Ponoka News, December 18, 2013

Ponoka & District Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year 2008 Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Vol. 65, No. 51

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The playschool children (l-r) Conor Haan, Carter Makkinga, Kaitlin Wright, Cohen Thalen, Linea Haan, Amelia Feitsma, Michael Stolk, Matthew Cressman, Chayce Rausch are singing “I’m a Little Snowman” during the Ponoka Christian School’s Christmas play “What did I miss?”

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Page 2 PONOKA NEWS

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Town approves 5.33 per cent tax increase for 2014

By Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye Residents will see a tax increase of 5.33 per cent next year.

Council approved the tax hike during its regular meeting Dec. 10, which provides an additional $256,000 in revenue, said Betty Quinlan, director of corporate services. She anticipates another $100,000 of taxes due to increased assessment.

The 2014 interim budget shows $1.8 million in new residential assessment compared to $7.6 million in 2013, but new commercial assessment has almost tripled to $10.1 million for 2014 up from $3.5 million in 2013.

Despite the increase, Quinlan said the town’s taxes are still lower than surrounding communities, she estimates the average increase at $99 for every house valued at $300,000. “Or approximately $12 to $13 per month per taxpayer.”

“It’s nice to be lower,” said Quinlan in an interview.

But less taxes also means a certain amount of servicing gets sacrificed, she added. “It’s kind of a double edged sword.”

Mayor Rick Bonnett is pleased with budget. “It’s a very good budget in which we move forward.”

“Obviously it’s about our people and making our people feel more comfortable,” he added.

Bonnett wants to ensure town staff are able to provide the necessary services to the town and the community. The entire $21.6 million budget shows operational spending at $14.5 million and $7 million in capital spending.

Improving communications There were some changes provided to administration from councillors during budget deliberations last month.

“There’s been an adjustment of $80,000 put into salaries or contracts for, potentially human resources or communications,” said Quinlan.

With this money councillors would like to see a part time communications individual working on improving communication with residents and stakeholders.

Although the details of the new job have not been specifically discussed, Quinlan feels this is a positive step

in ensuring members of the community know what is happening. “Hopefully, we get someone in with a communications background.”

Salary negotiations have not yet been discussed with the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) as contracts for town staff end this year, but Quinlan said the town has set money aside for those discussions.

She does feel council wants employees to have a sense of pride, though.

“They want to improve operations. It’s almost like ‘start with yourself’,” she said. “And trying to recognize the work they (employees) do and creating a positive work environment.”

A full time position has also been approved for Dave McPhee, director of operations and property services. A part time position was approved in the 2013 budget but no one was hired and Quinlan said this new person will be able to assist McPhee. “That person can help with communications.”

Keeping in line with improved communications, Quinlan is working on a “virtual city hall” where residents will be able to log in to the town website and manage their bills.

Aging infrastructure The town is faced with several large capital projects that need to be addressed in the near future: the North Bridge has few years left, the RCMP building needs to be replaced, taxpayers have spoken of a desire to see a new multiplex and Town Hall has reached the end of its life. “Our infrastructure is definitely old in terms of buildings.”

Town Hall has recently experienced flooding in its basement and technology room.

“We’re encountering massive issues in terms of water,” she said.

Also there has been a desire from the Ponoka Jubilee Library to move its location, explained Quinlan.

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Dealing with these issues requires a strategy so administration and taxpayers can manage these buildings when finished.

“We need to actively start planning for this,” she said.

Capital projects for 2014 There are $7 million in capital projects planned for the year: • Improved lagoon aeration • A water meter replacement program at $875,000 • Cemetery expansion • Building development projects at $1 million to plan for new buildings such as the RCMP detachment and civic centre Quinlan feels the water meter replacement, which is an automated meter program, will benefit the town. Getting water use will be more accurate and help planners find areas where there may be a water leak. “We can read the town in under two hours.”

Money going to recreation More than $171,000 is going into parks and recreation with $50,000 for improving play-

grounds in town and $15,000 to the soccer pitch. The rest will be used for some equipment replacement programs and the ice plant diverter system at a cost of $28,000.

With that, the town has also started to invest some money into revitalizing the downtown core.

“We’re looking at doing a downtown lighting program,” said Quinlan.

A total of $20,000 has been set aside to improve the downtown area.

Improving the lagoons In 2014, $500,000 of the $2 million utilities’ budget is going into improving the town’s lagoon aeration system.

“To improve the quality of the water when it’s released into the water,” said Quinlan.

Help for seniors Quinlan provided an option for seniors who need help paying for their property taxes. The Alberta government provides assistance to seniors who own their home with a Seniors Tax Deferral Program. If eligible, those seniors can defer all or part of their annual residential property taxes through a low interest home equity loan. More information can be found at: www.health.alberta.ca/seniors/property-tax-deferral.html “It’s an option for somebody that feels they need a little help,” explained Quinlan.

Showing the numbers The biggest expenses for the town are in six areas: • Water and waste water: $4.9 million • Electrical: $3.5 million • General administration: $3.2 million • Property services: $2.6 million • Recreation: $2.3 million • Protective services: $2 million The largest revenues for the town: • Goods and services: $8.2 million • Municipal taxes: $5.4 million • Government transfers: $4.2 million The entire budget will be made available online on the www.ponoka.ca website and the school and Rimoka requisitions will not be available until the final budget is passed in April.

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Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

PONOKA NEWS Page 3

Utility rates increase by 5 per cent

By Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye

feels is fair considering the maintenance required.

“If we don’t have somebody taking over the lease, then the town services are up there mowing the grass and doing whatever they can.”

Usually the town will give other interested parties an opportunity to lease the land but this property is surrounded by land owned by the association, explained Watson.

“The access is not that great,” said Bonnett.

“It’s at least going to be clean and taken care of,” he added.

Business buys land in Ponoka Town owned land on 5800 Highway 2A has just been approved for sale.

Council approved the sale of three quarters of an acre at approximately $65,587 — one acre has a value of $87,450. In 2008, Ponoka County transferred the property to the Town of Ponoka, which developed the land for sale in 2009, explained Watson.

“The individual wants to take the north part of that subject property and subdivide it off to relocate that business from a larger municipality into this municipality.”

Residents will see an increase in their utility flat rates in the new year.

The 5 per cent increase is meant to keep in line with inflation rates, explained Betty Quinlan, director of corporate services for the Town of Ponoka.

“The reason we’re looking at increases is specifically that the water and sewer need to be self-sustaining.”

Any profit will go back into ensuring service levels can be maintained, she added.

A home that uses an average of 20 cubic metres a month will see an increase of $5.52.

“The total utility cost including garbage actually will be…$115 a month,” said Quinlan.

Flat rates will be increased to $52, but compared to other central Alberta communities, which sit in at an average of $70.65, the amount is still lower. There are some differences in services, but Quinlan wanted to give councillors an idea of where Ponoka is. “We’re still sitting lower than the majority.

A sample utility bill provided by Quinlan shows the average bill at $109 per month for 2013. The difference is a $5.52 increase for 2014.

New land lease deal with Ponoka Stampede Livestock corral and trailer parking spaces may be expanding for the Ponoka Stampede Association.

The group asked council to enter into a 10-year-lease over town land located near the Stampede Grounds.

The land is the old dump site for the town and is now considered “nuisance grounds”, explained CAO Brad Watson. “There is a restrictive covenant put on by Alberta Environment.”

He told councillors during the regular town council meeting Dec. 10 that the association cannot develop the land beyond minor improvements because of its designation. Despite the restrictions, they will be able to make the property usable for would like to thank the “Chicks for Charity” for their parking and livestock. donation of $8,750.00 designated for the labour and family “They were hoping to receive a 25-year room at the Ponoka Hospital & Care Centre. lease,” said Watson.

He was asked by Also, to those who supported the benefit play “Nurse the previous council to Jane Goes to Hawaii.” shorten the proposed Cow Patti Theatre Company Encana term from 25 years, which is why he sugLacombe Golf & Country Club Half-Way-Grove Farms gested 10. If the Adams Chevrolet Hi-Pro Feeds association does take Ada Ashton Marion & Fred Hiebert over the lease, the reAlmita Piling Steel Magnolias sponsibility of upkeep Calnash Trucking Thirsk Automotive is theirs.

Darcy’s Drilling Dorothy Ungstad A lease fee of $100 per year is applied to A special thanks to Lisa Barrett, manager of acute care and the doctors the property, which and staff of Ponoka & District Care Center for their support!

Mayor Rick Bonnett

He feels the amount offered is fair market value and Coun.

Mark Yaworski was pleased with the deal.

“New business coming into this town is a big, big plus and it will be a fairly high profile place.”

The property is located south of the Wolf Creek Public Schools administration office and because the land came from Ponoka County, the town is obligated to return 50 per cent of any net increase.

Cervus Equipment receives extension Company representatives of Cervus Equipment met with Mayor Rick Bonnett recently seeking an extension to the purchase agreement recently made with the town.

Watson told council the company needs extra time to secure building plans from the town.

The extension gives the company time to secure plans by March 10, 2014 rather than Dec. 10. Watson feels the draft building plans are “very excellent.”

Smoke testing The town has hired SFE Global to perform smoke tests in the Laebon subdivision. There

may be incorrect sewer services connected to the storm main and Dave McPhee, director of operations and property services, needs to see where.

He told councillors the smoke tests might help find the problem areas.

Part of the issue appears to be in the inspection process, he said.

“There’s a gap between putting in the building and the service connection,” McPhee explained.

In discussion with development officer Betty Quinlan, McPhee has said all documents should be included in the development permit so town operators can inspect all the work to the building before it is covered.

“If the pipes aren’t coded right or questionable, just simply run the camera in,” he said.

Camera inspection on sewer line A sewer main backup on 49 Avenue has caused the town to hire a company to inspect the line with cameras. This is the second backup on this line from the 5100 block to the west end of the 5200 block of 49 Avenue in six months.

Library board appointments Councillors approved the reappointment of Jerry Siemens to the Ponoka Jubilee Library Board for a three-year term from Dec. 1, 2013 to Nov. 30, 2016. Council also approved the recommendation that Murray Shack replace Rick Wyrozub, whose term is to finish at the end of this year.

Shack’s term will commence Jan. 1, 2014 until Dec. 31, 2016.

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Page 4 PONOKA NEWS

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Your Guide To Local Houses of Worship CHURCH DIRECTORY Associated Gospel Churches of Canada

CHURCH OF THE OPEN BIBLE Pastor Jerry Preheim • Pastor Matt Sealy 3704 - 42 St. Ponoka 403-783-6500 Worship Service 11:00 a.m. • churchoftheopenbible@telus.net

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH PONOKA

Sr. Pastor Paul Spate Erin Dirsten - Fac. Youth & Family Min. 5109 - 57 Ave. Ponoka www.fbcponoka.org 403-783-5533 Bible Discovery Hour 9:30 a.m.

Worship Service 10:30 a.m.

NEW COVENANT BAPTIST REFORMED CHURCH Currently meeting at Ponoka Christian School 6300-50 St. Worship Service Sunday 10:30 a.m.

Everyone Welcome! www.baptistreformedponoka.org

PARKLAND REFORMED CHURCH South on 2A, West on Spruce Road 403-783-1888 Worship Service 10:00 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.

Rev. Mitch Ramkissoon www.parklandurc.org

PONOKA ALLIANCE CHURCH 4215 - 46 St. Pastor Norm Dibben 403-783-3958 Sunday Service 11:00 a.m.

The Christian & Missionary Alliance

PONOKA WORD OF LIFE CHURCH Pastor Rob McArthur

403-783-5659

Sunday @ 10:30 a.m.

Corner of Hwy 53 & Hwy 2A (former Crossroads Restaurant)

www.wordoflife.ca

PONOKA UNITED CHURCH Minister: Beatrix Schirner

ponokaunited@shaw.ca

Sunday Service 10:00 am.

5020-52 Ave. Ponoka

Phone: 403-783-4087

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH PASTOR DAVE BEAUDOIN 6230-57 Ave. Ph. 403-783-6404 Saturdays 9:30 - 12 Noon dsjjb@xplornet.com ponokaadventist.ca

SONRISE CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH

Pastor W. Delleman Worship Service 10:30 a.m.

½ mile south of Centennial Centre for Mental Health & Brain Injury

403-783-6012 • www.sonriseponoka.com

ST. AUGUSTINE CATHOLIC CHURCH Fr. Chris Gnanaprakasam, S.A.C. Mass Times: 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 9:00 a.m. Sunday

Rummage sale time of Christianity?

Recently, a contemporary Protestant scholar, Phyllis Tickle, has claimed that every five hundred years the church holds a giant “rummage sale”.

These are the times when serious Christians go through all the theological and James Strachan The United Church ecclesiastical baggage of Canada they have been carrynot a member of ing around with them The Ponoka Ministerial all their lives. It’s a Association time of sorting out, deciding what should be thrown out, and what should be kept as we move into the future.

The last big “rummage sale” was the Protestant Reformation, which began in the 1500’s and continues, in one form or another to this day.

Many things changed within Christianity during the Reformation. The Pope ceased to be the central authority within Christianity for millions of Christians. The sale of Indulgences was rejected (basically, an Indulgent was a way of “buying your way out of hell”), and other forms of corruption were unmasked and cast away.

The Bible put in the hands of ordinary Christians, and began to be translated into their native tongues, rather than being kept only in Latin.

The church began to divide into different groups, as people expressed their faith in different ways.

(The World Christian Encyclopedia claims that there are 23000 different Protestant groups in the world!)

One unfortunate outcome of the Reformation was the growth of anti-Semitism. This came about because of the way Martin Luther interpreted the causes of Jesus’ crucifixion. He blamed “the Jews,” and basically ignored the fact that only Rome crucified revolutionaries.

The Protestant Reformation gave European Christians many choices within their faith. It is perhaps fitting that the Pope labeled all of these people “heretics.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a heretic as “someone who believes or teaches something that goes against accepted or official beliefs” Translated from the Greek language, it means “choice.” Reformation Christians, now non-Catholics, chose other forms of Christian faith to live by.

Tickle makes the point that these “rummage sales” are evidence that the Christian church has always been in the process of evolving in response to shifting life conditions. No one can deny that in our age, and for some time before

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TRINITY EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH 5501 - 54 Ave. Ponoka 403-783-4141 Sunday Service: 10:30am Sunday School: 10:30am Pastor Tim Graff • trinityponoka.ca

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it, life conditions have been shifting dramatically. We have been to the moon, we have seen stars in the process of being created. We have examined the inside of molecules, even the inside of atoms, and we know that the universe outside our world is filled with “Dark Matter” which no one has yet defined! We live now in an evolutionary paradigm.

Many Christians believe that you cannot accept evolution, and the evolutionary process, and still be a Christian. Let’s remember that once upon a time, if you believed that the sun was the centre of the universe, rather than the earth, you were excommunicated, and jailed!

We have no choice but to accept the evolutionary process. To grasp it, all you need to do is attend your high school reunion, twenty years, or sixty years, later. Everyone has changed, evolved into someone different than you knew, yet is the same person.

Perhaps it is time for another “rummage sale” or beliefs and practices with the Christian Church.

Since the 1960’s, every denomination in Europe and North America is in decline. Even among Evangelicals, the numbers are slipping.

The largest cohort in most surveys is “spiritual, but not religious.”

People having been chucking away extraneous and irrelevant beliefs for forty years!

Think of all those things you’ve been told you have to believe in order to be a Christian. Some of them you’ve already set aside, I’ll bet. When you get right down to it, Jesus never told anyone they’d be “saved” by the things they believed, but that they’d live with God because of the way they behaved, the way they lived! So what belief statements have lost all meaning for you? Perhaps it’s time to set them aside and simply live the way Jesus taught us to live.

During the Reformation, the Bible was first translated from Latin

into contemporary English in the King James Version. We need to do that again, to take scripture out of the language of the 17th century, and into our own contemporary English, as in the New International Version or the New Revised Standard Version. The KJV was wonderful in its time, but its language is archaic today.

I no longer can believe that the Bible is “literally and inerrantly” the Word of God. If I believed that, I would have also to believe that God required the Israelites to “smash (enemy’s) babies heads against the rocks!” (Psalm 137:9, and Hosea 13:16, Isaiah 13:16) The God I have come to know and trust in Jesus wouldn’t say that!

If I had to believe in “a literal and inerrant” understanding of scripture, then I would have to accept that the beautiful Creation stories in Genesis 1 and 2 assert that the whole universe was created in six days, from 6 AM until 6 Pm – dawn till dusk. We know far too much about how the universe came into being to ever accept that as a physical description of creation.

(Watch the opening credits of The Big Bang Theory to see a thumbnail of this) Genesis one and two are, however, a powerful parable celebrating God’s creativity and love. Let me be clear about this: though I don’t any longer take the Bible literally, I do take it very seriously, through reading and study. It is the resource for my faith.

What are some of the stumbling blocks that impede your life as a potential Christian believer? Time to look them over and set aside or throw away those things that get in the way of your natural religious inclinations. It may, indeed, be rummage sale time!

