Crowsnest Pass Herald

www.crowsnestpassherald.ca • 403-562-2248 •passherald@shaw.ca

September 23, 2020 ~ Vol. 90 No. 38 $1.00

Crowsnest Pass

Herald Serving the CnP SinCe 1930

Tony Stoklosa photo

Getting ready for winter

On September 9, 2020, opening day of sheep hunting. Tony Stoklosa came off the mountain back to camp and didn’t expect to run into this brute. He has advice to other sheep hunters, partner up and stay vigilant.

Foothills South Ltd.

Honest, experienced approach to Real Estate.

2 – Crowsnest PAss HerALD – Wednesday, September 23, 2020

The Knights of Columbus will be hosting their

annual garage sale Saturday, September 26 at 9am Behind the Catholic Church All proceeds will be donated to the local church and charities.

General contracting for earthworks both commercial and residential both large and small projects.

Specializing in all types of concrete and concrete repair and coating work.

Building construction projects.

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Crowsnest Curling Club

agM Thursday, Sept. 24th, 2020 at 7pm in the Curling Club Lounge Election of the Executive and club update Due to COVID-19, there will be no banquet.

Social Distancing will be in effect.

Sanitizer will be available.

Due to limitations, curlers only please crowsnestcurlingclub@gmail.com For those attending, there will be a draw for a 2020-2021 club membership.

Crowsnest Pass Municipal Council Road Closure - SPCA - Bylaw Enforcement DaviD SelleS Pass Herald Reporter The following topics were discussed at the September 15th, 2020 Council Meeting.

Bylaw 1025, 2019 – Road Closure – Second and Third Reading The Crowsnest Pass Golf Club has been working on subdivisions for their new golf course.

Through this process it was identified that a road closure would be required for part of the statutory road allowance in the SW ¼ SEC 11-8-4-5 containing 0.872 ha (2.15 ac more or less). A Public Hearing for Bylaw 1025, 2019, was held March 31, 2020, at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers. No statements from the public were received by Administration prior to the Public Hearing and no statements were made to Council at the Public Hearing regarding the proposed road closure. Of those agencies required to be notified of the proposed road closure, AltaLink commented that there were no concerns with the closure; however, AltaLink has requested that an easement agreement with Alberta Transportation be entered into for their electrical transmission line that will cross the proposed road closure, to be registered on the new land title. Following the Public Hearing, Council passed First Reading of Bylaw 1025, 2020. On June 17, Bylaw 1025, 2019, was approved by Alberta Transportation and subsequently received Ministerial approval on July 6, 2020, to close and dispose of the

subject road allowance (see attached). On August 24, 2020, Administration received the approved bylaw (see attached). If Council passes Second and Third Reading of Bylaw 1025, 2019, the bylaw and accompanying materials will be registered with Alberta Land Titles. The Municipality will then receive a new land title for the parcel/closed portion of the road. The new parcel can then be sold. If the Municipality proposes to transfer the land for less than market value, in accordance with Section 70(1) of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), the proposal must be advertised.

In the future, the parcel will need to be redesignated/zoned to match its future use.

After some discussion, Councillor Filipuzzi made a motion for second reading. That motion was carried. Councillor Sygutek then made a motion for third reading and that motion was also carried.

Crowsnest Pass SPCA Council had requested that Administration have a conversation with the SPCA regarding their operations. During this conversation, the Crowsnest SPCA requested if they could present information at a Council meeting. This request was considered and accepted, however when the SPCA was contacted to set up a time to appear as a delegation, they indicated that they would not be coming to Council and if Council wished, they could come

for a tour of the SPCA. Information had been requested from the SPCA to provide information to Council on their various policies and procedures.

The Executive requested to appear before Council with a delegation presentation.

Correspondence was received from the SPCA on August 24, 2020 that invited Council to tour the facility so that Council could have a clear understanding of the facility and operations.

A second invitation to appear before Council was declined on September 10, 2020.

After a short discussion, Council decided they will take a tour of the Crowsnest Pass SPCA at a later date.

Bylaw 1056, 2020 – Bylaw Enforcement Bylaw The Municipal Government Act, RSA 2000, c.

M-26 Section 556 requires every Council to pass a bylaw that “specifies the powers and duties of bylaw enforcement officers and establishes disciplinary procedures for misuse of power, including penalties and an appeal process applicable to misuse of power by bylaw officers.”

The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass had Bylaw 186, 1986 – Bylaw Enforcement Bylaw, which was in effect for 26 years until it was repealed in 2012 by Bylaw 847, 2012 – Peace Officer – Enforcement Services Bylaw. Presumably this occurred when the Municipality moved to employing Peace Officers. Should the Municipality wish to ap-

point a Bylaw Enforcement Officer whether it be on a temporary basis while waiting for a Peace Officer appointment, or on a seasonal or full time basis, a new bylaw will be required to fulfill this requirement from the MGA. Bylaw 1056, 2020 has been drafted for Council’s consideration, which endeavors to provide guidance to the program by outlining the specific powers, responsibilities and conduct of Officers. In researching the Bylaw Enforcement Bylaws for other communities, it was noted that Safety Codes Officers and Development Compliance Officers functions may be combined with this bylaw as the conduct requirements are similar. Although, Development Compliance Officer is not a position in our org chart, including it in the bylaw would allow us to designate this function to an existing position and/or establish this position in the future.

Council held a short discussion on the bylaw, which was followed by the passing of first reading, which was put forward by Councillor Anctil. Councillor Ward then put forward second reading of the bylaw, which was passed.

Councillor Glavin then moved to consider third reading, which needs a unanimous passing to move forward with third and final reading. That was passed unanimously and Councillor Filipuzzi put forward third and final reading, which was passed.

