N 5C9

Conversations 6

Fraught Property What happens to most lottery homes once the contests end

Culture 9

Home is where the art is Jennifer Conneely adds her unique brush strokes to ­ painting houses

Living 14

FOOD & GATHERINGS The goods from grains In pastries and other delights, set your sights beyond flour

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MEET YOU THERE Fill. Refill. Repeat.

A local low-waste outlet adds a new dynamic to the eco-friendly retail market

24

THE 8s Cabinet Shuffle Green-oriented products that benefit you and the earth

City 26

THEN & NOW Wonder Women 10 incredible visionaries and their contributions to St. Albert

Spotlight 28

Twang Ambitions Even during a pandemic, ­country artist Hailey Benedict pushes forward

Down Time 30

Word Salad Try your find-a-word skills on this verbal garden of earthly delights

CONNECT WITH US

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T8N Spring 2022

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I FROM THE PUBLISHER I ANYONE ASKED WHERE they would hunker

down during the lockdown stages of the pandemic would most likely have chosen to stay at home with their families. And why not? Home has always been a comfort zone during less frenetic periods. Living through quarantine, though, saw homes expand their roles to become fortresses against uncertainty beyond those walls, while serving as a makeshift office for a few others.

Rob Lightfoot

It’s where visual artist Jennifer Conneely bases her studio to document on canvas houses she finds appealing (page 9).

It’s where country singer Hailey Benedict creates her material, maps her career, and briefly dealt with COVID-19 (page 28). It’s also where tinkerers try out new ideas like storing more eco-friendly personal care products (page 24) and similar wares from Simplify Sustainable Living, a new business bent on reducing consumer waste (page 21).

Purposes and circumstances notwithstanding, homes are especially appealing to several local charities that, as part of worthy fund drives, list dream houses as lottery top prizes. This edition’s feature explores what winners of such palatial pads might face if what they receive turns out to be too good to be true (page 6).

At t8n, we’re not promising our readers luxury estates, but we hope you enjoy this edition, which also includes recipes with unique flours and grain ingredients (page 14) and in commemoration of International Women’s Day a rundown of 10 outstanding local individuals (page 26).

Regardless of what type of place you occupy, enjoy it. After all, it’s still home!

On the Cover Some folks paint portraits of people, landscapes and even bowls of fruit. Not Jennifer Conneelly, though. Instead, this St. Albert artist applies her talents to documenting character homes that interest her and a growing legion of followers on Instagram. In a way, it’s her creative take on painting a house.

Photo credit: Brenda Lakeman

C U S T O M W I N D O W T R E AT M E N T S Call Today to Schedule Your In-Home Consultation and Receive Your FREE Estimate!

Tamara Cluff 780.906.6363 gotchacovered.com/edmonton-st-albert

BLINDS / SHADES / SHUTTERS DRAPERIES / SMART HOME COMMERCIAL 4

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I CONVERSATIONS I

Fraught Property

BY GENE KOSOWAN

PROSPECTIVE HOMEOWNERS MIGHT have plenty

to dream about once builders complete the crowning touches to a palatial bungalow at 21 Easton Close in Erin Ridge, one of St. Albert’s fastest-growing neighbourhoods. Boasting more than 3,500 square feet of space, the three-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom pad comes fully furnished and offers such amenities as a double-car attached garage, exercise room, a huge partly-covered rear deck and even solar power.

The home is valued at $1.29 million, but getting access to it won’t cost you anything less than a $30 lottery ticket. Those who don’t have Lady Luck on their side might be consoled with the realization that their money will fund the efforts of The Boys and Girls Club Big Brothers Big Sisters organization that facilitates the Home Lottery campaign. As for the winner?

Let’s just say whoever receives title to the spot will have to consider a slew of lifestyle decisions.

The odds are that few dream home winners will pull up stakes and move into their residential prize. Several of them might sell the property as soon as possible. Others might relocate to that set of digs and discover that the upkeep costs are too high to warrant staying there permanently.

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“They generally don’t know what it would be like, and they try to make it work,” said St. Albert-based REMAX realtor Ryan Sellers about the challenges faced by families whose names are drawn in a home lottery. “It’s such a big life change for most people who win them. Maybe that’s why they want to sell at the end of the day. It could be due to affordability, or maybe it’s not the type of life change they’re looking for.”

