4th annual automotive Swap meet 4th annual automotive swap meet

Holowaychuk was unable to attend the meeting.

EIPS has so far held two board meetings around the issue with the Andrew Mayor, Merwin Haight, and Deputy Mayor, Tammy Pickett, speaking as delegates at the Apr. 20 meeting in favour of keeping the school open.

Andrew School has faced several issues since the early 2000s. According to a report from EIPS, a severe flood that occurred in 2003 was caused by improper roof and sprinkler system installation 10 years prior. Since then, EIPS said they provided maintenance on the building but did not fully repair the problems. As a result, the school which also houses the village offices, library, weight room and bowling alley, has suffered regular leaking and more roof damage as a result of ice damming. Today the total damages are estimated at more than $3 million to fix.

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Andrew School

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Additionally, declining enrollment forced EIPS to remove the school’s high school program in 2019 and the following year the junior high program, leaving only the elementary K-6 students.

Superintendent Mark Liguori opened the public engagement meeting by explaining the issues with the sprinkler system and the roofing system, as well as how changes to the province’s funding model have influenced their thinking around Andrew School.

Liguori said that the Province moved to a three-year weighted average to fund schools which means that the school board gets funding per student split up over three years based on enrollment projections.

While this year, Andrew’s enrollment was at 62 students, Liguori said that Andrew’s projected enrollment for next year is only at 41. The school also has capacity for 385 students, making Andrew School the most underutilized and most expensive school to run of the 43 that make up EIPS.

While many parents were frustrated at the information, one parent asked Liguori if EIPS were to blame for the declining enrollments.

“Has EIPS taken into consideration that declining enrollment may be due to the threat of closing the school over the last four years,?” she asked. Liguori said that he did not want to answer for the board and invited the parent to register as a delegate and speak at the next board meeting.

Another parent had a question around bus ride times as he has older children who already ride the bus to the town of Lamont for school and if Andrew School closes, his kindergarten child would need to also take the bus to Lamont.

“My kids currently get on the bus. (School ends at three) and they are not home until 4:40 p.m. Do you think that's an acceptable (ride time) for a five-year-old,?” he asked. Liguori said long bus rides are a reality in rural areas.

“I need to be clear that some of our longest ride times in our division exist in this area because of low density,” said Liguori.

Andrew deputy mayor Tammy Pickett asked Liguori what would happen to the items in and around the school, such as the playground, that were fundraised for by school council and other non-profit groups if the school closed down.

“To my understanding there is also $20,000 donated for the Chromebooks through parent council. Parents and volunteers in the village have busted their butts, so if upon closing, what happens to those items?” she asked.

Liguori said all items are the property of EIPS.

“The reality is any funds that were used by a school council or any fundraising group that use the name of Andrew School, all of the materials that were purchased are the property of the school division,” he said. Pickett went further and specified the playground.

“For the playground, it’s actually in the ground. Should that be something that we should be concerned about that you guys will pull out and stick in Fort Saskatchewan?” Pickett said.

Liguori told Pickett the playground would be a board decision.

“The answer is, could it be considered? Absolutely. Is it easy? The answer is no, because it's an asset,” he said. “It would be a conversation with the board.”

The crowd began to thin out partway through the meeting, with parents complaining that they felt EIPS had already made up their minds about closing the school and there was no point in trying to talk to them.

Andrew pharmacist

Asif Majeed said the move to close the school would be heartbreaking and devastating for his family as he has a young child who has been attending Andrew School for the past two years.

EIPS is holding a special board meeting on May 4 at 10 a.m. where the fate of Andrew School is scheduled for discussion.

Fort Saskatchewan RCMP charge four on multiple offenses

On April 15, just before 4 a.m., Ft. Saskatchewan RCMP responded to a suspicious vehicle downtown Fort Sask.

RCMP members observed weapons and break-in tools in the vehicle, and the suspects were arrested.

A search of the vehicle was done and police located weapons, suspected Fentanyl, Cocaine, Methamphetamine and four catalytic convertors.

Four males have been charged for multiple Criminal Code and

Traffic Safety act offences as a result of their involvement in criminal activity within the city.

Johnathan Boczek (29), Michael Graff (35), Jordon Kerrivan (33), Jason Van Wezel (45) all face multiple charges.

All four accused were taken before a Justice and released on conditions with the exception of Kerrivan who was remanded in custody. All four are scheduled for their next court appearance on May 11 at the Fort Saskatchewan Court of Justice.

Looking for Skilled Tradespeople with

Vessel Fitting

Come to the Job Fair

When: Saturday May 6th 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Where: Royal Canadian Legion Tofield Branch # 91 4909 52 Ave Tofield

Resume’s Welcome

We are excited for the opportunities ahead in the Tofield shop and we look forward to being part of your community.

Dacro has been in business since 1974 and are established industry leaders in custom design and fabrication of pressure vessels. Dacro is a proud union shop with a collective agreement with Boilermakers Local 146. Resume’s Welcome.

BY HAZEL ANAKA

Again, this week it’s time for a roundup; a disparate series of topics that won’t grow up to be dedicated columns but deserving of honourable mention nonetheless… How about those Oilers? Has this first series not been edge of the seat action? It’s been hard on the nerves but not as soul destroying as when they played more like Keystone cops than cup contenders. There were the hard-hitting, penalty assigning, low scoring games early on. There was the very noticeable hobbling of Connor McDavid’s innate scoring genius mitigated by Draisaitl being on fire. Goalie Stuart Skinner kept them alive more than once. Guys like Kane, Hyman, Kostin, Bouchard were just a few of those stepping up for the cause. And let’s not forget Yamamoto who finished the Kings off in 6 giving the guys time to rest and regroup before facing Las Vegas. Leads came and went like ping pong balls. I can only imagine the pandemonium downtown in the arena and adjacent areas during watch parties. That distant sound you hear is the ringing of cash registers.