stettler independent, december 16, 2015
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December 16, 2015 edition of the Stettler IndependentTRANSCRIPT
Sports
Community
District
Wildcats girls win their weekend
tournamentSee story p.17
Dancing and Christmas
crafts at annual Craftapalooza
See story p.2
Not a brown Christmas after all
See column p.18
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Directed by Rhonda Sylvester, members of the Gracenotes Choir perform in one scene of the ‘There’s Christmas in the Air’ in the sold-out evening show at Performing Arts Centre (PAC) on Saturday, Dec. 12. Please see our story on page 9.
Photo by Moush Sara John
Cost of keeping old facilities running weighed against cost of new facilities
STACEY LAVALLIEINDEPENDENT REPORTER
Discussions over plans for the new County of Stettler offi ces and work-shop dominated the county council’s Wednesday, Dec. 12 meeting, though fi nal decisions were delayed until January at the request of absent councillor Ernie Gendre.
Gendre, who wrote in ahead of his ab-sence to explain a medical emergency had prevented him from coming, was revealed to be going into surgery for an unspeci-fi ed ailment, as reported by councillor Joe Gendre. After a brief discussion, council voted to delay decisions about the new county property until January so Ernie Gendre could be present.
The county quietly purchased land earli-er this year with an eye to building a new
county facility, as the current county facili-ty is at capacity, with projected growth an-ticipated. The facilities are also older, with the workshop nearing fi ve decades, and the administration building nearing three.
Troubles facing the administration build-ing include lack of offi ce space for current staff members, let alone projected growth, council chambers too small to accom-modate more than a small audience, not enough meeting rooms, washroom capac-ity, and defi cient cabling for both electrical and Internet. The old shop facility is old and not expandable, with several issues with its bays — not large enough, doors not wide or tall enough, wash bay too small, not enough bays, no drive-through bays — and storage issues.
The county heard a presentation from Will Woodward and Brad Quintilio, from
Scott Builders, who went over the plans for the new administration building and workshop, but council was divided on how to proceed — all at once or in phases. The cost of the new building, originally estimated between $11 million and $14 million, doesn’t include the profi ts upon the sale of the old county building and property.
Council heard about additional troubles plaguing the workshop, troubles that must be fi xed if staff is going to continue to work there. If staff will be moving into new facil-ities in the near future, those fi xes can be patches — but if the building of the new fa-cilities are going to be delayed, more inves-tigation into the problems and potentially more expensive fi xes will be necessary, Rick Green, director of engineering, said.
^ continued on page 4
2 STETTLER INDEPENDENT Wednesday, December 16, 2015
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Stacey Lavallie/Independent reporter
Christmas angels, with their sparkling halos, dance in the second annual Danceology dance at the Stettler Library on Saturday, Dec. 12.
Dancing and Christmas crafts mark annual Craftapalooza
STACEY LAVALLIEINDEPENDENT REPORTER
It was a crafty Saturday at the Stettler Public Library, with young dance artists showing off their craft before joining other children in crafting at the annual Craftapalooza.
For the second year in a row, Rhonda McCulloch brought her youngest Danceology students out to dance for family, friends and public at the idea, with little tap-dancers, hip-hopsters and ballerinas prancing over the library fl oor, to the applause of the crowd.
McCulloch noted that for some of the dancers who started just this year, this was the fi rst performance in fronat of an audience.
After the dance, the children headed
over to the Learning Atrium to take part in Craftapalooza, an event that’s been going on for roughly a decade.
“I’ve been doing it so long I’ve lost track,” Crystal Friars, coordinator, said.
Children could head to any of the six dif-ferent crafting stations, which had them creating a range of Christmas crafts, from wreaths to tree ornaments. About 40 kids showed up this year, a “great” turn out for the free event, which also offers up snacks and drinks.
This week is the fi nal week of Christmas activities at the library before the Big Day itself, with the fi nal Craft til Christmas happening today, Wednesday Dec. 16, at 4 p.m. at the library. Saturday has the Christmas Movie Marathon, which starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 6 p.m.
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WELLS FURNITURE
Christmas EveCandle Light Family ServiceDecember 24 at 7:30p.m.
Advent Lessons and CarolsSunday, December 20 at 10:00a.m.
St. George’s Anglican Church
4817 – 50 Street, Stettler
Christmas Lessons and CarolsSunday, December 27 at 10:00a.m.
CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST MENNONITE
Sunday School – 10 a.m.Service – 10:45 a.m.
10 miles south on 56 and 2 miles eastMinister Keith Klassen - 403-742-4048
Minister Lorne Toews - 403-742-8824
EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH OF ERSKINE10:30 a.m. – Worship Service with
Children's programming up to grade 6. Lead Pastor: Rev. Ross Helgeton
Youth Pastor: Emmett Aronson
403-742-5020
STETTLER UNITED CHURCH4820 - 51 Street 403-742-3387
www.stettlerunitedchurch.orgChurch service – 10:30 a.m.
Nursery care, children & youth programs. Everyone welcome!Minister Jan Richardson
Minister Lyn Lamers
STETTLER ALLIANCECHURCHMorning Worship
– 10:30 a.m.
Pastor Scott Whitford
Associate Pastor Brad Epp
Associate Pastor Tyler Ans
6109 - 41 Ave. 403-742-1135
STETTLER COMMUNITYCHURCH
Sunday Services – 10:30 a.m. & 5 p.m. www.stettlercommunitychurch.org
Pastor Nolan Haring
5717 - 50 Ave.
403-876-2419
ST. GEORGE’SANGLICAN CHURCH
Sunday Worship — 10 a.m.Thursday Worship — 7:30 p.m.
The Rev. Dr. Carolyn Langford, Incumbent
4817 - 51 St. 403-742-2149
ST. PETER
LUTHERAN CHURCHSunday Worship Service – 10:30 a.m.
Children's Church – 10:30 a.m.
5712 - 48 Ave.
403-742-3211
Attend the church
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COMMUNITYCOMMUNITYCHURCHESCHURCHES
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
at the Evangelical Free Church of Erskine
December 24 at 6:45p.m.An evening of music
and celebration.Everyone is Welcome.
For informationcall 403-742-3384
Christ-KingChrist-KingCatholic ChurchCatholic Church
Mass TimesThursday, Dec. 24 - 7:30 p.m.Friday, Dec. 25 - 11:15 a.m.Friday, Jan. 1, 2016 - 9:00 a.m.
(4916 – 54 Street)
Scotiabank raised $1,000 for the Association of Communities Against Abuse (ACAA) through a bake sale, and presented it to exec-utive chair Judilonne Bebe (extreme left) on Monday, Dec. 14.
Photo by Moush Sara John
Grow-op busted west of StettlerSTACEY LAVALLIEINDEPENDENT REPORTER
A marijuana grow-op bust in early December resulted in police seizing plants worth an estimated $93,000, though police are still on the lookout for the growers.
Const. Bethany Simpson of the Bashaw RCMP said that the Bashaw RCMP and ALERT Green Team North served the warrant around 3 p.m. on Dec. 3, but that no one was at the residence. The investigation continues, and police have “persons of interest” that they are trying to contact.
The residence had 76 plants growing inside, with an-other two plants growing in an adjacent greenhouse. Grow-op equipment valued at roughly $7,000 was also seized.
Police are looking to the public to augment its inves-tigation, asking anyone with information to phone the detachment at 780-372-9739, or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Would you like a criminal record with that?Two men, believed to be brothers, are facing a slew of
criminal charges after being caught using stolen credit cards at McDonalds.
On Dec. 14, an off-duty RCMP member recognized two men that had been captured on video surveillance at the Stettler McDonalds using stolen credit cards, and contacted on-duty colleagues, who came and arrested the two men. The cards were stolen from unlocked vehicles, or from homes via unlocked garages, RCMP Sgt. Phil Penny ex-plained, reminding people to lock their homes and vehicles.
The use of the cards had taken place earlier in the same week as the arrest.
Jessie Reader, 21, and Russell Reader, 23, both of Lloydminster, are facing more than 15 charges after in-vestigation into the incident at McDonalds linked them to several local break-and-enters and local fraud, police noted.
The two are slated to appear in Red Deer provincial court on Dec. 15.
Duck hunt mistake costly for huntersSTACEY LAVALLIEINDEPENDENT REPORTER
An unfortunate series of misunderstandings netted a trio of hunters from the southern United States a hand-ful of fi nes, prohibitions and their quarry.
Sam Lee appeared in court for the three hunters as agent, as Richard Cutler III, William Finch and James Smythe had returned to the United States.
The court heard that on Oct. 15, the three hunters were hunting near Hwy. 601 when a wildlife offi cer spotted them hunting and decided to do a spot-check. He found the three men with 12 ducks, and went over their paper-work with them and realized they did not have the prop-er licences to hunt migratory game. The offi cer seized the ducks and charged the men.
The three men had gone to the trouble of getting their licences to hunt, and had made a trip of it, Lee told the courts, explaining that there had been no deliberate poaching or malice. Instead, the three men had thought they had all the necessary paperwork in place, and the poaching was in error.
Regardless, the law was broken and each hunter was fi ned $800 plus the 30 per cent victims surcharge, were handed hunting prohibitions, and had to forfeit the 12 ducks, which were seized at the time of the charge.
Man too impaired to walk to cruiserA man was literally so impaired that he stumbled
while getting out of his vehicle and needed help from RCMP to the cruiser after a 911 call sent Bashaw police out to get him on Oct. 30.
The court heard that Kenneth Robertson, 60, had parked on an approach to the highway, where a witness observed him. Believing the man to be drunk, the wit-ness phoned 911.
When the Bashaw RCMP arrived, they found Robertson sitting in his running car, a bottle of open whiskey in be-tween his knees. In addition to the open alcohol contain-er, Robertson was showing obvious signs of impairment. When police asked him to exit his vehicle, he stumbled, and then needed help to the cruiser.
It was Robertson’s fi rst appearance, and he pleaded guilty to the charge of care and control of a vehicle while impaired. The early plea, combined with the fact Robertson wasn’t driving, were mitigating factors in his sentence, Judge G.E. Deck said. However, Robertson’s high level of intoxication — borne out by a blood alcohol level of 130 — was an aggravating factor.
In the end, Robertson was given a $1,000 fi ne plus the 30 per cent victims’ surcharge, and given until the end of June to pay. In addition to that, Robertson’s licence was suspended for 12 months.
4 STETTLER INDEPENDENT Wednesday, December 16, 2015
How ratepayers felt about the costs involved continued to be a theme in discussion, with some councillors leery of tackling the project all at once, being more inclined to-wards delaying the project or going in phases, while others said building now would be the best use of money.
CAO Tim Fox pointed out that with interest rates right now, borrowing is very fea-sible and attractive, as is the state of the industry. With the economic slump, there’s more competition for the few pro-posals that come up, meaning the county could likely receive more competitive bids if they went for the process now.
Expensive repairs to the half-a-century-old workshop seemed like it would be “chas-ing bad money with good,” councillor James Nibourg said, noting that continual-ly patching the aging facility would be a consistent drain on the taxpayers’ wallet.
“Not spending money is not saving money,” councillor Les Stulburg noted, saying that while County has healthy re-serves, it doesn’t do the coun-ty any good if it can’t be used for projects like this.
The county has two options for funding, one which is bor-rowing, or one which is a mix of reserves and borrowing, with the latter project com-ing in at an estimated $11.5 million, and the former $14 million.
Decisions about the facility were in the end delayed until January.Budget meetings begin
The county held its fi rst budget presentations on Monday, Dec. 15, going through purchases and bud-gets with an eye to eliminat-ing a near-million defi cit. No one from the public attended the open meeting.
Council heard that the fi re department is down from 12 volunteers to eight, with fi re chief Mark Dennis saying that he expected it would be tough to recruit new mem-bers due to the economy. He hoped, however, by promoting their training program, they can interest some new blood. Recreation funding was also eyeballed, with some dis-cussion about revamping its funding method in the com-ing year.
Council also was told that some of its reserves should be used up, though all depart-
continued from page 1 ments have been tasked with cutting costs.Cost of Living Adjustments
County was split on wheth-er or not to adjust employee wages to factor in cost-of-living, with the motion being defeated 4-3. In the end, the dissenting voice had the vote because they felt it wasn’t appropriate to raise wages, which in turn would down the line either raise taxes or take money away from other projects, and that wouldn’t be fair to tax payers in the cur-rent economic climate.County photo contest win-ners
The winners for this year’s photo contest were an-nounced at council, with the calendar in which the photos are featured also debuting. To celebrate the county’s 60th anniversary, the calendar was in black and white. Each win-ner received a Heart of Stettler gift certifi cate and a framed print of their winning photo, with the fi rst place winner receiving a larger photo and an iPad.WinnersMarlaine Duncan – JanuarySandy Clark – February, OctoberLynne Snodgrass – MarchMariefe Corado – AprilFaith Shuckburgh – MayGlenn Munden – June and AugustAlice Visscher – JulyAmanda Holden – SeptemberAvery Chick – NovemberShauna Klassen – DecemberAlma or Ray Keen – CoverTheresa Tanner – Honourable MentionDarlene Tanner – Honourable Mention
Clearview board expresses concerns
with Bill 8MOUSH SARA JOHNINDEPENDENT REPORTER
The Clearview Public Schools board of trustees has expressed concerns regarding Bill 8, ‘Public Education Collective Bargaining Act’, which allows government to be part of the bargaining pro-cess.
According to a statement by the board, Clearview division is concerned that Bill 8 leaves out local school boards and local Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) in bar-gaining teacher contracts.
“Sections 8, 9 and 10 spoke of the provincial government and provincial ATA deciding what they deemed as ‘central’ and ‘local’ matters,” said board chair Cheri Neitz. “Schools boards were left out of this fi rst step of the bargaining, and the Bill spoke of set-ting up a Teacher Employer Bargaining Association, so-called TEBA, but in the session attended with gov-ernment employees from Alberta Education, they did not know who would be appointed to TEBA, so the uncertainty of not
knowing who or if boards would be involved in TEBA held concern for us.”
Clearview Public Schools has sent a letter to Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, Minister of Education David Eggen, and all MLAs stating their position that local school boards should retain exclusive responsi-bility for bargaining teach-er collective agreements.
“School boards are lo-cally and democratical-ly-elected by Alberta com-munities and represent the best option to bargain with school teachers,” added Neitz. “This Bill took out the ‘local’ represent-ing our community, par-ents and students and put in ‘central’ the provincial government.”
Bill 8 was brought to the fl oor on Nov. 26 and passed quickly on Dec. 8 with amendments.
“The amendments now include school boards in the process of determin-ing local and central mat-ters,” said Neitz. “We are told now that TEBA will comprise of school board and government represen-tatives.”
According to Neitz,
Clearview Public Schools trustees are uncertain how it will change the landscape of education in the future as the Bill was passed fi rst without any regulations written to go with it.
