Two Hills Regional Chronicle Christmas 2020

Two Hills Regional

Chr on ic l e YOUR MONTHLY REGIONAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Proudly serving the Counties of Minburn, St. Paul, and Two Hills.

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Joshua Kutryk Joins Artemis Mission Volume 1 Issue No 1, Christmas, 2020

T

he Canadian Space Agency announced on Wednesday December 16 2020, that Joshua Kutryk is among four Canadian Astronauts, who could be selected to fly around the moon in 2023 on the Artemis 2 Mission - the first crewed mission of Nasa’s Artemis Program, which

will test the Orion Space craft in lunar orbit in preparation for the landing in 2024. The announcement was made on Wednesday, December 16 2020, following an agreement between the CSA and NASA. Canada has agreed to provide robotics to NASA, in exchange for the opportunity for

Canada to fly lunar missions.

Joshua, 38, was born on March 21, 1982 in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta.

Prior to joining the Canadian Space Program, Joshua Kutryk worked as an experimental test pilot and a fighter pilot for the Canadian Armed Forces in Cold Lake, Alberta.On July 1, 2017, he was recruited by the Canadian Space Agency as one of two new astronauts after a year-long process.

“As Canadian astronauts, I think that we’re particularly proud to be representing Canada in this context,”Kutryk said in a press conference.

“We’re also proud to have built here, at the Canadian Space Agency, our core of highly trained and ready professional astronauts, all of whom are ready for these missions and the ones that will follow”

CSA astronaut Joshua Kutryk undergoes NBL training2018-04-12 – CSA astronaut Joshua Kutryk is in a spacesuit prior to underwater spacewalk training at NASA Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL).

(Credit: NASA/David DeHoyos)

Tribute to Ron Metrunec of Myrnam

D

uring these very challenging times in Alberta, the pandemic has taken another local life. Myrnamites are saddened and shocked by the passing away of Ronald David Metrunec. He passed away peacefully at the Two Hills Health Centre on December 15, 2020 at the age of 81.

Ron is survived by his children: Tracy (Clint) Curle of Selkirk, MB, Rhonda (Ryan) Morey of Two Hills, AB and Mitch (Sherry) Metrunec of New Sarepta, AB;

Wishing you a joyous Holiday Season and a safe and healthy New Year.

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his grandchildren: Ti m o t h y, Abigail and Noah Curle; Sara and Anastasia Morey; Rae and Jill Metrunec and Lee (Scott) Alcorn (nee Metrunec); his siblings C a r o l (Marko) Mihajlovich of St. Albert, AB, Vivian (Orson) Gadowsky of Edmonton, AB and Gerald (Anne) Metrunec of Leoville, SK; and his nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents Steve and Mary Metrunec, sister Dianne and former wife Judy.

Ron was born in Myrnam, Alberta on February 20, 1939. He completed high school in Myrnam, making lifelong friends along the way. He enjoyed playing sports

(hockey and curling), was an avid participant in Boy Scouts and worked at the garage. He left Myrnam for a short time, working with the Department of Highways in the High Prairie region, but “the garage” was calling his name. He joined his father’s business ‘Metrunec Motors Ltd.’, eventually taking over management. Ron met his wife, Judy Willard, a nurse at the Myrnam hospital. They married in November 1965 and set down roots in Myrnam.

Tied to the community, he remained there for the rest of his life.

Metrunec Motors was an integral business in Myrnam and Ron’s second home. It was a General Motors dealership, Moto-ski snowmobile outlet, AMA towing service, full-service gas station, as well as an automotive/tractor repair and auto-body shop.

(Continued on Page 2)

Apollo 50: Celebrating Moon exploration across Canada. 201911-01 - On July 20, 2019, Canadian Space Agency astronauts were in science centres across Canada to celebrate 50 years since the Apollo 11 lunar landing. CSA astronaut Joshua Kutryk hosted the local event at the Johnson Geo Centre in St. John's as David Saint-Jacques and Robert Thirsk connected by video link to discuss the proud history and unfolding future of lunar exploration. (Credit: Canadian Space Agency)

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Tribute to Ron Metrunec of Myrnam

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(Continued from Page 1) Operating a GM dealership did have its perks. He had the opportunity to drive many different vehicles. In fact, it was his way of remembering different events through life by what vehicle he was driving at the time. “Remember that time we went down to California?”

“Yeah, it was in summer of 1977 because we were driving that beige ’77 Suburban.” Ron was a pillar of the Myrnam community. He was always willing to help someone out or pitch in to make an event successful - that was Ron. He did a great deal of volunteer work, including being treasurer of the Myrnam Elks Lodge for over 50 years.

He was a Boy Scout leader, founding member of the Myrnam Agricultural Society and served on the Village Council for multiple terms. He was involved in the Myrnam United Church and the Myrnam Community Church, as well as helped out in other organizations.

In his retirement years, Ron enjoyed church and seniors’ functions, watching sports on TV, visiting his elders in various seniors’ facilities and other activities. He helped organize “Myrnam Alumni Fellows If Able”, a group of men with roots in Myrnam meeting quarterly in Edmonton or at Jack Fish Lake to visit, share a meal, and catch up over a few drinks. He honed his skills in the kitchen on some unique dishes: homemade soups, studenetz, dills and beet pickles. (He was his own worst critic, but they always tasted great.) He took pride in his garden, growing many of his own ingredients. Gido really en-

joyed time with his grandchildren. He was so very proud of them all and would attend their different events: Ukrainian dance performances, piano recitals, Christmas concerts, and sporting events.

When we think of Ron, we think of a dependable, thoughtful and friendly person. He was diligent, resourceful and detail-oriented. He was conscientious toward others and stuck to his principle of always being fair. One of his favourite expressions was “What’s fair is fair”. Ron had many frequent sayings. The most common was “You get what you pay for.” This saying doesn’t apply to material things only what you invest into life, community and family, is reflected by what you gain in experiences.

Former long-time mayor of Myrnam, Ed Sosnowski, paid tribute to his friend Ron Metrunec. “Our families were friends for many years. We graduated from New Myrnam School together and he was my best man. Ron was a good friend and man of integrity.”

Over the last few years, Ron persevered through several health struggles and major surgeries. He was recently hospitalized in Edmonton for complications from his latest surgery. Unfortunately, he contracted COVID-19 which lead to his death. Rest in peace Ron. A private family funeral service is planned for December 31. It will be lived streamed and a recording of the service will be available. Please visit www.gracegardensfuneralchapel.com for details.

S

COVID-19: Update

ince Chinese Health Authorities first alerted the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31 2019 of numerous pneumonia cases in Wuham City in the Hubei Province in China which had no apparent cause, the mystery disease now named COVID-19 which started out as a scare, turned out to be a living nightmare. From the moment of its identification, COVID19 has infected many countries. As the numbers climbed, concerns grew over a massive global outbreak.

Many countries, for fear of a healthcare collapse due to mass influx of positive cases, instituted extreme lockdowns closing schools and any business deemed inessential. Yet despite the joint efforts of political leaders and health care authorities, the numbers continued to climb as did the casualties.

CHRISTMAS 2020

At this point, the current confirmed cases globally is sitting at 72 851 747 and 1 643 399 (WHO) deaths. In Canada, confirmed 486 424 of which there have 395 000 recoveries and 13 844 deaths as at December 17, 2020 In the County of Two Hills there have been 94 total cases, 38 active cases with 54 recoveries.

With the rise in cases and a higher mortality rate, authorities stress the importance of wearing a face mask and sanitizing regularly. Anyone experiencing symptoms are urged to quarantine to minimize the spread of the virus.

The Public Health Agency of Canada expects to have enough vaccine by September 2021 to inoculate every Canadian who wants a shot.

“Based on current data, by the end of September 2021, Canada projects having sufficient member doses to be able to offer a vaccination to every Canadian,”a spokesperson for PHAC said in a statement to CBC News.

Healthcare professionals urge the public to remain vigilant as it may be some time before the vaccines become readily available and the resurgence is proving to be more difficult to manage than the first wave.

County of Two Hills Natural Gas Utility 5606 51 Street | Box 428 Two Hills AB T0B 4K0

Office: 780-657-2446 Fax: 780-657-2731

Our whole team sends sincere Holiday wishes to you and your family! May this Holiday season bring you peace and joy.

Merry Christmas & a Happy and Healthy New Year!

From the Publisher’s Desk

Twenty years ago, my father came to Two Hills with little more than the clothes on his back and a dream. His decades of experience in journalism behind him, he endeavored to provide a community newspaper that would showcase the beauty of Two Hills and highlight the issues that mattered most to our readers. After moving to Two Hills myself, I immediately fell in love with a community founded on strong family values. At that point I realized I was home. With this relaunch, we intend on continuing that proud legacy of hard hitting community centered news.

The end of every year usually allows us time to reflect on our accomplishments and obstacles we have overcome as we form our resolutions for the year to come. This

Hope for 2021

Editorials

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

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year, however, has tested us beyond imagining.

With millions of people infected and the numbers climbing internationally, we all have good reason to be cautious and play our part in minimizing the spread of the virus by simple means such as wearing a mask and washing our hands.

Beyond the health implications of such an outbreak, the financial toll has been devastating.

Businesses and individual finances have been strained more than in many previous years or even decades. Many businesses were forced to close their doors. Thousands of people laid off.

Some have had their hours reduced. People all around the world have been in constant prayer for health and safety.

It is said that light shines the brightest in the darkness. In all of this chaos and uncertainty,

From my Corner

What a year this has been?!

We had so many great plans for 2020.

A better quality of life, to love more, travel more, more time to rest, more time to relax, more time allocated to spend with family, to reconnect with loved ones and old friends, to exercise more, to eat healthier foods, ... It was about acquiring a deeper spiritual connection with The Lord and ultimately living the life...., (the usual good intentions and aspirations with an impending new year) And then along came Covid-19!!

Social distancing, wearing masks in public, sanitizing ourselves and our homes constantly, no hugging (I'm created to be a hugger), being confined to our homes, no visiting our loved ones that did not live with us, no travelling , no church or corporate worship and fellowship!!

We adhered to lockdown rules diligently, and sanitized constantly. We wore our face masks and greeted one another with a courteous nod or a supersized smile. We kept in touch with our family and friends through WhatsApp Video Calls and 'attended' church services and prayer meetings via Zoom and other social media platforms. And yet, still many of our loved ones tested positive for the virus. Some precious

the glimmer of hope remains - humanity.

We have been witness to individuals, businesses, celebrities and political leaders all working together to help those affected. Sadly there are still many who are in need, and with the arrival of Christmas, as we hurry about trying to get our last shopping done, there are many who are just hoping to put a meal on the table. At this time of year we are reminded that it is better to give than receive. In this spirit, I appeal to everyone to keep those affected in our hearts and prayers. While it is not always feasible to donate, sometimes just a home cooked meal and a sypathetic ear to a local family is more meaningful.

Thank you all for your love and support. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2021.

friends and family members died; some being asymptomatic and several of them, after a few weeks of agonizing treatment in hospital....

Then the fear set in…

Being placed in a situation beyond my control tested several of my abilities and strengths. It left me feeling vulnerable, exposed and extremely sensitive.

I was testy, irritable and occasionally antagonistic. After a while, I viewed any random person a threat to my family and I. “Please Lord, keep my parents safe, keep my spouse safe, keep my children safe, keep my siblings safe. I'll do whatever it takes Lord!”.....but still, I had that niggling, gnawing voice deep within my very core that whispered "It can be you, it can be your husband, it can be your children, it can be your parents, it can be your siblings" Faith and trust in The Lord is my source of sanity and my sustenance when my emotions are bordering on paranoia.

I believe that God alone is in control.

He loves us deeply and works all things together for our good, therefore in life we have blessings and lessons….

Covid-19 has taught me that it knows no boundaries. It does not respect your race, your social standing, your religion, or your financial status. Covid-19

Chr onicle Two Hills Regional

CHRISTMAS 2020

Straight from the Heart

Covid-19: Science, Pol- tive freedoms, with their force what the Bible says itics and Religion con- health, safety and wel- “render unto Caesar what verge fare. Politicians, through- is Caesar’s and unto God, The current times are out the world, have had what is God’s”. While difficult to all of us, and to make some tough de- this phrase is used more not since the pandemic of cisions and regardless of for tax purposes, it is also 1918, has the world seen what steps have been important that laws are such loss and destruction. taken, they incur the created and have been All of us have had to wrath of some people for created for all of change our way of life, taking away their per- mankind. God gave our way of thinking, and sonal freedom, and grati- Moses six hundred and more especially, we had tude from others for thirteen laws on Mount raise our level of toler- implementing steps to Sinai, in addition to the ance to each other. ensure our safety. Right Ten Commandments, and Science has indicated now, as a town councilor, I think that one of my that this problem, the Co- I feel the strain in our strongest reasons for berona Virus, is one that is community and the hair- lieving in wearing a understood by the people line fractures that are mask, social distancing, that are in charge of our caused, due to the politi- etc, is that one of the medical structure. Scien- cal decisions. I am hop- greatest commandments tists, and scientists alone, ing that society at large, The Lord gave to us not politicians or reli- and communities every- reads “Love thy neighbor gious leaders, should de- where, will appreciate as thyself”. If I truly love termine the various steps and understand the chal- my neighbor, I will do society needs to take to lenges faced by politi- everything I can to entry to get this virus under cians. It is not for their sure that he is not incontrol. Therefore, I am egos or that they are self- fected because of my very proud that the cen- seeking, but it is for your carelessness. I will adters for disease control own safety, that these here to protocol and the started a vaccination strong steps are needed. Laws of our land. which will help to go a Together we can achieve Finally, I pay tribute to long way in flattening the success. our business community, curve, a curve that has Here is something close who during these chalbeen the scourge of to my heart! As a Chris- lenging times, are providmankind for the past sev- tian, I believe that God is ing goods and services, eral months. Scientists in control, and has not often at a risk to themhave done enough study fallen off His Throne, de- selves. We all stand in and research to warrant a spite the difficult times awe of you. To all our esbetter understanding and we face. I know that there sential workers, includa better dissemination of are those that refuse to ing frontline workers, information that has to wear a mask purely based grocery store clerks, reach the community. All on what they interpret as truck drivers, and everyof society is grateful for biblical instructions. I, on body that is involved in the work that scientists the other hand, believe dealing with the public, have done, and those that that we, as Christians, we as a community stand are at the forefront of sci- should submit to the au- as one to say that our entific accomplishments thorities whom God has gratitude comes straight deserve a very humble placed in positions of in- from our heart. thank you. fluence to guide us Precious readers, we are The politicians are fac- through difficult times. in this together, and we ing tremendous chal- As an elected official, I will come through this lenges in that they have feel that it is not the in- together. to balance the will of the tent to take away your May God bless you! people, and their respec- freedom, but rather to enhas also taught me to be still, to be com- sunlight, the caress in the gentle breeze, fortable being alone, to make do with the sweet whispers of trickling water, what's available... Covid-19 has taught the melody in the laughter of our chilme to be grateful! To treasure our loved dren! ones, to be thankful for our meals, to Life is for the living. As long as we appreciate our homes, to savour the have life, we have hope. As long as we beauty in our surroundings, to relish have hope, we can light the way in our and be passionate about life.Covid-19 darkest moments… so let hope brighten has taught me to live in the present, to your path ahead!!! accept the now.

On behalf of my family and I, we We have no guarantees of tomorrow. wish you all the miracles of Christmas We have the promise of today. Life is (love, laughter, hope, joy, peace and so precious, such an awesome gift. We safety) and a fabulous 2021!!! are blessed with so much: The kiss of Love always, Niri

Our Team

Distribution

The Two Hills Regional Chronicle is proud to serve the County of Two Hills and surrounding areas. We also distribute to local outlets at convenient locations as well as the Saddle Lake Cree Nation. (Approx. 2000 copies).

We can also be found online at www.twohillschronicle.com and on various social networking platforms.

Jared Rajoo Publisher

Niri RajooJeevanath News

Sonny Rajoo Reporter

Page 4

A Message from MLA Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Good day Friends and Neighbours,

I know you have heard news of our provinces new measures to be immediately put in place. I know this makes many people unhappy and brings extra hardship. This situation is constantly changing and challenging to all of us. we all are affected by Covid-19 and its overwhelming rippling effects, myself included.

I have comprised some info in this email to outline necessary steps but the points I want to highlight are this: We have the choice to stay positive and spread support to others. Take this opportunity to call your family and friends, and spread some cheer to our community At the start of November, there were 143 people in hospital. Today, we have 654 which is devastating. This is the reason that we are imposing further lockdowns. Our health system needs it. And they need your support. Sharing negative opinions does not change this.

Our businesses and charities need you now more than ever. If you can donate to your food bank, or order take out from a local restaurants, or share posts on social media for small business owners, now is the time to do it. Anything will help.

Finally, the grants available to our businesses have been increased to support them through this stage. This is something I am thankful for and I hope all our constituency's organizations can utilize this grant.

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Relaunch Grant We are tripling the benefit from $5,000 to $15,000 and reducing the revenueloss threshold from 40 per cent to 30 per cent. Those who have already applied can now apply for a larger amount. Please visit the link for more info: https://www.alberta.ca/sme-relaunch-grant.aspx

New measures Social gatherings – immediate • All indoor and outdoor social gatherings – public and private – are prohibited.

• Close contacts are limited to household members only.

• Those who live alone will be allowed two close contacts for in-person visiting.

• Those two people must remain the same for all restrictions.

• Festivals, parades, events, concerts, exhibitions, competitions, sports and performances remain prohibited.

Masking – immediate • Province-wide mandatory indoor public masking.

• Public spaces include locations where a business or entity operates and is applicable to employees, visitors and the general public.

• Applies to all indoor workplaces and facilities outside the home.

• Farm operations are excluded.

Places of worship – starting midnight, Dec. 13 • All places of worship will be limited to 15 per cent of fire code occupancy for in-person attendance.

• Virtual or online services are strongly encouraged.

• Drive-in services where individuals do not leave their vehicles and adhere to guidance will be permissible and are not subject to capacity restrictions.

Retail – starting midnight, Dec. 13 • Retail services reduced to 15 per cent of fire code occupancy, with a minimum of 5 customers.

• Curbside pick-up, delivery and online services are encouraged.

• Shopping malls will be limited to 15 per cent of fire code occupancy.

Closures – starting midnight, Dec. 13 • Restaurants, pubs, bars, lounges, and cafes will be closed for in-person service.

• Only take-out, curbside pickup, and delivery services will be permitted.

• Casinos, bingo halls, gaming entertainment centres, racing entertainment centres, horse tracks, raceways, bowling alleys, pool halls, legions, and private clubs will be closed.

CHRISTMAS 2020

• Recreational facilities – fitness centres, recreation centres, pools, spas, gyms, studios, day and overnight camps, indoor rinks, and arenas – will be closed.

• Outdoor recreation is permitted, but facilities with indoor spaces except for washrooms will be closed.

• Entertainments businesses and entities – libraries, science centres, interpretive centres, museums, galleries, amusement parks, and water parks – will be closed.

• Hotels may remain open but must follow restrictions – no spas, pools, or in-person dining. Only room services will be permitted.

• Personal and wellness services, including hair salons, nail salons, massage, tattoos, and piercing, will be closed.

• Health services, including physiotherapy or acupuncture, social or protective services, shelters for vulnerable persons, emergency services, childcare, and notfor-profit community kitchens, or charitable kitchens will remain open for in-person attendance.

Work from home – starting midnight Dec. 13 • Mandatory work-from-home measures will be implemented unless an employer determines that work requires a physical presence for operational effectiveness.

Closures – ongoing from Nov. 27 • Entertainment businesses and entities - community halls and centres, indoor children's play centres and indoor playgrounds, theatres, auditoriums, concert halls and community theatres, nightclubs, banquet halls and conference centres, indoor and outdoor festivals, concerts (with the exception of drive-in events), tradeshows, and sporting events or competitions – remain closed.

As always, my office is available if you need anything.

Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk MLA - Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville Fortsaskatchewan.vegreville@assembly.ab.ca Box 451 4927 51 Ave, Vegreville, AB T9C 1M1 Suite 204, 10211 100 Ave, Fort Saskatchewan, AB T8L 1Y7 Veg. 780-632-6840 FS. 780-992-6561

May laughter fill your home o n t h i s j o y o u s h o l i d a y . Be c o m f o r t ed , b e c on t e n t , a n d give love.

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous 2021 from our Family to Yours MLA Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk Fort Saskatchewan Vegreville

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Face to Face with Leonard Ewanishan, Mayor - Town of Two Hills

CHRISTMAS 2020

ensure that there is sufficient funds for operational and capital projects?

Mayor Ewanushan: .As with previous years, the outstanding balances percentage has really not changed much. The Municipal Government Act does allow municipalities to collect outstanding balances. To date there are sufficient funds to cover all operations.

T

his edition, the Two Hills Regional Chronicle goes face to face with Mayor Leonard Ewanishan of the Town of Two Hills.

Chronicle: There is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has added more challenges and often tests one's leadership especially considering controversial decisions that have to be made. How are you coping during this stressful time and what are your main challenges?

Mayor Ewanishan: At times quite poorly, I must admit, but I am fortunate to have a seasoned council who let me bend their ears. Their advice and guidance have been immeasurable.

Chronicle: With the Provincial Government facing financial challenges in the relation of the budget where much of the services get downloaded to the municipality, how would you as a municipality cope with these financial constraints, while managing resident's expectations?

Mayor Ewanishan: With just finishing our interim budget, there were areas that should have been addressed but were shelved to a later date. It is hard to be proactive instead of reactive.

Chronicle: Regarding finances, persistent community chatter often questions the Town's viability. Some call for dissolution, others to stay the course, while another avenue might be to expand shared services with our County in order to find efficiencies.

