Vol. 93 No. 8 March 1, 2023
Art Gallery hosts successful Chili Bowl Festival The Crowsnest Pass Art Gallery hosted the Chili Bowl Festival and a Frying Pan Toss on February 25 with the help of volunteers. NICK ALLEN Pass Herald Reporter The Crowsnest Pass Public Art Gallery was home to a couple of events, the Frying Pan Toss and the Chili Bowl Festival. The Frying Pan Toss started at 10 a.m. and involved throwing, you guessed it, frying pans. The one closest to the peg would win a prize with donations going to the food bank. There was a peg for youth and adults to throw at, but just inside the building was a wonderful chance to warm up with some food. Starting at 11 a.m. was the Chili Bowl Festival. The festival featured an incredibly large supply of bowls provided by the Pass Pottery Club for the event. When the doors opened, the line extended well outside the gallery, with many residents excited to pick a bowl and eat some homemade chili. For $20 you got to pick a handcrafted bowl to have your chili in, along with a cookie and a bun. There were six types of chili to choose from along with a variety of cookies that included a large amount of ginger snaps. Seating was set up throughout the gallery for attendees to eat their bowl of chili. Refreshments were also provided with coffee and water being available. After finishing your food, they provided newspaper for wrapping the new bowl for safe transportation. Signs were placed around the gallery notifying anyone getting the chili that it was not prepared in a professional environment. For more information about the Crowsnest Pass Public Art Gallery, visit crowsnestpasspublicartgallery.com.
Nick Allen photo
A collection of bowls supplied by the Pass Pottery Club for the Chili Bowl Festival at the Crowsnest Pass Public Art Gallery on February 25.
2 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Big changes at Teck mines in the valley NICK ALLEN Pass Herald Reporter Teck Resources recently announced their plan to split the company in two, separating its steelmaking coal business from its base metals operations. This lead to the formation of Elk Valley Resources (EVR) and Teck Metals Corp. Elk Valley Resources took the time to respond to questions on February 23 after the announcement. Q. With EVR’s independence and localized operational focus will EVR prioritize a housing solution for its staff within the Crowsnest Pass as one of your stakeholder communities? A. As a standalone company, EVR will maintain its current commitments to Crowsnest Pass and continue to work closely with the community on important is-
sues, including housing. Creating jobs and prosperity for the communities where we operate has always been a core value for Teck and this will continue as EVR. The Elk Valley operations create or sustain about 600 jobs in Crowsnest Pass and contribute about $20 million annually to the community’s GDP. Q. What are the thoughts on permitting? Is there any risk to permitting now that the EVR company is smaller? Is there any loss of leverage by not being a “global” company? A. Not at all. As the world’s second largest exporter of seaborne steelmaking coal, EVR will be a globally significant resource company with a focus on the sustainable mining of steelmaking coal. EVR’s low carbon-intensity high quality steelmaking coal is sought after by the world’s largest steelmakers and EVR has substantial reserves to support production for decades to come. Q. Now that Teck Metals and EVR are two distinct companies, many of the support group synergies will be lost and there will be a requirement to double up on these roles. Is the plan to keep the corporate office smaller and have these roles based locally? A. EVR will continue to be headquartered in Vancouver with offices in Sparwood and Calgary. EVR’s largest office will be in Sparwood, and we are proceeding with the construction of a new office building. There will be no change to the economic contributions
made to local communities and we don’t expect any reductions in our workforce as a result of the separation. Q. I understand that the direction of EVR is to create a stable production output rather than expansion and growth, but this will still require permitting and additional resources in the future. Any thoughts on trying to purchase/permit any of the coal reserves on the Alberta side? A. EVR will be focused on the four current producing operations and its reliable logistics chain including ownership of the newly expanded coal-handling facilities at Neptune Terminals in North Vancouver, B.C. Q. EVR has stated that it will continue to be nature positive and net zero emissions, are there any thoughts on joining the project that Montem and TransAlta are starting at the old Tent Mountain site or plans to do something similar at one of the existing sites to generate cleaner power for the operating sites? A. EVR will maintain goals for net zero operations by 2050 and to become nature positive by 2030. We are always open to partnerships that help advance those priorities.
More information on the split is available at teck. com/news/news-releases/2023/teck-to-spin-off-steelmaking-coal-business-to-shareholders.
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - 3
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Seven Track & Field records set in Calgary RITCH BRAUN Passtrak Six athletes from Passtrak, (Crowsnest Pass Track & Field Club), competed in 24 events at a one day mini-meet in Calgary on Sunday February 19th. They racked up 4 life time best performances out of a possible seven, set seven new Passtrak club records for their age groups and earned seven top three finishes. Eliora Vandersteen had four events in the U12 girls age group. She set a new Passtrak club record of 9.43 seconds in the 50 metre sprint for 7th place. She set a second record in the medicine ball throw with a toss of 3.05 metres for 8th place. She also cleared 2.45 metres in the long jump for 10th place and cut six seconds on her previous 600 metre race time by finishing 5th in 2:30.72. Tristen McKerracher had four events in the U12 boys division. He also set a new Passtrak club record in the medicine ball throw with a 3.85 metre heave for 6th place. In his other events he finished 10th in
the 50 metres in 8.82 seconds, 9th in the 600 metres in 2:38.15 and 6th in the long jump by spanning 3.62 metres. Aiden Aasen was also in the U12 boys group with the same four events. He placed 8th in the 50 metres in 8.61 seconds and 7th in the long jump at 3.48 metres. He also set a record in the medicine ball throw at 4.09 metres which placed him 5th. As his finale he ripped his 600 metre race in 2:05.96, a life time best, for 1st place. Declan Sutherland was Passtrak’s 3rd entry in the U12 boys competition. He had some trouble finding the take on board in the long jump and ended up 9th with a measurement of 3.41 metres. He then grabbed 4th spot in the 50 metres by clocking 8.23 seconds. He earned 2nd place in the 600 metre race with a time of 2:11.40 and took top honours in the medicine ball throw when he tossed it 4.34 metres setting the Passtrak record. The club had two athletes in the U14 boys category. William Vandersteen set a new Passtrak club record of 8.66 seconds in the 50 metres for 4th place. He then whacked eight seconds on his previous best time in the 600 metres by stopping the clock at 2:19.01 for 4th place. He recorded two other 4th place finishes with a 3.50 metre leap in the long jump and a 10.35 second time in the 60 metre sprint. Eli Bailey also set a new club record in the 50 metre sprint. He finished in 1st place with a time of 7.56 seconds. Clearing 4.21 metres in the long jump earned him another 1st place result. He then ran the fastest 600 metres of his life in 2:03.16 for 2nd place. He finished the track meet with 3rd place in the 60 metre sprint, timing 9.07 seconds. A mere .003 seconds from
Keep you eyes open for our Music Festival Supplement on March 22! The Pass Herald is the venue to cover your community events and activities!
