Looking back at the front page headlines of 2019
from Elk Point Review By Vicki Brooker
The sun has set on not only another year, but another decade, and as. we move on into what some have called ‘the Roaring Twenties,’ here’s a look back at the headline news of 2019.
January
As 2019 began, the first thing on most provincial politicians’ minds was’ the possibility of a spring election, and although the date was still unknown, Lac La Biche — St. Paul-Two Hills MLA David Hanson said he was “hoping for an early call. We’re ready.”
Elk Point was named one of three communities that would be part of the second annual Winterland Invitational, a series of minor hockey tournaments held in support of Ronald McDonald House in Edmonton.
Elk Point and District of Commerce started off 2019 with a review of last year’s activities by president Terri Hampson at last week’s meeting that celebrated several firsts for the organization, including the First Annual Spring Fling, the publishing of a Chamber Membership Directory and the implementation of making monthly payments on the outstanding loan on the EcoCentre.
The biggest accomplishment for the County of St. Paul in 2018 was turning on the water for the community of Mallaig with the new pressurized waterline completed in November, according to Reeve Steve Upham, who spoke about the triumphs and the challenges of the year.
It had been a long wait, full of delays and drawbacks, but construction of Elk Point’s beautiful new RCMP Detachment was finally complete and the move from the former 50th Ave. location to the new facility on Railway Ave. was made.
St. Paul Education Regional Division (SPERD) Superintendent Glen Brodziak offered an update and contingency plans on the situation with division teachers, who authorized a strike vote in December 2018, and said the office and trustee, have been getting calls from school staff, parents, and high school students, regarding the issues that could come into play.
Curtis Porcina presented the Shamrock Valley Enterprises trophy to Jon Evans Regnier, and Dean Ryan Hahn, Brant Rogal of the Elk Point Oilmen’s Association team after their 36th Annual Elk Point Oilmen’s Bonspiel Grand Challenge win over Techmation curlers Lorne Koss, Brad Koss, Ryan MacDonald and Conrad Pierce.
The four elements of a great evening — good food, good music, good entertainment and good friends — came together at the Elk Point Arts and Leisure 2019 Centre to celebrate Malanka with the Elk Point Ukrainian Dance Club. Metelytsia
February
Newly elected Fire Chief Peter Hewitt and new Deputy Fire Chief Kent Bernard, who were voted into those positions at the Fire Department’s Jan. 14 Annual General Meeting, came to the Jan 28 meeting of Elk Point town council with a list of seven strategic priorities which they feel will “create the right environment” for the department.
Elk Point 4-H Beef Club members made their way through snow-clogged roads to compete in their annual Communications event, five members presenting speeches and six with demonstrations that showed skills and expertise that wowed the judges, with Kailey Wirsta, who was named the top senior speaker, intermediate speaker Darianna Boorse and junior speaker Jove Boorse moving on to District competition, along with demonstrators Luke Germain and Shaylyn Klatt.
All four members of. the Elk Point Chamber of Commerce executive — president Terri Hampson, vice president Bob Ellacott, treasurer Christine Fenton and secretary Vicki Brooker - were returned to office by acclamation at the 2019 Annual General Meeting, which also featured a long overdue review of the chamber’s bylaws.
Elk Point Elementary School students who made it to school despite school bus cancellations took part in the annual Winter Walk Day, although they didn’t venture outdoors to celebrate our Alberta winter, due to the extreme cold, instead getting in their 15 minutes of brisk exercise by circling the gymnasium and the school’s halls at noon hour.
A massive home southwest of Elk Point went up in flames Feb. 12, leaving Abe and Anna Neufeld and their family homeless.
Elk Point RCMP Cpl. Bobby Burgess visited Elk Point Town Council’s Feb. 11 meeting with an update on the new detachment building and crime statistics in the area, saying the new detachment is “still a work in progress,’ and predicting that “by April everything will be functional,” with the grand opening “sometime in the spring.”
F. G. Miller High School’s senior mixed curling team of Zane Cribbins, Georgia Bendixen, Madison Krider and Kaiden Evans-Anderson, defeated Paradise Valley by a 7-4 margin to win the bronze medals at Zone competition in St. Paul.
