The Community
Press Telling Your Story
Volume 113, Issue 6
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
$1 Including GST
DEVASTATING SUMMER STORM
A devastating storm hit many Flagstaff municipalities on Monday, Aug. 3, starting with Forestburg at 6 p.m. then moving to Killam and Sedgewick, wreaking havoc in its path. Parts of Lougheed were also caught in the storm, which brought extremely forceful wind and rain to much of the region. Top: The Sedgewick building shown above (formerly Jordac Plumbing) was utterly destroyed by the strong winds accompanying the storm. Below: a driver was caught in the strong downpour and hit the ditch just outside of Killam, which by that point was already flooded with several feet of rain water. See more storm devastation Pages 12 & 13.
Return to school will now see masks mandatory for Grades 4-12 and school staff; province to pick up tab for supplies Patricia Harcourt Staff Reporter
The wearing of masks will now be mandatory for Grades 4 to 12 when returning to school this September, stated Education Minister Adriana LaGrange and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw Tuesday. Ever since the announcement was made that students were returning to the classroom across the province, there have been concerns expressed that not enough was being done to keep students, teachers, and other staff safe. One of the main concerns was in the classroom where class sizes and distancing between students was not being addressed. There was to be increased cleaning measures but no reduction in the number of students in each class. Teachers said they could not teach properly and be the person to sanitize the rooms to the degree required by the COVID-19 virus. Although class sizes were not addressed by the officials, the mandatory use of masks for older students was, although masks are not mandatory except in common spaces. “There is emerging evidence that masks can play a major role (in reducing the chance of infection),” said
LaGrange. The staff in schools will be required to wear their masks at all times and in all settings where physical distancing can’t be maintained. The wearing of masks will be optional for students from Kindergarten to Grade 3, she said, as “children under 10 are less likely to transmit COVID.” The province will provide every K-12 student with two reusable masks, as well as teachers, support staff and bus drivers. This means 1.6 million masks will be outlayed to 740,000 students and 90,000 staff in the province. The reusable masks will allow someone to use one mask at school and have another mask being cleaned at home. In addition, single use masks will be made available. And teachers will be given face shields to use “at the discretion of the individual staff member,” although the person using a face shield will still have to also wear a mask. She repeated an earlier sanitation measure of hand sanitizer stations to be placed at the entrance to every school. The amount of hand sanitizer that will be distributed will depend on the population of a particular school. Plus, the use of two contactless thermometres to gauge temperatures in each school will be used “at the discretion of the school authority,” she said, adding
that all these supplies will be distributed to the school authorities before school begins. The department is also exploring the capacity for testing people in the schools and the turnaround times for getting back results. The extra measures “are the result of listening to medical advice and concerns by school authorities,” she said. “We will continue to work with the school authorities to ensure a safe and successful school entry,” she said, and “continue to evolve using the best advice.” Dr. Hinshaw said that non-medical masks are to be worn by Grades 4-12 students in school common areas such as hallways and on buses, and for staff and teachers who are in close contact with students. "If students are seated in their desks, working quietly and not moving around and the teacher is distanced from them, then mask-wearing is optional in that setting,” she said. “It’s important to help minimize the risk of catching or spreading COVID,” she said, explaining that the reason for the change in policy was based on a detailed review of case studies. “We know that masks can be an effective prevention for spreading COVID-19,” she said, adding there is “growing evidence it can disrupt transmission in close See SCHOOL P9
Page 8 - The Community Press, Wednesday, August 5, 2020
We’ll find the best way to cover all your assets.
A
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Sedgewick Land & Insurance Ltd. 780-384-3639 Battle River Agencies Hardisty 780-888-3999
Forestburg 1-800-668-3594 Agencies Ltd. 4909 50 Street, Forestburg, AB Forestburg 780-582-3560
Losness Insurance Agencies Ltd. Lougheed
780-386-3741
The Community Press, Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - Page 9
Proposed changes to assessment potentially devastating to Flagstaff Council encourages public to contact MLA in hopes of avoiding far-reaching implications like tax increases, service cuts The Government of Alberta is proposing changes to the assessment model for regulated properties such as oil wells and pipelines, which will significantly reduce Flagstaff County’s tax revenue. Flagstaff County Council and administration are extremely concerned about the potentially devastating impact this decision could have on the long-term viability of the entire Flagstaff Region. With the impact of this loss in revenue, Flagstaff County will be required to look at a reduction of services and increases in property taxes. This will impact you and we need your help to advocate our concerns. While the provincial government’s proposed changes are intended to enhance oil and gas industry competitiveness during this difficult time, these changes would have serious implications for municipalities and small local businesses throughout the Flagstaff Region, where we already face significant economic challenges due to our remote rural location and declining population. Flagstaff County is not alone. Municipalities throughout rural Alberta are facing the same grim prospects for their residents. Based on the four possible scenarios provided by the RMA (Rural Municipalities of Alberta) and financial data from the MFIS (Municipal Financial Information System) database, estimates indicate that Flagstaff County faces a decrease in revenue by as much as 18 per cent (about $5 million).
