New Two Hills Sergeant meets Village of Andrew Council and discusses area priorities

BY JANA SEMENIUK

New Two Hills Sergeant David Henry gave a short presentation to the Village of Andrew Council members during their July 26 council meeting to introduce himself and present his policing priorities for the area.

Henry, who took over from Sgt. Robert Daisley who is now in Red Deer, arrived last month and said he has been with the RCMP for over 18 years and prefers the smalltown life to living in the city.

“I like the small-town feel. I can't stand the city unless I go to quickly shop,” he said, while the crowd of 12 seated in the gallery murmured in agreement.

Henry opened his presentation with gifts to each of the council members; a dark red travel mug in celebration of the RCMP’s 150th year.

“We would like to give (one each to) the mayor and council for always supporting and working with the RCMP,” he said.

“I realize we're not easy to work with sometimes and we do appreciate all your support.”

Henry said he remembered doing a six-month stint in Andrew before Daisley arrived in 2019 and enjoyed the community.

“When they presented this opportunity to come back, I obviously took it as quick as I could,” he said smiling.

Henry shared with the council what he said were his top three priorities for the area, requesting their thoughts and feedback when he was done.

He said that he went over all of the case files for the area created over the past few years and his number one priority is property crime reduction.

“Theft from acreages and theft from the town, that is what I want to focus on,” he said. “I want you guys to have open communication with us (to say) there’s a suspicious vehicle here,

Lamont County

• W4-18-53-24-SW Plan 0826481 Block 2 Lot 1 5.02 acres yard site in Lamont County. Utilities at the property line. Price $45,000

• W4-20-55-27-SE Plan 1023701 Block 1 Lot 1A Lamont County. 138.09 acres in the Lamont Heartland for industrial use. Located North of Highway 15 on Range Road 202. Price $4,400,000

• 4 lot package for sale in Chipman. Located 5004 50 St, 5006 50 St, 5008 50 St, 5010 50 St. Chipman

AB. PRICE REDUCED $25,000

• SW ¼, 30-54-18-W4 (South ½)- 72.12 acres Fenced pasture land Price: $190,000

• HWY 834 TWP 544 Village Chipman 70.18 acres Fenced pasture land Price: $190,000

• HWY 834 TWP 544 Village Chipman 2.05 acres pasture land Price: $50,000

• W4-18-53-26-NE N1/2 Lamont County 80 acres with about 70 acres in hay. Property is fenced, and has power and a well. Price: $250,000

• NE-11-54-18-W4 160 acres and E 1/2 NW-11-54-18-W4 79.73 acres both properties fenced. Larger property has ± 130 acres of hay with a large spring fed dugout. and the smaller portion is pasture. Price $760,000.00

• SE-8-55-17-W4 160 acres ± 130 acres of #2 soil currently in hay Price $660,000 then we can go out and engage as we can.”

Henry said his number two priority is traffic which does not necessarily mean more speeding tickets.

“I don't want to make it where my guys (are told to) get 10 tickets a month. (Writing tickets) will still be there, but I don’t want that to be a focus. I'm talking about impaired driving, (with) no insurance, there's no registration, the things that hurt us. When you get into an accident, and they don't have insurance, you end up paying more insurance,” he said. “I want to target that (and) I want to target stolen vehicles and the criminal element of traffic.”

Henry described how his third priority is community relations and police visibility.

“I want my guys to be able to feel free to go for coffee with the farmers

(and) go out to the community to engage,” he said, adding that his own experience as an officer left him feeling bitter at one time.

“It's not just for you guys, it's for us. I found (I was) becoming very bitter as a police officer because I was dealing with the crap over and over. So, when I started engaging in the schools, it (affected) my life. I felt it's not 99 bad one good, it's 99 good. But I just happen to deal with the one bad all the time so we’ve got to reverse that and become a part of the community instead of separated.”

Andrew Mayor Merwin Haight thanked Sgt. Henry for coming in to speak.

“We want to thank you for coming in and doing the presentation,” he said. “We'll definitely have some conversations and some coffee.”

Two Hills County Recreation Land

• W4-12-55-27 NW 146 acres with 1/2-mile frontage on the North Saskatchewan River. HWY 29 and RR 123 50± acres of cultivation power at property Nicely treed lot for a building site. Price $350,000

Strathcona County

• SW Part of NW –23 –53 –23 –W4 40.55 acres North of Highway 16 on Range Road 232 in proposed medium industrial zoning with CP rail line at the border of the property Price $7,200,000

• Parts of SW and SE -7-53-22-W4 located at Highway 21 and Lakeland drive 63.62 acres of development land with Highway 21 exposure. The property is within the Bremner and local Employment Area ACP with expected future use of industrial. Price $6,000,000

Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village – UCC-APC UKRAINIAN DAY

Join the Ukrainian-Canadian Congress – Alberta Provincial Council, for Ukrainian Day: Opening our Hearts on August 20 at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village.

See: uccab.ca/event/ukrainian-dayfestival/#:~:text=August%2020&text=Come%20by%20and%20celebrate%20Ukrainian ,the%20Ukrainian%20Cultural%20Heritage%20Village!

There will be food, drinks, performances, concerts, displays and a lot of entertainment.

Weed Inspections Are Happening!

Lamont County Agricultural Services reminds residents that weed inspections are ongoing throughout the growing season and inspectors can be seen in fields and County right-ofways. Inspectors will be in marked Lamont County vehicles and wearing highvisibility vests (with valid identification). Please contact Agricultural Services if you have any questions at 780-8952585.

Drought Support Temporary Livestock Water Assistance

Livestock and poultry producers impacted by water shortage and drought conditions can receive streamlined temporary livestock water assistance through Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (EPA). Producers who have an urgent need for water should contact EPA for support to identify alternative water sources and receive authorization for use under the Government of Alberta’s Water Act

See: open.alberta.ca/publicatio ns/drought-supporttemporary-livestockwater-assistance

Capital District: aep.wacapitalregion@ gov.ab.ca

Community Services: Serving Lamont County, Lamont, Bruderheim, Mundare, Andrew & Chipman

Access current monthly services & programs information for FCSS, CALC and KFRN:

For more information, scan the QR code or visit lamontcounty.ca/community-programming

Contact CALC, FCSS or KFRN at: 877-895-2233 |5303-50 Ave. Lamont, AB T0B 2R0

Did you know that Melampsora epitea spores (Rust) may be common throughout Western Canada? If you notice this on catkins, leaves or stems, please notify Ag. Services 780-895-2585 or agservices@lamontcounty.ca

See: frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2023.1172889/full

Registration Renewal Reminder

If your last name or company begins with the letters E, Gr, and R; remember to get your registration renewed before the end of August! alberta.ca/vehicle-registration-expiry-date-chart.aspx This message is brought to you by the Elk Island Traffic Safety Partners.

Please Note – inFocus is also available for viewing online at: (for those wanting to view the weekly submission