Where do you stand on this issue and why?

Mayor Ewanishan: There is no question that the town is viable according to the government and our auditors. As with any other jurisdiction, we have our challenges. Going forward, the question of amalgamation may have to be put to the town ratepayers.

Chronicle: During the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, many residents in the town and businesses are facing financial hardships. The town relies on taxes for its survival. How are the ratio of taxes paid, how much is outstanding, and what are the chances of you collecting these outstanding amounts to

Chronicle: During the last two years, there has been a change in C.A.O's and the resignation of a councillor that was subject to much controversy.

Undoubtedly this has created a problem in the smooth running of our town. How has your council coped and what have you done to rectify the situation?

Mayor Ewanishan: Undoubtedly, there were challenges faced by administration and council.

Together we have moved forward with the election of two previous council members and the hiring of a local resident as our CAO. This transition did not keep the town from continuing with its daily business.

Chronicle: How would you categorize your relationship with the County of Two Hills, particularly the areas of common concerns? Are you satisfied that you and the County of Two Hills are engaged in a harmonious and co-operative relationship?

Mayor Ewanishan: I think our relationship is going along quite well. The Reeve and his council do the best that they can. Everyone has their hand out, but I know that every wish cannot be granted. The balancing that they do is not easy and I for one am grateful for all the help that we receive from them Chronicle: With regard to recreation, is the County paying its fair share or is there more that they could do with regard to them helping in the operational aspect of our facilities, while recognizing that they have made significant capital contributions?

Mayor Ewanishan: Again, there is always more that one wants, but we have to be realistic. In fairness, this present council has helped with the arena upgrade. They have signed an ICF agreement with the town, which provides for a yearly grant which goes to help offset some of the recreation costs.

Chronicle: After decades, the swimming pool had to be shut down and the building demolished, thereby taking away a very important segment of providing recreation in Two Hills. Is the swimming pool issue dead, or are there any intentions to build one, even if it is after Covid-19 or sometime in the future?

Mayor Ewanishan: I would like to begin by thanking all the

volunteers who helped build and run the pool for over three decades. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. Looking into the future, one never knows what it may hold.

Chronicle: The funding of policing is now slowly turning to municipalities, including those with less than a five thousand population. This incremental increase in policing will also place a burden on the tax-payers of the town.

How are you coping?

Mayor Ewanishan: For the 2021 interim budget, we have added in the funding for policing. I would hope that the province realizes that downloading their responsibilities to smaller municipalities is unacceptable.

Chronicle: The town's small businesses are suffering unspeakable hardships given the restrictions imposed through the Covid-19 pandemic. What is your council doing to assist small businesses to survive in these rather tumultuous days?

Mayor Ewanishan: Hardships during this pandemic are being felt all over and more so in smaller communities where the flow of consumers is much smaller. I would hope that our businesses are able to apply and receive some of the federal or provincial support programs.

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Chronicle: Finally, Mr Mayor, the town has not re-elected a mayor for well over twenty-five years. Are you planning on running again? If so, in a nutshell, what will your mandate be?

Mayor Ewanishan: Re-election has not been at the top of my mind for me right now. As everyone knows I have become a grandfather to a beautiful baby girl. My family has been very supportive of my time in office but it also has been difficult for them. Maybe the armchair politicians will put their names on the ballot and run to make our community better.

The Two Hills Regional Chronicle would like to express our gratitude to Mayor Ewanishan for taking the time to answer our questions.

The Two Hills Regional Chronicle is a community newspaper, as such we would like to cover the stories that matter to you. If you have information or want us to tell your story, contact us via email at news@twohillschronicle.com.

May this Christmas end the present year on a cheerful note and make a way for a fresh and bright new year.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, Mayor, Council & Staff

(780) 657-3395 info@townoftwohills.com

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Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Highlights from County of Two Hills Council Minutes

Bank Reconciliation - October The Bank Reconciliation Report for the month ending October 2020 indicating a bank balance of $4, 852, 281.99 was presented for review and consideration.

Council having reviewed and discussed the October 2020 Bank Reconciliation Report; it was moved by: R-12071 D. GULAYEC That the Bank Reconciliation Reports for the month ending October 2020, as presented, reviewed and discussed by Council be approved, signed and incorporated into the minutes.

Motion Carried Smoky Lake County The CAO presented Council correspondence from Smoky Lake County requesting a Letter of Support for their nomination of a portion of the North Saskatchewan River under the Canadian Heritage River System.

Council having discussed this item; it was moved by: R-12072 M. PHILLIPS That the Smoky Lake County North Saskatchewan River nomination under the Canadian Heritage River System Letter of Support tabled having Administration obtaining further information.

Motion Carried

St. Paul Education Regional Division No. 1 The CAO presented Council correspondence from the St. Paul Education Regional Division No. 1 requesting feedback of their governance and electoral review.

Mr. Ruven Rajoo, Division C Trustee of St. Paul Education Regional Division No. 1, Mr. R. Rajoo presented Council the St. Paul Regional Education Division No. 1 redesign of the ward structure; and, provided an update on current operations and enrollment.

Council having discussed this item; it was moved by: R-12073 E. YAKEMCHUK That the County of Two Hills meet in closed-session as per Division 2, Section 16(a)(ii) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act re: financial with all members in attendance – time 10:42 a.m.

Motion Carried R-12074 E. YAKEMCHUK That the County of Two Hills revert back to the regular public meeting with all members in attendance – time 11:00 a.m.

Motion Carried Council having discussed this item; it was accepted as information.

Delegation(s) 11:00 a.m. Re: Snowmobile Club Funding Messrs. Addam Saruk and David Tracturk of the Myrnam River Ridge Riders were invited into the Council Chambers to provide an update of the Snowmobile Club and funding, requesting a donation of $15,000.00 for recreational facilities.

There being no further discussion, Messrs. Addam Saruk and David Tracturk thanked Council for their time and left the Council Chambers.

Council having discussed this item; it was moved by: R-12075 M. PHILLIPS That the Myrnam River Ridge Riders be authorized to utilize the following County of Two Hill road allowances: North-side of TWP 550 between RR 102 South and RR 103 North, RR 103 between TWP 550 and TWP 552, TWP 544 between RR 100 and RR 95, RR 75 between TWP 542 and TWP 550, and RR 85 between TWP 532 and 530, Undeveloped portion of RR 90

South of TWP 544 having the County enter into an Alberta Snowmobile Licence Agreement with the Myrnam River Ridge Riders, of the same.

Motion Carried

Lac Santé Exemption Bylaw The CAO presented Council correspondence from the Landowner of Lot 5, Block 3, Plan 8022379 requesting an exemption bylaw for the use of a handicapped golf cart in the Lac Santé resort area.

Council having discussed this item; it was moved by: R-12077 D. SASKIW That Administration investigate an exemption bylaw for the use of a handicapped golf cart in the Lac Santé Resort Area and bring back the same to the December Regular Council Meeting.

Motion Carried Land Tax re: Beauvallon Post Office The CAO presented Council correspondence from the Landowner of Lot 7, Block 3, Plan 1977EO Beauvallon Post Office requesting a reduction of taxes, having Council informed of past reductions for the Hamlets of Hairy Hill, Beauvallon and Derwent Post Offices.

Council having discussed this item; it was moved by: R-12078 M. PHILLIPS That the County of Two Hills under authority of Section 347(b) of the MGA cancel a portion in the amount of $200.00 of the 2020 property taxes on Roll No. 2833.00 Lot 7, Block 3, Plan 1977EO being the Beauvallon Post Office.

Motion Carried Land Tax – Late Payment Penalties The CAO informed Council that correspondence was received from the Landowner of SE 6-5-12 W4, Lot 5, Block 1, Plan 1722361 requesting the late penalties applied to the corresponding tax roll be cancelled in the amount of $73.42.

Council having discussed this item; it was moved by: R-12079 D. GULAYEC That the late penalties on SE 6-55-12 W4, Lot 5, Block 1, Plan 1722361 not be waived for the 2020 taxation year.

Motion Carried Road Allowance Lease on TWP 542 & RR 134 The CAO informed Council of a request by the Landowner of NE 17-54-13 W4, having the fence /panels erected on road allowance between NE 17 and NW 17-54-13 W4 on TWP 542 and RR 134 be removed, as no Undeveloped Road Right-of-Way Lease Agreement was approved.

Council having discussed this item; it was moved by: R-12080 D. SASKIW That the fence /panels on road allowance between NE and NW 17-54-13 W4 be removed from the said right-of-way, having the same remain as public access.

Motion Carried Road Allowance Lease on RR 131 The CAO informed Council that correspondence was received from the Landowner of SE 14-57-13 W4 and NE 14-57-13 W4 requesting to enter into an Undeveloped Road Right-of-Way License Agreement.

Council having discussed this item; it was moved by: R-12081 D. GULAYEC That an Undeveloped Road Right-of-Way License Agreement not be approved between SE 14 and SW 13-57-13 W4.

Deputy Reeve E. Yakemchuk requested a recorded

CHRISTMAS 2020

vote.

In Favor D. Gulayec M. Phillips D. Saskiw Against E. Yakemchuk

Motion Carried Two Hills Regional Waste Commission The CAO informed Council that correspondence was received from the Two Hills Regional Waste Commission requesting that the County of Two Hills pass a $30,000.00 borrowing bylaw.

Council having discussed this item; it was moved by: R-12082 M. PHILLIPS That Administration investigate the Two Hills Regional Waste Commission borrowing bylaw and request further information, bringing back the same.

Motion Carried PUB-SNO-1 The CAO informed Council that correspondence was received from the Landowner of NE & NW 6-57-14 W4, Plan 3305HW (secondary residence) requesting Council review the cost of snowplowing as no charge should be placed.

Council having discussed this item; it was moved by: R-12083 M. PHILLIPS That Administration follow Snow Plowing – Driveways Policy PUB-SNO-1.

Motion Carried Office Closure re: COVID-19 Coronavirus Reeve, D. Gulayec placed COVID-19 Coronavirus Office Closure and services by appointment on the table for discussion.

Council having discussed this item; Administration shall implement COVID-19 Coronavirus safety measures as required.

Broadband Committee Reeve, D. Gulayec placed the formulation of a Broad Band Committee on the table for review and consideration.

Council having discussed this item; HUB Committee Members shall report regularly on broadband information and Administration shall review granting opportunities for the same.

R-12087 D. GULAYEC That the Creek Alignment quote as received from Coville Excavating be accepted as presented and proceeded should the Environmental approval be received.

Motion Carried R-12088 E. YAKEMCHUK That the County of Two Hills 5-year capital plan be amended to Source Well pricing of 2-2020 (model) CAT and 2-2021 (model) John Deer graders.

Deputy Reeve E. Yakemchuk requested a recorded vote.

In Favor D. Gulayec M. Phillips D. Saskiw Against M. Phillips Motion Carried

Face to Face with Reeve of the County of Two Hills, Don Gulayec CHRISTMAS 2020

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

have never dealt with in our life time and hopefully will never have to again.

Going forward we must listen to science and abide by the guidelines that have been established. They are for our own good and are a short term pain for a long term gain.

T

his edition, the Regional Chronicle review goes face to face with the Reeve of the County of Two Hills, Don Gulayec.

Chronicle: This has been a particularly tough period for county councils throughout the province, and indeed the country. What are the biggest challenges that you, as a council, face right now given the double challenge of low oil prices and the Covid-19 pandemic?

Reeve Gulayec: The Covid Pandemic and a down turn in the energy sector have had negative impact on the County both economically and operationally. Councils mandate has been to ensure that certain personnel among our Administration be trained and prepared to respond to emergencies like the pandemic that occur with in our boundaries. The economics behind successful County operations depend upon Council ,Administration and Staff being good stewards of the budget. We continue to plan ahead, live within our means and be prepared to make changes accordingly to balance budget.

Chronicle: What can the province do to assist municipalities, and indeed the farmers, to ensure that rural Alberta survives this very challenging time?

Reeve Gulayec: The quick reflex comment is to ask the Province to “provide more funding”, but we all know there are limitations to that formula for there is only one taxpayer. Our Farming community is extremely resilient because they not only are good at what they do, they are focused and hard working. Our job on Council is to provide the necessary upgrades to road infrastructure needed for unimpeded access to their land and upgrades to local delivery corridors needed to get their products to market.

Another requirement of Council is to create a stable tax structure which controls the level of potential increases.

This formula depends on the know how to realize the difference between needs verses wants and the creativity needed to achieve those needs.

Chronicle: Undoubtedly, Covid-19 has affected many in your area, and at the time of writing this, Two Hills has over thirty cases with positive test results.

Reeve Gulayec: Covid-19 continues to shake our resolve and is something that many of us

Chronicle: With regard to taxes, Mr Reeve, oil companies throughout the province have failed to meet their commitments, not only regarding municipal taxes but their financial lease obligations to farmers. How and where can the county help, not only to assist farmers, but to recover outstanding debt?

Reeve Gulayec: The County has experienced some tax losses in previous years from dead beat energy companies, those losses are being pursued legally. Our understanding is that the unpaid land lease obligations are being followed by the Farming community, Province and Farmers Advocate. The County does not have a stake in these land lease claims because we were not involved in the signing of the agreements.

Chronicle: On the subject of abandoned oil wells, as much as we have not seen it on the news media recently, what is the county's involvement and what can be done to remedy the situation so that hard working farmers are not left on the hook for environmental recovery?

Province presenting concerns as a group.

Chronicle: Mr Reeve, what are the current conditions of the roads and bridges of the County and what attempts are your council making to ensure safety and maintenance of the roads given the current financial challenges?

Reeve Gulayec: Thanks to our Public works team our roads are in great shape and as our bridges come due for repairs or replacement our Administration applies for the funding. Other than normal wear and tear during high traffic seasons, maintenance is completed on time. We were fortunate to qualify for additional bridge grant funding from the Province.

This funding was available to municipalities with so called shovel ready projects. This money became available through the covid economic recovery fund. Council continues to look favorably on light upgrades to our road infrastructure. Our plan is to continue with roadside brushing, shoulder pulls, culvert upgrades and road surface lifts where flooding has occurred in lowlying areas.

Chronicle: Towns and counties, within their boundaries, have always had a volatile relationship, largely due to the perception of imbalance in contributions, particularly in the recre-

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ation sector. How would you describe your relationship with the town of Two Hills and the village of Myrnam?

Reeve Gulayec: County Council has had a very open relationship with both the Town of Two Hills and the Village of Myrnam. We have in the past and continue to contribute funds towards their operations and recreational needs. Our budget continues to include funding based on need for our Rural Halls, Recreation facilities, Senior Centers, Arenas and Clubs with in the County’s boundary.

Chronicle: Mr Reeve, you were on council before, and have now re-entered municipal politics, currently serving as Reeve again. Do you plan to run again next year and what would your plan forward be?

Reeve Gulayec: I enjoy helping people and providing opportunities for communities to remain vibrant. My service goal for Ratepayer tax dollars is that the Residents feel they got more value than what they paid for. In closing my answer is Yes I plan to run in the 2021 election.

The Two Hills Regional Chronicle would like to express its gratitude to Reeve Don Gulayec for taking the time to answer our questions.

Reeve Gulayec: The County has had very little involvement in the abandoned well sites other than trying to collect taxes owed based on the site development . Reclamation and abandonment falls under the Provinces jurisdiction, where they have established an “Orphan Well Fund” that land owners can apply to for adjudication. The same applies to the County or Private industry that operate gravel pits. According to Provincial guidelines we must start reclamations on the pit prior to expanding it past the original site foot print that was applied for or if the agreement has lapsed with the land owner.

Chronicle: Rural Alberta, it seems, is facing challenges and is often neglected by the provincial government. What are counties doing to make sure a long term viability of our agricultural sector?

Reeve Gulayec: Our Council lives with and understands the challenges that our local Agricultural community faces from both Provincially and Federally induced regulations. When ever necessary we call on our Provincial counterparts directly, bringing forward all our Farming community concerns and needs. Should the challenge need to be addressed at the Provincial level and potential financial losses may be crippling in nature we will solicit help from all the Municipal Agricultural Service Boards with in the

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Healthy New Year.

From Murray Phillips & Family Councillor, County of Two Hills Division 2.

Congratulations Graduating Class of 2020!

Two Hills Chronicle

Page 8

CHRISTMAS 2020

Bailey Bannister

Chyanne Fisher

Jamie Frazer

Trey Hardcastle

Nathan Myshak

Tanisha Rahn

Ethan Rayner

Seth Trynchuk

Congratulations Graduating Class of 2020!

Congratulations Graduating Class of 2020!

So pleased to see you accomplishing great things.

May God bless you in this next season of your life.

Congratulations Graduating Class of 2020!

Congratulations Graduating Class of 2020!

May the next step of your journey be successful and prosperous.

Congratulations Graduating Class of 2020!

Congratulations of achieving this milestone.

Best of Luck in all of your future endeavors.

Ruven Rajoo, Board Trustee

St. Paul Education

Congratulations Graduating Class of 2020!

Warmest congratulations on your achievement.

Don Gulayec, Reeve County of Two Hills

Congratulations Graduating Class of 2020!

CHRISTMAS 2020

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Page 9

Bruno Burrows

Mercedes Charlebois

Sasha Fox

Ethan Hasiuk

Dylan Hennig

Jordon Kozicki

Maxwell Loewen

Amanda Mandryk

Savannah Morris

Dylan Scales

Tristan Toma

Heather Topolniski

OVID-19, the global pandemic, affected many a life for most of us.

The world's seven billion people, even our precious graduating class of 2020, is no exception. Nevertheless, the community feels the same love, affection and admiration for this year's graduating class.

Class of 2020: Your hard work over the past twelve years has culminated in your achieving this milestone. We recommend that you understand your success over the years, has enabled you to reach this much deserved stage in life.

During the several, past years I've watched you take your first steps, attend kindergarten, reach elementary school, and high school. I am so pleased that you have achieved this very pivotal stage of your life with one

chapter ending and another just beginning. You are now ready to step out into the world and explore the abundant talent you. We wish you nothing but the best. As you go forth to persevere your life's ambitions, we wish you well. As parents and a community, we join in offering you our choicest blessings. Your career and the jobs that you pursue, will be the culmination of the past twelve years of dedication to your education.

You may not have the usual, ideal graduating ceremony, but we are still immensely proud of you! Each of you occupy in our thoughts and hearts a place of affection and love and we wish you well. May God bless you my precious children.

With all my love Sonny Rajoo

C

Abram Unger

Cristina Wiebe

Orphaned Oil Wells, A Growing Concern

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Two Hills Regional Chronicle

CHRISTMAS 2020

Story and Pictures by Dwight Popowich

Dwight is an outspoken Property Rights Advocate, a proud member of both the Alberta Liabilities Disclosure Project (ALDP), and the steering committee for a new surface rights advocacy group, called the Polluter Pay Federation (PPF). He is for responsible oil and gas development in Alberta, but also believes that we can do a much better job developing this important public resource and without creating a huge risk to the taxpayer and the environment. He also believes that we can create thousands of jobs in Alberta's patch that will provide decades of work cleaning up Alberta's nearly 100,000 inactive oil and gas wells

Inactive Wells Left Too Decay Located in the gentle rolling hills of the Vermilion River valley in east central Alberta, sits one of 97,000 inactive oil and gas wells that dot the Alberta landscape.

This shallow natural gas well was drilled in 2008 on land expropriated from Dwight and Sharon Popowich. The Popowichs reside on a 75-acre parcel of farmland near Two Hills, AB. and have owned the property for twenty-one years. Dwight is busy taking photos and inspecting the gas well site for weeds, vandalism, and damage.

Pieces of loosened foiled-back pipe insulation flutter in the breeze. Popowich says “it is now common to find pieces of pipe insulation blowing across our alfalfa field”. He must gather evidence in support of an application to the Alberta Surface Rights Board (SRB) to recover nonpaid annual lease compensation payments. Little does he realize that it would take three years and two more applications before he would see his guaranteed compensation payments from the Alberta government.

It Is Expropriation, Not A Rental Agreement. the ability to grant energy operators access to the A lot of Albertans do not understand the relationship between landholders and energy operators. It is not a landlord tenant (renter) relationship as many believe. Many Canadians do not realize that the concept of land ownership does not actually exist in Canada. The correct phrase should be landholder which comes from English common law, and states that the “Crown” owns the land, while citizen only holds the right to use the land. So, when an Alberta Landholder has energy developed on their property, they are not renting out the land, they are having their right to use the land expropriated and transferred to the energy operator.

Annual lease payments are not rent, they are compensation meant to cover financial losses incurred because the Landholder can not use the land he owns. It is under this concept of land tenure, found within English common law, that governments have

Legal Solution Already Exists When the Popowichs were approached in 2008 by a mid cap energy operator looking to drill a gas well, they were told that the land would be returned as soon as the well stopped producing. “The well was only active for 4 years before its’ operation was suspended.

It has now sat two times longer as an inactive well, than as an active one. Alberta’s oil and gas development regulations provide no timelines to guide the abandonment and reclamation of inactive wells in Alberta. This is the main culprit causing the inactive well numbers to explode”, says Popowich. “With many operators it becomes a business decision as to when, and if, an inactive well gets abandoned and reclaimed. There are no timelines in the regulations forcing well abandonment so an operator could hold off on the site cleanup indefinitely. That is why there are so many inactive wells that are many decades old”, continued Popowich. “If you are a small energy operator with a limited cash flow, the choice to pay the annual lease compensation of $4,000, instead of $30,000 to $50,000 in site cleanup costs, becomes easy to make”.