The allure of an upward lifestyle change, however, is what draws participants to snap up ducats for a chance to snag an opulent residence. Besides Home Lottery, other campaigns like Mighty Millions, an annual drive by the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, features a $2.8-million Edmonton home as a big-ticket item. Full House, a major campaign for the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation and University Hospital, offers two Edmonton homes as a grand prize. STARS Lottery, which funds the provincial air ambulance system, offers three homes, including one in Edmonton worth $938,000.

The breakdown over how many winners stay versus how many sell their lottery homes in the Edmonton region is fuzzy at best. Charities offering dream home grand prizes that were contacted for this story either declined to be interviewed or replied that they didn’t have that information available. But social media website Reddit contained a few local anecdotes hinting that the sale of lottery homes isn’t all that rare.

What happens to most lottery homes once the contests end Images supplied by Big Brothers/Big Sisters

Lindsay Robertson, director of communications at the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation, recalled a few instances when people sold their grand prizes. “Sometimes people keep them for a certain period of time and then sell them,” she said. “And we don’t know about them until we follow up with them a few years later and find that out.”

Liz O’Neill, executive director at Boys and Girls Club Big Brothers Big Sisters has seen 42 houses change hands in its Home Lottery campaigns, the organization’s biggest annual fund drive, and hasn’t recalled any winners putting the properties up for sale due to hardship. But she’s noticed that those who win have already made up their minds about what to do with the residence. “People who move in make that decision very quickly, and people who decide they’re going to sell also make that their decision very quickly,” she noted.

O’Neill’s experience seems to be on par with a CBC story in 2017, when it reported that the vast majority of winners of homes in the New Brunswick-based Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation home lottery quickly put those top prizes on the market. At that time, in the years that the lottery had been operating, no winner had ever chosen to live in the lavish bungalows offered.

“Winning a prize like that is wonderful,” said one source interviewed for the piece. “It’s a big thrill. [But] it’s expensive.

You’ve really got to think about that and I don’t think people do when they buy these tickets.”

A homes.com story in 2021 examined what became of the hot properties that U.S. cable channel HGTV made available in its annual Dream Home Giveaway. Out of 21 homes awarded as prizes over the years, only six managed to stay in those places for more than a year, the longest being a Florida-based winner who hung on for eight years before having to sell, primarily because the property taxes were brutal on the pocketbook.

Whoever wins the home up for grabs in Erin Ridge might have the same taxation experience, according to Sellers. He discovered one place nearby valued at $1.36 million, although its occupants had to annually fork over to the city roughly $14,700.

Insurance costs are trickier since an assessment incorporates several factors beyond the home’s features. That said, after much pondering, one broker at an independent St. Albert firm set a ballpark figure at $5,000 a year.

T8N Spring 2022

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Great Golf, we can enjoy the outdoors!

Arguably, the St. Albert prize is mortgage-free and its solar-power setup will go a long way towards cutting down utility bills. As an additional buffer against upkeep costs, Home Lottery offers $25,000 in cash to the winner. So does Full House, which earmarks the same amount for a $2.4-million dream home, as well as $10,000 for a second Edmonton place worth $1.6 million.

Mighty Millions includes $100,000 in cash with its pad, while STARS attaches a $20,000 purse to its Edmonton home.

Book Your Tee Time! Call (780) 973-3033 I egmgolf.com

2021

Breakfast & Brunch

Additionally, market research conducted by lotteries overwhelmingly reveals that anything with a roof on top is by far a favourite among consumers, despite accounts of previous winners getting rid of those prizes. “It could be location, it could be size, it could be a lot of factors that kind of weigh into whether they want to keep [their homes] or not,” said Robertson. “But it’s absolutely been proven to our researchers and even recent ticket sales that homes continue to be an opportunity for us.”

And in the end, Sellers believes there’s nothing wrong with folks wistfully thinking about the positive impact a luxury home would have on their lives.

“I think it’s good for them to dream,” he said. “For some of us who don’t anticipate a win is going to come to fruition, we just want to support a great cause.” t8n 8

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Home is where

the art is

I CULTURE I

Jennifer Conneely adds her unique brush strokes to painting houses

JENNIFER CONNEELY LOVES to

paint houses. But don’t expect her to show up with brushes, cans of latex-based colours, or a ladder to help work her magic on those exteriors. For that matter, don’t expect her to appear at the abode at all.

