Dec. 15, 2020

 For the past six Fridays, concerned citizens have gathered outside MLA Jackie Lovely’s Camrose office. We believe the UCP has failed to listen to the people most affected by UCP policies and budget cuts. We are concerned about how poorly they have chosen to implement many of their policies and practices, including their timing, long-term management, fiscal management, standards and consultation.
Here are some of our experiences thus far:
Despite multiple invitations, our MLA has chosen not to engage with us in any meaningful, mutual way. Aside from one online session with the minister for advanced education in November, there have been no UCP responses that directly address any of our concerns, nor any other opportunity for dialogue.
We care deeply about how current political decisions in Alberta are affecting all kinds of people, from K-12 students to healthcare workers, Indigenous Peoples, small business owners, AISH recipients, seniors, university students, campers and hunters. We care about our future, our social safety net, and our environment. Our government should listen to and advocate on behalf of all constituents, not just the ones who voted for or donated to them.
We are not alone in feeling frustrated by our current government’s style and policies; we have been pleasantly surprised by how many Camrosians are showing they support and appreciate us. Interactions have, for the most part, been respectful. We’ve heard from a few who don’t agree with us, but primarily people negatively impacted by multiple government policies. They feel ignored, betrayed, or forgotten in this government’s rush to cut and save, while favouring a select few. We’ve had adjacent businesses express some frustration with our presence –which ended up being loud from unexpected honks! We have made every effort to be respectful and accommodate concerns.
With updated AHS COVID protocols (finally), we cannot come together to physically protest. We will resume when it is safe to do so. If you also feel the UCP has prioritized large business interests over those of everyday Albertans, and that they are damaging our province’s current and future health and well-being, we invite you to join us in carrying on our protest online. Whatever issue(s) you feel are a priority, whoever you feel is being neglected or harmed by current policies, please take the time to call, write, or email Ms. Lovely or a UCP minister to detail your concerns.

Yvonne Becker, Rayleigh Conley, Nancy Goebel, Katelyn Kelly, Anne McIntosh, Marv Miniely, Joy-Anne Murphy, Marilyn Murray, John Olson, Ellen Parker, Don Ruzicka, Pam Stacey, Wyatt Tanton
Camrose

December 8, 2020

People are under a lot of pressure these days.  You know what happens when you squeeze an orange? Orange juice comes out. It is the same with people–when a person is under pressure, what is inside of them comes out.
For some people, love and the need to create more love emerges from the core of them. In these turbulent awfully insane times, some express an urgent need for more sanity and justice to make their inner sense able to fit in and work with what is out in the world.  Some, with a sense of how “it takes a village to raise a child”, are committed to creating community. And, believe it or not, there are people who think of and care about others and so desire the people of their family, region, country, and/or the world to work together democratically in the best interests of all, and while doing that, be  especially aware of and considering those who lack the ability and power to provide for their special needs–even though it angers some people when everybody is included in collective decision making.
Of course, we can’t ignore the loud, belligerent, violent, dysfunctional portion of the population which exhibits awfully ugly and ignorant views of life. But do we really want to be governed by bullies who appear to have the maturity of six-year-old boys, angry at their mothers, needing guns to feel powerful, rebelling against rules designed to keep them safe and healthy, lusting after the power to be omnipotent, above all laws and others, so making laws that only make sense to and serve the ego of other six-year-old boys?
Evone Monteith,
Camrose

December 8, 2020

My father is no longer with us, but if he was, I’d say, “Dad, it took real courage and determination for you and the other Canadian soldiers to push the Nazis out of the Netherlands during the Second World War. How do you feel about people who complain about their freedom when they are asked to put on a mask to protect others?” I’m pretty sure he would say they should stop being selfish and irresponsible and just put on a mask.
But my father would be most disgusted with Jason Kenney. Mr. Kenney says he wants to protect the economy, but won’t take the actions needed to get COVID-19 under control.  So the pandemic will drag on and on, making it much worse for the economy. Yes, we have new measures, but so many of them don’t make sense. For example, you can’t have your parents over for Christmas dinner, but you can meet with them at the casino.  If rules don’t make sense, people will ignore them.
Our MLA should tell Mr. Kenney that other provinces are not “indiscriminately violating people’s rights and destroying livelihoods” because they are trying to control Covid-19. And our MLA should tell Mr. Kenney that other provinces are not a “police state” because they are enforcing health restrictions. We know Mr. Kenney likes to pick fights, but our MLA should tell him that fighting with our own health care system during a pandemic is a terrible idea. Instead, she should tell him to listen to the doctors and nurses, because if we don’t get this pandemic under control, our economy can’t recover. Australia and New Zealand have shown that with good leadership and strong action, COVID-19 can be defeated. We know Mr. Kenney likes to talk tough, but so far, he hasn’t shown the courage to lead. Until he finds some courage and determination, Albertans will continue to get sick and our economy won’t recover.
Rob Hill,
Camrose