“A thorough consultation process with regulations worked out prior to the passing of Bill 8 would have allowed us to better understand the impact it would have on us,” said Neitz. “We now wait for the regulations to be writ-ten and then see how that will impact our students.”
According to Neitz, the Bill 8 came out with not enough time to gather quality input from boards.
“Consultations were held a few days after the Bill was released and then it passed within less than a week after that,” said Neitz. “Our board wants to work with the govern-ment, but our concern is for our students and how their education will be af-fected.”
Expressing the voice of the Clearview Public Schools board as a whole, Neitz said, “We have worked well with our local ATA representatives and would like to continue with the good relation-ship working out what is best for our students, our teachers and all our staff of Clearview Public Schools.”
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Kickfl ip into Christmas
brings laughter to packed
crowdThe Stettler Community Hall was
packed with people and laughter on Saturday, Dec. 12, as the community gathered together to support its Skate Park.
The annual fundraiser consists of a dinner followed by entertainment by YukYuks and dancing. There wasn’t an empty seat in the house, unless it was when people returned to the buf-fet to enjoy a second helping of the catered meal. This year, the Skatepark Association raised roughly $14,000, which will go toward its $100,000 Phase 3 plans for the skatepark site.
According to association vice-presi-dent Heidi Fraser, the association has about $65,000 towards its goal, once the newly raised money is considered. They also purchased solar lights for the skatepark site, which has been very popular since its opening last year.
“Numbers were slightly down this year, but we also decreased the number of tickets available,” Heidi said. “We saw a change in who came. In the past, businesses would bring their employ-ees for a Christmas party, but this year we saw an increase in people coming as individuals or with friends.”
She said the split was about 50/50.
Stacey Lavallie/Independent reporter
Yuk Yuks comedian Derek Sweet performs at the fourth annual Kickfl ip into Christmas dinner, which raises money for the Stettler Skatepark Association.
BY STACEY LAVALLIE
6 STETTLER INDEPENDENT Wednesday, December 16, 2015
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Grizzlies are returning to the prairies… helped along by preservation group agendas
Your humble columnist is not a fan of bears and is particularly annoyed when taxpayer money is spent on preserving them and their habitat. In my view, bears serve no practical purpose except as carrion eaters and tourist attrac-tions. They are a menace to livestock and people and no one has lamented their disappearance from the prairies, their original habitat. Therefore it came as a complete surprise to fi nd out that there is a predator preservation group in southeastern Alberta dedicated to what seems like expanding the range of grizzly bears back into the prairies.
To be fair, the Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association (WBRA) is not just involved in predator conservation. Its over-all mandate seems to be the preservation of the natural habitat around Waterton National Park. But one becomes suspi-cious of an organization that was mainly created by Parks Canada bureau-crats. Also, most of their partners in the organiza-tion are other government
Science may have a say in the Bill 6 dispute
The way tempers have fl ared among the farm-ing communities and the refusal of the NDP gov-ernment to back down on the matter of Bill 6 seem to be pointing to a politi-cally hot winter and even spring in the weeks and months ahead, with a po-tential to lead to serious instability in the province.
After announcing the amendments to Bill 6, which apparently were thought by the govern-ment enough to ease the concerns of the agri-cultural sector, the NDP majority in the provin-cial legislature voted to pass Bill 6 into law last week, prompting further fi ery protests from both Wildrose Party and farm-ers. There have been pro-test rallies in many towns and along the highways with calls for NDP govern-ment to step down.
The anger over the pas-
sage of Bill 6 into law has gone to such lengths that there have been threats against the lives Premier Rachel Notley and leading NDP politicians, forcing main opposition Wildrose Party’s leader Brian Jean to appeal to his supporters and objectors to the leg-islation to stop threaten-ing violence. “These kinds of comments cross all bounds of respect and de-cency and have absolutely no place in our political discourse,” he said in a Facebook message.
It goes without saying that the extreme militan-cy of the reaction on the part of the hot-headed op-position supporters to the adoption of Bill 6 at the provincial legislature is disturbing to put it mild-ly. But it also raises some deeper concerns, as well, and those concerns relate to the fundamentals of the democratic governance in
the province of Alberta.Looking at the unfolding
situation from a long-term perspective, one can easily note that the source of the confl ict is a piece of legisla-tion impacting an area that has never been touched by the 44-year-long Progressive Conservative political dynasty.
Having ruled the prov-ince for so long, the PC governments may have perceived the farm safe-ty and farm labor regu-lation issues as matters that would best be left un-touched and as a result farming communities may have developed an under-standing that those areas are destined to remain outside the jurisdiction of provincial governments and legislation.
But having won the election on a pro-labour platform, NDP has appar-ently decided that Alberta should be brought on a par
with all the other provinc-es and territories of the country when it comes to ensuring the safety and rights of farm workers.
At this point, it seems necessary to determine how much of the concerns of the farming commu-nities are justifi ed and how much of them are exaggerated as a result of misperceptions. One document protesting Bill 6 and making its rounds on the Internet asks “how and if the family farm way of life is a viable one for us.”
To say that Bill 6 threat-ens a whole way of life in this province seems to be a little too alarmist.
For a healthy discussion on the matter, it seems all stakeholders should make an effort to ensure that fi rst and foremost cool heads prevail and provoc-ative language is avoided and for this to happen,
politics should be stripped of the debate on the real content.
If the government wants to regulate labour practic-es in an industry where 112 lives were lost over the last six years, then this regulation is clearly nec-essary to prevent further loss of life and to ensure that if there is loss of life, regulations are in place to protect those who are left behind.
At this juncture, it might be a good idea to involve academia in the discus-sion to bring an educat-ed analysis and suggest possible solutions to the confl ict. We have ample sources of research, knowledge and expertise in the universities and in a hotly debated, highly political and controversial dispute, science may well be the best guide to show the parties the right path to choose.
Ahead of the heard
WILL VERBOVEN
departments, quasi-gov-ernment agencies, green lobby groups and univer-sities. And oh yeah, there are some local landown-ers, farmers and ranchers involved with the group. The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is also involved having purchased thousands of acres of ad-jacent land and tied up thousands more through conservation easements. If you add the perspec-tives of those vested stakeholders together, you might suspect that there is a hidden agenda. That agenda would probably not include the long term survival of ranching and livestock grazing.
A recent fi lm by the WBRA called `Sharing the Range’ shows how the group is involved in encouraging the well-be-ing of predators - main-ly bears. They sponsor programs to reduce bear attractants and increase barriers to feed, dead-stock and livestock to reduce lethal interaction between bears and land owners. Bear damage is a major economic cost to farmers and ranchers in
the area. The activity of the WBRA may be one of the reasons grizzly bears are coming out of their mountain ranges onto the prairies. For the past ten years, landowners in the Pincher Creek and Cardston areas have been reporting a whopping in-crease in bear encounters. Part of the problem is a moratorium on grizzly hunting on both sides of the border, without that control these predators were bound to increase. It’s been suggested that grizzlies are also moving up from Montana, with grizzlies sighted as far as Fort Benton which is hundreds of miles from the Rocky Mountains. That’s not too far from the Cypress Hills near the Alberta-Saskatchewan border which is an ances-tral home to the prairie grizzly. It’s just a matter of time before they show up in such protected areas. All of that will be to the chagrin of Environment Canada, who in a 2008 re-port on endangered spe-cies, stated that the prairie grizzly would never re-es-tablish itself on its original
ranges. But they are doing just that by breaking out of the Pincher Creek area. Groups like the WBRA are just facilitating that ex-pansion with their pres-ervation programs. The land conservation groups no doubt help the bear preservation cause by re-stricting any lethal con-trol measures on land they own or manage.
Clearly there have been livestock losses to grizzly bears in the southeast area. Landowners and ranchers have been pla-cated somewhat by WBRA programs, but that only goes so far. Livestock loss compensation payments help but program prob-lems are coming to a head; the burden of proof of loss is too high and compensa-tion levels are too low. The concern is that if the com-pensation problems con-tinue ranchers may bail out of the WBRA, seeing it as nothing more than a front to put them out of business in favour of wildlife. That’s seen a pro-posal to change the com-pensation parameters – by you guessed it – less proof of loss and higher com-
pensation levels. It’s not yet approved but it better happen soon if the WBRA wants to keep ranchers on board. It brings to light an approach taken by some American wildlife groups who pay premiums over and above livestock com-pensation levels to bring ranchers on side to accept predator preservation measures. That’s caused landowners and ranchers to embrace those mea-sures knowing that if losses do occur, they well be more than fairly com-pensated. It’s an incentive program that appears to work. But no matter, with no lethal control, soon-er or later you can ex-pect there are going to be more grizzlies closer to your home. I wonder how long city folks will put up with that menacing de-velopment once grizzlies start showing up in their backyards.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 STETTLER INDEPENDENT 7
15122MB0 15122MN0 15122MS0
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8 STETTLER INDEPENDENT Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Stettler Elementary School hosts Christmas concertsMOUSH SARA JOHNINDEPENDENT REPORTER
The Stettler Elementary School (SES) students entertained their friends and families as they celebrated the season’s festivities by hosting their concert all through last week.
Grades 2, 3 and 4 were divided into two groups and performed on Tuesday and Thursday, while students from Grade 5 and 6 performed on Wednesday.
“For our Grade 2, 3 and 4 concerts, our music teache, Mrs. Kirb, selected and
wrote large portions of the script and then found songs to go with it, so that each class would have an important role to play in the concert,” said SES prin-cipal Sharon Fischer. “The songs were rehearsed during music classes and Mrs. Boyd and Mrs. Kirby worked with the actors and actresses during recesses and lunch hours to prepare them for the con-cert.”
Grade 5 and 6 teachers worked with their drama classes to decide upon the script and to write the reader’s theatre portion of the concert, while the music
teachers chose the songs that their students sang and worked with the students during music classes.
The line dance was performed by all Grade 5 and 6 students and was worked on collaboratively and during some of the lunch hours.
Mrs. Kirby is the Grade 5 music teacher and Mrs. Norman the Grade 5 drama teacher, while Mrs. Bromley is the Grade 6 music teacher and Ms. Wagers is the Grade 6 drama teacher.
“Having all of our students take part in a very meaningful way in our concerts is always a highlight, especially seeing the joy on the faces of our parents and grand-parents,” said Fischer. “Our students and teachers work very hard to put the concerts together, and it is our gift to the parents and grandparents and is one small way that we can show the audience how very much we appreciate them.”
Having two of the Grade 6 students, Cody Paulsen and Chloe Shingoose play guitar along side of their music teacher, Mrs. Bromley was also a highlight of the concerts.
“Our staff work hard to put together amazing shows and our students do such an incredible job of performing for the jammed packed audiences,” said Fischer. “The mu-sical expertise that happens in the Performing Arts Centre (PAC) is much greater than anything I could offer, so I appreciate all that is done, and if we are able to continue to put on concerts of this quality, I will continue to be thrilled!”
Grades 2, 3 and 4 concerts were entitled ‘Let it Be Christmas’ and both the acting and the singing worked around that theme.
The Grade 6 drama class wrote a Reader’s Theatre type performance that featured young characters in the community, who happened to have the same names as all of the offi ce staff at our school, and the lessons learned through that script refl ected the seven habits that are a part of the SES ‘Leader in Me’ program.
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e lerboardo rade.comerboardo rade com Grade 6 students, Cody Paulsen (left) and Chloe Shingoose accompany their music teacher Mrs. Bromley on the guitar during the performance of their concert on Wednesday, Dec. 9.
Contributed Photo.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 STETTLER INDEPENDENT 9
15122DG1
Amendments to the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act will assure farming families of their ability to pass on traditions to their
kids: the next generation of producers. That’s how this province was built.
The new legislation will not affect:
• purely family-owned and operated farm and ranch operations,
even if family members are paid,
• families’ ability to teach their children about farming and
farming traditions,
• kids’ participation in 4-H programs, or
• neighbours who volunteer to help each other out.
The new Act will reflect legislation in other provinces that:
• protects the safety of waged workers and helps prevent
workplace accidents, and
• compensates waged workers, or those workers’ families,
in case of disabling injury or death on the job.
Family farms continue to flourish in all other provinces with similar
legislation. Ours will too.
Learn more at work.alberta.ca
The Government of Alberta has amended Bill 6 to respond to farm families’ concerns.
Farm and ranch
families spoke.
We’re listening.
Erskine school students host Readers’ TheatreMOUSH SARA JOHNINDEPENDENT REPORTER
Erskine School students of grades 5 and 6 put together a version of ’T’was the Night Before Christmas’ on Thursday, Dec. 10 at the school as a readers’ theatre production, supervised by librarian Sheri Morbeck.
The students were divided into fi ve groups and the plays were a spin off from the famous poem ’T’was the Night Before Christmas’.
All the students who participated in the plays also take part in playing crib with members from the Erskine commu-nity once a week.
“The majority of these kids had never played cribbage before we started at school,” said Morbeck. “But they have learned the rules very quickly, and are doing very well, and now we have a week-ly competition for the ‘highest hand’.”
With 26 students from grades 5 and 6, Morbeck divides them into three groups.
“Because this is such a large group, I put them in three smaller groups, and group 1 engages in recycling all the paper, another group engages in
recycling the bottles and drink contain-ers, and the third group plays crib with Erskine community members, once a week,” said Morbeck. “And we keep rotat-ing the activities.”
According to Morbeck, crib helps them to enhance their Math skills.
“Improving their Math skills is always a benefi t, and learning how to interact with adults is a great life skill,” added Morbeck. “We have never had a club at the school before where outsiders came in, so we thought it was only appropriate to have a little Christmas party to thank them and celebrate the season with them!”
Morbeck came up with the idea of a Readers’ Theatre, because it incorporates reading and interacting with others very well.
“Approximately a dozen adults come in to play crib once a week and they were all invited, but only seven were able to attend, “ said Morbeck. “This was a great experience for the kids as they had only one hour and a half to learn their lines, and put the entire production together. T’was a great time.”
Grade 5 and 6 students of Erskine School performs Readers’ Theatre on Thursday, Dec. 10.Photo by Moush Sara John
‘There’s Christmas in the Air’ mesmerize
crowds at PACMOUSH SARA JOHNINDEPENDENT REPORTER
With the festive season upon us, young members of music director Rhonda Sylvester’s Gracenotes choir, aged fi ve to 18 and grouped as Rhapsody Girls, Tiny Tenors and Tiny Gracenotes, took to the stage on Saturday, Dec. 12 for two shows, charming crowds at the Performing Arts Centre (PAC) with their rendition of ‘There’s Christmas in the Air’.
While Gracenotes choir ranges from ages 13 to 18, Rhapsody Girls and Tiny Tenors range from nine to 12, and Tiny Gracenotes are aged between fi ve and eight.
Students from Stettler, Castor, Bashaw, Erskine and Coronation make up the membership of the choirs.
“This year was our 21st annual Christmas concert held in Stettler,” said Rhonda Sylvester. “We had set rehearsal times once a week for each group, but when it comes to concert and festival preparation, rehearsals are increased.”
