Wednesday, March 17, 2021 Vol. 44, No. 11
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YOUR LOCAL PAPER
Town Councillor ‘incensed’ at Viking spending over $800 to mail tickets Patricia Harcourt Editor
A Viking councillor is upset that over $800 was spent by the town to send out $50 tickets by registered mail to citizens considered in breach of the snow removal bylaw. Councillor Judy Acres received such a ticket herself even though she says she shovels the snow in front of her property all the time. “As a citizen who shovels religiously,” she said, “it seems I couldn’t avoid it.” Acres also questioned why Viking residents got 82 of the 83 snow removal tickets given out over eight communities covered by Jag Security. Viking was also the only town to get 12 warning citations about snow removal. This meant Viking was singled out for a total of 94 tickets/citations for eight communities, and Acres wondered why at the March 15 council meeting. Out of 107 violations cited for the eight communities under Jag Securities, Viking got 94 of them, said Acres. “All of the other areas
got one snow removal ticket,” she said. “82 of the 83 charges were in Viking. In one other community they gave out one ticket.” As for the over $800 used to mail them out by registered mail, Acres added: “Shame on us.” Acres said she brought up the issue as one of the policy committee members that will be discussing the snow removal policy at an upcoming meeting. People have stopped her to ask about this, she said. As for the issuing of the tickets themselves, she said “there are extenuating circumstances,” to many of the people who got them such as age and health of seniors and situations arising that couldn’t be helped. Acres said she has already fallen twice this past winter but it was on a sidewalk that sits lower than the town boulevard and caused an issue even though the walk was shovelled. When it warms up, the snow melt goes onto the sidewalk below and causes sheet ice that can’t be removed. “It can’t be shovelled down See SIDEWALKS P11
Special day for Grandma Grace Patricia Harcourt Editor
Balloons and cupcakes were the themes for Thursday, March 11’s celebration of Grace Sutter’s 85th birthday. Grandma Grace, as she is affectionately known to all in the community, spent time outside her condo in the downtown area of Viking and was the centre of attention on her special day. The event was an invitation for people to drive by and pick up a cupcake, or to just honk and let her know they were thinking of her, and that’s what people did. Four of Grace’s boys were present for the happy day along with their wives, including Gary and Margaret, Duane and Cindy, Richard and Rhonda, and Ronald and Margo. Darryl, Brian, and Brent were unable to come, but their wives - Wanda, Judy, and Connie (respectively) - were on hand to help out with the fun and celebrations. Grace was happy to announce that the delicious cupcakes were made by all her daughters-in-law. She remembered that, five years earlier, when they celebrated her 80th birthday, the day was held at a much larger venue, the community
hall. But this year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, it was not possible to get a larger gathering together as previously. So her birthday was celebrated outside of the condo she had moved completely into just last fall. Her birthday included the presence of two great-grandchildren, sis-
ters Leslie and Paisley Merta of Viking; however Grace casts a wide net on the children she considers part of her family. “They all call me grandma because we had Grandma Grace’s Day,” she said, of the children who gathered on the Sutter family farm every year. “But this is the only
way we could have anything this year.” As well as the NHL hockey legacy of the Sutter family, Grandma Grace also has a legacy of loving her community and caring for the many people in her large circle of family and friends. Happy Birthday Grandma Grace!