The Simple Raven’s Post BY AVNER PERL
Mind and Matter Growing up on a remote farm with nature, I developed an interest in the subject of mind and matter early in life. I had little religious instruction, so I developed my own. Being in Israel amongst all the ruins of religious buildings convinced me that there was something unseen that was more powerful than the physical world I was existing in. All the religions left a mark on my environment. All had their religious leaders dressed up to be distinguished from each other, and all explained that the others were wrong in how they worshipped God. There was one common denominator to them all. If we could go through the adoring crowds which always surround them, we discover they are nice people, regardless of their faith. They had one goal: to save souls by teaching them the right way to worship God. Their ways were not the same. In the last century and going on till now, some serious schools took on studying the human brain. Neuroscience became a respectable field of study, employing the latest and most advanced tools. In the nineteen twenties, doctors were doing lobotomies and using electric shock therapy to alter human behavior, and now they use powerfully crafted mind medications to do the same. Scientific research reveals that we can change things in the human brain to obtain what we call the desired outcome. It is most noticeable when used in marketing, which is used to make profits and often to gain political power. For example, people can be addicted to some substances and controlled to some degree. Pay attention to the advertising of coffee or alcohol. Sugar and cocoa are other options. The latest research reveals some truths that the ancients knew. We have two minds within us. One could be the mind of God. It counts our heartbeats, makes digestion work, grows and discards cells, causes reproduction, and a million other things we can’t do using our current knowledge. It has a mind greater than mine and doesn’t listen to me. The other mind deals with morality, love, making choices, and sadly
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jealousy, hate, greed, and amongst others, a need to investigate the universe, develop medicine, and unfortunately find ways to kill each other. The first, the sub-conscience, is out of our control and the second is operating according to our feelings. That one, which I call “my mind”, has the ability to create. It is in the image of God. Don’t expect it to make you win the lottery or let you walk on water just because you want to. The world wouldn’t survive 24 hours if all people had that kind of power. Yet we learned that what we most think about is capable of materializing. The easiest to observe are things to do with a person’s health. Ample cases show that faith or belief influences physical health. So many of them that scientists working on the development of drugs always use control groups. If the control group is given what is not the new medicine and recovers at the same rate as those treated with the drug, we view it as a drug incapable of making a difference. Also, a significant amount of research is invested in studying the “placebo effect.” We have indisputable evidence that people who believe that something will help them show a remarkable level of healing. Since we cannot repeat it at will, it doesn’t get the attention that it deserves. I visited a location where a significant amount of faith healing happened, yet they do not mention it in medical journals. We know feelings cause thoughts and thoughts have an influence over reality. How remains unanswered since there are so many variations. People can confidently say that it is the hand of God, but that hand works through changes in chemicals, the behavior of internal organs, and so on. If it didn’t, people would riot demanding miracles on request. The rich would want to buy miracles and drug companies would sue churches. It is a complicated world. In the last quarter of the century, we expanded our knowledge into the quantum field, but a lot more can be done. People must slowly accept that there is a universal mind greater than our rudimentary knowledge of science even while we develop new knowledge. It is a combination of our material knowledge with spiritual discoveries that will be most effective. We need to trust science and God, whatever we think He is, at the same time. We need to accept that there is a lot more to the universe than what is visible. It’s a decision that each of us makes and all of us live and die by. I believe in training ourselves to control and regulate our thoughts. We change thoughts thousands of times every minute we are alive. We can’t have any time, awake or sleeping, without thinking about something. However, a human can replace some thoughts with others and learn how to do so efficiently. The thoughts, at least to some degree, create reality, which brings about more thoughts. The whole craze about positive thinking was built on that idea but not investigated to its depths. We can’t all live on a lonely farm without electronic screens and build a database of philosophical theories, but we can improve on what there is. There is no time like now. Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/ Feel free to check other articles and comment.
4 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - Wednesday, March 1, 2023
DEVELOPMENT PERMITS The Development Authority of the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass recently approved the following development application(s):
2023 ORDER OF THE CROWSNEST PASS OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER AWARDS
DP2021-161 - 13509 20 Ave, Blairmore (Lots 7 & 8 Block 1 Plan 2897R). For a 6-month extension of Development Permit 2021-161 to August 31, 2023, to allow the development of an Accessory Building with a Secondary Suite above the main floor.
All dog owners in the Crowsnest Pass must keep their dogs on a leash at all times when they are not on their property. Dogs are also not permitted off-leash in any parks in the Municipality. Contravention of this section of the bylaw can result in a $150 penalty. Owners are responsible for immediately removing any defecation from their dog on any public or private property other than their own property. Contravention of this section of the bylaw can result in a $150 penalty.
DP2022-117 - 1308 East Hillcrest Dr, Hillcrest (NE-17-73-W5). Contractor, General (discretionary) for outdoor storage and maintenance of heavy vehicles and equipment related to the forestry industry. DP2022-197 - SE8-8-7-W5M, Coleman (Lot 1 Block 40 Plan 9813593). For a Temporary 6-Month Development Permit for “Resource Processing Activities” (discretionary use)
BYLAW FOCUS ANIMAL CONTROL
Nomination Deadline is March 10
Dog owners are also required to keep their dogs from barking or howling excessively and to ensure they do not upset any waste receptacles or scatter the contents of waste receptacles. Contravention of this section of the bylaw can result in a $200 penalty.
Volunteer Awards will take place April 21, watch for details To view a complete list of pet owner responsibilities and to come! penalties for contravention of such, please see Animal DP2022-204 - 8402 15 Avenue, Coleman (Lot 8 Block 20 Plan Control Bylaw 991, 2017 at https://www.crowsnestpass. 3387AE). For an Accessory Building (Shed) up to 72.83m² com/municipal-government/council/bylaws ORDER OF THE CROWSNEST PASS (permitted use), with variances to the east side yard setback of 63% and the maximum lot coverage of 40% The Order of the Crowsnest Pass has been presented ASIST since 1983 to an individual who exemplifies outstanding DP2023-004 - 2829 214 Street, Bellevue (Lot 28 Block 5 Plan dedication to volunteer service in our community. 1211031). For an Accessory Building (Garage) (permitted use) with a variance to the east and rear yard setbacks by OUTSTANDING YOUTH AWARD - $1000 25% and height by 56% DP2023-007 - 13318 15 Avenue, Blairmore (Lots 4-6 Block 18 Plan 3380T). For Single-family dwelling and Accessory Buildings (permitted uses) with variances to setbacks
SCHOLARSHIP
2023 marks the 11th year for the Order of the Crowsnest Pass Outstanding Youth Award. This award recognizes youth between the ages of 12 and 18 who have made positive DP2023-012 - 8341 20 Avenue, Coleman (Lot 25-26 Block 14 contributions to the community on a volunteer basis. Plan 0411851). For a “Third Party Sign” (discretionary use) Nomination forms are online at https://www.crowsnestpass. DP2023-021 - 8341 20 Avenue, Coleman (Lot 26 Block 14 com/living-here/community-services/family-andPlan 0411851). For a “Fascia Sign” (permitted use) with community-support-services. a variance to its location relative to the roofline / top of parapet For more information, please contact Kim at 403-563-2207. DP2023-TH001 - 7931 17 Avenue, Coleman (Lot 6 Block 14 Plan 820L). To operate a “Short-Term Rental / Bed & Breakfast” (discretionary use) with a variance to the parking standard
ENFORCEMENT FOCUS - MARCH
April 15 & 16 Elk’s Hall | 2025 - 129 Street, Blairmore $25 | Register with Kim at 403-563-2207 or kim.lewis@ crowsnestpasscom
DP2023-TH003 - 13551 15 Avenue, Blairmore (Lot 16 Block 5 Plan 7811218). To operate a “Short-Term Rental / Bed & Breakfast” (discretionary use) Any persons claiming to be adversely affected by the above discretionary development permits or variances may file an appeal in writing by March 15, 2023, to the SUBDIVISION AND DEVELOPMENT APPEAL BOARD or the Land and PROPERTY RIGHTS TRIBUNAL, as may be applicable. Subdivision and Development Appeal Board: MUNICIPALITY OF CROWSNEST PASS BOX 600, CROWSNEST PASS, ALBERTA T0K 0E0. Fee of $400.00 must be included with the appeal. Land and Property Rights Tribunal 1229-91 Street SW, Edmonton AB T6X 1E9
TRAFFIC FOCUS OCCUPANT RESTRAINTS Seat belts save about 1,000 lives per year in Canada. Wearing a seat belt also reduces the likelihood of sustaining an injury and decreases the severity of an injury. Collisioninvolved restraint users had a much lower injury rate (7%) than those not using restraints (31.7%). Even in a low-speed crash, a person not wearing a seat belt hits the inside of the vehicle with a force many times their weight. People inside the vehicle can be thrown within or thrown from the vehicle and not only injure themselves but also injure anyone else in the vehicle.
Development Officer Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Phone: 403 562-8833 Email: development@crowsnestpass.com
UPCOMING COUNCIL MEETINGS • Regular Council Meeting March 7 at 7:00pm • Regular Council Meeting March 14 at 1:00pm • Regular Council Meeting March 28 at 7:00pm
APPLIED SUICIDE INTERVENTION SKILLS TRAINING
Children under the age of 12 are safest in the back seat of a vehicle in proper restraints based on their age, height and weight. Child safety restraints are required by law for children under the age of six who weigh less than 18 kilograms (40 pounds); a child under 10 kilograms (22 pounds) and one year of age is safest in a rear-facing child restraint seat. Be sure to consult the owner’s manual for guidelines.