Now our country has entered into a second wave, just as bad as we were warned that it was going to be. Where I work, I have read all about the state of emergency which our premier has felt compelled to place us under. Most of the increase has happened because of people’s entitlement attitudes.
There is a group of people in this province who feel that their rights should be placed ahead of the most vulnerable. These people include the very young and the very old. I am a little disappointed at this small population of people. I do feel that our death rate has gone up because of their selfish actions. So, again to these people, I say, “Knock it off. Please.” You may not be affected, but some older person or young person may be. This is just something for all of you to think about as you live in your very disrupted lives. Actions have consequences. It is too bad that the warnings were not heeded.
Lorne Vanderwoude,
Camrose

December 8, 2020

In the spring of 1973, I visited the Slavey settlement of Fort Norman. The Catholic priest, a mainstay of every northern town, met us at the grass strip that acted as runway, and gave us a tour. It took five minutes to cover the three short streets, ending at the rectory, where he invited us in for tea. We sat talking, eating home-made biscuits, and admiring the water-colour paintings arranged on the walls.
“Those are the work of Peter McKenzie,” said the priest with great pride. “Aren’t they wonderful?”
“Yes,” we agreed. And they were.
“I’ve encouraged him for years,” said Father Frontenac. “I bought him art supplies and convinced him to send his work outside—“outside” being the name northerners use for lands and people south of the 60th parallel.
As he warmed to his topic, a look of sadness mixed with humour crossed his face. “I always wanted him to paint the nativity,” he said. “Every year, I would think of it just before Christmas. Every year I’d ask him, and every year he’d say yes.   But he never painted me a picture of the birth of Christ.”
“Last year, I decided to find out why.  So I cornered him in November—not waiting until the last minute as usual—and asked him if he would paint Joseph, Mary, and Jesus in the manger this year.
“Oh,” he smiled. “Every year you ask me. Every year I sit down to paint.  And every year I give up.”
“And why is that?” asked the priest.
“Because Christ would never be born in a manger in Fort Norman,” he said.  “If Joseph brought Mary here, someone would give them a room.”
I’ve changed the names, but the story is true, just the same.
Deanne Morrow,
Camrose

December 1, 2020

In 2005, Canada set a 2020 target of reducing GHG emissions by 124 million tonnes per year. Well it’s 2020, and in 15 years, we have reduced emissions by one million tonnes per year. So we have missed our target by 99.2 per cent. Should we celebrate making 0.8 per cent of our target?
What went wrong? To reduce emissions is hard because, in our energy-driven economy, it means a reduction in our standard of living. Politicians know that, so they make empty promises beyond their elected terms. In other words, they lie about what they will do because they’ll never be there to do it. If they just lie, that would be okay, but they waste money on preparing for their imagined future, while easy and immediate results are ignored.
Rather than gradually transitioning to a low carbon economy, politicians keep saying they’ll do it 15 years from now. For 30 years, politicians have flown to exotic locations, had sumptuous dinners and issued statements about how, in the future, they would be carbon-neutral–whatever that means. The annual Climate Change Performance Index report (CCPI) assesses national contributions and targets for 2030 from 56 countries, and it suggests that none of the 56 countries assessed were on target. So why do we persist with this farce?
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is now promising the “Great Reset”. That is, when COVID-19 is over, we will magically go directly to a carbon-neutral economy. Ya sure. When COVID-19 is over, we will have unimaginable debts and a society that is focused on health care and welfare. Yes, we will use less energy and produce less GHGs because more of us will be poor, but an unemployed family that can’t buy groceries is not going to reinsulate their house or buy an electric vehicle as a priority.
So politicians lie by promising the future because it’s an easy way to get re-elected. To see it from the other side, remember Emma in the TV show Corner Gas, who was elected Mayor of Dog River by “running on a platform which she openly did not support and the people voted for her because they knew what they would not get.” Trudeau is trying to sell us something in the long term that he himself will never deliver.
Just ignore him and go on with your lives–but use some decency and restraint.
This too shall pass.
Tony Hladun,
Camrose