T8N Spring 2022

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Instead, the type of house painting that Conneely prefers is on canvas, with considerably smaller brushes. She’s spent the past few years in her St. Albert home documenting houses and even small business structures onto canvas. She chooses her subjects by walking through nearby neighborhoods, then finding them via Google Maps Streetview and using those images for each work. More remote projects, such as her rendering of a burger joint in Athabasca, simply involve skipping the first step.

“It’s kind of a neat experience, because part of the places that I’ve painted I’ve never actually been to,” said Conneely.

“I’d go to them after I’d painted them and I’d have some deep connection with the place, but it’s my first time ever being there.”

A few of Conneely’s works were commissioned by clients locally as well as in the U.S. and Ireland, while others were inspired by a Toronto House series of paintings by visual artist Lawren Harris.

But for the most part, Conneely relies on sentiment to select what she paints, opting for a character-oriented home with a run-down appearance.

“It’s something that wouldn’t be considered an architectural masterpiece,” she said. “But because it’s been there for so long and is considered to be part of the community, it’s important to me. It’s not something that’s going to get saved by any means, because not much gets saved around here.”

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Fortunately, she’s digitally immortalized much of her art on her blog and Instagram account, where she also sells her paintings. On occasion, she’ll get feedback from people familiar with the homes who share stories about the place and the folks who lived in them. “It does create a connection point in the community,” added Conneely. “That’s been interesting over time as the paintings have been shown.”

Conneely has received validation of late with a few pieces displayed at the McMullen Gallery, the Art Gallery of St. Albert showing off part of her collection, and canvases included in Art from the Unknown, an exhibition curated annually by Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley.

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For all that, Conneelly still considers herself to be an emerging artist despite having graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor degree from the University of Alberta’s Fine Arts in Art and Design program.

Working overseas for several years as a teacher and software trainer and starting a family in the process had a way of waylaying her artistic career path. But Conneely realizes that her return to painting is taking place while the world is struggling through a precarious period.

“We’re in tough times right now, but it is the art that is kind of keeping people’s spirits up and keeping us moving forward.” t8n

WHERE TO SEE JENNIFER CONNEELY’S WORK jenniferconneely.com instagram.com/alonerjen_art artgalleryofstalbert.ca/rentalsales/ conneely-jennifer

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I FOOD & GATHERINGS I

WE ARE SO privileged to walk

into a grocery store, hunting for our regular grocery list items.

Consumers wanting to tread off the beaten path often have at their fingertips such items as rye flour, wheat berries, pearl barley, quinoa, oat flour and many more ingredients becoming more common in our grocery store aisles.

The variety of flours and grains has increased far past the all-purpose flour and long grain rice found on shelves years ago. With the following recipes let’s focus on rye flour, rye berries, buckwheat flour and buckwheat groats. This provides a few applications for that new bag of specialty flour and grains.

In pastries and other delights, set your sights beyond flour

BY SHIMA ZONNEVELD

grains

The goods from 14

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Chocolate, Strawberry & Buckwheat Scones It would be great to use all buckwheat flour, but the end result is a very dense, heavy scone. Combining the two flours and using whipping cream as the liquid, make this a light and flavourful treat! Bring out your buckwheat flour and dried strawberries and here we go!

1½ c. all-purpose flour ¾ c. buckwheat flour (Tip: Once the bag is open, keep it in the freezer) 1 tsp. kosher salt ⅓ c. granulated sugar 1 tbsp. baking powder ½ c. butter (Tip: Put the butter in the freezer for a few hours prior to making the dough.)

1 c. whipping cream 1 tsp. vanilla ¼ c. dark chocolate, coarsely chopped ¼ c. dried strawberries, chopped 1 tbsp. Turbinado sugar for the top

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Measure out the whipping cream and stir in the vanilla, set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Stir to combine these ingredients. Grate the frozen butter into the dry ingredients. Using your hands, work the butter in gently, so there are little crumbles of butter throughout.

Add in the chocolate and strawberries and give a quick stir to distribute.

The last step is to gently incorporate the cream and vanilla mixture. At this stage, the less you handle the dough, the lighter the scone. The full amount of cream may not be necessary; the desired texture is to have a malleable craggy dough with a few dry bits left that can be squished in with your fingers.

Scoop the contents of the bowl onto a work surface and shape the dough into a rectangle. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to approximately a one-inch thickness, trying to keep the rough shape of a rectangle. Using a knife or a bench scraper, cut the dough into 12 scones.