The preparation for the Christmas pro-duction began back in July.
“It takes hours of seaching for inter-esting, fun and challenging music and it starts in the beginning of July and once I fi nd about six or seven songs I really like, I start to develop a theme around the song selection and then add to it,” said Sylvester. “A typical Christmas concert usually hosts between 26 to 33 songs”
After the Christmas Concerts the choirs are offi cially on Christmas break until they meet again in January.
“Earlier this season, the older Gracenotes Choir hosted the Alberta Youth Choir and special guest vocalists at the Alliance Church, so they have been a very busy group, learning and memorizing music and choreography,” added Sylvester.
Earlier this year, in May 2015 the Gracenotes Choir and the Rhapsody Girls and Tiny Tenors competed in the Provincial Choral Festival in Edmonton, where both groups were given top hon-ours and fi rst place rankings in their pro-spective classes.
Growing up in Stettler, Sylvester fi rst started singing under the tuteleage of Elain Pitt and sang with Pitt’s Pets Choir.
“From there I continued to study music at Red Deer College, graduating with Vocal Performance degree, and University of Alberta at Augustana Campus, grad-uating with Bachelor of Music Vocal Performance,” said Sylvester. “I also have my music degree levels from Royal Conservatory of Toronto and Conservatory Canada, Ottawa.”
The choirs were accompanied by Sherry Rempel.
Sylvester thanked the volunteers and parents for their support.
“Many parent volunteers are behind the scene helpers and without them, the concerts would not be possible,” said Sylvester.
10 STETTLER INDEPENDENT Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Donation to
Kidsport wishes to thank Kidsport wishes to thank Heartland Auto & Heartland Auto &
Industrial SupplyIndustrial Supply for for their donation to their donation to
the program!the program!
Darrel Baltimore accepts donation fromLaurie and Dwight Myshaniuk of
Heartland Auto & Industrial Supply.
COP21: Cheering and fearingThe climate deal that al-
most 200 countries agreed to in Paris on Saturday was far better than most insid-ers dared to hope even one month ago.
The biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, China and the United States, are fi nally on board. There is real money on the table to help poor countries cut their emissions and cope with warming. They have even adopted a tar-get of holding the warm-ing to only +1.5 degrees C, instead of the limit of +2 degrees that was the goal when the conference opened.
So the thousands of delegates who spent two weeks dickering over the details of the deal in a drafty exhibition hall north of Paris felt fully jus-tifi ed in cheering and con-gratulating one another on a job well done. Given all that, it’s a pity that the deal won’t actually stop the warming.
The plus-two limit was always too high. It began as a scientifi c estimate of
when natural feedbacks, triggered by the warming that human beings had caused, take over and started driving the tem-perature much, much higher. It was actually quite a fuzzy number: at somewhere between +1.75 C and +2.25 C, the feed-backs will kick in and it will be Game Over.
So +2.0 C, for political purposes, became the limit. Beyond that, govern-ments told us, we would have “dangerous warm-ing”. Nonsense. We are having dangerous warm-ing now – bigger storms, worse floods, longer droughts – and we are only at +1.0 C.
At plus-two or there-abouts, what we get is ca-tastrophe: runaway warm-ing that can no longer be halted just by stopping human emissions of car-bon dioxide. Nature will take over, and we will be trapped on a one-way es-calator that is taking us up to +3, +4, +5, even +6 degrees. Hundreds of mil-lions or even billions of
people would die as large parts of the planet ceased to be habitable by human beings.
If you don’t want to risk unleashing that, then you don’t want to go anywhere near +2, so the offi cial adoption by the world’s governments of +1.5 de-grees as the never-exceed limit is a major step for-ward. But note that they have only pledged “to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C,” not to succeed. The hard-and-fast promise is still not to go past +2 – and there is not even any guarantee that that will be achieved.
In order to avoid a de-bacle like the one at the last climate summit in Copenhagen six years ago, nobody even tried to put enforceable limits on national carbon dioxide emissions this time. Each country was just invited to submit the emission cuts that it is willing to make. The sum of all those prom-ised cuts (if the promises are kept) is what we will
get by way of global emis-sion cuts in the next fi ve years.
United Nations experts did the math, and con-cluded that these emis-sion cuts fall far short of what is needed. If this is all that is done, then we are headed for at least +2.7 degrees C – or rather, for a lot more, because of the feedbacks.
None of the negotiations at the Paris conference changed those numbers, or even tried to. So are we doomed to runaway warming? Not necessar-ily.
Most of the negotiators know that the cuts which are politically impossible now may become quite possible in fi ve or ten years if the cost of renewable energy goes on dropping, if techniques like carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) become economical-ly viable – and if people are suffi ciently frightened by a climate that is getting wilder and less predictable by the year.
So there is a review pro-
cess built into the treaty. Every fi ve years, starting in 2018, there will be a “stock-taking” exercise in which everybody’s prog-ress in cutting their emis-sions will be reviewed, and everybody will be en-couraged to increase their commitments and speed up their cuts.
Whether they will actu-ally do that depends on political, economic and technological factors that cannot yet be calculated, but fear is a great incen-tive, and there is no gov-ernment on the planet that is not frightened by the prospect of major cli-mate change. In fact, most of them would have gone a lot further in Paris if they were not nervous about getting too far ahead of public opinion at home.
Public opinion will even-tually change, because there is going to be a very large amount of damage and suffering in the world as we move past +1.0 and head up towards +1.5. Will it change fast enough to allow governments to act
ThinkGlobally
GWYNNE DYER
decisively and in time? Nobody knows.
Will new green technolo-gies simply sweep the fi eld, making fossil fuels uneco-nomic and government intervention unnecessary? Nobody knows that either, although many people pin their hopes on it.
We are not out of the woods yet, but we are prob-ably heading in the right direction – and it would be right at this point to put in a good word for that much maligned organisation, the United Nations. It is the only arena in which glob-al negotiations like this can be conducted, and its skills, traditions and peo-ple were indispensable in leading them to a more or less successful conclusion.
Gwynne Dyer is an inde-pendent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries.
Defi cits in good times lead to trouble in bad timesTrudeau government has rejected the successful policies of the Chretien government in exchange for defi cit-fi nanced spending and higher taxes
While the Liberals campaigned on a marked increase in federal spending fi nanced by defi cits, Canadians view this approach more negatively than they did during the election campaign, according to a recent Angus Reid poll. Canadians are indeed wise to be skeptical.
Running defi cits during recessions is understandable as revenues decline and spending increases. However, governments that prudently manage their fi nances pur-posefully return to balance as soon as possible once the economy recovers. Failing to do so places the country’s fi nances at risk should the economy experience a slow-down or another recession.
The current federal plan includes defi cits for the next four years before gradually returning to balance in 2019-20. As part of the plan to balance the budget, the Liberals need to overcome a host of issues, which include fi nding $3 billion in “internal savings” within four years, pulling back spending in the third year of their plan (far easier said than done, particularly heading into an election) and overcoming the current deterioration in federal fi nances highlighted by the fall fi nancial update. In ad-dition, repeated studies have shown that the tax hike on upper-earners likely will not raise the planned amount of revenue.
Even if the new government is able to overcome these hurdles, there is still a fatal error in their fi scal plan: it ig-nores the business cycle - the ebbs and fl ows of the econ-omy that are outside of the government’s direct control.
Consider that Canada has experienced a recession, or at the very least an economic slowdown, on average, every eight years since 1980. (Interestingly, a similar pat-tern exists in the U.S.).
Recessions impact the federal treasury in two ways. First, they reduce revenues. The deep recession in the early 1980s reduced revenues by 3.2 per cent in just one year while revenues fell 1.8 per cent over two years during the mild recession of the early 1990s. The slow-down (not technically a recession) of the early 2000s saw revenues fall marginally. In the most recent recession, revenues dropped by almost 10 per cent between 2007-08 and 2009-10, a portion of which is explained by the government’s introduction of personal income tax and GST rate reductions in 2006.
Recessions also cause federal spending to automati-cally increase. There are a number of programs, often referred to as automatic stabilizers, which increase in times of economic slowdowns without any interven-tion or change in policy. One example is Employment Insurance. As unemployment increases, spending on EI increases. In the most recent recession, for instance, spending on EI increased $7.3 billion over the three years between 2007-08 and 2009-10, which included both the automatic increase in spending due to the rise in unem-ployment as well as expanded benefi ts (policy change).
If the experience of the past three-plus decades holds, Canada will likely experience an economic slowdown - or worse, a recession - over the next two to three years, in which revenues of the federal government actually decline. Such an event means that the revenues project-ed by the Liberals will not come to fruition and spending will be higher than planned. In other words, the defi -cits will likely be much higher than currently planned meaning that reaching a balanced budget in 2019-20 will require deep cuts to spending and/or much larger tax in-creases. The likelihood of such actions one or two years out from an election is slim.
BY JASON CLEMENS, NIELS VELDHUIS AND MILAGROS PALACIOSTROY MEDIA COLUMNISTS
Continued on page 14
Wednesday December 16, 2015 STETTLER INDEPENDENT 11
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Preparing to welcome the
man in red suitThe countdown to the man-in-the-red-suit’s arrival is
down to nine days. The Stettler Public Library has some events coming up to help you get on the nice side of the big man. Check these out.
Thursday, Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. marks the last Tech Time for Seniors in 2015. Bring in your computer, tablet, phone, eReader, camera or other device and we’ll help you fi gure it out.
The library’s second annual Holiday Movie Marathon is on Saturday, Dec. 19 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Come see family favourites all day. Popcorn will be served.
For those of you looking for something to keep the kids entertained in the week after the jolly man’s visit, the library is the place to be. The kids can make, take, cre-ate and break things—a perfect way to get rid of excess energy. All these events require pre-registration. Call the library at 403- 742-2292 to get in on the fun.
Join us on Monday, Dec. 28 at 1 p.m. for Rub-a-Dub-Dub. Bring items (your thumb, a plastic fi sh) to make molds of. Then create your own awesome custom soaps. Also make scented bath salts to go with your soap. Limit of 20 participants.
Your chance to be destructive happens on Tuesday, Dec. 29 at 1 p.m. with Take Apart Tuesday. Spend some time taking apart appliances and electronics to see
what’s inside. Then build a fun model robot with the parts. Limit of 10 participants.
On Weevil Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 1 p.m., you will learn to solder. Have you ever seen a weevil? It’s a pretty un-der-appreciated beetle. We’re going to solder LED lights onto a metal weevil to make light-up eyes. Ages nine and up only. Limit of 10 participants. Please pre-register at the library.
Thursday Dec. 31 at 1 p.m. brings you Marble Mania. Make a LEGO marble run, a paper tube marble run and more. There are going to be so many items that you can make your marble run with that you might be here all day. Limit 15 participants.
The staff at the library likes to celebrate Fun Food Friday and we want everyone to join in. However we will be closed on Friday, Jan. 1, so we are going to have Food Science Saturday on Jan. 2 at 1 p.m. Make liquids into edible spheres, fi zzy edible powders and more! Limit 15 participants.
Please take note of our holiday hours. We will be clos-ing at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve and we will reopen on Monday, Dec. 28 at 10 a.m. We will close at 4 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and reopen in 2016 on Saturday, Jan. 2 for our regular hours.
Keep an eye out for additional activities on our web-site (spl.prl.ab.ca) and Facebook page. And if you have an activity you’d like to do/see at the library feel free to approach us!
CRYSTAL FRIARSSTETTLER PUBLIC LIBRARY
It’s EASYEASY being GREENGREEN, simply
RECYCLERECYCLE your paper!
12 STETTLER INDEPENDENT Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Main Street, StettlerMain Street, Stettler
403-742-4504403-742-4504
Lisa Layden, Registered Hearing Aid
Practioner
Do your ears need glasses?
Hearing loss can make you blind
to life’s joys.
Don’t miss out, get
your ears checked today.
(L to R) Betty Jean Goodkey, Calvin Blauel, Corinne Nattestad, Sharon Kempf,
Dean Ross, Shannon Shirley,Verna Rock and Barry Haner
Stettler Funeral Home & CrematoriumStettler Funeral Home & Crematorium“Where Every Life Lived Is Worthy Of A Celebration”
Locally Owned and Operated #1499770 AB Ltd.
Th ank you to our community for coming out and supporting our annual Tinsel N Tears
~We are so humbled
at the eveningscontinued success and
are pleased to haveyou share with us.In the fl urry of the
season…..may you fi nd time to rememberand to celebrate.
~
Faith & Reflection
ROSS HELGETON403-742-5020 • [email protected]
What child IS this?
What Child Is This was written by an insur-ance company manager by the name of William Chatterton Dix (1817 - 1898).
Dix, at the age of 29, was affl icted with an illness that nearly took his life. He was confi ned to bed for many months, leading to a severe depression. However, these hardships in turn, led him to a spiri-tual renewal and the spir-itual renewal inspired him
to write several hymns. What Child Is This was one of them. The lyrics are sung to the tune of Greensleeves, which was a popular English folk song at the time.
The title poses a ques-tion that is both legitimate and intriguing. What Child is this? Dix answers the question by saying that “this is Christ the King.” His answer is spiritually astute and biblically ac-curate. However, it is far
from comprehensive. In the space that remains, I would like to make a few theological additions (also far from comprehensive). Who is that baby in the manger?
That baby in the man-ger, according to Hebrews 1:2 is “…appointed heir of all things.” This means that God has given ev-erything to His Son. From the depths of the ocean to the highest peak of the mountains, to the farthest
reaches of the cosmos – it is all His!
Why wouldn’t every-thing belong to Him? For in the very next phrase, in the same verse, we read that, “…He (Jesus) made the universe”. John, 1:3 reiterates the same truth saying, “Through Him all things were made…nothing was made with-out Him”. The baby in the manger, as the Creator of all, entered His creation.
Moving a little further along in the Hebrews 1 passage, to the third verse, we read that Jesus is “the radiance of God’s glory, and the exact representa-tion of His being, sustain-ing all things by His pow-erful word.” In addition to Jesus being the sustainer of all that is, He is also the visible manifestation of God on this earth. If we want to know what God looks like, we look at Jesus (best accomplished by reading about Him in the Bible).
In the following verse, we discover that the child in the manger became the Savior on the cross. It states that, “After He had provided purifi cation for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3). This alludes not only to His fi nished work, but His current work, for we read in 1 John 2:1 that with Jesus on the right hand of God “…we have an ad-vocate with the Father—Jesus Christ…”
The next time you hear
Dix’s popular hymn, try shifting the emphasis to a different word. Instead
of saying, “WHAT child is this?” try, “What child IS this?”
STAND OUT STAND OUT FROM THE FROM THE CROWDCROWD
Advertise your business in the
local newspaper!