December 1, 2020

My previous letter pointed out that populism (popular democracy) is regularly denounced as a threat to democracy. Yet if populism and democracy are the same thing, why is democracy threatened by populism? Perhaps it is because the democracy they are protecting isn’t very democratic. There is a word to describe this political variant, “electocracy.”
An electocracy is a political system where citizens may vote for their government, but cannot affect governmental decision making. In contrast to democracy, where citizens may participate in the making of decisions that affect them, electo- cracy limits decisions to an elected individual or group who may then govern in an arbitrary and unaccountable manner until the next election.
We are all familiar with examples of political promises that are broken as soon as the party forms a government. Canadian courts have consistently ruled that political promises are not binding on candidates or the parties they represent.
In the 2003 Ontario provincial election, Dalton McGinty campaigned on not raising taxes, even going so far as to sign a Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) pledge reading, “I, Dalton McGuinty, leader of the Liberal Party of Ontario, promise, if my party is elected as the next government, that I will not raise taxes or implement any new taxes without the consent of Ontario voters.”
This pledge also affirmed the Taxpayer Protection Act of 1999, which prevented the Ontario government from raising taxes without consulting the voters. Then, upon forming the government, Premier McGuinty released his first budget. It included the biggest tax increase in Ontario history.
The CTF went to court arguing that the new tax was illegal because it violated the Taxpayer Protection Act. They also asked that McGinty be held personally liable for breach of contract after violating his written pledge. The Ontario court rejected both arguments, ruling that Parliament is sovereign and its powers cannot be limited.
When candidates, and the parties they represent, can make and break promises with impunity, then the foundation of democracy (rule by the people) is destroyed. We no longer have democracy, but electo- cracy, rule by an elected individual or group who may then govern in an arbitrary and unaccountable manner until the next election.
Dave Gosse,
Camrose

December 1, 2020

As COVID cases surge around us, I continue to be amazed at the politicizing of fairly straight-forward guidelines from health authorities. Wash hands. Social distance. Wear a mask indoors in public places and in outdoor areas where social distancing is not possible (commercial sections of Connaught and Patricia Streets in the town of Jasper). Avoid crowds. These hardly pose a dramatic threat to our personal rights and freedoms. My mask protects you if I am an asymptomatic carrier of COVID.
Your mask protects me. If you don’t trust the health authorities or the science that informs their guidelines, just look at the anecdotal evidence. Where these guidelines are followed, infection rates stay down (New Zealand). Where they aren’t followed, they go up (over 40 infected at a wedding in Calgary).  As it turns out, following health guidelines enhances our personal freedom, since low infection rates eliminate the need for government lockdowns. Instead of using our energy fighting with one another in these all-too-divisive times, may we direct it to supporting, encouraging, and caring for one another so that we get through this pandemic with the fewest infections possible.
Stephen Kristenson,
Camrose   

November 24, 2020

In the midst of the continuing COVID craziness, I needed to remind myself of all the things I’m thankful for. Maybe you can relate. So here goes, in no particular order:
Family and friends, Booster Banter, big black and green garbage bins, book boxes around town, skating on Mirror Lake, all the hike/bike/xc ski trails, line dancing on Wednesday mornings, Bible study on Tuesday mornings, friendly helpful staff in all the stores/businesses, spontaneous conversations with strangers, perfect reflections on the lake, view from the top of the ski hill, the hum of the furnace on a cold day, fresh clean untrodden sparkling snow, an outdoor clothesline, trees to contemplate, birds to observe, vast prairie sky with spectacular sunrises and sunsets, food in the fridge and water on tap, Augustana University College and St. Mary’s Hospital, Lougheed PAC and Bailey theatre, the many books available on the interlibrary loan system, clean streets, the spire and cross on the top of the Catholic church, the migration of geese overhead, Shane and Lucas, Reg and Lance, John (You know who you are. Thanks!), singing with my family for Messiah’s live stream church services during lockdown, Sunday afternoon jaunts, ever-present Orion and Ursa Major, hearty laughter, hoar frost, double rainbows and sundogs, Sudoku, garden produce, leftovers, thrift shops and recycling, snow crystals on my face, flannel sheets, cumulus clouds, the blue of September skies, Google and YouTube, a really good hamburger, and the list goes on and on and on…
Carolyn Olson,
Camrose

November 24, 2020

Too much government is bad. We all know that, or should know that “big government” will always destroy the freedoms in that country; therefore, they must be kept in check.
Our Alberta Health Services (AHS) is too big and expensive and ineffective–it may be killing as many as it cures–why would any thinking person want to pay for this?
I would like to see much of our AHS done by private companies, not government.  I am aware of many services within AHS that operate outside of acceptable behaviour, according to their own standards, including cover-ups. Let’s not forget that taxpayers pay for their scandals and lawyers, nor forget that “big unions”, too, are unnecessary.
This brings to mind the Notley NDP who brought fake charges against Rebel News and their reporter for writing a book; the UCP is still paying government lawyers to bring this action into court–why?
We have been witnessing the corruption and cover-up of evil deeds of federal government: SNC, WE, etc., scandal after scandal. The WE scandal goes back to goat sacrificing and drinking of blood.
It’s time to free the people to have a choice–thank you, Premier Jason Kenney, for following sound advice regarding health services. AHS has gotten too big for proper check and balances.
Tina Kawalilak,
Beaver County

