PM# 40011867
- Your onlY locallY owned newspaper • serving the cnp since 1930 • FeBruarY 5, 2020 ~ vol. 90 no. 5
Hillcrest Fish and Game award day
$1.00
David Selles photo
The Hillcrest Fish and Game Association held their 95th Annual Trophy Day Awards at the Hillcrest Fish and Game Hall on Saturday, February 1. The event gave people the chance to recognize and appreciate a successful hunting and fishing season. Many different awards were handed out in both youth and adult categories. You can view the full list of winners on Page 16.
nordic ski cLuB
Page 5
weddings
Pages 9 - 12
Looking Back
Page 17
2 – Crowsnest PAss HerALD – Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Canadian Author has storyline intertwined in Crowsnest Pass DaviD SelleS Pass Herald Reporter
John Barr is a writer based out of Vancouver, BC who has ties to the Crowsnest Pass. “My first wife was from the Pass and my first Father-in-Law worked for one of the coal companies. I spent a lot of time in the Pass when I was in my 20's and 30's and I fell in love with the place. It's quite a fascinating community.” For those reasons, Barr’s second book of his trilogy, And Justice For None, features part of the story taking place in the area. Barr originally started his writing career as a journalist back in the 1960’s at the Edmonton Journal. As a trained writer and historian, Barr’s first works were non-fiction. He spent time writing histories about Alberta. His first was about the rise and fall of social credit and a second was about the origins of western protest. It wasn’t until after the 80’s and 90’s until Barr truly started his journey as a fiction author. Barr’s first book, Geronimo’s Cadillac, was published in 2011 and introduces readers to Barr’s fictional character James M Walsh, who’s based on the real James M Walsh. “I created the character JM Walsh, who's a fictional character but he's a distant descendant of a guy that was actually one of the founders of the Northwest Mounted Police, who's the real JM Walsh. The real JM Walsh
was quite a character. He was a frontiersman and he was kind of a legend on the prairies.” The idea to use a real person and bring a fictitious character out of it was something Barr always liked. “I liked the idea of thinking that was then and this is now. What would happen if he had a great great grandson who also got into the Mounted Police and that was like Walsh and what would it be like after he left the police? So the character is in his late 40's or early 50's and he doesn't find retirement a very happy existence. He misses the adventure and the excitement of investigation and he hasn't really landed anywhere comfortable yet.” Barr continues Walsh’s journey in his second book. “He's living in Hillcrest, after a failed career as a rancher near Beaver Mines. He's trying to make a living in the Pass and then he gets this assignment that takes him into Calgary and Cochrane and that area. That's where most of the investigation takes place. He winds up back in the Pass at the end of the story.” The main storyline of Barr’s second book is that Walsh agrees to investigate the death of a young Blackfoot woman in a suspicious house fire. The woman’s father, Chief William Starblanket, wants answers and for some reason, the police are silent. Suspicions point to
the woman’s husband, a wounded Afghanistan war veteran; his wealthy and reclusive Alberta business family; and a shadowy private “security” firm with a reputation for black ops. While Barr wasn't always planning on writing a trilogy, he felt the need to continue Walsh’s story. "It was a big enough challenge just completing my first novel because I wasn't trained in writing fiction. After I finished the first novel I figured I'd like to follow this man's career now. He's had this one great adventure and so I thought I'd like to follow him and see where he goes. I read other novelists who've said sometimes it happens that you create a character and then that character takes on a life of his own in your mind and leads you into further stories and that's what's happened for me." The third novel is going to take place completely in the Pass and is going to involve sort of a final reckoning between Walsh and the RCMP. Speaking again about how he came to choose the Pass as a location for his books, Barr mentioned that other Canadian novelists have based crime novels in bigger areas across Canada. “The place emotionally resonates with me. Apart from that, after I began writing the second novel, I started researching Canadian crime novels and what I discovered was that most of the Canadian writers have chosen some part of Canada for their location. I thought we need a Canadian series that's based somewhere else other than the bigger locations like Toronto or Montreal and I can't think of a better place in the west for it to be than the Crowsnest Pass.” According to Barr, it's not necessary for people to read the books in a specific order. Barr hopes the third book of his trilogy will be completed sometime next year. Barr isn't sure if there are more books on the way in his future. "My fantasy would be that there's such overwhelming interest across the world that I'd feel impelled to write a fourth and fifth book but we'll have to wait and see."
Wednesday, February 5, 2020 - Crowsnest PAss herAlD - 3
In the lIne of fIre Between January 27 and February 3, Crowsnest Pass RCMP responded to a total of 56 calls for service including the following reported incidents. Two (2) assaults, two (2) fraud/forgery, two (2) threats/harassments, one (1) theft, two (2) disturbing the peace, seven (7) other provincial statutes, fourteen (14) driving complaints, twelve (12) motor vehicle collisions, three (3) assistance to general public, three (3) suspicious occurrences, one (1) lost and found, three (3) assistance to other agencies, two (2) 911 calls (invalid), one (1) false alarm and one (1) municipal bylaw. Found Wallet On January 2020, a wallet was on 17 Avenue in more. It contains Visa bank card.