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0% 84 MONTHS^ FINANCING FOR
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OR
OR
$5,200MINIMUM
IN CASH CREDITS ON OTHER MODELS†
(INCLUDES $1,000 CONNECT & WIN BONUS)
0% FOR 84 MONTHS ^ PURCHASE FINANCING
+ $2,000 TOTAL CASH CREDIT‡
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TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OR LEASE ON ANY 2015 OR 2016 CHEVROLET *
$10,000$1,000 TO FROM IN CASH CREDITS
VALUED UP TO $35,000
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EVERYONE’S A WINNER!
ON N
OW A
T YO
UR A
LBER
TA C
HEVR
OLET
DEA
LERS
. Alb
erta
Chev
role
t.com
1-8
00-G
M-D
RIVE
. Che
vrol
et is
a b
rand
of G
ener
al M
otor
s of
Can
ada.
Offe
rs a
pply
to th
e pu
rcha
se o
r fin
ance
of a
201
5 Cr
uze
LS 1
SA, E
quin
ox L
S AW
D, S
ilver
ado
2500
HD/3
500H
D W
T 2W
D w
ith g
as e
ngin
es. L
icen
se, in
sura
nce,
regi
stra
tion,
adm
inist
ratio
n fe
es, d
eale
r fee
s, PP
SA a
nd ta
xes
not i
nclu
ded.
Dea
lers
are
free
to s
et in
divid
ual p
rices
. Lim
ited
time
offe
rs w
hich
may
not
be
com
bine
d w
ith o
ther
offe
rs, a
nd a
re s
ubje
ct to
cha
nge
with
out n
otic
e. O
ffers
app
ly to
qua
lifie
d re
tail
cust
omer
s in
Alb
erta
Che
vrol
et D
eale
r Mar
ketin
g As
soci
atio
n ar
ea o
nly.
Deal
er tr
ade
may
be
requ
ired.
* No
pur
chas
e ne
cess
ary.
Open
to C
anad
ian
resid
ents
with
a v
alid
driv
er’s
licen
se w
ho h
ave
reac
hed
the
age
of m
ajor
ity in
thei
r pro
vince
of r
esid
ence
. Con
test
clo
ses
Janu
ary
4, 2
016.
Cre
dit A
war
ds u
p to
$10
,000
inclu
de a
pplic
able
taxe
s an
d m
ust b
e ap
plie
d to
the
purc
hase
or l
ease
of a
new
201
5 or
201
6 M
Y Ch
evro
let v
ehicl
e de
liver
ed o
n or
bef
ore
Janu
ary
4, 2
016.
30
Vehi
cle A
war
ds a
vaila
ble
to b
e w
on, e
ach
cons
istin
g of
win
ner’s
cho
ice
of a
veh
icle
with
an
MSR
P of
$35
,000
CAD
or l
ess.
The
cust
omer
is re
spon
sible
for a
ny o
ther
taxe
s, lic
ense
, ins
uran
ce, r
egist
ratio
n, o
r oth
er fe
es. V
ehicl
e Aw
ards
are
not
tran
sfer
able
and
no
cash
sub
stitu
tes
are
perm
itted
. No
t all
awar
ds h
ave
the
sam
e od
ds o
f win
ning
. Veh
icle
Awar
ds a
re n
ot tr
ansf
erab
le a
nd n
o ca
sh s
ubst
itute
s ar
e pe
rmitt
ed.
Not a
ll aw
ards
hav
e th
e sa
me
odds
of w
inni
ng. F
or fu
ll ru
les
and
prog
ram
det
ails
visit
your
GM
dea
ler o
r gm
.ca.
Cor
rect
ans
wer
to m
athe
mat
ical
ski
ll-te
stin
g qu
estio
n re
quire
d. S
ee y
our G
M d
eale
r or g
m.c
a fo
r ful
l con
test
rule
s an
d pr
ogra
m d
etai
ls. V
ehicl
es s
how
n 20
15 C
olor
ado
Crew
Cab
2W
D Z7
1 m
odel
[$33
,195
MSR
P] C
DN, i
nclu
ding
frei
ght a
nd a
/c ta
x. ^
Offe
r ava
ilabl
e to
qua
lifie
d re
tail
cust
omer
s in
Can
ada
for v
ehicl
es d
elive
red
betw
een
Dece
mbe
r 4th
, 201
5 an
d Ja
nuar
y 4t
h, 2
016.
0%
pur
chas
e fin
anci
ng o
ffere
d on
app
rove
d cr
edit
by T
D Au
to F
inan
ce S
ervic
es, S
cotia
bank
® o
r RBC
Roy
al B
ank
for 8
4 m
onth
s on
all n
ew o
r dem
onst
rato
r 201
5 Sp
ark,
Son
ic, C
ruze
, Mal
ibu
(exc
ept L
S), V
olt,
Impa
la, C
amar
o, Tr
ax, E
quin
ox, T
rave
rse,
Col
orad
o 2W
D, S
ilver
ado
1500
Dou
ble
Cab
2WD
WT
/ Cre
w C
ab 2
WD
WT
and
Silve
rado
HD’
s WT
2WD
with
gas
eng
ine.
Par
ticip
atin
g le
nder
s ar
e su
bjec
t to
chan
ge. R
ates
from
oth
er le
nder
s w
ill va
ry. D
own
paym
ent,
trade
and
/or s
ecur
ity d
epos
it m
ay b
e re
quire
d. M
onth
ly pa
ymen
t and
cos
t of b
orro
win
g w
ill va
ry d
epen
ding
on
amou
nt b
orro
wed
and
dow
n pa
ymen
t/tra
de. E
xam
ple:
$40
,000
at 0
%
APR,
the
mon
thly
paym
ent i
s $4
76.1
9 fo
r 84
mon
ths.
Cost
of b
orro
win
g is
$0, t
otal
obl
igat
ion
is $4
0,00
0. O
ffer i
s un
cond
ition
ally
inte
rest
-free
. Fre
ight
and
air
tax
($10
0, if
app
licab
le) i
nclu
ded.
Lic
ence
, ins
uran
ce, r
egist
ratio
n, P
PSA,
app
licab
le ta
xes
and
deal
er fe
es n
ot in
clude
d. D
eale
rs a
re fr
ee to
set
indi
vidua
l pric
es. L
imite
d tim
e of
fer w
hich
may
not
be
com
bine
d w
ith
certa
in o
ther
offe
rs. G
M C
anad
a m
ay m
odify
, ext
end
or te
rmin
ate
offe
rs in
who
le o
r in
part
at a
ny ti
me
with
out n
otic
e. C
ondi
tions
and
lim
itatio
ns a
pply.
See
dea
ler f
or d
etai
ls. ®
Regi
ster
ed tr
adem
ark
of T
he B
ank
of N
ova
Scot
ia. R
BC a
nd R
oyal
Ban
k ar
e re
gist
ered
trad
emar
ks o
f Roy
al B
ank
of C
anad
a. ‡
$2,
000/
$2,0
00 is
a c
ombi
ned
cred
it co
nsist
ing
of $
1,00
0 Co
nnec
t &
Win
Bon
us (
tax
inclu
sive)
and
$1,
000/
$1,0
00 m
anuf
actu
rer t
o de
aler
fina
nce
cash
(tax
exc
lusiv
e) fo
r a 2
015
Cruz
e/Eq
uino
x w
hich
is a
vaila
ble
for f
inan
ce o
ffers
onl
y an
d ca
nnot
be
com
bine
d w
ith s
peci
al le
ase
rate
s an
d ca
sh p
urch
ase.
† $
4,00
0/$5
,200
/$11
,000
is a
com
bine
d cr
edit
cons
istin
g of
$1,
000
Conn
ect &
Win
Bon
us (
tax
inclu
sive)
and
a $
3,00
0/$4
,200
/$10
,000
m
anuf
actu
rer t
o de
aler
cas
h cr
edit
(tax
exclu
sive)
for a
201
5 Cr
uze/
Equi
nox
LS F
WD/
Silve
rado
HD
Doub
le C
ab w
ith g
as e
ngin
e (e
xcep
t WT
2WD)
, whi
ch is
ava
ilabl
e fo
r cas
h pu
rcha
ses
only
and
cann
ot b
e co
mbi
ned
with
spe
cial
leas
e an
d fin
ance
rate
s. By
sel
ectin
g le
ase
or fi
nanc
e of
fers
, con
sum
ers
are
fore
goin
g th
is $3
,000
/$4,
200/
$10,
000
cred
it w
hich
will
resu
lt in
hi
gher
effe
ctive
inte
rest
rate
s. D
iscou
nts
vary
by
mod
el. ¥
The
Che
vrol
et E
quin
ox re
ceive
d th
e lo
wes
t num
ber o
f pro
blem
s pe
r 100
veh
icles
am
ong
com
pact
SUV
s in
a ti
e in
the
prop
rieta
ry J
.D. P
ower
201
5 U.
S. In
itial
Qua
lity
Stud
ySM. S
tudy
bas
ed o
n re
spon
ses
from
84,
367
U.S.
new
-veh
icle
owne
rs, m
easu
ring
244
mod
els
and
mea
sure
s op
inio
ns a
fter 9
0 da
ys o
f ow
ners
hip.
Pr
oprie
tary
stu
dy re
sults
are
bas
ed o
n ex
perie
nces
and
per
cept
ions
of U
.S. o
wne
rs s
urve
yed
in F
ebru
ary-
May
201
5. Yo
ur e
xper
ienc
es m
ay v
ary.
Visit
jdpo
wer
.com
. ** T
he 2
-Yea
r Sch
edul
ed L
ube-
Oil-F
ilter
Mai
nten
ance
Pro
gram
pro
vides
elig
ible
cus
tom
ers
in C
anad
a, w
ho h
ave
purc
hase
d or
leas
ed a
new
elig
ible
201
5/20
16 M
Y Ch
evro
let (
exclu
ding
Spa
rk E
V), w
ith a
n AC
Delc
o® o
il an
d fil
ter c
hang
e, in
acc
orda
nce
with
the
oil l
ife m
onito
ring
syst
em a
nd th
e Ow
ner’s
Man
ual,
for 2
yea
rs o
r 40,
000
km, w
hich
ever
occ
urs
first
, with
a li
mit
of fo
ur (4
) Lub
e-Oi
l-Filt
er s
ervic
es in
tota
l, pe
rform
ed a
t par
ticip
atin
g GM
dea
lers
. Flu
id to
p of
fs, i
nspe
ctio
ns, t
ire ro
tatio
ns, w
heel
alig
nmen
ts a
nd b
alan
cing
, etc
. are
not
cov
ered
. Thi
s of
fer m
ay n
ot b
e re
deem
ed fo
r cas
h an
d m
ay n
ot b
e co
mbi
ned
with
cer
tain
oth
er c
onsu
mer
ince
ntive
s av
aila
ble
on G
M v
ehicl
es. G
ener
al M
otor
s of
Can
ada
Com
pany
rese
rves
the
right
to a
men
d or
term
inat
e th
is of
fer,
in w
hole
or i
n pa
rt, a
t any
tim
e w
ithou
t prio
r not
ice.
Add
ition
al c
ondi
tions
and
lim
itatio
ns a
pply.
See
dea
ler f
or d
etai
ls. ^
^ W
hich
ever
com
es fi
rst.
See
deal
er fo
r det
ails.
14 STETTLER INDEPENDENT Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Consider the follow-ing hypothetical. Assume Canada experiences a modest slowdown over the next two years as we did in the early 2000s. If federal revenues decline by a comparable amount, the annual hole in federal fi nances would be roughly $15 to 20 billion deeper than the currently project-ed defi cits of $10 billion.
Rather than put Canada’s relatively sound fi nances at risk, the Liberals ought to consider the experi-ence of their predecessors, the Chretien government. Just over 20 years ago, the Chretien Liberals delivered the most important feder-al budget in a generation. After three decades-plus of consistent defi cits, the Chretien government de-livered a budget that cut spending by almost 10 per cent, reformed provin-cial transfers and federal programs, and placed the country on a path to a balanced budget in 1997, followed by tax relief and debt reduction for the fol-lowing decade. As a result, the Chretien era was a pe-riod of great prosperity for the country.
Unfortunately, the Trudeau government has rejected the successful policies of this period in exchange for defi cit-fi -nanced spending and higher taxes. Canada’s economy will suffer from poorer performance as it did in previous periods when such policies were followed. In addition, bor-rowing money to fi nance spending during good times (i.e. when the econ-omy is growing) means when the inevitable down-turn happens our coun-try’s fi nances will be that much worse.
We’ve seen this show be-fore (in the 1970s, ’80s and early ’90s), and unfortu-nately, we’re about to go through it again.
Jason Clemens, Niels Veldhuis, and Milagros Palacios are economists with the Fraser Institute.
Continued from A10
15122MF0
Federal revenues needed to avoid deeper defi cits
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 STETTLER INDEPENDENT 15
BLJ BLJ FARMS Ltd.FARMS Ltd.Certifi ed Seed For SaleCertifi ed Seed For Sale
Stettler WheatStettler WheatMetcalfe BarleyMetcalfe Barley
Austenson BarleyAustenson BarleyMorgan OatsMorgan Oats
Dealer for Brett Young Grass Seed,Dealer for Brett Young Grass Seed,Canola Seed, & Corn SeedCanola Seed, & Corn Seed
Call Charlie Nemetz
Stettler
403-741-5761
Rich table at Elks’ Christmas potluckLINDA STILLINGERBIG VALLEY BULLETIN
The Big Valley Elks’ Christmas meeting and supper on Dec. 8 was a potluck this year and what a feast!
Turkey, moose, elk, la-sagna, mashed potatoes, great salads and desserts of all kinds. Thanks to all the donors. This was also a Pin Night, where long term members are rec-ognized. Skip Hampton and Fred Holowat, though not in attendance, each
reached the 55-year mark. Receiving 50-year pins were brothers Ernie Petrussa and Alan Webster, while Brother Larry Meyer reached the 40-year pinnacle. Alan Jacobsen presented Alan Berresford with his 20-year pin and Brother Berresford then present-ed the other honorees. Congratulations to all for their many years of dedi-cated service.
The Elks Bingos are over and deemed a success
even if the weather did not cooperate very well. Seventy-one people par-ticipated in Rumsey and 72 in Big Valley. Thanks to all for the much appreci-ated support.
Feb. 13 is Elk Night at the Oil Kings Jr. Hockey game in Edmonton. Tickets and transportation has been arranged for a contingent to go. If interested, give Alan Jacobsen a call as tickets are limited.
An Elks committee has arranged for a Yuk-Yuks
comedy show to come to Big Valley on Feb. 27. The Royal Purple Ladies will provide supper. This should help break up the winter doldrums. Posters will soon be out, so plan on attending.
Arrangements have been made to deliv-er Christmas cakes to seniors’ lodges in Drumheller and Stettler. This annual tradition is looked forward to and enjoyed by the residents. Annual disbursements
were made to the Elk charities I Star (stutter-ing program), Elks Fund for Children and the Elks Foundation. They also made their annual dona-tion to the Valley Whistle as this is the means to get the Elks message out. Thank you Linda and the Village of Big Valley.