Blue Christmas has a new venue this year

By Mustafa Eric Blue Christmas, Ponoka’s annual worship service in memory of those who passed away and for people who are grieving for loved ones who are suffering for various reasons, will take place this year at Ponoka Funeral Home instead of a church.

“We were thinking that some people might be uncomfortable with a church as a location even though it is open to all people,” said Beatrix Schirner of the United Church.

“It is not a Christian church,”

she said of this year’s venue. “We just thought it would be more acceptable to a variety of people.”

There is, however, the possibility of a funeral service interfering with the Blue Christmas, in which case, Schirner said, the event would revert to its previous location, the Anglican Church, unless Ponoka Funeral Home could make arrangements to be able to accommodate both events.

Schirner said the worship service would feature the same program as conducted last year.

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

PONOKA NEWS Page 5

In keeping with the tradition, Lacombe’s Parkland Men’s Choir, marking their 25th anniversary, performed during the Gospel Music Night at the Seniors’ Drop-in Centre on Sunday, Dec. 15.

Photo by Mustafa Eric

The Challenge of Christmas since the world needed a SavChristmas poses a yearly iour, God sent His Son! challenge to those of us who And that is the wonder have heard the story since we were children. After you and ultimately, the delight of have attended many ChristChristmas. mas programs, and after you God did what we would have listened to many Christnever have done. In so doing, mas sermons, and heard every he opened the door to heaven Christmas carol a few hunfor all of us. Charles Spurdred times, what more is left geon once urged his hearers to be said that hasn’t been said to “come in faith to the Babe before?

Pastor Matt Sealy of Bethlehem who would one Church of the Open Bible If you know about Christday die for the sins of the mas at all, you know about world. Little children should Mary and Joseph, the angel, come for he was once a little about the journey to Bethlechild himself. Young women should come hem, about the inn with a “No Vacancy” for Mary was a young woman who was sign, about the angels and the shepherds, God’s instrument for bringing Christ into about baby Jesus in swaddling clothes ly- the world. Young men should come for Joing in a manger, and about the Wise Men seph was a young man who had great faith from the east. in God. Old women should come for Anna All of these stories are so well known was an old woman who looked for the comthat when we hear them again, we don’t re- ing of the Lord. Old men should come for ally hear them at all because we’ve heard aged Simeon waited for the consolation of them all before. We hear but we don’t hear. Israel. The working men and women should That is, indeed, a problem. Familiarity can come to Christ because the shepherds repbreed, if not contempt, at least a kind of resent all those who work with their hands casual disinterest, which is sad because the for a living—and they too came to Bethlestory of Christmas tells the most amazing hem. story: that God invaded human history in Finally, the highly-educated of the the form of a tiny, helpless baby to redeem world should come for the Wise Men came us from our sin. bearing gifts and bowed to worship the If the world had needed education, God King. would have sent a teacher. If the world This Christmas don’t just hear the story had needed an army, God would have sent but come in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ a general. If the world had needed more and worship him both now and forevermoney, God would have sent a banker. But more.

On Religious Education Dear Editor As one who has been involved with the religious education program for the past 8 years, I want to write in response to the article “School board questions religious studies.” I certainly respect the School Board’s decision to review the “validity and popularity” of the program, and want to share from my perspective and experiences, as one of the volunteer religious education teachers in the district.

I have had the incredible privilege of teaching, first at Crestomere School, and most recently at the Ponoka Elementary School.

Just this week I was asked by a student from a former class, “Aren’t you that Bible guy?”

I knew what she meant, because it is a question that comes up more than one might think, and interestingly enough it is always a catalyst to great memories of a great class shared together. While I agree with Trustees Lorrie Jess and Barb Walker that education of faith and spiritual belief ought to be primarily carried out by the parents, I do feel that the religious education program has had a truly valuable part to play, assisting in that process.

As a parent, a youth worker with Youth Unlimited, and as an active member of this community, I value the pairing

of education with the strong morals and values of religious education.

The program has always been an inclusive, inter-denominational class facilitated by a representative of the local church ministerial.

Students participating are given the opportunity to experience character development and values formation through various classroom resources including story telling, drama, games, and discussion.

In the 2012/2013 School year, this program at the Ponoka Elementary School became an options class which students had to opt in to participate.

This year the program was not offered because of an insufficient number of students registering, and truthfully the program looks to be revealing its validity and popularity, especially when stacked up against excellent options classes such as “Grossology”, “Drama”, and “Creative Cooks.”

If it ceases to be offered, I know I will greatly miss my times teaching the class, but I am grateful for the opportunity we have had and believe it has been a valuable part of our education system.

Respectfully, Jerel Peters

Page 6 PONOKA NEWS

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Opinion Canada Post and the Man of the Year Two major stories dominated the news agenda last week. On the domestic front, it was the decision by Canada Post to phase out door-to-door deliveries, raise prices for stamps and services and dismiss thousands of employees due to the losses the organization has been incurring.

On the international front, it was the announcement that the Time magazine had declared Pope Francis as the Man of the Year.

Do these two developments have anything remotely connecting them?

Apparently no.

Canada Post has come a long way since the Act for the Regulation of the Postal Service of April 1, 1868 officially created Canada’s uniform postal system.

Reading the history of central Alberta, and in a broader context, the whole country, one would come to know a lot about how important postal services were in the 19th and 20th century as a key public function and how postmasters were so important in their communities in the early days that they were often looked up to as de facto mayors and performed administrative duties, including

As a religious leader who taking steps to ensure the safehas managed to become an ty and security of the public. aspiration to even devout atheLast week’s announceists through his benevolent ment means that Canada Post, message, Pope Francis has put our secular Santa that always human beings before their relibrings us letters and goodies, gious alignment in every step no longer sees itself as the unof the way. dertaker of a service that is still His message of frugalvital to so many communities ity and modesty, his statement around the country, but just a that “every bite left on the company that has to keep its plate is stolen from those who books in black, turn a profit Mustafa Eric need it” seems in stark contrast and stay away from losses.

Editor with the dominant trends of It is highly unlikely that the exuberance and profusion of wide-ranging reaction against the decision coming from Canadian Human our times.

The rise of Pope Francis to his throne Rights Commission to seniors’ associations to labor organizations will make any impact has come at a time when world economy on the implementation. In these new times, had severely suffered from the financial criprofits take priority over the social value of sis that erupted in 2008, the inequalities not only among nations but also among various the services provided.

Turning to the selection of Pope Francis strata within nations had risen dramatically as the Man of The Year by the Time maga- and the greed of the bankers and financiers zine, it has generated a lot of discussion had caused millions of wage earners to lose around the world with both positive and their life savings, pensions and material posnegative reactions coming from an array of sessions.

Catholic church wields huge influsources.

ence in the world of Christianity. It might be interesting to remember that the Soviet Union was so worried by the election of Polish-born Pope John Paul II to lead the Vatican that it had retained the services of the Bulgarian intelligence to contract a deranged Turkish gunman to assassinate him.

Moscow was hoping that silencing the Pope would prevent his influence on the people Poland, the weakest link in the then-Soviet bloc, from rising up against the totalitarian system. But it did not work.

The first year of his papacy has clearly shown that Pope Francis will remain a powerful voice to be heard against excesses of capitalism and in favor of a more humane, less materialistic society. His message will probably not have as immediate an effect as to reverse commercialization of social/ public services like Canada Post, but in this season of hope and faith, one should still be able to find the courage to dream of a better world.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it!

Old Christmas habits are hard to break By now most of us are hopefully full of the spirit of the yuletide season, are rushing around humming Christmas music and doing a little last minute shopping, and have made all the arrangements to get together with family and friends for a glorious celebration.

No matter what age we may be, we will still endeavour to maintain at least some of those long-standing festive traditions such as decorating the tree together, hanging a little mistletoe, nibbling on mom and gramma’s glorious baking and surprise treats, sipping on a little egg-nog before bundling up warm and heading off to the Christmas Eve church service, after which we will get everyone settled in for a long winter’s night and put out a few treats for dear old Santa.

During these holidays many families or individuals will travel many miles to be with their loved ones, while some will have to work, but will certainly be welcomed home later by a living room full of joy and a hot heaping plate of goodies waiting in the oven.

There will of course be those who will unfortunately not be able to make it home for Christmas, but through the magic of electronics, we can gather in the living room around the fire and chat with them just like they were cuddled up on the sofa right beside us. For shut-ins or others who are in care homes or hospitals, there will be count-

PONOKA

less events hosted to share a friend. This special day will meal with family and friends, be held at the Ponoka Kinsenjoy the festive music, and men Centre, will start with open precious gifts. coffee and entertainment from No one needs to be alone 10:00 a.m. until 12 noon, at at Christmas. which time a magnificent It is so fortunate that durTurkey Buffet dinner with all ing the festive season so many the trimmings will be served delightful events are planned from 12 noon until 1:00 p.m. in and around villages, towns, Donations toward the 2013 Mike Rainone and cities to help everyone Community Christmas dinner Hammertime share the joy of Christmas. are very much appreciated, Many years ago, as a staff and are still being accepted by member of the Ponoka Rising calling Bob Hepp at 403-783Sun Club House, I was so pleased to have 6165 or drop them off at the Ponoka Rising been able to assist many others with the Sun Club House or Servus Credit Union in hosting of some of the first Ponoka Commu- Ponoka. Anyone wishing to volunteer their nity Christmas Day gala dinners. time or entertainment at the event is asked to Thanks to kindly folks like Sherry please call Carla Prediger at 403-783-4078 Mitchell, Bob Hepp, the members and staff or Val Schabert at 403-8799. of the Rising Sun Clubhouse, and an ongoTraditions of Christmas....both old ing overwhelming list of spirited volunteers, and new. entertainers and donors, this wonderful traThe joy and warmth of the festive season dition has carried on and attracted hundreds has been celebrated throughout the world of guests and visitors to a glorious Decem- by all nationalities for thousands years, and ber 25th afternoon of keen camaraderie, great what is so unique is how countless generafood, special treats, and jolly festive fun. tions have carried on their proud traditions The event is open to individuals, couples, during this most holy holiday. Now as we or families of all ages who have not made have boldly advanced into the 20th century any plans for Christmas dinner, who are visi- many exciting new themes, ceremonies, tors to our community.....and please bring a and ethnic costumes have been added to the

Christmas rush to be enjoyed by all ages. *While many families still go out into the wilderness to seek out their own magnificent Christmas tree, others will support a community cause by visiting a local tree lot, and some have chosen to purchase one of those glitzy multi-colored models that will last forever. Whatever the case, when every family brings their tree home, they will decorate their masterpiece together, fashioning the festive miracle with decorations that have been in the family for generations, were made in school by the kids, or are the newest electronics creations for the future. *Do you still hang your socks on the mantle, is your delicious high-calorie Christmas fruit cake still home made or store brought, and will we open our gifts on Christmas Eve or with sleepy-eyed wonder in the morning?

Maybe Christmas Eve fun will include going out with the gang and singing carols, then returning home for treats, a fashion show of new pajamas, while sitting back and watching all those great old movies like Srooge, Miracle on 32nd Street, The Grinch who stole Christmas, and on and on. The Christmas season is for everyone to enjoy and cherish in their own way, but remembering to always share a little cheer with others along the way.

Have a great week, all of you.

News Judy Dick Manager

Mustafa Eric Editor

Jeff Heyden-Kaye Reporter

Amelia Naismith Reporter

Karen Douglass Susan Whitecotton Sales Administration

5019A Chipman Ave., Box 4217, Ponoka, AB. T4J 1R6 manager@ponokanews.com editorial@ponokanews.com reporter@ponokanews.com rovingreporter@ponokanews.com sales@ponokanews.com admin@ponokanews.com Phone: 403.783.3311 Fax: 403.783.6300 Email: editorial@ponokanews.com All editorial content, advertising content and concepts are protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is forbidden.

Published every Wednesday by PNG Prairie Newspaper Group in community with: Regional Publisher, Fred Gorman

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

PONOKA NEWS Page 7

Finance Ministers Meet To Consider Improvement Of CPP Dear Editor, The provincial finance ministers meet for their annual pre-Christmas meeting, the topic is improvements to the Canadian pension plan. The conference is sponsored by the University of Toronto’s Center for Industrial Relations and Human Resources.

The group in most trouble has a family income between $35,000-$ 100,000.

Costs have risen to the point that this group cannot save enough for their retirement and still meet day-to-day obligations. Wages have been stagnant for years, the industry has moved to non defined pension plans and more and more contract work . Grads have trouble finding steady employment, many work for minimum wage and are paying off large student loans. 300,000 grads are working for free in ‘intern’ jobs in Canada. Buying a house is out of reach, paying rent almost impossible plus, we have a zero vacancy rate in Lacombe, and 1-2 percent in Central Alberta. All of this makes saving for retirement, or saving enough for retirement next to impossible.

One proposal is to increase CPP rates.

That is troublesome for the employee who is already in debt and also apparently

not good for the employers in a fragile economy. (Also one has to wonder about record profits from some big industry in Lacombe county, the oil patch industry and the banks for example).

Another proposal is to yet again raise the retirement age, which already was raised by the Conservatives from 65 to 67.

The next raise proposes for Canadians to work to age 69 or 70. That raises the question why public employees and teachers still get to retire at age 55, that is at present 12 years less work than just about everyone else and in the future 12-15 years less work. This represents such a significant difference in life quality that one has to wonder why this discrepancy has to been addressed.

In addition the teachers’ pension plan has to be funded by the public because the teachers’ contributions are not enough to pay them 70 percent of their wage for an additional 25-35 years after retirement.

The average Alberta teachers wage is $90,000/year, 20 percent higher than any other province. Retiring at age 55, with such a handsome income is a luxury that most of us will not be enjoying.

Tyson Mc Culley, Ponoka

Warmest wishes from your friends at Tim Hortons.

Town Times Come visit us: 5102 -48 Avenue; Ponoka, AB T4J 1P7 Phone: 403-783-4431 Fax: 403-783-6745 Email: town@ponoka.org Or Check us out Online: www.ponoka.ca

SEASON’S GREETINGS TO ALL

From The Town of Ponoka Council & Staff!

Town Hall Holiday Hours December 24 – Closed at 12 noon December 25 & 26 - Closed January 1, 2013 – Closed

NOTICES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Residential Garbage Pick-Up Garbage pick-up regularly scheduled for Christmas day will be picked up on Friday December 27. Boxing Day garbage service will be on an “as usual” basis.

The same schedule will apply for New Years. Wednesday garbage will be picked up on Friday, January 3.

RECYCLING CARDBOARD: Please help us keep our Recycle Depot neat and orderly. Please refrain from dropping off cardboard and paper until Friday, December 27 when staff will be working at the Recycle Depot. Thank you for your consideration.

Business Licenses Are Now Due! The 2014 Business License Renewal Notices have been sent out. Reminder that business licenses expire December 31, 2013. Please contact 403-783-0119 for more information

12 EASY PAYMENTS! Take advantage of a more convenient and feasible way of paying your property taxes! Sign up for Pre-authorized Monthly Tax Payment Plan for payment of 2014 property taxes. We will need a VOID cheque and a signature for authorization. No need to re-apply if you are already signed up. Stop in at the Town Hall or call Val @ 403-783-0127 for more information. Deadline for signing up is December 20, 2013.

2014 Dog Licenses Available $25.00 Per Dog until January 31st, then the cost returns to the regular price of $40.00. All dogs over the age of three months must be licensed. As per Bylaw 114-01, owners will be fined $50 for dogs caught not wearing a current dog tag. Thank you for being a responsible dog owner.

Volunteers Needed For Community Christmas Ponoka’s Community Christmas Dinner program (held on December 25th) is in need of volunteers.

Contact Val at 403-783-8799 for more information.

EVENTS AND RECREATION Employment Opportunities Qualified Lifeguards and Swimming Instructors Rink Attendant (PT/Seasonal) Application forms are available at www.ponoka.ca. Submit your application to the Town Office at 5102-48 Avenue or email HR@ponoka.org.

Recreation Facilities Schedule is On-line Check it out at www.ponoka.ca and click on ‘Recreation in Ponoka’.

Aquaplex Update The Aquaplex will be closed at 5:00 pm on Friday, December 20 for a staff function.

Christmas Holiday Public Swim 1-3pm.

Arena Closures During the Holiday Season Closed from December 24-26 inclusive

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for the New Year from Wayne & Wishing everyoneand in our community happiest of holidays.

Happy Darrell Marsden the team at yourthe local Tim Hortons in Ponoka.

Holidays and Best Wishes for the New Year from Wayne & Darrell Marsden and the team at your local Tim Hortons in Ponoka.

Open December 28 - 31

Open January 2, 2014

Public Skating: Proudly sponsored by Ponoka Lions Monday - Thursday: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, Saturday & Sunday: 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm **Shinny Hockey on Weekdays only**

COUNCIL UPDATES & BYLAW INFO Next Town Council Meetings January14, 2014 @ 7 pm Check out our website @ www.ponoka.ca for copy of the agenda. © Tim Hortons, 2008

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons.