Place the scones onto the baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops with the leftover residue of the cream and vanilla mixture. Sprinkle with the Turbinado sugar and bake for 18–22 minutes and the sides of the scones should be lightly browned.

These are great served warm from the oven. However, they can be made ahead and frozen. To do this, freeze them on a sheet first and then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag.

When you are ready to bake them, pop them out of the freezer, brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar. The bake time will be a bit longer, so watch for the edges to turn light brown.

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Buckwheat Groat Granola Buckwheat groats are the hulled seed of the buckwheat plant. They are crunchy and add a fun twist to a typical granola recipe along with added nutrients!

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

1 ½ c. rolled oats ½ c. buckwheat groats ⅓ c. Pumpkin seeds ½ c. hazelnuts, skinned ½ c. chopped dates ¼ c. chopped dried strawberries ¼ c. crushed banana chips ¼ c. ground flaxseed ½ tsp. kosher salt ¼ c. avocado oil ¼ c. date syrup ½ tsp. vanilla

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Whisk together the oil, date syrup and vanilla and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the oats, groats, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, salt and flaxseed. Chop the dates and strawberries and crumble up the banana chips and set them aside.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir to coat. Spread out the oat mixture evenly over the two baking sheets. Bake for 25–30 minutes, stirring once at the halfway point. Let cool completely without stirring to allow for clumps to form.

Add in the dates, strawberries and banana chips and store for up to two weeks in an airtight container.

Rye, Poppy Seed & Parmesan Rustic Crackers These peppery crackers are the perfect accompaniment to a warm bowl of soup or a snappy addition to a charcuterie tray. Quite frankly, they are also great as a snacking cracker throughout the day!

1 c. rye flour 1c. all-purpose flour ¼ c. poppy seeds 1 tbsp. black pepper 1 tsp. kosher salt ½ c. Parmesan, finely grated ¾ c. water 6 tbsp. olive oil Flaky sea salt (sprinkling on the top before baking)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients together and stir.

In a smaller bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the water and the olive oil.

Add a little bit of this at a time to the dry ingredients until the dough pulls together.

Use your hands to work the dough and to mix in the wet ingredients. As soon as the dough comes together into a shaggy looking form, stop adding in water and olive oil.

Don’t worry if there’s some liquids left over.

On a lightly floured surface, turn out the dough and form into a ball using your hands.

Divide the dough into four pieces and work

with one piece at a time. (At this point, the dough can be frozen and taken out to make crackers at any time.)

With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to the desired thickness; for crackers, try and go as thin as possible without tearing the dough.

For cutting the crackers, a cookie cutter or using a knife and going rustic work equally well.

Place the uncooked crackers on the baking sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake for 16–20 minutes, until the edges start to brown. Let cool completely and leave out uncovered to crisp these crackers up.

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Buckwheat Soba Noodle Bowl Buckwheat is a sneaky one, as it is not actually a grain. It belongs to a different botanical family than a typical cereal grain. It is considered a pseudo-grain or cereal along with quinoa. Buckwheat is also considered a complete protein… Score!

8oz. buckwheat noodles 2 c. baby spinach, finely chopped 1 red pepper, thinly sliced 4 small or 1 large yellow beet, grated 3 carrots, julienned 1 tbsp. cilantro, roughly chopped

Dressing ¼ c. unsalted peanuts ¼ c. water 3 tbsp. ginger, grated 2 tbsp. soy sauce 1 tbsp. honey 1 tbsp. rice vinegar 1 tbsp. miso paste 1 tbsp. avocado oil a splash of sesame oil a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (can be omitted or use a bigger pinch depending on spice preference)

In a food processor or using a hand blender, whiz up all the ingredients into the dressing.

Cook the buckwheat as per package instructions.

These can be served while still warm or cooled down to room temperature.

In a large bowl, combine the noodles, raw ingredients and dressing. Toss to coat and serve.

This noodle bowl lends itself to lunch leftovers, except for the spinach. It will be fine the next day, but not past that. So if you plan on eating this for a few days, add your spinach in as you go!

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Rye Pecan Banana Bread Think banana bread won’t be amazing with rye flour?

Think again, this recipe delivers a moist, slightly tangy banana bread experience! Feel free to sub out the nuts and go with the always classic chocolate! ¼ c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 4 very ripe bananas, mashed 1 egg, beaten ½ c. brown sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 ½ c. rye flour 1 tsp. kosher salt 1 tsp. baking soda ⅓ c. pecans, toasted and chopped

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line and grease, either with cooking spray or butter, a loaf pan.

