The CAMROSE BOOSTER, December 31, 2013 – Page 22
Augustana donates ambulance to museum By Murray Green
The University of Alberta Augustana Campus said good-bye to an old friend Nov. 8. Augustana donated the rolling paramedic training classroom “Bula” to the Reynolds Museum of Alberta for an upcoming history of ambulances. The 1987 Dodge ambulance was made by Ambucraft, an Alberta-based company originating in Innisfail. It was purchased by the City-County Ambulance Authority in 1987. It served on emergency lifesaving calls and emergency transfers to care centres throughout Alberta as a front line unit until it was scheduled for replacement in 1999. The university gave Bula a second chance. At around the same time, the then-Augustana University College started up a distance education paramedic program. The ambulance was purchased from the City and County of Camrose around 2001. It became a training vehicle to simulate a work environment and assisted the program in moving forward. The vehicle was nick-
Murray Green, Camrose Booster Health compliance officer Len Stelmaschuk, left, with Alberta Health Standards Compliance and Licensing Branch witnesses University of Alberta Augustana Campus dean Allen Berger, centre, pass the keys of Bula the ambulance to Wetaskiwin Reynolds-Alberta Museum curator Justin Cuffe, who wants the historic ambulance to be on display next June.
named “Bula” because all ambulances have the words ambulance written across the front backwards, so that people can read it in their rear view mirror. When the unit was sold to Augustana, the lettering AM and NCE
was removed leaving just Bula. When the Augustana University College joined the University of Alberta in 2004 the paramedic program no longer aligned with the new faculty. The
program was transferred to Lakeland College but Bula was not. After Bula remained idle in a Camrose parking compound for several years, health compliance officer Len Stelmaschuk, with
Alberta Health Standards Compliance and Licensing Branch, a paramedic Bula trained in the Augustana EMT program) approached the Reynolds Museum of Alberta. He learned that the museum wanted to start a history of ambulances. Since Bula had ties to an Alberta-based manufacturing company, was used in active service in Alberta, and was transitioned to train Emergency Medical Services workers, it was deemed a suitable candidate for the preservation of EMS history. Augustana dean Allen Berger passed the keys onto Reynolds-Alberta Museum curator Justin Cuffe, who wants the van to be on display by June. “We have some older ambulances and a 1974 model. We were looking for a newer model to fill the gap in our history,” said Justin. “We will take a little rust out of it, check the mechanics and get it ready for showing with some internal cleaning. We have a 50s theme right now, so it will be probably in June when the ambulance will go on display with our history of emergency vehicles.”
Chamber elects new directors By Dan Jensen
The ballots have been counted. Shauna Chrabaszcz, from Creative Bedrooms, Jenn Henderson, from Windwood Group, Louise Jones, from Rural Alberta Business Centre, Colleen Labelle, from McSliquors and Sandy Wittnyk, from Awareness Academy have been elected to two year terms on the Camrose Chamber of Commerce board of directors. They will be installed when the Chamber of Commerce holds its annual general meeting at the Best Western Camrose Resort Casino Feb. 5. Chamber of Commerce directors who have one year left to serve are Tom Chelmick, Sebastien D’Eschambeault, from The Brick, Jurie Girard, from Starbucks, Jason Heise, from Vital Effect, and Tracey Leibel, from ATB Investor Services. The Chamber of Commerce executive for 2014 will consist of Jenn Filip, from CRE, as president, Tanya Gox, from T.F. Financial Services, as first vice-president, and Tony Metivier, from Staples Business Depot, as second vice-president. Past president for the Chamber is Dawn Anderson. Presentation
Chamber members heard about the workings of the Sherwood Park and District Chamber of Commerce and Strathcona County Economic Development and Tourism at their Dec. 3 luncheon.
Sherwood Park and District Chamber of Commerce is the fourth largest Chamber in Alberta, with 1,150 members, 16 elected members and seven staff. “We have great leadership from the pillars of the community,” said executive director Todd Banks. Sherwood Park and District Chamber of Commerce events and projects include business awards, an education breakfast, golf tournament, parade, Students for Hire, a trade fair, curling funspiel, tourism, maps and information, and a visitor guide. “We work with the Alberta Chambers of Commerce and Canadian Chambers of Commerce for support of policies from members, and gather information for policy papers,” said Banks. Stats Canada figures show that the population of Strathcona County has grown by 12.1 per cent since 2006 to its current total of 92,490, and that in 2010, the average family income in Strathcona County was $144,425, $28,193 higher than the provincial average. “The average family income is roughly the largest in the region,” said Strathcona County economic development and tourism director Gerry Gabinet. Money Sense magazine ranked Strathcona County as the second best place to live in Canada in 2013 (with populations under 100,000), behind St. Albert and the fourth best place in Canada overall, behind Calgary, St. Albert, and Burlington, Ontario.
The number of new housing starts in Strathcona County as of Aug. 31 accounted for six per cent of all new housing starts in the region, while the number of new homes under construction as of September was 206. The average price of homes sold during the month of November (2013) was $425,264. Gabinet said Strathcona County is working with several developers on new retail projects. “There is a lot of competition for the retail dollars. A lot of people work elsewhere but they like to buy locally.” New industrial projects being proposed or planned for Strathcona County include a $900 million Williams Propane de-hydrogenation plant that will produce 1.1 billion pounds of polymer grade propylene annually that will either be shipped to the U.S. Gulf Coast or delivered to a propylene derivative plant in Alberta, an Air Products plant that will supply hydrogen to the Northwest Upgrader refinery, and a ATCO Power 400 magawatt natural gas-fired power station (14 km northeast of Fort Saskatchewan) to meet Alberta’s growing electricity demand. ATCO plans to begin construction activities in late 2014, with full operation expected in 2017. “These plants will mean more jobs for people living in Camrose,” said Gabinet. “They will be able to live in Camrose and commute back and forth.”
A DOWN HOME COUNTRY CHRISTMAS
Lisa Hewitt performed during the A Down Home Country Christmas concert at the Bailey Theatre on Dec. 11. Special guests Myra Marshall, Camerata, Jason Vollrath and Bev Munro also helped bring the Christmas spirit to Camrose with familiar and new holiday songs.