It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ‘till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” ~ Dr. Seuss - How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Page 8 PONOKA NEWS

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Council waives New Year’s Eve for liquor sales

By Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye Almost a year after being passed, the liquor hours bylaw appears to be on the verge of extinction.

Another request was made to town council Dec. 10 to waive the business hours bylaw on New Year’s Eve. This would allow the sale of liquor after 10 p.m. from liquor stores and off-sales by liquor outlets. This second request – the first was made and accepted by council for Almost Midnight Madness - was accepted unanimously despite concern from some councillors they still do not have enough information requested in November.

Coun. Mark Yaworski recused himself from the discussion on the basis of conflict of interest and Coun.

Loanna Gulka was not in attendance, which left five councillors to discuss the request.

Coun. Carla Prediger asked CAO Brad Watson: “What has happened since the bylaw?”

She wants to see statistics on how restricting liquor sales has kept Ponoka residents safe, not just from the RCMP but also from Alberta Health Services.

Despite not having all the information, Watson has contacted Staff Sgt. Cameron Chisholm to try and get more information. He also met with staff at the Ponoka Hospital and Care Centre Dec. 5. “They said ‘We don’t know what we can do but we will do some homework and get back to you.’”

A formal request to Alberta Health Services (AHS) could take too long, added Mayor Rick Bonnett. Councillors received a package of details on the day of the meeting and Prediger did not feel the information was presented well.

“There’s a lot of speaking to stats but no real proof of stats and that’s my concern,” she said.

The information received appears to be anecdotal in nature with comments that Prediger said are more in the line of “I feel there is…I think there is.”

“When we base decisions and bylaws that have people with their concerns brought to our attention…

I’d like to make sure we have due diligence,” she added.

Watson has spoken with Chisholm about this issue and has also spoken to Don Voaklander, researcher for the Alberta Centre for Injury Control and Research at the University of Alberta.

Voaklander was a presenter when the bylaw was first discussed by the former council. He believes Voaklander will have details that AHS may not be able to get in a timely manner.

Watson does not have a date when this information will be available and Bonnett suggests councillors should check in January.

Coun. Tim Falkiner does not feel they will have clear data showing an improvement in community safety.

“We’re asking these guys for more information to provide stats…They couldn’t answer the questions that were put to them at the meeting January 15 (2013). Why are we wasting our time asking them for questions now?”

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Town planners say the North Bridge has few years of service life left. Full replacement including roadwork is estimated at $5 million.

Photo by Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye

North Bridge has few years left in its life

By Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye A recent engineering report shows the North Bridge has only a few years of service life left.

The report came from Lex3 Engineering who took core samples from the bridge in October and November, explained CAO Brad Watson. The bridge was first built in 1908 with major renovations in 1932 and 1972. The cost to repair the bridge is more than the actual replacement, minus the roadway development work needed, he explained.

FAMILY HEALTH CLINIC PONOKA is pleased to announce

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5011 – 48 Ave Note: there will be no walk-in clinic December 23, 2013 to January 3, 2014.

A total repair of the north bridge is estimated at $1.345 million while replacing it would cost $1.3 million. If council decided to repair the bridge, the town would not be on the hook for bridge realignment and roadwork, which Watson believes could add another $3.7 million to the project.

“Rehab options are comparable in cost of replacement,” he added.

However this may not be an ideal option as the report from Lex3 Engineering states the “sub-structure elements have deteriorated” and maintenance is no longer an ideal option. Watson is using estimates from a recent grant application sent to the federal government, which set the cost at $7 million. Since then companies have been building similar sized bridges in the region for approximately $5 million, explained Watson.

To deal with the safety concerns the town has posted vehicle weight restrictions of no more than three tons on the North Bridge. The engineering firm has also recommended the town ramp up enforcement and suggests high load bars and public notices to keep the public informed. The report also states that continued use from over-limit loads are likely to reduce the service life of the bridge, explained Watson.

He hopes to receive some assistance for this project. “We’re looking Subway Fresh to make an application for the next shovelTry our ready grant program.”

Lex3 also rec6 CHOICES ommends visually inspecting the bridge every six months to ensure it is still safe to use.

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Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

PONOKA NEWS Page 9

Snow clearing continues: Town crews and contractors were busy last week clearing snow piled up in windrows.

Photo by Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye

Winter operations guideline to help staff prioritize in extreme events

By Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye Heavy snowfall has left municipalities scrambling to keep up and planners wincing as they watch their snow removal budgets drain at a rapid pace.

To deal with the severity of the recent snowstorms, Town of Ponoka crews have been working on a winter operations policy, said Dave McPhee, director of operations and property services. He told councillors during the regular council meeting Dec. 10 that this draft policy is a guide for staff to determine the next step. “I can’t give you complete times because every snow event is different.”

This guide mirrors the snow removal policy set by council last year and is meant to help staff prioritize most situations, McPhee explained. Getting feedback from crews was important to him as they are the ones on the front lines. “They’re on the road. They’re the ones that know what can be done.”

It took approximately one month for staff to bring this document together and would have been completed sooner if not for the extra snow this season, McPhee said. Despite being unable to provide times on completion of snow removal, he did tell councillors that crews would attend to a situation as fast as possible. “We’ll provide some type of maintenance within a 24-hour period.”

McPhee was reluctant to release the full document as the winter policy is still being refined but he spent some time explaining some of the more important aspects of it during an interview. This policy is supposed to be set out by all groups responsible for roadways under Alberta Highway Transportation regulations. Guidance under Ponoka’s policy gives crews ways to determine the severity of a situation by rating the event and what is involved.

The winter operations policy identifies triggers in three categories : ∙ Freezing rain or ice storm ∙ Heavy snowfall ∙ Snowstorms (blizzard) Staff will then monitor the conditions of each of these triggers followed by actions to deal with them. The persons responsible for an area will be on hand to manage a situation. After the event is over, crews then look at concluding the work. Part of the policy involves McPhee and staff looking at “what worked and what didn’t.”

They need to consider how other departments were affected during a trigger event. McPhee said the challenge may come if there are two different emergencies at once and evaluating how one event may hurt another department. The document also considers the availability of staff and equipment when reviewing.

Each risk has received scoring depending on the type of trigger, the probability of something happening, the risk value and a priority ranking.

These scores will give McPhee and town staff a way to determine how to respond.

As crews continue to work on clearing streets and removing snow piled up in windrows, more snow has been forecast for central Alberta. McPhee told councillors that town staff had created a sense of ownership with this document. “The guys asked for one more kick at it for response times.”

The snow removal budget for 2013 is $95,000 and about 50 per cent had been used before the heavy snowfall. Contractors have just started sending in their invoices so it is difficult to say how much has been used so far, explained Betty Quinlan, director of corporate services for the Town of Ponoka. There is a reserve of $80,000 as well.

Box 129 Hobbema, Alberta T0C 1N0 Phone: (780) 585-2799 Fax: (780) 585-2264

Meskanahk Ka Nipa Wit School would like to thank the following businesses/organizations for their generous contributions toward our 3rd Annual Christmas Toy Bingo Fundraiser: Ponoka Businesses Wagner’ss Automotives Wagner Hobbema Transport Ltd. Central Office Ltd. Mackenzie’s No Frills Bargain Shop Domino’s Rexall Drug Store Perry’s 2 for 1 Subway Stampede Pawn Your Dollar Store w/ More Sommer Home Hardware Hamilton’s IGA Wetaskiwin Businesses Walmart Individual Donations Armand Ouellette Bradley Rabbit Sandra Peigan Dean Kelln MKNWS Staff Native Reflections

Hobbema Businesses Samson Recreation Bingo Intellimedia Inc. Okeymowkisik Gas Bar AKO Child & Family Services Maskwacis Health Services Maskwacis Life Skills Willow Gas Bar Lucky Dollar Hobbema RCMP Kasohkowew Child & Family Services Montana Chief & Council Montana HeadStart Montana Community Wellness Montana Lands & Consultation Montana Human Resources Montana Daycare

Our school raised a whopping

$4,500.00!

All proceeds raised go toward our school events, fieldtrips and programs.

Thank You and Our Warmest Christmas Wishes to all our Sponsors, Volunteers and Participants!!!

Hai Hai

Page 10 PONOKA NEWS

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Bobi Langan (left), Taylor Leaney (center) and Chloe Jensen examine the best gifts to choose during the Ponoka Secondary Campus’ annual Santa’s Anonymous Food and Gift Drive wrapping session, Dec. 13.

GET YOUR BUSINESS OUT THERE

Photo by Amelia Naismith

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The new tapestry that reflects Ponoka was redesigned to accommodate the recent changes in the community with suggestions from individuals from various walks of life.

The images on the product were provided

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“This version celebrates Ponoka as it is now” says Marlene Quiring of Walrus and Carpenter.

“The idea was to update the old one as it celebrated Ponoka’s 100th anniversary.

The material is woven, 100% cotton and machine washable.

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Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

PONOKA NEWS Page 11

County helps fund Air Cadets trip

By Amelia Naismith Based on a unanimous vote, Ponoka County council is donating $4,200 to Ponoka Air Cadets to help fund their spring trip to Europe to tour the battlefield and war memorials.

Coun. Mark Matejka was excited about the request because the Air Cadets is such a youth-centered organization.

Coun. Doug Weir asked council whether approving such a large donation would open the floodgates on council. “So do we open a Pandora’s Box here by giv-

ing $4,200? Everybody can come and say you’ve done it, like I can see $200, the (Roping and Riding) club wanted a couple hundred for a buckle or something. That’s reasonable.”

CAO Charlie Cutforth says, in the past, the Air Cadets and the Legion have always been a priority of council, support-wise.

“And you can decide if that’s a priority for you or not.”

“As far as these events, like to sponsor the Roping and Riding, that does open a Pandora’s Box,” he added. Cutforth be-

lieves every event between Ponoka and Rimbey will be looking for the same treatment from council.

According to Cutforth, the Air Cadets have never asked the county for much.

“The nice thing about this Air Cadet one is they’re using it as a multiplier. They’re not asking for the $4,200 and using it, they’re going to multiply upon their work,’ said Matejka.

“They want to do their own fundraising, we’re just supporting them in their fundraiser efforts,” said Cutforth.

anta say S S

The request came to council as a budget consideration but due to the limited time Cadets have to gather funds, council dealt with it immediately.

All other requests — Liberty Hall construction, Fort Ostell Museum, Rimbey Horticultural Society, Ponoka Roping and Riding Association and the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance — that were included in the Dec. 10 agenda package were deferred for budget consideration in March.

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Page 12 PONOKA NEWS

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

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Practicing for parents: This young student Wyatt Klein, front, of St. Augustine Catholic School practices his Christmas play with other students Dec. 16.

Photo by Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye

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Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

PONOKA NEWS Page 13

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Page 14 PONOKA NEWS

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Jennifer Wigston (centre left) and Sarah Rhead of Shoppers Drug Mart flanked by Margo Kusiek (left) and Shannon BoyceCampbell of the FCSS pose with the $6,490 donation cheque to be used to fund social services focusing on women’s health issues. This year’s donation by the Shoppers Drug Mart substantially exceeds a similar donation made last year.

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• Protect your personal Information: Check privacy settings on your online accounts. Use strong passwords, and be careful of what you share online including your name, location, and other personal details like where you go to school or your age.

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PONOKA NEWS Page 15

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WISE BUYERS READ THE LEGAL COPY: Vehicle(s) may be shown with optional equipment. Dealer may sell or lease for less. Limited time offers. Offers only valid at participating dealers. Retail offers may be cancelled or changed at any time without notice. Dealer order or transfer may be required as inventory may vary by dealer. See your Ford Dealer for complete details or call the Ford Customer Relationship Centre at 1-800-565-3673. For factory orders, a customer may either take advantage of eligible Ford retail customer promotional incentives/offers available at the time of vehicle factory order or time of vehicle delivery, but not both or combinations thereof. Retail offers not combinable with any CPA/GPC or Daily Rental incentives, the Commercial Upfit Program or the Commercial Fleet Incentive Program (CFIP). †Between December 16 – 29, 2013, receive 0% APR purchase financing on new 2014 Ford models (excluding C-MAX, Mustang Shelby and BOSS 302, Flex, Explorer, Expedition, Transit Connect, E-Series, F-150 Regular Cab XL 4x2 (Value Leader), F-350 to F-550, and medium truck) for up to 60 months, to qualified retail customers, on approved credit (OAC) from Ford Credit. Not all buyers will qualify for the lowest interest rate. Example: $25,000 purchase financed at 0% APR for 48/60/72 months, monthly payment is $520.83/ $416.66/ $347.22, cost of borrowing is $0 or APR of 0% and total to be repaid is $25,000. Down payment on purchase financing offers may be required based on approved credit from Ford Credit. ††Offer valid until December 29, 2013 (the “Offer Period”) to Canadian residents towards the purchase or lease of most new 2013/2014 Ford models (excluding Focus, Fiesta, C-MAX, Mustang Shelby and BOSS 302, Transit Connect Electric, and F-150 Raptor) (each an “Eligible Vehicle”). Only one (1) bonus offer may be applied towards the purchase or lease of one (1) Eligible Vehicle. Taxes payable before offer amount is deducted. **Until December 29, 2013, receive 0.99%/1.99% annual percentage rate (APR) purchase financing on a 2014 Focus S Sedan/2014 Escape S FWD with 2.5L engine for a maximum of 84 months to qualified retail customers, on approved credit (OAC) from Ford Credit. Not all buyers will qualify for the lowest APR payment. 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The customer is required to sign a monthly payment contract with a first payment date one month from the contract date and to ensure that the total monthly payment occurs by the payment due date. Bi-weekly payments can be made by making payments equivalent to the sum of 12 monthly payments divided by 26 bi-weekly periods every two weeks commencing on the contract date. Dealer may sell for less. Offers vary by model and not all combinations will apply. *Purchase a new 2014 Focus S Sedan/2014 Escape S FWD with 2.5L engine for $17,449/$24,664 after Manufacturer Rebate of $0/$750 is deducted. Taxes payable on full amount of purchase price after total Manufacturer Rebate has been deducted. Offers include freight and air tax of $1,665/$1,715 but exclude optional features, administration and registration fees (administration fees may vary by dealer), fuel fill charge and all applicable taxes. Manufacturer Rebates are not combinable with any fleet consumer incentives. ▲Offer only valid from December 3, 2013 to January 31, 2014 (the “Offer Period”) to resident Canadians with an eligible Costco membership on or before November 30, 2013 who purchase or lease of a new 2013/2014 Ford (excluding Fiesta, Focus, C-Max, Raptor, GT500, Mustang Boss 302, Transit Connect EV, and Medium Truck) or Lincoln vehicle (each an “Eligible Vehicle”). Limit one (1) offer per each Eligible Vehicle purchase or lease, up to a maximum of two (2) separate Eligible Vehicle sales per Costco Membership Number. Offer is transferable to persons domiciled with an eligible Costco member. Applicable taxes calculated before CAD$1,000 offer is deducted. ***Estimated fuel consumption ratings for 2014 Focus 2.0L I4 5-speed manual transmission: [7.8L/100km (36MPG) City, 5.5L/100km (51MPG) Hwy] / 2014 Escape FWD 2.5L I4 6-speed automatic transmission: [9.5L/100km (30MPG) City, 6.3L/100km (45MPG) Hwy] / 2014 F-150 4X4 5.0L V8 6-speed automatic transmission: [15.0L/100km (19MPG) City, 10.6L/100km (27MPG) Hwy]. Fuel consumption ratings based on Transport Canada approved test methods. Actual fuel consumption will vary based on road conditions, vehicle loading, vehicle equipment, vehicle condition, and driving habits. ‡Claim based on analysis by Ford of Polk global new registration for CY2012 for a single nameplate which excludes rebadged vehicles, platform derivatives or other vehicle nameplate versions. ‡‡Based on R. L. Polk Canada, Inc. Total New Registration data for Full Size Pickups per Ford Segmentation as of YTD September 30, 2013. ®: Registered trademark of Price Costco International, Inc. used under license. ©2013 Sirius Canada Inc. “SiriusXM”, the SiriusXM logo, channel names and logos are trademarks of SiriusXM Radio Inc. and are used under licence. ©2013 Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. All rights reserved.

Page 16 PONOKA NEWS Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

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Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

PONOKA NEWS Page 17

Ponoka Outreach School continues to make a difference Submitted by Samm Carruthers With the snow piled high, the students seem to be back into the swing of things this semester.

Most pupils have got settled in, with some already starting to finish up a few of this semester’s courses. The school this year continues to have a comfortable, safe and productive environment for its wide range of very enthusiastic, very grateful students.

“I’m very excited for the opportunities this new school year will provide. We have a wonderful group of students and many highlights for them,” stated Assistant Principal Shelagh Hagemann.

“With the new semester, we have introduced new programs such as the complementary courses we offer on a daily basis. These courses change often and give the students a chance to explore a wide variety of learning opportunities, which is highly encouraged at the Outreach.”