To compensate for that significant loss, if there were no changes in services, Flagstaff County would be required to increase the residential/farmland mill rate by as much as 191.1 per cent, or increase the non-residential mill rate by as much as 43.3 per cent, or cut our full-time workforce by nearly three-quarters. Raising tax rates to offset the impacts of the assessment model change will have the effect of simply transferring taxes from the oil and gas industry to other businesses and residents. In reality, Flagstaff County may be forced to enact a combination of both tax rate increases and staffing cuts, as well as reduce service levels and inter-
municipal agreements to remain viable. These changes will impact not only our municipality and the services we provide to residents and businesses, but also all of the municipalities that comprise the entire Flagstaff Region. Flagstaff County currently cost-shares with our urban neighbours through intermunicipal agreements for fire protection, peace officer services, Flagstaff Regional Solid Waste Management, regional recreation funding, Flagstaff Family and Community Services, and Parkland Regional Library. Other organizations currently benefitting from optional County funding include: Flagstaff Community Adult Learning, Parents for Fun in Flagstaff, Flagstaff Satellite Dayhome Society, STARS Air Ambulance, Battle River Research Group, the ACCA Youth Leadership Camp, the Flagstaff County Library Committee, and Battle River Watershed. Under the proposed changes, County support to any of these organizations or initiatives may have to be cut or eliminated. Flagstaff County has already made significant reductions in programs and services to account for the loss of revenue from unpaid taxes from resourcebased companies. Actual bad debt in 2019 totalled nearly $3 million. This year, we have budgeted for $4.5 million in bad debt. Additional changes to the Police Funding Model, on top of historical unpaid taxes from oil and gas, may influence further reductions in services or property tax increases in the coming years. Although the implications of the province’s proposed changes are farreaching, municipalities were not consulted during the process. Flagstaff County, like many other municipalities across Alberta, is a proud supporter and partner of the oil and gas industry. We all deserve to be part of the solution to industry competitiveness, rather than be forced to suddenly absorb crippling changes to the assessment model. The RMA (Rural Municipalities of Alberta) expects the impacts of this decision to worsen following the first year of implementation but notes it was not provided access to the detailed assessment information necessary to conduct a multi-year impact assessment. Based on the Government of Alberta’s proposed scenarios, the largest oil and gas companies operating in the province will receive a disproportionate
share of benefits from changes to the assessment model. Small and locally-owned companies will, on average, receive significantly less benefit, and in many cases will face significant assessment increases. Many of the companies that will benefit most from the assessment model review have holdings worldwide and are under no obligation to reinvest savings in Alberta. What are we doing? We are contacting Premier Jason Kenney, MLA Jackie Lovely, and Municipal Affairs Minister Kaycee Madu to express our concerns over these changes. A decision is expected to be announced as early as mid-August. What can you do?
These proposed changes affect YOU as a citizen. It is critical that you are aware of the impacts these changes will have on our ability to provide services and maintain infrastructure, as well as the financial burden such changes may place on you. • Please let your MLA know your thoughts on this issue. MLA Jackie Lovely can be reached by phone at 780-672-0000 or via email at camrose@assembly.ab.ca. • Please call your Flagstaff County councillor if you have any questions about this or want additional information. Reeve Don Kroetch Flagstaff County
Schools
would still have to come from school division reserves. "BRSD is pleased that there will be government support for PPE for both students and staff," said Diane Hutchinson, BRSD Communications Director. "We appreciate the financial support very much and consider the use of masks to be an extra layer of protection, in addition to the other protocols we are implementing, to help ensure students and staff can feel safe at school." Bevan Daverne, president of the College of Alberta School Superintendents, said plexiglass can be used “depending on the circumstance,” and would be an option for teachers to use along with physical distancing and increased cleaning. “There is enough flexibility in the guidelines that allows each school and district to make their own decisions,” he said, but they are all looking to help the situation for high risk staff.” And in view of the community threat, “it doesn’t seem the school acts as a drive for transmission,” she said, citing Sweden where elementary students went to school and saw relatively little difference in transmission levels compared to a neighbouring country where schools remained closed. “We have to act on what is current,” Hinshaw said, citing an outbreak in cases in Israeli schools that was attributed to a drop in the use of masks there. “The evidence states that high school students are about the same as adults in (causing) transmission,” she said. Another question asked if the policy of not wearing a mask in the classroom unless facing each other wasn’t confusing to students, who could also be touching faces that could “create a problem” in transmission. Dr. Hinshaw replied that hands should be washed before and after putting on a mask and taking it off. “If students are not facing each other that is optimal but if students are moving around mask use would be expected.” But Hinshaw said she wouldn’t “micro manage” situations as “teachers are the experts in their classrooms.” And students “will adapt to what makes sense in the classroom.”
