www.crowsnestpassherald.ca • 403-562-2248 •passherald@shaw.ca
April 8, 2020 ~ Vol. 90 No. 14 $1.00
crowsnest Pass
Herald Serving the CnP SinCe 1930
government David Selles photo
In order to follow with the current provincial restrictions, the council meeting on Tuesday, March 31st was held at the MDM Centre. This allowed for proper spacing between everyone in attendance. Council will continue to hold their meetings here until it is safe to return to the regular council chambers.
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2 – CroWSneSt PASS HerALD – Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Holy Week and Paschal Triduum Public Masses Cancelled The following Masses and services will be celebrated by Bishop McGrattan in the Cathedral and will also be live- streamed at www.calgarydiocese.ca
Holy THursday April 9th -7.00pm Mass Good Friday April 10th - 3.00 pm Service EasTEr ViGil Saturday, April 11th - 9:30 PM EasTEr sunday April 12th - 10 AM
An update from Alberta Services DAviD SelleS pass Herald Reporter
The Government of Alberta and Alberta Health Services have always practiced emergency preparedness, and are continually working to make sure our staff has what they need to care for their patients. It's important to note that if you are feeling ill, please do not go to the hospital. First, fill out the online assessment tool and/or call 811. Part of our preparedness measures include ensuring space is available if there should be a sudden or large influx of patients. All zones in Alberta
Health Services have freed up spaces to prepare for a possible surge, making 1,500 spaces available province-wide by April 8. This has been done mainly by postponing elective surgeries, and moving seniors out of acute care, when appropriate. Beyond that, 750 additional spaces will be made available by April 15, which will be accomplished by utilizing overcapacity spaces such as alcoves, hallways, and unused operating rooms. In all, 2,250 spaces in Alberta will be open and ready for patients, should they be needed, by April
15. This work is not unique to our COVID-19 response – AHS uses overcapacity protocols whenever pressure on our hospitals increases. Our COVID response is an extension of that. Since the week of March 23, all staff, physicians and contractors at clinical sites began to be screened for fitness for work when arriving for their shift. Screening is implemented by zone and site, based on local requirements, but staff can expect to report to a screening station daily to complete a temperature check and
short questionnaire to assess health risks. Anyone deemed not fit to work will be asked to return home. This is a necessary step to keep our patients and healthcare workers safe. Anyone who lives in Crowsnest Pass and requires testing for COVID19 will be able to have that done in their community. Many people with COVID-19 exhibit no symptoms or mild symptoms and can recover while isolated at home. Decisions regarding where the best place is for patients with more serious illness will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Crowsnest Municipal Council Briefs For updates on the municipality and Covid-19 virus check our website and Facebook page. We will continue to be your tried and trusted source of information and news for the Crowsnet Pass!
DAviD SelleS pass Herald Reporter
Cannibas Rezoning Bylaw 1044, 2020 – Land Use Bylaw Amendment – Cannabis Retail Commercial Rezone – 2nd and 3rd Reading Bylaw 1044-2020 is a request to amend the Land Use Bylaw to redesignate a parcel from C-1 to C-4 Cannabis Retail. The subject parcel is
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at 13609-20th Avenue Blairmore. Council passed First Reading of Bylaw 1044-2020 on February 25, 2020 and must now conduct a public hearing in accordance with the Municipal Government Act. Notifications were sent to affected landowners using a notification radius of 250m from the subject site as well as notice in the newspaper and on the Municipal website. The intention of the application is to facilitate the development of a retail cannabis store. The application states a desire to eventually develop two separate businesses at this location - ‘cannabis retail store’ and ‘sit down and/or drive through restaurant’. However the proposed C-4 district does not allow for a drive-in restaurant and any additional use must be separated from the cannabis retail store according to AGLC. The application complies with the Land Use Bylaw setbacks for Cannabis Retail Sales with the exception of a distance of less than 200m from the subject parcel to the Nippon Institute (school) parcel. After council heard from two members of the public as well as receiving multiple letters both for and against, council passed both 2nd and 3rd readings of this bylaw. Councillors Anctil and Sygutek both voted against third reading. Tax and Utility Penalty Deferral Given the current