“The approach and environment at Ponoka Outreach is enjoyable and focused,” high school student, Jamie Kramer, commented. “I feel as though this will be a great year, especially with such a wonderful staff and student body.”

“Ponoka Outreach School works with each student individually,” stated student Brooklyne Munkedal,. “It works with whatever your schedule is instead of requiring you to attend at specific times. It’s helped me become a better individual. Even when I’ve made mistakes, they always worked it out with me and accepted me for who I am.”

“The Outreach School is a place where you can be yourself and you can learn to be a better person,” stated Jacob Colyn, high school student.

“When I started my education at the Outreach School, I was considered to be a difficult person. Yet, after four years of being at this school, I’ve not only managed to improve my attitude, I’ve managed to make myself a better individual capable of leading a successful life. I’ve almost finished Grade 12 and I’ve loved every minute of my time at the Outreach.”

“The new programming we have going this

(left to right) John Crane, Monica Bushaw, Jada Crane, Tre Raine are learning Cree taught by Ponoka Outreach School’s Contributed photo Elder Joey Deschamps. year is proving to be very successful,” Principal Scott Lewis stated. “We are offering a variety of complementary courses during the last hour of the day. On an alternating schedule, we are offering

Tyler Serri (left) and Shayna Soosay (right) learn life-saving skills during a First Aid course.

Contributed photo

high-interest courses like Art, stage make-up, graphic design and foods.

As well, our school now has an Elder program, which was started by our assistant principal, Mrs. Hagemann. Pupils are enriched with First Nations culture and teachings, in addition to learning some Cree, which they seem to be enjoying. We’re very pleased with the enthusiasm the student body has shown regarding this adjustment in programming.”

Throughout the year the students will have the opportunity to attend multiple events and outings.

Finding speakers or presenters to entertain a group of diverse teenagers is never easy, but the staff at Ponoka Outreach seem to pick the right presentations and events every time.

The first of our group outings was a trip to West Country Outreach School in Rimbey to listen to a motivational speaker/musician. We hope to enjoy many of the coming events just as much as this one. Recently, we had a number of presenters come to the school to teach the students about important relevant health and social issues.

Just last week Ponoka Outreach School held its annual winter celebration, which featured a variety of craft activities followed by a minuteto-win It competition. Despite the fact that most of students would never make crafts otherwise, they knew from previous years that this would be a lot of fun, as well as great opportunity to make Christmas gifts

for their families. The minute-to-win It competition was totally hilarious.

Everyone is hoping we can have another competition soon.

As a new student myself, I’ve been given a different perspective and a fresh, objective view of Ponoka Outreach School, its occupants and the way things work here.

Never have I met a more helpful, supportive, encouraging and easy to get along with set of educators.

My teachers have made me feel like I am able to achieve the goals I set for myself and receive enough support to actually convince me to try.

I’ve never felt more confident about my education. Compared to the other schools I have attended, Ponoka Outreach School is the number one school I would recommend to anyone.

As Mr. Lewis said, “Our hardworking teachers are creating innovative and interesting modules that use Google docs, internet assignments and carefully crafted learning activities that are engaging and interesting. Many students report that they are really ‘into it’ this year and have been at a peak for student engagement. And with a great start, we hope that the students stay just as enthusiastic about their school. With all of the new pupils completely settled in and the old ones totally back into their routine, we’re all happy to have such an eager involvement in getting the most out of this year!”

Page 18 PONOKA NEWS

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Lacombe Ponoka MLA Rod Fox (far right) was among some two dozen well-wishers who took turns to fill chairs at the small meeting room of the FCSS which hosted the farewell party for Gawney Hinkley, (third from right) who stood down after 25 years with the board of FCSS. Photo by Mustafa Eric

County Briefs

By Amelia Naismith Snowplow priorities With winter not officially beginning until Dec. 21, it’s safe to assume Ponoka is in for a lot more snow before it sees the showers and flowers of spring, and while county staff battle to stay just behind Mother Nature when it comes to plowing, they realize not everything can be plowed at the same time and have set priorities to make the winter run as smoothly and safely as possible.

Top priorities for routes to be plowed include school bus routes—to keep students safe on their journey to and from school. However, council recognizes it can be hard for them to remain updated with the route locations as more students move into and out of the division. “Frankly, we don’t get a record of what they are necessarily,” said CAO Charlie Cutforth.

Another priority is an area where a county resident is seriously ill. “If we’re aware of any sort of medical issue or anything like that that’s priority. We’ll send a truck or a tractor or anything out there to make sure they’re okay,” said Cutforth.

In regularly classified areas of the county, snow plowing schedules are alternated after each snowfall. An area plowed first after one snowfall may find themselves near the end of the operation after the next to allow others the opportunity for early plowing. “My favourite line to tell people is we’re excruciatingly fair,” said Cutforth.

Ponoka County has 12,000 miles of roads maintained by county staff and a

goal has been set that within three days on a snowfall, baring a consecutive major storm, each of those miles should be cleared for vehicle access.

In some cases a single lane will be plowed down the centre of the roads to ensure access, then plows will return to clean up the rest of the snow.

One of the biggest challenges for the county is keeping up with the demand to have the roads cleared versus complaints for plowed snow collecting in the access of private driveways. “I mean, the message is always the same, that they do the best they can but reality is they can’t lift their blade across driveways,” said Reeve Paul McLauchlin.

“If you live on an acreage, you should have a tractor,” said Coun. Doug Weir.

“At the end of the day, if you live out in the country, you should have a tractor to push some snow around your yard.”

Cutforth says once the roads are plowed for the school buses and small vehicles, the graders and trucks will clean the driveways their second time around, but the snow is usually already cleared by then. “But at least we try, at least we’re doing our part.”

“They can lift their wing, that’s about the best they can do. If we had to stop at every driveway you can imagine, we’d add two days to the job,” he added.

Loan guarantee to Calnash Ag Event Centre The loan guarantee, originally discussed with the previous council, has been agreed upon for the initial price of $1.8 million.

A notice was put in the Dec. 11 issue of Ponoka News and council was concerned the public was led to believe the county was laying down another substantial amount for the ag event centre.

However, they want to make clear it’s the same loan that has been on the table since the time of the previous council.

Internship program needs support West Central Planning Agency has become a valuable asset to Ponoka County and remains an active partner regarding subdivision activity. Because of that, county council has decided to help maintain the agency’s internship position.

If needed, Ponoka County council is prepared to donate up to $15,000 to ensure the longevity of the internship program.

Two years ago, the agency received a provincial grant under the municipal internship program to employ an intern fresh from school. “The majority of the cost of that intern is funded through this program. I think it was $45,000,” said Cutforth.

The additional local share came to $15,000, which the county agreed to pick up two years ago as well because the subdivision activity for West Central Planning Agency was low at the time.

Last week, Cutforth attended the agency’s budget planning meeting and found the local share can be covered by West Central’s budget. “However the question did arise again and my suggestion to council is that we would commit should there be a deficit created in the agency; if they don’t have as much as they do in the proposal.”

In the past, Cutforth says, there were problems in finding and retaining good, qualified planners.“ Any assistance we can provide in training these people, I think, is excellent.”

Debit card fraudsters busy during holiday season

By Jeffrey HeydenKaye Ponoka RCMP dealt with two calls of debit card fraud last week.

The first was reported Dec. 7 after the victim claimed $439.25 was taken out of their bank account from an ATM in New York City.

It is believed culprits in Red Deer are skimming a person’s debit card to obtain account information and debit card passwords. The second issue occurred between Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 again at a New York City ATM. Over the course of two days, culprits withdrew $1,009.32 from a bank account.

Icy road conditions keep emergency crews busy Last week emergency crews handled 14 calls of rollovers and minor collisions, the majority of which were due to slippery roads.

In one case, a 30-year-old female driving a 2008 Dodge Ram Dec. 12 near Menaik Road and two passengers were trapped in their vehicle after rolling twice.

They were able to climb out through the back window with minor injuries.

The driver was charged with failure to maintain equipment as all the tires on the Dodge were bald.

In another case a Calgary driver called emergency crews as she had hit the ditch and was unable to exit the vehicle.

She was northbound on Highway 2 near Wetaskwin when she hit the ditch. Emergency crews from Wetaskiwin and members of the Ponoka Integrated Traffic Unit attended the scene as quickly as possible.

The woman was on the phone with 911 saying she and her dog were trapped but were unhurt.

The first Sheriff arrived to assist and opened the passenger door to let her out.

She did not think to try that side of the vehicle. She received no injuries from the collision.

If you have information on any crime call Ponoka RCMP at 403-783-4472 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-2228477.

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

PONOKA NEWS Page 19

Photo confirmation of cougar near Ponoka

By Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye Three months after Ponoka News reported a cougar sighting on the North Trail, a photo has surfaced showing the large cat near Ponoka along the Battle River.

Don Auten of Ponoka frequents paths along the river and being a nature lover carries his camera with him. “I’m a nature nut,” he says.

He was pretty excited to “snag this picture of a cougar. A once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Auten was walking in the morning at the end of October and said the cougar and he locked eyes for a short time. He spent 30 seconds with the cougar and while they both looked at each other, Auten fumbled with his camera to take a few pictures.

He estimates he was approximately 25 metres from the large cat and took only a few snapshots before deciding to slowly back away. While the image is slightly out of focus, the cougar can be plainly seen in the image.

He sent the image to other nature lovers and his daughter, who posted the picture on Facebook.

Since then, there have been concerns over human safety. Auten feels it is important people know some of the facts related to cougars.

Calls to Fish and Wildlife officers were not returned but information from the Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development

website states that cougars avoid flat, open areas and prefer hilly and treed environments.

“However, they may be spotted in the river valleys and other wildlife travel corridors that pass through such terrain,” the website continues.

Deer can be seen in many parts of the river valley and even in residential areas in the Riverside area. The site does state that cougars tend to avoid human contact and attacks on humans are rare.

“Most cougar incidents in Alberta involve pets. Cougars see domestic cats and dogs as easy prey.

When bringing your dog along on a hike, camping or fishing trip, keep in mind that it may attract a cougar,” the site explains.

The site suggests if a person encounters a cougar to not run or turn their backs. Among other recommendations are instructions like -Use bear spray or make oneself look big by waiving hands in the air or jackets if a cougar is close.

-Never play dead with a cougar, use sticks and stones to fight back if it makes contact.

Auten did not say exactly where he found the cougar as he enjoys the quiet and solitude of the pathways he uses. For more information on dealing with cougars visit: http:// srd.alberta.ca/RecreationPublicUse/ CougarsOutdoorRecreation/IfYouEncounterACougar.aspx

This photo taken by Don Auten, although slightly out of focus shows a cougar hiding in the tall grass along the Battle River near Ponoka at the end of October.

Photo by Don Auten

JOHN W. LOW Agencies Inc. 5118 - 50th Street, Ponoka

After years of working, you can finally call it quits and enjoy the golden years of retirement. Your days may be filled with activities such as golfing, skiing, playing bridge, or maybe even volunteering for your favourite charity.

One activity you may not find as enjoyable, however, is filing your taxes.

There are, however, many credits and benefits you can take advantage of to provide some motivation to get through the process and maybe even help stretch your retirement dollars, as follows: • You may be able to split your pension income with your spouse or commonlaw partner, allocating up to 50% of your eligible pension income to him or her, to lower

your combined taxes.

• If you use public transit to get around in your daily life, you may be able to claim a 15% non-refundable tax credit based on the costs of certain public transit passes on your tax return.

• If you, your spouse, or commonlaw partner has a severe and prolonged impairment in physical or mental functions, you may be eligible for the disability tax credit.

• If you care for a spouse or other family member who has an impairment in physical or mental functions that makes them dependent on you for care, the family caregiver amount could also save you money.

• When you file your return, you can apply for the goods

and services tax/harmonized sales tax credit which helps to offset all or part of the GST or HST that you pay.

All the information seniors need to know at tax time can be found at www.cra. gc.ca/seniors. Here’s one more tip: file online this year and use direct deposit, and you can start enjoying your tax refund dollars in as little as eight days.

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SOUTH OF PONOKA Two 10 acre parcels.

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Sending Our Best at the Holidays Here’s hoping your holiday delivers a bundle of joy and good cheer. Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year

WAYNE McGARVEY

BRIAN HATALA

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Page 22 PONOKA NEWS

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Young singers with beautiful colours: Ava Sorenson, middle, keeps her actions in sync with the song at Mecca Glen School Dec. 12 during student’s Christmas play.

Photo by Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye

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PONOKA NEWS Page 23

25 years of Coaching Volleyball Good News of St Augustine Darren Josephison’s volleyball coaching career began on his first teaching job in 1988 in northern Saskatchewan, where he coached the Sr. Boys team. After that he spent two years as the football coach in Sexsmith, AB and with a record of 1-11, it was obvious to him that he should return to volleyball. It was in Sex-

smith that he met his future wife Nicole, who followed him to his next teaching job in Chauvin, AB. His first five years in Chauvin saw Josephison become the school’s vice-principal while coaching the Sr. Boys volleyball team; at that time, he vowed he would never coach girls volleyball. But one weekend the Sr. Girls coach got sick, so he had to fill in for a tournament. The enthusiasm and passion

the girls’ team displayed changed his mind forever. Josephison spent his last year in Chauvin coaching the girls’ team, before moving to Mannville in 1996, which now included daughters Alexandra and Kennedy. In the four years spent in Mannville, Josephison coached the Sr. Girls volleyball team, and in his last year, started up his first club team. continued on page 27

Page 24 PONOKA NEWS

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Hutchinson double-bill this Saturday

By Amelia Naismith

“Next fall, we’ll hit as many big festivals as we can,” he added. BeThe zombies that plagued Ponoka tween now and then, the film may last spring are returning for the first see a few smaller festivals and one public viewing of local director CJ larger one in Oklahoma, but HutchiHutchinson’s Masked Manic vs. the son is saving most of his gusto for Zombies. prime zombie-viewing season.

Both Masked Manic vs. the ZomBefore the festivals Hutchinson bies and G. Hunter’s Seven Little feels he may tweak the film a bit Deaths—Hunter acted in Hutchinmore. son’s film and vice versa—are both Curious members of the public being shown as a double feature at are welcome to see the double feaPonoka’s Capitol Theatre on Dec. 21 ture at the free showing. Seats will be from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. reserved for cast and crew and then Hutchinson had hoped to have his it’s first come -first serve. film ready by this fall but the project “We remind people, like the took more time than first anticipated. Grindhouse movies of old, these “It took a while to edit, a lot longer CALL films carry an 18A rating and we will than we thought it would.” not be allowing anyone under the age “The best films are years in of 18, ID may be required to attend the making,” said Hutchinson, and (due to) nudity gore, mature themes Masked Manic vs. the Zombies — and language,” said Hutchinson. at approximately 90 minutes — is a “We’re not allowing kids in any larger project than he’s used to. way shape or form,” he stressed.

Hutchinson says the best film fesPrizes will be given out after the tivals for him are in the fall and he’s films, including posters, a few DVD decided to push the public release of copies and other promotional prodhis film back until then. “This is the ucts. Seven Little Deaths will show only big exposure we’ll have before first with Masked Manic vs. the Zombies to wrap up the evening. it goes to film festivals.”

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Image courtesy of CJ Hutchinson

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Citizens of the Town and County of Ponoka and surrounding communities for exceptional and ongoing support.

We are privileged to acknowledge the following businesses for their commitment and generosity.

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Special Recognition goes to the Congregation of the Ponoka United Church for once again sharing the Church Sanctuary during the Festive Season.

Christmas Is in the Ai In the spirit of the holiday seaso we’d like to share our best wish for a very Merry Christm May you and yours enjoy a fest season of peace, joy and goodw

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PONOKA NEWS Page 25

Mrs. Wheeliker’s kindergarten class portrays Christmas in the City during Crestomere’s Christmas concert, Dec. 12.

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Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Getting into the holiday spirit: Reid BarrittPinksen has a look at beautiful Christmas tree decorations at the Legion Dec. 15. FCSS hosted a family movie day with fun gifts and an appearance from Santa.

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PONOKA NEWS Page 27

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continued from page 23 years were spent at PCHS as the Coach Josephison and his fam- coach of the JV Broncs girl’s team. ily moved to Ponoka in 2001 and he He learned a lot while there from Call 403-783-3311 has been coaching school and club long time sr. coaches JP Desaulniers to submit volleyball ever since. His first four andphotos, Ron Labrie, in terms of teach-

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ing skills, game strategy, and positive interactions with players. Josephison had hoped to move up to the Sr. Broncs team eventually, but due to budget cuts, he lost his teaching position at PCHS in the spring of 2006. Luckily for Josephison, St. Augustine School had just opened its doors to a high school program in the fall of 2005 and were looking for some experienced teachers and coaches.

So he took a job at St. A’s and began coaching volleyball, not high school, but with the grade 8/9 team, which was an eye opening experience.