The Pass Herald will resume regular hours Monday - Friday 10 am to 4 pm

You can email us at passherald@shaw.ca or contact us at 403-562-2248 for story ideas or advertising

Wednesday, September 23, 2020 - Crowsnest PAss herAlD - 3

In the lIne of fIre Between September 14 and September 21, Crowsnest Pass RCMP responded to a total of 57 calls for service including the following reported incidents.

Two (2) threat/harassments, three (3) mischief (vandalism), one (1) theft of motor vehicle, four (4) thefts, seven (7) other criminal codes, two (2) other provincial statutes, nine (9) driving complaints, two (2) motor vehicle collisions, seven (7) assistance to general public, eight (8) suspicious occurrences, one (1) assistance to other agencies, two (2) 911 calls (invalid), two (2) false alarms, two (2) animal calls, two (2) municipal bylaws and three (3) lost and found.

Found Bike On September 14th, 2020, a grey CCM bike was found at a residential area in Blairmore, owner can claim same by identifying it.

Theft On September 15th, 2020, there was a complaint of theft of 2004 Honda dirt bike from 18 Avenue in Coleman.

Charges Laid On September 15th, 2020, a 39-year-old male, 29-year-old female and 26-year-old male were charged with possession of stolen property. Stolen property was recovered in the Tent Mountain area.

Thefts On September 16th, 2020, there was a report of theft of a licence plate from a vehicle parked in Hillcrest.

On September 17th, 2020, there was a complaint of theft of items from a second hand store in Coleman.

Suspicious Person On September 18th, 2020, there was a complaint of a suspicious person using counterfeit money at a business in Frank. A 37-year-old

~ rCMP news ~

male and a 26-year-old female from Red Deer were charged. A hearing was held and they were released on documents for Court. The female was also charged with no registration and no insurance for the vehicle.

Theft On September 16th, 2020, there was a complaint of theft of a light bar from a Dodge Ram truck. Damage was also done to the vehicle.

There was also theft of various items from the ski hill in Blairmore.

Vandalism On September 19th, 2020, there was a complaint of damage to flowerpots on main street in Blairmore and a window broken at a business.

Reminder to residents that school will starting soon and drivers please be aware of school buses with flashing lights and children walking Be aware of a new

The Simple Raven’s Post

by Avner Perl

How do we want to live our lives?

I didn’t ask to spend my retirement years in crisis. The people of earth didn’t either.

A hundred-year pandemic, looming threat of the globe warming, a possible deadly conflict between world powers, or possible internal fight in an empire situated on our doorstep, but we have it all.

All of us chose how to live our lives and try to make the best of it. Sadly, we are not born equal. Some are handed everything by the virtue of being born. You can be a white son or daughter of a rich family born with a perfectly healthy body and believe that God favoured you in some way. You will spend your life in leisure competing with a few others as lucky as yourself in isolation from the filthy masses. They are not as worthy as you. You can also expect that most people will try to behead you if they can. In time, they probably will.

Another option is to live life doing the minimum and trying to escape the misery of being poor and viewed as a useless human being. Often you may find yourself intoxicated and resentful of what life handed you. In your mind will be a story of being cheated by life. You will be defending your hurt ego unsuccessfully. About half of humanity is born disadvantaged with very little prospect of getting ahead without fighting.

Most people are not privileged or useless for society. They possess the ability to function and contribute, able to produce what they need, procreate, and shape the world to allow them to exist. They compete with each other in every possible way for a place closer to the top. Those who are not concerned with the plight of others have a material advantage. Others slow down to help the needy, which often is viewed as a weakness.

Human society has been experimenting with options of how to organize itself for optimum success since pre-history. Originally people followed nature and organized what we call “the law of the jungle.” Those who could enslave others did. Women suffered most. Sarah “gave” Abraham her Egyptian slave girl to impregnate. The father of Islamic people, “Ismael” was born.

As humans became oriented to logic and thinking, philosophies of governing advanced. After thousands of years of evolution, we witnessed the birth of Christianity, which introduced what today we call the political left. Under that theory, human society is accepting responsibility for all its members.

A person who is believed to be the son of the creator started a movement based

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 anonymous at 1-800-422TIPS.

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on being considerate and fair. He preached helping the poor and disadvantaged until it hurts, advocated community, emphasized the importance of beliefs, and talked about nonmaterial spirituality being more important than all material things.

As history progressed casts and classes became less rigid and the common people on the “left” (of the British parliament) realized that they were human as much as the privileged few. Slaves rebelled, peasants rose, a middle class was born, and some excelled in learning. Some of the privileged joined them, and democracy handed them some power through governments. The most populous Christian religion, Catholics, even promoted the notion that a woman, the mother of the Saviour, is a powerful spiritual entity.

Now, modernized society witnessed signs of a new order where the filthy masses no longer were the property of the privileged but a power to be reckoned with. At the beginning of the twentieth century, many people knew that privilege and entitlement were not ordained by God, yet those who had power and privilege disputed the idea.

While the “left” aspired to Christian ideals of equality and compassion achieved by change and reform, the “right” also built a case for being on God’s side. Northern European Protestantism believed strongly in pre-destiny. What could be a better sign that God favours people than their wealth and success here on earth? The far-right movement unabashedly maintained racial superiority, patriarchy, and hate of weakness of any sort. They wanted freedom of the market to rule, small government, no tax on accumulated wealth, and little regulations hindering an individual’s ability to profit or even wage wars.

The two theories were both tried and failed. Fascism disappeared for a time with the fall of Nazi Germany and Communism all but disappeared with the fall of the Soviet Union. Both still exist and work hard towards world domination. The Right gets power by financing elections, and their candidates are selling the assets and resources of democracies to what used to be the communists. I heard that BC sold its coastal real estate and Alberta sold oil sands to China. (Lookup International Democratic Union.)

