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- Your onlY locallY owned newspaper • serving the cnp since 1930 • JanuarY 29, 2020 ~ vol. 90 no. 4
Australia Day
$1.00
David Selles photo
Residents came together to celebrate Australia Day again this year. The evening included a silent and live auction, dinner and entertainement. This year, funds raised went to the York Creek Residency Association to help aid in the purchase of a new bus for the seniors. Entertainment for the night was provided by the Derina Harvey Band. See more photos on back page.
council briefs
Page 2
chamber
Pages 8 & 9
ben wongs Page 12
2 – CrowsnesT PAss HerALD – Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Crowsnest Pass Allied Arts Association
AGM
February 11 • 10am at the Gallery EvEryonE is wElCoME! We are looking for new board members.
Love the arts? Love to volunteer? This organization has room for you!
Join us!
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Thunder Hockey Update Thunder Pre-Novice Laken McKee
Sunday January 26th the Crowsnest Pass Pre Novice Thunder hosted the Fernie hockey team in Coleman. Both teams played extremely well, Fernie taking the win. Garrison Gillard and Mikka Kufftinoff both shared goaltending responsibilities. These boys both have some incredible goaltending skills! Garrison Gillard scored his first goal of the season! Cruz Mckee, Griffin Luini and Mikka Kufftinoff also scored some goals!
If you are looking for something to do the weekend of February 1st & 2nd, the Crowsnest Pass Pre-Novice will be hosting their annual hockey tournament in Coleman.
Thunder Novice Lauren Kirkman
The Crowsnest Pass Thunder Novice had another busy weekend of hockey action. After hosting last weekends home tournament, they played away in five games in the Sparwood tournament on Saturday and Sunday. Successful and fun-filled games
made for some exciting sports action. Goals for the weekend scored by Aidan Bishop, Ashton Castellarin, Carsen Hruby, Jack Bishop, Johnny Hawkins, Malcolm Banting, Nicolas Gillespie, Parker Bunnage, Rowan Dawson, and Sophie Gibboney-Stafford. Great goaltending for the games from Ashton Castellarin, Nicolas Gillespie, and Owen Kirkman. The whole team played amazing and are showing terrific skills in teamwork and effort. Thunder have a break next weekend then are in Fernie on Sunday, February 9th for a 9:45am game.
Crowsnest Pass Council Briefs
Teck Expansion ~ Feral Cats ~ Cannibas Bylaw ~ Business Licences DaviD SelleS Pass Herald Reporter
The following topics were discussed during the January 21st Council meeting. Teck Coal: Fording River Operations Castle Project Update Teck Coal gave council a brief update on their plans for beginning the
Crowsnest Pass ProteCtive serviCes - supporting a safe community
Fire & Rescue, Community Peace Officer Program and Agriculture/Field Services
Fire Rescue Crowsnest Pass Fire Rescue had our annual Christmas Party and awards night in December. Firefighter of the Year was awarded to Craig Marshall who has performed to a very high level demonstrating professionalism and a true commitment to serving the community. The Volunteer of the Year award recipient was Cliff White who has been tirelessly serving the community for over 4 decades. After a brief break for the holidays, our team is training hard and endeavouring to make the most out of 2020. This time of year, our attention turns to the winter weather and the potential problems it creates. Our area offers a lot of great outdoor opportunities this time of year so make sure you are prepared and informed. The recent snowfall and big swings in temperature can create instability in our snowpacks. Make sure you consult Avalanche Canada and know the conditions before heading out to the backcountry this month. Driving conditions are always a challenge in southern Alberta. As the snow is stirred up and roadways become icy, remember to slow down and pay attention to road conditions. We hope you have a great start to 2020 and, as always, be safe. - Jesse Fox-Fire Chief
Castle Project. The project is still in its infancy stage and will still need an environmental assessment completed and approved before mining can begin. There have also been changes to the BC Environmental Assessment Act that were put in place in December of 2019 meaning Teck will also need to submit an Initial Project Description (IPD), which they hope to do early this year. The IPD will allow for feedback from the government agencies, Indigenous Nations and communities, which can be incorporated in the project design. Teck will begin the process with their IPD early this year that will be followed by a detailed project description later this year, a draft of the environmental assessment application in 2021, the final environmental assessment application in 2022 and then the decision from governments sometime in 2023. Each of the periods above leading up to the final decision will also have formal engage-
ment periods. If approved, Teck is aiming for first coal drawn in 2023.The Castle Project is located near their current Fording River Operations and if approved, the Castle Project will use the existing operations as well. Feral Cats Trapping and Release Program Mayor Blair Painter brought to council’s attention a conversation he had with members of the spay our strays program that is run by a few local volunteers. Mayor Painter mentioned certain things the group were looking for and told council that the topic of feral cats will once again come back to council in the near future. Bylaw 1037, 2019 Cannabis Retail Bylaw Council passed their Cannabis Retail Bylaw after making a couple small changes. One change is that the word campground is no longer part of the definition of public park or recreation use. Council also made