Club 200 winners were Zane Bartley, Tammy Webster, Ezra Neilson and David Lattery.
Thirteen players came out for crib at the Big
Valley Inn on Sunday, Dec. 13. Teresa Greig won fi rst, Mary Wilkie won second and Lawrence Wilkie won third. Dianne Haughton took home the booby and Mary Wilkie won the regular draw. Next Sunday, Dec. 21 will be the Christmas fi nale with delicious eats fol-lowing the games. This is the last crib tournament until Jan. 3, 2016. Merry Christmas to all and have a safe and happy holiday season.
Halkirk ladies celebrate Christmas in CastorROSE KOENRAADTAND DOROTHY ANDERSONHALKIRK HERALD
The Castor IODE held their Christmas party last Wednesday with several women from Halkirk joining in on the festivities.
FCC forum was held in Red Deer last Tuesday. People from Halkirk and surround-ing areas were among the thousand people there to listen to the motivation talks given by Jon Montgomery
(Amazing Race host), Arlene Dickenson (Dragons Den) and Ryan Walters (hockey player).
Melody and Dale Kent along with Lisa and Rick Kent helped Greg and Laura Kent move
to their new acreage outside Bonneville.
Notice then next time you’re in Halkirk, they now have the Christmas lights up on the power poles.
Mabel and Stan Wheeler joined the
Anderson family in Stettler last Sunday to celebrate their early Christmas dinner.
Devan Johnson and Sidney Jordan were playing with the Stettler bantam girls in the tournament this
past weekend, the girls won B side.
The area once again got a blast of snow with a little rain fi rst which made the roads quite icy, with sever-al people ending up in the ditch.
Christmas concerts entertained the communitySHARON FISCHERSTETTLER ELEMENTARY NEWS
It is the season to be busy, and that it has been at Stettler Elementary School. The students have worked and re-hearsed and fi nally had an opportunity to show-case all of their talent at our Christmas concerts. Grade 2, 3, and 4 stu-dents were divided into two groups that each performed three times in one day. These perfor-mances were held at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on both Tuesday and Thursday last week. Then on Wednesday, Dec. 9, our Grade 5 and 6 music and musical theatre classes shared their talents with the public during the Christmas concerts that they too worked hard to put together. All of these concerts were supremely successful and set the bar pretty high for our band
students and kindergar-ten/Grade 1 students to compete with this week. On Monday, Dec. 14, our Grade 5 and 6 band stu-dents took part in the very successful “Night of the Bands” held annually and under the direction of Mr. Eric Rahn. Then the next night, half of our kindergarten and Grade 1 students entertained parents, grandparents, and the general public with their cute and very well rehearsed concert. Tonight, Wednesday, Dec. 16, the other half of our youngest students will be on stage and ready to perform at 6:30 p.m.
Other activities that have been keeping us busy include visits to the seniors’ residenc-es in town. We had our kindergarten students sing and make crafts with seniors at Paragon Place, Points West, Heart
Haven, Willow Creek on Wednesday, Dec. 9, as well our Grade 4 students continued to visit and play crib with the seniors. These students visited the seniors again yester-day, and delivered cards and candy canes along with their visit and crib playing. Also this week, we have Grade 6 stu-dents visiting Heritage House on Wednesday, and Grade 1s visiting on Thursday. We always learn so much from the experienced members of our community.
In other news, Friday, Dec. 11, saw us dress in green as the kindergar-ten students took part in “Grinch Day”. That day, we were also honoured to receive a visit from Brent Schiffner and his family as he presented a cheque from Ember Resources Inc. to our school. We sincerely appreciate the
support and will use this money to keep our school actively mov-ing forward with “The Leader in Me” program.
The staff and students at Stettler Elementary School wish each and every one of you a very merry Christmas, and
sincerely hope that this
holiday season brings
much joy to you and your
family.
We hope you enjoyed this issue of
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16 STETTLER INDEPENDENT Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Not a brownChristmas after all
LES AND ROSEMARY STULBERGBYEMOOR/ENDIANG NEWS
In last week’s column I mentioned it looked like the possibility of a brown Christmas. It didn’t take Mother Nature long to prove that theory wrong. The district received a large dump of snow on Wednesday, with more added since. The thick blanket of snow and hoar frost covered trees has created a picture-perfect winter wonderland.
Eric and Maureen Smith have returned home from an enjoyable trip to Las Vegas.
Kent and Tamlin Kobi along with their two year old son Riley and seven month old daughter Keira of Sydney, Australia are visitors with Kent’s par-ents Russ and Linda Kobi and other family mem-bers. It was the fi rst time the children got to ex-perience snow. The Kobi family took in the Polar Express train ride at Aspen Crossing and has many other plans for their Dec. 5-30 visit.
Mark and Julie Jones, along with daughter Dixie and family, are home from a wonderful vacation to San Diego, California where they also visited with Mark’s sister Sheryle and family.
Congratulations to Ben and Jimilee Ayotte on the birth of their son Sullivan John Ayotte on Dec. 8. Congratulations also to grandparents Jim and Lee Carothers.
Many Endiang and Byemoor seniors attend-ed the annual Seniors’ Dinner sponsored by the Endmoor Drop-in Society on Thursday at the Byemoor hall. They enjoyed a delicious tradi-tional turkey dinner. The seniors were treated to a Christmas program pro-vided by the kindergarten and Grade 1 – 3 classes of the Byemoor School. As well, the classic tunes of Country Friends provid-ed a delightful afternoon of entertainment. Many thanks to the Endmoor drop-in group for hosting this event once again.
Endmoor Vipers girls’ hockey team had a busy weekend, playing a dou-ble-header in Byemoor on Saturday against Leduc with two very close games. The Vipers tied one 2-2 and lost the other by a score of 2-1.
On Sunday, the Vipers played Camrose to a 1-1 tie, again in Byemoor. The Vipers are currently in top spot in their league — way to go, girls!
The Clearview school
bus drivers held their Christmas party in Byemoor on Sunday af-ternoon at the hotel. Skip Mappin provided horse-drawn wagon rides about town. Games, visiting, Chinese gift exchange and a tasty roast beef sup-per served by the hotel rounded out the day.
We send birthday wish-es to Lois Ballinger, cele-brating her 89th birthday on Dec. 20.
Upcoming events —Dec. 17 — Byemoor
School Christmas Concert at 7 p.m. at Byemoor hall.
Dec. 19 — Scapa Christmas Concert be-ginning with a potluck supper at 5:30 p.m. (meat supplied). All additions for the program welcome. Contact Thelma at 403-854-2393 for further info.
Dec. 23 — St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Christmas service at 7 p.m.
Christmas trivia — “North American chil-dren put out stockings at Christmas time. Their Dutch counterparts, how-ever, put out shoes.”
— “A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig.”
Byemoor Beef Club newsIn the month of
November, the Byemoor 4-H Beef club had one meeting on Nov. 8 that included weigh in. We also went to play cards at the Byemoor seniors’ center on Nov. 17. All of the members enjoyed learning how to play crib. We started the month of December with a meet-ing and event on the 5th.
On Dec. 5, the Byemoor
BAILEY MUSGROVE Beef club held our an-nual tree sale, starting at noon, at Santa Day in Byemoor. We had good weather for the after-noon outside as well as a good sale.
In the meantime, in-side the hall we prepared candy bags for the kids, decorated the Christmas tree and had a club meeting. At 2 p.m. Santa arrived at the hall. All of the kids had great time
coming up to get their pictures taken on Santa’s knee and a candy bag.
This year, along with the Christmas trees, we also sold pails of ice melt as a fundraiser for our club.
Thank you to everyone who came out to support our club by buying ice melt, a Christmas tree, or getting a picture with Santa. We hope to see you back next year!
Friday is the day for Santa dancing with kids
PATTY STEENRUMSEY RECORD
It is with a sad heart that I have to spread the news of two of our community members that have passed away. Irene Duncan’s funer-al was held last Friday, Dec. 11 with a huge crowd in attendance to honor her full life and many contributions to the communities of Big Valley and Rumsey. Alex Ross passed away last week surrounded by his family, I haven’t heard when his funeral will be. Alex spent all his life in the Big Valley area helping many families with their water wells, drilling them, repair-ing them and generally knowing all about each and every one of them. His knowledge will be greatly missed along with the man himself.
There have been too many funerals lately far and wide, I hope we will be able to hold onto our loved ones now.
The Rumsey Christmas Party with Santa will be held this Friday evening, Dec. 18 starting at 7 p.m. Remember to bring a gift for Santa to share with your little one, there will be elves in the kitch-en to help make sure that the present gets to Santa in time. He will be busy dancing and cele-brating Christmas with the children in the hall throughout the evening.
I would like to pass on that I have heard through the grapevine that Donna Sengaus and Judy Nelson are recover-ing nicely from having knee surgery recently. I am glad to hear you are doing well.
I hope you enjoy this
funny little story that is so typical of little chil-dren:
A guy was packing for a business trip and his three year old daughter was having a wonderful time playing on the bed.
At one point she said, “Daddy, look at this,” and stuck out two of her fi ngers.
Trying to keep her en-tertained, he reached out and stuck her tiny fi ngers in his mouth and said, “Daddy’s gonna eat your fi ngers,” pretending to eat them and then went back to packing.
He looked up again and his daughter was stand-ing on the bed staring at her fi ngers with a dev-astated look on her face.
He said, “What’s wrong, honey?”
She replied, “What happened to my boogie?
Have a great week.
STAND OUT FROM THE CROWDSTAND OUT FROM THE CROWDAdvertise your business in the local newspaper
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 STETTLER INDEPENDENT 17 Sports
Wildcat girls win the weekend home tournament
Wildcats player tries to score as opponent Rocky Mountain House Rebels player makes an attempt to block her in their fi nal game on Saturday, Dec. 12. Wildcats beat Rebels convinc-ingly in a well-fought game. Photo by Moush Sara John
BY MOUSH SARA JOHNSTETTLER INDEPENDENT
The Wildcats girls’ bas-ketball team once again displayed some great performance on court to win their home tour-nament beating Rocky Mountain House Rebels by over 20 points in their fi nal game on Saturday, Dec. 12.
They played Wetaskiwin in their fi rst game, winning it con-vincingly.
“We are still playing 5 on 5 off, which is nice with 14 players,” said coach Kim Poapst. “But, some of the obstacles that we face are the different level of player skills, which in a way is also a positive because there has been tremen-dous improvement in skills and players have gained confi dence with our new additions from last year.”
Although in their fi nal
game against the Rebels, Wildcats were always in the lead, towards the end of the fi rst half they started stepping up their offence and scoring more often.
“There has been a lot of improvement in offen-sive skills from all our players,” added Poapst. “Our offensive rebound-ing is excellent.”
As Wildcats prepare for their next game later this week, Poapst wants the team to focus on their inbound game in the opposition’s front court.
“In our next game our goal is to know what to do without being told,” said Poapst. “An example would be playing zone on an inbound in the opposition’s front court.”
According to Poapst, the highlight from the weekend win was the six Grade 5 cheerlead-ers and the Stettler
Elementary School (SES) kids watching their fi rst game on Friday, and thinking it was a “great game”.
“We have had great parent support with food and refreshments for our referees, coach-es and scorekeepers,” added Poapst.
Wildcats girls take on Sylvan in their next game on Wednesday, Dec. 17.
Wildcats boys win weekend tournament beating Hawks
The Wildcats boys played a great game against the Hawks, de-feating them 73-51 in their fi nal game, win-ning the tournament on Saturday, Dec. 12.
Their fi rst game was against Bashaw, which they won 50-40.
In their second game they beat George McDougal from Airdrie 83-49.
Wildcats celebrate their success with year-end banquetBY MOUSH SARA JOHNSTETTLER INDEPENDENT
Wildcats players pose for a group shot as they display their awards at the year-end banquet held on Thursday, Dec. 10 at the William E. Hay Stettler Secondary Campus cafeteria. Photo by Moush Sara John
The Stettler’s varsity football team Wildcats celebrated their season with a banquet evening of awards, honours and recognition on Thursday, Dec. 10 at the William E. Hay Stettler Secondary Campus cafeteria.
Recognized at the League All-Star awards night earlier in the week on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at the Memorial Centre in Lacombe were some of the key players of the team – Jordan Lane, Alex LeBlanc, Hunter Berger, Kyle Lawrence, Jens Lohmann, Teron Garbutt and Clayton Page.
The awards night saw many of the Wildcats being priased for their efforts.
Awards are decided by the coaching staff and depend on individu-al conduct both on and off the fi eld, based on qualities like leadership, hard work, commitment, dedication, team work, athletic ability and per-sonality.
The awards list for the Wildcats banquet night was as follows.
Most Valuable Player – Jordan Lane
Best Back – Austin Rosland and Teron Garbutt
Rookie Of The Year – Kameron Bainbridge
Most Improved Player – Terry Burks & Matthew Sanders
Captain’s Award – Jens Lohmann
Most Versatile Player – Alex LeBlanc and Kyle Lawrence
Best Lineman – Hunter Berger and Ty McCann
Player Contributing the Most with the Least Recognition – Clayton Page and Russel Steen
Most Dedicated Offensive Player – Jeremy Kirk and Cooper Smyth
Most Dedicated Defensive Player – Keegan St. Denis
The Wildcats Pride awards went to Eric Williams, Drew Cassidy and Will McDonald.
Happy with his team’s performance this sea-son, head coach Norbert Baharally said, “Yes, I was very pleased with our year and our record this past season.”
“Making it to the League Finals is always our goal, but it was just unfortu-
nate that our only two losses this year were at the hands of the same team, Sylvan Lake.”
Already looking ahead and what can be im-proved, Baharally wants to focus on recruiting players for next season.
“We do have some sig-nifi cant Grade 9 players that will be joining our
program next year but I would like to get some more bodies,” added Baharally. “Ideally, I would like to have a ros-ter of 35 to 38 players.”
According to Guy Neitz, with each year being a “little different” because of the type of players that come in, coaches need to make the necessary ad-
justments that they hope will be successful for the team and the players.
“This year we knew that we were very short of offensive and defen-sive line players, and our returning running back Austin Rosland was com-ing off a serious injury from a car accident that he was still feeling the
affects of,” said Neitz. “Then to add to this our backup for Austin broke his collar-bone just be-fore fall camp started, and so our success this year was because we had a lot of very athletic and skilled players that could play multiple roles on both sides of the ball.”
continued on page 18
18 STETTLER INDEPENDENT Wednesday, December 16, 2015
SALE DATESPhone (403) 742-2368Regular Sales ~ Tuesdays - 9 a.m.
website: www.stettlerauction.ab.ca
Box 1238, Stettler, AB
Stettler Auction Mart (1990) Ltd.