• Attend a 2 day Suicide Intervention workshop in the Crowsnest Pass. • ASIST is a nationally recognized course that helps individuals intervene with a person who is at risk of suicide. • Learn practical skills to help you save friends, family, strangers, etc. • Registration is limited to 30 people. • Participants MUST attend both days from 8:30am4:30pm. • For more info on course: www.suicideinfo.ca
WILDFIRE SEASON BEGINS MARCH 1 FOREST PROTECTION AREA (FPA) Starting March 1, all burning activities in Alberta’s Forest Protection Area, excluding campfires, will require a fire permit. Fire permits are free and can be obtained by contacting your local Alberta Agriculture and Forestry office. Phone toll-free 310-0000 to locate your nearest office. MUNICIPALITY OF CROWSNEST PASS Fire Permits, for areas that are not in the Forest Protection Area (FPA), can be obtained by contacting Crowsnest Pass Fire Rescue at 2141 - 127 Street in Blairmore.
FIRE PERMITS REQUIRED UNTIL OCTOBER 31 Booster seats are not required by law in Alberta. Drivers must ensure children aged 6-15 or who weigh more than Note* We recognize that there is often confusion on 40lbs wear a seat belt. However, booster seats are highly whether your property is in the FPA or the jurisdiction of All Council meetings are open to the public with the recommended because they help position a child so the the Municipality. Feel free to call or stop by the Fire Station exception of In Camera items. Packages and minutes can be shoulder-lap belt fits across the child’s chest and hips, rather where we will help you get clarification. found on our website at www.crowsnestpass.com. than their neck and stomach. ** Council meetings are held in the Municipal Council Chambers located at 8502 - 19 Avenue, Coleman.
8502 - 19 Avenue, Coleman Box 600, Crowsnest Pass, AB, T0K 0E0 ph: 403-562-8833 e: reception@crowsnestpass.com www.crowsnestpass.com After Hours Public Works Emergencies: 403-562-2021
Wintervention - Fry Pan Toss and more Chili Bowl
demic stretched on for phasize that their wed- down the road. Couples months. Though much of dings will be socially can still celebrate their with family distant affairs so there’s nuptials the world hit the proverWednesday, March 1, 2023 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD -5 bial pause button, life no confusion come the big and friends down the road. Plan a post-panwent on during the pan- day. • Stream the wed- demic reception and let demic. Perhaps nowhere was that more evident ding online. Stream the guests know you will than at the altar, where wedding online for those fill them in on the demany couples still tied the guests who won’t be in at- tails once social distancknot, albeit in scaled back tendance. By the end of ing restrictions have SHOWER ceremonies that adhered 2020, millions of people been lifted. Dean & TracyguideStella are Socially distant hadpleased alreadyto “attended” to social distancing weddingsof via announce thecommuniupcoming marriage theirplatforms weddings may require lines in their like Zoom, ties. daughter Karlie, to Blake Peebles.so loved ones couples to take some Engaged couples may be experienced vir- unusual steps as they Shower be to held 11 from 1-3 by pm the time try to tie the knot while guests who havetoyet tie March the tual Blairmore Catholic Church couples walk down the keeping themselves and knot no doubt recognize that planning a socially aisle in 2021. Couples their loved ones safe.
RECEPTION VENUES Elks Hall
Crowsnest Sports Complex Curling Lounge
We’ll decorate for any occasion anywhere!
See us on FACEBOOK!
MDM Community Centre
Lonnie Christensen 403.382.1499 Crowsnest Pass. AB.
Tammy Arruthnot 403.934.0678 Lacombe, AB.
Your credit union. Your AGM. Attention Vision Credit Union members! Join us for our 73rd Annual General Meeting as we present the exciting results of your credit union’s performance in 2022. Date: March 15 RSVP: March 13 Time: 7 pm
Location: Virtual meeting
Scan the QR code to register and receive a meeting link via email or sign-up at:
whatsyourshare.ca Nick Allen photos
Bowls were supplied by the Pass Pottery Club for the Chili Bowl Festival at the Crowsnest Pass Public Art Gallery on February 25. Prior to the festival, a frying pan toss was held just outside the gallery to raise money for the food bank.
Colin & Barbara Vision members
project
Vision AGM Ad - 2023
publication
Crowsnest Pass Herald
6 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Herald Editorial LISA SYGUTEK
Holy moly I go away for a week and boom everything blows up here in the Crowsnest Pass. First, I need to take a few moments to thank my staff here at the paper. I had to leave for a week for work, leaving the production of the paper to both Nick and Tina. In all my years here at the paper, there were only two people who could produce a paper and one of them is gone. For a long time, I’ve been the only person in the office who could lay out the paper and I’ll tell you that it comes with a lot of stress. Because so few people knew how to do it, I came back to work five days after my cancer surgery so that the paper didn’t miss a beat. It was a weird time, almost a blur, of pretty much crawling to work, working on the paper, sleeping in between, and taking a lot of pain medication. I’m not sure how I did it, but I did. That week that I had the surgery Nick started here at the paper. He didn’t miss a beat picking up all the extra things we do here and literally threw himself into the job. Then Tina came into our lives, and she’s taken over pretty much all the ad design and sales. It’s been a glorious time here at work. When I found out that I had to go to Toronto, the team stepped up and just put the paper together. Nick did the layout and stories; Tina did all the ads, proofread the paper and sent it digitally to the press and our association to archive. I wasn’t even called with an issue. You have no idea the stress that takes off my life. My little village here at the paper is fierce! While I was gone you will see that huge changes took place within Teck. The coal division of Teck will no longer be part of the corporation. The new company will be called Elk Valley Resources (EVR). There will be a new corporate structure headed up by Robin Sheremeta, previously Senior Vice President, for Teck Coal. I’ve known Robin since Lyle started with Teck in 1994 and I’ll tell you I’m excited to see the things this man will accomplish. Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp. will be taking a 10 per cent stake in EVR and the same portion of Teck’s future cash payment from the coal business South Korea’s POSCO will own 2.5 per cent of the coal company and its future cash payout to Teck. Teck will receive a 87.5 per cent interest in gross revenue royalty from the steelmaking coal business through the transaction period. It’s as if Teck divorced the coal division and the coal division now pays alimony. While I was gone, TransAlta announced the acquisition of a 50 per cent interest in the early stage Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Development Project at Tent Mountain here in the Crowsnest Pass. This merger between Montem Resources and TransAlta represents a transformational clean energy project with an estimated project life of 80 plus years. We have interviews with Teck, Montem and TransAlta in this issue of the paper. Peter Doyle, Managing Director, and CEO of Montem Resources did it! When our own government, both federally and provincially, and the environment zealots, made opening a Category 4 mine in the valley impossible, he made a new project happen. It’s brilliant, he’s brilliant and I can’t believe how lucky this community will be to have two world class companies opening in our community, adding much needed jobs and linear tax. I’m so excited to watch it unfold, and equally excited to see the reaction of many of our neighbours to the north, who I am sure will find something they don’t like, but won’t have the power to stop it. This project fits the bill on alternative energy and watching them try to find a reason to try to stop it will be fun to watch. Times are changing here in the Pass, it just takes one industry to start a movement and maybe, just maybe, this is the momentum the Crowsnest Pass desperately needs!
Crowsnest Pass Herald “Letters to the Editor” Policy 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 600 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. Deadline for submission is the Friday prior to publication.
Bricks and Bouquets This is your column, THE READERS, use it but please don’t abuse it. All Bricks & Bouquets are expressions from OUR READERS and do not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of THIS newspaper. If you wish to expressly thank someone, please use our CARD OF THANKS section of this newspaper. We appreciate you making this column a success, and keep sending us your Bricks and Bouquets. All Bricks and Bouquets are kept on file at the Pass Herald.