In the bowl with the mashed bananas, add in the sugar, vanilla, and beaten egg and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda and pecans.

With a wooden spoon, stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until combined. Then slowly add in the melted butter and stir.

Pour this batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45–55 minutes until a skewer comes out clean when inserted.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then cool the rest of the way on a wire rack. Slice and enjoy!

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Rye Berry Nourish Bowl Rye is a nutrient-packed berry and is also very high in fibre. Add it into soups, salads or even as a more nutritious filler in meatballs.

Its nutty flavour and chewy texture work well in this nourishing bowl.

1 sweet potato 5–6 small golden beets 2 tbsp. toasted pumpkin seeds ¼ c. feta cheese, crumbled 1 c. rye berries

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and have a small piece of tinfoil cut for the beets.

Using a fine-mesh strainer, rinse the rye berries. Add them into a pot filled with approximately 6–7 cups of water. Add in a heaping teaspoon of kosher salt. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer and let the berries cook until desired tenderness. For a slightly chewy texture, the cooking time will be approximately 55–70 minutes.

Peel the sweet potato and cut into one-inch chunks, place on the prepared baking sheet and toss with one tablespoon of olive oil and a generous pinch of kosher salt.

Cut the ends off the beets, toss them with olive oil and wrap them in the tinfoil. Tuck the tinfoil package in the corner of the baking sheet.

Bake the sweet potato and the beets for 45–55 minutes. Look for char/ roasted marks on the sweet potato and the beets should easily be pierced with a fork.

Dressing ½ tsp. kosher salt ½ tsp. black pepper ¼ tsp. dried oregano ¼ c. olive oil ¼ c. balsamic vinegar

In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together and set aside.

In a bowl, layer the rye berries in one corner, top with roasted sweet potato, beets, feta and pumpkin seeds. Drizzle with dressing and dive in!

This bowl is delicious with all the elements warm, but it also stands up as a next-day lunch served at room temperature. t8n

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I MEET YOU THERE I

Fill.

Refill.

Repeat.

A local low-waste outlet adds a new dynamic to the eco-friendly retail market

BY PAULA E. KIRMAN

JOY STEIN’S MOTHER used to call

her a “hippie girl” because of her passion for the environment and justice throughout her teen years.

After reaching adulthood and finishing school, Stein found a way to put that passion into action.

“I realized that finding time and energy to be in the know about important causes, researching the latest sustainability initiatives, and understanding the complexity of the climate crisis while still living your life can be a difficult balance,” she says.

Stein came up with an idea to “simplify” that balancing act with a one-stop shop where customers could find curated, locally made, natural, and sustainable quality goods, while creating a community for people to share their experiences. That notion morphed into Simplify Sustainable Living, a low-waste, refillable operation in St. Albert that sells such products as laundry strips, deodorant, wood and bamboo handle dish brushes, and hand and dish soap refills.

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Predominantly local suppliers also stock the shop’s shelves with several ecofriendly products as well as unusual items like booty and bust planters from St. Albert-based Greyshed, reusable giftwrap by Edmonton crafts company ReWrapt, and reusable nursing pads from Rewind Reusables, another Edmonton eco-friendly business. But Stein says one particular product tends to raise a lot of eyebrows.

“The item we get the most questions about is our armpit tool, which is used in the shower with soap to remove excess deodorant or buildup and is made with copper so it’s also good for lymphatic movement,” she says.

The store’s choice of wares emphasizes Alberta-made, natural and sustainable products. But the real attraction to its environmentally mindful clientele is its refillery section. There, customers bring their own containers or purchase them from the store. The staff then weights the jar and fills it to the desired amount.

Prices are based per gram or per 100 grams, based on the product.

It’s a far cry from what Simplify Sustainable Living resembled more than two years earlier. When the business started in February, 2020, it merely existed in blog form until she noticed a dramatic shift in the eco-friendly retail market.

“The shop was only a dream at that point,” says Stein, who wasn’t planning to open up a brick-and-mortar shop for at least a couple of years. “But during the pandemic I kept seeing more and more refilleries opening up. I knew if I waited, I’d miss my chance.”