The human animals will only survive into the future by co-operation. The Christian message of doing it by “love” is competing with the authoritarian idea of forcing people to work. Selfish goals can only be gained by force. People are not willing to give up much for a few to gain from it.

Now the “right” and “left” are pretty even around the world, holding each other by the throat. Democracy is widespread, forcing both to campaign for votes and mass support. In China, authoritarianism is making the economy function well, while in the West people are divided, unable to decipher which is real and which is fake news.

Lying is no longer considered a sin.

The “left” is enjoying the support of the intellectual class and removed itself from the religious base no longer popular. Now there is talk about going back to the original Christian teachings without interpretations.

Mankind tried all the ways we can envision. We became selfish groups fighting for power and wealth. We see the ugly end on the horizon. Will we accept the teaching of love and work together to obtain a heaven on earth? Only God knows.

Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/ Feel free to check other articles and comment.

4 – crowsnest PAss HerALD – Wednesday, september 23, 2020

Editorial On Sunday, a panel of ‘experts’ met in Calgary to discuss the proposed coal mines in the Crowsnest Pass. I received an email inviting me to cover it. My first question was why are you holding a conversation about the future of coal mining in Calgary? I would think it would be more appropriate to do it in the Crowsnest Pass, the affected community. Their response was that the coal mine and its activities affect the people north of us. I then asked who was on the panel. Imagine my surprise when I saw Dr. Allan Garbutt on the panel. I don’t think I need to elaborate why I don’t understand why he is there as an expert. I’ll let you the reader deduce that yourself.

While I like Teck and I certainly appreciate the jobs it produces in the valley, I find it interesting how out of touch they really are regarding what goes on in the Crowsnest Pass.

I know we don’t get any money in the form of tax credits from the mine but it does employ a good number of people from the Crowsnest Pass, people who commute long distances to work to make a good pay cheque.

However, do they have any idea what happens in our community and really, do they even care?

The projects that they choose to fund in the community is interesting to me. It’s a bit ‘willy nilly’ and all over the place. Rather than give money to whatever group applies, I really wish they would come up with a big project and clearcut vision on which to put their proverbial name.

In Elkford, they have funded the most beautiful community hall I have ever seen. I’m not sure what they have done for Sparwood and Fernie, but my gut tells me they have spent far more money in those communities than they have on our little one, which I bet supplies them with close to 20 per cent of their workforce. I have been to several Teck Christmas parties where a member of the Fernie, Sparwood and Elkford council had been invited. I have never even heard of them inviting a council member from the Crowsnest Pass. Why? Because they are truly out of touch with what’s going on here, other than we supply manpower.

This is why we need Riversdale to work for our community. This mine will be in OUR community. It will be responsible for the social impact in OUR community. It will pay taxes into OUR community. It will allow OUR workforce to walk out of their door and go to work. No longer will they have to drive those treacherous roads. It will be OUR community employer.

When you look at the money Riversdale has already invested into this community, it’s in support of service groups, into making a world-class golf course. I venture to say that by Christmas, it will be the number one employer of people in the Crowsnest Pass.

Riversdale opening up means more businesses created to serve the community and the influx of industry and people looking to work in our beautiful municipality. More people means more everything from the private sector, from the medical community to the school system. We will no longer be a dying community, but one that thrives.

When I became a councillor, we needed to find extra funding for the library and to do so, we honestly had to discuss how many pothole and sidewalk replacements we had to cut. I thought to myself, ‘oh my goodness, what have I gotten myself into that I have to figure out how many potholes we can not fill in order to fund our library?’

I’m not exaggerating this at all.

So, if you are like me, cross your fingers, toes and anything else you are limber enough to cross and hope that this mine gets permitting, for it will change the growth in this area in ways we can only imagine. Coal mining created this community. Perhaps it can bring us back to greatness, or at least allow us to fill our potholes while funding our library.

At least that’s the way I see it.

Letters to the the Editor Policy: The Pass Herald welcomes Letters to the Editor that examine issues, but reserves the right to edit for length, libel and syntax. Writers must sign letters and include first and last names, address and telephone number. Address and telephone numbers will not be published. Only in exceptional cases will the Pass Herald withhold the name of the writer and in those cases the writer must disclose his/her name, address and telephone number to the Editor. Electronic email will be considered an electronic signature.

Letters to the Editor do not reflect the opinion of the Pass Herald. Letters cannot exceed 1,000 words. We have limited space, but we do enjoy printing every article. So please, to allow everyone to express their opinion, keep the letters short and to the point. We do have the right to refuse any letter that in our judgement may contain libel or libelous opinions. Should a litigation result from your letter, you as the writer are responsible but so is this newspaper as the publisher.

The Pass Herald is a family owned community newspaper and therefore reserves the right to refuse any advertisement that in our opinion does not follow our mandate. We cannot accept advertisements or letters criticizing or disparaging other advertisers, companies or individuals or any advertisements directed to a religion or race.

LRDS Board of Trustees asks Education Minister for a “hold harmless” year for funding framework The Livingstone Range School Division Board of Trustees is requesting that Education Minister Adriana LaGrange consider the 2020-21 school year a ‘hold harmless’ year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the recently implemented funding framework, Alberta Education uses a Weighted Moving Average for Kindergarten to Grade 12 instructional activities in a school jurisdiction.

This means that the budget for Livingstone Range School Division is made of projected enrol-

ment for the upcoming school year (50%), plus estimated enrolment from the current school year (30%), plus actual enrolment for the prior school year (20%).

With the uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more students are enrolled in at-home learning and Home Education, which have ripple effects for our planning.

For example, with an increase in at-home learning students, more teachers are required so that in-person classrooms have a teacher, and athome students have an online teacher.