BRICKS - To the French Immersion School in Bellevue which is funded by the government and yet, I believe, only French speaking families can attend. Correct me if I’m wrong. Isn’t this prejudice? This school should be incorporated in public schools or government funding should not be available to them. - SL a small business in Alberta. Contraband tobacco a to sustaining Further, contraband is a drain on provincial taxes and represents a major tax loss for our province. Acgrowing public safety cording to the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC), in 2020-21, provincial revenue from tobacco taxes was approximately $755 million. problem in Alberta Recovering the revenue lost due to contraband could
ALBERTA RETAILERS COALITION In response to the growing number of contraband seizures by law enforcement in Alberta, Alberta’s Convenience Store retailers encourage the Government of Alberta to act against illicit tobacco trafficking in the province. Contraband puts consumer safety at risk. When consumers buy contraband tobacco, they have no idea how and where it is manufactured. There is no way to be sure about the quality of the product as you find with legal manufacturing and that presents added safety risk to consumers. Contraband tobacco reduces revenue for business owners through legal sales. Lawful and legal convenience store owners should not have to compete with organized crime. Many small business owners are managing their businesses during this time of economic uncertainty. Illicit tobacco adds another complex layer
mean adding money into important public services, for example: the healthcare system or other such services. Lastly, the manufacturing and trafficking of contraband tobacco is tied to organized crime groups. Often, these groups are trafficking serious drugs and weapons in addition to contraband tobacco. They are also engaged in other dangerous criminal activities. In December 2022, $207K in illegal cigarettes were seized during a traffic stop by Edmonton Police (ESP). EPS officials are on record stating that “contraband tobacco is becoming a mainstay of organized crime in our city. Criminals eventually have to use city roadways to transport their illegal cargo, and that’s where [police and criminals] occasionally cross paths.” Public Safety, the loss of tax revenue, the negative impact on convenience store operators, and the criminal activity associated with illicit tobacco trafficking are all reasons why Alberta’s government should take more action to enforce stronger penalties and enforcement to address this growing problem.
Lisa Sygutek Owner/Publisher Nick Allen Reporter/Photography Tina Pedersen Advertising John Kinnear Community Reporter Avner Perl Feature Writer Published every Wednesday Subscription Rates (includes GST):
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Wednesday, March 1, 2023 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - 7
Nick’s Notes TikTok Ban Very recently the Canadian government announced a complete ban of the social media app TikTok on government-issued devices. This was done amid security concerns around the app’s link to the Chinese government. As of February 28, the government ban is official on all devices. A day prior, the President of the Treasury Board, Mona Fortier, issued a statement announcing the ban. “The Government of Canada is committed to keeping government information secure. We regularly monitor our systems and take action to address risks. “Effective February 28, 2023, the TikTok application will be removed from government-issued mobile devices. Users of these devices will also be blocked from downloading the application in the future. Following a review of TikTok, the Chief Information Officer of Canada determined that it presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security. “The decision to remove and block TikTok from government mobile devices is being taken as a precaution, particularly given concerns about the legal regime that governs the information collected from mobile devices, and is in line with the approach of our international partners. On a mobile device, TikTok’s data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone. “While the risks of using this application are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised.” They strongly recommend that Canadians understand the risks and make an informed choice on their own before deciding to delete the social media for themselves. As someone who has never used TikTok, this will have no impact on me. I decided against having it on my device due to personal security concerns long before the government ban. Whether or not this ban will eventually extend to the rest of Canadians remains to be seen. The Policy on Service and Digital sets out the acceptable and unacceptable ways employees can use Government of Canada electronic networks and device. Agencies and crown corporations outside the Policy are being informed of TikTok’s removal.
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3 Bedroom, 2 bath bungalow in great Blairmore location with beautiful mountain views. Level, fully fenced backyard. Vaulted ceiling and open floor plan. Very bright home takes advantage of surrounding views and the sun. Double car garage with plenty of parking. Full bright basement with roughedin bathroom. $525,000 CALL JOHN MLS
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COLEMAN COMMERCIAL
Affordable end-unit at Ironstone Lookout in Coleman. Open floor plan and vaulted ceilings. Master suite with large walkin closet and ensuite. Fully developed basement with spacious media room. Large double car attached garage. Main floor laundry. All the appliances. Deck and patio. Quick possession. $434,900 CALL JOHN MLS
5.41 acres of commercial land zoned C-2, suitable for multiple uses. Very high visibility At a great price. Located along busy Hwy 3, sits atop the Continental divide at the doorstep to Elk Valley and the East Kootenays. Located in very vibrant and active Mountain community. $389,000 CALL JOHN MLS
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CROWSNEST ESTATES LOT
Beautiful semi-detached bungalow at 78 Ironstone Lookout. Spacious, open concept floor plan with 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, vaulted ceilings, and gas fireplace. Large family/media room. Sauna with change room and bathroom. Incredible space offering the best of Rocky Mountain living. $394,900 CALL JOHN MLS
Large corner lot with back lane access. Many options to build. Very desirable Blairmore location. 8,450 sq ft with spectacular panoramic mountain views. Within walking distance to shopping, pool, ski hill, and fly fishing on Crowsnest river. Fully serviced. $132,900 CALL JOHN MLS
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Beautiful, large 5 bedroom home close to ski hill. Two baths, plus two roughed in. Two double car garages. Backed fenced yard with spectacular mountain views. X-Large basement and potential to add additional suite(s). Close to schools, shopping, and amazing 4 season adventures. $549,000 CALL JOHN MLS
Fantastic opportunity for commercial location along busy Highway 3. East and West bound traffic access. Currently a successful local fly-fishing shop, known to fly fishermen throughout Canada. Zoned C1 which allows for many different uses. High traffic volume in front of the property. $435,000 CALL JOHN MLS
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Beautiful prime mountain lot in Kananaskis Wilds, close to mountain backcountry trails, forest reserve, and spectacular cross country skiing at Allison Lake Rec area. KW offers some of the best value for large, fully serviced (including wired internet) lots in the Canadian Rockies. No commitment to build. $127,500 CALL JOHN MLS
Commercial land with east and west access on busy Hwy 3 corridor. Located at first entrance to the Crowsnest Pass with access to municipal water and sewer. This property can be acquired with the bordering property, Crowsnest Angler. Tremendous commercial and opportunity. $190,000 CALL JOHN MLS
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Delightful two-bedroom cabin in the Crowsnest Pass. This home has been meticulously upgraded inside and out and is move-in ready. Great woodwork and a nice kitchen and bathroom. Main floor laundry. Quiet location in Bellevue. Lots of great mountain trails near-by. Come and see what we have to offer. $269,000 CALL JOHN MLS
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8 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Montem Resource Tent Mountain merger and impact NICK ALLEN Pass Herald Reporter Representatives from Montem Resources and TransAlta took the time to speak about their merger involving the Tent Mountain Renewable Energy Complex on February 24. Speaking on behalf of TransAlta was Blain van Melle, Executive Vice President of Alberta Business. He explained how this will be the end of coal mining at the Tent Mountain site, but the new project will create a “variety of different benefits” for the province. “This partnership will help the project move ahead. TransAlta, as a large developer of power projects around the world and having been an operator and a developer in Alberta since about 1910, we think this project has an enormous benefit for the region and for the Crowsnest Pass,” said van Melle. They expect the project at Tent Mountain to create a lot of jobs through the construction phase and through the operation phase of the project, which is around 80 years of run time. TransAlta expects the usage of the retired coal mine to create a sustainable renewable energy project that Alberta needs to continue increasing the amount of renewable energy feeding into the grid. CEO of Montem Resources Peter Doyle, reinforced the desire to move away from coal as he said they are permanently moving away from coal mining in the area, with this asset being vital to the company’s future. “We’ve been trying for a very long time to develop our assets down there and this is the only viable asset
development that we have as a company and it’s a big investment in the local community,” said Doyle. As a “strong foundation” for the growth of the economy, there are potentially four to six generations of people who will work at the Tent Mountain site between now and when it gets to the end of its life. Doyle added they couldn’t have asked for a “stronger partner” with more experience in major industry than TransAlta. “It’s a huge step forward, we’re overwhelmed with anticipation and excitement of having this partnership with TransAlta,” said Doyle. As a 50 per cent shareholder in the project, TransAlta will take the lead development role while working in conjunction with Montem Resources. According to van Melle, Montem brings a lot of historical knowledge with them to the project while TransAlta has a history of developing numerous power projects. “We have great confidence that TransAlta will guide us on the technical aspects,” said Doyle. Being a part of the community for a few years, Doyle said he will still be present in the area at various meetings and will represent the partnership between TransAlta and Montem. “You’ll definitely see the Montem folk around town and they might be wearing a new logo or two. We’re advancing this together,” explained Doyle. Although it’s too early to say if there’ll be any challenges, they will start doing a lot of geotechnical work in the fall. Through this process they will find out if there are any additional challenges. With a project of this size and the amount of capital that will need to be invested, van Melle
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said there will be complications that come along. “We’d be remiss to think that we’re not going to find anything along the way. But given the two teams that we have working on it, we’ll hopefully find ways to surmount anything that is thrown at us,” said van Melle. Housing for staff is not currently a concern for the joint venture as they are hoping to hire people that already live in the area. “My hope would be that the people that are there have homes and housing. The actual site itself isn’t that far away from the actual communities in Crowsnest Pass, the commute is pretty easy,” said van Melle. With a peak of approximately 200 jobs during construction, the project will have around 30 full-time positions when the operation phase of the facility begins. “This will result in a permanent sterilization and abandonment of open cut coal mining or any coal mining at Tent Mountain,” said Doyle, “At the moment, we have no ambition to mine coal in the Crowsnest Pass because we’re not allowed to.” With the mine sterilized, the site will provide a “very clean and reliable” source of power to the consumers in Alberta.