Eleven girls tried out and all made to the team, even though only few had knee pads and shoes, including a combination of dance and skateboard apparel. Needless to say, it wasn’t record breaking season as they only won two or three matches the whole season. Regardless of that, he has always said they were some of the nicest kids he had ever coached. Some of them, eventually became great high school players and two went on to play college volleyball.

In his first year in Ponoka, Josephison also became involved with the Ponoka Warriors club volleyball program which had been started by JP. Desaulniers. It became obvious to him, very quickly, that every successful school program was the result of strong club program. So, after the first less than stellar season at St. A’s, Josephison said he was determined to turn St. As Queens volleyball into a respected program, one that could rival PCHS. In order to achieve this goal, he tried to get as many school kids involved in the Warriors club. With the help of many other local coaches, the Warriors program blossomed to a point where, in several years, they had U13, U14, U15, U16, and U17 teams. From 2001-2013 Warriors teams won four Provincial Championships and numerous gold, silver, and bronze medals at nationals.

He was fortunate enough to coach his daughter Alexandra on several of these teams.

After coaching three years of Jr. Queens at St. A’s, in which they won two 2J Wolf Creek Championships and one CWAJHAA Championship, Josephison moved up to the Sr. Queens. The Queens eventually won the 2008 2A Area Championship, and placed an impressive third place at Zones. The following year they won their first 2A league title and had a third place finish at Zones.

In 2010, the Queens program continued to get stronger, this time getting Silver at the 1A Zones.

In 2012, the Queens again hosted the 1A Zones and looked poised to move on to Provincials, only to settle for Silver in the final. 2013 was all about getting back to the Zone finals and Josephison feels his team this year used that experience to win the tougher 2A league title and then propel themselves to their first ever 2A Zone Championship and an appearance at Provincials. He’s very proud that St. A’s is now known as one of the top volleyball programs in central Alberta.

Other than finally making to it Provincials, Josephison has said he is most proud of getting to coach his daughter for three years of high school and of the fact that several players have gone on to college and university careers, the most recent being Kaitlin Lomas, who is playing for Thompson River in the CIS against the U of A and U of C teams. When asked how many more years he will coach volleyball, Josephison has said he is unsure, but still has many things to learn about the game from other coaches and especially his players. His philosophy that he tries to instill in his players is that “winning isn’t everything, wanting to is”. It’s all about working hard to get better and trying your hardest when you get to play.

Everyone thinks that he is so passionate about volleyball, but for him it could be any sport, it’s just about creating opportunities at the school for students have fun, create school pride, develop a sense of community spirit.

r u e

1

Page 28 PONOKA NEWS

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Major livestock ANNOUNCE event planned for January CLASSIFIEDS YOUR BABY’S BIRTH OR BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION IN THE

Central Alberta’s first major livestock event of the new year will take place in Camrose in January, according to an announcement by Agriculture Alberta.

The event which will be organized at UFA Pavilion will feature Subway Freshtrade show, bull show, 4-H component, school program and a banquet.

Contact information is as follows: Ag Society: Camrose Regional Exhibition Contact Name: Marilyn Lee Phone: 780-672-3640 Fax: 780-672-8140 Email: mlee@cre.ab.ca

welcomes letters to the editor.

We reserve the right to edit for brevity, clarity and legal issues as well as to reject letters outright.

Letters shouldn’t exceed 500 words.

Only signed letters will be considered for publication.

Please include an address & daytime contact number for verification of authenticity.

The Editor, Ponoka News, Box 4217, Ponoka, AB T4J 1R6 Tel: 403-783-3311 Fax:403-783-6300 editorial@ponokanews.com

Changing Landscape Grain prices took a turn to the downside following a few recent reports, creating the need for you to sharpen your pencil, as knowing your breakeven cost of production is more important than ever before. Between the StatsCan production estimates on December 4th and the December 10th W.A.S.D.E. from the U.S.D.A., the main takeaway is wheat and canola prices are re-positioning significantly lower. Soybean prices aren’t falling with canola prices simply because the canola crop is in the bin while the crop in South America is a few months away from being taken off.

Undoubtedly, the bigger crop that’ll likely get harvested in South America, more rapeseed and soybeans getting planted next year in Europe, and soybean acres increasing in the U.S. in 2014, it’s very likely that canola prices will remain depressed for likely another 12-18 months, if not head even lower.

The aforementioned

CALL

Brennan Taylor FarmLead Breakfast Brief

U.S.D.A. report showed lower U.S. ending stocks for corn & soybeans (1.792 million bushels for corn and 150 million bushels for the latter) due to increased demand, but wheat remained the same at 575 million bushels. In fact, the U.S.D.A. increased U.S. wheat imports by 10 million bushels, suggesting that Canadian wheat is heading south versus east or west with the logistics issues we’re currently seeing in the Prairies. Total corn demand was raised by 100 million bushels, half going to ethanol and the other half going to exports, with the new export number of 1.45 billion

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innovation and business practices have advanced Alberta’s agriculture and food industry at the community, provincial, naThe Alberta Agriculture Hall tional or international level. of Fame is accepting nominaSince 1951, the Alberta tions to honour individuals who Agriculture Hall of Fame has have made significant contribu- celebrated the accomplishments tions to Alberta’s agriculture of men and women who have and agri-food industry. dedicated their lives to agriculEvery two years, Alberta’s ture and their rural communities.

Agriculture Hall of Fame rec- The 126 inductees have been ognizes up to three Albertans innovators and risk-takers in whose outstanding leadership, every area of agriculture from innovative farmVJV MARKET REPORT ing techniques MARKET REPORT DECEMBER 11, 2013 to scientific acOn Wednesday, December 11, 2013 -5052- head of cattle went through our rings & 594 head on the Canadian Satellite Sale - TOTAL -5646 complishments, creating valSLAUGHTER CATTLE D1 - D2 cows D3 - D4 cows Holstein cows Heiferettes Bologna Bulls Feeder bulls

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a third in the works) and have put estimates at moving one million tonnes of grain in 2014.

In the Black Sea, it’s been estimated that Russia has almost 62 million acres of uncultivated farmland while in the Ukraine, new phytosanitary protocols are being implemented and paving the way for increased exports to China in 2014, including corn, soybeans, wheat, and rapeseed. Who would’ve thought this was in the cards even a couple years ago?

To growth, Brennan Turner President, FarmLead.com Brennan Turner is originally from Foam Lake, SK, where his family started farming the land in the 1920s. After completing his degree in economics from Yale University and then playing some pro hockey, Mr. Turner spent some time working in finance before starting FarmLead.com, a risk-free, transparent online and now mobile grain marketplace (app available for iOS & Android).

His weekly column is a summary of his free, daily market note, the FarmLead Breakfast Brief.

He can be reached via email (b.turner@farmlead.com) or phone (1-855-332-7653).

Call for nominations

editorial@ponokanews.com

$

bushels now equal over 10 per cent of total production this year. As for soybeans, exports were raised by 25 million bushels to 1.475 billion bushels, which is interesting following Oil World’s recent increase in Chinese soybean imports to 70 million tonnes (U.S.D.A. is at 69 million tonnes.

I find it hard to disagree that soybean demand is increasing in China as long as the likes of Tyson Foods is in the game.

The massive American poultry producer has set a goal of building 90 chicken farms by 2015, housing 330,000 animals at each facility (or 29.7 million animals total). With the middle class blowing up in China, Tyson C.E.O. Donnie Smith says “We just can’t build the (chicken) houses fast enough.” Enter the Black Sea & South America agricultural industries.

Brazil is working on improving its agronomic practices and logistical infrastructure, including a new A.D.M. port terminal in the Amazon that can provide another option for producers in the major agricultural regions of Para and Mato Grosso.

The facility can accommodate Panamax 60,000-tonne cargoes, has two shiploaders (with

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The 2014 inductees will be honoured in Edmonton next October at a celebration ceremony.

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Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

PONOKA NEWS Page 29

Season’s Greetings

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Broncs win Pump Classic in style

By Mustafa Eric Senior Broncs of Ponoka Secondary Campus won the championship in last weekend’s Pump Classic basketball tour-

nament in a nail-biter game, only for the third time in the 23-year history of the annual competition.

Broncs played their first round robin game against Grand Prairie on Friday afternoon,

Dec. 13 and won the game without having to make a huge effort in the face of an obviously weaker opponent.

Broncs’ effective rebounding and ball movement allowed the local boys to win com-

Brandt Seibel finishes off a fast-break in style during the Broncs; game against Grand Prairie on Friday, Dec. 13.

Photo by Mustafa Eric

fortably with a score of 78-54.

Their second game on Saturday morning against Springbank Phoenix proved, luckily, to be an even easier one as it allowed the Broncs to save some energy for the finals against the Wetaskiwin Sabres in the evening. The hosts against scored 78 points against Phoenix and allowed them only 39.

The championship final on Saturday evening was played in front of a packed crowd representing both Ponoka and Wetaskiwin fans.

The game started with the pressure of a championship final apparently affecting both teams’ performances.

In the first period, Sabres gained and opened a lead up to five points at some point, but Broncs were quick to consolidate their defense and put a lot of pressure on the opponents offensive effort to close the lead.

The second and third periods were spent without either of the sides managing to impose their pace to the opponents.

This led to an obvious drought in scoring: when the third period ended, both teams had scored only about 30 points.

Four minutes into the fourth period, with an impressive effort, the Broncs brought balance to the scoreboard at 36 for each side. At that moment, a three- pointer by Ethan Minde gave the PSC boys the lead and they never looked back.

In the remaining minutes, Broncs, with an increased confidence and commitment, improved their ball movement and substantially increased the pace of the game producing more points. When the final

buzzer went off, it was 50-42 in favor of the hosts.

“This tournament has a reputation of being very competitive and hard to win,” said Blaine Haines, the Broncs’ coach.

“To say this was a very satisfying win would be greatly understated,” he added.

“As a coach I was thrilled for my team and very proud of their efforts throughout the tournament.”

Ethan Minde contributed to the championship with his outside perimeter shooting in all three games of the Broncs during the tournament.

Photo by Mustafa Eric

Page 30 PONOKA NEWS

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Stampeders lose a valiant battle and only in overtime

By Mustafa Eric Ponoka’s Junior Heritage hockey team lost another game last weekend, but this one should look and be carried proudly like a hard-earned medal in a battle that set new standards for the local boys.

In their game against the Junior Heritage League’s top team, Okotoks Bisons, Stampeders lost 3-2 in overtime in a game

that they could have won.

The fact that the first period was scoreless was enough to show that something was different in Ponoka’s game on Saturday, Dec. 14.

The defence was working hard to close loopholes by quickly consolidating in areas where the Bisons were preparing to set their traps and goaltending was superb.

Visiting Bisons could not score their first point until the 7th minute of the second

period.

When they did take the 1-0 lead, this whipped up the local boys instead of discouraging them, and Tye Munro equalized seven minutes later. Yet another seven minutes later, just half a minute from the end of the second period, Kwyn Hiebert scored the second goal giving the lead to Stampeders: 2-1.

The third period began with the relentless pressure by visiting Bisons on the Stampeders net with goalie Brody Thomas stopping shot after shot after shot coming from the opponents.

But the almost heroic defensive effort could not stop the equalizer in the 13th minute of the third period: 2-2.

The score by the opponents was followed by a nightmarish decision by the referees: when Chandler Knibb was sidelined with a penalty for roughness, the referees punished the Ponoka bench with an additional twominute penalty for objecting to the decision.

That meant the Stam-

peders were left on the ice with just three players and a goalie against the league’s highest scoring team.

Yet, the local boys overcame that hurdle as well, forcing the game to go to overtime.

In the five-minute additional play-time, Stampeders resisted to the onslaught unleashed by the opponents for three and a half minutes but could not stop the last goal by the Bisons.

Stampeders head coach Mark Dobler sounded quite confident after the game: “It was the best game of the year, “ he said, adding that their three key players were missing from the roster over the weekend.

“It was all about work ethic and sticking to the game plan,” Dobler said.

“The biggest thing is that we stayed with our game plan for 60 minutes. We worked hard and we had great goaltending and the rest took care of itself.”

“We also did a great job in killing penalties,” he added.

“Everybody worked hard and everybody had a good game.”

Dobler added it was still not too late to start winning games in the league.

Stampeders next play against Three Hills Thrashers on home ice is Saturday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m.

Christmas Holiday Early Deadlines Publication: December 25

- the paper will be delivered December 23 Deadline: Wednesday, December 18 - Noon Kwyn Hiebert scores and gives the lead to Stampeders just seconds before the end of the second period at the Ponoka Cultural and Recreation Centre on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Photo by Mustafa Eric

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By Eraina Hooy culture and a dynamic Editor sandy beaches, Hobbema Reggae music, members of the of the things e during may experienc are just some t Corps Program Community Cade ica. invitation their time in Jama international received an National The HCCCP t Corps (The ican Police Cade ninth anniversary on from the Jama de) to attend their Cadet Interschool Briga ts will also join the Jamaican Cade P ogram A il 14 The

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PONOKA NEWS Page 31

Midget and Atom teams steam ahead with wins The weekend of Dec. 14 and 15 brought a pleasant number of victories to Ponoka Minor Hockey with Midget A Wolves and Atom A Stampeders winning all their games.

Ponoka Atom A played against Eckville on Saturday, Dec. 14 in an away game and de-

game they dominated throughout on Friday, Dec. 13. Jared Davis scored twice and so did Dustin bell. The other points came from Tyson Matejka, Tyler Ekeli, Matthew Klimec and Riley Workman.

The Wolves took a Red Deer trip the following day and extracted a clear 2-0 win from their opponents, the Red Deer Kings. Scorers were Tyson Matejka and Dustin Bell.

The third and last game of the weekend for the Wolves was in Stettler, where the host had to submit to the visitors’ strong performance: 4-1.

Riley Workman had two goals for the Ponoka side and he was joined by Tyson Borg and Kellyn Pritchard on the scorecard.

As for Ponoka Midget B, they won a very competitive game with Eckville which resembled a duel of scoring with an end number of 11-10.

Pierre Clemmer and Shawn Wilton each scored three times with Lane Jones and Jarret Henderson adding two a piece. Zak Morrow completed the tally.

The joint Ponoka-Lacombe female Bantam team, the Lacoka, girls lost 3-2 in their away game to Endmoor in Byemoor arena on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Rachale Wood and Callie Braun scored for the visiting side.

Lacoka Midget team had no games over the weekend.

feated the hosts 6-3 with Levi Busat scoring three goals and Joshua David, Gavin AllenPrefontaine and Braedan Brouillette adding one each to the tally.

The next day, Atom A hosted Delburn and won with a convincing score of 9-4. Levi

Busat again put three on the scoreboard with Braedan Brouillette adding two and Colter Breese, Maison Senft, Kael Street and Gavin Allen-Prefontaine completing the list of scorers with one each.

Atom B had no games over the weekend.

Peewee A Ponoka boys thrashed Red Deer iHotel -8-1 in an away game on Saturday Dec. 14. Noah Hackett scored half of the goals for the local boys with Aidan Gratton contributing two and Owen Feragen and Ryan Lefebvre adding one apiece.

Bantam Ponoka team traveled to Rimbey on Friday, Dec. 13 and lost to the host team 4-3.

Scorers for the Ponoka side were Robert Wareham, Jayden Hagemann and Cyrus Thompson.

Bantam boys also played a friendly on Sunday, Dec. 15 against St. Albert and tied 5-5.

Midget Tier 1 team Wolves continue to make waves with their strong performance, repeated over the weekend with a 3-0 record.

The Wolves defeated Rocky Royals 8-3 at home in a Ponoka Atom A scores the fifth goal against Delburne assisted by Alex Brackenbury with the killing shot coming from Gavin Allen Profontaine.

Photo by Mustafa Eric

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excessive speeds and sharp turns. Riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. Check local laws before riding on trails. ATVs can be hazardous to operate. Polaris adult models are for riders 16 and older. For your safety, always wear a helmet, eye protection and protective clothing, and be sure to take a safety training course. For safety and training information in the U.S., call the SVIA at (800) 887-2887. You may also contact your Polaris dealer or call Polaris at (800) 342-3764. ©2013 Polaris Industries Inc.

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Page 32 PONOKA NEWS

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Ponoka to welcome New Year with another rodeo

By Amelia Naismith The Rodeo Masters Ultimate Cowboy Challenge is returning for its second year to the Calnash Ag Event Centre, this time with some changes to the line up and running of the competition.

This year there will only be eight vying for the title of Ultimate Cowboy, rather than 2012’s 14. However, 14 will still compete in each of the six rodeo events. “They’re just playing for a side pot,” said event organizer Scott Wyzykoski, referring to the other six competitors.

“It’s almost like a bonus round for the top six guys in Canada from last year,” Wyzykoski added.

The cowboys are competing for twice as much money as last year, $10,000, with the Ultimate Cowboy receiving $4,000 and next three following in a 30, 20, 10 per cent pattern.

“It should be a little higher quality and a little more money, too,” said Wyzykoski.

