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- Your onlY locallY owned newspaper • serving the cnp since 1930 • deceMBer 19, 2018 ~ vol. 88 no. 51 - $1.00
Santa Skate
Anna Kroupina photo Anna Kroupina photo
One of the most festive activities around the Christmas holidays is, of course, skating! The municipality hosted a Santa Skate at the Crowsnest Sports Complex with free hot dogs, hot chocolate, and a skate with the jolly man himself, Santa. Pictured above (left to right) are besties Cydney, 8 years old, Nina, 8, and birthday girl Sass, who just turned 8 years old that day.
PASS HERALD WILL BE
CLOSED
2019 taxes
Greeter
Page 2
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THE PASS HERALD WILL BE CLOSED ONE WEEK FOR HOLIDAY Dec. 20th - Jan. 1st - OPEN Jan. 2nd TH
Dec. 26
- NO ISSUE
JANUARy 2 - FIRST ISSUE BACK nd
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Copy MagiC
13219-20th Ave., Main Street Blairmore • 403.562.8113
2 – Crowsnest PAss HerALD – Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Crowsnest Pass Municipal council passes 2019 buget Residential tax rate to increase by 2.5 percent, commercial by 3.5 percent, utilities by 1.5 percent AnnA KroupinA Pass Herald Reporter
At a meeting on December 14, Council passed the 2019 Municipal Operating and Capital Budget. The budget includes a tax increase of 2.5 percent for residential properties, 3.5 percent for commercial and 1.5 percent for utilities. For a residence appraised at $300,000, the 2.5 percent tax increase translates to an additional payment of $51 per year,
or approximately $4.25 a month. On a $500,000 business, this means an approximate $200 increase per year, or about $17 per month. Average household utilities will see an increase of $16.20 per year or about $1.35 a month. The increase in utilities takes event in July 2019. This was the first budget process at which the municipality provided an opportunity for public input on the draft budget package. How-
Special ThankS To
Copy MagiC for their support to the Coleman Legion November 11th Anniversary Gala.
You have been a great friend to this branch in many other ways and I offer my sincere apologies for omitting Copy Magic as an important event sponsor. ~ Debby Greenwood
Coleman legion Veteran’s Coffee
1st Saturday of the month. Starts at 10:30am
MUnicipaliTY oF cRoWSneST paSS noTice oF DeVelopMenT peRMiT lanD USe BYlaW no. 868-2013 The Development Authority of the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass recently approved the following development application(s): 1. Dp2018-091: Lot 1, Block 28, Plan 1429LK; 22801 – 9 Avenue, Hillcrest Mines Discretionary Use: Covered Access Ramp; Secondary Front Yard Setback Variance 2. Dp2018-092: Lot 30, Block 20, Plan 9310156; 8510 – 19 Avenue, Coleman Discretionary Use: Brew Pub 3. Dp2018-090: SE4-8-4 W5M; 1822 York Creek Drive, Blairmore Discretionary Use: Selective Logging Any persons claiming to be adversely affected by the above development may file an appeal in writing by December 27, 2018, to the MUNICIPALITY OF CROWSNEST PASS, SUBDIVISION AND DEVELOPMENT APPEAL BOARD, BOX 600, CROWSNEST PASS, ALBERTA T0K 0E0. A fee of $400.00 must be included with the appeal. lisa kinnear Development officer 403-563-2218 lisa.kinnear@crowsnestpass.com
ever, they received no responses or feedback from community members. Council approved 33 new initiatives for 2019 totaling $2.3 million. Throughout several budget meetings, Councillors debated which projects to pursue in 2019 and which ones would need to be deferred to 2020 in order to meet the 2.5 and 3.5 percent residential and commercial tax increase, respectively. The approved budget package, which contains all new initiatives, will be posted on the municipal website. Some highlights from the 2019 budget process: STAFFING The municipality will be hiring a full-time Economic Development Officer (EDO) in 2019, expected to begin roughly partway through the year. As this is a new position for the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass, the Town of Pincher Creek has been invited to a Governance & Priorities meeting in the new year to discuss the responsibilities of their EDO to give Council and Administration a better idea of the scope for the role. The municipality has also secured a grant for $50,000 that will go towards wages for the EDO. The municipality will also be hiring a full-time Health and Safety Officer whose primary role will be to ensure the municipality is in compliance with Occupational Health and Safety legislation. The Administrative Assistant position for the Fire Department that was approved as a trial in 2018 will be eliminated for 2019. Chief Jesse Fox says he will work to find efficiencies within his department to accommodate the loss of the position. There is also an approval for a part-time hire for an in-house IT position to complement contracted IT Services. PASS POWDERKEG In 2018, Pass Powderkeg tripled their skier visits from 4,800 to 14,700 and had the earliest opening day ever on November 10, 2018. In 2019, they are aiming to further increase their skier visits to 19,000. The hill has also signed an agreement to sell PPK tickets at Costco starting December 2018.