Nine months of scrambling later, Stein opened the shop’s doors that November in time for the holiday season. But with economic sustainability top of mind, Stein, her husband, and mother continued working their full-time jobs during the week and operating the shop during the weekends until the business had enough support to run independently.

Stein describes her company’s clientele as diverse, including young students, new couples who just landed their first homes, parents opting for a natural and waste-free abode, and seniors who grew

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up with mason jars and paper bags and view the shop as a reminder of simpler times.

“We see folks who live in the country surrounding St. Albert, St. Albert residents, and lots of folks from north Edmonton,” she adds. “Some shop in store and some prefer to shop online. At the moment we offer in-store pickup or local delivery in the Edmonton area.”

One of her customers lives off the grid in the country, relying on a wood stove and geothermal energy in her family’s home. “She shared that when the power goes out for their neighbours, which is common enough in the country. Often their neighbours come to them with their half-cooked dinner because their electricity is more reliable.”

While Simplify Sustainable Living has enabled Stein to harness all that youthful “hippie girl” passion in an outlet that provides eco-friendly solutions to willing consumers and helps put food on her family’s table, she’s also learned a lot from networking with folks in an environmentally-conscious market.

“Alberta has such a wealth of local and sustainably-minded makers and businesses,” she says. “I am so grateful to be part of such an amazing community and every time I chat with my makers I learn more that I’m able to share with my customers and change in my own life. We all come from different experiences and it’s such a gift to be able to come together and learn from each other.” t8n

Website: www.simplifyliving.ca Address: St. Albert Centre, #300, 375 St. Albert Trail Email: hello@simplifyliving.ca Hours: Thursdays & Fridays: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Sundays: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Facebook: @simplifysustainableliving

Registration Now Open! www.gsacrd.ab.ca

NEW WEBSITE, NEW LOOK, SAME GREAT CHILDCARE.

sigischildcare.ca Follow SIGIS on their Instagram & Facebook page.

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I THE EIGHTS I

Cabinet Shuffle TO TAKE LIBERTIES with an old

phrase, a healthy planet leads to healthy lives. What better way to live up to that chestnut than by upgrading your medicine cabinet with items that will do both the biosphere and yourself a lot of good? Local producers who keep eco-friendliness a nd personal health top of mind have gone all out with such hygiene products as natural deodorant, handmade soaps and body lotion bars and even hairbrushes and bandages made from bamboo. Here’s a look at a few items designed to treat you and your world. t8n

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Green-oriented products that benefit you and the earth Top Row KMH Flosspot Pure Silk Dental Floss $11, Patch Natural Bamboo Strip Bandages $13.95, Bamboo Toothbrush $8.50, Naked Swab $13 and Change Tooth Paste Tablets $12.95 from Simplify Sustainable Living Shave Soap $25 and Safety Razor $105, Synthetic Shaving Brush $70 from Like Grandpa Grooming Products

Centre Row Earth Warrior Reusable Cotton Wipes $16 from Simplify Sustainable Living Elate Bamboo Blending Brush $21, Elate Bamboo Eye Colour Brush $21, Elate Bamboo Multi-Use Brush $28, Elate Pressed Eye Colour Refills $18 each, Elate Essential Mascara $30, Elate Bamboo Tri Palette $24, Elate Lip Colour Pencil $25 and Elate Eye Colour Pencil $21 from Concept Jewelry Design Kooshoo Plastic-Free Hair Ties $19.50 and Aisle Menstrual Cup $40 from ­Simplify Sustainable Living

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T8N Spring 2022

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Wonder Women

I THEN & NOW I

Thelma Chalifoux

10 incredible visionaries and their contributions to St. Albert

BY GLORIA LOITZ

IN HONOUR OF I nternational

Women’s Day taking place March 8, it’s a timely occasion to commemorate the work of some dedicated women who added to St. Albert’s history and quality of life. Thanks to the efforts of these contributors, the city has become a much better place. t8n

Susie Atkinson Atkinson was a graduate of Olds Agricultural College and the first woman elected to the school’s hall of fame as well as serving on a municipal counsel in Alberta.

An ardent believer that one could learn almost anything from books, she worked very hard to push that education mission.

Many years before the establishment of St. Albert’s first permanent library, she borrowed forklift-loads of books from the University of Alberta and loaned them out from the back of her car. She eventually joined the Women’s Institute and then rallied its members to found the first official library of St. Albert.