This year a large replay screen has been added to the event and Wyzykoski says it’s thanks to Landcore, a Ponoka-headed rathole drilling and pile driving company, that the upgrades to the event were possible.

This year, the competition will also be run match-up style with the top six Canadian roughstock animals from each event also contending.

“They’ll be competing in a competition against Vern MacDonald Bar C5 Rodeo,” said Wyzykoski.

Three of MacDonald’s bulls will compete against three of Nanson Vold’s, his saddle bronc horses will go hoof to hoof with Frank Wyzykoski’s and his bareback horses are

up against those of Weatherly brothers’ Big Country Rodeo.

Based on last year’s ticket sales, Wyzykoski says he’s not holding the Ultimate Cowgirl Challenge again this year, but thinks he may try again in another year’s time. “Sometimes it takes a while for things to catch on.”

Confirmed entrants are: Jake Vold, Kyle Bowers, Trygve Pugh, Logon Hodson, Devin Mezei, Jesse Torkelson, Clay Elliot and Travis Reay.

Last year’s champion Jeremy Harden is returning for another go, along with his brothers Josh and Colter.

Not returning to the chutes or alley is last year’s second and third place tie winner Steven Turner — who provided the largest laugh of the evening after a video of him being bucked off a team roping horse found its way to YouTube — because of a hip surgery six weeks ago. However, Turner will help judge the event this year.

Vold is also hosting a bull riding futurity Dec. 28 in conjunction with the Ultimate Cowboy Challenge.

Last year Wyzykoski attempted to bring a rodeo school to the event, which fell by the wayside. However, this year the idea’s been picked up

by Rod Hay and Wyzykoski expects much better results from this. Another futurity will follow on Dec. 30.

Tickets for the Ultimate Cowboy Challenge are being sold online, at Jones Boys Saddlery and Western Wear and Vold Jones Vold auction mart. Children will be accepted to watch the rodeo but will be asked to leave right after the competition as they can’t attend the following rodeo dance and cabaret.

CALL

403-783-3311

Steve Turner is bucked from a team roping horse during last year’s challenge.

File photo by Amelia Naismith

Megan Jones of JV Queens attacks Buying orDavid Thompson rim during their game Selling you last Wednesday, Dec. 11 the gym. at need St. Augustine David Thompson won the girls’ game 50-28 and the boys’ game 76-29.

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Call 403-783-3311 Wyatt Avery of Wedins Warriors takes a shot at the visiting Blackfalds’ net as Nevin Thompson monitors the action on Saturday, Dec. 13 at the Ponoka’s small hockey rink.

Photo by Mustafa Eric

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PONOKA NEWS Page 33

Australia and East Timor Four ASIS opAnd now for eratives did the job, something completely Gwynne Dyer pretending to be part different: a spy story Guest Columnist of a team of Austrathat isn’t about the lian aid workers that US National Security was renovating East Agency’s surveillance of everything and everybody. This one Timor’s government offices. The man could come straight out of a 1950s spy who gave the order was Alex Downer, thriller: a microphone buried in a wall, Australia’s foreign minister at the time – a listening post manned by people with who now runs a public relations firm that headphones, and transcripts of secret represents Woodside Petroleum, a major Australian company that was the main conversations delivered to negotiators.

True, Australia is a member of the beneficiary of the treaty. Funny how “Five Eyes” (the United States, Canada, things work out.

The operation would never have the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand), which share most of the infor- come to light if the former director of mation that they acquire through hi-tech technical operations at ASIS had not had mass surveillance. But this kind of spying an attack of conscience on learning of was too shameful to share even with the Downer’s link to Woodside. He told East Timor about it, and the Timorese governother Four Eyes of the “Anglosphere”.

It was an Australian-only operation, ment then brought an action before the mounted in 2004 to gather information Permanent Court of Arbitration at The about the negotiating position of a very Hague demanding that the CMATS treapoor neighbouring country, East Timor, ty be cancelled.

The Australian government’s so that Australia could rip its neighbour off in a treaty that divided a rich gas-field response was to cancel the whistle-blower’s passport last week so that he could on the seabed between them.

The treaty in question, “Certain not travel to The Hague to testify, and to Maritime Arrangements in the Timor raid the Sydney offices of Bernard ColSea”, always seemed a bit peculiar. The laery, the lawyer who is representing East CMATS treaty gave Australia a half share Timor before the Court. It’s more of the in the massive Greater Sunrise field, same sort of behaviour: the Australian which is said to be worth $40 billion. But government has decided to brazen it out.

But the case may still be settled that field lies just 100 kilometres south of East Timor, and 400 kilometres from out of court, because East Timor is still desperate. Woodside has not yet started Australia.

The East Timor government depends developing the Greater Sunrise field, and on gas revenues for 95 percent of its in- it will never do so if there isn’t a deal. Ofcome, so it was very vulnerable in those fer East Timor another 10 percent and a negotiations. The Australian negotiators promise to go ahead, and it will probably could exploit that vulnerability because drop the case. The poor cannot afford they knew exactly how desperate their justice.

Gwynne Dyer is an independent Timorese opposite numbers were: the Australian Secret Intelligence Service journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries. had bugged the government’s offices.

ATV/UTV Preventive Maintenance Submitted by Blake Nobles We here at BTK Motorsports see a lot of issues around a lack of preventive maintenance, causing premature engine failure and a whole host of other issues that can be prevented by simple preventative maintenance.

If your ATV/UTV came with an owner’s manual, it should have a maintenance schedule. If you follow these schedules, the life of your machine will be greatly increased.

Here are 10 fairly simple things to check and have done if you’re unsure of the history of your machine or don’t have a manual: Check your engine oil level before each ride, and change the oil and filter regularly. Usually at least twice a year, more often if you use your machine a lot; Check your differential oils (front & rear if it is 4WD), these should be changed annually. If the oil is discolored then change it, especially if you use it a lot in water; Check you CV boots for signs of cracking or torn covers. If they show signs of wear or are torn have them replaced sooner than later as CV shafts are expensive; Check wheel bearing for excessive play or looseness. If they have

movement have them checked. Worn out wheel bearings put excessive pressure on your CV shafts; Check your brake shoes for wear and pad thickness. Worn out pads or shoes can lead to an expensive brake rotor or drum having to be replaced; Check your brake fluid level.

Check it for discoloration, if it discolored have the system flushed and replace it with new fluid. This fluid should be changed every two years to prevent corrosion in the brake system; Check your coolant level before each ride, keep it full. Change your antifreeze annually; Check tire pressures before each ride. Usually around 5 – 10 PSI, follow the manufactures rated pressures marked on the side of your tires; Check your air filter at least once a month, more often if your machine is run in dusty conditions; Have a yearly tune up done.

This will include setting the valves, changing the plugs, oil and filter change, cleaning of the air filter.

We look forward to hearing from you if you have any questions or concerns about the maintenance of your machine.

BTK Motorsports (403) 7902000

Medicine or Tax refunds for health?

By Trudy Lieberman Expert Advisor EvidenceNetwork.ca Troy Media Columnist What would you think if your doctor handed you a prescription that recommended filing your tax returns or applying for food or income benefit programs instead of the usual medicines for high blood pressure or diabetes? You’d probably say the physician was nuts. Tax refunds? Food? What do they have to do with making you healthier?

I just returned from a month long Fulbright fellowship in Canada and met such a physician, Dr. Gary Bloch, who practices family medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. We had a long conversation about what makes people healthy.

He wasn’t interested in talking about new drugs to lower cholesterol hyped by the latest drug salesperson to walk through his door.

“We’ve created an advocacy or interventional initiative aimed at changing the conversation about poverty and how doctors think about poverty as a health issue,” Bloch told me. “It’s one of those cultural shift things. My job is to push ideas for physician interventions around poverty.”

Bloch showed me a clinical tool used by primary care practices in Ontario that is based on strong evidence linking poverty to bad health outcomes.

The tool, a four-page brochure,is simple in design but powerful in concept. “You come at poverty from every possible angle,” Bloch said.

“You start from the evidence and frame the issue in language doctors can understand.”

The evidence: Page one of the tool points out that “poverty accounts for 24 per cent of person years of life lost in Canada (second only to 30 per cent for neoplasms),” and notes that “higher social and economic status seem to be the most important determinants of health.”

The tool: Three steps to address poverty in primary care practices.

Step 1: Screen everyone by asking, “Do you

ever have difficulty making ends meet at the end of the month?” Using the language of clinical tests, the tool says that this question yields a sensitivity of 98 per cent (the ability to predict the number of people with the disease) and a specificity of 64 per cent (the ability to predict those without the disease).

Step 2: Factor poverty into clinical decisions like other patient risk factors. The tool provides examples, such as noting that a man living in the lowest quartile of poverty has twice the risk of diabetes as a high income man. Therefore, when a 35-year-old man comes to the office without risk factors for diabetes but has a very low or no income, doctors should consider ordering a screening test for the disease.

Step 3: Intervene by asking questions. Here’s where that prescription to file your tax returns comes in. Bloch suggests asking if older patients have applied for all the supplemental income benefits they’re entitled to or whether all patients have applied for drug benefits they may be eligible for.

I asked Bloch about the impact of his poverty tool, a simple paper brochure, in an age when the press, the public and the medical profession are focused more on shiny, new technology and drugs than the basics of life. He said this approach is “one of those snowball things that keeps rolling.”

The Ontario Medical Association will soon publish a poverty intervention tool, and the Canadian Medical Association held town hall meetings earlier this year in several Canadian cities. Participants identified four main social determinants of health: income, housing, nutrition and food security, and early childhood development.

Put all this in the current American political context, which calls for cutting food stamps, making seniors pay more for their Medicare benefits, changing the calculation of the Social Security cost-of-living formula, and the lack of focus on early education and affordable housing. Contrast the latter with all the media hype about affordable healthcare. In the end, affordable housing may trump affordable healthcare if the objective is really better health.

Trudy Lieberman, a journalist for more than 40 years, writes regularly for the Prepared Patient Blog. She is a longtime contributor to the Columbia Journalism Review and blogs for its website, CJR.org, about media coverage of healthcare, Social Security and retirement.

Page 34 PONOKA NEWS

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

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KENNEDY Helen Kivinen 1921 - 2013 Helen Kivinen Kennedy passed away December 2, 2013 at the Lacombe Hospital. She was born April 6, 1921 at Vermilion Bay, Ontario. She was predeceased by her parents, Victor and Olga Kivinen, brother David, niece Colleen, sister Mamie and husband Gordon.

She will be dearly missed by her niece Dawn (Robert) Clark and their sons Rob (Jeannie), Rick (Elizabeth) and nephew Herb (Geri) Kennedy plus numerous distant nieces and nephew as well as many, many wonderful friends. Helen was born with Cerebral Palsy that affected her ability to walk. She had an enormous determined spirit to not let this disease control her life and held a firm belief that God loved her and would always be by her side. She graduated from Canadian Junior College with a secretarial course. She began her career with the British Columbia Conference of Seventh Day Adventist.

It was during this 15 year employment that she learned to drive a hand controlled car and this gave her the ability to be more independent. From B.C. she moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and again worked as secretary for the president of the Seventh Day Adventist conference for 3 years. In 1966 she was invited to join the Alberta Conference of Seventh Day Adventist as secretary to the president, a position she held for 18 years. After her retirement she traveled with her sister and brother-in-law to many different places throughout Canada and USA. One of her highlights was a trip to the Scandinavian countries and Finland, where her parents were born. She married Gordon Kennedy in 1998. They had many happy times taking care of each other and meeting the challenges that come with aging. In 2007 they moved to Lacombe Nursing Home where she finished her life much like she had started it, a spirit to inspire, a smile to warm hearts and a kind word for anyone who needed encouragement.

A memorial will be held in her honour in early April 2014.

Condolences may be made by visiting www.wilsonsfuneralchapel.ca WILSON’S FUNERAL CHAPEL & CREMATORIUM serving Central Alberta with locations in Lacombe and Rimbey.

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Neighborhood Place 5115 49 Ave. Ponoka For more info.

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Buying or Selling your home?

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ALLAN DALE TRAILERS & RVs is growing fast and we are seeking: Experienced RV Technicians. Motorhome experience a must.

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Fax 403-346-3116. Email: suzette@allandale.com We change daily to serve you better.

JOURNEYMAN AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE TECHNICIAN(S) in Hanna Alberta.

Hanna Chrysler Ltd. offers competitive wages, relocation allowance, negotiable depending on experience. Bright, modern Clerical shop. Full-time permanent with benefits. Friendly town just 2 hours from RONCO OILFIELD HAULING Great For covering Tables, major urban centres.

Sylvan Lake is looking for Art Work, Clean Packing More info at: Paper, Painting, Playschool, a P/T Admin. Assistant. hannachrysler.ca Banners, and Lots More.

Email resume tom@roncooilfield.ca VARIETY OF SIZES Fax 403-854-2845; Email: chrysler@telusplanet.net or fax. 403-887-4892 READ th l ifi d d fi d

720

Janitorial

770

NEWSPAPER ROLL ENDS 50¢ PER POUND

Professionals

Drop resume off at 4215 Hwy 2A

Oilfield

800

$2500 Bonus Every 100 days

IMMEDIATE OPENINGS Night Foremen, Day & Night Operators Must have H2S, First Aid, valid driver’s license.

Pre-employment Drug screening Competitive Wages.

Benefit Package Please submit resume with references to: apply@wespro.ca or by fax to (403) 783-8004 Only individuals selected for interviews will be contacted RONCO OILFIELD HAULING Sylvan Lake is looking for a Dispatcher. Knowledge of Travis Permit System and computer skills are req’d. Wages negotiable dependant on exp.

Email resume tom@ roncooilfield.ca or fax. 403-887-4892

Professionals

810

ACCOUNTANT TYPE BOOKKEEPER required for Whitecourt, Alberta company.

Must have total knowledge of all aspects of bookkeeping including accounts receivable/ payable, payroll & benefits.

Fax resume 780-778-2444

PETROFIELD Industries, the Leader in manufacturing Hydrovac trucks, is accepting resumes for the following positions: * General Labourers * Industrial Painters * Sandblasters * Material Handler * Automotive Electrical Technician * Journeyman Welder / Apprentice * 2nd Yr Welder with Aluminum experience * Production Manager Visit our website at: www.tornadotrucks.com for more details. Our Company has an enthusiastic fast paced working environment, with advancement possibilities for the motivated person, and offers an excellent benefit package. fax 403-742-5544 e-mail: hr@petrofield.com Celebrate your life with a Classified ANNOUNCEMENT

Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools

Is looking for

Part-time 2 shifts

850

810

PONOKA STAMPEDER INN HOUSEKEEPER/ ROOM ATTENDANTS

Trades

Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools has openings in the Finance and HR/Payroll Departments at our Central Office location: FINANCE MANAGER We require the candidate to have their CPA, CMA or equivalent.

A strong knowledge of principles and practices of accounting and financial management and strong analytical, troubleshooting and problems solving skills are required. The candidate will be responsible for supervising the finance department personnel and the general day to day operation of the Finance Department.

ACCOUNTING CLERK II Reporting to the Finance Manager and as part of the finance department team this position is responsible for the timely payment of liabilities, data entry, maintaining accounts payable processes and procedures and assisting staff and vendors with AP issues HR/PAYROLL ADMINISTRATOR The HR/Payroll Administrator is responsible for ensuring that the HR/Payroll processes are effectively, efficiently and consistently applied. The Candidate is also responsible to ensure employees are paid according to the appropriate placements on the pay grids and benefits are deducted per employee’s requests accurately and in a timely manner.

For further details on these positions and to apply on line, please go to www.wrps.ab.ca and click on Career Opportunities.

We thank all those who apply for their interest but only short listed applicants will be contacted.

Trades

850

Mechanic needed for a small privately owned central Alberta business. Primarily in the oil and gas service industry. Able to excel in team and individual environment with minimum supervision. Flexibly work schedule. Valid class 5 (clean record). H2S and Standard First Aid Tickets required.

Applicants should be a journeyman, registered apprentice or person interested in apprenticeship. Competitive wages and benefits. All those considered for an interview will be contacted. Email Resumes to mechserve@outlook.com.

850

Trades

AG EQUIPMENT

Taking applications for

MACHINIST Apprentice or Journeyman Welding experience an asset.

General Repair / Manufacturing Shop Benefit pkg. available.

Please fax resume to 403-742-8833

Truckers/ Drivers

860 Arnett & Burgess is now accepting applications for the following:

CLASS 1 TRUCK DRIVER Must have experience moving heavy equipment that is related to pipeline construction.

Clean abstract.

Competitive wage.

Benefits available.

Please fax resumes to 780-372-4238 Or email to: jobs@abpipeliners.com

DELIVERY

DRIVER Must have own vehicle Please reply in person with resume to

Pizza D’Oro #7 5103 - 48 Ave.

Misc.

Help

Rimbey Implements Ltd.

880

ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING AS A SERVICE ADVISOR, BUT WOULD LIKE A CHANGE?