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - 9
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10 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Death of a Loon DAVID MCINTYRE Pass Herald Op-Ed I knew she was doomed the moment I saw her. The only hope: Could she be rescued? An Arctic cold front had moved south and the loon, swimming in southwestern Alberta within a sliver of open water in mid-November, should have been long gone. What was wrong? Why hadn’t she flown to safe coastal waters? The loon, the only sign of life on the snow-covered lake, called … a haunting, forlorn, primordial cry. Seconds passed before the lake ice, expanding, responded with a hollow, whale-like reverberating BONG that echoed across the land. Day one I, alone on shore amid an expanse of snow, looked across thin ice toward the swimming loon, then north toward the white, knife-edged crest of the Livingstone Range. What could I do? My first thought: contact Fish and Wildlife and area firefighters. The envisioned rescue of the loon appeared to be a golden opportunity for firefighters to gain valuable ice-rescue training as well as the perfect occasion to cash-in on a high-profile, good news story. My subsequent phone calls to firefighters opened the door to discussion and gave me reason to believe there was interest in pursuing the envisioned rescue. I, encouraged, offered sideline support and an inflatable raft as an added safety item. I then contacted Fish and Wildlife. The person answering the call seemed interested in the issue, but didn’t offer any help. I made numerous inquires that first day, and returned to Lee Lake late in the afternoon to further assess the situation. When I arrived, I was surprised to see a Government of Alberta truck parked close to the lake. I parked behind it and walked over to the driver’s side to talk with a conservation officer, a young man who was watching the swimming loon. An adult bald eagle, perched in a nearby tree, was also on watch. Six eyes were focused on the icebound loon. When I mentioned the threat of eagle predation, the officer told me he hadn’t seen any eagles. I pointed. The officer, acknowledging the sighting, told me another loon had been seen the previous day in a similar bathtub-sized splash of open water on nearby Beauvais Lake, and that bird, no longer present, may have flown away. This, I knew, didn’t ring true. Loons can’t fly from a virtual bucket of water. They, like seaplanes, require a long, open-water runway. The Beauvais Lake loon was almost certainly dead. Very few loons nest in southwestern Alberta, a southern outlier of their breeding range, and the realization that two rare birds on two rare nesting lakes were similarly trapped was deeply disturbing. Why hadn’t these loons flown to freedom before the lakes froze? The loon in front of us, imprisoned, was actively swimming, diving, and looked to be the picture of health. What was wrong? What caused her to stay when her mate flew away? Loons require relative solitude and don’t tolerate much in the way of human disturbance. Where loons exist, they inject a brand of Northwoods magic to the land and its waterways. Their soul-stirring calls cut through the stillness and speak to the raw, quintessential essence of ecological integrity. Whenever loons add their evocative magic to lakeshore environments, the land resonates with life. It feels intact. Beauvais Lake and Lee Lake, each supporting one breeding pair of common loons in recent years, have
contributed to the birds’ presence on this landscape and enriched the lives of lakeside communities. Dark clouds now obscure the future. Loons are typically seven years old before they breed. They nest on lakes where ice-free summers are short. Incubation of eggs takes nearly a month, and the young require three long months to fledge. Loons, like grizzly bears, might live as long as 30 years, but they’re slow to mature and breed, and when they do, the number of young they produce is small. A pair of breeding loons can be expected to produce no more than two chicks each year. One might survive. Fifty-percent of all loon nests fail to fledge a single bird. The untimely death of a breeding loon on a southwestern Alberta lake is a colossal loss. Its impact could—forever—erase loons from that lake. The conservation officer and I, on the shore of Lee Lake at the end of that cold November day, looked out across an expanse of ice to the swimming loon where, earlier in the year, I’d watched the lake’s breeding loons nest and begin to raise two young. I don’t believe either chick survived. Adult bald eagles, the most obvious threat to young loons, can be seen in the area throughout the year. One pair nests in a large Douglas-fir overlooking Lee Lake. Eagle predation is, of course, a natural threat. What I was to learn suggests that fishing and, in particular, motorized trolling, appear likely to be the greatest threat to loon survival on a small lake—such as Lee Lake—where this activity is intense. (Beauvais Lake is in this same lethal boat.) Do trollers worry that their trailing lines and life-threatening hooks might snag a loon and cause it to suffer through weeks of pain, impaired mobility, and infection … and silence its wailing cries? The loon we watched that cold November day was an adult female, almost certainly the same loon that, earlier in the year, had nested on Lee Lake. I knew none of this as I, shivering, stood braced against a stiff wind while looking out at the swimming, icebound loon. The picture, still in the darkroom, was just beginning to develop. Common loons, striking in appearance, flaunt white-on-black star-like plumage and are further adorned with iridescent green-black heads, red eyes, and a stunning necklace of white. They evolved as diving specialists. Virtually unable to walk on land, they’re pure poetry underwater … feathered torpedoes powered by large webbed feet set far back on a long, heavy body. Loons weigh approximately the same as eagles, and their bills are lethal—lightening-fast— daggers. Fish are a loon’s primary prey. Loons, perhaps best known for their spellbinding open-water sonatas, capture and convey the pulse of a lakeside forest’s cryptic shadows, the magical allure of the unknown. There, where fascination meets fear and enchantment, loons inject frantic wails, tremolos, and poignant cries that dance and echo across the water. Calling loons generate a sense of wilderness that, especially at dawn and dusk, sends a cascade of cold water down your spine, freezes the action of your canoe paddle, and steals your gaze from a lakeside campfire. Loons, while garnering national attention and a special place in the hearts of lakeside communities that share habitation, are threatened by human activity, particularly shoreline development and the impact of recreational watercraft. Eggs are washed out of nests, critical habitat is lost, lead poisoning from ingested sinkers takes a toll, and nest site disturbance drives loons away. Loons that nest on use-intensive recreational lakes live at the outside edge of their tolerance for the impact of people. When loons are encountered in these high-stress environments, they need to be given ample room. People fishing must learn to remove their lines from the water whenever loons are in close proximity. Days two and three
I arrived at the lakeshore each day at dawn and watched as the loon swam and dove, her intense activity keeping the small teardrop of open water ice-free despite the bitterly cold temperature. How well could she see under the lake’s overriding layer of ice and snow? Well enough to catch fish and bring them to the surface. One of the fish the loon captured was a trout that seemed too large for her to swallow. I watched with binoculars as she, repeatedly, attempted to grab and swallow the trout while wind and wave action made it appear the trout would be lost under the ice, … but the loon, beating the odds at the downwind lip of ice, finally lifted the trout from the water and swallowed it. A note of optimism resonated in the bitter, wintry air. Meanwhile, my phone calls to firefighters had, frustratingly, failed to gain any rescue-supporting traction, and my calls to Fish and Wildlife had hit a brick wall. I’d talked with at least three different officers where the response was simple, consistent, and direct: “Let nature take its course.” I sensed that firefighters, in obvious contact with Fish and Wildlife, were being directed to stand on the sidelines, keeping me at arm’s length. After three days at the lake and hours of frigid phone calls, I was no closer to coordinating an ice-rescue support team than I had been when I’d first spotted the icebound loon. Daylight faded as the loon swam in her tiny sliver of open water, and the Arctic cold front intensified its grip on the land. There was, however, a soft glimmer of hope within the day’s long shadows: The Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) reported that the loon, if rescued, would be accepted, her health assessed and, if necessary, she’d be kept through the winter months for a spring release. Day four I arrived at the lakeshore at first light. The temperatue: -18°C. The lake, under a soft carpet of overnight snow, was a solid sheet of ice. The loon’s former sliver of open water was gone. The loon, on the ice, was surrounded by two adult bald eagles and three ravens. The eagles, facing the loon, pecked at her head as the ravens attacked from her rear. The loon, encircled and caught in the center of a virtual knife fight, spun and stabbed at her attackers. The situation looked dire. I parked quickly and, waving my arms, ran toward the lake. The eagles and ravens took to the air. Thirty long, bitterly cold minutes passed as the loon, wearing a coating of ice, remained relatively motionless. I called Fish and Wildlife where I received the same “let nature take its course” message coupled with a stern footnote: If I attempted to rescue the loon by myself, I could fall through the ice. The comment, valid as an uninformed evaluation of any on-ice rescue attempt, didn’t reflect a current and experienced assessment of the lake’s ice. I knew it was likely to be dangerously thin where the loon had been swimming, but I also knew, due to successive nights of extreme cold, the ice was safe closer to shore. As I stood there, alone and feeling helpless, the loon did the last thing I expected her to do. She, in labored wingbeats, propelled herself forward—toward me— for five meters, then another five, then ten. The altered picture cracked a window of hope. When the loon added another ten meters of known ice-safety to the equation, I, moving quickly, walked out on the ice and, circling behind the loon, advanced toward her and toward shore. When I had approached to within a meter, I, crouching, dove to grab her. She, sensing this move, was able to elude my grasp, flap past me and, disturbingly, propel herself farther out onto the ice. Reassessing the situation, I knew I, alone, wasn’t likely to be successful. Cont’d on pgae 11