In the case of the Popowichs, the original well owner Perpetual Energy Operating Corp (PEOC) would not clean up the non-producing well as they originally promised. PEOC would package the well with 2299 other non, and low producing wells and sell the whole bundle for $1.00 to a newly formed junior energy corporation. The Popowichs would not be informed of the sale or told that they were now being forced into a new business relationship with a financially weaker operator. The new operator was Sequoia Resources Corp. (SRC) and would be in business for only eighteen months before declaring bankruptcy.

The Popowichs wonder how they became saddled into a business arrangement with an insolvent energy

land surface, no matter who holds the land title. In other words, Alberta Landholders can not say no to energy development on their land, nor do they have the rights of a landlord to evict the operator for nonpayment.

Annual compensation for a well site is in the $2,000 to $5,000 range, dependent on the actual losses proved. The government takes the view that once a landholder signs over their right to use the land to an energy operator, the landholder no longer has any interest in the land and therefore no requirement to be heard. Landholder representation is regularly ignored by government, yet it is Landholders who suffer the loss of their constitutional rights, are forced into a business relationship, and forced to take on the risk that their land will be damaged by an industrial operation. operator. Popowich says “if the AER (Alberta Energy Regulator) had done its’ job and looked after the best interest of the province, then the sale of assets should not have been approved”. He asks, “how could the sale of inactive wells to SRC possibly be in the best interest of the people of Alberta”? “The assets were being transferred from a larger financially stable energy operator, to one that was nowhere as financially secure, and with a very shaky business plan to boot”, said Popowich. “It makes no sense. This is a public resource.

Where was the oversight? This should not have happened”, he concluded.

The energy sector’s business practice of bundling thousands of inactive wells, with 4 or 5 good producing wells, and then selling the whole lot to a junior operator for a ridiculously low price of $10 or less, is called “liability dumping”. This flawed business model worked relatively well in a high-priced oil and gas environment.

However much of Alberta’s inactive wells are now in the hands of financially weak operators who can no longer afford to pay for the future cleanup and are struggling to keep their financial heads above water.

The current economic bust in the patch is going into its sixth year. Past busts lasted one or two years. The current one is showing no sign of ending anytime soon. Given the trend to globally burn less fossil fuel, a new boom in the patch seems unlikely.

Liability dumping effectively removed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of liability off the large and mid cap operator’s books but placed that liability onto the books of financially weak operators,

many of which are now on the verge of insolvency.

The risk that the taxpayer will be needed in the future to cover the eventual cleanup costs rises exponentially because the Orphan Well Association (OWA) does not have the funding to deal with the massive growth in their orphaned inventory.

Orphaned Oil Wells, A Growing Concern

CHRISTMAS 2020

The Ignored Landholder

The well on the Popowich’s land now sits in legal limbo. The AER refuses to declare the well an “orphan”, as per sect 3.012 of the Oil and Gas Conservation Rules, and transfer the responsibility for the safety, and eventual cleanup of the well to the OWA . “This is what annoys me the most” says Popowich.

“The government, and energy industry, treat Landholders as not having an interest in the well sites and as a result we just get ignored. “They do that rather well” says Popowich. “We were never informed about the transfer of ownership of the gas well on our land. We had to dig for that information ourselves.

Our one and only lease payment from SRC happened only because we chased it down, after it did not show up as expected. The landholder gets ignored for the most part. It is like we have died and no longer exist”, stated Popowich.

“That is until the operator goes bankrupt”, continued Popowich. “Then suddenly the gov’t makes a 360 turn, saying that the Landholder, who they

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

regularly ignore in these matters, is now subject to the bankruptcy proceedings, having to wait for the courts to finalize the insolvency”. “I can’t see how the government can have it both ways”, says Popowich. “The law is clear. The well on our land should have been declared an “orphan” and responsibility for its safe suspension, should have been transferred over to the OWA at the onset of the SRC insolvency”, said Popowich. Wells are declared “orphaned” if no entity exists to pay for the well’s end of life abandonment and reclamation costs. “Why should the Landholder have to worry about the bankruptcy proceedings and outcome”? questioned Popowich. “Let the OWA and the government worry about the bankruptcy, not the landholder. This is not our circus or our monkeys. We are not the ones after the resource. Government treats Landholders as having no interest in the well site, so why does that change with a bankruptcy?” questioned Popowich.

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The “Polluter Pays Principle” Al- growth of the OWA’s orphaned inventory, no one has addressed the cause of ways There, But Mostly Ignored “I don’t understand why these orphan wells are such a problem”? questioned Popowich. “Laws exist that make the original driller of the well responsible for the eventual cleanup. It is called the Polluter Pays Principle”. “The well on our land is not really an orphan. We know exactly who mom and dad are.

Why the government does not use the existing laws to make the original polluter pay for the cleanup is baffling”? stated Popowich. “Furthermore, the Regulator is supposed to charge enough levy to industry to cover the costs of dealing with orphaned wells”, stated Popowich. The OWA is an industry funded organization that abandons and reclaims wells which no longer have a financially responsible party to pay for the well’s end of life costs.

What they do not pay is the annual lease compensation owed landholders.

Those payments, in contravention of the Polluter Pays Principle, comes directly from the Alberta taxpayer. “Kind of a bitter pill for landholders, knowing that they are being paid from the taxes they pay to the government”, said Popowich. “Again, where’s the Polluter Pays Principle in all this”? questions Popowich.

While we focus on the exponential

that alarming growth. It is generally agreed that natural gas extraction in Alberta reached a peak in 2001 and that our reserves have steadily declined to a point that it is unlikely that daily conventional natural gas extraction can be sustained by current industrial methods and technology. Evidence of such a decline is found in the growing inventory of inactive oil and gas wells and other infrastructure across the entire provincial landscape.

While some of the decrease in production was caused by a significant downturn in the market prices for conventional oil and gas, the decline in easy-to-access conventional oil and natural gas reserves has caused the greatest change in how those resources are exploited in Alberta. Specifically, the continued removal of the remaining oil and gas will require an increase in unconventional extraction methods, including deep shale fracturing, waterflooding of older wellbores, carbon dioxide injection and coalbed methane drilling. The utilization of unconventional extraction techniques will introduce different environmental, social, and economic impacts onto Albertans.

The Rising Property Tax Threat and the Hit to the Local Economies As Alberta’s oil patch faces a crisis caused by declining prices and falling production, some companies are choosing not to pay their taxes to remain in business. Rural Municipalities are now owed $173 million in unpaid property taxes for oil and gas wells, pipelines, and other energy related infrastructure. The current UCP government has made it abundantly clear that they support Alberta’s energy sector and are willing to do almost anything to help the sector survive.

“Some municipalities were preparing to lose 25% of their annual revenue with the UCP’s proposed changes to the property taxes for oil and gas infrastructure.

This has rural municipalities on edge, with threats of having to cut municipal services and raise property taxes to make up for the proposed tax revenue shortfall.

Speaking to reporters on the issue, last January 2020, Premier Jason Kenney said the sector has seen a few bankruptcies in the past year while other companies are barely hanging on. "You can't wring money from a stone," Kenney said, suggesting that could be the case for a number of smaller natural gas producers who are having trouble right now. The backlash from rural municipalities was swift, with the Kenney government backing down somewhat and announcing this fall a threeyear deal that the say will prevent municipal taxes and levies from harming its already battered oil and gas sector.

The deal, however, leaves unresolved the issue of past rural property taxes that some companies have refused to pay. Nor does it address the industry concerns

over unfair property taxation. Industry says the way taxes are assessed is driving companies out of business. Properties are assessed by the provincial government, which evaluates them on replacement cost and not on market value. Municipal Affairs Minister Tracy Allard said the interim deal will allow time for a permanent solution to be reached — after the next provincial election. “We have balanced the needs of the municipalities and the oil and gas industry,” she said. The measures include an exemption on property taxes for new wells, pipelines, and new equipment. The province will also lower assessments for less productive oil and gas wells and keep in place assessments it recently lowered for shallow gas wells.

The government did not release a price tag for the tax breaks, but a spokesman for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) has said this could save industry more than $80 million. “Municipalities are going to be out those dollars,” Al Kemmere of Rural Municipalities Association (RMA) of Alberta said.

“Couple the unpaid property taxes with the unpaid landholder lease compensation and that becomes a huge chunk taken out of our local economies”, said Popowich.

“We can not spend what we do not have. As a rural landholder I can not help but feel that we are getting hammered from every direction”.

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Two Hills Regional Chronicle

CHRISTMAS 2020

4818 50 Avenue | Box 490, Two Hills AB T0B 4K0

Office: 780-657-3358 Toll Free: 877-657-3359 Fax: 780-657-3504 Email: info@thcounty.ab.ca

Wishing our residents and community a safe and healthy holiday season. Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year from the Reeve, Council, and Staff and the County of Two Hills.

Public Notice COVID-19 Enhanced Status The County of Two Hills region has reached over 10 active cases of COVID-19. As a result, the region is now categorized as Enhanced Status. This means further restrictions are in place due to the Public Health Order. More information is available at https://www.alberta.ca/index.aspx.

To view Alberta’s COVID-19 interactive map for current status updates, visit: https://www.alberta.ca/maps/covid-19-status-map.htm.

This status will remain in effect until further notice.

Please be advised, that County offices will remain open to the public, however will be moving to an Appointment only protocol. In order to limit foot traffic, please phone prior to arriving at the office.

Administration Office: 780-657-3358 Public Works Office: 780-657-2499 Natural Gas Utility Office: 780-657-2446 Thank you for your cooperation.

Highlights of Two Hills Town Council Regular Meeting

CHRISTMAS 2020

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

OPEN FORUM: A few residents shared with Council their feelings for and against mandatory masks.

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS:

Public Works Report The Public Works Foreman’s Report was provided to Council in advance for their review.

2020-237 MOVED by Deputy Mayor W. Babiuk that the Public Works report be acknowledged as presented and incorporated into the minutes.

CARRIED Chief Financial Officer Report The Chief Financial Officer’s report was provided to Council in advance for their review.

2020-238 MOVED by Councillor S. Rajoo that the Chief Financial Officer’s report be acknowledged as presented and incorporated into the minutes.

CARRIED Chief Administrative Officer Report The Chief Administrative Officer’s report was provided to Council in advance for their review.

2020-239 MOVED by Councillor E. Sorochan that the Chief Administrative Officer’s report be acknowledged as presented and incorporated into the minutes.

CARRIED Staff Christmas Bonuses & Party Council normally holds a Christmas party for Staff and their spouses. With Covid-19 protocols this year should we cancel our annual party. Normally the party is when staff would receive a bonus in the way of a Gift Certificate to a local business in Two Hills.

2020-242 MOVED by Deputy Mayor W. Babiuk to cancel the yearly Christmas party and further that each staff member receives $150 gift certificate to a local business of their choice.

CARRIED Write Off Pre-Paid Amounts Finance Department is requesting Council to consider writing off all prepaid amounts 10 years and older. These credits consist of water meter deposits, garbage deposits, Centennial Hall deposits and even some prepaid property tax and water billing. The reason for the write offs is either the resident has passed away or moved from Two Hills with no forwarding address. This will help clean up the accounts receivable for the Town.

2020-243 MOVED by Councillor S. Rajoo to move that all pre-paid accounts 10 years old and older be written off and those monies be absorbed into general revenue.

CARRIED Federal Government $1.75 billion Universal Broadband Fund – MCSnet support I contacted MCSnet to see if they will apply for funding for the Town of Two

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Hills. MCSnet is applying to the newly announced Universal Broadband Fund to support high-speed internet projects in rural and remote communities.

2020-244 MOVED by Councillor M. Tarkowski to send a letter of support to MCSnet to apply for funding for the Town of Two Hills through the newly announced Universal Broadband Fund to support high-speed internet projects in rural and remote communities.

CARRIED

Mandatory Masks With some municipalities going to mandatory masks, is this something the Town of Two Hills needs or would like to do?

2020-245 MOVED by Councillor S. Rajoo to examine the feasibility of a mandatory mask bylaw and to draft a bylaw similar to Tofields’.

CARRIED 2020-246 MOVED by Councillor E. Sorochan to recommend to businesses to highly recommend all customers wear masks in public buildings.

CARRIED Swimming Pool Land The Swimming Pool Authority has turned over the land where the swimming pool was to the Town of Two Hills.

ACE Water Next Phase Payments ACE Water has been approved for the next phase of regional water line expansion and has government funding. Each of the members will be asked for cash contributions. The Town of Two Hills will owe $356,160.

2020-247 MOVED by Councillor E. Sorochan to have administration send a letter to ACE requesting payment deferral.

CARRIED Borrowing Bylaw for ATB Line of Credit In order to maintain the Town of Two Hills’ line of credit with ATB Financial, a Borrowing Bylaw must be approved. The line of credit gives the Town of Two Hills the ability to borrow for operating expenditures from time to time.

Any amounts borrowed is repaid through the collection of taxes.

2020-248 MOVED by Mayor L. L. Ewanishan that Bylaw 2020-1002 Borrowing Bylaw for ATB Line of Credit be given first reading this 24th day of November, 2020.

CARRIED 2020-249 MOVED by Councillor E. Sorochan that Bylaw 2020-1002 Borrowing Bylaw for ATB Line of Credit be given second reading this 24th day of November, 2020.

CARRIED 2020-250 MOVED by Councillor S. Rajoo that 2020-1002 Borrowing Bylaw for ATB Line of Credit be given consent for third and final reading.

CARRIED 2020-251 MOVED by Deputy Mayor W. Babiuk that Bylaw 2020-1002 Borrowing Bylaw for ATB Line of Credit be given third and final reading this 24th day of November, 2020.

CARRIED

Highlights of Two Hills Town Council Regular Meeting AGENDA ITEMS:

Special Meeting Purpose – Face Covering Bylaw 2020-1003 2020-255 MOVED by Mayor L. L. Ewanishan that Bylaw 2020-1003 Face Covering Bylaw be given first reading this 26th day of November, 2020.

CARRIED 2020-256 MOVED by Councillor E. Sorochan that Bylaw 2020-1003 Face Covering Bylaw be given second reading this 26th day of November, 2020.

CARRIED 2020-257 MOVED by Councillor S. Rajoo that 2020-1003 Face Covering Bylaw be given consent for third and final reading.

CARRIED 2020-258 MOVED by Deputy Mayor W. Babiuk that Bylaw

Back Row Standing (L-R): Councillor Mike Tarkowski, Councillor Sonny 2020-1003 Face Covering Bylaw be given third and final Rajoo. reading this 26th day of November, 2020.

Seated (L-R): Councillor Elaine Sorochan, Mayor Leonard Ewanishan, Councillor Willie Babiuk.

CARRIED

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Two Hills Regional Chronicle

St Paul Education Board Meeting - December 9, 2020

COVID Update: ● Although there were several new restrictions announced on December 8, 2020, the Minister has indicated that these changes do not affect schools. ● Since October 7, 2020 there have been 18 incidents involving a total of 20 confirmed positive cases in the Division.These cases have affected 7 different schools, and a total of 438 students and staff have been required to isolate. ● Effective Wednesday, December 9, 2020 to Friday, December 18, 2020 Two Hills Mennonite School will be closed to all students. This is necessary due to a shortage of subs combined with a number of recent positive cases in the school. ● As posted on the Division website and social media Grade 7-12 students are currently learning from home.

These students are following their normal day to day schedule with modifications as needed, in consultation with the school.

The Division is acutely aware of stressors on Grade 7-12 students and their families (e.g., time commitment, feeling overwhelmed, internet issues) and wants to offer a full program while working with each student and family where they are at. ● Privacy concerns related to video recording and posting lessons online were addressed in a recent communication. ● K-6 learners are still attending school in person until December 18, 2020. ● During the week of January 4-8, 2021 all students K-12 will be learning from home. As of now, K-12 students are expected to return to in-person learning on January 11, 2021. ● Schools remain open for in-person learning for students with exceptional needs and outreach students. ● Due to difficulties scheduling routes given the low numbers it is not viable to offer bussing for students with exceptional needs or outreach students attending school during the week of January 4-8, 2021. Trustees passed a motion that parents of students with exceptional needs or outreach students attending school during that week will be eligible for parent-provided transportation funding. The rate for parent-provided transportation is $0.35/km. ● All Diploma exams are optional for the remainder of the year. ● Bussing pick-up and drop-off times may shift due to changing conditions.

Families will receive a call if this affects them. ● Learning arrangements for K-6 learners for the week of January 4-8, 2021 will be finalized and announced next week.

Learning packages are being prepared for students to take home before the Christmas break. Depending on the age of the students, real-time learning opportunities will also be offered. ● As previously announced, collection of fees has been postponed and will be reviewed in February 2021. Postponement of fee collection does not apply to hot lunch, milk, CTS project, or bussing fees. ● The Division reached out to all of the internet service providers in the area

and shared information from MCSnet and Telus relating to support for wi-fi needs while Grade 7-12 students are learning from home. ● All COVID-19 updates can be viewed on the Division website. ● A big thank you goes out to the entire school community, health professionals and others for all the hard work during these difficult times. The school division will continue to fully follow all guidance as provided by the medical profession and the World Health Organization until the pandemic ends.

Ward Bylaw: Trustees passed motions of approval for second and third readings of Bylaw No. 1/20. A draft of the bylaw was previously circulated to the public. The purpose of Bylaw No. 1/20 is to revise ward boundaries to decrease the number of trustees to six and allow more flexibility in the town of St. Paul by removing the line dividing the town into St.Paul South and St. Paul North.

The Glen Avon Ward will continue to exist separately and is unchanged. This bylaw will be in effect for the October 2021 election. Nomination papers will be available on the website after January 4, 2021 and nominations will remain open until September 20, 2021.

Cafeteria Leases: Trustees passed a motion of approval to waive the December cafeteria rental fees for St. Paul Abilities Network (SPAN) at both Regional High School and Racette. SPAN initiated the request in light of a number of factors that have hindered sales since school resumed on September 8, 2020.

SPAN provides cafeteria services in both of these schools.

Board Policy 1-Division Foundational Statements and Policy 8-Board Committees: Trustees passed a motion approving revisions to Policy 1-Division Foundational Statements and Policy 8Board Committees as presented by Trustee Cook. All board policies including the revised policies can be viewed on the Division website.

Superintendent’s Report ● Given the current arrangements with Grade 7-12 students, early Christmas activities were held in Division schools before the students moved to at-home learning. Elementary schools are organizing Christmas concerts that will be shared virtually. ● Several schools are participating in service projects such as Santa’s Anonymous, a Christmas card project, donations for food hampers, and Santa Elves. ● THMS has moved to Scenario 3 with approval from Alberta Education. ● In partnership with the Two Hills Wellness Committee, the Together We’re Better mental health project will be sponsoring a virtual memorial ceremony. ● Division representatives participated in a Grateful Advocates for Catholic Education (GRACE) meeting on December 8, 2020. ● The Division annually submits nominees for the Alberta School Boards Association Honouring Spirit Indigenous Spirit Awards. Nomination information has been shared with all schools. Nominations close on February 1, 2021.

Financial Report

● St. Paul Education has submitted a report in relation to federal COVID-19 return to school funding. The Division is to receive $1.08 million dollars and estimates additional costs for the year to total about $1.3 million. Costs include PPE, cleaning, equipment, additional staff, etc. ● The auditors presented to the board on November 25, 2020. The statements are posted on the Division website and show a deficit of $508,913. Costs for 2019/20 were slightly less than projected due to savings from students learning at home in the spring of 2020.

Insurance costs continue to be a concern. The biggest factor potentially affecting the Division in the future is related to enrollment. Enrollment for 2020-21 seems to have stabilized.

Reports Alberta School Boards Association Fall General Meeting (virtual): During the Business Session, members voted on and passed several resolutions.

Alberta Catholic School Trustees’ Association Fall General Meeting (virtual): Trustee Anderson reported on various PD opportunities, speakers, and approved the annual ACSTA budget.

Learning Network: Trustee Young reported on changes to the Learning Network. This consortium provides professional learning opportunities for school staff. The Learning Network was originally created as a society, however, it is in the process of being transitioned to governance by the Council of Alberta School Superintend-

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ents.

Correspondence ● Alberta School Councils Association (ASCA) Funding Adjustment: The ASCA recently learned their funding has been reduced by 75%. ASCA provides support, training and resources to school councils and promotes parent involvement in education. This reduction will significantly impact administration and service delivery and may result in an increase to the ASCA fees that the Division pays annually. ● Program Unit Funding (PUF) Concerns: Trustees indicated support for a letter initiated by Livingstone Range School Division requesting that the ministry consider the 2020/21 school year as a ‘hold harmless’ year for Early Childhood Services Program Unit Funding. With the recent changes to this funding, there are 47% fewer children in PUF programming in the Division this year. It is still not known what the longer term effects of this funding change might be. ● Alberta Risk Management Insurance Consortium Division (ARMIC) Risk Management: ARMIC recently released a list of prohibited activities for schools, including hiking, biking, skiing or camping in a remote location outside of Alberta or overnight backcountry trips within Alberta, hay and sleigh rides, and tobogganing or tubing. The Division is insured through this insurance consortium.

4313 48 Ave. St. Paul, AB Phone: 780-645-3323 Fax: 780-645-5789 Email: st_paul@sperd.ca

St Paul Education

May the Spirit of the Holidays be in your hearts with your family & friends

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Meet Dave Albrecht

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About the FCSS

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I was born in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan and our family moved to Two Hills County when I was in grade 3, so I basically grew up here. I graduated High School in the late 70's and went on to NAIT to study Engineering Design and Drafting Technology. From there I worked in various related jobs and moved around a lot. A few years in Edmonton, then Vancouver, Toronto, Hamilton, Edmonton again and finally landed in Calgary. During those travels my experiences broadened to include work in the not-for-profit sector:

The Two Hills FCSS (Family Community Support Services) provides preventative social programs that help people improve their quality of life and enhance their capacity to deal with crisis situations should they arise. Focus is on:

• Agency Relations (Allocations) Associate – United Way of Burlington, Hamilton-Wentworth • Assistant Executive Director – Edmonton Gleaners Association (Edmonton's Food Bank) • Teen Advisor, Program Coordinator – St. Paul & District Boys & Girls Club • Volunteer Instructor – The Alberta Board Development Program, and • Board Member and volunteer for various grass roots organization advocating human rights

• Improving people’s ability to identify and act on their own needs

I am currently working for a mechanical contractor specializing in municipal infrastructure (water and waste water management) out of High River, Alberta.