Additional staff are required to meet these needs. Where parents choose Home Education for their child, the School Division and the parent receive modest funding to cover the educational costs for that student.

Although our student enrolment numbers are somewhat fluid due to the pandemic, current reports indicate that across the Division more than 400 students are taking part in at-home learning, and approximately 100 students are enrolled in Home Education (up from around 25 last year).

The Board of Trustees

is concerned about the negative impact this shift in studentenrolment may have in the funding framework, specifically as it relates to the Weighted Moving Average in years two and three. They have asked that the Ministry consider the 2020-21 school year as a 'hold harmless' school year so that the above concerns do not negatively impact students due to a decrease in future funding.

For more information about the 2020-21 school year, at-home learning, and Home Education, visit www.lrsd.ca

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Wednesday, September 23, 2020 - crowsnest PAss HerALD - 5

6 – CROwsnEst PAss HERALD – Wednesday, September 23, 2020

EPCOR provides delegation to council DaviD SelleS Pass Herald Reporter

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Council was presented with introductory information on EPCOR at their Regular Council Meeting on Tuesday, September 15th.

The presentation provided Council the opportunity to learn more about what EPCOR provides.

EPCOR became a stand-alone corporation on January 1, 1996.

They are a 100 per cent municipally owned company with a strong commercial orientation.

They are currently serving over 2 million customers and have approximately 3,600 employees.

In Canada, there are more than 85 EPCOR communities and industrial sites that serve water to over one million people.

In the United States, they are the largest private regulated water utility in Arizona and New Mexico.

When it comes to Water and Wastewater Management, EPCOR works with the communities and clients to build and operate reliable, costeffective water solutions.

EPCOR also has a Southwest Alberta Regional Hub, which allows for cost savings in staff, overhead, travel, materials and other resources as well as quick emergency response, maintenance and day-to-day operations.

Michael Bell, Business Development Manager, Regional Operations for EPCOR was there to provide answers to any questions council had after the presentation.

Councillor Ward mentioned that the Crowsnest Pass already has their design and have grants in place.

Councillor Ward asked if those things would be impacted if someone else comes and jumps into the picture.

Bell says that it depends.

"That's a common question we get. There are a lot of misconceptions that if EPCOR steps in then those grants aren't

valid and that's not true.

It really depends how you set up the ownership structure.

Sometimes EPCOR can be a partial owner of the structure and the municipality owns the majority. Other times, if EPCOR is the primary owner of the facility, then we would have to consult with where the grants came from federally or provincially to make sure they are still valid."

Councillor Ward also asked if operating costs are guaranteed for the duration of the contract.

Bell says they are.

"Yes. That's one of the big reasons why municipalities and industrial firms like us. Those costs that you're tied to in the contract are predictable and especially if we own the facility, those maintenance costs and upgrade costs are on EPCOR so we take on the risk."

Councillor Ward also asked if EPCOR assumes all liability for the duration of the contract.

"That's correct. If we are the owner of the facility, it is our facility and we price it into our annual or monthly costs of operating."

Councillor Sygutek asked why more municipality's aren't doing this.

Bell says it's due to a couple of things.

"A lot of municipalities are very conscious about water and wastewater and having a third party operator. There's lot's of sensitivities

around it. We found that if the communication is presented to the town openly and honestly and people know who owns what assets and even if EPCOR owns the asset that doesn't mean we own the rights to the water. We work with the municipalities. There are a lot of municipalities that are cautious about a private company coming in looking at their water and wastewater. We think the key is that there's an open and honest communication with the community and that all concerns are addressed with the town and with EPCOR." Councillor Sygutek also asked if all employees would be employed through EPCOR. Bell says that is the case.

Councillor Anctil asked where the nearest emergency responders would be and the approximate time frame of arrival in the event of an emergency.

"During the 2013 floods when we were operating in the Canmore/Kananaskis region. We actually flew emergency operators via helicopters from Edmonton. They were there in 40 minutes. If there was a really pressing emergency, EPCOR does have the resources to get someone down as quick as possible."

Council does not yet have a timeframe for a decision regarding EPCOR coming to the area.

Youth rep re-appointed

David Selles photo

CCHS student Tiana Hamilton has been chosen to serve a second year as the youth representative on Council.

DaviD SelleS Pass Herald Reporter

Council has appointed Tiana Hamilton to serve her second year as Youth Council Representative.

The decision comes after Hamilton’s first year was cut short due to Covid-19.

Hamilton says her first year serving on Council was an interesting experience.

“It was very cool to see how everything worked. I really enjoyed having a voice and serving as the youth representative for council. It was very educational.”

Hamilton says she feels like a good fit for the position and is glad to have the opportunity to serve as the youth representative again this year and gain more experience.

“I feel I'm a pretty good representative for the youth in the community because I get all the spectrums. I’m really excited to go a second time around and be the youth representative again.”

Hamilton says Council approached her after making their decision.

“Council unanimously voted they wanted a youth representative

again and Covid-19 got in the way of my previous time. They decided that I could have another year if I wanted to.”

After spending most of year one learning the ropes, Hamilton says she hopes to increase her discussions with council this year.

“Hopefully I get to have more of a voice. Last year I was just learning things but now I have the scoop on things so I can have more of a voice and impact.”

Council originally created the position last year after agreeing they wanted more say from the youth of the community at council meetings.

Council adopted a similar position as Elkford after seeing their success with a youth council representative.

Hamilton will now serve a second year as the voice of youth in the Crowsnest Pass.

Wednesday, September 23, 2020 - crowsnest PAss HerALD - 7

Meet your candidates for the upcoming by-election dustry and all the opportunities that come with this, to the growing interest in our community for all the recreation opportunities available. Being a part of Council will give me an opportunity to put the needs of our community and its residents first.