changes to ensure that some areas of the Crowsnest Pass will be able to house a Cannabis store by reducing limits on proximity to liquor stores, public parks and public recreation facilities. Councillor Ward also mentioned during discussion that even with the bylaw, council will have the final say for any proposed retail site and that the amount of people who attend a council meeting where decisions on store locations are made, will greatly affect whether locations are approved by council or not. Business Licence Bylaw Council spent some time discussing the business licence bylaw. Most of the discussion centered on the reduced fine prices for offenders who don’t renew their licence. After some discussion on the appropriate stiffness of penalty, council decided that a $250 fine will be given to first time offenders and a $500 fine will be given to multiple time offenders.
Pass Herald
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Wednesday, January 29, 2020 - Crowsnest PAss herAlD - 3
In the lIne of fIre Between January 20 and January 27, Crowsnest Pass RCMP responded to a total of 51 calls for service including the following reported incidents. Three (3) assaults, two (2) threats/harassments, two (2) thefts of a motor vehicle, three (3) thefts, one (1) disturbing the peace, one (1) other criminal code, one (1) other provincial statute, ten (10) driving complaints, eight (8) motor vehicle collisions, eight (8) assistance to general public, three (3) suspicious occurrences, one (1) lost and found, four (4) assistance to other agencies, two (2) false alarms, one (1) animal call and one (1) municipal bylaw. Truck Theft
On January 20th, 2020, there was a complaint of theft of a 2016 white Dodge Ram from a residential street in Bellevue. The theft occurred sometime overnight. Traffic Stop On January 23rd, 2020, a traffic stop occurred west of Coleman.
The driver was unable to produce their drivers licence, insurance or registration. Further inquiries revealed the subject also gave a false name. A 25year-old male was arrested and charged with driving while suspended, no insurance and providing a false name. He also had outstanding warrants from Fort Macleod and Edson RCMP. He was released on documents for Court. Assault On January 23rd, 2020, there was a complaint of an assault in progress in Coleman. Police attended and a 28year-old male was arrested and charged with assault. He was released on documents for Pincher Creek Court. Wallet Found On January 27th, 2020, a wallet was found on 17 Avenue in Blairmore. The owner can claim it at the RCMP office. Thefts On January 27th, 2020, RCMP received a complaint of theft of a li-
The Simple Raven’s Post by Avner Perl
What is the best heaven? Experience living in a mountain story. As we get old, we have the tendency to complain about the way things are and talk about the good old times. I can’t avoid doing it. A whole nation can fall for a promise to make a country great again. The trick is to plan the future that we want and just do it, the best we can. I have a friend who regularly mentions heaven and hell in conversations. It is most obvious that he is concerned a lot about life after death and where he will be. I know the person quite well and I am sure that he is not heading towards eternal damnation which we call hell. To me, hell is most likely where you may meet people like Hitler, Stalin, or Emperor Caligula. Mind you, I am not the judge. I asked him once what he perceived heaven to be, and he went into a dream-like state describing. His heaven is most beautiful he said, probably like a beautiful garden with mountains and beaches, all like a perfect painting. In heaven, he said there were only beautiful people living in harmony and peace with each other. There are angels flying and your long-dead relatives and friends exist all in the prime of their lives. You don’t have to do anything unless you want to and you only wish for something and it is yours. The best part, he said, is the closeness to God. We can’t even imagine the joy that a human can derive from being with God. Being a Christian, my friend looks forward to meeting the Christ that he said he always loved. I have another friend who is an Imam. That is a priest or a preacher in the Muslim faith. His paradise
~ rCMP news ~
cence plate from a truck parked in Blairmore. Another licence plate had been placed on the vehicle that did not belong to the owner. On January 27th, 2020, there was a complaint of theft of medication from a residence on 17 Avenue in Coleman. Found bikes turned into Crowsnest Pass Bylaw Be aware of a new scam. Victims get phone calls from someone pretending to be from Service Canada or another government agency, saying their social insurance number (SIN) has been blocked, compromised or suspended. The call might be one of the latest variations on caller ID in which fraudsters disguises the number seen on the ID display in order to trick victims into answering phone. The person will ask for SIN and other personal info, such as date of birth, address, etc. Victims who provide personal info are at risk of identity fraud. Anyone with information regarding any
crime is urged to contact the Crowsnest Pass RCMP Detachment at 403562-2867, or Crimestoppers to remain anonymous at 1-800-422TIPS. 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 its origin. Do NOT purchase gift cards for payment to Revenue Canada. Do not send monies to person claiming you have won a prize and need to send money for delivery. Crime mapping is available online to residents who are interested can login online at Municipality of Crowsnest Pass website (RCMP crime map for Crowsnest Pass). Crime mapping shows property crimes that occurred within the past two weeks in our area.