November 24, 2020

Each Friday since Oct. 30, concerned Camrose residents have gathered outside the office of our MLA Jackie Lovely to display signs of concern. More than 40 people have met peacefully and respectfully, masked and distancing, to display signs expressing our concerns. In addition to those who’ve gathered, well over 100 more have honked in support on the way by.
Our causes are varied, but we share frustration around how our government is implementing harmful policies without respectful engagement, without proper expertise, and without sufficient concern for the most marginalized Albertans.
Efforts by our MLA to bring funding to the Camrose Rotary and Family Violence Action Society are warmly welcomed. However, this does not make up for cuts to per-capita funding for First Nations, K-12 education, post-secondary education, AISH, health care, childcare and the arts. We remain concerned that pensions, public land, environmental oversight, worker’s rights and public health care are at risk.
On Nov. 20, our focus was on the Grassy Mountain Coal Project. This project by an Australia-based coal company will remove mountaintops in the Crowsnest Pass; it threatens our headwaters and the treaty rights of Indigenous peoples.
We will continue gathering until we see tangible, meaningful effort made to protect Albertans in these troubling times.
All are welcome to join us each Friday at 3 p.m., outside our MLA’s office (information available through the Alberta Government website).
Rayleigh Conley,
Camrose

November 24, 2020

It was heartening to be invited to participate in a democratic process that I much admired in the US; namely, a town hall meeting (modified to an audio conference call due to COVID). The town hall meeting was convened by the Alberta Firearms Advisory Committee (AFAC) whose mandate is to hear concerns about the federal firearms legislation and provide recommendations on how provincial policies can best support law-abiding gun owners while keeping Albertans safe.
Having been an avid hunter and a competitive target shooter for more than 60 years, I had a great deal of interest in having my opinion(s) expressed (and heard?).
The Canadian Firearms Advisory Committee (CFAC) membership represents law enforcement officers, public health advocates, women’s groups, civilian firearms users, gun control advocates and members of the legal community. Recent CFAC recommendations have been to reclassify assault style semi-automatic rifles from the current “restricted” status to “prohibited” status. Safety minister Blaney, while in PM Harper’s cabinet, overruled every RCMP recommendation to that effect.
My intended town hall input was to support the notion making assault rifles “prohibited weapons” (as in most other countries except the US) since (i) they are not legal for hunting and (ii) their design is for killing humans in military or police work.
Since, firearms registry is a federal responsibility, why, in times of fiscal restraint, would a parallel, and very costly, AFAC be struck when its output is entirely irrelevant to federal legislation?
Constitutionally, provincial legislation regarding firearms is restricted to hunting regulations and regulations regarding discharge of firearms in municipalities.
In contrast to the broad cross section of society represented in the CFAC, introductions of AFAC members revealed that membership was composed entirely of the retail firearms sector, hunting and shooting sports enthusiasts. Hmmm!
The chairperson repeatedly invited call-ins by pressing *3…after many attempts of *3-receiver click, *3-receiver click, *3-receiver click, it appeared futile to attempt to call in. Meanwhile…selected call-ins lobbed softball questions to the panel, allowing panel members to promote their vested interest narrative. This town hall meeting was nothing more than a UCP-orchestrated charade.
Albertans can fill out an online survey regarding firearms legislation; however, results submitted by self selecting respondents have zero statistical validity, except for the additional charade of validating AFAC/UCP preconceived opinions.
Voice your opinion, take the survey…invalid as it is; knowing that your opinion(s) will be selectively cherry picked.
Lynn Clark,
Camrose

November 17, 2020

There has been an interesting development in the war of words occurring within the corporate media.  This is the idea that democracy is good but ‘populism’ is a dangerous or evil thing that will lead us to dictatorship or something worse. If you understand what democracy is, even superficially, I think you will find this idea at least a little incoherent.
Populism (from dictionary dot com): grass-roots democracy; working-class activism; egalitarianism. representation or extolling of the common person, the working class, the underdog, etc. So ask yourself this, if ‘populism’ is grass-roots democracy why do the corporate media think it is dangerous?
Well, dictionary dot com offers a hint. Another of the definitions of ‘populism’ is “any of various, often antiestablishment or anti-intellectual political movements or philosophies that offer unorthodox solutions or policies and appeal to the common person rather than according with traditional party or partisan ideologies.”
In other words, populism threatens the business, bureaucratic, and educational elites who desire to control the country.  Populism presents ideas and policies which are popular with the people rather than regurgitating the usual prevarications and platitudes.  And that is what is dangerous about populism.  “In an age of deception telling the truth is a subversive act.”
Lest you think this is a so-called *conspiracy theory*, let me clarify.  It is not necessary for these institutions to “conspire” together.  They share a common point of view, that it is necessary for them to *fool* voters because voters are too stupid to know what is good for them.  These elites believe that only they understand what is best for [the country; business; education; people; government; etc.] and rather than waste time trying to educate the obtuse voter it is more expedient to manipulate the voter.
In a perverse sense, their competing interests and contradictory narratives tend to further the ambitions of each by sowing confusion and fear.  The plethora of false and contradictory information prevents the average voter from making a rational decision and forces him to act on emotion or instinct.
The “populist” threatens this by offering up “unorthodox solutions or policies [solutions and policies outside the rules established by the various elites]  and appeal to the common person [that the average voter can understand and support]”.  Populism is democracy.
Dave Gosse,
Camrose