In addition to some necessary capital purchases and investments for the ski hill – like purchasing new uniforms and radios, repairing the roof and installing a water system pump – Council voted to purchase the snow-making cannons for $64,915. Throughout 2018, the municipality was leasing the snow guns for $23,000 per year. Council was faced with a choice: continue leasing for $23,000 a year indefinitely, or purchase them for $64,915. Council held discussions about how quickly snow gun technology is changing and whether it would be a worthwhile investment to make the purchase. "We either pay $64,000 and own something, or we pay $69,000 over the next three years and own nothing,” said Councillor Dean Ward, summing up his motivations for voting to purchase the snow cannons. E-BIKES Last summer, The Pass Powderkeg Ski Society purchased five e-bikes totalling $10,000. The 2018 RadRover Electric Fat Bikes arrived at the beginning of June 2018 and were rented out from the Crowsnest Community Pool. The Society saw this as an economic development opportunity with twofold benefits, attracting visitors to the area and promoting an active lifestyle. However, the Society has recently sold three of the five e-bikes for $1,500 each. According to Council, the fat-tire e-bikes did not satisfactorily meet the needs that the Society wanted to achieve. They now wish to purchase three more e-bikes of a different model. Council stressed that any capital purchases need to be approved by Council. Under the operating agreement between the municipality and Pass Powderkeg Ski Area, any sale of municipal assets must be approved by Council, which did not happen in this case. Despite multiple attempts, members of the Pass Powderkeg Ski Society did not return The Pass Herald’s requests for an interview to discuss the motivations behind the sale and the intent going forward.
POOL The Pass Community Pool had a very successful first full year of operation post construction. User numbers increased by 40 percent and revenue grew by 60 percent. For 2019, they have set a goal to increase user traffic at the pool by another 20 percent. CATEGORY 3 & STARS In 2019, the Category 3 funding policy will no longer be available to groups seeking funding on a regular basis for events they host annually. Council wished to see groups “get creative with their funding” instead of relying on the municipality's contribution. Instead, Category 3 grants will be intended for one-time funding opportunities for new events. Afterwards, an organization must move to Category 1 or 2 if it is an ongoing request for the same event, and will be approved or denied at Council’s discretion. As a result, Council voted to not fund 12 groups the $500 they were initially allocated in the draft budget, and instead donate the full $6,000 to “Learning for Life - Ready for Change” (see the Dec. 5 issue of the Pass Herald for more on this initiative). Council also carried a motion to donate $5,000 to STARS annually from Category 1. ICE PLANT One of the municipality's largest new purchases in 2019 will be an ice plant for the Coleman Sportsplex, approved for $1,034,700. Mandatory repairs were performed in fall 2018 on the current ammonia ice plant for $80,000. Consultants recommended that repairs and replacement be done immediately for safety concerns. COMMUNITY TRAIL Council committed to investing $27,784 to purchase the proper equipment that would enable efficient clearing of the Community Walking Trail. Another initiative Council discussed was paving the Walking Trail from Blairmore to Frank, but this project was deferred to 2020. Another deferred project is creating a walking-only trail on the Pass Powderkeg Ski
Hill from the base to the lodge. FERAL CATS The municipality has allocated $10,000 to initiate a trap-neuter-return (TNR) program in Crowsnest Pass. In November 2018, Council heard a delegation from Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society (AARCS), a non-profit animal rescue organization that partners with municipalities to enact TNR programs. The cost for the TNR program with AARCS is $90 for male cats and $150 for females, with a $50 surcharge for pregnant cats. Every step of the program - from the case study to the point of release and setting up a feeding are - is included in this price. At the time, AARCS was unable to provide an estimate as to how much this would cost in Crowsnest Pass as the quantity of feral cats is unknown. See the Nov. 21 issue of the Pass Herald for more on the AARCS TNR program. ASPHALT REPAIRS Council increased the budget for annual asphalt repairs by $40,000, bringing it from $160,000 in 2018 to $200,000. Regarding road repair, Council also approved $10,000 for a new spray patching product that has proven to be effective to patch cracked and damaged pavement and Main Street Blairmore sidewalk repair for $30,000. In recent years, this is the highest amount that the municipality is contributing towards road repair. Councillor Lisa Sygutek expressed that in the next budget, she would like to see Council prioritize infrastructure upgrades and repairs as they are improvements that would benefit the entire community instead of funding individual groups. WATER METRES A major capital project on Council's agenda is installing water metres in the community, an initiative projected to cost $2,300,000. The municipality will have further discussion in 2019 as to how to finance the water metres.
