December 1 Community Press

The Community

Press

SHOP AFF FLAGST PAGES Volume 114, Issue 22

INSIDE!

Telling Your Story

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

$1 Including GST

County councillors enjoy in-person talks at RMA Leslie Cholowsky Editor Flagstaff County representatives, including Reeve Don Kroetch and councillors Larry Hiller, Mat Ponto, and Jeff Eckstrand, and CAO Shelly Armstrong, had the opportunity to attend the Rural Municipalities Association fall convention in person. The event was held in Edmonton from Nov. 23 to 26 in Edmonton. Kroetch said, for him, “Being able to have the opportunity to meet in person was great! We met some of our new councillors from neighbouring municipalities, and had the opportunity to catch up with returning councillors.” Kroetch said just prior to the event, he and returning councillor Eckstrand joined new council members Ponto and Hiller at an elected official orientation two-day course at the Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta. “It was very enlightening for all of us.” During the RMA convention, the Flagstaff County councillors, and CAO Shelly Armstrong had the

opportunity to meet privately with Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIvor, Kroetch says, “Where we had the opportunity to raise the issues of unpaid taxes, changes to MSI, and proposed Bill 77.” He says McIvor was able to deliver the province’s perspective, and was very forthcoming on all the questions. Kroetch said the convention also includes a ‘bear pit’ session, where a panel of provincial ministers are available to answer questions directly from municipalities. “Flagstaff County was able to directly ask Minister of Energy Sonya Savage if there was a role within the Alberta Energy regulator to ensure that municipalities are paid taxes owed.” Kroetch said it was also great to see Camrose MLA Jackie Lovely at the event, and be able to speak with her about some of the challenges facing Flagstaff County. Kroetch said a highlight for him was the opportunity to meet Minister of Indigenous Relations Rick Wilson and convey Flagstaff’s strong Indige-

Wheat Wheat Kings Kings move move into into First First Place Place ALLY ANDERSON PHOTO

The Killam Jr. B Wheat Kings finished a grueling four games in five days schedule from this past Wednesday to Friday with a loss and three wins that shot them to the head of the North Eastern Alberta Jr. B Hockey League. Above: League-leading scorer #20 Kobe Charchun and #19 Kyler Bergseth, cover the Lac La Biche Clippers net in the Wheaties 7-4 win on Saturday night at home. See the full story on Page 31. nous history and historical sites, such as Treaty Hill, the Manitou Stone discovery, and the Hardisty Bison Pound. Kroetch says events such as this also contribute strongly to team building, as councillors learn and advocate for the region as a team, and leave with a better understanding of each other, “ensuring a very productive and collaborative

term on Council.” He said he enjoyed a number of ‘break-out’ sessions held through the convention as well, along with keynote speakers. Kroetch particularly enjoyed Jordin Tootoo’s presentation, where he spoke of the challenges of mental health and coping as a professional hockey player. “One of the things that he said that resonated with me

was the saying: ‘I am who I am because we are.’ “This signifies the importance of community within an individual’s life.” Another speaker Kroetch says he enjoyed was Manjit Minhas, who is a regular on Dragon’s Den. “She spoke about the challenges she faced chasing the dream of entrepreneurship. One thing she said really resonated: ‘Fear is temporary;

regret is forever.’” Kroetch says events like the annual RMA conference present a real opportunity, for individual councillors and for the region. “Having the ability to raise the profile of the Flagstaff Region directly to the provincial government is essential to ensure our region is on the forefront of our provincial government.”

At the recent RMA convention, Flagstaff County councillors in attendance met with other municipal councillors and MLAs. Above, from left: Beaver County councillor Dale Pederson, Flagstaff County councillors Larry Hiller, Reeve Don Kroetch, Camrose MLA Jackie Lovely, Flagstaff councillor Mat Ponto, and Beaver County councillors PHOTO COURTESY JACKIE LOVELY. Lionel Williams and Gene Hrabec.

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