Lic. #00354
Auctioneers: Allen McMillan Dick Creasey Greg JohnsonScott Douglas Terry Silbernagel
Office Administrator: Lona Benjamin
Sales Reps: Greg Hayden - 403-740-9610; Jim Abel - 403-740-9609;
Brad Lohr - 780-679-5500
Note: Online bidding and viewing
each sale at 11 a.m.
see stettlerauction.ab.ca
Stett
ler Auction Mart
Since 1953
Friday, Dec. 18
NO SALE Rescheduled in conjunction with Tuesday, Dec. 22 sale.
Tuesday, Dec. 22
LAST REGULAR SALE OF 2015– Mixed feeders, slaughter and bred cattle.
Merry Christmas to everyoneMerry Christmas to everyone~
Tuesday, Jan. 5/16
FIRST SALE OF 2016Holiday offi ce hours
Open: Wednesday, Dec. 23 & Wednesday, Dec. 30
Panels, wind fence, feeders, sale and mineralfor sale on retail basis.
ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON!
Lightning suffers double setback
BY MOUSH SARA JOHNSTETTLER INDEPENDENT
Stettler Lightning suffered heavy setbacks in road games over the weekend as they took on Airdrie Thunder on Friday, Dec. 11 and Red Deer Vipers on Saturday, Dec. 12, losing to both teams by a huge margin of 12-2 in the fi rst game and 6-5 in the second.
Friday night in Airdrie was a complete washout for Lightning as the opponents inundated their defence with four goals in the fi rst period, two in the second and six in the third.
Although Lightning fought back, scoring in the sec-ond period with goals from Andrew Shirley, assisted by Chandler Knibb and Cody Wright, and Matt Johannson, assisted by Cody Wright and Derek Muhlbach, which took the scoreboard to 6-2, it was not enough.
“It was a tough weekend for us with a pair of road losses against two strong opponents in Airdrie and Red Deer,” said Gavin Brandl. “Friday night in Airdrie was a complete deba-cle with the fi nal score being 12-2.”
With only 14 players dressed for the game because of inju-ry and sickness, Brandl felt that Lightning was “behind the eight ball before the game
even started.”“But we don’t make excuses
in our dressing room and to be frank we compounded our problems by not showing up with the mindset that we still had a chance to win,” added Brandl.
On Saturday, as the Lightning took on the Red Deer Vipers, Dylan Houston scored the fi rst goal in the fi rst period, assisted by Steven Fletcher and Chandler Knibb, taking the scoreboard to 2-1.
The Vipers came back in the second period, relentlessly at-tacking the Lightning defence and taking the score to 5-1.
But, Lightning came back strong in then third period, scoring another four goals, with Houston scoring three.
The fi rst being an unassist-ed shot from Derek Muhlbach, the second by Dylan Houston, assisted by Kieran Rost and Derek Muhlbach, the third by Dylan Houston with a pass from Rylee Jacobson, and the fourth goal was once again scored by Houston with a pass from Muhlbach.
“We took a step back and hit the reset button before we went into Red Deer on Saturday night,” said Brandl. “We got a few of our sick play-ers back into the lineup and called up Ethan Rost from the local midget program so our lineup was a lot closer
to being as talented as it can possibly be.”
According to Brandl. al-though the score ended up being 6-5 for the Vipers, “structurally speaking we were much better than Friday night and we played with heart, which was important to me after getting embarrassed the night before.”
Looking ahead, Brandl said, “We fi nd ourselves in the midst of a very tight playoff race, which means that every game from here on out is ab-solutely crucial.”
“As hockey players, you can’t ask for anything more than to have every game be meaningful so we are going to make sure we take advantage of the situation and rise to the occasion.”
With three games left before Christmas break, Brandl’s goal for the team is to be in posses-sion of a playoff spot by then.
“The community support has been strong all season thus far, so hopefully that is the case again for the home games this weekend and we will be sure to put forth an effort worth cheering for!” added Brandl.
Lightning plays Mountainview on Friday, Dec. 18 and Three Hills on Saturday, Dec. 19.
For both games the puck drops at 7.30 p.m.
No gold but lots of fun for Stettler girls in weekend tournament
BY STACEY LAVALLIESTETTLER INDEPENDENT
There’s cutting it close, and then there’s cutting it close, as the Stettler Midget girls found out in the fi nals of their hockey tournament this weekend, where they beat out Calgary 2-1 with just half-a-second left on the clock.
The Sunday, December 13 game came as the cul-mination of a three-day winning streak as the OK Tire Stettler Midget female hockey team played for the champion touque in front of an enthralled crowd of friends and family.
Halley Adams put Stettler on the board with the fi rst goal, but once Calgary tied it up, it was a battle for the tie-breaking goal that lasted right until the last minute of the game. Then, with the clock running down, at a time when many players give up the game as fi n-ished, Kierra Scollo zipped in and got the puck past the Calgary netminder, break-
ing the score and ending the possibility of overtime.
To get to the A Finals against Calgary, the girls beat Calgary on Friday 8-0, then on Saturday beat High Prairie 8-0 and Edmonton 6-1.
“We were pretty played out by Sunday,” Midgets man-ager Loreena MacGillivray said. “But we still came out with a win.”
The Bantam girls weren’t as lucky, missing the A fi -nals completely, though they came out on top in the B fi nals with a 3-2 shoot-out win over Okotoks.
On Friday, the girls got off to a good start, beating Airdrie 7-1. Saturday was a stinker for the United Tank Stettler Bantam fe-male hockey team though as they dropped an 8-1 loss against Wainwright, and then a 4-0 loss to Irma. The Saturday losses knocked the girls out of contention for the Bantam Champions toque, but they recouped over Saturday night to face
Okotoks the next morning.Goals by Hayden Friesen
and Keely Adams kept the girls tied up with Okotoks, but despite desperate play, neither team could get the tie-breaking score, so the game went into overtime — which also went score-less. After the overtime pe-riod completed, it went to a shoot-out.
“They went through seven or eight shooters before they scored,” MacGillivray said.
That shoot-out goal, by Willow Sorenson, earned the Bantam team the B fi -nals win.
As part of the annual tournament this year the girls’ teams hosted a food drive challenge, with the team bringing in the most food winning a pizza party sponsored by Stettler GM. A truck was front and centre in the lobby, its back full to the brim with donated food.
The Airdrie team ended up beating out the hosts, though only by a smidge.
Stormy weekend
for Stettler hockey teams
BY STACEY LAVALLIESTETTLER INDEPENDENT
It wasn’t a winning weekend for the Stettler Minor Hockey Association, who outside of its home tournament for the girls, saw only one win.
The Stettler Midget A Storm was the winner of the weekend, with a 4-2 victory over Cochrane on Sunday, Dec. 13. Kameron Bainbridge, Mark Bengert and Matthew Sylvester scored for the team.
The Atom B Storm trav-elled to Rocky on Dec. 13 to face the Warriors, losing 13-3 to the home team. Stettler side’s goals were scored by Stefan Oprea, Zach McCord and Kaden
Muhlbach.The Stettler Peewee
B Storm headed to the home of the West Country Peewee Chiefs on Dec. 12, losing a close 4-3 match courtesy of two goals by Jason Muhlbach and a solo by Brady Petersen Stettler boys. The same day, the Bantam Storm hosted Hughenden Jets, losing 6-2, with goals by Liam McQuay and Ty Dowling for Storm.
The Midget B Storm joined their Peewee cous-ins and played the Midget West Country Peewee Chiefs, and like the young-er team, also lost. The 5-2 score was augmented by two goals by Evan Imbery for Stettler.
Wildcats celebrate their successwith year-end
banquet...Neitz attributes the
team’s stellar perfor-mance to the athletic ability of the players.
“Their athletic abili-ty afforded us the op-portunity to use multi-ple offensive formations that we could protect the passer and throw the ball successfully,” continued Neitz. “This allowed us to be a little more bal-anced on offence and those same ideas allowed our athletes to attack on defence from multiple fronts as well, overall our kids played great and in many ways exceeded our expectations.”
Baharally was “very proud of [the] guys this year for persevering and
sticking it out to the end of the year with us.”
He also thanked the other staff and personnel who have been support-ing his team throughout the season.
“I would also like to thank our coaches, train-ers, managers, parents and our community for their continued support of our Stettler Wildcat Football Program, be-cause without every-one’s collective support throughout the year none of what we were able to accomplish would have been possible,” said Baharally. “Thanks to Patty Steen and Jo-Ann Lane for helping me to organize this year’s ban-quet.”-
-
continued from page 17
BRADY ARMSTRONG and
MARIE CHUTEare getting married!!!
We would like to invite you to celebrate our special day with us on
DECEMBER 19 at the Stettler Community Hall at 9 pm.
We look forward to seeing you there!
ComingEvents 52 Coming
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What’s Happening#50 - # 70
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Old Tyme DancingWith Live Music
& a Supper!Thursday, Dec. 17
“The Hub”(Upstairs at the Stettler
Rec Centre)6202-44 Ave.
Dancing: 5-6 p.m.Hot Supper: 6 p.m.Dance: 7-10 p.m.
Music By: Badlanders IICatered by:
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Everyone WelcomeYoung & Old!
THE LLOYDMINSTER EXHIBITIONS Pride of the
Prairies Bull Show and Sale. March 6 - 7, 2016. Traditional halter and pen
format. Entry deadline: January 5, 2016. For more
information: www.lloy-dexh.com. 306-825-5571
or email Sam: [email protected].
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGStettler Rifle and Pistol ClubMonday, Jan. 4, 2016 @ 7 p.m.
at Indoor Range
Everyone welcomewww.stettlergunclub.com
2016 Memberships are available at Source for Sports and the meeting
Internationally Acclaimed Speakers
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AWNA’s Annual Symposium
SCHIELKEMr. Gustav “Gus” Schielke passed away on Tuesday, November 24, 2015 while in the Stettler Hospital at the age of 97 years. Gus was born on July 18, 1918 in Castor, AB. and grew up alongside of his sisters Hilda, Lil and brother Benny. Gus was a born mechanic and always had a vested interest in how things worked. He spent most of this life in automotive mechanics and managed 3 garages over the years. He also worked for various
oil companies before retiring in Stettler, AB.Gus loved to tell stories, visit and be a funny prankster at times. Travelling was a passion and learning of new faces and places. He also loved to camp, fi sh and build things from scratch. Never a dull moment when Gus was busy with projects!Gus is survived by his companion and best friend Betty Cowie; step children Margaret (Merl) Steiger, Jenny (Dave) Schumann, Roberta Rouse (Brad Steinhoff), Betty-Jo (Del) Sheridan,Wendy Cowie (Darrel McLeod); step grandchildren: Nicole (Shawn) Siebold, Leanne (Dave) Harris, Breanne Schumann, Sarah Schumann, Corey (Ashley) Ventnor, Drew Rouse, Dallas (Tyler) Mayhew, Nick Sheridan, Chantel (Allan) Hewitt and Russell Simpson; step great grandchildren: Trevor, Clint, Kendall, Francis, Abigail, Emilia, Josey, Charlotte, Cheyanne and Brailynn; niece Margaret Quaschnick; nephew Randy (Debra) Schielke; other family and friends.A funeral service was held on Friday, November 27, 2015 at 1:00 PM in the Heartland Chapel of the Stettler Funeral Home with the Rev. Jack Schulze offi ciating. Special favourite recorded selections were played. The active pallbearers were Dave Schumann, Corey Ventnor, Merl Steiger, Russell Simpson, Del Sheridan and Brad Steinhoff. Honorary pallbearers were All Those Who Touched Gus’ Life. The interment took place in Lake View Cemetery, Stettler, ABMemorial donations may be made to the Alberta Cancer Foundation c/o Stettler Funeral Home, Box 1780, Stettler, AB, T0C 2L0. Sympathies may be forwarded to the family by signing the guestbook at www.stettlerfuneralhome.com.
STETTLER FUNERAL HOME, 403-742-3422, entrusted with the care and arrangements.
The Stettler
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Offi ce & Phones CLOSEDFriday, December 25 2015
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STETTLER INDEPENDENT
Publication Date: Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Deadline is: Friday, December 18, 2015 @ 12 noon
Publication Date: Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Wednesday, December 23, 2015 @ 5 pm
WEEKENDER
Publication Date: Friday, December 25, 2015
Deadline is: Wed., December 18, 2015 @ 12 noon
Publication Date: Friday, January 1, 2016
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CALL CLASSIFIEDS403-309-3300
classifi [email protected]
ComingEvents 52
Personals 60
Lost 54$5000 REWARD
leading up to or for thefi nding of 14 missing
simmental cows and 13 calves. Cows have a brand of TLX on the left rib and also possibly a brand of
PG (‘G’ is backwards) on the left rib. Calves are probably unbranded. Went missing
in Alliance/Sedgewick area. Phone 780-386-3745
or 780-888-1258.
Caregivers/Aides 710
LOOKING for caregiver for 20 yr. old autistic boy,
school type program, some hygiene, starting 2-4 hrs/day, builds to 8
hrs./day, 2 yrs. post secon-dary child care education
plus at least 1 yr. exp. req’d. call 403-742-8749
Farm Work 755F/T PEN CHECKERfor general feedlot duties
for large expanding feedlot in Sundre. Experience
necessary. Fax resume to403-638-3908, or call
403-638-4165, or [email protected]
Medical 790MEDICAL
TRANSCRIPTION! In-demand career!
Employers have work-at-home positions available.
Get online training you need from an employer-trusted program. Visit: CareerStep.ca/MT or
1-855-768-3362 to start training for your work-at-
home career today!
MEDICAL TRAINEES needed now! Hospitals &
doctor’s offi ces need certifi ed medical offi ce &
administrative staff! No experience needed! We
can get you trained! Local job placement assistance available when training is
completed. Call for program details! 1-888-627-0297.
Restaurant/Hotel 820Cameron Bay Holdings Inc. o/a McDonalds’s in Ponoka and Red Deer (Gasoline Alley East and West) is now hiring full time and part time Food Service Supervisors. Wages are between $13.95 to $16.00 per hour,depending upon experi-ence and qualifi cations. Candidates must be able to work a variety of shifts and have 3 to 5 years pre-vious experience. Must be able to supervisor up to 20 crew. Part-time applica-tions will be accepted fromCanadians and PermanentResidents. Apply in person4419 Hwy 2A, Ponoka,37479 Hwy 2, Red Deer,and 37428 Hwy 2, Red Deer or email resume [email protected] or fax to403-783-4251.
Trades 850
BVT TRUCK AND TRAILER REPAIR
is looking for a Journeymen Heavy Duty Truck & Trailer
Mechanic to join our team in
Red Deer for our Evening Shift, Monday- Friday,
2:30 pm-11:00 pm. To join our team, please submit your resume to [email protected]
FUTURE AG INC. owns and operates 4 branches throughout
Central Alberta selling and servicing CASE IH
Agriculture equipment.We are currently looking for
Agricultural Technicians and/ or
Heavy Duty Mechanics
with Ag experience for our Stettler location.
