Lougheed remembered as ‘progressive thinker’ LES STULBERG Independent reporter Local reaction to Peter Lougheed’s death mirrors that of elsewhere in Alberta and across Canada. Tributes have poured in since Alberta’s 10th premier died last Thursday at the Calgary hospital that bears his name. He was 84. Stettler area residents Jack Hayden, a former DrumhellerStettler MLA, and Jean MacDonald, co-owner of Ole MacDonald’s Resort, remembered Lougheed as a kind man and a visionary. It was a sentiment heard nationally in the past week. “Peter Lougheed was quite simply one of the most remarkable Canadians of his generation,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement. Lougheed, a Calgary-born lawyer and the Alberta premier from 1971 to 1985, leaves behind a profound record of achievement and influence on public policy. In June, the Institute for Research and Public Policy
named Lougheed as Canada’s greatest premier in the past 40 years. He married Jeanne Rogers of Forestburg in 1952 and they raised a family of four children. Her influence is credited with raising the profile of arts and culture in the province. Hayden said he had the opportunity to meet with Lougheed in Drumheller two years ago for the 25th anniversary of the Royal Tyrrell Museum. “We lost someone very important,” Hayden said. “He was an amazing guy, such a progressive thinker — a real visionary.” Hayden said Lougheed and his government received criticism at the time for spending that much money on a museum — in Drumheller, nonetheless. “Today, the museum is the third most-known tourist destination in Alberta, only behind Banff and Jasper,” said the former tourism minister. The museum attracts more than 400,000 visitors each year and in 2010 welcomed its 10-millionth visitor. Hayden said Lougheed’s
PETER LOUGHEED influence paved the way for Albertans to enjoy the highest average income, lowest taxation and best health-care system in Canada today. “Although (Lougheed) has had many political accomplishments, what I remember most about him was his friendliness and his smile — he was so full of life,” Hayden said. MacDonald said she met
Lougheed multiple times when L sshe was active in provincial polittics and called him “positive and fforward-thinking.” “He was like a steamroller,” sshe recalled. “He got things done iin our province.” She said it was under L Lougheed’s direction that the sstabilization of Buffalo Lake ooccurred. Lougheed sent theneenvironment-minister Ralph Klein tto Buffalo Lake and MacDonald rremembers taking Klein on a boat ttour of the lake. “Before Lougheed, there was nno tourism ministry,” MacDonald ssaid. “Tourism was just stuck in with something else.” w She kept in touch with Lougheed after Don Getty took office and, in later years, the Lougheeds came to Buffalo Lake for a family reunion at the Getty House, which MacDonald owned at that time. “I got to know him and his family better that long weekend and will never forget what a wonderful and kind family man he was,” MacDonald said. Lougheed came from an established family with deep
political roots. His grandfather, Sir James Lougheed, was heavily involved in federal politics as a Conservative member. His father was a lawyer and, in 1952, Peter followed in his father’s footsteps in that profession. With politics in his blood, Lougheed became leader of the fledgling Progressive Conservative party in 1965, defeated the decades-old Social Credit party in 1971, and created a political dynasty that remains today. He was instrumental in laying the foundation for economic diversification that has made Alberta the economic driver of the nation today. Lougheed was a champion for Alberta — well-remembered for battling with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau over the National Energy Program, fighting for provincial rights in the Constitution and establishing the Heritage Trust Fund. He encouraged funding and research in extracting oil from the oilsands near Fort McMurray and developing Kananaskis Country, where a provincial park bears his name today.
Serving the Heart of Central Alberta for 105 years
VOLUME ONE HUNDRED SIX
PM40011853 R08546
NUMBER THIRTY-EIGHT
STETTLER, ALBERTA
September 19, 2012
PRICE – $1.09 Plus GST
Grassroots hockey supplants NHL labour woes Stettler fans embrace WHL pre-season play JOHN MACNEIL Independent editor On the same night the NHL lockout began, hockey fans from central Alberta gathered in Stettler on Saturday to watch a major junior pre-season game. For the young fans in the Stettler Recreation Centre stands, it might just as well have been the NHL in town. In reality, it was the nearby Red Deer Rebels, who made their annual Stettler visit and lost 2-1 to the Medicine Hat Tigers in the final exhibition game for both Western Hockey League teams. “Hey, that’s (Mathew) Dumba over there, wearing the green tie,” one rink-rat said to another Saturday as Red Deer’s star defenceman watched from the sidelines, because of a minor injury suffered a few days earlier. “Yeah, it really is. He plays in the NHL.” Well, he’s on his way to the NHL, at least. The Minnesota Wild selected Dumba seventh overall in the NHL entry draft last spring. Labour unrest has derailed the NHL for the second time in eight seasons, and in many Canadian markets, junior hockey is poised to become the main event. For the estimated 850 fans who packed the Stettler Recreation Centre on Saturday, a taste of WHL action was seemingly enough of a hockey fix. “Sorry we couldn’t get you guys a W tonight,” Rebels forward Charles Inglis said as he signed autographs en route to the team bus. “That’s OK, as long as you had fun,” replied one of the minor hockey kids who were already up past their bedtime. There probably wasn’t much fun in the Rebels’ 0-6 pre-season performance, but the small-town sentiment from grassroots hockey fans spoke volumes against the
backdrop of another stalled NHL season. “It’s really awesome, because I dreamed to play in the WHL, and hopefully a lot of other kids here dream to play in the WHL,” said Rebels forward Turner Elson, a Calgary Flames’ prospect. “You’ve got to take it step by step. You can’t just dream to be in the NHL and be there. “It’s nice to see that these kids are coming out and supporting us, and wanting to be one of the Rebels, so it’s really good.” No one has to explain to Elson, 20, that hockey is a business. That reality hit home Saturday — a few hours before he boarded the bus for Stettler — when the Flames told Elson that his American Hockey League tryout with the Abbotsford Heat would have to wait. The imminent NHL lockout had caused a surplus of AHL-bound players, so young prospects like Elson were advised to stay with their junior teams. The St. Albert native begins his fourth WHL season Friday night when the Rebels host the Calgary Hitmen. Junior hockey is poised to step into the forefront, just like it was last Saturday in Stettler. “You could probably ask 90 per cent of the fans here (tonight) and they’d probably rather watch this game than an NHL game, anyways,” said Stettler Minor Hockey Association president Jason Hegberg, a WHL graduate. “It’s good hockey. These guys are young and energetic. They’re not pulling out a huge paycheque at the end of the game. They’re just playing for (roster) spots and they’re playing for the future. That’s why it’s such good hockey to watch.” That was a popular comment from fans at the WHL exhibition game, which doubled as a fundraiser for Stettler Minor Hockey.
JOHN MacNEIL/Independent editor
Stettler Minor Hockey peewee Daylan Kuefler poses for a photo after receiving an autograph from Minnesota Wild prospect Mathew Dumba during the Red Deer Rebels’ visit to the Stettler Recreation Centre on Saturday.
JOHN MacNEIL/Independent editor
See ‘Hockey’ on Page A2
Conner Bleackley (9) of the Red Deer Rebels faces off against Steven Owre of the Medicine Hat Tigers during the Western Hockey League exhibition game Saturday night in Stettler. Medicine Hat won 2-1.
Readers can also find the Stettler Independent at stettlerindependent.com