A historic landfill in the Elk Point area would require new dirt to be placed above it, according to a letter from Alberta Parks and Environment received by the County of St. Paul and although the landfill was located in the County, the Town of Elk Point operated this landfill until it closed in 1990 and under Alberta’s Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, “the previous operator of a historic landfill remains responsible for the waste surfacing and subsistence issues identified on site including maintaining the cap.”
March
Minus 40 degree wind chill didn’t keep dedicated snowmobile enthusiasts from hitting the trail to Kehewin as part of the Elk Point Trail Riders Vintage Snowmobile Show and Shine, with close to half of the 22 machines on show ignoring the cold to make the run.
Town council heard a comprehensive explanation of Elk Point Municipal Library’s investment in the - Northern Lights Library System, between the municipality and the library board, a levy of $14,723.28 was paid to NLLS in 2018, and brought the library a total of $36,145.18 in services for the library.
Eighteen young scientists from Grades 3 to 6 displayed a total of 11 well-researched projects at Elk Point Elementary School’s annual Science Fair, with four of the projects, created by Remington Reynolds, Brooklyn Newby and Chloe Campbell, Kayl Warawa and Rian Skarsen and Robyn Urquhart and Cassie O’Reilly receiving Awards of Excellence.
Lakeland Rural Crime Watch members welcomed the RCMP K Division crime reduction coordinator Jennifer Kee to their 2019 annual general meeting in St. Paul, and received a comprehensive update on K_ Division’s mission and strategy regarding crime reduction.
The top eight Atom ‘D’ teams from across Alberta came to Elk Point’s A. G. Ross Arena to determine the 2019 Provincial Champions, and after three days of round robin play, both Viking and Magrath came out of the semi finals with 8-2 wins over Bentley and Spirit River to move on the Sunday afternoon’s final, where Magrath won with a 9-3 margin.
After researching the unsightly premises bylaws of 12 other municipalities, Town of Elk Point administration delivered a draft of a revised and expanded Unsightly Premises Bylaw to town council to replace a bylaw dating back to 2011.
Albertans would head to the polls April 16. Premier Rachel Notley announcing the spring election date which would put Elk Point, along with the town of St. Paul Saddle Lake, Kehewin, Frog Lake, and Fishing Lake fall into the new electoral division following the redrawing of boundary lines creating a Bonnyville- Cold Lake-St. Paul constituency for the first time.
The cast of ‘Tons of Money’ took their final bows, after another successful run of four dinner theatre performances for Elk Point Community Choir and Friends, a newer, somewhat revised version of the group’s 2007 hit, this time starred Shaun Sheplawy and Velma Hudson.
April
The March 25 meeting of Elk Point town council was the first ever to be videotaped, the trial run with a camera that could tape meetings that could then be either live streamed or put on the town’s website for public viewing, fitting in with the town’s public engagement policy, but coming with a $1,200 unbudgeted expense, if the town decided to purchase the camera used at the meeting.
“What is Economic Development?” was the question asked of the Town of Elk Point’s new Economic Development Committee at their March meeting, with the answers ranging from diversity, growth and assets to committee chair Dwayne Vogel’s definition: “It’s tools in a tool box, and we need to know how to uses them.”
Elk Point and District Chamber of Commerce has a mandate, and members at the April 3 meeting agreed that they need to understand it in able to fulfill it, the first goal “To be the voice of business, to harness energy, champion ideas and collectively move forward with sensible solutions for all businesses,” one way of achieving this goal to remember, “the importance of staying local, and to ask ourselves what can we do to support local businesses,” member Shirley Harms said.
Sam Rogal was the winner of the 2019 Alex Kurash Memorial Award, which goes each year to an exceptional Peewee Avalanche player at the year end Minor Hockey Banquet, with coach Conrad Pierce adding his congratulations on a successful year of hockey.
The Town of Elk Point would end up “close to break even” if they sold off their assets to pay off debt, auditor Jeff Aliston of Matrix Group told council, providing a clear overview of 2018 income and expenditures, with the town’s spending “under budget in a lot of categories,” but higher in tax arrears, totaling more than twice the 2017 amount, affecting the bottom line as did significantly higher spending on planning and development and protective services, buy the town’s long-term debt dropped by roughly $200,000, equity in tangible capital assets was up by close to $400,000 and despite a challenging year, the audited financial statement reported a $168,501 surplus for the year.