November 17, 2020

On a recent drive through Saskatchewan, Alberta and lower B.C., I noticed the cancellation of many Remembrance Day Services. Tonight, on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the Second World War I am moved to write this letter.
I am not a veteran, but I respect and admire and thank them for the supreme sacrifice they made for our freedom. Freedom is not free by any means.
With that said I have plenty of ancestors and relatives that are veterans.
My five-time great grandfather fought beside Wolfe at the Battle of Quebec and at the Plains of Abraham.
Many ancestors fought in First World War and Second World War and the American Civil War with great distinction.
My dad is a surviving veteran of the Second World War, 100 years young. His brother and brother-in-law also served in Second World War.
Here we are facing a pandemic which has a death rate in Canada of 0.00054795  per cent.
I wonder if our brave young men would have gladly accepted these odds-on D Day and the other great battles of past wars. Compared to their sacrifice what we face seems small by comparison.
They would have gladly, I am sure, accepted odds like this. Instead they sacrificed their lives so that we could enjoy the freedoms that we have now. Freedoms that are being eroded every day by a nation’s panic over a thing that these brave young men would have found insignificant to what they endured.
Did they give their lives so we could wear masks all day every day, be banned from associating with family and friends, give up the right to free speech and expression because our federal government and the opposition in this province think that these are not important in the time we are in.
These are the rights our service men and women fought for; they did not fight for the right of others to inflict their panic agenda on the rest of society.
What in the heavens name do we as seniors have to fear from this? We have lived longer and better, than any generation before and this was entirely due to the sacrifices made by those young men and women. A panic over a virus should not diminish our duty to honour their sacrifice.
Bryan Hookenson,
Kingman

November 10, 2020

Last week,  Nov. 2, City council passed a bylaw for mandatory mask use inside of all public buildings.  I do know that there are many people who feel that this is just another way the government is taking away our freedoms.
I do have this to say to these people. Please keep in mind that this virus may not affect you, but it will affect the very old and the very young. So, please put aside your rights and keep the very vulnerable population in mind as you live your life.
So, just please knock off your attitude of entitlement and remember what you do can affect the lives of others. Death can be the result of your careless actions.
Lorne Vanderwoude,
Camrose

November 3, 2020

First of all, if AHS/Minister Shandro claims to be looking for “efficiencies” by eliminating waste, duplication and non-essential spending to fund government’s key priorities, while ensuring high quality, frontline services for Albertans,” as per the MacKinnon Report (2019), which cost Alberta taxpayers millions, this must start at the top of the salary pyramid in all ministries (please take note, Premier Kenney), not just the bottom echelon of Alberta Health staff, which supports the whole frontline system (especially housekeeping staff who scrupulously protect patients, nurses, doctors and support medical staff during this COVID-19 pandemic).
CTV News tells Albertans that there are 900 bureaucrats on the Health Sunshine List (11 vice presidents, 571 directors, 204 managers and many other leadership-type positions), which is where Shandro must start (i.e. AHS president and CEO’s annual $677,785). And, it won’t take long to rack up the “efficiencies” recommended by the MacKinnon Report up there at the top.
Plus, minister Shandro’s AHS cut of 11,000 AHS staff (supposedly to save $600 million) does not add up. The Blue Ribbon Panel’s specified $600 million cut to annual spending was not specifically in health, but the whole Alberta budget, with the rejoinder that there be no new spending increases in order to eradicate Alberta’s deficit.
The proposed $600 million health cut equates to an annual salary of $54,549 per person including EI, pensions and benefits. According to Shandro’s numbers, the current employees must be earning in excess of $100,000 each, per year. That is hard to believe.
Transferring this to private industry means that those 11,000 workers cut would have to work for free, if the private companies would even hire them, and the companies/contractors hiring staff to do these jobs would have to forego overheads and profits. That is not likely to happen either.
Assuming that the private companies pay $17 per hour for each these same 11,000 staff and assuming fixed cost of 30 per cent to cover overheads, WCB and EI, this amounts roughly to about a $5 million cost to the private contractors. So where are the savings/efficiencies? Shandro’s 11,000 cut  looks like a hidden way to generate revenue (aka “rents”) from the taxpayer?
Show me the numbers, because Mr. Shandro’s numbers and his statements do not make sense.
Franco Terrazzano, Canadian Taxpayers Federation, tells us that a 20 per cent cut to those salaries on the Sunshine List would recoup $36 million for AHS.
T. W. Leithead,
Bawlf