27th, found Blaira US
Suspicious Phone Call On January 31st, 2020, there was a complaint of a suspicious phone call from a person asking for money to be transferred to a bank account claiming the complainant would then receive money. No
further money was exchanged after realization it was a scam. A couple days later, the complainant received another suspicious phone call requesting money, which was declined. Suspicious Phone Call On January 31st, 2020, there was a separate complaint of a different suspicious phone call from a person saying their Social Insurance Number had been compromised and further information was requested. No personal information was supplied. Theft On February 1st, 2020, there was a complaint of theft of a keg, ice auger and weights from the back of a truck parked on 19 Avenue in Coleman. The empty kegs were thrown around the back of a business causing damage to a fence. Disturbance On February 1st, 2020, at approximately 12:20am, there was a complaint of a disturbance at a bar in Blairmore. Police attended and the people involved had left. It is
The Simple Raven’s Post by Avner Perl
Seniors, rebellions and politics I don’t watch TV aside from a bit of news off and on. When I turn on “the Tube” I see great turmoil engulfing the globe looking downright dangerous. What is most obvious is that everywhere people are on the move. Millions of desperate families are migrating, looking for a place to live. Millions of others are demonstrating obviously unhappy with their respective governments. Many others are simply trying to hang on to some rights which are being threatened or taken away from them. Hong Kong citizens are trying desperately to hang on to the shreds of democracy that China is trampling wholesale. Russians are fighting against all odds to keep Vladimir Putin from becoming dictator for life with the help of Oligarchs. Palestinians running up to get shot by snipers on their imaginary borders. British people desperately attempting to stay in the European Union. Franch people demonstrating against raising their pensionable age. Australians demanding that the ruling party will take steps to curb global catastrophes that cause the whole continent to be on fire. High school students all over the world demanding a reduction in pollution which will make their lives miserable. Americans fighting for publically funded Health Care and higher education. Ontarians fighting to keep some degree of quality in their public schools and we are dealing with trouble in Alberta. I will get back to it shortly. The list above names only some of the places where people are mostly peacefully demonstrating for change. It doesn’t mention the serious wars around the globe
~ rCMP news ~
currently under investigation. Fight On February 1st, 2020, at approximately 2:20am, there was a separate complaint of a fight in progress at another bar in Blairmore. One male was injured and the incident is currently under investigation. 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.
where large numbers of people are getting killed. Look at Syria, for example. Isis was taking over the country and America, Turkey and Russia all entered the fray. The Americans and a few Canadians had air forces involved but for political reasons no “boots on the ground.” They struck a deal with the large minority Kurds to be the ground forces in exchange for protection from the “big guys.” They did their share and now are abandoned to die. Similar stories are happening in many other places but I will stick to Alberta. Our economy was hurt greatly in 2014 when oil, our main commodity, lost half of its value and we discovered to our great surprise, that we have no way to sell it to anyone but our now main competitor the USA. Immediately we began demanding that the Federal Government will provide a pipeline they are trying to build but can’t do without committing political suicide. Our once-booming economy, based on oil and gas tanked. We watched helplessly as corporations left and the economy seized growing. Other provinces without oil are doing much better than us. Instead of learning from those who make do without oil, we began an expensive campaign to try to bring oil revenues back and to lower our own standard of living to save money. I watch billions of dollars drained from provincial coffers in exchange for promises to develop more oilsand projects, oil that we can’t get to markets. I fear that I and other middle-class Albertans will be forced to make up the difference, and I am not wrong. The morning news shows the Mayor of Calgary saying that Provincial election promises have been reversed and the city is suffering a serious blow at all levels. It will cost jobs and services which will affect city tax revenues. I look at my own local tax bill and the mill rate increase is reasonable but properties are being taxed at new rates. Searching more, I see on the Premier’s tweet account that they are actively privatizing surgery
DiD you know?
Dragonflies have 6 legs but can't walk.
HWY #3, Frank • 562-8043
it's YOUR vehicle . . . ...your insurance company CANNOT tell you where to fix it.
it's the LAW and it’s YOUR choice
We offer a LIFETIME GUARANTEE on ALL repairs and refinishing for as long as it’s yours.
(403) 563-3999
YOUR choice for auto body repair.
units. That means that Pensioners like me will have to wait longer or pay privately while public money will pay in part for the upper-class folks. I am discouraged. I am hearing from pensioners who support dependants, either mates or grandkids raised by older folks. They will have to find in their budgets money for private insurance. What next? Probably people with company pensions will lose the government Blue Cross coverage for medications, dental and eye care. I never thought that in my retirement age I will have to demonstrate with a sign in front of provincial buildings, but it's coming to it. I am in good company. I love to be with the nurses, teachers, young mothers who lost daycare and teens who work for less than minimum wage. I don’t mind being on a picket line with AISH recipients and laid-off provincial workers; I want to support them, anyway. I see their faces but I don’t see the promised projects in the far north which I probably wouldn’t enjoy looking at. I don’t see the promised jobs, nor the provincial debt being reduced. Our credit rating is down and we pay higher interest. Is it all a bleak forecast for the rest of my life? No, there is a silver lining on every cloud. In the US the “Primaries” are coming and the Progressive candidate is leading. That is an old and proven candidate who intends to bring them Health Care and end the “endless wars” which they never win. In Canada, the Conservative Party is selecting a new leader who may just happen to be the last Progressive Conservative leader in existence. If he wins, and the US turns back to democracy as it used to be, I may have nothing to protest. The political mood will change. If it doesn’t happen I guess I better look for a place in BC. My son already moved there. They don’t have huge fertile prairies and oil, but they mostly seem to be happy. Their biggest problem is that investors from outside buy all their homes. We cry over our lost pensions and services, lamenting about how great it used to be when we spent, gave away our resources and never saved for the future. Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/ Feel free to check other articles and comment.