In 2016 I semi-retired and my partner and I moved back to Two Hills. My mother, Ethel Albrecht, who was on the Board for the Two Hills FCSS got me interested in the organization. I joined the Board in 2019 when my mother stepped down.

I was elected Chairperson this last month after Carrie's term ended. Now I have to try to fill the shoes of two great ladies ... not an easy task! This last year has been full of many challenges for both the FCSS as well as our community as a whole. I am very proud of how the Board of Directors, volunteers and staff have stepped up to meet those challenges, and I like to feel that we have made a difference in people's lives in our community. Because at the end of the day that is what is important: Family, Friends and Community. I look forward to working with the volunteers and staff in navigating through the challenging times that are ahead of us.

• Encouraging the adoption of healthy lifestyles • Strengthening and stabilizing family and community life

• Helping to avoid family or community social breakdown • Encouraging cooperation and coordination among community groups and service agencies Located in Northeastern Alberta, Two Hills FCSS (Family Community Support Services) is a partnership between the Province of Alberta and the Town of Two Hills, County of Two Hills and the Village of Myrnam. FCSS is funded as a partnership with the Province of Alberta (80%) and the municipal governments of Two Hills (20%). The Two Hills FCSS is one of several hundred FCSS programs, each unique and serving their communities’ needs.

Municipalities, through board members appointed on their behalf, determine where the need for programming and services lie. Programs and services can be targeted to individuals of any age, to families, or to entire communities. We also provide information and referral services and support to volunteer work in the community.

Contact us to Advertise or to let us know what is going on in your community. We love to cover what matters to you. Email us at news@twohillschronicle.com

Count your blessings, sing your Christmas carols, open your gifts, and make a wish under the Christmas tree.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Two Hills FCSS.

4712-50th St Two Hills

780-657-3540

www.twohillsfcss.com

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U of A’s Chris Herd joins NASA Team Two Hills Regional Chronicle

niversity of Alberta professor Chris Herd is playing a vital role in the latest NASA Mars mission — the first venture to collect samples from the red planet for a potential return to Earth.

Herd is a professor in the department of earth and atmospheric sciences, while also fulfilling the role of a NASA returned sample scientist on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover mission. He will be involved with the collection and caching of Martian rock core and dust samples, and their analysis once they are sent back to Earth.

Herd’s passion for geology began at a young age, and was heavily influenced by his father. “My father’s a retired geologist who was the curator of the National Collection of Rocks, Minerals and Meteorites in Ottawa, so I grew up around rocks,” Herd explained. “On family driving trips we would have the roadside geology of this or that state, if we were in the states. My father… he just has this excitement with anything to do with space and rocks and meteorites, and we feed off each other when we talk about it.”

Herd’s mother also played a part in his journey towards becoming a scientist, by drawing his attention towards Mars. “I’d been fascinated by Mars since I was about 12 or 13 by reading science-fiction books my mom helped me find because she’s a retired librarian,” Herd described. “At that point I said I really want to

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study rocks that come back from Mars.”

Herd described himself as being fortunate to have the support allowing him to reach his goals. However, the path to becoming a sample scientist for NASA had a few challenges along the way. “Some of the biggest challenges, of course, have been doing things like finishing a PhD,” Herd admitted “Those last few months of that PhD — wow that was hard.. Not knowing where I was going to go next [after my PhD], at the same time as I was trying to finish [it].” Though faced with challenges, Herd relied on the support of his PhD supervisor to help him accomplish his goals and grow as a scientist. “My PhD supervisor…

Jim Papike at the University of New Mexico, he was phenomenal,” Herd described. “He gave me just enough freedom to sort of screw up — to then learn from those mistakes and be successful. That’s someone you can really look up to.” When reflecting on his career, Herd described many of the opportunities besides NASA that were beyond his wildest dreams. This includes working with the Royal Ontario Museum to buy the Tagish Lake meteorite, which Herd described as having unique properties. “The Tagish Lake meteorite — it’s completely unique and special and has to be kept frozen and everything to curate it,” Herd excitedly explained. “If you had told me when I was in grad school, that I would be involved in something like that, I’d have thought you were crazy! That’s nuts — why would you let me touch something like that?”

Moving forward, Herd identified his current career goal to be Mars, the red planet.

“Mars is the goal,” Herd emphasized. “For me, it always has been. I definitely want to be involved in looking at those samples, especially the ones that I helped collect with the rover.”

“You know I’m going to have my favourites, right.” Herd joked. “There will be two or three [samples] in particular, or maybe just one… that I definitely want to study.”

When looking at the future of space exploration, Herd emphasized the importance sample collection has in the process.

“This is the era — the space-age started with sending probes out into the solar system, but also sending humans to the moon and those humans brought samples back, “ Herd explained. “Sample return has always been in parallel with exploration. It’s all about the samples, and what we can do with the samples that come back from these places in the solar system in the future.

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Two Hills Regional Chronicle

2020 Alberta 4-H Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

-H Alberta is pleased to announce that Andy Pittman and Stacy Price will be inducted into the 2020 Alberta 4-H Hall of Fame.

The Alberta 4-H Hall of Fame honours Albertans who have made exceptional contributions to the 4-H program in this province as a volunteer through outstanding leadership and have significantly impacted 4-H youth and our leaders. Both individuals have been selected to join other Albertans who have been honoured since the Hall of Fame was initiated in 1971 by Premier Lougheed.

Andy Pittman has been involved at all levels of 4-H from club leader to president, 4-H Provincial Council to today, serving as a director on the Interim 4-H Alberta Board. More importantly, Andy was a member of a group of individuals tasked with moving 4-H Alberta forward, meeting with club leaders and members across the province, explaining the important proposed future of 4-H Alberta.

Andy was also the founding chair of the 4-H Alberta Sheep Show. Andy puts the members’ interests first, and 4-H Alberta is successful today because of Andy’s many contributions.

Stacy Price has positively influenced Alberta’s 4-H program and has been involved at every level of 4-H. Stacy is a dedicated volunteer who has served in

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many capacities from club leader to serving on the executive on the Calgary Stampede 4-H Parade Committee for 23 years, to District Executive and president of the 4H Alberta Provincial Council. She was instrumental in creating and implementing the provincial 4-H Sheep show and serving on the committee. Stacy is a very dedicated volunteer and always goes the extra mile, making her an excellent inductee into the 2020 Alberta 4-H Hall of Fame.

“The Interim Board of Directors, 4-H Alberta are pleased to acknowledge these candidates and their contributions,” said Lyanne Almberg, chair. “Their long-time commitment to our organization, continued passion to progressively move the organization forward, and dedication to the 4-H community makes them the perfect inductees into the Alberta 4-H Hall of Fame.”

Inductees demonstrate outstanding leadership in promoting the 4-H motto of “Learn to Do by Doing” and live the 4-H pledge of service and commitment to club, community, and country through all organization levels.

An awards ceremony will take place in 2021, pending COVID-19 restrictions.

If you have any stories or events you would like covered, email us at news@twohillschronicle.com. We care about what matters to our community.

To a joyful present and a wellremembered past. Best wishes for Happy Holidays and a magnificent New Year from the Mayor, Council and Staff at the Town of St. Paul.

5101 - 50 St, St Paul

(780) 645-4481 www.town.stpaul.ab.ca

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

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Alberta hog market update

AgriProfit$ crops and forages benchmarks

‘

Cost and returns benchmarks provide valuable management information for producers,’ explains Manglai, crops economist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.

‘These averages are calculated from the individual producer’s data collected for the growing season through the AgriProfit$ program. This helps producers compare their unit costs to real average crop production costs.’

Manglai says this process enables producers to measure and manage specific areas of their operation with a focus on improved profitability. ‘Managing unit costs of production is one of the most significant strategies producers can employ to ensure profitability and longevity of their business.’

The cost and returns benchmarks for crops and forages are analysed by crop and soil zone. Soil zones include black,

brown, dark brown, grey, Peace, irrigated regions and dryland regions.

For each crop and soil zone combination, benchmarks list average costs and returns for the region plus an average of the top performers.

‘The total versus top performers’ comparison is designed to highlight the profit and risk associated with the pursuit of cost reduction, operational improvement or focused management strategies. Benchmarks also contrast costs and returns on owned versus rented land, indicating potential profit opportunities.’

Find historical crop and forage benchmarks.

The AgriProfit$ program offers customized business analysis to help Alberta producers maximize profits and lower costs for their farms at no charge.

Two Hills Regional Waste Management • • • • •

TRANSFER SITES Derwent Myrnam Two Hills Hairy Hill Willingdon

Landfill Hours Tuesday to Friday 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m.

Transfer Site Hours Saturday 9:00a.m. to 3:00p.m.

Closed Sundays & Public Holidays

May joy, hope and happiness be yours this Christmas season. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from All of Us at Two Hills Regional Waste Management.

Please note our Holiday Hours: Two Hills Landfill will be closed Christmas, Boxing day and New years day.

And All transfer Sites except the Two Hills Transfer sites will be open on Boxing Day.

CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION

780-657-3524

W

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ood says hog markets strengthened from July to October but started to decline during November.

'Hog markets were expected to improve above current levels given forecasted global pork demand,' says Wood.

Between July and mid-October, the Alberta Index 100 hog price increased 69%. Producer margins followed, increasing above breakeven. Since midOctober, the Index 100 price has declined 13.6%, with estimated hog producer margins moving below breakeven.

'Seasonally, hog prices tend to move lower in November so the current decline is not out of line. However, the effect of COVID-19 has produced a number of counter-seasonal movements in hog prices this year, the most recent being the rise in prices during the July to mid-October period. Historically, prices move seasonally lower at that time.'

Woods says after peaking in mid-October, prices began to soften in response to demand concerns regarding the reemergence of COVID-19 lockdowns and export market access.

He adds congestion has been increasing in a number of Chinese ports due to stringent inspection and disinfection requirements on imported frozen products. 'Recently, the Chinese government stated that imported goods are going to face increased testing due to worsening pandemic conditions in overseas countries. The Chinese National Health

Commission states the risk of importing COVID-19 is growing and that the virus could be transported in or on packaging or products.'

Woods notes the turnaround time for refrigerated containers is increasing as a result of the inspection and testing requirements in China.

'This is affecting global supply chains and issues moving products within the cold chain are expected to grow as we move closer to Chinese New Year in February, especially for those trying to export to China.'

Tighter container supply is one issue but recently, Vietnam has also ordered relevant agencies to start testing for COVID-19 on imported goods from countries and territories that have reported outbreaks.

'The likely outcome of these additional testing measures for frozen imported goods,' says Wood, 'include increased costs back to the shipper and market access issues given import clearance delays.'

On the first Christmas eve, Jesus was born He is the reason for the season Celebrating His love for us No matter what the cost was Have a blessed Christmas and bountiful New Year!

780-210-2113

www.loewenfinewoodworking.ca

Women of the 21st Century Two Hills Regional Chronicle

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he Two Hills Region is blessed to have many women that make the 21st Century in general, and the Town and County in particular, a much richer place thanks to their dedication and commitment to adding value to the lives of those around them. In addition to being wives and mothers, they serve as a lighthouse to enrich our hearts and our minds. In this and forthcoming editions, we will reflect on their achievements and leadership roles that each one plays in our community. We recognise with a deep sense of pride, the role models they portray for our succeeding generations.

Thank you. (Sonny Rajoo)

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Dianne Saskiw, Division 3 Councillor, County of Two Hills ple, Two Hills Rural Crime Watch and currently the Two Hills Improvement Committee. I always felt that if you belonged to a group you should volunteer to help make the organization a success. There is satisfaction in seeing people all work together to achieve a successful outcome; be it a 4-H Achievement Day, a bake sale, a perogy supper or a New Year’s Eve Dance. It’s great to see people enjoying themselves and partaking in community events. The success of a community is what people put into it. Volunteer where you can – most worthwhile.

Through the years, I worked at the Celanese Chemical Plant at Duvernay and then the Two Hills District Agriculturist & Home Economist office. After that I worked with the RCMP in Two Hills and finally fully retired last year after 41 years of service. I like to think that I helped people navigate through the police and legal world whenever I could. During this time, I helped organize 2 Musical Ride Events, the March West re-enactment and the annual Two Hills Regimental Dinner (the longest running Regimental Din-

ner in Canada).

When the opportunity arose to throw my hat in for Councillor in the County, I thought hey let’s give it a try. Politics have been in our family for some time and I know it’s one voice raising concerns for many.

I am on several committees and it’s been challenging plus a steep learning curve. I am thankful to the CAO’s, staff, fellow Councillors and ratepayers who have shared their experience and expertise on many matters. I like to think that we are making a difference in people’s lives. Not always popular decisions but we have to decide what is fair and best overall. Times are changing and we must be able to adapt and move forward as necessary. It is an honour to be the first female Councillor with the County, advocating on behalf of my ratepayers, and to be part of such a great organization.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and Happy Holiday Season and all the best in 2021!

udy Rudkowsky is currently residing in Willingdon.

After spending thirty-three years of teaching in a classroom, raising three children and being blessed with five amazing grandchildren, Judy can hardly define herself as slowing down or being retired.

Careers and Community Service: Having gained vast experience in the teaching fraternity in Edmonton, Montreal, Willingdon and Two Hills, Judy chooses to be an active member of the Teacher Professional Association, focusing on professional development initiatives and activities. She has served as the Program Manager of the Two Hills and Area Victims Services. Judy has dedicated fourteen years to this program. Over and above, Judy has been the Provincial Association Representative to the Alberta Elder Abuse Network for four years, and has served the Alberta East Central Health Board for four years as a member.

Volunteering: Judy tirelessly chooses to volunteer and invest her time, wisdom and guidance to the Two Hills and Area Victim Services as a Victim Advocate, Two Hills Adult Learning and Community Futures Elk Island (Business Development) as a board member, Borowich Ukrainian Orthodox Church as the treasurer, and, if that is not enough, she shares her talents and skills in the community children and youth activities, namely Ukranian dancing, figure skating, hockey and 4-H, for the Willingdon Senior Citizens’ Association.

Surely Willingdon has its very own Superwoman! Well done Judy Rudkowsky! We salute you in your labour of love!

Elaine Sorochan is married to a local farmer, Emil and is the mother of Curtis, Lance and Christie.Both Elaine’s sons reside in the local area, together with their wives and children.

Elaine achieved Bachelor of Education Degree from the University of Alberta .She, followed that with completing a short course for New School Administration and undertook St Paul Education School Division Leadership Courses. After thirty-seven years of being in the teaching fraternity, Elaine retired from the schoolbased education sector.

Past Experiences: Elaine kept extremely busy. She served as The Mayor

of Two Hills for three years, a councillor for nine years and was Vice-Chairperson on the Executive Board of the Northern Library System. She was also a Board Member of the Eagles Hill Foundation and Alice Melnyk Public Library, and also the Town Representative for the County of Two Hills Regional Waste Management.

Provincial Appointments: To top this busy schedule, Elaine has served in a provincial capacity as a member in Yellowhead East Alberta Health Advisory Council (Area 8), Alberta Government Assessment Review Board and the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association - Women in Municipal Government.

Volunteer Work: Elaine’s free time includes volunteering for the Two Hills Minor Hockey Club, the Two Hills Figure Skating Club, the Two Hills Ukrainian Dancers Club, the Two Hills Minor Baseball League, the Two Hills Lion’s Club, the Two Hills High School Parent Council, as well as the Canvassing for United Aid. Projects completed or in progress: Elaine worked with the Alberta Government Ministry

of Transportation, Oil Sands Development Group, and the Oil Sands Secretariat to get a commitment to cover two-thirds of the cost to replace the infrastructure under Highway 36. She was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 having been selected by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Apart from developing the 3 Year SB-90 Dust Control Program for the roads, Elaine has played a pivotal role in the building of the new Water Reservoir and the installation the ACE Water System in Two Hills.

Elaine is presently working together with the County of Two Hills to construct the new Two Hills Community Centre and is attempting to get the Two Hills Curling Rink replaced. She has already received a Provincial grant to have the Two Hills Centennial Arena renovated.

We salute you and cheer you on, Elaine Sorochan.

May God bless you in your selfless endeavors to advance the lives of the community you serve so tirelessly.

elcome back Two Hills Regional Chronicle! And thank you for the opportunity to be part of your first edition.

I have lived most of my life in the Two Hills area and Ronnie and I just celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary. We have 3 married children and 4 awesome grandkids. We are so fortunate that everyone lives close by and we are able to be a part of their daily lives. As our kids were growing up, I was on the executive of Parent Councils, the Myrnam and Two Hills Ukrainian Dancing Clubs and various 4-H Clubs. I was also part of the Two Hills Royal Pur-

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Judy Rudkowsky, Tireless Volunteer

Elaine Sorochan, Councillor Town of Two Hills

If you have and stories that interest you, contact us today at news@twohillschronicle.com. We love to tell the stories that matter most to our community.

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2020 Rememberance Day Ceremonies Two Hills Regional Chronicle

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very November, we get the opportunity to pay our respects to those heroic men and women who risked their lives to secure the freedoms we enjoy.

This year, in addition, we would like to recognize Harry Rajoo. A brave young man who left his home in Port Shepstone in South Africa to enlist in the army in 1941.

Not long after, he was captured

by German soldiers and spent the

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next years in prisoner of war camps. Being an avid linguist, he was able to gain favour with his captors, and while in a prison camp in France, he was able to gain the help of a French woman.

In 1944, he joined the Canadian Armed Forces as an interpretter.

After a few months he was transferred to London.

In 1945, Harry returned to his home town in South Africa with tales of his adventures abroad.

His story is but one of thousands of tales of bravery of those heroes.

There are many who were not fortunate enough to return home.

We would like to thank our brave men and women who risk their lives everyday to ensure our safety and freedoms. For your courageous sacrifice we take this moment to offer a humble thank you for your service.

The lives we live today and liberties we enjoy are the result of your dedication and sacrifice.

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Two Hills Regional Chronicle

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This holiday season, we at Two Hills Foods pause and take advantage of the season to express our gratitude and appreciation to you for doing business with us. Wishing you a year full of happiness and success.

Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year from all of us at Two Hills Foods.

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Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Ethyl Albrecht: Beloved Volunteer Celebrates 90th Birthday

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t’s hard not to smile when Ethyl Albrecht comes to mind. With her decades spent in the community volunteering for numerous organizations, she has been an inspiration and pillar in the community.

Ethel Albrecht celebrated her 90th birthday on Dec 9th, 2020. We held a Birthday Parade on Dec 12, 2020. Over 25 vehicles participated with approximately 40 to 50 participants. Vehicles were decked out with balloons and banners.

We would like to thank Ethyl for her dedication to the community and all she has done and continued to do to make Two Hills such a wonderful town. Her warm smile and caring demeanor has made her a treasure to everyone who knows her.

(Above): Farewell party at Beaver Lumber in Ontario as bookkeeper to get married. 1953

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Pictures and Information Submitted by Dave Albrecht

(Above) Ethyl at her 50th wedding anniversary.

(Left) After 60 years of marriage you actually start to look alike!

(Left Above): Mom shares her birthday with her daughter, both born on December 9th.

(Left): Two Hills Curling Bonspiel. Ethyl’s team took first prize.

(Above): Dressed up for the Parade.

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

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Why is Christmas Day on the 25th December?

hristmas is celebrated to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God. The name 'Christmas' comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). A Mass service (which is sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) is where Christians remember that Jesus died for us and then came back to life. The 'Christ-Mass' service was the only one that was allowed to take place after sunset (and before sunrise the next day), so people had it at Midnight!

So we get the name Christ-Mass, shortened to Christmas.

Christmas is now celebrated by people around the world, whether they are Christians or not. It's a time when family and friends come together and remember the good things they have. People, and especially children, also like Christmas as it's a time when you give and receive presents!

The Date of Christmas No one knows the real birthday of Jesus! No date is given in the Bible, so why do we celebrate it on the 25th December? The early Christians certainly had many arguments as to when it should be celebrated!

Also, the birth of Jesus probably didn't happen in the year 1 but slightly earlier, somewhere between 2 BCE/BC and 7 BCE/BC, possibly in 4 BCE/BC (there isn't a 0 - the years go from 1 BC/BCE to 1!).

Calendar showing 25th December The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). But it was not an official Roman state festival at this time.

However, there are many different traditions and theories as to why Christmas is celebrated on December 25th.

A very early Christian tradition said that the day when Mary was told that she would have a very special baby, Jesus (called the Annunciation) was on March 25th - and it's still celebrated today on the 25th March. Nine months after the 25th March is the 25th December! March 25th was also the day some early Christians thought the world had been made, and also the day that Jesus died on when he was an adult. The date of March 25th was chosen because people had calculated that was the day on which Jesus died as an adult (Nisan 14 in the Jewish calendar) and they thought that Jesus was conceived and had died on the same day of the year.

The Winter Solstice is the day where there is the shortest time between the sun rising and the sun setting. It happens on December 21st or 22nd. To pagans this meant that the winter was over and spring was coming and they had a festival to celebrate it and worshipped the sun for winning over the darkness of winter. In Scandinavia, and some other parts of northern Europe, the Winter Solstice is known as Yule. In Eastern Europe the mid-winter festival is called Koleda.