Wednesday, December 19, 2018 - Crowsnest PAss herAlD - 3
In the lIne of fIre Between November 26 and December 02, Crowsnest Pass RCMP responded to a total of 39 calls for service including the following reported incidents. One (1) assault, one (1) residential break and enter, two (2) threats/harassment, two (2) mischief (vandalism), three (3) thefts, two (2) impaired driving, one (1) disturbing the peace, two (2) other provincial statutes, five (5) driving complaints, six (6) motor vehicle collisions, six (6) assistance to general public, one (1) assistance to other agencies, four invalid 911 calls, one (1) false alarm, one (1) animal call and one (1) municipal bylaw. Break-and-enter On December 13, a break-and-enter into a
residence in Frank at approximately 6 a.m. was reported. Police attended and arrested an intoxicated 46-year-old male. He was charged with breaking and entering and uttering threats. A justice hearing was held and he was released on documents to appear in court in Pincher Creek. Stolen tech & tools On December 13, a computer, old cellphones and a bag of tools were reported stolen from a recreation vehicle parked on 22 Avenue in Blairmore. Hit-and-run On December 14, a hit-and-run to a 2018 black GMC truck was reported. 60 y/o impaired driver On December 14, RCMP was advised of a
The Simple Raven’s Post by Avner Perl
Fake news and Yellow vests Perhaps there is nothing wrong with finishing off civilization. Live it up, have a great party and go away peacefully. Some people are fine with it, and who am I to say they are wrong? I choose to try and prolong life, even if it’s not as fancy as it could be. We can live it up and not worry about the future. Why should I worry about what will happen with this world 100 or even 50 years from now? The Canadian news networks showed riots in France where people wearing yellow vests were demonstrating against new carbon tax. The French people were leading the fight against pollution for years, and here we see them fighting against the one thing that may slow down the emissions that we produce. Either the news was fake, or the political right won. Vive les corporations. The political right is against measures which slow down consumption, especially of energy. It was time to communicate with somebody from France, and I did. Here is the story from a person in France. Since Emanuel Macron won power promising that he is a friend of the people and will work to help the average folks, the opposite has happened. Surprise? Not really. It is the same here in North America and other places but to various degrees. In France, the fuel taxes increased in the last year before carbon tax, by about 25 percent combined with other taxes, which increased the cost of living for the working people. At the same time, taxes on high-earning corporations were cut, increasing the country’s already-high deficit. Lately, a 10 percent carbon tax was added, supposedly to curb pollution. It is not like the Canadian carbon tax that is rolled back to those who need it; it is simply used to shore up the government. At the same time, there is talk about privatizing parts of the health care system, closing schools and other austerity measures, which will set back the standard of living of the lowest earners. The increase in fuel prices hurts the rural folks most, since they have no choice but to use their vehicles, just as we do here. Rural populations everywhere are marginalized since they don’t have the democratic power of city people, who depend on rural folks work to survive. In France, they came to a breaking point, donned their yellow vests and headed out to the streets. Folks who are normally not very involved in politics went out demanding the resignation of the president. As in every case of peaceful demonstrations, they were joined by the more militant people of both the far left and the far right and violence ensued. The French people couldn’t forget the Revolution even if they tried, which they do not. To them, it is clear that the people have the power. Sadly, the guillotine is the tool that brings baguettes to starving peasants.