Continued from Front
settings.” As for the Grade 4 cutoff in making the wearing of masks mandatory, “children 10 or older are more likely to be able to transmit COVID and are more able to use masks properly.” But she added: “Masks alone do not keep kids safe or staff safe.” Other measures are also important, such as physical distancing, gathering in personal cohorts, practicing enhanced washing, and greater sanitization and cleaning measures. “We have no choice but to learn to live with it,” said Hinshaw. “We must be agile, adaptive, and guided by the evidence,’ she said. When asked if there will be additional space found so class sizes can be reduced, LaGrange said the province has decided to open under Stage 1 and that “each school division is doing their own (decisions) for their own circumstances.” Hinshaw said the students would be spaced “to keep kids further away” from each other, and “not facing each other.” She added that, if teachers are working closely with the students physically, they must wear a mask. However, if the distance is “slightly less than two metres apart, it’s okay, they still don’t have to wear a mask,” she said. This can apply for instances such as students with English as their second language or for someone who needs to see facial expressions for good communication. LaGrange was also questioned on the fact that initially the province said the school divisions would have to come up with their own funds for these mandatory public health measures, suggesting that school divisions use their reserves for this purpose. LaGrange said the extra measures now being announced were due to receiving more information, so the province would be providing the funds for that. She said $10 million would be added to school budgets overall. But she added that any extra funds needed
Page 10 - The Community Press, Wednesday, August 5, 2020
FIRST and Flagstaff County start joint driving awareness initiative
Flagstaff’s Informed Response Sharing Team (FIRST) and Flagstaff County have joined in a new initiative to deter impaired driving and texting while driving. It’s not a new initiative, but it is new to Flagstaff. Lynne Jenkinson, Executive Director of FIRST and FFCS, and Kim Cannady, Regional Emergency Services Coordinator at Flagstaff County, decided to look into bringing it to Flagstaff. With help from Dallas Oberg at Killam Towing, who provided the vehicle, and prepared it for display by removing tires, windshield, and all fluids, and Sunridge Signs and Graphics, who donated the lettering, the pair were able to put the vehicle on display in Killam just prior to the long weekend. Cannady says the vehicle will be displayed in every municipality in the region, staying in each spot for two to three weeks.
August 2020 Meetings
Council Council M Meetings eetings
Public Works Updates
Cancelled Meetings Meetings Cancelled
Please refer to www.flagstaff.ab.ca for up-to-date road work happening throughout the County.
FFlagstaff lagstaff C ounty C ouncil M eetings County Council Meetings re cconducted onducted the 2nd and 4th aare W ednesday of each month Wednesday ommencing at 9 a.m a.m.. unless ccommencing otherwise planned. C ouncil and Committee Committee meeting Council agendas are are aavailable vailable at the C ounty’s website website at: County’s flflagstaff.ab.ca/council/meetings-andagstafff.a . b.ca/council/meeetings-andminutes minu tes
780-384-4100 1-877-387-4100
Road Construction Road Closures The following road will be closed from July 29th, 2020 until approximately August 16th, 2020 for road construction: • Range Road 124, for 1.5 miles from the Sedgewick Lake Park Campground to Township Road 444
Road Recovery Crews will continue working on the following road recovery projects the week of August 4th: •
Email:
East of Daysland on Range Road 160, north from Highway 13 to Township Road 464 for 10.0 miles
Gravel Gravel is available for sale to a maximum of 150 tonnes/year per residential/farm/acreage site. Gravel is not available for sale to commercial users. Anyone
Flagstaff.ab.ca
wishing to purchase gravel must contact the Public Works Department to obtain a “Permission for Purchase of Gravel” form. Gravel will not be loaded out of a pit without this form. Gravel sales will be limited to the following dates in 2020: • • •
August 5th and 19th September 9th and 23rd October 7th and 21st
Gravel sales are limited to the following gravel pits: Mazure Pit (NE 16-43-09 W4); Skori Pit #2 (N 1/2 09-46-11 W4); Barber Stockpile (NE 17-44-09 W4); and Daysland Stockpile (SE 13-45-17 W4), providing a loader is available at that gravel pit on that particular day. Please contact the Flagstaff County administration office at 780-384-4100 to make arrangements or to obtain information regarding a list of available aggregate products and pricing. Flagstaff County does not haul gravel for ratepayers. Hauling arrangements must be made by the ratepayer.
Please keep in mind that our seasonal crews will be out working on our roadways and to use extreme caution while travelling on these roads while they are being maintained in any way. We thank you in advance for your cooperation during this season.
The Community Press, Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - Page 11
The Alberta government is considering stopping municipalities from properly taxing the oil and gas industry. This would be devastating to our communities. $5 million budget shortfall. Why should you care? Potential property tax increase of up to
Potential business tax increase of up to
191% 43%
Nearly 70% reduction of municipal employees
at 780-672-0000 or camrose@assembly.ab.ca
services our families rely on