This is a fast-paced environment and ideal
candidate would be able to work with minimal
supervision, have the ability to take initiative and consistently demonstrate
exceptional customer service.FUTURE AG INC. “People
You Can Count On”, is offering the opportunity to grow in your career with a thriving company. We offer
an exemplary benefi ts package, hourly salary from $27.50 to $30.00, annual work boot reim-bursement, RRSP plan,
sick days, monthly bonus and continuous professional training in a positive friendly
environment.If you have a great attitude and integrity, FUTURE AG is offering you an exciting
career opportunity.To apply, forward your
resume to:Future Ag Inc.Attn: Markus
Box 1510Stettler, AB T0C 2L0Fax 403-742-5626
BusinessOpportunities 870
GET FREE VENDING machines. Can earn
$100,000. + per year. All cash-locations provided.
Protected territories. Inter-est free fi nancing. Full
details. Call now 1-866-668-6629. Website:
www.tcvend.com.
BusinessOpportunities 870GREAT CANADIAN Dollar Store franchise opportu-
nities are available in your area. Explore your future with a dollar store leader.
Call today 1-877-388-0123 ext. 229; www.dollar-
stores.com.
Misc.Help 880ACADEMIC Express
ADULT EDUCATION AND TRAINING
JANUARY START
GED Preparation
Would you like to take the GED in your community?
• Red Deer• Rocky Mtn. House• Rimbey• Caroline• Sylvan Lake• Innisfail• Stettler• Ponoka• Lacombe
Gov’t of Alberta Funding may be available.
403-340-1930www.academicexpress.ca
WATKIN MOTORS FORD, Vernon, BC immediately requires an experienced Ford Diesel Technician.
Go to: watkinmotors.com, About us, Employment, to
review required qualifi cations.
EmploymentTraining 900
HEALTHCARE DOCUMENTATION Specialists in huge
demand. Employers prefer CanScribe graduates. A great work-from-home
career! Contact us now to start your training day; www.canscribe.com.
1-800-466-1535; [email protected].
JOURNALISTS, Graphic Artists, Marketing and more. Alberta’s weekly
newspapers are looking for people like you. Post
your resume online. Free. Visit: awna.com/for-job-seekers.
Accounting 1010
Professionals 810
BusinessOpportunities 870
Accounting 1010
Automotive 1029
Automotive 1029
Contractors 1100
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITYCHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
The Village of Botha and the Village of Gadsby are seeking an energetic, motivated, positive individual for the position of Chief Administrative Offi cer (CAO) to serve both Municipalities under a Community Partnership Agreement.Reporting to the Mayors and Councils the CAO is responsible for directing all operations of both Villages.
For a complete job description please go to Botha’s web site:http://villageofbotha.com
Qualifi cations:The ideal candidate will have:• A minimum 3 years of experience in Municipal Management and a
certifi cate in Local Government or working towards certifi cation• Excellent organizational, time management and communication skills,
self-disciplined as well as a demonstrated team philosophy• Good interpersonal skills are required to deal with Council,
contractors, the community and other municipalities• Extensive fi nancial background, strong in budget preparation and
fi nancial reporting abilities• Profi cient in information technology in particular Windows and
Microsoft Offi ce and Quick Books• A solid understanding of infrastructure, planning and development
The Village of Botha invites interested applicants to submit their resumes and references along with expectation of compensation. The Village of Botha thanks everyone for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Applications welcome until closing date or upon selection of asuitable candidate.Closing date: December 30, 2015
Submit application to:Village of Botha or Village of GadsbyBox 160, Botha AB T0C 0N0 Box 80, Gadsby, AB T0C 1K0E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]
12345
Diabetes Online SurveyReaching out to Canadians living with diabetesThe Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) and researchers from St. Michael’s Hospital are looking for people living with diabetes (type 1, type 2, gestational and prediabetes) and caregivers to participant in an online survey.Your participation with help the CDA and researchers learn about your experience with diabetes. All responses will be confidential and will help inform the development of tools and resources for people living with diabetes.Each participant will be entered for a chance to win $100 cash (1 in 30 odds of winning).Complete the short survey by visiting: http://fluidsurveys.com/s/cda2015/
12345Place your ad in this newspaper and province wide
with a combined circulation of over 800,000 for only...
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Value Ad NetworkAlberta Weekly Newspapers Association toll free 1-800-282-6903 x228 email [email protected] or visit this community newspaper
the MOST out of your advertising dollars Squeeze Gitzel KrejciGitzel KrejciDand PetersonDand Peterson
CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS
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Kendra Walgenbach, CANaomi Roth, CGA
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4840 - 50 StreetStettler, AB
Phone: [email protected]
Corporate - Personal - Farmwww.numeratax.com
Tax & Accounting Services
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Guaranteed!
Find out more about us at:www.brennanautobody.com
Phone: 403-742-35554109 - 48 Avenue, Stettler
AUTO BODY REPAIR LTD.
JT AUTO BODY LTD.
“Serving Stettler & areafor years”
• Complete auto bodyrepair & painting
Call Curt or Rob
Phone 403-742-2869 4606 - 40 St., Stettler 403-742-1330
Buzz AndersenServing Stettler
area over 35 years
-Residential-Commercial
-Farm Buildings-Renovations
Shop online www.wishkitchen.comMain Street Stettler • 403.742.8484
Shayla Neitz & Ben Bennett Jan.2Alyssa Gelech & Mark Molendyk Jan. 9Angela Shepherd & Dan Hiller Feb. 4Tannis Yuha & Buck McMillan Feb. 20Laura Hinkle & Tim Beswick-Arthur Apr. 11
Bridal Registry
wish kitchen & gift
20 STETTLER INDEPENDENT Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Employment#700 - #920
Business Services#1000 - #1430
Accounting 1010
CLASSIFIED Want Ads domore things for more peoplethan any other form ofadvertising. Phone 1-877-223-3311
Drafting& Design 1120
Eavestroughing1130
Electrical 1150
FurnaceCleaning 1193
WellDrilling 1400
FurnaceCleaning 1193
Glass Shops 1196
HealthCare 1210
WellDrilling 1400 Well
Drilling 1400
HealthCare 1210
LegalServices 1260
LegalServices 1260
CRIMINAL RECORD? Think: Canadian pardon.
U.S. travel waiver. Divorce? Simple.
Fast. Inexpensive. Debt recovery? Alberta
collection to $25,000. Calgary 403-228-1300/
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Misc.Services 1290
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PersonalServices 1315
CANADA BENEFIT GROUP. Do you or
someone you know suffer from a disability? Get up
to $40,000. from the Canadian Government. Toll free 1-888-511-2250 or www.canadabenefi t.
ca/free-assessment.
HIP OR KNEE Replacement? Arthritic
conditions? Restrictions in walking/dressing?
Disability Tax Credit. $2,000 tax credit. $20,000 refund. For Assistance:
1-844-453-5372.
IS someone’s drinking causing you problems? AL-ANON 403-346-0320
Plumbing& Heating 1330
Misc. forSale 1760
Roofing 1370METAL ROOFING & SID-ING. 32+ colours available at over 55 Distributors. 40
year warranty. 48 hour Express Service available
at select supporting Distributors. Call 1-888-263-8254.
Buy & Sell#1500 - #1990
Aircraft ..............................1510Antiques & Art ..................1520Auctions ............................1530Bicycles ............................1540Building Supplies ..............1550Business Machines ..........1560Cameras & Accessories ..1570Children’s Items ................1580Clothing ............................1590Computers ........................1600Concert & Event Tickets ..1610Equipment - Misc. ............1620Equipment - Heavy ..........1630Tools ................................1640Farmers’ Market &Food Basket......................1650Firewood ..........................1660Lumber ............................1670Garden Supplies ..............1680Lawn Tractors ..................1690Health, Dietary, Beauty ....1700Household Appliances......1710Household Furnishings ....1720TV’s, Stereos, VCR’s ........1730Hot Tubs & Accessories ..1740Jewellery ..........................1750Kid’s Deals........................1755Misc. For Sale ..................1760Musical Instruments..........1770Music Lessons..................1780Piano & Organs ................1790Office Supplies ................1800Pets & Supplies ................1810Pet Services ....................1820Cats ..................................1830Dogs ................................1840Sports Cards ....................1850Sporting Goods ................1860Collectors’ Items ..............1870Swap, Barter & Trade ......1880Travel Packages ..............1900Wedding Supplies ............1910Recycled Products............1920Wanted to Buy ..................1930Items to Give Away ..........1940
Auctions 1530BIG STRAPPER
AUCTIONS UPCOMING SALES Wednesdays @ 6 pm.
Dec. 2, 9, & 16
at The Moose Hall, 2 miles south of Ponoka on
Hwy. 2A ~~~~~
TO BOOK YOUR SALE CALL 403-782-5693
Check website for full listingswww.bigstrapperauctions.net
MEIER GUN AUCTION. Saturday, December 19, 11 a.m., 6016 - 72A Ave.,
Edmonton. Over 150 guns - handguns, rifl es, shot-
guns, hunting and sporting equipment. To consign
780-440-1860.
Equipment-Misc. 1620
A-CHEAP, lowest prices, steel shipping containers. Used 20’ & 40’ Seacans insulated & 40’ freezers, Special $2200 Wanted:
Professional wood carver needed. 1-866-528-7108;
www.rtccontainer.com.
Firewood 1660FIREWOOD,
PINE & BIRCH4.5 kms. West of Stettler
Call 403-323-0744
LOGSSemi loads of pine, spruce,
tamarack, poplar, birch. Price depends on location
of delivery. Lil Mule Logging 403-318-4346
OfficeSupplies 1800
Agricultural#2000 - #2290
Farm Equipment ..............2010Haying Equipment ............2020Tractors ............................2030Combines & Headers ......2040Fertilizer Equipment..........2050Misc. Farm Machinery ......2060Equipment Wanted ..........2070Farm Custom Work ..........2080Farm Auctions ..................2090Livestock ..........................2100Livestock - Exotic..............2110Sheep ..............................2120Poultry ..............................2130Horses ..............................2140Horse Boarding ................2150Riding Supplies ................2160Horse/Stock Trailers ........2170Pasture Wanted ................2180Grain, Feed, Hay ..............2190Seed Grain ......................2200Seeding & Tillage ............2210
Grain, FeedHay 2190HEATED CANOLA buying Green, Heated or Spring-thrashed Canola. Buying:
oats, barley, wheat & peas for feed. Buying damaged
or offgrade grain. “On Farm Pickup” Westcan
Feed & Grain, 1-877-250-5252.
WANTED. Hannas Seeds seeking distributors for forage, turf, native and reclamation seed. Good commissions. Contact
Esther at 1-800-661-1529 or [email protected].
For Rent#3000 - #3200
Acreages/Farms ..............3010Houses/Duplexes ............3020Condos/Townhouses........3030Manufactured Homes ......3040Four Plexes/Six Plexes ....3050Suites ..............................3060Cottages/Seasonal ..........3070Roommates Wanted ........3080Rooms for Rent................3090Motels/Hotels ..................3100Offices ..............................3110Stores/Commercial ..........3120Industrial ..........................3130Warehouse Space............3140Garage Space..................3150Storage Space ................3160Land ................................3170Pasture ............................3180Mobile Lot ........................3190Misc. for Rent ..................3200
Wanted to Rent#3250 - #3390
Acreages/Farms ..............3255Houses/Duplexes ............3260Suites ..............................3270Rooms..............................3280Manufactured Homes ......3290Housesitting Wanted ........3300Garage Space..................3310Storage Space ................3320Stores/Commercial ..........3330Office Space ....................3340Industrial ..........................3350Warehouse Space............3360Resorts & Cottages..........3370Pasture/Land....................3380Mobile Lot ........................3390
Houses/Duplexes 3020
BEAUTIFUL cottage $700/mo., plus utils., in
Halkirk, AB. on large lot, 2 bdrms, newly reno’d
780-583-2380
GREAT SNOWMOBILING AND ICE FISHING
Buffalo Lake/Rochon Sands Lakefront, extensively
renovated, 3 bdrm. 2 full baths, 5 new appls, extra large lakeside deck/back-yard, no pets, n/s, SD, 20 minutes from Stettler, AB. Ref’s Req’d. Avail. now.
1-403-742-0024
HOUSE for rent in Stettler. 2 bedroom with yard.
Small dog or cat ok. $800 monthly. Available Jan. 15.
Call 403-742-6467.
Condos/Townhouses3030New Blackfalds Condo. 2 Bdrm/2 Bath. Main fl oor & 2nd fl oor options avail. 2 powered parking stalls. Rent $1,400. Pets nego-tiable. Ask about rent incentives. 403-396-1688.
Suites 3060BEST RENTAL VALUE
IN STETTLER1 & 2 Bedroom, furnished
kitchenette suites.All utilities, cable, internet.
Avail. immediatelyKimberly 403-690-5828
Suites 3060
RoommatesWanted 3080ONE bedroom shared ac-commodations in Gadsby. Phone 403-740-3209
StorageSpace 3160
Pasture 3180PASTURE & HAY LAND. 400 - 8000 acres of year round water supply. Full
operational with manage-ment available. Central Saskatchewan. Cross-
fenced & complete infrastructure. Natural
springs excellent water. Shortly ready to locate
cattle. Other small & large grain & pasture quarters.
$150k - $2.6m. Call Doug Rue 306-716-2671.
Real Estate#4000 - #4190
Realtors & Services..........4010Houses for Sale................4020Houses Wanted................4030Condos/Townhouses ........4040Acreages ..........................4050Acreages Wanted ............4060Farms/Land ......................4070Farms/Land Wanted ........4080Manufactured/Mobile Homes ..................4090Income Property ..............4100Commercial Property ......4110Industrial Property ............4120Cottages/Resort Property ..4130Businesses for Sale..........4140Buildings for Sale ............4150Lots for Sale ....................4160Out of Town Property ......4170Investment Opportunities ..4180Mortgages Bought/Sold....4190
Condos/Townhouses4040Need to Downsize? Brand New Valley Crossing Con-dos in Blackfalds. Main fl oor is 1,119 SQ FT 2 Bdrm/2Bath. Imm. Poss. Start at $219,900. Call 403-396-1688.
ManufacturedHomes 4090
DOUBLEWIDE mobile home in Erskine, 1,479 sq.
ft., 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 bathrooms. Recently
renovated & upgrades, covered deck, RV parking.
403-742-5868.
House Plan DesignHouse Plan DesignSmall CommercialSmall CommercialShop DrawingsShop DrawingsAs BuiltsAs Builts
Phone: 403-742-6612Cell: 780-935-0540
Email: [email protected]
Monika Stahlberg
Monika Stahlberg
Drafting Service
GALEN WIEBERESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL
DRAFTING AND DESIGN
4905 44 AVE., BAY 2, STETTLER
PH: 403-742-4101FAX: 866-305-5686
FINISHING TOUCH EXTERIORS LTD.