Elk Point’s Christian Community Church hosted the first-ever interfaith Easter Cantata, with St. Michael’s Roman Catholic and other area churches joining in the service of praise to start off what MC Ruth Vogel said, “In the Christian faith, is the most important season of the year.”
United Conservative Party candidate David Hanson was elected to the legislature to represent the Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul constituency, with 73 per cent majority of the total votes cast for the previous member for Lac-La-Biche-St. Paul- Two Hills, after the area was split into new ridings when the electoral boundaries were redrawn.
Successful golden egg hunters Ella May, Stetson Reynolds, Rian Skarsen and Broden Ockerman were presented with stuffed animals and buckets of Easter treats by firefighters Jon Schmitt, Waylon May and Haleigh Votour at the Elk Point Firefighters Association’s 10th Annual Pancake Breakfast and’ Easter Egg Hunt.
Heinsburg combined their Community Club’s 60th Anniversary celebration, 60 years to the day since the charter was granted, with the final country music jamboree of the 2018-19 season, bringing in 31 performers who delighted the audience with everything from classic country to honkytonk piano to lively fiddle tunes that had them out on the dance floor from the first strains of “Will You Dance With This Old Cowboy,” following the presentation of a commemorative plaque by County of St. Paul Division 1 Coun. Darrell Younghans to founding members Colleen Sharkey and Laverne Wilson.
Characters created by Theodor ‘Dr. Seuss’ Geisel were brought to life this weekend by the Elk Point Theatre Project in the first two of four performances of ‘Seussical Jr.’ at the Elk Point Arts and Leisure Centre. Favourite characters from the 1940 ‘Horton Hatches an Egg’, to later Seuss heroes ‘Yertle the Turtle’, ‘Horton Hears a Who,’ “The Cat in the Hat’ and ‘The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,’ ever a cameo appearance by ‘One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish’ look-alikes from a generation later, romped across the stage in brilliant Technicolor in this tale of everyone’s favourite elephant who, through countless trials and tribulations, is faithful, “One hundred per cent.”
May
Elk Dance Point’s Club Metelytsia Ukrainian celebrated International Dance Day on April 29 with their annual Spring Concert, which included a group of eight tiny tots from Play2Learn Daycare who charmed the audience with their Daycare Polka, and a breath-takingly beautiful Gypsy Nights dance by the senior group, that graced the Elk Point Arts and Leisure Centre stage for the first time.
A total of 345 riders and drivers set off from Lindbergh on the eighth annual 2nd Chance Trail Ride, participants ranging from 81-year-old Joe Corbiere of Mallaig to one-year-old Bentley Michaud of St. Paul, and cane from as far away as Italy.
Elk Point Elementary School marked 10 years of talent showcases, with 17 acts showing off skills in dance, music and song, comedy and athletics to their parents and peers.
An assessment drop of just over $7 million brought about the second annual mill rate increase for Elk Point ratepayers, however, due to the drop in assessment, many ratepayers would not see an increase in their property tax, CAO Ken Gwozdz told town council.
Dallas Bristow accepted the Three Mile Angus Grand Champion Steer award after he edged out Wirsta in the Elk Point Club Achievement Day 4-H Kailey Beef Parade of Champions, while Lexi Wirsta swept the Female Show, winning the Crest View Angus Grand Championship with her Angus two-year-old cow and calf and the Family Ties Angus Reserve Championship with her Charolais three- year-old cow and calf.
June
After an in-depth presentation on the potential value of an urban hen pilot project and hearing words of support from area residents, Elk Point town council approved the applicants’ request to keep a maximum of four hens in a backyard coop for a six-month pilot project that would be re-evaluated at the end of that period.
It was viewer’s choice at the 2019 Elk Point Auto Club Car Show with 76 entries including a 1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator, a 1962 Studebaker Gran Turismo and a 1927 Chev, the oldest entry among the lovingly restored vehicles shown off along Elk Point’s main street.