~ rCMP news ~
possible impaired driver. The 60-year-old driver showed signs of impairment and provided two samples of breath, which were over the legal limit. The vehicle was towed and seized for 72 hours. The driver was charged with impaired driving and released on documents to appear in court in Pincher Creek. 19 y/o impaired driver On December 15, RCMP was advised of a possible impaired driver. The vehicle hit a power pole in Hillcrest. The 19year-old male driver was arrested for impaired driving. He provided two samples of breath, which were over the legal limit. He was charged with impaired driving and released on documents to appear in court in Pincher Creek.
Lost/found items Bikes have been turned in to the municipality. An iPhone/camera was found. Dodge keys were found in Blairmore Scams Reminder to residents of computer scams, credit cards scams, Grandparent scams, Revenue Canada scams asking for money or cash cards and saying warrants out for arrest. Do not give out personal information to persons you don't know. Do not open emails if you are suspicious of their origin. Anyone with information regarding any crime is urged to contact the Crowsnest Pass RCMP Detachment at 403-562-2867, or Crimestoppers to remain anonymous at 1-800-422TIPS.
The problem in France and other developed countries is simple to understand. When the Soviet Union was strong, governments were weary about the spread of communism, which mistakenly is often confused with social democracy. The communists were not very kind to their working class, but portrayed themselves as such. If communism would have been true socialism, the world would have functioned much like a Hutterite colony without the religious aspect. It was not, but they did manage to lead the world in some ways for a while. When someone says that capitalism brought the invention of the cell phone, you can remind them that communists invented the satellites, which make cell phones work. In France, the working people have been losing ground for more than 30 years now. Their factories were outsourced to poorer countries, wages remained low, banks and big companies got bailouts and here is the big crunch. Under the guise of reducing taxes, the big companies gained huge tax breaks while the many millions of workers were made to foot the bills. There was no trickle down - those who got the money invested in automation, reducing jobs and forever taking as much as they could. Since the media was bought by those with money, the poor and average folks were convinced that life is meant to be harsh for them, since they are not smart or don’t work hard enough. A few did very well, and the rest went on trying, until a couple of months ago when the truth became obvious. The average rural family, now paying about $100 more a month for gas, realized that there is no end to greed and that abuse will not stop because abusers feel sorry. Poor people will lose the earth, but not have a party. At the time of the year when people celebrate the birth of a person who said to love each other as ourselves, there are so many who are shown the opposite from love. A scant few possess most of the needed resources and the many dream of better days without much hope of seeing improvement. Their productivity and sacrifices are siphoned into accounts shielded from taxes and used by those who treat them like “human resources,” not persons with feelings, loved ones and hopes or dreams. Assailed by commercials, dazzled by artificial fakes, the working folks who sustain our human community find themselves fighting for their livelihood wearing yellow jackets. It doesn’t have to be like that at all. We can have a world where every human being could live comfortably, without threat to their person, world or future if we just choose to share and contribute willingly for human betterment. We can have more than enough for each of us if a few will forgo corruption that sustains nothing but a useless want of power which will gain them nothing but a feeling of superiority. Lucky for us, we are seeing a new trend in the generation coming up. These young people who possibly are not acquainted with the person born in Bethlehem so long ago, are naturally following his lead. They are concerned with cleaning up our mess and are willing to give, not just receive. Here is a link to my blog: thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca. Feel free to check other articles and comment.
DiD you know?
Merry Christmas from Matt and Staff!
HWY #3, Frank • 562-8043
Missing You
Joe & Rose Newton Arie & Betsie Vander Linden Gone yet not forgotten, Although we are apart, Your spirit lives within us, Forever in our hearts. Love Dane, Betty, Brett and Dillon and families
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