By-election candidate

By-election candidate

Oliver Strickland

Glen Girhiny DaviD SelleS Pass Herald Reporter

Oliver Strickland and Glen Girhiny have put their names forward for the upcoming by-election scheduled for October 26th, 2020.

Here are there responses to questions regarding their decision to run in the election, their qualifications and their thoughts on harder community topics.

Why did you choose to run in the by-election?

Oliver Strickland: The Crowsnest Pass is on the verge of changing and it's going to change real quick. I just feel that I can

help Council now and Administration with some of my ideas and thoughts. I am connected with a developer, I'm a realtor here in the Crowsnest Pass; being the chair of the EDC (Economic Development Committee) I'm well in tune to what Council's challenges are. I feel I can help accomplish what needs to be accomplished.

Glen Girhiny: Being a part of Council is something that has always interested me. I feel that there are some exciting changes coming to the community, from the possible development of in-

Why do you believe you are qualified to serve as a member of Municipal Council? What experience do you have?

OS: I was a supervisor at the mines for around 13 years. I've run my own business in the Crowsnest Pass for the last 20 years. I've been around the Economic Development Committee for the last seven years and have chaired it for around three years. I've also been a member of the Crowsnest Pass Health Foundation and I was part of the group raising funds for our local hospital. I'm well connected in the Pass for close to 40 years. I've connected to the people, I know the people quite well and I

feel I'm a good fit for it.

GG: The only qualification I have is the experience I’ve gained from being in this community my whole life. Being born and raised here, I have experienced the ups and downs of the area. I have experienced the life of working in the local mines, to the challenges of owning and operating a business in a small community. These experiences have given me a broader view of what is needed in this community to make it an even better place to call home.

What are your thoughts on some of the main topics surrounding the community right now?

Specifically mining and housing?

OS: I strongly believe that we can work with industry and tourism because they are both very valuable to this community. I think we can work together respectfully and create a place that everybody wants to be in the Pass. As for the housing,

when industry comes, the builders come. I'm not too concerned about housing now. I'd be more concerned about affordable housing down the road for our service industry. I don't see that as a problem as of yet but I go back to my beliefs that if industry comes and the jobs are here, the builders and everybody will come.

GG: The topic of mining coming back to the community is quite interesting. Personally I will always be in favour of the opportunity of some form of prosperity coming back to the valley. But this has to be done with a high level of respect for all parties involved. The environment as well as other users of the valley will also have to be willing to work together for a mutual and growing community that will benefit all involved. On the housing side, we need to start the conversation about development in all aspects of this. Low cost housing for both the low income and senior population is something that is missing

here. But again, this conversation would be better if we have some prosperity back in the valley.

Anything else you'd like to say to the community ahead of the by-election?

OS: I'd like the people of the Crowsnest Pass to please get out and vote. I don't want the seat if the people don't want me there. If the people would get out and vote, let me know that you're supporting me and I'll be just like everybody else. I'll be a voice in the Crowsnest Pass, I'll be a voice for the people and I know I can do that respectfully and hopefully get something accomplished.

GG: Personally, I can’t think of a better place to have spent my life. There has always been one constant in the Pass, change.

Hopefully the opportunities that we have in the community today will establish themselves and we can grow this community into an even better place to attract development and growth.

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8 – Crowsnest Pass HeraLD – Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Council makes decision regarding trails in community DaviD SelleS Pass Herald Reporter

As part of the Municipal Stimulus Program, Council directed that $507,000 would go towards enhancements to the multiuse trail network to work towards the Leitch to Lakes Trail Master Plan.

Administration completed an assessment of the approximate route and determined that alternative alignments were needed to meet the intent of the master plan.

Administration then broke the trail into smaller stand alone projects given that the entire network could not be completed financially all at one time.

Administration broke the project up into the following: Coleman 1 - $552,000, Coleman 2 - $546,000, Coleman 3 - $636,000, Coleman 4 - $522,000, Frank 1 $225,500, Frank 2 - $473,000, Frank 3 - $316,500, Bellevue 1 - $317,250, Bellevue 2 $225,000, Bellevue 3 $505,000, Bellevue 4 $290,000, Hillcrest 1 $138,000, Hillcrest 2 $310,000, Passburg $713,000.

Administration was also working on the concept for the Sartoris Day Use Area and were worried that the $200,000 budget that

Council identified may be light and additional funds may be needed to properly construct this site.

During long discussions, council began to change the way they wanted to use the money from the Municipal Stimulus Program.

Council spent time discussing what they would like to see added and fixed on current trails.

Councillor Ward brought up the topic of restrooms and rest areas.

It was decided by council that they would like to see a restroom at the east, central and western points of their current trail system.

Council also discussed what gaps could be filled in their current trail system.

It was brought to Council’s attention that currently there are small gaps in Hillcrest and Bellevue that council could choose to fill in with trails and paths.

Councillor Ward says he would like to see those gaps filled in and restrooms placed with the money from the Municipal Stimulus Plan.

“For me, I would like to see the three bathrooms and realistically with what's left after the bathrooms are put in would be to fill in the gaps. This is probably a one

time deal and I think once we do $300,000 worth of gaps and $200,000 worth of bathrooms, what more are you going to be able to do?”

Council also discussed the importance of signage to let trail users know where to continue on the trail system.

Kiosks were also brought up during discussion as Councillor Glavin sees them as a useful tool for

providing information for people while on the trails.

"We could add kiosks to our trail systems to help identify wildlife or those types of things as well. I'd like to see that incorporated."

Council's final part of the discussion included scrapping the project for the Sartoris Day Use Area and transferring those funds to

increase what the municipality is able to do with the trails.

Councillor Ward cited previous years of stretching council thin as a reason to just focus on trails for right now.