is not far off from the Christian or Jewish version, but he added another dimension. There are people there created simply for the pleasure of the person who spent his life being devoted and doing good things. This is where the Holy Qur’an describes virgin maidens devoted to the soul of the departed. They please and are fully devoted to it. Well, we raise animals for our uses so I guess that it’s possible. I respect all religious beliefs. I investigated some eastern religions and was exposed to other theories. There are billions of people who believe that the souls of people are reincarnated and I can’t dispute it or any other religion. If people believe it, it may be true. I believe that a human soul is eternal but that it must live the best it can here and now creating heaven all around itself. You know the story, everything that belongs to the father belongs to me, and everything that belongs to me belongs to you through me. (John 16). I also believe that we are the stories we tell ourselves, so we must have the right story. I go through life living one day at the time thanking the Lord for my blessings and not fearing the future in this life or the next. It works for me. In my quest for the best life possible, I think about stories that I would welcome and imagine what it would be like. Children do it all the time. Matt. 18:3. I will give you an example. In my story, I would like to live in a town just like our towns here but where life would be like in “the good old days.” In my pretend place people live as they did in the fifties and there is no unemployment. The place is “self-contained” with all the amenities and most products provided by its own people. This would not render the use of modern technology useless, just enhance it. An experience unavailable in other places.
DiD you know?
An astronaut can be up to 2 inches taller returning from space (the cartilage disks in the spine expand in the absence of gravity).
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A sign could greet visitors saying: Here the lowest price is NOT the law. The joy of life is. There is a main street in the town full of little family-owned and operated businesses. There is a butcher shop, a shoemaker, a dressmaker, grocery and drug stores, movie theatre, books and newspaper store, bakery, deli, and coffee shops, the list is long. People are not all walled up in their homes but are walking, greeting each other and happily paying up a little extra to keep the town going. It could be a real place that looks and smells like Thomas Kinkade paintings which are so popular. We could even have a horse and buggy available for in-town transportation and as a tourist attraction. The buildings could all be decorated in fifties style and some folks may choose to wear our own fashion instead of modern wear. The local radio could play old tunes and families can enjoy a farmers' market in the park. If the people of a town or towns chose to live in a modern-day Heritage park, we wouldn’t be constantly trying to make the place into a copy of the modern-day cities. We could have free wi-fi service and bank machines, but our choice would be to walk into a bank and say hello to the teller. In our tiny corner of the world, human contact would be valued more than time or money. Here we would have no crime and people could leave their homes and cars unlocked since no-one would even consider cheating their neighbours. In a place where all possible services are provided by humans, where you don’t clean your own table at a restaurant and someone washes your windshield, all people would have employment and we wouldn’t even look at the fudged up statistics making up stories about low unemployment and government-created jobs. This is my story of heaven and you don’t have to die to get there. If the story of the world is stressful and ugly, a community of people could rewrite it. If people like it, they are welcome to join in. If all they want is to try it out on a holiday, they could. Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/ Feel free to check other articles and comment.