The Roman Festival of Saturnalia took place between December 17th and 23rd and honoured the Roman god Saturn. The Romans also thought that the Solstice took place on December 25th. It's also thought that in 274 the Roman emperor Aurelian created 'Dies Natalis Solis Invicti' (meaning 'birthday of the unconquered sun') also called 'Sol Invictus' and it was held on December 25th.

Because of the dates, some people say that the Christians 'took over' December 25th from these Roman festivals. However, there are records going back to around 200 of early Christians connecting the Nisan 14 to the 25th March, and so 25th December was a 'Christian' festival date many years before 'Sol Invictus'! (More recent studies have also found that the 'Sol Invictus' connection didn't appear until the 12th century and it's from one scribbled note in the

margins of a manuscript. There's also evidence that 'Sol Invictus' might also have happened in October and not December anyway!)

Christmas had also been celebrated by the early Church on January 6th, when they also celebrated the Epiphany (which means the revelation that Jesus was God's son) and the Baptism of Jesus. (Like the December 25th date above, this was based on a calculation of Jesus's death/conception but from the 6th April not the 25th March.) Now Epiphany mainly celebrates the visit of the Wise Men to the baby Jesus, but back then it celebrated both things! Jesus's Baptism was originally seen as more important than his birth, as this was when he started his ministry.

The Jewish festival of Lights, Hanukkah starts on the eve of the Kislev 25 (the month in the Jewish calendar that occurs at about the same time as December). Hanukkah celebrates when the Jewish people were able to re-dedicate and worship in their Temple, in Jerusalem, again following many years of not being allowed to practice their religion.

Jesus was a Jew, so this could be another reason that helped the early Church choose December the 25th for the date of Christmas!

Most of the world uses the 'Gregorian Calendar' implemented by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Before that the 'Roman' or Julian Calendar was used (named after Julius Caesar). The Gregorian calendar is more accurate than the Roman calendar which had too many days in a year! When the switch was made 10 days were lost, so that the day that followed the 4th October 1582 was 15th October 1582. In the UK the change of calendars was made in 1752. The day after 2nd September 1752 was 14th September 1752.

Many Orthodox and Coptic Churches still use the Julian Calendar and so celebrate Christmas on the 7th January (which is when December 25th would have been on the Julian calendar). And the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates it on the 6th January! In some part of the UK, January 6th is still called 'Old Christmas' as this would have been the day that Christmas would have celebrated on, if the calendar hadn't been changed. Some people didn't want to use the new calendar as they thought it 'cheated' them out of 11 days!

Christians believe that Jesus is the light of the world, so the early Christians thought that this was the right time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. They also took over some of the customs from the Winter Solstice and gave them Christian meanings, like Holly, Mistletoe and even Christmas Carols!

St Augustine of Canterbury was the person who probably started the widespread celebration of Christmas in large parts of England by introducing Christianity to the regions run by the Anglo-Saxons in the 6th century (other Celtic parts of Britain were already Christian but there aren't many documents about if or how they celebrated the birth of Jesus). St Augustine of Canterbury was sent by Pope Gregory the Great in Rome and that church used the Roman Calendar, so western countries celebrate Christmas on the 25th December. Then people from Britain and Western Europe took Christmas on the 25th December all over

the world!

So when was Jesus Born?

There's a strong and practical reason why Jesus might not have been born in the winter, but in the spring or the autumn! It can get very cold in the winter and it's unlikely that the shepherds would have been keeping sheep out on the hills.

During the spring (in March or April) there's a Jewish festival called 'Passover'. This festival remembers when the Jews had escaped from slavery in Egypt about 1500 years before Jesus was born. Lots of lambs would have been needed during the Passover Festival, to be sacrificed in the Temple in Jerusalem.

Jews from all over the Roman Empire traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, so it would have been a good time for the Romans to take a census.

Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem for the census (Bethlehem is about six miles from Jerusalem).

In the autumn (in September or October) there's the Jewish festival of 'Sukkot' or 'The Feast of Tabernacles'. It's the festival that's mentioned the most times in the Bible! It is when Jewish people remember that they depended on God for all they had after they had escaped from Egypt and spent 40 years in the desert.

It also celebrates the end of the harvest. During the festival, Jews live outside in temporary shelters (the word 'tabernacle' come from a latin word meaning 'booth' or 'hut').

Many people who have studied the Bible, think that Sukkot would be a likely time for the birth of Jesus as it might fit with the description of there being 'no room in the inn'. It also would have been a good time to take the Roman Census as many Jews went to Jerusalem for the festival and they would have brought their own tents/shelters with them! (It wouldn't have been practical for Joseph and Mary to carry their own shelter as Mary was pregnant.)

The possibilities for the Star of Bethlehem seems to point either spring or autumn.

The possible dating of Jesus birth can also be taken from when Zechariah (who was married to Mary's cousin Elizabeth) was on duty in the Jewish Temple as a Priest and had an amazing experience. There is an excellent article on the dating of Christmas based on the dates of Zechariah's experience, on the blog of theologian, Ian Paul. With those dates, you get Jesus being born in September - which also fits with Sukkot!

The year that Jesus was born isn't known. The calendar system we have now was created in the 6th Century by a monk called Dionysius Exiguus. He was actually trying to create a better system for working out when Easter should be celebrated, based on a new calendar with the birth of Jesus being in the year 1.

However, he made a mistake in his maths and so got the possible year of Jesus's birth wrong!

Most scholars now think that Jesus was born between 2 BCE/BC and 7 BCE/BC, possibly in 4 BCE/BC. Before Dionysius's new calendars, years were normally dated from the reigns of Roman Emperors. The new calendar became more widely used from the 8th Century when the 'Venerable Bede of Northumbria' used it in his 'new' history book! There is no year '0'. Bede started dating things before the year 1 and used 1 BCE/BC as the first year before 1.

At that time in Europe, the number 0 didn't exist in maths - it only arrived in Europe in the 11th to 13th centuries!

As well as Christmas and the solstice, there are some other festivals that are held in late December.

Hanukkah is celebrated by Jews; and the festival of Kwanzaa is celebrated by some Africans and African Americans takes place from December 26th to January 1st.

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

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I

CHRISTMAS 2020

How different countries celebrate Christmas

t's almost Christmas, and according to some people, it's "the most wonderful time of the year."

But, why is that? Because we cover our trees with spider webs and go to church in roller blades? Or, maybe because we eat caterpillars and KFC? Wait, no? Well, that's what tradition calls for in some countries.

Here are Christmas celebrations that can't be found in the Canada:

England English Christmas traditions in England begin early in December, and are preceded by the very English complaining that the holiday starts earlier every year.

Advent calendars and candles count down the days to Christmas Eve, trees are dressed and houses decorated, and on the 24th, Father Christmas visits down chimneys to leave presents for children on the ‘Good’ list.

Children will leave out snacks for him and his reindeer – traditionally a mince pie and biscuit, washed down with beer and whisky. Church plays an important role, with Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, and a service on Christmas morning.

Dinner is the next priority, with turkey traditionally the centrepiece, next to the equally important roast potatoes, veg, gravy, stuffing and, most importantly, Yorkshire puddings. This is usually followed by the Queens Speech at 3pm, along with games, fun, and usually some snoozing!

Ireland Rather than milk and cookies for Santa, it's all about Christmas pudding made with Guinness or Irish Whiskey. This tradition also carries over to the UK. Thanks to the high alcohol content, it can lasts for months on end, even to next Christmas. And, getting a good buzz from sweets never killed anybody. I don't think...

Norway

Czech Republic

Brooms and similar cleaning items are all hidden away, and men fire their guns into the night on Christmas Eve in Norway. According to ancient belief, this is primetime for witches and evil spirits to emerge.

Here you thought "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was just a figment of Tim Burton's imagination.

You know how people hate being single on the holidays? Well, single Czech women are no different.

On Christmas Eve, it's tradition for Czech women to put their backs to the house door and throw a shoe over their shoulders.

If the shoe lands with the heel towards the door, then she might as well cancel her Tinder account and buy up some more cats. But, if the front of the shoe points to the door, then she kisses her parents goodbye and gets to planning a wedding that will trump Kim K's!

Ukraine The Ukrainians use fake spider webs to cover their trees.

Why? According to legend, a poor widower had no money to decorate the family's tree. Some friendly spiders were grief-stricken when they saw the widow and her crying children, so at night, when everyone was asleep, they decorated the tree with silver and gold.

After that, the poor family became prosperous, lucky and never had a financial woe, ever again. Thus, a spider web-covered tree signifies prosperity and wealth for the next year.

This Christmas, I'm covering my tree, my house, my dogs and my brother in Halloween's fake spider webs!

Armenia Some Armenians choose to fast the week before Christmas. Then, they break their fast with a light Christmas Eve meal called "khetum," which includes rice, fish, chickpeas, yogurt soup, dried nuts and grape jelly desserts.

So, if you want to avoid weight gain this holiday season, maybe consider heading to Armenia.

France The French have their own unique Christmas traditions; the main Christmas meal, Réveillon, is eaten on Christmas Eve, following the midnight Church service, and usually includes turkey stuffed with chestnuts, goose, oysters and foie grad.This is also when families will exchange gifts, though they may also be given on December 6th, the feast of St Nicholas, or January 6th for those who can wait that long; the Feast of the Kings, meaning that French Christmas’s keep the magic alive for a while!

Leading up to Christmas, children will write letters to Pére Noel, and it has been French law since 1962 that all letters must receive a postcard in reply!

Australia Christmas in Aussie land falls in the summer time.

So, it makes sense that they have BBQs and -- wait for it --- kangaroos in their Christmas traditions.

Yup, Santa swaps his reindeer for "six white boomers" or kangaroos or even rides over on a surfboard. Nice one, mate!

South Africa

Malta As Malta has a large Catholic population, the tradition of Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve is popular.

Churches will be filled with lights and nativity cribs (or Presepiu), and decorated with important figures.

Christmas night will be celebrated by placing a figure of Jesus on the main altar, to act as a central focus for the event, and this tradition continues with three Magi figures being placed in the crib at Epiphany.

Many enjoy the run up to Christmas by visiting local Presepiu, and carol singers can be found everywhere.

The Maltese will also enjoy a traditional Christmas lunch, famous for the sheer amount of food! Consisting of the largest capon, which has been roasted at the local bakery with vegetables and potatoes, followed by the Treacle Ring and washed down with a delicious hot Chestnut and Chocolate beverage, the dinner is a wonderful time to spend with family and indulge!

Because South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere, Christmas comes in the summer. So there's lots of sun and beautiful flowers in full bloom.

The schools are closed for the Christmas holidays and some people like to go camping. Going carol singing, on Christmas Eve, is very popular in towns and cities.

Carols by Candlelight services are also popular on Christmas Eve. And many people go to a Christmas morning Church Service.

Traditional 'fir' Christmas Trees are popular and children leave a stocking out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. The Christmas meal is either turkey, duck, roast beef, mince pies or suckling pig with yellow rice & raisins and vegetables, followed by Christmas Pudding or a traditional South African desert called Malva Pudding (sometimes also called Lekker Pudding) - get the recipe. People also like to pull Christmas Crackers! The meal is often eaten outside in the summer sun! If it's really hot they might even have a barbecue or 'braai'.

CHRISTMAS 2020

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

5 Ways to Prevent Foot and Ankle Injuries at Home

A

s the COVID-19 pandemic continues, foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons report a spike in injuries as many people resort to at-home exercises. Follow these tips to stay active and avoid foot and ankle pain while at home during this difficult time.

“The most common injuries we’re seeing are ankle fractures, sprains, and toe fractures,” said foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon, Sudheer C. Reddy, MD, from Shady Grove Orthopaedics in Maryland. “I typically recommend sticking to lowimpact strengthening exercises or cardiac programs such as running in place or doing jumping jacks.”

Raymond J. Walls, MD, a foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon from Yale Orthopaedics and Rehab in Connecticut, suggests patients participate in fitness classes over Zoom or other social media platforms with friends for motivation and safe social interaction.

Drs. Reddy and Walls encourage patients to stay active while at home, and offer these five tips to keep your feet and ankles injury free: • Stretch and warm up your body before exercise. Performing calf stretches will help maintain foot and ankle strength and flexibility.

Wear comfortable and supportive athletic shoes with adequate cushioning. Replace your shoes after 300-500 miles of running or 300 hours of exercise.

If you have not exercised in a while, slowly build the level of intensity so your body can adjust.

• Give yourself plenty of space to perform an at-home workout. Make sure furniture and other objects are out of the way so you do not trip over them.

Stop exercising immediately if you start to feel foot pain or discomfort. Do not try to force yourself to complete the workout.

If you do injure your foot or ankle, Drs. Reddy and Walls recommend applying ice to the area, consider taking anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin, and resting for a few days to allow the injury to heal. If you notice swelling, bumps, bruises, or discoloration around the injury, see a foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon for an examination and treatment.

Foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons are medical doctors (MD and DO) who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders and injuries of the foot and ankle. Their education and training consist of four years of medical school, five years of postgraduate residency, and a fellowship year of specialized surgical training. These specialists care for patients of all ages, performing reconstructive surgery for deformities and arthritis, treating sports injuries, and man-

Wishing you a joyous holiday season and a prosperous 2021.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Dianne Saskiw & Family - County of Two Hills Councillor Division 3

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aging foot and ankle trauma.

The American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) mobilizes our dynamic community of foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons to improve patient care through education, research, and advocacy. As the premier global organization for foot and ankle care, AOFAS delivers exceptional events and resources for continuous education, funds and promotes innovative research, and broadens patient understanding of foot and ankle conditions and treatments. By emphasizing collaboration and excellence, AOFAS inspires ever-increasing levels of professional performance leading to improved patient outcomes. For more information visit the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society online at aofas.org.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons report a spike in injuries as many people resort to at-home exercises.

Merry Christmas

Happy Holidays from everyone at

Scattered Spruce Salers. We hope your holidays will be filled with joy and laughter through the New Year.

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Getting to know the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association

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CHRISTMAS 2020

F

or over a hundred years the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) has worked with municipalities all across the province to help build and develop communities.

The Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) along with its wholly-owned subsidiary, the Alberta Municipal Services Corporation (AMSC), has a long and proud history of serving members, a history that was built upon a collaborative spirit and a keen insight into the workings of local government.

The AUMA advocates for urban Alberta municipalities to the provincial and federal orders of government and other stakeholder groups. Offering services such as insurance and risk services, energy programs, purchasing programs, investment services, employee benefits and retirement services.

Membership to the AUMA is divided into 3 categories: Regular: • voting members consisting of Alberta municipalities including cities, towns, villages, summer villages or specialized municipalities Associate: • any municipality, in or outside of Alberta, not eligible for regular membership; • any municipally-related non-profit organization or special purpose board or commission, authorities, foundations, commissions, and associations; • any organization wholly owned by one or more municipality(ies).

Affiliate: • any private company, organization or individual, in or outside of the Province of Alberta For more information on the Alberta Urban Municipal Association or further insight to how membership can benefit your community or business visit the AUMA website at: https://www.auma.ca.

Barry Morishita Mayor City of Brooks President, Chair (2019 - 2021)

Peter Demong Councillor City of Calgary Director, Cities over 500,000 (2019 - 2021)

Ward Sutherland Councillor City of Calgary Director, Cities over 500,000 (2018 - 2020)

Bill Given Cathy Heron Tyler Gandam Mayor Mayor Mayor City of Grande City of St. Albert City of Prairie Director, Cities up Wetaskiwin Director, Cities up to 500,000 Director, Cities up to 500,000 to 500,000 (2019-2021) (2019-2021) (2020-2022)

Tanya Thorn Councillor Town of Okotoks Director, Towns South (2020-2022)

Angela Duncan Deputy Mayor Village of Alberta Beach Director, Villages West (2020-2022)

Bruce McLeod Mayor Village of Acme Director, Villages South (2019-2021)

Andrew Knack Mohinder Banga Councillor Councillor City of Edmonton City of Edmonton Director, Cities Director, Cities over 500,000 over 500,000 (2019 - 2021) (2020 - 2022)

Janet Jabush Mayor Town of Mayerthorpe Director, Towns West (2020-2022)

Mike Pashak Jocelyne Lanovaz Mayor Councillor Summer Village Village of of Halfmoon BayMannville Director, Summer Director, Villages Villages East (2019-2021) (2020-2022)

cellence.

AUMA is a change agent Core Values

A

that enables municipalities to be a fully engaged order of government with the capacity to build thriving communities.

AUMA is the voice of towns, villages, summer urban municipalities and villages, and specialized provides visionary leadmunicipalities. ership, solutions-based advocacy, and service ex-

Mission

annual convention. The AUMA Board is comprised of representatives from Alberta’s cities,

(2019-2021)

UMA Vision, Mission, Core Values & Governance

Vision

UMA is led by a Board of Directors elected by member municipalities during each

Trina Jones Mayor Councillor Town of Legal Director, Towns East

EXCELLENCE Provide municipal expertise through timely, consistent and accurate services, continuous vement and innovation.

MEMBER FOCUS Offer resources and solutions tailored to needs of our members.

This page sponsored

by Barry Morishita, Mayor of Brooks.

President, Chair of AUMA. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year.

ACCOUNTABILITY Act with integrity and transparency.

COLLABORATION Establish networks and partnerships through which we engage and respond.

COMMUNICATION Inform, educate and listen to members and other stakeholders.

Women of the 21st Century

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Renewable Industries Canada welcomes the Government of Canada’s publication of Clean Fuel Standard draft regulations

CHRISTMAS 2020

R

enewable Industries Canada (RICanada), the country’s leading business coalition of producers of renewable fuels, products, and technology, welcomes the Government of Canada’s publication of draft regulations for the Clean Fuel Standard (CFS).

The draft regulations represent an important step forward in Canadian policy towards recognizing the full value of clean fuels like ethanol, biomass-based diesel, renewable natural gas, and green hydrogen in the fight against climate change.

"Greenfield has long been a believer of taking carbon out of the environment to build a greener economy," said Andrea Kent, Board Director and Past President of Renewable Industries Canada and VP Industry and Government Affairs, Greenfield Global Inc. "The proposed Clean Fuel Standard is an exciting next chapter in Canada's national environmental policy and will help ensure the liquid transportation fuels Canadians need have a reduced carbon footprint, all the way from production through to when used by consumers. As seen in other jurisdictions, a clean fuel standard can attract and incent businesses to invest in clean fuel technologies, support increased domestic production, and ensure that more affordable and cleaner fuels, like biofuels, are available to serve consumers and preserve the planet."

The CFS creates a requirement to reduce the carbon content of fuels used in Canada, which can be achieved by blending higher contents of biofuels.

We continue to be encouraged by jurisdictions seeking to use more low carbon fuel which is a huge step forward in the continued fight against climate change.

“Our biomass-based diesel delivers major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions – these reductions, and the compliance credits they generate, are is the most important product we sell.

Today’s announcement of a federal Clean Fuel Standard reinforces how industry contributes to fighting climate change,” said Scott Lewis, Executive Vice-President at World Energy. “California’s low carbon fuel standard proves that this kind of regulation will

not only achieve carbon reductions but will also stimulate the economy. We look forward to seeing the Government of Canada implement these measures.”

RICanada has worked closely with the Government of Canada since the initial announcement of the development of the CFS in 2016. In the past four years, RICanada has provided recommendations on issues such as the target and stringency for liquid fuels through to 2030; how credits are generated for low carbon fuels and how they can be traded; projections for biofuel use under the policy; land use and biodiversity criteria; and several other areas. We are pleased to see that these recommendations were accepted by the Government as it shows continued support for Canada’s growing biofuels industry. RICanada will continue to work with the Government to ensure that the CFS is beneficial for both our economy and the environment.

“The draft regulations published today show that the government has heard concerns from RICanada about how we buy corn and other raw materials from which biofuels are made. The Clean Fuel Standard is expected to increase ethanol production and use in Canada. At IGPC Ethanol, with our recently expanded facility, we are up to this challenge.” said Kevin Norton, CEO and COO, IGPC Ethanol Inc. Environment and Climate Change Canada has stated that biofuel blends under the CFS could reach 15 per cent ethanol and 11 per cent biomass-based diesel by 2030. Based on previous independent modelling, the CFS could have an ongoing economic impact of up to $14 billion/year and create approximately 8,000 jobs from the biofuels sector alone.

Founded in 1984, Renewable Industries Canada (RICanada) is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote the use of value-added products made from renewable resources. RICanada is the industry’s leading voice in raising consumer awareness and in providing input to governments with respect to policies, legislation and regulations affecting the interests of our over 30 member companies.

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Sally Dary, CAO County of Two Hills

I

am Sally Lutic Dary, I grew up in the Hairy Hill Willingdon area of Boian and attended Willingdon School. I was fortune enough to take part in a Work Experience Program through High School, firstly Zukiwsky’s Grocery Store and then the Willingdon Hospital as a Dietary Aid, which became a casual position on evenings and weekends.

At the age of 17, I graduated and attended College in Edmonton for one year. At that time jobs were more plentiful and had the opportunity to choose between two job opportunities.

In that event, I was hired by the County of Two Hills for a Secretarial position, at that time the School Division and Gas Utility also ran out of the County Office. I worked with the Gas

Utility for a short time, moving on to Secretary of the CAO and then Executive Assistant. Being intrigued by local government and wanting to excel further within our organization, I had then began the Local Government Certificate Program (NACLAA), through the University of Alberta, which was completed on evenings and weekends. Three years and twelve courses later, I received my National Advanced Certificate in Local Authority Administration Level I and II. Having completed all requirements of the Local Government Managers Regulation under the Professional and Occupational Associations Registration Act of Alberta and registered as a member of the Society of Local Government Managers of Alberta, I received the designation of Certified Local Government Manager (CLGM).