WE ARE LOOKING FOR YOU! If you have computer, communication, and problem solving skills we will trade those for a performance based wage package, complete with benefits, and monthly bonuses.

Check us out on Dealer Rater - we are the home of happy customers.

Reply in confidence by email: cpateman@ponokachrysler.com Craig Pateman Service Manager Fax :403-783-8140

Al York

General Manager Cell: (403) 783-0593 Bus: (403) 843-3700

Rimbey, AB

Fax: (403) 843-3430

ANIMAL SERVICES

This space could be yours for $

30

PER WEEK

Call 403-783-3311 AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES

A & J AUTOMOTIVE A & J AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR 6701 - 46 Ave. 6701 46 Ave. Ponoka, AB - T4J 1J8 Ponoka, T4J 1J8 (403)AB783-8755 (403) 783-8755 Al Dickhaut Owner/Operator Al Dickhaut Owner/Operator

VET SERVICES VERBRUGGEN Veterinary Services • Beef preg-checking with ultrasound • Mobile service for all large animals • Medication & Vaccines • 24/7 on call

403-704-6650

Page 36 PONOKA NEWS

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

BOBCAT SERVICES

Misc.

Help

Sur-B Enterprises Ltd.

Truckers/ Drivers

880

BOBCAT SERVICE

Calnash Trucking has an immediate opening for the following position:

• Snow Removal • Driveways & Parking Lots • Post-Hole Augering - 6, 9, 12, 15 • Corral Cleaning • Grading & Construction Call 403-783-2764 403-588-0599 CallJim JimAshbough Ashbough 783-2764ororCell: Cell: 588-0599 Jack Surbey 403-783-5283 Cell: 403-588-0597 Jack Surbey 783-5283orCell: 588-0597

OVERHEAD DOORS

DISPATCHER

Responsibilities include coordinating equipment and personnel for rig moves and service work. Computer skills and knowledge of the trucking industry, drilling rigs and oilfield equipment, transportation rules and regulations would be an asset. Will train right candidate.

COMPETITIVE WAGES & BENEFIT PACKAGE INCLUDED

Submit resume to: Calnash Trucking Ltd. 6526 - 44 Avenue, Ponoka, AB T4J 1J8 Fax: 403.783.3011 Email: hr@calnashtrucking.com

860

RONCO OILFIELD HAULING Sylvan Lake is looking for a Dispatcher. Knowledge of Travis Permit System and computer skills are req’d. Wages negotiable dependant on exp.

Email resume tom@ roncooilfield.ca or fax. 403-887-4892 CELEBRATIONS HAPPEN EVERY DAY IN CLASSIFIEDS

RONCO OILFIELD HAULING Sylvan Lake. Openings for Picker operator, bed truck drivers and swamper’s.

Top wages and benefits.

Email resume tom@ roncooilfield.ca or fax. 403-887-4892

Misc.

Help

This space could be yours for $

30

PER WEEK

Call 403-783-3311 BOTTLE DEPOT

PONOKA BOTTLE DEPOT

Tired of the same old thing?

At Canadian Pacific you can be part of something historic.

You have a chance to make a difference, to see Canada, and build a future.

Canadian Pacific is one of Canada’s most iconic companies.

We move the goods that keep the world turning, and we’re on our way to doing it better than anyone else. To get there, CP is looking for some adaptable, hard-working, safety-conscious, and results-driven people to join our force of conductors and drive trains.

You don’t need:

Misc.

Help

880

Academic Express ADULT EDUCATION AND TRAINING

WINTER START in Ponoka, has immediate opening for

SWAMPERS Please submit resumes to 6526 - 44 Ave Ponoka, AB T4J 1J8 Fax: 403-783-3011 or Email: hr@calnashtrucking.com Start your career!

See Help Wanted

GED PREPARATION Jan. 14 or Feb. 10 STARTS Gov’t of Alberta Funding may be available.

403-340-1930 www.academicexpress.ca Looking for a new pet?

Check out Classifieds to find the purrfect pet.

Classifieds...costs so little Saves you so much!

We have JOB OPPORTUNITIES for: • TRUCK DRIVER (Cremona and Westlock) • PROJECT COORDINATOR • ESTIMATOR • PROJECT MANAGER • SITE SUPERINTENDENT

880 CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY CONDUCTOR RED DEER

880

880

Only those selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls please

Misc.

Help

Misc.

Help

Your passion for the construction 12345industry, work ethic and strong commitment to safety will be rewarded with a competitive salary. In addition, you will enjoy comprehensive health benefits. This is an exciting opportunity to make your mark in the construction industry. Furthermore, you will enjoy being part of a working environment that promotes personal and professional growth in an atmosphere of trust, respect, collaboration and safety. If you believe you have what it takes to work with construction professionals, Apply Today! Please forward your resume to: shawn@ gabrielconstruction.ca. Fax:(306)757-6764

Associate Financial Advisor Discover a better place to grow your career; a place that's caring, engaging and rewarding.

The Opportunity

Connections

Battle River Insurance Ltd / The Co-operators, in Ponoka is looking for an Associate Insurance Advisor I. Our Associate Insurance Advisors are insurance professionals trained in client service, and provide the highest level of service available anywhere in the industry.

Closed Sundays & Holidays

You do need:

Your Qualifications

We Now Recycle Milk Cartons for Deposit

Great attitude

Open Monday - Saturday 10 am - 5 pm

Railroading experience

Willingness to learn

3, 5520 Hwy 2A (Across from Husky)

403-783-6875

SALES & SERVICE

Competition closes on December 27, 2013 13123MC1 For additional information on Canadian Pacific and this career opportunity, visit us online at www.cpr.ca.

403-783-5185 1-800-662-7135 Fax: 403-783-4635

Reaching 6000 households weekly for just

30

$

PER WEEK

This space could be yours!

403-783-3311

• • • • •

The journey has begun but is far from over.

Tues - Fri: 8:30 am-5:30 pm Saturday: 9 am-3 pm

•

To work in and around Red Deer

Only those candidates contacted will be considered. All communication will be directed to the email address you use on your online application form.

Motorcycles & ATV’s

• •

General Insurance License is required or must obtain within two (2) months Meet all provincial-licensing requirements in accordance with continuing education in order to obtain and maintain all licenses One (1) year sales and service experience or related business experience is preferred Knowledge or experience with selling techniques is preferred Knowledge of auto and property insurance products is an asset Skilled in communication (verbal and written), organization, time management, client service, decision making Candidate must be comfortable in a technology dependent environment including proficiency with Microsoft Office Valid driver’s license may be required

The Reward • •

A full time position with one of the 50 Best Employers in Canada Opportunity for career development including education opportunities, continuous training and career planning • Commitment to staff wellness including a comprehensive employee assistance program • A generous compensation package including a competitive salary and benefits program, including 3 weeks of vacation in • your first full year of employment • Opportunity to work for a company that is dedicated to giving back to your community through volunteering and an emphasis on environmental and sustainable business practices If you are interested in a career with The Co-operators, please drop off a Cover Letter and Resume at our office in Ponoka. Candidates will be contacted by January 17, 2014.

Want to learn more or have questions about this opportunity, please contact Greg Braat, Financial Advisor / Owner.

About The Co-operators The Co-operators Group Limited is a Canadian-owned co-operative. Through its group of companies it offers home, auto, life, group, travel, commercial and farm insurance, as well as investment products. The Co-operators is well known for its community involvement and its commitment to sustainability. The Co-operators is ranked #3 among the 50 Best Corporate Citizens in Canada by Corporate Knights, and listed among the 50 Best Employers in Canada. For more information visit

http://www.cooperators.ca.

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Volunteers Wanted

890

TOWN OF PONOKA SUBDIVISION & DEVELOPMENT APPEAL BOARD

The Subdivision and Development Appeal Board has two upcoming vacancies.

Any person interested in serving on the Board is requested to submit a completed Application on or before January 6, 2014 to the Town of Ponoka.

Application Forms are available at the Town Office: 5102 - 48th Avenue Ponoka, Alberta T4J 1P7 or on the Town’s website at: www.ponoka.ca

PONOKA NEWS Page 37

Misc.

Help

880

REQUIRED Production Welder Painter Shop Laborer Polisher Full or Part Time Crestomere area BANDIT INDUSTRIES 403-783-4284 SEEKING A CAREER in the Community Newspaper business? Post your resume for FREE right where the publishers are looking. Visit: www.awna.com/ resumes_add.php.

NEWSPAPER ROLL ENDS 50¢ PER POUND

Great For covering Tables, Art Work, Clean Packing Paper, Painting, Playschool, Banners, and Lots More.

Business Services #1000 - #1430

Legal Services

1260

CRIMINAL RECORD? Think: Canadian pardon.

U.S. travel waiver.

(24 hour record check).

Divorce? Simple. Fast.

Inexpensive. Debt recovery?

Alberta collection to $25,000. Calgary 403-228-1300 or 1-800-347-2540; www. accesslegalresearch.com.

Misc.

Services

1290

VARIETY OF SIZES READ the classifieds and find just what you’re looking for.

309-3300

Misc.

Help

Misc.

Services

880 PRODUCTION OPERATOR

Working in either the Stettler/ Ponoka and Watelet areas, you will work with the production operations staff to manage the day-to day operation of wells, pipelines, multi-well batteries, gas plants, gas compression facilities, oil wells, pump jacks and oil battery.

As a full-time employee/contractor, you will be working a rotating shift and you will be expected to take call as required.

Duties and Responsibilities • Well and facility monitoring and maintenance. • Assist with production optimization and trouble shooting. • Work in a team atmosphere and take on a variety of operating challenges. • Understand and perform safety, environmental, and regulatory responsibilities such as hazard identification, equipment lock-out, emergency response and implement safe work procedures. • Identify and scope out opportunities to maximize production, minimize operating costs and eliminate downtime. • Perform housekeeping, performance monitoring and maintenance activities.

Qualifications • High school diploma or equivalent. • Three years minimum of oil and gas field operating experience. • Strong communication, troubleshooting and problem solving skills. • Posses a valid Class 5 drivers license. • First Aid, CPR, TDG, WHMIS and Confined Space Entry certification an asset. • Proficient in MS Office Suite and experience with PVR is an asset.

NEW TO YOUR COMMUNITY ?

Our Hostess will bring gifts and greetings, along with helpful community information.

Be sure to call

Or Fax to:

Employment Training

DISCONNECTED PHONE? Phone Factory Home Phone Service.

No one refused!

Low monthly rate!

Calling features and unlimited long distance available. Call Phone Factory today!

1-877-336-2274; www.phonefactory.ca.

Personal Services

DATING SERVICE. Long-term/short-term relationships. Free to try!

1-877-297-9883.

Live intimate conversation, Call #7878 or 1-888-534-6984. Live adult 1on1 Call 1-866-311-9640 or #5015.

Meet local single ladies.

1-877-804-5381. (18+).

TRUE PSYCHICS! For Answers call now 24/7 Toll Free 1-877-342-3036; Mobile: # 4486; www.truepsychics.ca.

NEED TO ADVERTISE? Province wide classifieds.

Reach over 1 million readers weekly.

Only $269. + GST (based on 25 words or less).

Call this newspaper NOW for details or call 1-800-282-6903 ext. 228.

Personal Services

Misc.

Services

AN EXCELLENT CHOICE WHERE YOUR AD REACHES RURAL READERS

1315

Unplanned pregnancy may be difďŹ cult to face.

We care. For conďŹ dential help call 403-343-1611 (24 hrs.)

1315

CALL 1-877-223-3311 CLASSIFIEDS HOT-LINE WHATEVER YOU’RE SELLING...

WE HAVE THE PAPER YOU NEED!

Heather Goodwin 403-704-3647 heathermccg@shaw.ca

Misc.

Services

1290

Used appliances available Six month warranty

Refrigeration We deliver and install your purchases.

403-783-4880 1290

Misc.

Services

1290

e Squeezthe MOST out of your advertising dollars with a combined circulation of over 800,000 for only...

995 plus GST/HST

Value Ad Network

Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association toll free 1-800-282-6903 x228 email andrea@awna.com or visit this community newspaper

403-742-1173

Well Drilling

1400

Funded in part by the Government of Canada.

MÉTIS EMERGENCY MÉTIS EMERGENCY SERVICES PREPARATION SERVICES PREPARATION 1-888-48-MÉTIS

Well Drilling

1400

Well Drilling

1400

RURAL WATER TREATMENT (Province Wide)

a div. of Kokotilo Holdings Inc.

12345 PREPARE FOR A FOR CAREER IN PREPARE A CAREER INApplication FIREFIGHTING & POLICING FIREFIGHTING & POLICING Deadline: January 10, 2014

DR. STEVE CALDER BS C DDS

Family Friendly Dentistry Box 1100 4905 50 St. Rimbey, AB T0C 2J0

Ph. (403) 843-2173 Fax: (403) 843-2607

DENTAL CARE BIRCHLAND DENTAL CLINIC PRACTICE OF DENTISTRY

4037835225 • 4037835235 5118 - 51 Ave., Ponoka, AB T4J 1R5

DR. HUGH PORTER • DR. RICK BARR DR. JEFF BARR • DR. GREG EDWARDS - General Dentistry - Orthodontics - Cosmetic Dentistry - Bonding - Veneers - Bleaching - White or Gold Fillings - Crown and Bridge - Implant Restorations “WE ENTHUSIASTICALLY WELCOME NEW PATIENTSâ€?

EYE CARE Drs. Heimdahl, ZoBell & Kallal 403-783-5575 1-800-662-7168

•

5120-51ST AVE, PONOKA

- ADVANCED EYE HEALTH & VISION EXAMS - CONSULTATION & REFERRAL SERVICES - DESIGNER EYE WEAR & CONTACT LENSES - INSURED MEDICAL EYECARE SERVICES NOW AVAILABLE FOR ALL AGES

NEW PATIENTS ALWAYS WELCOME

OFFICE HOURS: Monday - Friday 8AM - 12:30PM • 1PM - 5PM

CONCRETE SERVICES

WETASKIWIN READY MIX • Residential • Commercial • Agricultural OPEN MONDAY TO SATURDAY Ph: 587-786-3142 780-352-4301 Email: dmarkevich@wetaskiwinrm.com

HEATING

Place your ad in this newspaper and12345 province wide $

Direct Energy Box 1689 Stettler, Alberta T0C2L0 Attention: Norm Nelson

900

RIMBEYDENTALCARE

WWW.4YOUREYESONLY.CA

Berni's

Misc.

Services

DENTISTRY

1290 Misc.

Services 1290

and Appliance Service

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Send resume to:

1290

Tell them Danny Hooper sent you

)RON &ILTERS s 3OFTENERS s $ISTILLERS s 2EVERSE /SMOSIS h+ONTINUOUS 3HOKv #HLORINATOR 0ATENTED 7HOLE (OUSE 2EVERSE /SMOSIS 3YSTEM

12345 7ATER 7ELL $RILLING 7ITHIN MILES OF %DMONTON

2ED $EER #ALGARY .EW 'OVERNMENT WATER WELL GRANT STARTS !PRIL 4IME 0AYMENT 0LAN / ! # FOR WATER WELLS AND WATER TREATMENT

")' )2/.

View our 29 patented and patent pending inventions online at

www.1800bigiron.com

“Committed to your comfort�

Robin Esau

Ph: 403-782-7722 Fax: 403-782-7499

robin@KlesAir.com www.KlesMechanical.com

Advertise your business in the Business Directory!

Page 38 PONOKA NEWS

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

HEATING & EAVESTROUGHING

Pet Services

1318

CLINKERS KENNELS Commercial - Residential Installations - Repair

3912 - 66 St, Ponoka www.wcmltd.ca

403.783.3501 wcmltd@telus.net

VETERINARY SERVICES

Bovine Veterinary Services

* Quality Boarding for your dogs & cats *Proof of vaccinations and advance bookings required

CETA CerƟĮed Dairy and Beef Embryo Transfer Herd Health

Dr. Bruce Wine

ʹͶ

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE FOR JUST

$

30

PER WEEK.

30

PER WEEK

Call 403-783-3311 VETERINARY SERVICES

Southwest Industrial Park 4102-64 St., Ponoka 403-783-5200 8 a.m. - 5 p.m Mon. to Sat. • Open late Thursday 24-hour Emergency Call Dr. Bill Frischke • Dr. Kelly Loree • Dr. Leighton Coma Dr. Trevor Hook • Dr. Patricia Kelly

Reaching 6000 households weekly

For just

$30 per week this space could be yours!

403-783-3311

LAST SALE OF THE SEASON DEC. 18

403-783-6272

WE BUY FOR CASH.

www.clinkerskennels.ca Tired of Standing?

Find something to sit on in Classifieds

Rental Misc

1350

8’ X 10’ mini storage units available for rent.

Also RV storage.

Secure compound.

Call Keith at

First Call Towing

783-3636 Something for Everyone Everyday in Classifieds

REACHING 6000 HOUSEHOLDS PER WEEK.

This space could be yours for $

BIG STRAPPER AUCTIONS SALES EVERY WED. @ 6 pm.