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - 11
Death of a loon cont’d I walked off the ice, called my wife (Monica) at home, and asked her to come with a coat and several tie-down straps. Thirty minutes later she was at my side. We, on the lakeshore, positioned ourselves east and west of the loon, then walked out onto the ice to a point beyond her. There, under a veil of ice-fog, we turned around and, facing the loon, listened to her heart-rending, hopeless cries as they echoed in the stillness of overnight snowfall. We carried the weight of knowing we were the loon’s last chance for survival as we, converging, advanced toward her. I’ve rescued more than a few horned and western grebes and one common loon from their nighttime crash-landings on wet roadways that, to airborne birds in rain or snow, look like open water, but are, in fact, lethal deathtraps from which the birds—needing a long open-water runway—can’t fly. While I had this experience in my back pocket, I also knew that no amount of knowledge or training prepares a person, already stiff and cold, for an onthe-ice dive toward a loon who, fighting for her life, has a lethal, dagger-like bill and the strength to drive it home. There’s always an element of luck involved, and I was lucky in my first Monica-supported dive, able to get a gloved hand on the loon’s neck and turn her head and breast away from me as I restrained her wings, pinning them to her body. The loon fought a good fight, but Monica and I were able to slide her into a zipped-up coat with her head emerging from the hood. The coat’s arms were crossed and tied. The loon, straightjacketed, was further secured with three strategically placed straps. When the phone rang a few minutes later, my hands were free and I answered it. An unknown male identifying himself by only his first name—I later learned he was a Fish and Wildlife officer—asked if I had captured the loon. I responded, saying I had. I was then told I was in illegal possession of protected wildlife, subject to arrest, and asked for my location. My response was polite but firm. I told the caller I was too busy trying to save the life of the loon to talk further, that I wasn’t going to provide my location, and hung up. I then drove to Nanton, where a veterinary clinic would be entrusted to care for the loon until, later that same day, she would be placed in the capable hands of staff from the AIWC. During the loon’s capture, I saw a fishing lure and fishing line wound tightly around one of the loon’s wings. The discovery suggested that the fishing gear, while it had seemingly prevented the loon from flying, could be removed by capable veterinary staff. This vision was supported by the loon’s ability to catch and eat fish, her profound strength, and her ability to defend herself against attacking eagles and ravens. That evening, while optimistic and hopeful, and fortified with the vision that I might be present for the loon’s envisioned springtime release on Lee Lake, I received a message from the AIWC. I learned that, sadly, and tragically, the loon was dead. Bottom line: Nature didn’t take its course. Barbed hooks, wire-and-metal lures, and tightly wrapped fishing line—lethal loon killers—had taken a deadly toll. The AIWC provided me with photos of its examination of the loon and reported that she’d been impaled by two separate fishing hooks, that the resultant damage was substantially more than staff had anticipated. The comprehensive exam, with the loon fully sedated, included X-rays and revealed the loon was suffering from life-threatening injuries. The most extensive of two wound sites was a fishing line entanglement in which line was wrapped tightly around the humerus, radius, and ulna (elbow joint). There, wire and fishing line were so tightly embedded it had led to extensive nerve damage, as well as necrosis. Because of a lack
of blood supply, tissue had started to decay, and the patagium had become contracted (shortened/locked). The infection caused by necrosis had spread along the loon’s wing and into her major organs. The amount of tissue and bone death made it impossible for the loon to recover. It was thought she would survive no more than two weeks before succumbing to the infection. An AIWC veterinarian made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize the loon to ensure she did not continue to suffer. The loss of the loon brought tears. Her death, like the tragic, recent deaths of a sow grizzly and her two cubs—bears that, daily, lived, fed, and played within our home’s viewscape—weighs heavily on Monica and me. How long had the female loon lived and bred on Lee Lake? How many chicks had she fledged? Would her death result in the disappearance of breeding loons from the lake? Monica, almost immediately upon learning of the loon’s death, wrote a poem and song in response to the grief-laden, heartbreaking saga. I had to wait longer, let more water flow under the bridge before attempting to convey the gravity of the story in words. Epilogue Monica and I have a decades-long love affair with Beauvais Lake and Lee Lake. We launch canoes on both lakes frequently, usually targeting calm mornings when we have the lakes to ourselves. We also walk the lakeshores. There, we’ve had the opportunity to look out at nesting eagles and loons, foraging grizzly bears, and diving ospreys. While we’ve enjoyed days of solitude on and near these lakes, we’ve also witnessed times when dozens of boats, many of them trailing multiple fishing lines, are on the water. I hadn’t given serious thought to boats with their trailing lines and hooks as a lethal threat to loons until this vision—seen within the rescued loon’s postmortem—suddenly loomed large, and appeared likely to be the most plausible cause for a loon’s entanglement with fishing gear. The picture: There are times when the density of pontoon boats and other boats trailing fishing lines on these small lakes is—if you’re thinking about the welfare of diving loons—disturbingly high. Logic suggests that people fishing will reel in their lines whenever they are in close proximity to diving loons, but do they? What is the future for common loons on Beauvais Lake and Lee Lake? To know at least two loons died on these lakes during the past year—it’s a number that represents fifty-percent of the lakes’ known breeding loon population—is to know the future is far from secure. Will mature loons arrive to fill the void? No one knows. Throughout Alberta, resource managers, biologists, park staff, and enforcement officers need to do more to protect vulnerable water’s-edge nesting habitat and reduce the recreational footprint of lakeshore users. Snarls of discarded fishing line and other fishing gear cannot be tolerated. And people fishing need to think—and act—beyond their desire to catch fish. Diving loons can’t be expected to survive a deadly web of trailing lines and lethal hooks. Loons serve as a living litmus test revealing the outer edge of a lake’s raw and tenuous ecological integrity. They are mirrors exposing the health of their surroundings. Loons in southwestern Alberta are living in great danger, breeding near the absolute edge of their range. Where they exist, they act as bellwethers, supersized canaries that work the waterways beyond yesterday’s underground coal mines. The bottom line: Loons need your help if future generations are to be given the gift of hearing their haunting calls and witnessing their spellbinding injections of wilderness magic. … and here’s my wife’s poem encapsulating the same story:
Cry for a Loon - B. Monica Field Would you cry for a loon? I am crying Would you die for a loon? Risk dying? He saw the loon in November In open water on a frozen lake Left behind He had watched the loons for years From his canoe Walking the esker along the lake to see their nest Why was this loon still there? Did the summer temperatures of autumn fool the bird into thinking she could stay longer? Too long? He observed her for days, as the snow fell, the air chilled, and the water refuge diminished A loon needs a long expanse of open water to take flight She was still able to fish in her tiny sliver of water; he saw her eat Above her, in the trees and circling in the air, bald eagles and ravens waited for the inevitable When the lake froze completely she would be unable to escape Her mate and their young must have stayed as long as they could Flying above her as she tried to join them Did they call to each other, unable to understand? Until cold weather, sensed on the wind, forced her family to leave Lonely, freezing, in pain, and under constant attack, she survived, caught fish Lived to see another day, and another, until the encroaching ice closed around her He came to the lake every day Watching, chasing the predators away He asked for help, for rescue, but no one came Too dangerous on thin ice Let nature take its course The day the lake froze solid, two bald eagles and three ravens attacked the loon He called again and again for help, but none was coming He was warned not to attempt a rescue If he succeeded, he would be charged with unlawfully possessing wildlife He continued his vigil, wondering what to do Using her wings, she struggled to move across snow-covered ice Loon legs are not made for walking Wing prints of suffering in the snow Nowhere to go Singing a song of utter despair, the loon broke his heart He crossed thin ice, caught and cradled her Wrapped her in his coat He could not watch and do nothing, despite the warnings She was powerful, her beak lethal He saw the fishing line, cold metal lure, and lead weight wrapped around her Constricting her She was now warm Safe Cherished Better than dying slowly and painfully on the ice He drove her to those who could help She was strong, but not strong enough Her flesh was dying, cut off from life-giving blood Infection was spreading through her system She would not have been able to survive The loon was given a peaceful release His heart broke again Photos on page 13
12 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Thunder back with a boom LAUREN KIRKMAN Thunder U 13 Media Relations The Crowsnest Pass Thunder U13 hockey team is back on the ice for their consolation playoff games. In the first of three games, Thunder came in storming and blew away the Picture Butte Blades.