economic situation around the Covid-19 pandemic, residents and businesses alike are feeling the pressure to pay their bills. To help alleviate this, Council voted to delay penalties on tax and utility payments. The bills will still be issued and will accumulate, however those that need more time, will not accrue late fees right away. For those that can still pay, they are strongly encouraged to do so. Here is a message from council: We know that there are people struggling with the changes that COVID-19 has brought to the world. As a way to assist residents in the Crowsnest Pass who are financially affected by this pandemic, we are deferring penalties for 2020 property taxes until September 1 and the penalties for utilities from April 1 to July 1. Bylaw 1048, 2020 – Property Tax Rates Bylaw – 1st Reading The annual property tax rate bylaw sets out the assessed property values by class and calculates the tax rates required to raise budgeted tax revenue in accordance with property tax policies. The amount of tax revenue required to balance the 2020 budget was presented and approved by Council on December 11, 2019. Administration recommends municipal tax rates for the various residential and non-residential properties based
upon the budgeted tax requirement, assessed property values and other directions provided by Council. The 2020 Property Tax Rate Bylaw has been prepared including a two (2) per cent increase over and above the increase in assessment value between 2019 and 2020. The annual bylaw sets out the assessed property values by class and calculates the tax rates required to raise budgeted tax revenue in accordance with property tax policies. The amount of tax revenue required to balance the 2020 budget was presented and approved by Council on December 11, 2019. The Municipality collects enough property taxes to satisfy Council approved budget requirements. In preparing the 2020 budget, no contingencies were accounted for, such as the Provincial Government downloading policing costs, Provincial Government only paying 50 percent of the grantsin-lieu-of-tax, potential union contract settlement and Senior Housing additional budget ask. Also, during 2020 budget discussions Administration and Council could not have anticipated lost revenues and increased expenses as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. After some discussion, council agreed to move forward with a one (1) per cent tax increase for the year.
Wednesday, April 8, 2020 - Crowsnest PAss herAlD - 3
In the lIne of fIre Between March 30 and April 6, Crowsnest Pass RCMP responded to a total of 33 calls for service including the following reported incidents. Three (3) assaults, two (2) break and enters (other), one (1) threat/harassment, one (1) theft, three (3) disturbing the peace, four (4) other criminal codes, four (4) other provincial statutes, five (5) driving complaints, one (1) motor vehicle collision, two (2) assistance to general public, two (2) suspicious occurrences, two (2) assistance to other agencies, one (1) 911 call (invalid) and two (2) municipal bylaws. Stolen Quad On March 30th, 2020, a quad that was reported stolen on March, 13 from Lundbreck was recovered in Lethbridge area. Outstanding Warrant On March 31st, 2020, a 21-year-old female turned herself into RCMP
detachment on an outstanding traffic warrant from Lethbridge. She was released on documents for Lethbridge Courts. Thefts On April 5th, 2020, there was a complaint of theft of groceries at a residence in Blairmore. The theft occurred during the transport of groceries from the vehicle to the home. The theft occurred on April, 4. Also on April 5th, 2020, there was a complaint of theft of tools that were taken from a garage on 27 Avenue in Bellevue. The theft is believed to have occurred sometime over the prior two days. Effective immediately the RCMP office will be limited to persons attending detachment. If you need to attend the detachment, there will be limited persons at the detachment including front counter. Please call to make appointment at 403 562 2867.