"In the past, we've made the mistake again and again of trying to cut things too thin and do too many things at once. Instead let's

do one or two things really well rather than five or six things half baked."

After all discussions were had, Councillor Ward made a motion that all $700,000 go into the trail systems, restroom facilities and the rest to enhance and fulfill any gaps in the present system.

Council carried the motion unanimously.

Herald photo

Publisher Lisa Sygutek had the opportunity to meet Hon. Shadow Minister of Finance Pierre Poilievre. A breakfast meeting as set up at the Sparwood Golf Course by Mayor David Wilkes of Sparwood. Sygutek attended as a memeber of John Barlow, EDA Committee. Back row, left to right: Pierre Polievre, MP Rob Morrison and Mayor David Wilkes. Front row, left and right: Glenn MacDonald, Santo Rocca and Lisa Sygutek.

Wednesday, Septemeber 23, 2020 - CroWsnest pass HeraLD - 9

John Pundyk.CoM

Simply Selles Musings from you local reporter

Last week I had a buddy out for the afternoon and we played a round of golf at the new course.

This was my third time playing it and it gets better every time.

The level of difficulty on this course is perfect.

Each hole presents a slightly different challenge than the last and having multiple tees to pick from makes it welcoming for any skill level.

This last time was my first attempt at playing the gold tees.

My driver was busted so all I had was a 3 hybrid but even so it wasn’t like I was helpless hitting off those tees.

There’s a decent amount of forgiveness in the fairways.

The greens are a little challenging but I was still able to make some longer 15-foot putts on the day.

The view was lacking this time but that was only due to the smoke in the area.

Without the smoke, the view would’ve been as beautiful as ever.

There’s just so much to like about this course.

I finished the day with a rough score of 103 but just being out on the course for an afternoon was a blast.

I can only get better the more I play the course and with how amazing it is, I’m sure I’ll get better in no time.

Hopefully I can make it back out there at least one more time before the end of the season.

Best of Crowsnest Winners 2020 Best Atmosphere Winner: The Pass Beer Co.

Best Real Estate Agent Winner: Bill Field

Best Bar Winner: The Pass Beer Co.

Best Business Sign Winner: The Pass Beer Co.

Best Breakfast Winner: Chris’ Restaurant Best Burger Winner: The Rum Runner Best Chicken Wings Winner: Pure Country Bar & Grill Best Desserts Winner: The Old Dairy Ice Cream Shoppe Best Liquor Store Winner: Blairmore Liquor Store

Best Financial Institution Winner: RBC Royal Bank Best Wedding Venue Winner: SpringBreak Flower Farm Best Contractor Winner: J. Gray Contracting Best Retail Store Winner: Allied Ace True Hardware

Best Pizza Winner: Black Rock Pizzeria

Best Customer Service- 53 businesses nominated Winner: The Pass Beer Co.

Best Musician Winner: Tynan Groves

Best Caterer Winner: Chris’ Restaurant

Best Staycation Spot Winner: Chinook Campground Best Hiking Trail Winner: Turtle Mountain Best Mountain Biking Trail Winner: All Pass Powderkeg Trails

Best Winter Activity Winner: Skiing/Snowboarding at Pass Powderkeg Best Plumber Winner: Morency Plumbing & Heating Best Patio Winner: The Pass Beer Co.

Best Hairstylist/Barber Winner: Amanda Cancade-Samuel

Best Electrician Winner: Cox Electric

Best Spa Services Winner: Chakras Revitalizing Spa & Salon

Best Innovative Idea During COVID-19 Winner: Take-out window at Pass Beer Co.

Best Mechanic Shop Winner: Integra Tire

Best Experience for Visitors Winner: The Bellevue Underground Mine

Best Photographer Winner: Mark Hansen Photography

403

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26 KananaSKIS coURT Spectacular south-facing mountain lot. Northside of the valley, off Alberta Forest Trunk Road, and Forest Reserve. Sun exposure all year round. Suitable for a walk-out bungalow looking towards the South Range and the Flathead. No timeline to start building. 1/3 acre with all required services: water, sewer, power, gas, cable, telephone. $127,000 CALL JOHN MLS

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coleman Six bedroom, 5 bathroom home facing the Flat Head Mountain Range. Incredible views. 2 gas fireplaces. High ceilings 3 levels. Tremendous B&B potential.

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BelleVUe commeRcIal Commercial land with east and west bound access on busy Hwy 3 corridor. Located at first entrance to Crowsnest Pass with access to municipal water and sewer. Tremendous traffic count in front of the property. Zoned commercial and suitable for many different activities. $190,000 CALL JOHN MLS

coleman Newly refreshed 2 bedroom, main floor apartment condominium. New flooring, paint and newer appliances. Unit is close to laundry room and steps from the backdoor to the parking lot. Affordable, high quality accommodations in beautiful Crowsnest Pass. $105,000 CALL JOHN MLS

PRIme BUIlDInG loTS UnDeRGRoUnD PoWeR SeRVIce anD all oTHeR UTIlITIeS Timberline ridge in Bellevue offers a sunny location, beautiful mountain views and wide paved streets. These prime building lots are available at affordable prices, from $68,000 to $140,000. Large and fully serviced lots have underground power, easy topography, and are ready for the spring building season. Crowsnest Pass offers unparalleled value in the Canadian Rockies. Active, friendly community. CALL JOHN FOR MORE INFORMATION MLS

562-8830 jpundyk@shaw.ca 31 IRonSTone Beautiful bungalow under construction at Ironstone Lookout.