Having assumed the position of Assistant CAO for nearly three years, and the CAO position becoming vacant, I was offered the position of Interim CAO and then Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) in 2013.

I have been with the County of Two Hills for 35 plus years and have met and enjoyed working with Elected Officials, coworkers and citizens of the Community. Working with local government has its challenges, however, seeing the progress at the end of the day is most satisfying and brings you back for more.

Two Hills School Home of the Tigers 4806 51 Avenue, Two Hills Phone: 780-657-3383

May this season be full of light and laughter for you and your family.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us at Two Hills School.

4811 Diefenbaker Ave, Two Hills, AB T0B 4K0 Phone: (780) 657-2434

For you, at Christmas time: a wish for happiness, warmth, and love.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us at Two Hills Mennonite School.

Merry Christmas Fröhliche Weihnachten www.twohillsmennoniteschool.ca

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Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Health Canada proposes to lower the nicotine concentration limit in vaping products

The Government of Canada remains concerned by the rise in youth vaping and is acting to address it. After confirming its intentions to lower the nicotine concentration in vaping products, today the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, announced a public consultation on a proposal to better protect Canadians.

"Our work to protect Canadians from the harms of vaping products continues. These changes will help reduce the appeal of vaping products to youth."

The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health.

As part of efforts to reduce the appeal of vaping products, Health Canada is proposing to lower the nicotine concentration to a maximum of 20 mg/mL and prohibit the packaging and sale of a vaping prod-

uct if the nicotine concentration displayed on the package exceeds this new limit.

The current limit i s 66mg/mL. The 75day public consultation will be open for comment beginning tomorrow December 19, 2020 and will close on March 4, 2021.

Feedback from all Canadians will be considered in the development of the final Regulations.

The changes proposed today build on existing measures already taken by the Government of Canada to address the rise in youth vaping, including extensive public education campaigns and banning the advertising of vaping products in public spaces if the ads can be seen or heard by youth. Health Canada is also considering to further restrict flavours in vaping products, and require the vaping industry to provide information about their vaping products, including sales, ingredients, and research and development activities.

"The proposed regulations requiring a maximum nicotine concentration for vaping products of 20

CHRISTMAS 2020

mg/mL are essential to reduce youth vaping and deserve strong support."Rob Cunningham, Senior Policy Analyst, Canadian Cancer Society.

Vaping nicotine can affect teen brain development and lead to addiction.

Vaping has doubled among students when comparing the results of the 2018-19 Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CSTADS) to the previous 2016-17 survey.

Health Canada identified the introduction of high nicotine concentration vaping products to the Canadian market in 2018 as being a key factor that contributed to the rapid rise in youth vaping.

The proposed Regulations would be made under the authorities of the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act and include an amendment under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act. The proposed Regulations align with the 20 mg/mL limit in place in the European Union's 27 Member States, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Israel, Moldova, and Saudi Arabia. This option also aligns with the maximum nicotine concentration set for vaping products sold at retail stores in the provinces of British Columbia and Nova Scotia.

Health Canada has invested $13 million in national public education campaigns since December 2018.

The Department continues to invest in the Consider the Consequences youth vaping prevention outreach activities designed to inform youth and their parents about the risks and harms of vaping, and has created funding opportunities to engage partners and stakeholders in a collaborative response.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year from the Bezovie Family During this holiday season, we ask that everyone follow the COVID-19 Restrictions as announced on December 8th 2020 by the Alberta Government.

Ace Poultry Farms Inc. (780) 367-2142 Peace on Earth May glad tidi dings come your way to brighten your Holiiday Season Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for the New Year! from the fr County of St. Paul Council and Stafff County Offi fices will be clos o ed fr rom December 24 at noon to Jan a uary 1

To Learn More go to: https://www.alberta.ca/COVIDmeasures The Two Hills Medical Clinic would like to wish our patients and members of the community a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season.

Please take this virus seriously, so we can all have a Healthy Year in 2021.

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

SHALOM in a VUCA WORLD

CHRISTMAS 2020

D

o you feel it? I am certain we all do. That we live in a broken world.

Recently I watched a video in which the world in which we live was called a VUCA World. The initials V.U.C.A. mean “Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous.”

Over this past year we have been reminded just how broken our world is with the oronavirus pandemic.

Because of this invisible enemy our entire world has become volatile and explosive. Life at the best of times is uncertain but this pandemic has made all our lives even more precarious and unpredictable. Simple things such as shopping or visiting friends becomes more complex and the nagging questions, “Should we go or should we stay home? Is this too many people?

Do we need wear a mask?” causes us to see-saw back and forth in our decisions. Fear, anxiety, confusion and stress weigh our spirits down so that inwardly we feel like a washing machine on full cycle. We long for peace. Peace in a broken world. Peace in which conflict is absent and problems are manageable.

Peace in which a tranquil spirit and a sense well-being fills our hearts. Is such peace in a VUCA world even possible?

In ancient Israel, their priests were told how they were to bless the people. Say to them, “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give peace or shalom.” In Hebrew the word Shalom speaks of God’s peace, and in this benediction we discover how they thought of Shalom.

Shalom includes the LORD’s strength that keeps us strong, the LORD’s grace that gives us hope, and the LORD’s smile that gives us a sense of wholeness and well-being. Shalom is not peace without conflict, but it indicates that even in the midst of crisis, problems and brokenness we can experience this peace.

Peace in a VUCA world is the message of Christmas.

Scriptures introduce us to Jesus as the Prince of Peace.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. And he shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Ever-

lasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.” In a world that seems out of our control and filled with chaos we are pointed to the Prince of Peace upon whose shoulders the government of this world rests, and his reign as King is marked by shalom. Christmas tells us the good news that this Prince has come to earth as one of us to live among us in the midst of all the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of life in order to establish peace as Saviour of the world. Is it no wonder the same prophet says, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”

The darkest places in our world, and the darkest places within our souls are not too dark for Jesus.

At Jesus’s birth angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.” To find favour with Christ is to receive peace for which we give glory to God. This is what Jesus promised before he left this world: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” His peace is different from what the world gives because his peace enables us to live in a broken world without fear or troubled hearts.

Peace in a VUCA world is directly linked to Jesus for he is the ultimate Peace-Maker. He came to reconcile the world to God. In the well known carol, Hark! The Angels Sing we sing, “Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!” Jesus made peace with God on our behalf through his death on the cross.

Such peace is precious; it cost Jesus his life. Because he overcame death at his resurrection Jesus is able to give us the peace of God that passes all human understanding. It is that deep sense that is well with our soul no matter how volatile, uncertain and confusing our world is. It is a peace that one Scottish lady described in her own quaint way as: “It’s better felt that telt.” One can experience it easier than one can describe it. To all who are weary and weighed down with fears, worries, and burdens of the heart Jesus says, “Come to me and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and

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Pastor Warren Charlton of the Two Hills Fellowship Chapel. humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus’ love and care for us is such that we can experience his Shalom/Peace now, tonight, in a VUCA world. And even better is the hope of his kingdom in which Peace or Shalom, there will be no end.

Send us your stories. We love to hear from our readers.

Email us today at news@twohillschronicle.com.

Hanover Place Suite #1125, 101 6th Ave SW Calgary, Alberta T2P 3P4 Phone: 1-866-936-1805 Email: info@exploreinc.ca

Land Surveying • Water Crossing Inspection • Asset Integrity • Regulatory

May the holiday season end the present year on a cheerful note and make way for a fresh and bright New Year.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Alberta RCMP update on detachment services under new Public Health Order Restrictions

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ith the interest of the health and safety of all Albertans, and in compliance with a new public health order outlining stronger mandatory measures announced by the Government of Alberta, Alberta RCMP detachments have modified service delivery at front counters and will now be controlling access to public spaces within RCMP facilities effective December 13, 2020. The RCMP will continue to provide services for the duration of the latest public health order. Counters will remain open to the public with modifications and limitations to access in support of provincial guidelines.

There has been no change to the Alberta RCMP's response to critical and emergency matters. We remind the public to please continue to call 911 in these situations.

The decision to limit public access in non-urgent situations was made to ensure the health of the public and our employees so that we are able sustain essential services across Alberta. Public safety continues to be our top priority.

The Alberta RCMP thanks the public for their patience during these exceptional circumstances.

To reduce in-person contact with clients for non urgent matters and to ensure proper physical distancing rule are maintained, the following are now in effect as of December 13: Detachment lobbies will have limited occupancy at each location; Masks will be required in RCMP facil-

CHRISTMAS 2020

Alberta RCMP remove 48 impaired drivers from the roads during National Impaired Driving Enforcement Day

O

ities; The RCMP will not turn away anyone that attends, but there may be a longer wait time for non urgent in-person services; If occupancy is at capacity, an individual may be asked to wait in their vehicle or outside until there is sufficient space to accommodate within the facility.

The public is encouraged to make appointments for any service ahead of time when possible, and are reminded that many crimes can be reported online.

Criminal Record Checks and Vulnerable Sector Fingerprint service will be limited to essential needs only and will have to be scheduled by appointment please make inquires ahead of time. As an option, Albertans can access a Criminal Record Check online (www.edmontonpolice.ca/pics). If there is a requirement for follow up fingerprinting that will have to be arranged through the local detachment.

A full list of public health orders, and additional information about COVID19, can be found on the Government of Alberta website at www.alberta.ca/COVID19.

n Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020, Alb e r t a RCMP removed 48 impaired drivers from our provincial roadways during National Imp a i r e d Driving Enforcement Day. In participation of the Canada-wide initiative, and in an effort to promote safe, sober driving, members patrolled the highways targeting motorists under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Of the 48 impaired motorists, 26 drivers received Immediate Roadside Sanction (IRS) FAILs, 10 received IRS WARNs, and one refused to provide a roadside sample. As well, seven drivers holding GDL licences were issued suspensions and vehicle seizures due to having blood alcohol concentrations greater than zero; four of these individuals received suspensions for drug impairment.

National Impaired Driving Enforcement Day notable events:

paired driving charges as he was travelling with a six-year-old boy.

• Airdrie, AB – A 28-year-old female not only received provincial sanctions, but also Criminal Code charges as she was driving impaired with three passengers five-years-old and younger.

• Canmore, AB – A file involving a 42year-old male commercial vehicle driver also proceeded with Criminal Code charges as he was travelling with his 7-year-old daughter at the time.

Thanks to the efforts of Alberta RCMP this past weekend, our highways and city streets were safer for all road users.

• Sundre, AB – In addition to immediate provincial sanctions, a 38-year-old male also received Criminal Code im-

Praying you have a wonderful Christmas filled with moments you’ll always remember. Seasons Greetings from all of us at

Green Hills Building Supplies.

(780) 657-1026

www.greenhillsghc.ca

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Qu Biologics Receives Funding for COVID-19 Prevention/Treatment Research with Qu’s Novel Immunotherapy Platform

CHRISTMAS 2020

Q

u Biologics Inc., a private clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing Site Specific Immunomodulators (SSIs), a novel platform of immunotherapies designed to restore innate immune function, is pleased to announce it is receiving advisory services and research and development funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) to quickly move forward the potential application of Qu’s lung-directed SSI, QBKPN, to prevent and treat infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19. Unlike traditional vaccines that direct the host adaptive immune response to a very specific antigen, Qu’s immunotherapy platform engages and trains the innate arm of the immune system that is responsible for providing the body’s first line of defense. Optimal innate immune defenses can efficiently contain and clear infection before it spreads and plays an essential role in also directing the adaptive immune response against new infections. By training the innate immune system to protect the lungs, QBKPN is designed to protect the lungs not only against COVID19, but also against a wide range of other bacterial and viral respiratory infections, like influenza. Importantly, since QBKPN activates innate immunity, the immune protection it provides would not lose efficacy if SARS-CoV-2 mutates, which is a risk with traditional vaccines that rely on antigen specificity.

Previously, Qu and collaborating scientists from Dartmouth College and McMaster University demonstrated that QBKPN significantly reduces lung pathogen burden in a range of respiratory infections, both viral and bacterial in nature. Of note, QBKPN treatment was shown to prevent mortality from respiratory infections in aged animals, which typically have reduced innate immune competency. The new support from NRC IRAP is designed to assess

QBKPN’s efficacy in reducing the severity of SARSCoV-2 infection in animal models. This work will be conducted in collaboration with the NRC’s Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre.

Dr. Hal Gunn, CEO of Qu Biologics, stated, “QBKPN has already been tested clinically in a Phase 1/2 clinical study and has had a very good safety profile to date. If the planned studies confirm the application of QBKPN to protect against serious COVID-19 and viral respiratory infections, this support from NRC IRAP will significantly help expedite the clinical development and deployment of QBKPN for this significant unmet need for broad innate immune protection of the lungs – particularly in vuln e r a b l e populations such as the elderly and those with comorbid conditions who lack innate immune r e s i l i e n c y. ” Immunologist Dr. Shirin Kalyan, Qu’s Vice President of Scientific Innovation, said, “We have shown that QBKPN treatment can improve immune

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dysfunction that is present in the context of aging, asthma, COPD, and lung cancer. These same conditions increase the risk of serious COVID-19 infection.

We anticipate QBKPN will help address the underlying vulnerability in innate immune competency in people who are at high risk of serious COVID-19 infection; thus reducing their risk of serious respiratory infections beyond COVID-19.”

May joy, hope and happiness be yours this Christmas season. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Two Hills IDA 5019 51 St, Two Hills

(780) 657 - 3530

Page 32

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

The Christmas Story

CHRISTMAS 2020

Long ago, about 2000 years, when King Herod ruled Judea (now part of Israel), God sent the angel Gabriel to a young woman who lived in the northern town of Nazareth. The girl's name was Mary and she was engaged to marry Joseph. The angel Gabriel said to Mary: 'Peace be with you! God has blessed you and is pleased with you.' Mary was very surprised by this and wondered what the angel meant. The angel said to her 'Don't be afraid, God has been very kind to you. You will become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and give birth to a baby boy and you will call him Jesus. He will be God's own Son and his kingdom will never end.' Mary was very afraid but she trusted God. 'Let it happen as God chooses.' She replied to the angel.

Gabriel also told Mary that her cousin, Elizabeth who everyone thought was too old to have children, would have a baby boy whom God had chosen to prepare the way for Jesus.

Mary said goodbye to her family and friends and went to visit her cousin Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah. Elizabeth was very happy to see Mary. She knew that Mary had been chosen by God to be the mother of his Son. An angel had already told Zechariah that Elizabeth's baby would prepare people to welcome Jesus. He was to be called John. Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned home to Nazareth. Joseph was worried when he found out that Mary was expecting a baby before their marriage had taken place. He wondered if he should put off the wedding altogether. Then an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said: 'Don't be afraid to have Mary as your wife.' The angel explained that Mary had been chosen by God to be the mother of his Son and told Joseph that the baby would be named Jesus which means 'Saviour' because he would save people. When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel had told him to do and took Mary as his wife.

At this time, the land where Mary and Joseph lived was part of the Roman Empire. The Roman Emperor Augustus wanted to have a list of all the people in the empire, to make sure they paid their taxes. He ordered everyone to return to the town where their families originally came from, and enter their names in a register (or census) there. Mary and Joseph travelled a long way (about 70 miles) from Nazareth to Bethlehem, because that is where Joseph's family came from. Most people walked but some lucky people had a donkey to help carry the goods needed for the journey. Joseph and Mary travelled very slowly because Mary's baby was due to be born soon.

When they reached Bethlehem they had problems finding somewhere to stay. So many people had come to register their names in the census, that every house was full and every bed was taken in all of the guest rooms.

The only place to stay that they could find was with the animals. People often kept animals in the house, especially at night, and used them like 'central heating'! People normally slept on a raised/upper level with the animals below to give them extra warmth. So in the place where the animals slept, Mary gave birth to Jesus, the Son of God. In those days it was the custom to wrap newborn babies tightly in a long cloth called 'swaddling clothes'.

Jesus' bed was the manger that the animals ate their hay from.

In the hills and fields outside Bethlehem, shep- and had read in very old writings that a new star herds looked after their sheep through the long would appear when a great king was born. They night. As the new day began, suddenly an angel set out to find the new king and bring him gifts. appeared before them and the glory of God shone The Wise Men followed the star towards the around them. The shepherds were very, very country of Judea and when they got to the capital scared, but the angel said, 'Don't be afraid. I have called Jerusalem they began to ask people: good news for you and everyone. Today in Beth- 'Where is the child who is born to be king of the lehem a Saviour has been born for you. You will Jews?' Herod, the king of Judea, heard this and it find the baby lying in a manger.’ made him very angry to think that someone might Then many more angels appeared, lighting up be going to take his place as king. Herod sent for the sky. The shepherds heard them praising God the Wise Men to come to him. He told them to go singing: 'Glory to God in highest, and peace to on following the star until they had found the everyone on earth.' When the angels had gone the baby king. He said: 'When you have found him, shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Beth- let me know where he is, so that I can go and worship him.'. But Herod did not tell them that lehem to see what has happened.'

So the shepherds went to Bethlehem and found he really had an evil plan in mind to kill the new Mary and Joseph. The baby Jesus was lying in a king.

The Wise Men followed the star towards Bethmanger as they had been told. When they saw him, they told everyone what the angel had said lehem (where it said that the king would be born and everyone who heard the story were aston- in the old writings). It seemed to stop and shine ished. Then the shepherds returned to their sheep, directly down upon the place where Jesus was.

The Wise Men entered the house where they praising God for sending his Son to be their Saviour. now lived and found Jesus with Mary, they When Jesus was born, a brand new bright star bowed down and worshipped him. The Wise Men appeared in sky. Some Wise Men in faraway spread the the gifts they had brought before Jesus. countries saw the star and guessed what it meant. The gifts were gold, frankincense and myrrh. The They were very clever men that studied the stars Wise Men were warned in a dream, by God, not

to go back to Herod. So they returned home to their countries in the East by a different way.

When the Wise Men had gone, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. 'Get up,' the angel said, 'take Jesus and Mary and escape to Egypt.

Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for Jesus to kill him.' So Joseph got up, took Jesus and Mary during the night they left for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod died.

When Herod realized that he had been tricked by the Wise Men, he was furious and he gave orders to kill all the boys aged two or younger in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. This was to try and kill the new King, as his plan to find the location of the new king from the Wise Men had failed.

After Herod had died, Joseph had another dream in which an angel appeared to him. The angel said, 'Get up, take Jesus and Mary and go back to Israel, for those who were trying kill Jesus are dead.'

So Joseph got up, took Jesus and Mary and they went back to Israel. But when he heard that Herod's son was now king of Judea, he was afraid to go there. So instead they went to Galilee, and lived in their old town of Nazareth.

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Saint Jean Carbon Inc. Settles with the ASC for Misleading Disclosure

CHRISTMAS 2020

T

he Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) has concluded a Settlement Agreement with Saint Jean Carbon Inc., in connection with two news releases issued by the company in February and March 2017. The shares of Saint Jean Carbon Inc. are listed for trading under the symbol “SJL” on the TSX Venture Exchange.

In the Settlement Agreement, Saint Jean Carbon Inc. admitted to misrepresentations in breach of Alberta securities laws by making misleading, untrue or incomplete statements in the two news releases. The company acknowledged that these misrepresentations would reasonably be expected to have a significant effect on the market price or value of its securities.

The news releases announced that Saint Jean Carbon Inc. had received its first order from Panasonic Corporation, as part of an offtake agreement, to supply graphite anode material to its manufacturing facility. In reality, the material supplied was a minimal sample order with nominal value, no offtake agreement had been executed by the parties and no commitment existed for Panasonic to take any amount of graphite at any time.

As part of the Settlement Agreement, Saint Jean Carbon Inc. paid the ASC $62,500 and has undertaken that during the next four years all news releases

will be authorized by at least two directors and officers of the company.

Saint Jean Carbon Inc. was a respondent in a Notice of Hearing issued by the ASC on June 19, 2020. The hearing into the allegation against the remaining respondent is scheduled to commence on December 14, 2020. For more information on the hearing, visit the Status of Current Proceedings page. A copy of the Settlement Agreement is also available on the ASC website at albertasecurities.com.

The ASC gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the British Columbia Securities Commission, the Ontario Securities Commission and the Autorité des marchés financiers in this matter.

The ASC is the regulatory agency responsible for administering the province's securities laws. It is entrusted with fostering a fair and efficient capital market in Alberta and with protecting investors. As a member of the Canadian Securities Administrators, the ASC works to improve, coordinate and harmonize the regulation of Canada's capital markets.

It would be very hard to make it

through last year without your sup-

Page 33

New study explores riders’ opinions—and anxieties— about public transit in the age of COVID-19

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OVID-19 has disrupted our lives in many ways—and public transportation is no exception, with ridership dropping significantly. As we plan for a future beyond COVID-19, a team of researchers led by a University of Alberta scientist are investigating how to build confidence in public transit with a new survey focused on Metro Vancouver.

“COVID-19 has resulted in devastating decreases in public transit usage,” said Emily Grise, team lead and assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. “The requirements of social distancing, as well as people refraining from using a transport mode with a high turnover of users may lead to a long-term increase in motorized car use.”

The study, sponsored by TransLink, the public transit provider in Metro Vancouver, is conducting a survey to identify optimal policies that TransLink and regional stakeholders should prioritize in order to motivate continued transit usage among existing users and attract riders back to transit when the COVID-19 crisis ends.

“Public transit agencies in Canada, and internationally, have sustained dramatic declines in ridership during the pandemic and thus significant losses in fare revenue,” said Grise. “Many companies have considered how to bring employees back to work in the office

while avoiding public transit—including employee car allowances, private bus services and opening satellite offices closer to where workers live.”