Victoria Bellecourt-Callihoo Five years old when Canada was formed and almost 44 when Alberta became a province, Bellecourt-Callihoo’s life spanned a time of rapid change to indigenous land and customs. The daughter of a medicine woman, Bellecourt-Callihoo became a teacher in her own right, bringing up 12 children in the process. When she became a Métis historian in her later years, her work had a profound impact on what we know about how Métis and pioneer culture evolved in the space of a century.

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In the late 1960s Chalifoux began a career as a social programs fieldworker, ignited by her passion for indigenous, Métis and women’s rights and need for assistance. During that time, she became the first Métis woman to broadcast on private radio. A decade later, Chalifoux was appointed to the University of Alberta Senate, making her the first Métis woman to hold the position. In 1997, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien appointed her to the Senate, making her the first indigenous and Métis woman to serve in Parliament’s upper house.

Myrna Fyfe Mrs. Fyfe held the position of President of the University Hospital Foundation for 22 years before her retirement in 2008.

Previously, she served as a member of the St. Albert Municipal Council (1973–1977) and a Member of Legislative Assembly for the St. Albert Constituency for two terms.

(1979–1986). She also won her second term election by the largest popular vote ever in the district’s history.

Marie Poburan Lois Hole Known to break protocol by embracing everyone she met, gardener and passionate education advocate Lois Hole served as a school trustee for St. Albert School District No. 6 for 17 years and was the second woman in Alberta’s history to become Lieutenant-Governor. The “Queen of Hugs” was so beloved that when her official term was about to end, Albertans requested she remain in office, which led Prime Minister Paul Martin to extend Hole’s term for one more year so she could preside over Alberta’s centenary ceremonies. Sadly, she died before the anniversary. Her legacy also lives on through various buildings and programs named in her honour.

Cathy King

The addition of a French immersion program to St. Albert’s Catholic School Division has the vision and leadership of Poburan to thank for its fruition. She was vice-principal of Albert Lacombe School for 15 years and principle of École Father Jan for her last eight years before her retirement. Brimming with passion for education, Poburan is remembered as a woman with the perception to help others find their gifted qualities, a strong yet relaxing presence, and as a fast driver!

Born and raised in St. Albert and curling since the age of 11, King is the first female skip to win Canadian junior, women’s and senior’s championships. She claimed her first title in 1977 at the women’s national juniors, and successfully defended her crown the following year. With a fresh team she won the finals of the 1988 Scotties women’s championship, followed by the seniors summit in 2012, making her the country’s first curling triple-crown winner.

Anita Rachinsky Not only was former Mayor Rachinsky St. Albert’s first full-time mayor when she was elected in 1989 for her first of three consecutive terms, she remained the only female to have held that office until 2017 when Cathy Heron became mayor. During Rachinsky’s time leading City Council, she lobbied for the Anthony Henday and Ray Gibbon Drive, saved the historic grain elevators from demolition, saw to the launch of the St. Albert Farmer’s Market and the creation of the Red Willow Trail system.

Bertha Kennedy Having moved to Canada in 1909 at the age of 12, a young Bertha was always adamant about education, going straight to post-secondary after finishing high school and graduating from Calgary’s Normal School as a teacher. She moved to St. Albert with her husband in 1938 and is held with so many fond memories by colleagues, a high school was named after her. Mrs. Kennedy was a true pioneer who remained committed to the community through her choir and music programs many for many years after her retirement from teaching in 1974.

Muriel Martin With an inspiring belief in life-long learning and encouragement through financial and personal support for aspiring teachers, Martin was at the forefront of numerous innovations in education. She played a significant role in the introduction of adult education programs, kindergarten and French immersion studies and was the only woman to become assistant superintendent when she was appointed in 1970.

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I SPOTLIGHT I

Twang Ambitions

BY GENE KOSOWAN

FOR SOMEONE WHO w rote a

song called “Strike 4,” St. Albert country songstress Hailey Benedict has a pretty enviable batting average. At 19, with four charted singles in her musical resume, she’s already been rounding the bases with a slew of local, provincial and national honours and enjoying a reputation as a crowd favorite in the live circuit.

Even during a pandemic, country artist Hailey Benedict pushes forward 28

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All of which makes it rather frustrating for the emerging recording artist to spend the beginning of 2022 stuck in the dugout while the rest of the entertainment industry remained sidelined during a stubborn pandemic. In January, a double-vaccinated Benedict found herself quarantined in her family’s basement when she tested positive for COVID-19 a day before she was slated to receive a booster shot.