Open floor plan with luxurious finishes. Magnificent mountain views. Unobstructed vista to the south. Two bedrooms up and two down. 3 bathrooms. Kitchen with quartz counter-tops. Spacious media room. Large double car garage and driveway. Hardwood and tile flooring. Main floor laundry. Tremendous value for a luxurious home. Choice of finishes if bought early in the process. The purchase price does not include GST. $419,000 + GST CALL JOHN MLS

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BelleVUe Fantastic opportunity for commercial location along busy Highway 3. East and West bound traffic access. Currently occupied as a successful fly-fishing shop, known to fly fishermen throughout Canada and the U.S. Can be sold as a business to someone wishing for a change of pace or for a property that can be re-purposed. C1 zoning allows for different opportunities. High traffic volume in front of the property. $435,000 CALL JOHN MLS

coleman Solid 2 bedroom home with a newer 16x26 garage. Located on corner lot, very sunny Coleman location. Great mountain views. Fenced yard and RV parking. Affordable mountain get-away or revenue property. Very solid foundation for home in this price range. Crowsnest Pass offers tremendous opportunity for mountain enthusiasts. $135,000 CALL JOHN MLS

BlaIRmoRe commeRcIal Opportunity for first class office space in busy downtown Blairmore location.

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lUnDBRecK HoTel Live and work next to magnificent Alberta Rockies in Lundbreck.

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24 IRonSTone 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom, bungalow with vaulted ceilings and open floor plan. Hardwood flooring, alder wood cabinets and quartz counters. Stainless steel appliances and gas fireplace. Master suite with large walk-in closet and 3-piece bathroom. Double car garage. Main floor laundry hookups and downstairs laundry. Spacious family room downstairs with wide stairway. Ample parking and beautiful green space. $334,000 CALL JOHN MLS

KananaSKIS WIlDS South facing, stunning mountain views and mature douglas fir trees. Great building site. All services, including water, sewer and high speed internet at property. Special mountain community, northside of the valley above Coleman, just off Kananaskis Hwy. Beautiful 1/3 of an acre fully serviced lot. $119,000 CALL JOHN MLS

New ShowhomeS

10 – Crowsnest Pass HeraLD – Wednesday, September 23, 2020

InvItatIon to all

Gospel services Come & hear about Jesus from the Bible.

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Deanna Stewart & Jayna Layden Call 403-990-9072 For Rent

Services

To inquire about the availability of an apartment for rent in Blairmore call 403-562-8144.

Is alcohol affecting your life? Alcoholics Meeting are Wednesdays and Sundays at 7:00 pm at the Lion’s Club, 12130 Ave. Blairmore.

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WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE

Canadian Prairie Pickers are once again touring the area!

Paying Cash For Coin Collections, Silver & Gold Coins, Royal Can. Mint Sets.

Also Buying Gold Jewelry

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Jack Dudley 1921 ~ 2020 It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Jack Dudley on July 15, at the grand old age of 99 years.

Jack was born and raised in Hillcrest and lived there for approximately 97 years of his life. He truly loved his family, especially his devoted wife Cecelia. They were married for 68 years. He was an avid fisherman and still ice fished at the age of 95.

He worked at many of the coal mines in and around the Crowsnest Pass, Michel and Canmore. He enlisted with the Canadian army Seaforth Highlanders during WWII and served in North Africa, Italy, France, Germany and Holland before returning home and living to become of our oldest veterans.

Left to celebrate his life are his loving wife Cecelia, his daughters Marion (David) Borrows, Diane Dudley-Cuel and Colleen Dudley; grandchildren Jennifer Ulrich and David (Michelle) Borrows Jr., and great grandchildren Harper and Aspen Borrows.

Jack was predeceased by his parents John and Mary Dudley, his twin sister Mae Rennebohm, his brother Norman and his step-sister Irene Coover.

At Jack’s request there will be no funeral service.

Wednesday, September 23, 2020 - crowsnest pass HeraLD - 11

1-403-634-4956 Coin Certification Coin Grading Collection Appraisals Estate Appraisals

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12 – CROWSNEST PaSS hERald – Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Looking Back

While driving west on the Trans-Canada ,if you turn right off the traffic circle just outside of Banff and head down the Lake Minnewanka loop road about 4 miles you find the remains of a turn of the century coal mine known as "Bankhead". Very little remains of the mine and town site today but there is a nice interpretive walk-around trail with signs set up by Parks Canada at the site.

Bankhead was named after a Scottish town of the same name and its name means, "The head of the seam".

It was opened in 1903 by the natural resources arm of the CPR known as the "Pacific Coal Company." Its development occurred about the same time as the Hosmer Mine just east of Fernie, which was another CPR venture into coal. These two mines were the railway’s attempt at getting into the coal business to supply its own needs and also to capitalize on a booming coal market at the time.

CPR invested heavily in Bankhead and, like Hosmer, over equipped it in what turned out to be an unsteady coal industry.

The coals that were mined in its brief 20-year history were semi-anthracite and semi-bituminous grades from the Cascade Coal Basin and proved to be very friable. A fascinating part of the mining process there was the coal breaker, a pretty important element of coal handling at any mine. Bankhead’s raw coal was full of impurities like bone and shale and needed to be crushed and sorted.

The mine produced 9 different sizes of coal for marketing through that breaker that ranged from the largest , called “broken” at 3 inches in size, down to the lowest, known as Buckwheat #3 at less than a ¼ inch. In between sizes sported names like egg, stove, nut, pea and Buckwheat’s #1 &2. Buckwheat #3 was used in the plants’ boilers and smaller than that (dust) was, at first, wasted.

About 35% of their mined coal broke up and turned to fine dust after handling and sliding down steeply pitching chutes underground. Bankhead coal was great (high calorie, clean burning) for domestic and industrial use but the amount lost to fines convinced CPR to install a briquetting plant in 1907. Briquette coal was in high demand back then and could be used in all areas including locomotive steam generation, a fact rather important to CPR. Briquettes were a popular form of coal for consumption for some time. Coleman had a briquette plant years ago and my father worked in that plant for a time.