Without specific post-COVID-19 policy interventions, Grise explains, those changes are not likely to revert after the crisis—so it is critical for public transit authorities to gain an understanding of what users’ concerns are and how they can be overcome.

“Even a moderate shift from public to private transport carries the potential of triggering the vicious circle of the decline of public transit if the public transit supply or quality is cut, leading to an increase in road congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, and inequity. Thus, it is necessary to design policy interventions to counteract negative trends early on.

Such policies must be designed with careful input from the transit users.”

The survey is open to transit riders in Metro Vancouver, and can be completed online until December 24, 2020.

A second wave of the survey will be held in winter 2021 to gauge changing perceptions through the pandemic.

The study is being conducted with collaboration with Utrecht University, and supported by UAlberta graduate students Bogdan Kapatsila and Jordan Rea.

May the good spirits of Christmas cover us with its happiness and fill our heart with peace. These are the honest wishes from your friendsat Highland Feeders. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

port and faith in what we do. You are the best Christmas present for us. May your Holiday season be

filled with love. Merry Christmas!

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Box 400, Vegreville, AB T9C 1R4

780-768-2466 www.highlandbeef.com

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Statement from Premier Kenney

Page 34

“Alberta has contributed more than $600 billion to the rest of Canada through transfers since 1967. In the last 10 years alone, Alberta has contributed more than $200 billion, more than $20 billion per year.

“And yet, in the last five years, Alberta has experienced a period of prolonged economic stagnation and decline, made worse by hostile policies from the federal government like the recently announced 467 per cent carbon tax hike, the ‘No More Pipelines Bill C-69 and the Alberta Tanker Ban Bill C-48. In fact, since the election of the federal liberal government in Ottawa, Canada has lost out on almost $200 billion of energy investment, the lion’s share of which would be in Alberta.

“To put that in perspective, Alberta used to generate about $10 billion in revenues from our energy industry.

Over the past five years, that number has been closer to $5 billion. After the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent economic recession and the historic collapse in energy prices, that number for this year is estimated to be just over $1 billion.

ernment despite the unprecedented economic challenges that Alberta faces, including a reduction of almost 25 per cent of provincial revenues.

“Notably absent is Alberta’s request for fiscal fairness through a retroactive ‘equalization rebate’ through the fiscal stabilization program. At the recent Council of the Federation meeting, the premiers of Canada’s provinces unanimously supported Alberta’s request to fix this broken system, which sees Alberta support Canada through tough times, only to have Ottawa turn its back on Alberta when we need support.

“It is more clear than ever that our message, simply asking for a fair share of the money that our province has generated and sent to Ottawa, is being ignored. That’s why Alberta will be holding a referendum to scrap equalization from the Constitution in October 2021.

“Albertans demand a fair deal from Ottawa, and we will not give up that fight.”

“This is why Alberta is so profoundly disappointed by the letter we received from Minister Chrystia Freeland, the federal finance minister, outlining the transfers that Alberta will receive this year. Alberta will see an increase of only $217 million from the federal gov-

Fertilizer consumption trends

‘Grain farmers recognize that significant amounts of nutrients are removed from the field each year by the growing crop,’ says Ryan Furtas, market analyst with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.

‘Modern day agriculture relies heavily on commercial fertilizer to replenish the soil’s nutrients.’

Furtas says over the past 10 years, the use of nitrogen, phosphate and potash by western Canadian farmers has increased, with a few exceptions.

‘Nitrogen has by far the highest volume growth in western Canada, going from 1,661,000 metric tonnes (mt) in 2010/11 to 2,279,000 mt in 2019/20.

The average growth rate for nitrogen in Western Canada has increased by nearly 4% on an annual basis for the past 10 years, amounting to 618,000 mt of additional use up to 2019/20.’

Western Canadian phosphate consumption has increased by 378,000 mt going from 541,000 mt in 2010/11 to 919,000 mt in 2019/20. This amounts to an annual growth rate of 6% over the past 10 years.

CHRISTMAS 2020

whelmingly the biggest user of nitrogen products at 85% of total use in Canada.

Phosphate use is a similar story with western Canadian farmers responsible for 78% of Canadian volume. Potash use in western and eastern Canadian is approximately equal with eastern Canada using slightly more, on average, over the past 10 years.

‘When it comes to fertilizer consumption for agricultural purposes, both western and eastern markets have experienced growth in consumption,’ says Furtas. ‘Taking into consideration the amount of arable land, it’s no surprise that fertilizer use in Western Canada is much larger than in Eastern Canada.’

Furtas adds growth in fertilizer use in western Canada is increasing at a much higher rate than in eastern Canada.

‘Growth in fertilizer use could be tied to a few different factors, among the most influential are crop prices and yields of the upcoming or previous crop years. Also contributing to increases in fertilizer use is the growth in field crop area in Canada, largely driven by gains in the Prairie Provinces.'

‘Potash is the least used of the three primary nutrients in western Canada with 129,000 mt applied in 2010/11 increasing to 227,000 mt in 2019/20. Western Canadian potash use has increased by nearly 7% on an annual basis for the past 10 years.’

Furtas says Western Canada is over-

Employment Opportunity DIRECTOR Family & Community Support Services (FCSS) Two Hills, Alberta Two Hills FCSS provides preventative social services to the citizens of Two Hills and County. We are currently inviting applications for the position of Director of FCSS. We require a highly motivated, visionary team-orientated leader with a flair for public relations, community networking and strong management skills. You will contribute to the maintenance of current initiatives and provide a strong foundation for future growth.

Responsibilities will include overseeing the overall operation of all programs and services provided by Two Hills FCSS including annual budgeting, report cycles and grant applications, community liaison, program development, train and motivate program staff, provide long range strategic planning, and have the ability to multitask and work with creativity, passion and a sense of humor.

Qualifications: • Training/education in the human/social service/administration discipline, along with a minimum of 2 years experience working in the human service field.

• A solid understanding of the philosophy of prevention and the ability to apply that understanding to families and community. FCSS experience is an asset.

• Knowledge and experience in financial planning, budgeting and reporting.

• Demonstrate the ability to relate effectively to people of diverse economic, social and ethnic backgrounds.

• Knowledge and experience in research funding sources and program development.

• Above average verbal and written communication skills, enhanced organizational and advanced computer skills.

• Demonstrated experience working with community boards and volunteers.

• Strong leadership skills.

Wishing you peace, joy, and all the best this wonderful holiday has to offer. May this incredible time of giving and spending time with family bring you the joy that lasts throughout the year.

Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year!

Salary and benefits commensurate with qualifications and experience. This position will require some flexibility in work hours and use of personal vehicle. Employment is dependent on satisfactory completion of a criminal record (CRIM) check, child & youth information (CYIM) check and a driver’s abstract check. A valid driver’s license and reliable vehicle are a requirement of the position.

Please submit your covering letter, resume and 3 work related references to: Dave Albrecht FCSS Chairperson Email: chairperson@TwoHillsFCSS.com Deadline for application is Thursday, December 31st, 2020 Two Hills FCSS thanks all respondents, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Willingdon Fish & Game Association

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on child and family poverty in Alberta

CHRISTMAS 2020

T

he Alberta College of Social Workers, the Edmonton Social Planning Council, and Public Interest Alberta have jointly released a report on the state of child and family poverty in Alberta, Spotlight: Lessons on Child Poverty in a Pandemic.

Over 160,000 or 1 in 6 children experience the all-encompassing effects of childhood poverty in Alberta – a staggering statistic which has been made even more dire by the dramatic economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. This report highlights the communities most affected by systemic poverty and lack of access to support services such as Indigenous communities, immigrants and refugees, and families in rural environments. It details the effects of poverty on the development of children, including issues affecting mental health, educational attainment, employment, and housing throughout their lives up to adulthood.

Sandra Ngo, the Research Coordinator for the Edmonton Social Planning Council, explained the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on child poverty in Alberta.

“Unemployment in Alberta hit a record high of 15.7% in June 2020,” said Ngo. “It is clear that these bleak employment numbers have wreaked havoc on the ability for families to provide for their children. This is demonstrated in the significant

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increase in food insecurity during the pandemic due in part to job loss, reduced work hours, and impacts on income. Canadians living with children have felt the effects of COVID-19 even more so: food insecurity rose by 7% to a staggering 19.6% in households with children at the onset of the pandemic. That’s nearly 1 in 5 Canadians who can’t always afford healthy nutritious food for themselves and their families.”

“However, the state of child and family poverty is not solely due to the pandemic,” Ngo added. “If anything, this crisis is shining a spotlight on already-existing problems. COVID-19 has exposed deficits in how our society has cared for the most vulnerable to poverty.”

Ajay Hartenfeld Pandhi, President of the Alberta College of Social Workers, called for the reduction of child poverty to be front and centre as the government plans for the economic recovery in a post-COVID world.

“As both the federal and provincial governments make plans for an economic recovery, they need to remember that implementing strategies to end child poverty is an investment into healthier families and communities, not a cost,” said Pandhi.

“We know that without equitable, public services and supports available for all children in Alberta, there will continue to be generational impacts of childhood poverty. Investing upstream in poverty reduction mitigates downstream costs and is good for all of us.”

Joel French, Executive Director of Public Interest Alberta, warned of the cuts the provincial government has made which have exacerbated the issue of child and family poverty.

“The pandemic has shown how critical a robust network of well-funded public services are for all Albertans,” said French. “Without our essential public health care system and income supports, it would have been impossible for many Albertans to keep their head above water. However, decisions like the minimum wage freeze, massive layoffs, cuts to supports like AISH, and cutting dependents off seniors’ drug coverage have made an already-dire situation even worse.”

“One of the lessons of this report is that Alberta does not raise enough revenue to properly and sustainably fund our essential public services and social supports,” added French. “If Alberta adopted the tax system of any other province, we would raise between $14.4 to $25.5 billion more per year in revenue. The provincial government needs to make some significant changes so that everyone in Alberta has the ability to not only survive, but thrive.”

Phone: (780) 657-2061 ehfadmin@eaglehillfoundation.ca

www.eaglehillfoundation.ca

May you find joy and peace in the

M ay t h e l o v e o f C h r i s t a n d t h e war th that come s wit h thi s holy se as on re main wit h you an d make yo ur ho l idays t h e bes t e ve r!

M er Ch ris t as an d a p ro sp ero u s N e w Ye a r !

5007 50 St, Myrnam, AB T0B 3K0

(780) 366-3910 w w w. m y r n a m . c a

little things that truly bless this

Christmas season. And look to the promise of hope in the coming new year of 2021.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Eagle Hill Foundation!

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M

History of Mennonites In Two Hills Two Hills Regional Chronicle

ennonites who came to Canada, especially during the early years of immigration, were perceived as a minority group with ethnic as well as religious characteristics. The first migration to Canada brought about 2,000 Swiss Mennonites from Pennsylvania to Upper Canada, during and after the American Revolution. The first Mennonites in Canada arrived from Pennsylvania in 1786. The majority of the Mennonites that migrated to Canada over the next 150 years came directly from Europe. The first annual meeting of Mennonite ministers was held in 1810, which eventually led to founding the Mennonite Conference of Ontario (later the Mennonite Conference

of Ontario and Quebec).

The Conference of Mennonites in Central Canada was formed in 1903. When other bodies arriving in Canada began to settle outside this "central" base, the name was changed to the General Conference of Mennonites in Canada in 1932 (later the Conference of Mennonites in Canada). The Ontario Amish Mennonite Conference (later Western Ontario Mennonite Conference) was founded in 1923, and the Conference of United Mennonite Churches in Ontario in 1945. In 1988, the Western Ontario Mennonite Conference, the Conference of United Mennonite Churches in Ontario and the Mennonite

Conference of Ontario and Quebec united to form the Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada.

Beginning in 1989, a series of consultations, discussions, proposals, and sessions led to the unification of two North American bodies (the Mennonite Church & General Conference Mennonite Church) and the related Canadian Conference of Mennonites in Canada into the Mennonite Church USA and the Mennonite Church Canada in 2002.

The doctrinal faith of the Mennonite Church Canada is set forth in The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective. This confession was adopted in 1995 by the General Conference Mennonite Church and the Mennonite Church at Wichita, Kansas. It contains 24 articles on the following: "God; Jesus Christ; Holy Spirit; Scripture; Creation and Divine Providence; the Creation and Calling of Human Beings; Sin; Salvation; The Church of Jesus Christ; The Church in Mission; Baptism; The Lord's Supper; Foot Washing; Discipline in the Church; Ministry and Leadership; Church Order and Unity; Discipleship and the Christian Life; Christian Spirituality; Family, Singleness, and Marriage; Truth and the Avoidance of Oaths; Christian Stewardship; Peace, Justice, and Nonresistance; The Church's Relation to Government and Society; and The Reign of God.” The church ordains women as pastors. In 2015, the first same-gender marriage was officiated in a congregation of the Mennonite Church Canada with the denomination in 2016 clarifying that each congregation is free to decide its own position on the issue.

In the early 2000’s Mennonites started moving to the Two Hills area, most of them being employed in the manufacturing and farming industries. At that time, the only Mennonite church in the area was the Old Colony Church. The local school board was willing to accommodate their desire to have some German programming in the public school, which continues to draw Mennonites from Mexico to the Two Hills area.

The first Mennonites in Canada arrived in the late 18th century, settling initially in Southern Ontario.

Today, almost 200,000 Mennonites call Canada home. More than half live in cities, mainly in Winnipeg. Some, such as the Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonites, shun all technology and live traditionally.

The timing for a start in farming was not good for the early migrants to Two Hills. Although there was farmland for sale at a reasonable price ($800/acre)

M a y t h e t r ue sp i r it o f C h r is t mas shine in your heart and l i g h t y o u r p a th .

Merry Christmas and a Ha p p y N e w Y e a r !

F r öh l i c h e W e i h n ac h t e n un d

CHRISTMAS 2020

their arrival coincided with drought and mad-cow disease—a combination that proved too great to overcome for many of the original settlers. Although there are successful Mennonite farmers in the Two Hills area, for Abe Martens and his partner their previous work in metal fabrication stood them in good stead.

Soon metal fabrication became the dominant activity

and industry the main employer in Two Hills. Mennonite entrepreneurs hired their fellow Mennonites who had metal fabrication skills that are so common among the Mennonites from Mexico and their descendants. Double A Trailers, begun in 1999 when they manufactured two to three trailers per week with a work force of two, grew quickly and in 2013 was producing 1900 trailers a year with a work force of thirtysix production workers and an office staff of six.2 Other manufacturing enterprises soon appeared and the combination of servicing both the agriculture and oil industries created opportunities for Mennonites with metal fabrication skills. The prospect of work soon attracted more Mennonites and they came from southern Ontario, from La Crete, from southern Alberta and from Mexico. The 2011 census counted 1379 people in the town of Two Hills, a 31.7 percent growth from the 2006 census. The 2012 municipal census reported further growth of the town to 1431.

e i n g l ü ck l i c h e s N e u e s J a h r

`xÜÜç V{Ü|áàÅtá tÇw t }ÉçÉâá axã lxtÜA Jerlanco Renovations & Construction Two Hills, AB 780-657-2399

CHRISTMAS 2020

History of Mennonites In Two Hills

The surrounding rural county of Two Hills also grew by 8.3 percent between 2006 and 2011, almost achieving the average growth rate for Alberta.3 Instead of the prospect of closing down the hospital, new doctors arrived in town, the school division created a Mennonite only school (see the accompanying descrip-

tion). Along with the influx of Mennonites came the building of churches. At first the Old Colony members held worship services in a local hall, but then built a church at Musidora, just east of Two Hills.

Other churches soon followed, including a Chortitzer Mennonite Conference and a Reinländer Church. My visit with various people in Two Hills suggests the influx of Mennonites has been a dramatic change for the town. As a local tourism website notes: “Today, Mennonite settlers have brought a different feel to Two Hills giving shopping and dining a distinctive Mexican flare.”4 Some people acknowledged that adjusting to so many ‘different’ people had its tensions, but on the whole the community is encouraged by the new life the migrants have brought. The local library’s planning process concluded one of the major threats to the town’s well-being would be if Mennonites left the area.5 I heard reports of new friends being made,

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Mennonites were being asked to become involved in local politics—a prospect they were uncomfortable with, there were new restaurants and new possibilities. For me walking along Two Hills streets had an air of familiarity. It felt like being in La Crete, or Grassy Lake, Alberta; Winkler, Manitoba, or Aylmer, Ontario.

The Two Hills Mennonite School Mary Shaw, Two Hills, Alberta The first Mexican Mennonites families came to Two Hills around 2000. There was an immediate need for English education for these families who spoke only Low German. At the time the only school available was the Two Hills Elementary Public School. The St. Paul Education Regional Division agreed to hire teachers to teach English to the Mennonite students and provide separate classrooms in the Two Hills Elementary School. Mennonite parents wanted their children in a school where they would be separate from the non- Mennonite students. They wanted to keep their Old Colony traditions as well as their German language religious classes. As numbers grew from a beginning student population of approximately 30 students, the Mennonite community required more space for classes. The St. Paul Education

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pant of the former elementary school. A new public K-12 school was built for the Two Hills non-Mennonite population. The two schools have been in separate facilities since 2005. In the years since 2000, the student population has grown to over 500 students. Eight portable classrooms have been added to the school to accommodate students. Two Hills Mennonite School continues to have a separate school board which sets the guidelines for the school. All Mennonite students start and end their day with 15 minutes of Old Colony melody singing and chanting of their traditional prayers. They are also given 80 minutes of school time to teach the German Catechism and Mexican German curriculum. German is taught by local Mennonite teachers hired by the Mennonite Board. All English subjects are taught by publicly educated teachers using the Alberta Public School Education Curriculum. Students continue to keep their traditional Mexican Mennonite dress code and all German classes and German devotion times have remained the same for all students.

Regional Division renovated the Two Hills School, and the Two Hills Mennonite School was sole occu-

No words can express how grateful we

are to you. Your loyalty and endless support helped us to build an organization we are so proud of. May this Holiday season be full of magic and miracles.

Merry Christmas!

2nd Floor Two Hills Recreation Centre 5303 45 Ave, Two Hills, AB T0B 4K0 Tel: 780-657-3542 Fax: 780-657-3551 Email: thagsociety@telusplanet.net

www.twohillsagsociety.com

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Two Hills Regional Chronicle

CHRISTMAS 2020

5021 – 49 Ave Vermilion

780-853-5358 info@vermilion.ca

May the lights of Christmas be your guide, and the Christmas carols fill you with cheer.

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year from the Mayor, Council, and Staff at the Town of Vermilion Come visit the Town of Vermilion.

With many attractions a beautiful natural attractions, Vermilion is a must-see.

The Town of Vermilion is home to Lakeland College, which features various student managed enterprises and one of Canada’s most distinguished fire schools. The Vermilion Ag Society annually hosts the Vermilion Fair which boasts over 24,000 visitors and is the 3rd largest country fair in Alberta.

Vermilion has a broad vision for a thriving and sustainable future and is deeply invested in supporting businesses that share that vision. Industrial, Commercial and Residential investment opportunities are all immediately

available.

The Vermilion Provincial Park, located within Town boundaries at the West End of the community, is among the largest provincial parks in Alberta.

Stretching more than nine kilometers (750h hectares) along the south shore of the Vermilion River Valley, the park combines tranquillity with activity. Approximately 23 kilometers of hiking trails through the natural wilderness allow for easy exploration and watching more than 100 different species of birds.

Whether you are looking for a great getaway of a new place to call home, come check out the Town of Vermilion.

vermilion.ca

CHRISTMAS 2020

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

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Veterans Memorial Highway #36 & #881, Alberta

Highway 36 (also named Veterans Memorial Highway) is a north-south highway located in eastern Alberta, extending from the town of Lac La Biche in the north to the village of Warner in the south. It was given the name Veterans Memorial Highway in 2005 during the Province of Alberta's centennial, in honour of the province's military history, and for the contributions Alberta's veterans have made.

The northernmost leg of Highway 36 begins 20 kilometers (kms) south of Lac La Biche, where it meets with Highway 55 to complete the route further north to Fort McMurray and Alberta's Oil Sands region, via Highway 63.

Highway 36 continues to stretch south through eastern Alberta, all the way down to Warner, where it meets with Highway 4 traveling southeast out of Lethbridge. From Warner, it is approximately 30 kms to Coutts at the US border.

The total length of Highway 36 is 626 kms (375 miles).

Our Mission Statement "To advocate and promote the improvement and development of the Veterans Memorial Highway #36 as a local, regional and international transportation route, so as to maximize upon the resulting benefits to the eastern corridor communities. The Association shall support all efforts to improve safety and encourage economic development and expansion of Highway 63 and 881 which are integral to the future of Highway 36"

Wishing you and those around you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. May the holidays bring you happy moments that become forever memories! From all of us at the Veterans Memorial Highway Association Alberta.

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T

Political Leaders for our Changing Times Two Hills Regional Chronicle

CHRISTMAS 2020

hey say in politics friends come and go, but enemies accumulate. No one knows this better than these three gentlemen, whose profiles we chose to publish this month, with a few more cases in forthcoming editions. We take this opportunity thank Ron Rudkowsky, Ed Sosnowski and Allen Sayler for the pivotal roles they have played in the communities. Their leadership, guidance and encouragement, often during difficult times, is much appreciated. Political leadership is often said to be as complicated as herding wild cats, because rate-payers' demands are so diverse and different. To succeed as leaders, they need the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job and the charm of the devil himself. For your service to the community over the decades a simple "Thank you" is hardly enough, but it comes straight from our hearts. (Sonny Rajoo)

Ron Rudkowsky

RON RUDKOWSKY is a long time resident of Willingdon and the County of Two Hills.