“It’s funny, because I’m not the type of person that goes out, so the one time I went out to record some stuff and it turns out my producer had it, so I ended up getting it,” said Benedict during a phone interview. “It’s crazy, you can try as much as you want to avoid it and you still get it.”

It’s not the viral experience Benedict expected. When she was in her early teens, the singer registered more than five million hits on a YouTube video playing one of her own songs with a gobsmacked Keith Urban beaming in

the background. Now 19, Benedict’s been building her own audience with a cumulative 16,000 followers on her social media accounts and more than a hundred songs in her creative inventory.

While in isolation, Benedict worked on more descants, stoking the starmaker machinery that so far yielded quite a few encouraging sparks. To date, she’s already won such titles as two Association of Country Music in Alberta awards, an Edmonton Music Awards credit, a Global Country Canada award, a St. Albert Mayor’s Arts award, and several other distinctions facilitated by radio stations and country festivals.

She’s especially proud of her Global Women of Vision honour, which she received in 2017 and that enabled her to network with — and become inspired by — successful people in her gender.

She calls herself a feminist in that she’s already witnessed glass ceilings in her chosen field and would like to rectify those discrepancies. “There’s disparity when you compete in country music or

Benedict will need a few more hits and junkets before she reaches Urban’s level. Still, she’s itching to get her career trajectory back in motion, should the pandemic subside. But she has at least one priority to address once she finally receives a negative test result.

even in the industry where it’s harder for women to get radio play,” she noted.

Not surprisingly, Benedict is heavily influenced by music superstar Taylor Swift, who’s frequently locked horns with movers and shakers in the business, demonstrating a moxie that’s motivated the local performer. “Artists have a very unique opportunity to have a platform to think about issues and that is something I respected about Taylor Swift and the Dixie Chicks,” added Benedict.

“They’ve used their platform to talk about what they feel might not be right.”

“I’d like to go outside and hopefully get some air.” t8n

WHERE TO HEAR HAILEY BENEDICT Website

Much of Benedict’s material parallels Swift’s melodic disciplines, but stop short of the full-blown crossover pop direction taken by her idol. “Rise to Your Fall” contains some of Swift’s signature spite but isn’t anywhere near as venomous.

“Next Time Around” starts as a ballad but progresses into a series of beat-laden passages grounded by a haunting steel guitar.

haileybenedictmusic.com

Social Media facebook.com/thatsmehaileyb instagram.com/thatsmehaileyb twitter.com/thatsmehaileyb

Music available on Amazon, Apple and iTunes

Like Swift, Benedict’s material reflects a juggling act of moving forward while keeping her feet firmly planted on Terra Firma. But unlike Swift, Benedict realizes she doesn’t have as many balls in the air. Still, for someone who cut her teeth playing charities and senior citizen facilities, the likelihood of any future fortunes going to her head doesn’t seem to be a going concern.

“I am so happy I contacted Caruana for our renovation job. Everyone was absolutely lovely to work with and provided knowledgeable and thoughtful responses.”

—Jacqueline C.

“I’ve been lucky with my family relationship and trying to be a good person,” she said. “You have to hold onto the whole reason why you start. I started in music not for notoriety or success, but I liked the way it made an impact on people.”

Still, it’s okay for an upstart to be starstruck. Her first brush with greatness took place during a 2016 Keith Urban concert at Rogers Place in Edmonton, where the Aussie star pulled Benedict and her sister onstage. In front of 20,000 people, the young teen performed on Urban’s guitar an original called “Clean Slate” without any sense of jitters.

“Surreal was the best word I can use for it and it was a very out-of-body experience,” she recalled. “I always wondered what it was like from an artist’s perspective, just looking out to the crowd.”

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T8N Spring 2022

29

I DOWN TIME I

Word

Salad

30

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Try your find-a-word skills in this verbal garden of earthly delights ANYONE WHO PARTAKES in gardening and find-a-

word puzzles would point out that both require a great deal of digging. But in this version, we hid the seeds needed to solve this one. Your job is to find as many words associated with gardening and if you think you've found them all, post your work on Facebook or Twitter (tagging #t8n) to qualify for some great random prizes. Alright now, start digging!

LOOK FORWARD TO THE RESULTS @ BESTOFT8N.COM Coming this Spring!

2022 Results announced in the

MAY ISSUE of T8N

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