The Saturday afternoon game on home ice proved to be an exciting one with Thunder taking the lead and staying in it throughout the hockey game. The first four goals were made in the second period and then two more exciting goals during the third. Goals were made by Sophie Gibboney-Stafford (4) and Nicolas Gillespie (2). Assists for these goals made by Nicolas Gillespie (2), Gavin Sameul, Aidan Bishop, and Josh Heyboer. Final score for the game being 6-2. Goaltender Owen Kirkman had a total of 36 shots on his net with a save percentage of 0.944. Thunder will be back in action next weekend for an away game for the second playoff game. Details to be determined soon.
FOURtitude Piano Concert for 4, 6, 8 HANDS!
We welcome Brad Parker, Cheryl Emery-Karapita, Deanna Oye, Kevin Ngo, a piano ensemble from the U of L Department of Music & Conservatory.
Sunday, March 12th, 2:00pm
followed by a FREE piano Masterclass at 3:30pm Tickets: $20 / piano students - FREE Tickets - e-transfer to cnpaaa@shaw.ca or in person at the Gallery To sign up for the masterclass email cnpaaa@shaw.ca ALL AGES Welcome!
Photo by Lauren Kirkman
23031dg2
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - 13
Death of a Loon cont’d from page 11 David McIntyre photos
Photo top to bottom: Autumn gold. Lee Lake in mid-October, the day Monica and I first noticed the presence of a single, lingering loon. The Lee Lake loon, moments before Monica and David, converging on her from opposite directions, were able to capture her.
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David, fighting to maintain control, holds the struggling loon moments after her capture, just before she was slipped into a zippered coat for transportation to waiting veterinarians. Photo, courtesy of the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC), showing the loon’s lethal, debilitating wound caused by fishing hooks, wire, and multiple loops of tightly-bound fishing line.
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Notice of Proposed Rogers Communication Inc. Telecommunications Facility Description: As part of the public consultation process required by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), formerly Industry Canada, Rogers Communication Inc. is inviting the public to comment on a proposed telecommunications facility consisting of a 61metre self-support tower, with a fenced compound in Sentinel Industrial Park, in order to provide dependable wireless data and voice communication services to areas along Highway 3. Location: 3706 18 Ave, Coleman, Alberta (PIN/Title #: 031-445-685) Coordinates: 49.628125 N, 114.58194444 W For More Information: Contact Rogers Communications Inc. at: Kristina Bell c/o Cypress Land Services Agents to Rogers Communications Inc. Suite 1051, 409 Granville Street Vancouver, BC V6C 1T2 Tel: 604.620.0877 Email: publicconsultation@cypresslandservices.com The public is welcome to comment on the proposal by the end of the business day on April 3rd, 2023 with respect to this matter. Rogers File: W6576 – Crowsnest Pass
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14 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - Wednesday, March 1, 2023
THE
CLASSIFIEDS
Small ads. Big deals. FOR RENT To inquire about the availability of an apartment for rent in Blairmore call 403-562-8144. Newly renovated and decorated one bedroom apartment in downtown Blairmore. $525 per month. Phone 604 354 2354. SERVICES The Crowsnest Pass AA group has moved effective January 2, 2022. We now meet once a week. SUNDAY NIGHTS ONLY at 7:00 pm. Compass Fellowship Church. 2029 - 130th St., Blairmore, AB. Looking forward to seeing you.
AWNA CLASSIFIEDS
Health HIP/KNEE REPLACEMENT. Other medical conditions causing TROUBLE WALKING or DRESSING? The Disability Tax Credit allows for $3,000 yearly tax credit and $30,000 lump sum refund. Take advantage of this offer. Apply NOW; quickest refund Nationwide: Expert help. 1-844-453-5372. NOTICES GET YOUR MESSAGE SEEN ACROSS Alberta. The Blanket Classifieds or Value Tuesday, March 14 Ads reach over 600,000 Alberta readers weekly. Two options starting at $269 or 6 p.m. $995 to get your message out! Business changes, hiring, items for sale, cancellaFort Macleod Masonic Hall tions, tenders, etc. People are increasingly staying home and rely on their local 2210 Third Ave. l Fort Macleod newspapers for information. KEEP people in the loop with our 90 Weekly Community Newspapers. Call THIS NEWSPAPER now or email classifieds@awna.com for details. 1-800-2826903, 780-434-8746 X225. www.awna.com. SERVICES CRIMINAL RECORD? Why suffer employment/licensing loss? Travel/business opportunities? Be embarrassed? Think: Criminal Pardon. US entry waiver. Record purge. File destruction. Free consultation. 1-800-347-2540. www.accesslegalmjf.com. GET BACK ON TRACK! Bad credit? Bills? UnemIn loving Memory of ployed? Need Money? We Lend! If you own your own Fiore (Feruccio) Berlin home - you qualify. Pioneer Acceptance Corp. Mem1934-2018 ber BBB. 1-877-987-1420. www.pioneerwest.com. PRIVATE MORTGAGE LENDER. All real estate types Our love for you won’t go away, considered. No credit checks done. Deal direct with you walk beside us every day, lender and get quick approval. Toll free 1-866-405Unseen, unheard, but always near, 1228 www.firstandsecondmortgages.ca.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Deadline for Classified, Fridays at noon!
COMING EVENTS COIN SHOW and SALE – Canada’s largest. 11 & 12 March 2023, 10 am – 4:30 pm. Lions Centre 11113 – 113 Street, Edmonton. Free market evaluations. Dealers from across Canada, auctions, displays, coin striking. Family friendly. www.edmontoncoinclub.com. Coming Events JO MICHALUK (Foesier) who resides in Penhold, is turning 80 years old. Everyone is invited to her birthday party on March 11th at Crammond Hall – 12:30 to 6:00 p.m. RSVP is not required. Bring your favorite dish, dress as you wish, and BYOB.Catherine@cathePart-Time Bartender 18+ rinebrownlee.com. COMMERCIAL PROPERTY 2-3 days a week, daytime shifts BLANKET THE PROVINCE with a classified ad. Only $269/wk (based on 25 words or less). Reach almost 90 Pro-serve would be an asset weekly newspapers. Call NOW for details. 1-800-282$15/hr plus tips 6903 Ext 225; www.awna.com. Employment Opportunities Resumes can be sent to: FREIGHTLAND CARRIERS INC. is looking for owner/operators to deliver tri-flat deck freight in Alberta, branch9@shawbiz.ca Saskatchewan or BC. Monday to Friday work. Steady year-round work with substantial increases in rates. Contact Freightland by email at dispatch@freightland. Check the date on your label to see if ca or telephone toll free 1-800-917-9021. your subscription is due! CAMPGROUND HOST/ONSITE Caretaker Vauxhall You can pay with cheque, credit card or Lions Park - Vauxhall, Alberta. 2023 Camping Season e-transer to passherald@shaw.ca May 1 - Oct. 15. 30 site campground on Highway 36 - 1/2 mile north of Vauxhall. Duties: taking bookings, registrations, collecting fees, facility cleaning, VINCE JOHN grounds maintenance. BOSETTI E-mail bschnarr@xplor1929 ~ 2023 net.ca or send resume to Vauxhall Lions, P.O. Box 729, Vauxhall, Alberta Sportsman and Outdoorsman, T0K 2K0. Vince Bosetti passed away at the FEED AND SEED Edith Cavell Centre in Lethbridge ALBERTA FEED one week after celebrating his 94th GRAIN: Buying Oats, birthday. Barley, Wheat, Canola, Living his entire life in the CrowsPeas, Screenings, Mixed nest Pass, Vince hiked many mounGrains. Dry, Wet, Heated, tains, fished many streams, huntor Spring Thresh. Prompt ed in the hills and enjoyed many Payment. In House sports. Trucks, In House ExcreVince is survived by his sister Eveta Cleaning. Vac Rental. lyn Richardson and her family Lori (Sheldon) Connors and Dwayne Rich1-888-483-8789. ardson, all of Calgary. WE BUY DAMAGED Also survived by cousins Donny (Margaret) Gatto of Lethbridge and Bernie GRAIN - Heated, Mixed, Christopher and Caitlyn Jenkins, as well as many lifelong friends. Tough, Light, Bugs, Predeceased by his parents Fred and Irma Bosetti and his brother in law Spring Thrashed....BarBob Richardson, as well as his nephew Dale Richardson. ley, Wheat, Oats, Peas, No funeral will be held at Vinces request. Funeral arrangements by Martin Flax, Canola. “On Farm Brothers of Lethbridge. A family gathering will be held in the spring. Pickup”. Westcan Feed & A special thank you to the caring staff at Edith Cavell (Maple Court) in Grain 1-877-250-5252. Lethbridge.