Ron started off as an educator teaching Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Physical Education. He also taught inclass and in-vehicle Driver Education for several years. His dedication and perseverance resulted in him becoming the principal of Two Hills High School and New Myrnam School for sixteen years. Ron furthered that with being school trustee on the St. Paul Education Regional Division#1 for four terms, thereby representing the west half of the County of Two Hills, including the Town of Two Hills, Hairy Hill and Willingdon. This experience and diligence afforded Ron the opportunity to become the Chairman of Learning Network- a Professional Development Organization serving two thousand, five hundred teachers and school support staff in Northeastern Alberta, including Lac La Biche, Cold Lake, Bonnyville, St Paul, Two Hills, Vermilion, Lloydminster and Wainwright.

Ron served the Village of Willingdon in various capacities; as a councillor for

three terms and as mayor for a term. As the Chairperson of Willingdon Water Improvement Study Committee, Ron played a pivotal role in replacing the village water tower with an underground water reservoir, that included water treatment equipment. As a member of the Andrew/Willingdon/St. Michael Crime Watch, the long-time President of Borowich Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Cemetery and as the Treasurer in the Smoky Lake/Willingdon Parochial District, we can rest assured that our community is in extremely capable hands.

Choosing to add value to the lives of the community he has dedicated several years to, Ron has been president of Willingdon's Senior Citizens' Association and the Willingdon Agricultural Society Parade Announcer for over twenty years. He has used his experience as a Physical Education teacher to coach numerous sports teams, including basketball, volleyball, badminton, track and field athletics, baseball and hockey. Since the early days of Premier Peter Lougheed and Hon. Don Mazankowski, Ron has been volunteering in both, Provincial and Federal politicics. Ron currently holds the title of President of Lac La Biche-St.Paul-Two Hills Progressive Conservative Association, as well as the Regional Director of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta.

We take this opportunity to thank you, Ron Rudkowsky. Your decades of giving of your time, giving of your energy, sharing your skills and imparting knowledge, has left an imprint on our hearts. May God bless you, as you continue to be an inspiration to those of us who reap the rewards of your selfless sacrifices.

Born on the back seat of a 37 Ford where my Dad was stuck in a mud hole 8 miles north west of Myrnam. Luckily a farm was close by & the resident wife was a nurse. I grew up in the County of Two Hill and lived in Myrnam and graduated from Myrnam High School. My careers included teacher for 3 years, financing for 12 years which included Management for 8 years, Area Finance Manager with Massey Ferguson for 3 years with the territory from Lloyminster to Jasper and all area north to Ft. St. John, B.C., Manager for Edmonton Savings & Credit Union in Sherwood Park, Leduc and Westgate Edmonton for 7 years,Area Mortgage Manager for First City Trust from Red Deer North to Yellowknife 6 years. It was at this time that I decided to help my Dad and in 1985 moved to Myrnam & purchased his Insurance Business which I ran until my retirement in 2012.

My first encounter with politics was in about 1990 when one of the former students of Myrnam, Elizabeth Chrapko proposed an Alzheimer Unit to be located in a wing of the Myrnam Seniors Lodge.There was some opposition to this and so John Dudar who was he Reave of the Two Hills County at that time asked me to accompany him to meet with AHS. We met in Smokey Lake and Bruderheim and with the relentless work of Elizabeth were successful in getting the project approved.

I then was asked to be a representative from Myrnam on the Two Hills County School Board in 1990 and was elected Chairman of the Board in 1994. I was then appointed to the St. Paul Regional School Division when the School Boards were amalgamated.

The Village of Myrnam was running into problems, so in 2001 I convinced Raymond Yaremchuk and Gaytha Hayes to run for council with me. We were successful and began working on the problems.

We had a Village meeting and convinced the residents of our plan and we then continued with our successful plan and were on our way to recovery..

I was elected Mayor originally and remained as such until my resignation in August of 2020. Circumstances of life dictate things and as such we sold our home in Myrnam and purchase a Condo in St. Paul. It was with great regret that I had to make this decision. Raymond Yaremchuk was my fellow councillor throughout

as was, except for 2 terms, Donna Rudolf.

I was lucky to have such great colleagues and we all worked together for the betterment of our community. To them I will always be thankful for their cooperation and dedication.

Although we had some excellent CAO's, such as Elsie Ewanek(now Kizak) our prayers were definitely answered when Gary Dupuis decided to take the position.

So many of our accomplishments were because of Gary. A truly brilliant man who gives of himself relentlessly.

Our accomplishments were numerous but some of the larger ones are: • Getting the Alzheimer Unit which was a protocol and the first in Alberta • Getting the Village out of debt • Purchase of equipment, Much to our amazement as Gary obtained many excellent deals • Built a new fire hall and were thus able to upgrade our Village Office and change the old firehall to a Village Shop.

• Dove Park was completed.

• Regional Water was brought to Myrnam under great opposition but we were forced into it.

• Causing great costs and the financial position.

• Our most recent accomplishment was the construction of the CTEC building.

• Our enrollment in the school was dwindling and as such we were afraid of losing our school.

The Province had changed the curriculum to include technology studies from grade 5, so with a great idea proposed by Gary we took a plan of building a tech school adjacent to our school and thus the students could get the best of both. We worked on a plan, presented it to our residents and got their undisputed approval, even though the Government would not agree.We went ahead and completed it and have had great reviews, Even from the Government. We worked with the School Board and not only saved our school but increased the enrollment.

It was with great regret that I had to resign as Mayor and leave Myrnam. My heart will always be there. Sometimes circumstances are beyond our control.

Myrnam is in good hands and still a great community to live in.

Ed Sosnowski

Allen Sayler

Allen Sayler needs no introduction, having serves as Reeve of the County of Two Hills for 13 years and County Councillor for 22 years. His contributions to the community are inumerable.

He has served as Chairman of the Lodges, Chairman of the Gas Utility, Chairman of the Seed Cleaning Plant in Myrnam.

In addition he helped rejuvenate the Two Hills Hospital helipad and the medical and fitness center.

The Alzheimer Unit in Myrnam was the first pilot project in Alberta. We would like to take this opportuniy to Thank Mr Sayler for his selflessness and dedication to his community which is evident in his comtributions.

If you have a story of interest you would like us to cover, contact us today to let us know whats on your mind. Email us at news@twohillschronicle.com

MCSNet: Your Local Highspeed Internet Service Provider A Two Hills Regional Chronicle

CHRISTMAS 2020

s Alberta’s largest rural high-speed internet provider, MCS Net has kept the neighborly way of life alive since 1995. From strategic minds to savvy technologists, MCS Net proves to be a passionate team of people, who love to support residents of the rural community of Alberta.

MCS Net remains a local family business since 1995, to this day. Their team places imagination, openness and determination at the forefront of everything they do. Although the company has grown over the past 25 years, and evolved with the times, their roots have

kept them grounded and guided them in everything they continue to do.

Their coverage area has expanded over the years, growing to provide reliable high-speed internet where it was previously inaccessible.

That means treating their customers like neighbors, with kindness, respect and honesty. That also means serving their community with fast internet to rely on till today, while reimagining their technology for the future.

They also choose to give back to their community in meaningful and inclusive ways.

Customer service and

reliability rank top on the company priorities. They aim to maintain the level of service that has helped rank them among the top Internet Service Providers in the area.

They ensure that they are visible at local events, sponsor sports teams or volunteer with students.

That’s because investing in Albertans is an integral part of MCS Net”s culture.

Their active community involvement and dedication to excellence has proven to their clients that their needs matter most to MCSNet.

(Above): MCSNet building in downtown St. Paul.

4810 50th Ave, PO Box 98, St. Paul, T0A 3A0 Local: 587-804-7056 Toll Free: 1-844-326-3518 support@mcsnet.ca

www. m c s n e t .c a

Merry Christmas to everyone, It's been a tough year and it's time to enjoy the well deserved festive period! Seasons greetings to everyone from all of us at Mcsnet.

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Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Wishing you a safe and happy Holiday Season. From the Mayor, Council and Staff at the Town of Vegreville. Stay safe and healthy.

CHRISTMAS 2020

CHRISTMAS 2020

Holiday Recipes Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Page 43

Cranberry Christmas Cookies

Cranberries are a superfood. High in Vitamin C and Antioxidants. Why not try out these guilt free Cranberry Christmas Cookies.

Ingredients: • 1/2 cup butter • 1/2 cup lard • 2 cups sugar • 3 eggs • 1 cup sour cream • 1 lemon, juice and zest • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 6 cups flour (plus flour for rolling)

foam once the baking soda is mixed in.

Whisk together flour and baking powder and stir into the dough.

The dough will still be sticky but that is how it should be. Cover bowl and refrigerate at least one hour. You can refrigerate overnight if you wish.

Roll dough to approximately 1/8", cut with a 2 " round cookie cutter placing approximately a rounded teaspoon of cranberry filling in the middle of one round, place another cookie round on top and pinch the two together with your thumb and finger to seal in the filling.

Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 375º for 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden in color.

Allow to cool and ice cookies with almond flavored icing, then dip into angel flaked coconut.

Cranberry Filling: • 3 cups cranberries (340 g/12 oz bag) • 1 cup sugar • 3/4 cup water Boil water and sugar for 5 minutes, add cranberries and boil gently till cranberries pop, approx another 5 minutes. I cooked them a few minutes longer.

This recipe can be found on the bag of cranberries, the only thing I change is the amount of water. You won't need all this filling for the cookies but I like to cook the whole amount at once and either use it up for other recipes or eat as a side with chicken or turkey. Keeps in the fridge for a few weeks.

In a medium sized bowl beat butter, lard, and sugar together until fluffy.

Add eggs and beat well, then blend in sour cream and finely grated zest of the lemon.

Add baking soda to the juice of the lemon and mix into dough. The juice will

Rocky Road Cheesecake Pudding

The holidays are the perfect time to indulge. Why not try out this treat to drive your tastebuds wild.

and smooth. Fill the lined bowl with it, leaving some space for the rocky road to go on. Set aside.

Ingredients

STEP 3 Break the chocolate for the rocky road into pieces in a heatproof bowl.

Add the butter and golden syrup. Set over a pan of simmering water and leave for a few mins until melted – turn the heat off if the water boils, the residual heat will be enough to melt it. Stir until smooth and glossy.

• 2 x 200g ready-made chocolate loaf or marble loaf cakes • 225ml double cream • 150g dark chocolate, finely chopped • 2 tbsp golden syrup • 50g white chocolate • edible glitter, chocolate truffles, sprinkles and sparkles, to decorate (optional) For the cheesecake filling • 2 x 280g tubs full-fat cream cheese • 200ml double cream • 75g icing sugar • 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract • ½ orange, zested For the rocky road • 150g dark chocolate • 75g butter • 1 tbsp golden syrup • 75g digestive biscuits • 25g pretzel pieces • 50g mini marshmallows Method STEP 1 Line a 2 litre pudding bowl with cling film, leaving some overhanging to cover the top later. Thinly slice the cakes lengthways (8-9 slices per cake) and use the slices to line the base and sides of the bowl, making sure there are no gaps.

STEP 2 Mix the ingredients for the filling with an electric hand whisk until thick

STEP 4 Tip the biscuits into a food bag and crush to a rubble with a rolling pin, creating some fine crumbs and some bigger pieces. Tip into the chocolate mix with the pretzel pieces and marshmallows. Mix until everything is coated in chocolate. Spoon it all over the cheesecake, covering the surface. Wrap the bowl in cling film and place a plate on top with a can to weigh it down. Chill for at least 24 hrs, or up to three days.

STEP 5 Decorate the cheesecake on the day you want to serve it. Heat the cream, chocolate and golden syrup in a pan over a low-medium heat until the chocolate has melted and you have a pourable mixture – don't let it boil.

Unwrap the cheesecake and turn onto a wire rack with a tray underneath.

Pour over the chocolate glaze to cover the entire cake. When it stops dripping, use a fish slice to transfer to a plate. Chill until the glaze has set (about 10 mins).

STEP 6 Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in shorts bursts in the microwave.

Drizzle it over the top of the cake, then decorate as you like. We used edible glitter, gold sprinkles and chocolate truffles.

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Holiday Recipes Two Hills Regional Chronicle

CHRISTMAS 2020

Pomegranate Glazed Pork

Try this mouth-watering dish out in your Holiday menu courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis Ingredients:

• One 6- to 7-pound 8-rib bone-in center cut pork loin, chine bone removed, frenched • 2 carrots, halved lengthwise • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves • 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt • 2 cups pomegranate juice • 4 sprigs fresh thyme • 3 tablespoons maple syrup • 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

saucepan. Place over medium heat and reduce by half, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the maple syrup and mustard and continue to reduce until slightly thickened, another 3 to 4 minutes. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remove and discard the thyme.

Baste the meat with the pomegranate mixture and roast until the internal temperature reaches 120 degrees F, another 30 minutes. Remove the roast from the oven and turn the oven up to 450 degrees F. Baste the roast again with the pomegranate mixture. Return the roast to the hot oven for an additional 20 minutes, basting with the pomegranate sauce every 5 to 10 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 135 degrees F and the roast is evenly glazed. Remove the roast to a platter to rest for 10 minutes. Add any juices from the pan to the sauce and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir to combine. Slice the roast and serve with the sauce on the side.

Remove the pork roast from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the rack on the lower middle section of the oven.

Place the carrot halves on the bottom of a small roasting pan and set aside.

Trim off any thick areas of fat from the roast. Make shallow slits about 1 inch apart in a crosshatch on the meat of the roast. Mix together the cinnamon, cloves and 1 tablespoon salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture evenly over the roast and rub to coat. Place the roast on the carrots and add 1/2 cup water to the pan. Roast for 1 hour, adding another 1/2 cup water if the pan gets dry.

Meanwhile, combine the pomegranate juice and thyme in a small

Honey-Glazed Turkey

This turkey recipe is a must try for someone wanted a twist on the traditional method.

Ingredients

moistness; transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake, covered, for 1 hour. Uncover and bake until lightly browned, 10-15 minutes longer.

Remove turkey from oven; cover loosely with foil and let stand 15 minutes before carving. If desired, skim fat and thicken pan drippings for gravy. Serve with turkey and stuffing.

1 turkey (14 to 16 pounds) GLAZE: • 1/2 cup honey • 1/2 cup Dijon mustard • 1-1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed • 1 teaspoon onion powder • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder • 1/4 teaspoon pepper STUFFING: • 1/2 cup butter, cubed • 2 cups chopped onion •1-1/2 cups chopped celery • 12 cups unseasoned stuffing cubes or dry bread cubes • 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning • 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules • 1 teaspoon pepper • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed • 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning • 3/4 teaspoon salt • 3-1/4 to 3-3/4 cups boiling water Directions Preheat oven to 325°. Place turkey on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, breast side up. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together. Bake for 2 hours.

In a small bowl, mix glaze ingredients; brush over turkey. Bake 1-3/4 to 2-1/4 hours longer or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°. Baste occasionally with pan drippings. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.)

For stuffing, in a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook and stir until tender. Add stuffing cubes and seasonings; toss to combine. Stir in enough boiling water to reach desired

How do I make my turkey golden brown?

The caramelization of the sugars in the honey glaze will naturally help make your turkey golden brown in this recipe. But you can also apply a layer of fat (olive oil, canola or vegetable oil, or softened butter) across the skin of the entire turkey prior to baking to roast it up golden and seal in moisture at the same time. While a golden bird is just one of the results you’re after, check out our full guide to find even more tips on how to cook turkey to perfection.

CHRISTMAS 2020

Aunty Niri’s Fun Corner Two Hills Regional Chronicle

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Q: What do Santa’s elves learn in school?

For Your Funny Bone Two Hills Regional Chronicle

CHRISTMAS 2020

Q: What type of cars do elves drive?

A: The Elfabet.

A: Toy-otas.

Q: What does Santa like to do in the garden?

Q: Why did the Christmas tree go to the barber?

Knock, knock Who’s there?

Merry.

Merry who?

Merry Christmas!

A: It needed to be trimmed.

Q: What do cats and dogs call Santa Clause?

Q: What kind of motorcycle does Santa ride?

A: Santa paws!!!

Q: What is a parents favorite Christmas carol?

A: Hoe, hoe, hoe!

Q: What do Santa’s elves drive?

A: Minivans.

Q: What do Santa’s elves drink?

A: Silent night!

A: Minnesoda.

Q: What is Claustrophobia?

Q: What do you get when you cross a Christmas tree with an apple?

A: The fear of Santa Claus.

A: A pineapple!

Q: What breakfast cereal does Frosty the Snowman eat?

Q: What do you get from a cow at the North Pole?

A: Snowflakes.

A: Ice cream.

Q: What do you call a cat sitting on the beach on Christmas Eve?

A: Holly Davidson.

A: Sandy Claws.

Q: Where does the snowman hide his money?

A: In the snow bank.

Q: What do you call a bankrupt Santa?

A: Saint Nickel-less.

Obituaries: Gone but Not Forgotten Two Hills Regional Chronicle

CHRISTMAS 2020

Page 47

Dick & Mary Pawliuk

If we could visit heaven Even for a day, Maybe for a moment, the pain would go away.

We would put our arms around you both, And whisper words so true, That living life without you Is the hardest thing we've had to do No matter how we'd spend our days, No matter what we do, No morning dawns or evening falls, When we don' think of you.

Sadly missed and forever remembered in our hearts Mike, Anna, Cory, Tanya, Andy, Abigail and Marlee

Caroline Stella Maksymiuk

Mary Kostiniuk Mary Kostyniuk was born July 24, 1930 and passed away peacefully with family nearby on November 13, 2020 at the age of 90. She was predeceased by her parents Pelahia and Ivan Chmilar, her husband of 61 years John, and her son Gerald.

She will be lovingly remembered by her sister Emily (Steve) Gorgichuk, sons Lawrence (Wendy) and Robert (Jan), grandchildren Tara (Craig), Dana (Chris), Stephanie (Steven), Michael (Kaitlyn), Jeremy, Jessica, as well as great grandchildren Stori, Chase, Katherine, Sophie, Olivia, and Charlotte.

Many thanks to the staff at Hillside Lodge and Two Hills Hospital who made mom’s last year more comfortable.

A private service will be held in Plain Lake – donations can be made to Plain Lake Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Wlady Adamowski On August 31, 2020 Mr. Wlady Adamowski of Two Hills AB, passed away at the age of 97 years. Wlady is survived by his daughters, Marlene (Darcy) Tupechka, and Charlene (Grant) Plaska; 5 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren; brothers, Frank, and Mike; sisters, Joyce Saik, Angie Moyens, and Helen Goulet; as well as extended family and dear friends. Predeceased by his wife, Annie; parents, Rosie and Karol; sister, Annie Machulski; and step-brothers, Tony and Adolph.

Due to COVID-19, a private Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Friday, September 4, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. at St. Martin of Tours Roman Catholic Church, Vegreville AB, with Reverend Father Robert Lee officiating, with interment at Two Hills Cemetery. In memory of Wlady, donations may be made to the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, or to a charity of one’s choice.

To honour the loss of your loved one here, submit your information to news@twohillschronicle.com.

Two Hills Regional Chronicle

Page 48

CHRISTMAS 2020

MLS# E4221282 4712 47 St, Two Hills 2Bed 1Bath, Great Starter Home

MLS# E4221214 MLS# E4221022 53510 Rng Rd 154, Minburn 4523 59 Ave, Vegreville County 3Bed, 2Bath on 5.04 Acres 2+2Bed, 3Bath,

MLS# E4216854 5302 48 St, Two Hills 2+2Bed, 2Bath. Close to schools

MLS# E4212687 4707 50 St, Myrnam 3Bed, 1Bath. Priced to sell

MLS# E4208007 MLS# E4204846 29-562007 Rng Rd 113, Two Hills 4719 50 St, Myrnam 2Bed, 1Bath, on 2.1 Acres 1+3Bed, 2Bath, on large lot

MLS# E4173574 132085C Twp Rd 551 2Bed, 1Bath, on 2.03

MLS# E4219998 5306 60 Ave, Vegreville 3Bed, 3Bath

MLS# E4216252 5000 sq ft Commercial Property located on Hwy 16A

MLS# E4212047 5302 59A Ave, Vegreville 2+2Bed, 3Bath, on large lot

$365 000

MLS# E4211639 530084 Rng Rd 192 Beaver County 2Bed, 1Bath,

MLS# E4213576 563009 Rng Rd 115 Two Hills County 3Bed 1Bath, 11.29 Acres

MLS# E4216232 542094 Rng Rd 101 Two Hills County 3+2Bed, 4Bath, 21 Acres

MLS# E4216899 5605 45A St, Vegreville 3+2Bed, 3Bath

MLS# E4210828 #103, 5410 43 St, Vegreville 2Bed, 1Bath, Condominium

MLS# E4201599 5303 55 Ave, Viking 3+1Bed, 3Bath, on large lot

MLS# E4201595 5240 59 Ave, Viking 3+1Bed, 3Bath, heated garage

$55 000

$189 000

$269 500

$399 500

$185 000

$89 500

$849 000

$367 500

$249 900

$529 500

$189 000

MLS# E4220465 MLS# E4217347 Commercial Property on Hwy 16A 4606 57 St, Two Hills, 5206 sq. ft. Building on large lot 5+1 Bed, 4 Bath, on 1.75 Acres

$229 000

$99 900

$499 500

$187 000

5013 48 STREET, Vegreville, AB 780•632•2542 (Office) 780•603•0944 (Cell) ralphsoldan@royallepage.ca

$385 000

$109 900

$139 500

$225 000

www.royallepage.ca/en/agent/alberta/vegreville/ralph-soldan/20960