~ rCMP news ~
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. Also, Do not say yes to any questions if you are unsure of who is calling as people can use voice recognition to access other information. Anyone with information regarding any crime is urged to contact the Crowsnest Pass RCMP Detachment at 403-562-2867, or Crimestoppers to remain
The Simple Raven’s Post by Avner Perl
Seen and angry raven yet? I don’t watch the Lethbridge news often, but I just did. I normally try not to rant without giving some positive or spiritual comments, but I am at the end. Where is the good stuff to write about? Where is my provincial response to the crisis we are facing? Are “our friends” in Edmonton aware that we are in trouble? Are they going to rescue the old Pass Herald which has been a source of information to 6000 spread out hard-working Alberta rural residents? I don’t think they even know that we exist when it is not election time. The Lethbridge news today covered a few items. Our schools are being gutted, starting with the most vulnerable kids who are losing the teaching assistants, councilors and any other help. Sundre is losing half of its doctors. Women in labour will be transported to give birth. The list is too long to repeat here. At the same time, I see my Premier announcing that Albertans, that’s us, are financing the Keystone Pipeline to the tune of a billion and a half dollars which will provide 7000 jobs for a while and help export our expensive oil after refining it in Texas. That is the US body. You said that they are gouging us. We lost hundreds of thousand jobs because we are beating a dead horse, oil that is too expensive to sell when the Saudis can just open a valve a few turns more and sell theirs for $5.00. I am not a businessman, but I smell fish. I have been to hospitals in Alberta every few years. In the late sixties, I just walked into the General Hospital and received treatment. It became worse. In the nineties, there were dozens of us sitting for many hours waiting in Emergency for a nurse to see us. The old General was imploded. In the seventies, I worked and paid for my University education. After 2000 my daughter got a BA and was left to pay a huge bill. Now that she is a nurse, they want her to reuse a mask and endanger herself and her family. We had our good times when oil was over $100 a barrel. These were the times in which we gutted our institutions. Governments built infrastructure like hospitals and understaffed them. COVID the silent human killer came to change all that, in a brutal way. I look at news from the US again. The New York Times has an article about Donald Trump offering that the government will pay hospitals to treat COVID patients.
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.
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This is a Single-Payer Health Care system. The sky in cities is blue again, and families are getting to know each other. This time we were caught with our pants down. “We humans” built infrastructures that can’t survive facing nature. Even if there is no pandemic in the next fifty years, we know that there is a large scale disaster looming thanks to our burning things for energy. We will face a crisis of epic proportions. The solution is regulating ourselves now when we still can. Like any machine we ever built, high and low limits must be installed for our safety. Our biggest problem is that we are intertwined with an economy structured for selfishness and we are far away from advanced countries who care about their populations and invest in them. Our hospitals are at the low end of civilized countries, and we are cutting their budgets. No wonder there is a high demand for assisted suicides. The solution is obvious. Call it Democratic Socialism or another name. Soon Artificial intelligence will leave half the people out of work. The dying oil industry will do the same. We must have lower and upper limits installed. The lowest amongst us must be able to sustain basic life. A poor child may become the next genius who will save the world, eg. Jesus, so he or she needs education, medicine, food, and shelter. If we don’t sustain all the world’s population, we are in great danger. Next is the high limit. The most skilled and ambitious person should be rewarded highly. Let them live in a beautiful house, have a private jet, eat-in golden plates, but no more. All income must be taxable in the place where it is earned. People shouldn’t inherit great wealth and be like the Donald and his kids. They must earn leadership and power each time. I admire people who are born with titles and money and give it up, but I would mandate that they will. We should never give huge rewards to the richest and borrow it back in times of disasters. We should never pay “investors” for using our money to enhance their profits. By the time you read these words, it should be Easter. We tend to think about Easter as the resurrection. People like the warm fuzzy positive story. They miss the real story, which is harder to digest. It is a story of a leader who showed in an example that you and I should do the right thing. There is no other way available. Some will cheat and bear false witness, others will be scared and deny they even know you. Your pretend friends will sell you (for 30 silvers) while the duty-bound will crucify you. Our job is to do what will save people and the rest of God’s creation. Don’t be the cheater and don’t deny the needy because some people are backstabbers and cheats. Teach the truth to those who listen and have faith that all will be set right by a power that we do not understand on the conscious level. Ignore the bad news, do what is right, and the good news will come. Do what is right. Happy Easter. Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/ Feel free to check other articles and comment.