Help Wanted Coleman Legion #9
still loved, still missed, and very dear. Your pain is gone and your soul flies free a part of you is still here with me.
Anita, Darrin, Shelly, Randall & Families
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - 15
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16 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Looking Back BY JOHN KINNEAR
A life well lived Margaret Krish Once again a particular facebook post of mine resonated strongly with the followers of the Crowsnest Network and this time, unlike the dance hall offering, has brought a wonderfully different suite of comments and memories. The story I shared on February 15th included a picture of Keith and Margaret Krish on their wedding day in 1957. It was designed to acknowledge their life and their legacy. Keith and Margaret were together for 65 years and the post elicited a huge number of condolences and memories. It is always interesting to read the in-depth descriptions of a bride’s attire in the old papers, something that Vern Decoux was pretty good at. And Margaret’s dress (waltz-length gown of white embroidered net over taffeta) painted a lovely picture. The photo of them as newlyweds and the attached write-up came from Decoux’s Crowsnest Bureau section of the Lethbridge Herald, a service that went on for decades. It has occurred to me that when “no funeral service” is proclaimed that the opportunity for the rest of us to learn about or share the life story of a Pass pioneer is lost. I am thinking that, if possible, it would be a nice gesture for a family member to do a memory post on a lost loved one. A post that allows people to weigh in with memories and acknowledgments. As a keeper of history I could possibly assist in this outreach. We all recognize that each and every pioneer we lose has a wonderful life-story, one that is worth learning about and sharing. After the Krish facebook post I went to see Keith, who is a dear friend and a wonderful gardener. Keith shared stories with me of Margaret’s legendary cooking skills, accomplished with the use of, up until five years ago, a lovely vintage coal stove. That stove, a Findlay Meteor, is not as ornate as some, like the McClary, but it is not all about the shiny trim when it comes to good cooking. It is about the skill in making and keeping a nice steady fire in the firebox. And of course the perfect recipe. A wood stove’s heat circulates around the whole perimeter of the oven and gives a perfectly even cooking temperature which allows those fresh baked loaves to come out looking picture perfect. All this brings back childhood memories of starting up a coal /wood stove, first with paper then some finely chopped kindling. It was something everyone needed to know how to do properly. Once the paper/wood mix was burning strongly often a scoop of coal was gently placed onto the top and the plate put back on or the front door closed. According to Keith they did not use much coal in their Findlay, as he found it burned too hot and would damage the grates. Keith did a calculation, right there at the kitchen table, of about 55 years worth of wood consumption for the Findlay. At about four cords a year that worked out to 220 cords plus that went into that firebox before it was retired. The size of a stacked cord of wood for him was 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet. The wood was cut up further with a small Homelite chainsaw that Keith purchased from Rudy Yeliga’s garage in downtown Coleman. The pieces used in the stove he kept to 15 1/2 inches long, so he did a lot of cutting and splitting through the years. That was just the way it was. In the case of Margaret’s stove there is a unique access to the firebox that I have never seen before. A handle on the left back side allows one to lift a whole section, plates and all up, courtesy of a hinge on one side. This may have been more common than I realized but it was a treat to see this unique arrangement. Keith and I talked about coal stoves for a bit and then, true to my curious mind, my researcher phone came out and Google searches were done to learn more about Findlay and their stove styles and origins. This was a real eye opener and plunged me into the Findlay company history that dates back to 1862, to Carleton Place, a small town 40 miles west of Ottawa. It was there that David Findlay started a oneman business of producing agricultural and machinery pieces. It blossomed into a huge foundry with worldwide appeal and was managed by four generations of Findlay’s up until 1974. David was a Scottish moulder, expert in making the forms for casting iron. By 1879 Findlay stoves were well known all across Canada. The Krish’s stove was made in 1933 and is almost as old as Margaret was before she passed. Keith found the date it was cast on, on the back side of the small plate you remove to pull the fine ashes out from under the bottom of the oven. I remember all too well the tool one used to do that, a long metal rod with a rectangular plate on one end. Findlay stoves come in all sizes and shapes and their modern-day business, still operating, now centers around electric and gas ranges, refrigerators, space heaters, furnace and the like. As we sat and talked I noticed on Keith’s kitchen table two recipe containers literally bursting with hand written cards for every kind of food preparation one can imagine. I had heard that Margaret was a prolific and amazing cook and here before me was the evidence. Index cards between all the recipe cards showed labels for
things like pastry, pickles, jams and jellies, bread and biscuits, vegetables, cookies and so on. Keith said Margaret felt that if you could make it why would you buy it. The very front section of one of the recipe boxes was relegated to storing some rather unusual formulas including one for furniture polish, window cleaner, hand lotion, homemade currant wine and three different recipes using rose hips for purees, syrup and catsup. Curiosity got the better of me as I sifted through so many years of diligent documentation and it proved to be a learning process for me on pickle preparation. I discovered cards describing how to make bucket pickles, lazy housewife pickles and nine-day pickles. These pickle short cuts read like pretty tricky business but the end product was a fast way to get one out of a pickle, so to speak. Or into one for that matter. At one point in our visit Keith leaned across the table to me and said, “You know John, in this world there are two types of people. There are givers and there are takers. We were givers and anyone that walked through that door left well fed.” I have heard from several people that Margaret’s cabbage rolls were legendary and part of the secret was her homemade sauerkraut. It was brewed in a large crock left beside the Findlay stove for three days to start the fermenting process. Making sauerkraut can be tricky business and required, according to Keith, good loose leaf cabbage, grown in their prolific garden of course. It usually took about two or three weeks for a good batch to mature. Later on I was invited upstairs in Keith’s house, on my second visit, to view yet another of Margaret’s talents, that being crocheted works. On a bed in her daughter’s old room he showed me a half dozen beautifully crafted blankets or throws done by Margaret. Keith said you had only to remark on one and it would be going home with you. Givers are like that. I first came to know of these two wonderful people’s home-life by an invite some years ago. A phone call offer of some beet tops, because he was thinning his fenced garden of potatoes, beets, carrots, lettuce and rhubarb, was and still is a delight. Lush fresh green beet tops are just about the best sources of antioxidants there is and are high in vitamin A and C. Keith and Margaret were also dedicated flower gardeners and their beautiful floral beds were immaculately maintained and full of exotic flowers that thrived from their steadfast attention. Willow Drive is a paradise. We all know that. There is a quiet serenity about the place that puts one at ease immediately. Small wonder that Keith and Margaret Krish chose to be there and raise their family in this perfectly natural place. Author’s Note: More pictures can be found on-line.
All photos courtesy of John Kinnear:
Margaret Krish on her wedding day Findlay stove with liftable top A legacy of cooking recipes Grandma Krish’s shake and bake recipe Fine examples of Margaret’s crocheting.