Moose Hall 2 miles south of Ponoka on 2A

NO ANTIQUE SALES IN JANUARY

Need RV or Self Storage?

Phone 403-391-1684

1530

HOURS: Mon - Thurs 9 am - 12 Noon; 4 pm - 6 pm; Fri. 9 am - 12 Noon; 4 pm - 7 pm; Sat. 9 a.m. - 12 noon; Sun. 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. & 4 - 7 p.m.

On-Farm Mobile Veterinary Services Ultrasound-aided ReproducƟve Programs

Auctions

Buy & Sell #1500 - #1990 Aircraft ..............................1510 Antiques & Art ..................1520 Auctions ............................1530 Bicycles ............................1540 Building Supplies ..............1550 Business Machines ..........1560 Cameras & Accessories ..1570 Children’s Items ................1580 Clothing ............................1590 Computers ........................1600 Concert & Event Tickets ..1610 Equipment - Misc. ............1620 Equipment - Heavy ..........1630 Tools ................................1640 Farmers’ Market & Food Basket......................1650 Firewood ..........................1660 Lumber ............................1670 Garden Supplies ..............1680 Lawn Tractors ..................1690 Health, Dietary, Beauty ....1700 Household Appliances......1710 Household Furnishings ....1720 TV’s, Stereos, VCR’s ........1730 Hot Tubs & Accessories ..1740 Jewellery ..........................1750 Kid’s Deals........................1755 Misc. For Sale ..................1760 Musical Instruments..........1770 Music Lessons..................1780 Piano & Organs ................1790 Office Supplies ................1800 Pets & Supplies ................1810 Pet Services ....................1820 Cats ..................................1830 Dogs ................................1840 Sports Cards ....................1850 Sporting Goods ................1860 Collectors’ Items ..............1870 Swap, Barter & Trade ......1880 Travel Packages ..............1900 Wedding Supplies ............1910 Recycled Products............1920 Wanted to Buy ..................1930 Items to Give Away ..........1940

Auctions

1530

UNRESERVED PUBLIC AUCTION New Years Day! World Class antique furniture and collectibles.

11 a.m., Wednesday, January 1 at 1235 - 1 Ave., Wainwright, Alberta.

Scribner Auction 780-842-5666; www.scribnernet.com.

Building Supplies

1550

STEEL BUILDINGS/ METAL BUILDINGS 60% off!

20x28, 30x40, 40x62, 45x90, 50x120, 60x150, 80x100, sell for balance owed!

Call 1-800-457-2206; www.crownsteelbuildings.ca

Dogs

1840

RESUMING MID JANUARY

www.bigstrapperauctions.net

MEIER GUN AUCTION. Saturday, December 21, 11 a.m., 6016 - 72A Ave., Edmonton.

Over 150 guns - Handguns, rifles, shotguns, wildlife mounts, hunting and fishing equipment.

To consign 780-440-1860 WARD’S AUCTIONS Antiques/Estate Auction.

Jan. 5 and 6, 11802 - 145 St., Edmonton.

780-451-4549.

Taking consignments now for Feb. 8 Firearms and related auction. Online bidding and pictures at www.WardsAuctions.com.

Building Supplies

1550

LOOKING FOR A SHOP? Post Frame Buildings.

AFAB Industries has experience, expertise, reliability and great construction practices.

For a free quote, contact Ryan Smith 403-818-0797 or email: ryan.afab@gmail.com METAL ROOFING & SIDING. Very competitive prices!

Largest colour selection in Western Canada.

Available at over 25 Alberta Distribution Locations.

40 Year Warranty.

Call 1-888-263-8254 POST FRAME BUILDERS - Prairie Post Frame’s premium buildings with competitive pricing has resulted in an unprecedented growth.

We are looking for additional outstanding builders.

Please contact Phil: phil@prairiepostframe.ca.

1-855-767-8275.

Welding

GOLDEN DOODLES and LABRADOODLES, silvers and chocolate. Delivered to Alberta. Text 306-521-1371 or call 306-792-2113 www.furtettishfarm.ca

Wanted To Buy

1930

TAMARACK

Lil Mule Logging Inc. is now buying standing Tamarack. Minimum 10 acres. 403-318-4346

2100

Bred Hefiers Blacks, Reds & Sim Calving Mar. 15 Ivomec, and scour guard.

403-843-6463 Grain, Feed Hay

403-304-4791 Check website for full listing Central Alberta’s Largest Car Lot in Classifieds

Livestock

2190

HEATED CANOLA buying Green, Heated or Springthrashed Canola.

Buying: oats, barley, wheat & peas for feed. Buying damaged or offgrade grain.

“On Farm Pickup” Westcan Feed & Grain, 1-877-250-5252.

ROUND hay bales. Cheap Free delivery. Self unloading. No Sunday calls Please. 403-843-6380 WANTED. Hannas Seeds seeking distributors for forage, turf, native and reclamation seed.

Good commissions.

Contact Dave at 1-800-661-1529 or dave@hannasseeds.com

DENTISTRY

RIMBEYDENTALCARE DR. STEVE CALDER BS C DDS

Family Friendly Dentistry Box 1100 4905 50 St. Rimbey, AB T0C 2J0

Ph. (403) 843-2173 Fax: (403) 843-2607

DENTAL CARE BIRCHLAND DENTAL CLINIC PRACTICE OF DENTISTRY

4037835225 • 4037835235 5118 - 51 Ave., Ponoka, AB T4J 1R5

DR. HUGH PORTER • DR. RICK BARR DR. JEFF BARR • DR. GREG EDWARDS - General Dentistry - Orthodontics - Cosmetic Dentistry - Bonding - Veneers - Bleaching - White or Gold Fillings - Crown and Bridge - Implant Restorations “WE ENTHUSIASTICALLY WELCOME NEW PATIENTS”

EYE CARE Drs. Heimdahl & ZoBell 403-783-5575 1-800-662-7168 WWW.4YOUREYESONLY.CA

Agricultural #2000 - #2290

Farm Equipment ..............2010 Haying Equipment ............2020 Tractors ............................2030 Combines & Headers ......2040 Fertilizer Equipment..........2050 Misc. Farm Machinery ......2060 Equipment Wanted ..........2070 Farm Custom Work ..........2080 Farm Auctions ..................2090 Livestock ..........................2100 Livestock - Exotic..............2110 Sheep ..............................2120 Poultry ..............................2130 Horses ..............................2140 Horse Boarding ................2150 Riding Supplies ................2160 Horse/Stock Trailers ........2170 Pasture Wanted ................2180 Grain, Feed, Hay ..............2190 Seed Grain ......................2200 Seeding & Tillage ............2210

1410 Welding 1410

For Rent #3000 - #3200

Acreages/Farms ..............3010 Houses/Duplexes ............3020 Condos/Townhouses........3030 Manufactured Homes ......3040 Four Plexes/Six Plexes ....3050 Suites ..............................3060 Cottages/Seasonal ..........3070 Roommates Wanted ........3080 Rooms for Rent................3090 Motels/Hotels ..................3100 Offices ..............................3110 Stores/Commercial ..........3120 Industrial ..........................3130 Warehouse Space............3140 Garage Space..................3150 Storage Space ................3160 Land ................................3170 Pasture ............................3180 Mobile Lot ........................3190 Misc. for Rent ..................3200

Wanted to Rent #3250 - #3390

Acreages/Farms ..............3255 Houses/Duplexes ............3260 Suites ..............................3270 Rooms..............................3280 Manufactured Homes ......3290 Housesitting Wanted ........3300 Garage Space..................3310 Storage Space ................3320 Stores/Commercial ..........3330 Office Space ....................3340 Industrial ..........................3350 Warehouse Space............3360 Resorts & Cottages..........3370 Pasture/Land....................3380 Mobile Lot ........................3390

Houses/ Duplexes

3020

PONOKA 5 BDRM. FULLY DEVELOPED DUPLEX. $1395/mo. 403-704-1221

Manufactured Homes • B-PRESSURE • PIPELINE • OILFIELD • ASME Section VIII Division I VESSEL FABRICATION & PIPING • SHOP/PORTABLE • CNC PLASMA CUTTING • ALUMINUM • SHEARING & FORMING

MAIN: (403) 783-7591 FAX: (403) 783-8178 Website: www.harbinwelding.com E-mail: bharbin@telus.net

3040

PONOKA MOOSE LODGE IS CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS For the rental of a modular home site.

Please contact Lynn at 403-358-6580 for details.

Suites

3060

* RIVERSIDE APTS. * Newly renovated 1 & 2 bedroom units in Ponoka: 3724-45 Street.

403-357-0287

•

5120-51ST AVE, PONOKA

- ADVANCED EYE HEALTH & VISION EXAMS - CONSULTATION & REFERRAL SERVICES - DESIGNER EYE WEAR & CONTACT LENSES - INSURED MEDICAL EYECARE SERVICES NOW AVAILABLE FOR ALL AGES

NEW PATIENTS ALWAYS WELCOME

OFFICE HOURS: Monday - Friday 8AM - 12:30PM • 1PM - 5PM

This space could be yours for $

30

PER WEEK

Call 403-783-3311 HEATING

“Committed to your comfort”

Robin Esau

Ph: 403-782-7722 Fax: 403-782-7499

robin@KlesAir.com www.KlesMechanical.com

Advertise your business in the Business Directory!

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Suites

PONOKA NEWS Page 39

3060

VETERINARY SERVICES

Ponoka Veterinary Clinic

2 BDRM SUITE AVAILABLE January 1/14 N/S, N/P

403-357-0654 FURNISHED BACHELOR SUITE FOR RENT IN PONOKA TV & utils. incld. $550/mo.

403-963-0204

Industrial

3130

1600 sq ft shop space for lease in Ponoka Industrial Park Available Jan 1/14 Call weekdays 403-302-4653 Or Leave message 403-782-2294

Real Estate #4000 - #4190

Realtors & Services..........4010 Houses for Sale................4020 Houses Wanted ................4030 Condos/Townhouses ........4040 Acreages ..........................4050 Acreages Wanted ............4060 Farms/Land ......................4070 Farms/Land Wanted ........4080 Manufactured/ Mobile Homes ..................4090 Income Property ..............4100 Commercial Property ......4110 Industrial Property ............4120 Cottages/Resort Property ..4130 Businesses for Sale..........4140 Buildings for Sale ............4150 Lots for Sale ....................4160 Out of Town Property ......4170 Investment Opportunities ..4180 Mortgages Bought/Sold....4190

Manufactured Homes

4090

Transportation Financial #5000-5300 #4400 - #4430 Automotive Services ........5010

Investments ......................4410 Antique & Classic Autos ....5020 Money Wanted ................4420 Cars ..................................5030 Money to Loan ................4430 SUV’s................................5040 Trucks ..............................5050 Heavy Trucks....................5060 Vans/Buses ......................5070 Money Motorcycles ......................5080 To Loan Campers ..........................5090 DO YOU NEED to borrow Motorhomes......................5100 money - Now? If you own 5th Wheels........................5110 a home or real estate, Holiday Trailers ................5120 Alpine Credits will lend Tent Trailers ......................5130 you money - It’s that Utility Trailers ....................5140 simple. 1-877-486-2161 ATV’s ................................5150 Boats & Marine ................5160 TOO MUCH STUFF? Let Classifieds Snowmobiles ....................5170 help you sell it.

Tires, Parts & Accessories ......................5180 DROWNING IN DEBT? Auto Wreckers ..................5190 Cut debts more than 60% Vehicles Wanted ..............5200 & debt free in half the time! Car/Truck Rental ..............5210 Avoid bankruptcy!

Recreational Vehicle Free consultation; www.mydebtsolution.com Rental ..............................5220 Trailer Rental ....................5230 or toll free 1-877-556-3500.

Misc. Automotive ..............5240 BBB rated A+.

RV’s ..................................5300

4430

FAST AND EASY LOANS! Bad credit accepted!

Get up to $25,000 on your vehicle, mobile-home, land or equipment.

1st and 2nd mortgages. www.bhmcash.com.

403-879-9929.

GET BACK ON TRACK! Bad credit? Bills?

Unemployed? Need money?

We lend! If you own your own home - you qualify.

Pioneer Acceptance Corp.

Member BBB. 1-877-987-1420; www.pioneerwest.com

Houses For Sale

Tires, Parts Acces.

5180

WRECKING AUTO-TRUCKS. Parts to fit over 500 trucks.

Lots of Dodge, GMC, Ford, imports. We ship anywhere. Lots of Dodge, diesel, 4x4 stuff.

(Lloydminster).

Reply 780-875-0270.

North-East Recyclers truck up to 3 tons.00,0.00,0.00

Public Notices ..................6010 Special Features ..............6050

Public Notices

6010

THIS SPACE COULD BE YOURS FOR

You have 30 days from the date of this advertisement to respond to the Statement of Claim.

$30

PER WEEK.

You can respond by filing a Statement of Defence or a Demand for Notice in the office of the Clerk of the Court of Queen’s Bench at Wetaskiwin, Alberta, AND serving your Statement of Defence or Demand of Notice upon the Plaintiff at the address for service shown on the Statement of Claim for Divorce.

You may also obtain a copy of the Statement of Claim for Divorce by contacting:

CALL 4037833311 ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE FOR JUST

CASE CLOSED LEGAL SERVICES LTD. PO Box 4490, #3, 5012 – 48 Avenue, Ponoka, AB T4J 1S1, Phone: 403-790-9280, 403-785-5002 or 403-704-3604

$

30

PER WEEK. REACHING 6000 HOUSEHOLDS PER WEEK.

4020 es

s•

• ses

le and

ic Sp

Whatever you SELL...

Advertise it HERE!

CLASSIFIEDS

TODAY! are

p keu

•

ADVERTISING WORKS!!!

Advertise your business or service in the

C

r

Pu

4190

Classifieds Your place to SELL Your place to BUY

24 Hr. Emergency 403-783-4348

5502 - Hwy 2A Ponoka, AB T4J 1M1

You are named as a Defendant in a Statement of Claim for Divorce filed in the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta, Judicial District of Wetaskiwin on October 22, 2013.

UNITED HOMES CANADA invites you to view our Heated display homes.

Purchase today at 2012 pricing. Inventory clearance starting at $92,500.; www. unitedhomescanada.com.

148 Eastlake Blvd., Airdrie.

1-800-461-7632.

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.

Mon. - Fri. 8 am - 5 pm Sat. 9 am - 4:30 pm

NOTICE TO: STEVEN BRIAN BILAN

SINGLE BEST SALE EVER WITH DYNAMIC HOMES! Don’t miss out!

Up to $7000. in discounts.

Some restrictions may apply. Limited time offer on SRI Models.

Save this Christmas.

Call 1-877-341-4422.

Mortgages Bought/Sold

Dr. Murray Jacobson Dr. Clayton West Dr. Ashley Shannon

Public Notice #6000

w per Tup

Check out your options with the

•M

Darcy’s Drilling Services • water wells drilled & serviced • new pump & pressure system installations • all types of pump repairs • well shocking Darcy Schmidt Ph: (403) 783-2220 Fax: (403) 783-8828 Email: darcysdrillingservices@hotmail.com

WATER WELL SERVICE

ECKLUND Water Well Service • Install & Service Pumps • Shock Wells • Pressure Systems Serviced & Installed Home: (403) 783-3712 Cell: (403) 704-3413

CUSTOM TUB GRINDING • Different screens for bedding & feed • 600 HP truck driven for fast grinding • Minimum Charge 2 HRS @ $220/HR

a

en itch

WATER WELL DRILLING SERVICES

K

403.783.3311

CALL LEEN VOGELAAR 403-704-0919

Page 40 PONOKA NEWS

OPEN

10 AM - 10 PM 7 Days A Week

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Hammy’s SPIRITS ANDRES BABY CHAMPAGNE 750 ml.

2/$10.00 OR $ .49 5 EACH

BREWHOUSE PILSNER 355 ml. 24 cans

22.49 EACH

$

HENKELL SPARKLING WINE Assorted Varieties 750 ml.

9

$ .99

EACH

NEW AMSTERDAM VODKA 750 ml.

17

$

.99

THE LITTLE PENGUIN SHIRAZ OR CHARDONNAY

EACH

NEW AMSTERDAM GIN

DRAMBUIE 375 ml

15

$

.99

EACH

2/$15.00 OR $ .99 7 EACH

750 ml.

17

$

750 ml

.99

EACH

750 ml.

26.99 EACH

$

DEADBOLT RED

10.99 EACH

$ J LOHR ‘SEVEN OAKS’ CABERNET 750 ml.

18.99 EACH

$

750 ml.

BACARDI GOLD RUM 375 ml.

DI SARONNO 750 ml

1.14L

13.49 EACH $23.99 EACH $30.99 EACH

$

1.14L

29.99 EACH

$

Bay #5, 4502 - 50th St. • 403-783-2333 Prices in effect Wednesday, Dec. 18 to Tuesday Dec. 24, 2013 Prices do not include GST or deposit. We reserve the right to limit quantities