Keeping STARS in the sky has been the mission for Elk Point Emergency Services annual golf tournament, this year’s tournament honouring the late Lyle Frisby, who was instrumental in organizing the event in its first 19 years, and “This tournament was Lyle’s baby,” Kassandra Moores said. “It’s definitely difficult to do it without him.”
Elk Point 4-Hers collected second place for both Team Judging and Stall Display at the District 4-H Show along with several showmanship and grooming awards.
Elk Point Chamber of Commerce declared their 2019 Spring Fling a success, with the family-friendly wrestling show drawing an excellent crowd of all ages on May 31, and turning a profit that president Terri Hampson estimated at just over $2,600.
Elk Point and District Lions Moose Lake Walleye Classic had a new format but neither the trade of weigh boats for the new format of measurements and digital photos nor the weekend’s wet and windy weather could keep over 70 teams of dedicated fishing enthusiasts from hauling in some excellent catches with overall winners Kevin Schafer and Chris Kindraka puling in 69.73 pounds in the two days, their wins adding up to $12,184 in prize money.
July
Moving vans and dandelions are facts of life in today’s world and Town Council revised two bylaws in place that reflect those issues, allowing larger vehicles up to five tones, such as moving vans, to park on residential streets for limited amount of time when required, and removing the control of dandelions from the Unsightly Premises bylaw’s requirements.
Canada Day 2019 started off with sunny skies for the long lineup waiting for pancakes, but strong winds blew in ominous cloud cover and the day’s organizers reluctantly started their transition to ‘Plan B’, with volunteers moving everything from large inflatables to the beer garden indoors and out of the weather, the heavy rain moving off intime for viewers to dig out toques and mittens to watch the Fire Department’s car smash, FCSS outdoor movie and the fireworks.
Requests through the County of St. Paul and Elk Point FCSS community counselling program were at an all time high according to the update County of St. Paul interim CAO Tim Mahdiuk presented at the regular county council meeting, with only have $500 left in their budget for the year.
Elk Point Midget Sox came home from Midget A Provincials in Chestermere covered in glory and proudly wearing the provincial gold medals after defeating the host Chestermere Crushers by three runs in a challenging duel.
Elk Point Mayor and Airport Commission chairman Lorne Young welcomed stakeholders and visitors to the Grand Opening of the Elk Point and District Airport’s upgraded facility, adding that this was actually “a grand reopening” for the airport, which was originally opened on Sept. 18, 1985, and was being held in recognition of the most recent upgrade, installation of LED lights.
August
A meeting with Alberta Environment and Parks Minister Jason Nixon provided renewed optimism that the government was hearing public concerns about Alberta’s approach to fisheries management, said Ray Makowecki of the Next Step Team, a group representing organizations, municipalities, businesses and non-government biologists, and leading the charge to challenge the methodology used by Alberta Environment in recent years to increasingly curtail fishing opportunities in the region’s lakes.
Elk Point Chamber of Commerce caught up on the summer’s happenings, after taking July off, and tourism was first on the agenda, president Terri Hampson reporting considerable progress on a listing of day trips and points of interest being prepared by tourist information clerk Tessa Pindroch, in response to a request from Alberta’s Lakeland Destination Marketing Organization.
Elk Point named Joe Oilmen’s MacKinnon their 2019 Oilman of the Year, as the association hosted the 36th Annual Elk Point Oilmen’s Golf Tournament, with Sean Hill and Jaylen Epp named the tournament champions.
It was a long process for Elk Point to finally obtain a third doctor, and after Dr. Adenike Ashaolu was joined by her family, the whole community was invited to a barbecue in their honour where both Mayor Lorne Young and County of St. Paul Reeve Steve Upham praising her choice of Elk Point as a place to practice.
September
The lengthy process creating the St. Paul — Elk Point Regional Partnership’s Regional Recreation Master Plan was finally complete, providing a guiding, strategic document to help with informed decision making and future collaboration between the partner municipalities of the Town and County of St. Paul, the Town of Elk Point and the Summer Village of Horseshoe Bay when they provide recreational facilities and opportunities.
Elk Point Chamber of Commerce once again questioned whether the annual Christmas Extravaganza would go ahead, and later circulated a questionnaire to gather input on the viability of the event, which has been held annually since 1987.