October 27, 2020

A deep dive into the proposed UCP policy resolutions for 2020 is revealing.  As the world faces the looming climate crisis, it appears that the UCP is determined to double down on trying to resurrect an extraction industry that is seeing global disinvestment. The resolutions, not short on dog-whistle politics, seek to further hobble collective bargaining, further disenfranchise municipal governments, privatize public services, create a two-tiered health system, absorb your Canada Pension, deregulate, and gut environmental and water laws and to inject an oil and gas curriculum into schools.
With Alberta contributing 40 per cent of Canada’s GHG emissions, there is not one reference in the policy platform to climate or any urgency to address this runaway problem. Most of what I read was regressive and self-serving and, in my view, will not serve Albertans moving into the next decade.
There is mention of a referendum on transfer payments. This is a subject that most Albertans are woefully ignorant on, but one that Jason Kenny knows all too well. He helped author the transfer current scheme as a member of the Harper cabinet.
Real leadership would address the climate crisis.  In can be done in a way that can benefit Albertans and ready the workforce for the new reality. Over the decades of oil and gas, Alberta has contributed massive amounts to the Federal GDP and all Canadians have benefited.  Smart leadership would bank this social capital and, instead of pushing for a renewed transfer system, one that is working as it was designed, and use this opportunity to push for the creation of  a new Climate Emergency Just Transfer. This could be structured such that those provinces most effected in any transition away from fossil fuels would benefit proportionally.  This would be especially important to Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland. With 40 per cent of the country’s GHGs, Alberta would get 40 per cent of the fund, which would be targeted specifically to making the transition through green infrastructure investments, research, and job training. This approach has been articulated by many public interest groups and other political parties and is worth consideration. Anything is better than the UCP neo-liberal approach that has been proven to divide community and create such wide income disparity all over the world.
One UCP platform resolution is to advance the development of artificial intelligence. I would be happy if the policies displayed more environmental intelligence.
Tim Belec,
Camrose

October 27, 2020

Members of Camrose County council, I have to ask–what were you thinking?
We teach our children from a very young age to reduce, reuse and recycle, and you have decided to stop funding Centra Cam, making the recycling facility unavailable for County residents. Your reasoning, according to the Booster article on Sept. 22, is that “you have heard that only 12 County residents use Centra Cam.” It seems obvious that none of the councillors use the facility, or you would be aware that there is no way of knowing how many rural residents make use of this great facility. I have used it for years and have never been asked where I live. You drive in, unload your products in the appropriate bins, and leave–no questions asked. Over the winter, when Centra Cam was closed because of COVID-19, the people I asked have simply stored their recyclables at home.
Discontinuing the recycling trailer at the transfer sights makes sense.  County residents go to Camrose to shop and could certainly take their recycling there, like the many who already do. Redirecting people to the West Dried Meat Landfill is shortsighted, a drive of many miles out of the way for most residents, and is not recycling.
I feel that your decision is out of touch with the current reality. It is not a “realignment”, but rather an “abandonment” of recycling in the County.  Citizens are more aware of environmental sustainability and the generation that is now young adults grew up in our schools where active recycling programs were a reality. This is important. It is a way of life. It is about the future of our environment.
I hope you will reconsider this decision and, as councilor Doug Lyseng suggested, revisit the issue at budget time when you have had time to consider the ramifications of this ridiculous decision.
     Dorothy Marshall,                                                                   
Camrose County

October 27, 2020

One obvious conclusion arising from this pandemic is that health issues don’t recognize borders. But despite the massive consequences of Covid-19, our political leaders still haven’t grasped it. Rich nations like ours are now paying enormous funds to get to the front of the vaccine line, as if treating the pandemic here, but not elsewhere, will end the problem.
Aside from the moral and ethical problems with this, the pandemic itself has proven we can’t wall disease away: as long as it circulates anywhere, it remains a grave threat.
Health organizations are calling for international funding to provide global accessibility to treatment. So far, our government has offered a tiny amount, nowhere near our fair share.
The lesson was simple: we’re all in this together. But it’s a lesson the Justin Trudeau Liberals still don’t seem have learned.
Nathaniel Poole,
Victoria, BC

October 27, 2020

This is just a friendly reminder to the many people who utilize our City’s wonderful walking trails. Signs have been put up at the entrance to the trails asking us to keep our six-feet social distance.
Because our trails are two-way, we are bound to pass people going the other way. In order to keep our distance, it is necessary for groups of walkers to form single file. Especially now with the snow, it’s not easy for individuals to step off the trail when groups of people (and even couples) take up a large width of the path.
Thanks, everyone, for giving your fellow walkers space, and helping to keep each other safe.
Cathy F. Johnson,
 Camrose