5”Continuous Eaves“Gutter Clean” Leaf Protection
Call Barry Harvey
403-742-8838*27 years experience*
“If It’s Electrical We Do It”
All types of Electrical Installation &Maintenance
403-742-5111
Serving Stettler& Area since 1978
Stettler FurnaceCleaning
Qualifi ed and Qualifi ed and ReputableReputable
403-742-3418403-742-3418
Dust Devil
Furnace & Duct Cleaning
Call Ryan at
403-742-9823
LTD.C.R. GLASS“Your Service Specialists”
Randy Long• Residential• Commercial
• Automotive Needs
403-742-25204607 - 59 St., Stettler
(Beside A & W)
HEARTLAND GLASS
• Locks repinned & installed• Windshields repaired
& installed• Residential & Commercial
Windows & Doors• All your glass & screen needs
Main St., Stettler Emergency403-742-2665 403-742-3628
PERFORMANCEPERFORMANCEPhysiotherapy, Physiotherapy, Acupuncture Acupuncture & Massage& Massage
“Keeping people in Motion...”
403-742-4533
DR. D.G. BECKLUNDChiropractor
-Gitzel Krejci Building4912 - 51 Street
Stettler, ABOpen Mon. - Sat.
Bus.: 403-742-2553Res.: 403-742-0370
Dr. E. LYNESChiropractor
4719 - 49 St.Stettler, AlbertaOne block East of Scotia Bank
403-742-5810 or 403-742-6443
Stettler Eye Care
Dr. R. TROY NELSONComprehensive eye
health and vision exams
Top quality frames,
lenses and contacts
Treatment of eye
disease, injuries and
surgical co-management
Phone 403-742-2683New patients welcome
12345Tell them DannyHooper sent you
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P.S. We also drill for people who aren’t short of cash *check rig availability in your area
Check status of 3 government grants/assistance worth up to $5000 or more EACH and CHECK BIG IRON’S $5000 WINTER DISCOUNT PACKAGE
Need a WATER WELL but are short
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View our 29 patented and patent pending inventions online at www.1800bigiron.com
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Barristers and Solicitors
Advocates
2401 Toronto Dominion Sq.Edmonton Centre
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 2Z1Telephone: 780-426-4660
Fax: 780-426-0982
BRYON D. BALTIMORE
of McCuaig Desrochers
LANDMAN REULE LAW OFFICE
4819 - 51 Street
Lori R. ReuleLL. B.
StettlerProfessionalBuilding
403-742-3411
ANDERSON LAW OFFICE
Brenda Anderson,
B.Comm., LL.B.
5002 - 51 Ave., Stettler, AB
Phone 403-742-2529
Fax 403-742-2522
Gary G. GrantLaw Office
4910 - 51 StreetStettler, AB T0C 2L0
Phone: 403-742-4437
12345
780 440 4037 | SEACAN.COM
Steel containers from 8' - 53'. 20' & 40' skids with optional 4' landings available. Mount with twist locks.
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Spacious 1&2 bdrm units. Balcony, in suite storage,
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New managers Frances or Mic
403-742-4448
STETTLER MINI STORAGE
Household, furniture,business records, etc.
Various sizes. Protectedby security alarm and
fenced and lightedperimeter. Owner:
Reg and Darlene Hunter403-740-9283 or
403-742-3153
• Complete Plumbing & Heating Services• Commercial and Residential• Water Conditioning & Pumps
• 24 Hour ServiceService Wise - We Specialize
Stettler
Ph. 403-742-5237
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 STETTLER INDEPENDENT 21
e eREAD THE CLASSIFIEDS &find just what you’re lookingfor. 1-877-223-3311
HOW can you make your phone ring & make some quick cash? Place your ad here. . .
309 3300
SIMPLE!It’s simple to run a GarageSale Ad in the Classifiedsection and make quick cash.P h o n e C l a s s i f i e d s1-877-223-3311.
This paper is
100% 100% RecyclableRecyclable
22 STETTLER INDEPENDENT Wednesday, December 16, 2015
ManufacturedHomes 4090
HARVEST SALE! Save $50,000 from the
replacement cost of this 20 X 76 drywalled
Grandeur Showhome that has to go! A sacri ce at
$124,900. Call Terry 1-855-347-0417 or email:
BuildingsFor Sale 4150
LOOKING FOR a shop? Post Frame Buildings.
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contact Ryan Smith 403-818-0797 or email: [email protected].
Financial#4400 - #4430
Investments ......................4410Money Wanted ................4420Money to Loan ................4430
MoneyTo Loan 4430
BANK SAID NO? Bank on us! Equity
Mortgages for purchases, debt consolidation,
foreclosures, renovations. Bruised credit, self-employed,
unemployed ok. Dave Fitzpatrick:
www.albertalending.ca. 587-437-8437,
Belmor Mortgage.
Motorcycles 5080WIN - 2016 Harley David-
son Dyna Wide Glide FXDWG103. 2nd - $700/credit; 3rd -
$300/credit. Only 599 tickets printed. Three
Early Bird Draws. $100/ticket. June 17 draw.
Proceeds to support Motorcycle & Harley
Programs, GPRC Fairview Campus. 1-888-539-4772; www.gprc.ab.ca. License
#421307.
Public Notice#6000
Public Notices ..................6010Special Features ..............6050
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
403-742-4271; 403-742-1887
AL-ANONBrenda 403-742-0990
Betty 403-742-5673
ALZHEIMERS SOCIETY403-346-4636
Red Deer
www.alzheimer.ab.ca
BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT Pat Lattery
403-742-3759
BIG BROTHERS &BIG SISTERS ORGANIZATION
403-742-5437 during business hours
BRIGANTIA PLACE(formerly Camrose Women’s Shelter)
780-672-1035
CELIAC (Gluten Intolerance)Brenda 403-742-3067
COCAINE ANONYMOUSPager toll-free
(20 sec. response time)1-403-357-6266
GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS403-742-4059
HOME SUPPORTSTETTLER & DISTRICT
403-742-6568
NARCOTICS ANONYMOUSHot Line 403-342-1444
STETTLER & AREA ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY SOCIETY (STABIS)
For more information phone
403-742-6456
STETTLER FOOD BANKBetty Birch 403-742-0732
STETTLER CITIZENS ON PATROL
RCMP offi ce
403-742-3382
www.stettlercop.org
STETTLER HANDIBUS403-742-5858
STETTLER HEALTHEMERGENCY LINE
403-742-6568
STETTLER PEOPLE FORSUICIDE AWARENESS
403-742-2337
STETTLER READ &WRITE OFFICE403-742-2999
T.O.P.S.(Take Off Pounds Sensibly)Grace - 403-742-0681
Vivian - 403-742-3935
VICTIM SERVICES403-741-7841
CONFUSED?
GETTING THE RUN AROUND?
CONTACT YOUR
INFORMATION
AND REFERRAL
CENTRE
Residents of Stettler and the surrounding area now have access
to this free and confi dential service. Itprovides information and referral on social
agencies, government services, clubs and
organizations, to best suit the caller’s need.
Just Dial -
403-742-1155
Community Support Services
GET YOURBUSINESSOUT THERE
403.742.2395403.742.2395
Transportation#5000-5300
PublicNotices 6010 Village council to look
at important bylawsLOUISE BELLAIRBOTHA BOOSTER
Congratulations go out to all the win-ners at the last Bingo game of the year held Dec. 9. There will not be a Bingo evening now until Jan 6. 2016, so the com-mittee would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and all the very best of everything in 2016.Hope to see everyone back after the beginning of next year.
The quilting club also will be ending now until Jan. 11, so they to would like to wish everyone a very merry holiday season, and hope to see everyone back on the 11th.
Usually the coffee hour contin-ues through the festive season every Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. at the seniors’ centre and they would like to see everyone join them.
This coming Tuesday, Dec. 22 is the fi rst
day of winter, so hopefully everyone that loves winter can get out and enjoy them-selves.
The monthly village meeting which is usually held the last Thursday of each month will be held tomorrow, Dec. 19, due to the festive season, please attend.This important meeting will include several important items such as the third and fi nal
reading of the Water and Sewer Bylaw 412/15, the fi rst reading to the new Land Use Bylaw 413/15 and the Subdivision Appeal Board Bylaw 414/15.
Also the council will hold a commit-tee meeting to prepare a 10 year capi-tal plan as part of the Visibility Review Requirements.So please plan to attend this important meeting tomorrow starting at 7 p.m.
The Botha School has really been a hus-tling and busy place this month, which also includes their Christmas Concert, which will be held tonight, so please come on out to the Botha Hall and support all the students.
CAO Eric Jerrard will be sadly missed as under his doctor’s recommendation, he is forced to give up his position as CAO to our little community. Eric has done a great job leading the administration and ad-vising council, so he will be truly missed in this profession.The village members would like to wish Eric all the very best in the future.
All the students and staff at the school plus all the village council would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and all the very best to you and yours in 2016.
Recreation Board meets tonightPAT KELMERSKINE ENQUIRER
It’s more like Christmas out there with the cooler air and the snow.
The skating rinks are now ready for skating. Please remember to respect this facility along with the shack since it is expensive maintaining it.
The Erskine School will hold their Christmas concert Thursday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. There will be a bake sale after the concert.
The Erskine Recreation Board will hold their Christmas meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. Come and enjoy some goodies and fi nd out what will be going on in Erskine in the next while.
Christmas hours at the Erskine Post Offi ce — closed Thursday, Dec. 24 at 12 noon and will not open again until Tuesday, Dec. 29. There will be no mail delivery on Dec. 28 from Edmonton; it is a holiday for postal workers in lieu of Boxing Day falling on a Saturday. And I’m quite sure most workers will be glad of this break.
Teddy Bear sleepover at library SaturdayKASHEEN CLOUSONDONALDA DIARY
The Donalda School will be holding their Christmas Concert Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015 with the
show being held at the school and the concert starting at 7 p.m.
The Donalda Library will be hosting their an-nual Library Teddy Bear sleep over on
Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015. Christmas crafts plus they will be watching a movie or two while enjoying fresh hot pizza. Call the Donalda Library if you
have questions. 1.403.883.2345
The Donalda & District Museum will be open for special Christmas hours from Dec. 21 to 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bring the
family down and enjoy what our museum has to offer. The museum will be closed Dec 24-25.
Birthday wishes this week go out to Bernice Dietrich,
Darryl Walker, Laia Chesla, Jack Dinsmore, Shianne Klatt, James Sehlstrom, Sandra Dinsmore, Darlene Dahl, and Marion Holtner. Happy birthday to all.
2015 year of changes in Gadsby
Refl ections on 2015 saw a change of councillor and mayor in Gadsby. The Bruce Bignell Park started and put on hold for the winter, and the closure of the Gadsby District Hobby Cub. However, the Gadsby sewer project is completed much to the relief of the town council.
Dale and Corina Derr, along with Shane and Denise Jacobson, have returned from a much enjoyed 10-day trip to Mexico. They
arrived home to snow and ice, but liked the break in winter. Corina and Denise’s mom Wilda had won the trip for four last year and the deadline for the tickets was fast approaching.
Bill and Joyce Hansel enjoyed a day of card playing with Larry and Kathy Tuck. Then on Saturday, Karl and Grace Krautt were out for their annual birthday visit with Bill and Joyce.
Another birthday party for Gloria and Stan Diegel on Friday night when grandson Elijah turned four. Mom and dad Ybiett and
Wade hosted with aunts and uncles Richell and Greg and family; Arden and Deanne and family were also all there.
We send condolences to Greg and Richelle Skocdopole, Dixie and Jim on the passing of Lois Savage, Greg’s grandmother; Dixie’s mom. She was 90 years of age.
An old fashion Sunday School Christmas concert was held at the Stettler Lutheran Church on Sunday. Percy and Paulette en-joyed birthday cake for Jesus after the service, dinner out and a day of fellowship with friends.
Please Visit Us Online atwww.stettlerindependent.com
PAULETTE HEERGADSBY/WESTWOODS NEWS
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 STETTLER INDEPENDENT 23
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CKCS Advent concert this weekTARA KROES, GRADE 6 TEACHER
CKCS celebrated its sec-ond week of Advent on Dec. 6. The Grade 6 class led the Advent celebration as we lit the second pur-ple candle on our Advent Wreath, which represents peace. The Gospel spoke on how John the Baptist proclaimed the coming of the Lord, and told every-one to prepare their hearts by repenting and asking for forgiveness. Hannah Van Straten and Brandy Kennedy performed a small skit demonstrat-ing the meaning behind “preparing” your heart. The girls explained that “preparing” means to “get ready”. But getting your heart ready for the Saviour is not the same as prepar-ing your house for compa-ny. You don’t dust, vacuum or pick up dirty socks. It is as simple as refl ecting on your life, and confess-ing any mean, selfi sh or wrong doings and asking for forgiveness. Students were asked to silently pon-der how they could make their hearts ready for Baby Jesus. Amid the last min-ute shopping, travelling, and bustle of Christmas, CKCS encourages Stettler to also think on what you
may need to “clean” before you welcome Christ into your heart this Christmas season, and fi nd God’s peace.
CKCS students have been fundraising for our brother George this month. George is the school’s sponsor child. He is in Grade 8 and lives in India. He loves to play volleyball, sing and dance. Throughout the year, we have many fund-raisers for him, but the an-nual Christmas ornament fundraiser is a favourite. Staff members donate Christmas ornaments that fi ll our Christmas tree in the foyer. For $1 students can put their names in the draw, and new winners have been chosen each week to pick an ornament off of the tree.
The school is abuzz with excitement as we begin our full school rehearsals for our Christmas pag-eant “An Out-of-the-Box Christmas”. The musical is set on the day of the fi nal dress rehearsal, but the actors open the cos-tume shipment to fi nd that they have been sent the wrong costumes for their Christmas story play. In this hilarious produc-tion, the kids must fi nd
The main crew for Christ King Catholic School’s Advent concert. Contributed photo
A lot of money raised for hampersREBECCA RAHNWILDCAT CORNER
This week at William
E. Hay Stettler
Secondary Campus,
a creative way to ensure that the show goes on - but can they really tell the Christmas story with cheerleaders, cowboys,
and superheroes? Come join the fun on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. All are welcome to come to the CKCS gym in order to kick
off the Christmas season right with this heartwarm-ing tale. All CKCS students have been hard at work to make this year the best
yet. Refreshments will follow afterwards. We are looking forward to sharing the reason for the season with everyone.
basketball has start-ed up and we have had a big tourna-ment so far. The JV Girls got first place. Congratulations to
all.The Christmas
Hamper money has been collected, so all our fundraising is over. The early total
is approximately $9,000 raised for the hampers. The Night of the Bands was on Monday, Dec. 14 and it was a big success.
Dec. 17 is ugly sweater day. We will also be having a fun day on the last day before the Christmas break, which is Dec.
18. That is all for the week and this year. I hope everyone has a very safe and happy holiday season and a Happy New Year!
24 STETTLER INDEPENDENT Wednesday, December 16, 2015
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