Frog Lake First Nation celebrated a sod turning for a new high school on Sept. 6, a project described as “state-of- the- art learning facility,” that would address overcrowding and accommodate a growing _ student population in the First Nations community.
Elk Point’s Interagency Health and Wellness Committee welcomed newcomers at their first meeting after the summer, including Brenda- Anne Haire-Killam, the new facility manager at Elk Point Health Care Centre, FCSS Director Janice Fodchuk and Chantelle Hammond, who was replacing Christal Brodziak in the Public Health office until 2020.
October
It was a wet and dreary day for the St. Paul Athletics Association (SPAA) cross-country championship event on Sept. 26, but “Everything went very smooth,” said F. G. Miller coach Jonathan Randall. “The weather wasn’t great, but definitely could have been much worse.”
F. G. Miller Junior and Senior High School presented the academic and sports awards for the 2018-19 school year to students in Grades 7 to 12, with the Grade 9 Achievement Award from the St. Paul School Division coming down to a tie for top marks. School trustee Lorne Young presented the awards to Kobe Warawa and Kori Kozicki.
St. Paul Regional High School and F. G. Miller athletes took home two of this year’s Northeast Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association Zone banners in cross country running, following strong performances at Ross Lake on Oct. 9, F. G. Miller winning the 2A banner, beating second place J. R. Robson and third place Kitscoty.
Town Council started their meeting with a public hearing on a land use bylaw amendment changing a parcel immediately south of the Elk Point Motel and RV Park, formerly zoned Institutional, to C2 Highway Commercial, and none of the visitors in council chambers were there to protest or speak in favour of the change and the amendment passed second and third readings in the regular meeting that followed.
After 32 years at Heritage Lodge, 16 of those as manager, Loris Kozina was all set for retirement, after residents, staff and representatives of the MD of St. Paul Foundation-gave her a warm send-off and Lana Odgaard, who is taking over as manager, MD of St. Paul Foundation CAO Brigette Sakaluk and board member Lauren Amyotte presenting parting gifts.
November
Elk Point town council was all set for the coming year, with Coun. Terri Hampson becoming the new Deputy Mayor as of Nov. 1, following Coun. Debra McQuinn in the annual rotation, and committee and board appointments determined.
Elk Point Chamber of Commerce Christmas Extravaganza Committee unveiled plans for the Friday, Nov. 29 Christmas Extravaganza, which would kick off Shop Local Week, Noy. 29 to Dec. 7, in Elk Point, with shoppers given the opportunity to enter draws on both Nov. 29 and Dec.
Remembrance Day 2019 welcomed the best attendance in years to the Elk Point Seniors Recreation Centre, where a handsome new indoor cenotaph, crafted with care by Royal Canadian Legion member Roger Freeman, stood ready to receive the rows of poppy-decked wreaths lining both sides of the hall.
Sgt. James Morton’s request to “Put your hand up if you’ve been a victim of rural crime in the past five years” brought forth a response from a huge majority of the 80-plus area residents at Wednesday’s Town Hall meeting on rural crime, hosted by the Greater Lakeland Rural Crime Watch at Elk Point Seniors’ Recreation Centre.
December
The County of St. Paul declared a Municipal State of Agricultural Disaster covering the entire County of St. Paul where 35 per cent of annual crops remained unharvested as of Nov. 26.
Small and rural communities would begin contributing to frontline policing costs in 2020, according to Alberta Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer, who made the announcement Dec. 4, with the municipal tax base and population to determine each community’s policing costs.
Both Town and County councils said no to a 1.5 per cent increase in funding requested by the Northern Lights Library Board for its 2020 operations.
Two elves and a cast of singers at Elk Point Elementary School couldn’t help but agree that the classic song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” just doesn’t have much validity in a world where maids no longer milk and calling birds, whatever those are, are way too difficult to find, with the proposed update outlined in the pair of concerts that followed.
Nine members of FGM’s Class of 2019 received a total of 17 awards and scholarships this year, with six of the awards presented at the end of the school year with the top recipient and Class of 2019 valedictorian Kingslon Zhang receiving four scholarships.