October 6, 2020

I’m just catching up on my Booster reading and came across MLA Jackie Lovely’s column of Sept. 1. A sentence there jumped out at me: “Alberta’s Recovery Plan…is a…long-term strategy to…create tens of thousands of jobs now.”  The exact same sentence appears in a reply I received from minister of advanced education Nicolaides at the end of July. What is the UCP’s definition of now?  Minister Nicolaides’ letter is two months old and MLA Lovely’s is a month old and I haven’t heard of these thousands of jobs being created yet. But what really confuses me is that UCP-imposed budget cuts have caused the loss of thousands of jobs in education and health care (and elsewhere). Why couldn’t those people have kept their jobs? It would have meant fewer jobs that the UCP needs to create.
 John Olson,
   Camrose

October 6, 2020

Another landmark has come down in Camrose. While it is hard to see something that has been around for a long time razed to the ground, I was sad for another reason–all the evergreens around the old St. Francis Catholic Church were also taken out. So many of these gentle giants have been coming down this year and it is painful to me. Let me explain why.
Evergreens are the condominiums of the bird world. The birds that stay here year-round (blue jays, siskins, chickadees, nuthatches, downy woodpeckers and house finches) and those that spend winters here (redpolls and waxwings) live together in these trees. They act as shelter from the elements, especially when the boughs are weighed down with snow. Each bird species gathers together to conserve their body heat within these conifers.
I get it–when evergreens get old, they become misshapen and unstable. They get too large for the space. So we take them down and replace them with ornamentals, which have a season and are finished for the year once autumn comes around. As we take out these birds’ habitat, they leave our area and we are poorer for it.
I am putting a call out to homeowners and business owners alike to consider replacing that evergreen with another, so we can maintain that habitat for generations to come. Planting trees that are five or six feet tall make them viable for birds from the moment of planting as you landscape. There are many varieties that do well in Alberta, so consult professionals for choices, planting and maintenance advice. Keep them away from buildings, giving them room to grow. Always make your first calls before you dig.
Remember to feed the birds (black oil sunflower seeds are best for winter birds), but make sure your feeders are high up or fenced to keep the deer away–they love these seeds as well.
Our winters are typically long and harsh. I don’t know about you, but I love seeing something that is living and colourful in the dead of winter–birds and trees alike.
Lori Blades,
Camrose

October 6, 2020

Thank you to Sheidi deJong and Tina Kawalilak (Booster, Sept. 22) for presenting a contrasting view in the current COVID discussion, particularly in the wearing of masks. We are fortunate to live in a democracy where people can voice their opinions; we need to cherish and protect this privilege and treat others with respect.
Concerning the COVID epidemic, is the cure worse than the disease? How does it compare with heart disease, cancer, neurological disorders, substance abuse, etc.?
How has COVID impacted education, tourism, the arts, athletics, businesses, employment, physical and mental health? Will we ever recover financially?
We have been told from the beginning: wash your hands, keep your hands away from your face, stay home if you are sick. This is not original to this infection. It is standard procedure at any time. Let’s add to this: exercise and fresh air, a healthy diet, proper rest, social connections.
We do well to do our own research. The “experts” cannot know all the answers–they are human. Nor does their education guarantee a crystal ball. And if we disagree with them, then we need to speak up and act on our convictions.
Carolyn Olson,
Camrose

October 6, 2020

(Local government) Using the term “lawful freedoms” to try and evoke emotional fervour, while not really holding to the facts is a stretch. Did the Camrose City councillors say why they voted to not mandate face covering use at this time? I believe a reasonable position is that they consulted health services personnel and looked at the current situation in Camrose and made a ruling. Nothing to do with lawful freedoms.
(Local, provincial and federal government) As a veteran, I get testy with the term freedom being used as a stand-in for personal privilege. Any legally constituted legislative body is there to set limits on personal privilege. Making laws is by it’s very nature curbing freedoms. That’s how members of a society have decided to allow the compromising of freedoms to benefit the majority, while trying to not trample on individual freedom. Even the mandating of masks would not be trampling freedom. I would think that the mandate would allow for medical issues and if someone really needs something from a business, there are other methods of procurement/service that do not involve entering said business.
(National news agency and the WHO) General statements like “our CBC reports the same coronavirus news as China” leaves out what news and actually says more about the author of the letter than actual fact. A quick check on the internet confirms that Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is indeed entitled to use the Dr. in front of his name (doctor of philosophy) and so I am unsure why the quoted use of fake is used when referring to him.
(Provincial government) Saying that the letter from SickKids doctors was “ignored” seems to say the author knows how the Ontario government treated the information. It is more likely that the information was taken into consideration. Using “dirty masks” and “extended periods” is just an attempt to conflate bad practice with good practice.
(National and international) Use of the terms plandemic, scamdemic and aborted baby tissue is an obfuscating fear tactic. Saying “check the sources,” while using sources like Friends of Science (not climate scientists) betrays a notable bias. Check what sources? Who goes after Antifa, climate change science, Justin Trudeau, communism and “the devil” in the same letter? The Liberal Party of Canada is not the Communist Party of Canada.
Kevin L. McManus,
Camrose

