Your news this week: Fire destroys home - Page 2 Karol Maschmeyer Arena unveiling and re-opening ceremony - Page 5 Packed House for CPC community forum in Vegreville - Pages 1 & 14
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Vol. 12, No. 9, Tuesday, December 20, 2016 www.LamontLeader.com
Sunday, December 18 was assembly and distribution day for the Christmas food hampers at the Lamont community hall. Pastor Ron Wurtz and Betty Sheptycki, co-chairs of the Lamont County Food Bank hamper committee reported that 68 hampers will be distributed to families in need this Christmas. There were just as many volunteers on hand to help put everything together throughout the afternoon. Both Wurtz and Sheptycki said the response by local residents, businesses, and organizations was overwhelming, and were grateful for all of the support the campaign received.
Hundreds of local residents gather for CPC meeting in Vegreville Michelle Pinon Editor
Most of the seats in the Vegreville Social Centre were filled on Sunday night with the notable exception of one at the head table on stage that had been reserved for Canada’s Immigration Minister John McCallum. Marianne Hladun. Regional Executive VicePresident of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) Prairie Region, pointed that out to hundreds of people who were in attendance. Hladun, who also served as MC for the communi-
ty forum, said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, along with the four Liberal MP’s from Alberta had also been invited, but were not in attendance at the public meeting. Also sitting at the head table were: Vegreville Mayor Myron Hayduk, Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville MLA Jessica Littlewood, CEIU Campaign Lead Michelle Henderson and PSAC National Vice President Chris Aylward, who made the trip to Vegreville from Ottawa. The public meeting,
hosted by the PSAC, covered a lot of territory in two-and-a-half hours as each of the speakers addressed the crowd, and several members of the crowd addressed them with their questions and concerns. “Your presence here show a real sense of concern,” stated Hladun. She explained that the meeting was going to be a conversation about having the Liberal government reverse its decision to close the Citizenship Case Processing Centre (CPC) in Vegreville by 2018, and the relocation to
Edmonton that would affect 280 workers as well as their families, local businesses and organizations. “In essence it’s a consultation that the federal government should have had, but didn’t,” said Hladun. Vegreville Mayor Myron Hayduk described when and how he found out about a meeting employees were having with federal government officials at the seniors centre on Oct. 27.
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MICHELLE PINON PHOTO
Canadian National Womenʼs Team goalie Emerance Maschmeyer and fellow family members were on hand in the jersey room to sign photos and pucks following the grand re-naming and grand re-opening ceremony on Dec.12. Fort Saskatchewan Fury female hockey player Alexis Lewis was excited to meet one of her heroes in person. Full coverage on Page 5.