Briquettes were coal fines mixed with molten pitch, poured into molds, pressed and allowed to cool. In Bankhead's case the pitch was imported from Pennsylvania via Sault Ste Marie, no doubt making it an expensive process. The barrels of pitch had steam vents running through them and when needed were hooked up to a steam outlet from the boiler house so as to melt the pitch inside.

The pitch was then tapped off and sent to a mixer, blended with the coal dust and then passed between two revolving indented drums that press formed the briquettes.

The briquettes were then allowed to cool and set. My father told me a story about one night shift in the briquette plant in Coleman when, while peering down into the mixing bin, his glasses fell off into the mixer. On a lark he ran up alongside the slow-moving cooling conveyor to watch and see if they had survived. He claimed that he found them coming up the belt with a briquette formed over each of the lenses. What are the odds? These were, of course, old style wire framed jobbies.

As mining towns go Bankhead was as typical as they get with it's collection of serviced and unserviced cottages and a complement of stores. There was also a Chinese ghetto area by the slack heaps close to the Cascade River.

There were 35 Chinese workers employed in the cleaning plant as "slate pickers", picking rock and boney coal from the good coal on picking tables. But like any other mine in Alberta they were not wanted underground.

Bankhead was projected to reach 2,000 plus population but it barely made half that. The populace was highly mixed with Germans, Italians, Swedish, Polish, Irish and Chinese and unlike a lot of other mining communities all ethnic peoples got along well except the Chinese who were not accepted into the population which resulted in the slack pile ghetto area.

Similar to many boom and bust mine towns Bankhead came and went quickly, meeting its demise in 1922.

The coal friability problem combined with reduced demand and growing competition brought this overbuilt mine to the edge of collapse. A general strike that lasted 8 months in 1922 was the final blow and the mines were closed. Like Hosmer, the Bankhead mine's powerhouse provided electricity for the town except in Bankhead's case it supplied the Banff town site as well.

It is said that when Hosmer closed permanently in 1914 all the lights in town went out at once. In Bankhead's case the powerhouse was kept running long enough for the government to build a hydro powerhouse below the Minnewanka Dam. That meant their briquette plant ran an extra 18 months after the mine’s shutdown providing electricity.

By 1928 Bankhead had ceased to exist as a town. As happened with many mining towns that closed down, the whole town was dismantled or scrapped. National Park policy, that had been lenient enough to allow resource development there at the time, was tightened and the decision was taken to remove all evidence of Bankhead.

Houses were sold for $50 a room; some 38 of them were moved to Banff, others to Lake Minnewanka and Canmore. Bankhead’s Holy Trinity Catholic Church wound up in Calgary's Forest Lawn area. It was moved in 1927 Photos from top: Massive Bankhead tipple where coal on flat cars for $8000. The Bankhead CPR station now resides at the corner of Moose and Otter streets in Banff had to be hoisted 100 feet to the top, Bankhead business with Holy Trinity Catholic Church sitting on the hill, and has been made into a very nice youth hostel.

The parallels between Hosmer and Bankhead are many and varied but there is one interesting difference beOne of thirty funeral processions that marched from the church to Banff, Bankhead reunion shot with Trono,Spe- tween them. While Hosmer had a fairly well developed cemetery Bankhead's on the other hand had only one ocviak Kulig,and Kubica in front row, $250 house moving cupant. He was a worker of Chinese descent who was murdered on the avalanche slope south of Bankhead. to Banff in 1927.

Canadian Parks Services photos Originally, when a death occurred in Bankhead, the burial took place in Banff, resulting in a very long funeral procession to that town. (About 5 miles). Since no off sale liquor was allowed by CPR in Bankhead, apres funeral imbibing in Banff generally got out of hand.

In 1907 the park superintendent's protests to the Bankhead mine manager on this issue resulted in the planning of a cemetery at the mine. It was completed 9 years later! (So what's to construct?) The problem was, no one wanted to be buried there. Local superstition held that the family of the first person buried there would be forever cursed with bad luck. When this fact was finally realized, in 1921, 14 years after the cemetery's conception (poor word for a cemetery) the superintendent arranged for the first burial there. It was, you guessed it, our lone Chinese friend, named Chee Yow. Bankheaders never had a chance to use the cemetery as the mine closed the following year, in 1922. Thirty men perished in Bankhead Mine throughout its history many of which are buried in Banff, with some acknowledged with markers placed by the Bankhead U.M.W.A. Union No.29. In 1939 the cemetery was closed permanently and its sole occupant, Chee Yow, was disinterred and shipped back to China.

Some 50 years or so after its closure a reunion was held there and people came from all over to remember their time in that spectacular mountain setting. Banff National Park and the Coal Association of Canada worked together in 1989 to publish a marvelous book on the Bankhead story. It was written by none other than Ben Gadd and I got involved a bit with the final editing of its content back then.

Amongst the reunion pictures found in this now rare publication “Bankhead-The Twenty Year Town” you will find a group shot with several familiar Pass faces.

Amongst those in one group picture are Johnny Kulig, Mike Kubica, Joe Speviak, Rinaldo D'Amico and Louis Trono. They all worked there at one time or another. Coal miners moved to where there was work and often moved between places like Drumheller, Lethbridge and so on looking for better opportunity or if the mine they were at shut down. Families had to be fed.

So if you get the chance, drop by Bankhead and take a stroll around its scant remains. They are in a beautiful setting, tucked up against the foot of Cascade Mountain.

If you’re lucky you'll find some exotic Chinese rhubarb growing wild over by the slack heaps.

By John Kinnear

Bankhead – Mining Coal in a National Park