The Community
Press Telling Your Story
Volume 113, Issue 14
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
$1 Including GST
Missing Galahad couple County to invest mourned by community stimulus funding in Leslie Cholowsky Editor On Monday, Sept. 21, the Killam RCMP issued a public request for assistance in locating Matthew Kozak and Zabrina Ferrier, both from Galahad, who had been missing since Sept. 18. RCMP updated their request two days later advising that Parks Canada Visitor Safety personnel had located two bodies in the Verdant Pass area of Jasper National Park. Jasper RCMP and Parks Canada recovered the bodies of Matthew Kozak and Zabrina Ferrier on Wednesday, Sept. 23. The couple were both active members of the Galahad Fire Department, headed by Fire Chief Kim Cannady, and had been for just over two years. He said that Ferrier joined first, explaining, “Zabrina was interested and keen to learn. Matt Kozak was working that first night at his job with Agro Guys and came to our next training night.” Cannady says the couple attended as many training nights as they were able
to, saying each brought a unique perspective to training; “Zabrina would add something technical from a nursing perspective, explaining the whys but always putting into terms everyone could understand.” He says Ferrier had just completed her RN training and was working in Camrose. “Then, at an Anhydrous Ammonia Response training session, Matt explained the hazards associated, and how to safely deal with the response.” Cannady says the Fire Department and community have received an outpouring of support from the greater Flagstaff community, adding, “Both Matt and Zabrina were the kind of people you could easily like as soon as you met them. “Our fire department members, and the community of Galahad are heartbroken, and we will miss them both at the fire hall.” A Go-Fund-Me account has been set up by a family friend to help both the Ferrier and Kozak families. As of Tuesday, Sept. 29, there had been $7,680 raised through 114 donors.
bridge projects Leslie Cholowsky Editor
Flagstaff County Council decided to apply provincial stimulus funding to capital bridge projects during its regular meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 23. Council had previously discussed the stimulus funding on Sept. 9, where they considered five potential projects eligible under the Municipal Stimulus Program, where the county’s allocation is $444,333. deferring their decision to the next meeting to determine if there were other shove-ready projects within the county that met the grant objectives that they could potentially support. Administration subsequently clarified that one of the previously proposed projects would not be eligible for funding. It was also determined that a joint project proposed by the Town of Hardisty may be better supported using MSI and other potential grant funding due to some restrictive guidelines in the stimulus funding grant if Council was
interested in partnering on the project. Specifically Bridge files 13353 (Township Road 460 north of Killam), 6665 (Township Road 432 north of Hardisty), 2421 (Range Road 122A south of Alliance), and 1218 (Township Road 452 north of Killam), with an estimated cost of $471,000. Council determined during the Sept. 9 meeting that these projects had been submitted for a Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program grant for 2020, “but did not rank high enough to receive an approval in 2020.” Council also considered a request from Pine Cliff Energy Ltd to pay the company’s 2020 municipal taxes in a schedule of 12 equal installments, totalling $95,528.08 over the period September 2020 to August 2021. Administration advised Council that the company has no outstanding tax balance from 2019, and that neighbouring municipalities had also received and approved a similar tax relief request from the company. In 2019, Council approved a similar See COUNTY P10
Fresh Market brings out variety of vendors to Sedgewick Main Street Leslie Cholowsky Editor
The second of three planned Flagstaff Fresh Markets occurred on Sedgewick’s Main Street on Thursday, Sept. 24, featuring over 30 vendors, street performers, and live music. Above, Taryn Borth greets a customer to her table.
Sedgewick’s newly refurbished Main Street served as a perfect backdrop for more than 30 vendors who participated in the second Flagstaff Fresh Market on Thursday, Sept. 24. Event organizers reported great numbers and received a lot of positive feedback for the second of threeplanned markets in Sedgewick. Last week’s event also included street performers, a big hit with the kids, with Rockzilla performing live throughout. An appearance by the Battle River Pipes and Drums also rounded out the event. Last week’s vendors included local restaurants, too, to give visitors the opportunity to come out for a bite to eat and then stay to shop and enjoy the entertainment. The market series was created through a group of Sedgewick women and features everything from handcrafted items to locally grown and produced food, all highlighting the diverse local businesses and individuals doing business in and around the Flagstaff region.