September 29, 2020

I am writing a reply to the letter “Our Country” in the Sept. 8 edition of The Booster.
I will state that Canada has many proud achievements in its history.
Unfortunately, the treatment of racially diverse groups is not one of them.
The history of our country Canada that many of us were taught in school did not and still does not examine the adversities that many of these racial minority groups have experienced and are still facing as they strive to take their equal place in Canadian society.
To understand this part of our history, I suggest that my fellow citizens read the book They Call Me George by Cecil Foster, which is available at the Camrose Public Library.
Keith Elliott Sr.,
Camrose

September 29, 2020

In the last Booster, letter writers went off against the need to wear masks. Usually misinformation and conspiracy theories are an attempt to simplify a complex issue with, at best, cherry picking of the facts to suit a belief or narrative or, at worse, the ramblings of a someone with profound paranoia or delusions.
Wearing a mask to protect your fellow citizens, your vulnerable family members and yourself is literally the least you can do. It’s a selfless act of concern for your neighbours. Recent WHO studies have again shown that mask wearing slows the spread of COVID-19. If you have any doubt, go ask your family doctor. This pseudo-libertarian ranting we hear now and again is just an individual’s selfish and self-centered  world view, one of entitlement and somewhat narcissistic.
Public health officials are educated and expert in ensuring that the spread of communicable diseases is kept in check. There is no conspiracy beyond keeping the public as healthy as possible, especially against a novel virus to which many are vulnerable. To try to make the link to communism, or the climate change bogeyman, or Antifa onto measures meant to protect the most vulnerable in our society, is obtuse in the extreme. Stop getting your news from Facebook, perhaps put your face in a real book. Whether it’s Covid or climate change or black lives matter or…pick your issue, I am so done with people deflecting their own inability to deal with the world and projecting their ignorance onto the trusted public institutions that have given us peace and security and health for many, many years. The more I hear these kinds of views expressed, the more I realize that there are indeed actors out there who mean to divide us. The only real response is to shed light on the lies and half-truths.  Peer reviewed science, not opinion, should rule the day. Even just use some common sense or critical thinking and the absurdity of these arguments just fall apart.
Tim Belec
Camrose

September 29, 2020

Will our MLA/health minister explain to citizens the economic and social benefits of the UPC contract with Telus Health in March 2020?
UPC contract with Telus Health pays for physician virtual consult at a rate of $38 per consult.
The UPC contract with Alberta doctors virtual consult is $20 per consult. Who are these Telus physicians? Are they Canadian?
Is this one more UPC health scheme to Americanize our Canadian health care system?
Where is list from the Alberta government of all contracts with mega-corporations?
E. Wetheral,
Camrose

September 22

Many thanks to those who worked on the new Bawlf and area history book, Today’s Memories, Tomorrow’s Treasures.
This updated version, following the publishing of We Came and We Stayed in 1980, is wonderful!.
The idea for a second book began with Ron Pederson and Kathleen Tennant. In the spring of 2017, they began to plan and gather together a committee to work on the project. The final result shows so much thought, effort and attention to detail.
I know a lot of hard work went into the collecting of all those family stories and memories.
I was personally pleased to see parts of the book dedicated to the early history of Bawlf and area, the farmers, businesspeople and all those whose efforts helped create a vibrant community.
Thanks to all who worked so hard on this project.
Lanis McClarty,
Camrose

September 22

I am writing this in hopes that the people of this community are made aware of the facts surrounding the wearing of masks and what protection they do and do not offer against the spread of infectious diseases.
I welcome anyone to check the facts I present for themselves by visiting the OHS website that defines mask use protocols for various situations.
Vented masks: these are designed for use in an environment that is contaminated. They filter the air you breath in and the exhale is not filtered on the way out, it passes directly through the vent port upon exhale. According to health officials, asymptomatic spread of the virus is not uncommon. These are therefore insufficient to contain the virus.
Non-vented surgical masks: these are designed for use in a sterile environment, to prevent contaminants from exhaled breath from entering the environment; they do not filter the air being inhaled. They work much like a vacuum bag, which allows air to pass through unfiltered one way, but not the other. This type of mask will not protect you from inhaling the virus from a contaminated environment. These masks also are required to be discarded after a period of 20 to 30 minutes as they are rendered useless by the accumulation of moisture and contaminants. That being said, if you think you may have the virus, you should be staying home. If you are wearing these in public to protect others in case you are asymptomatic, they must be changed regularly and discarded properly in a biohazardous waste control bin.
Cloth masks: Cloth masks do neither of these things and provide no help whatsoever. They become contaminated with many types of harmful molds and bacteria due to the moisture accumulation and frequent touching while donning and removing the mask. They are not sufficient to stop the inhale or the exhale of a microbe the size of COVID-19.
Taking these facts into account, making it mandatory to wear a mask in public and burdening the community with fines for non-compliance with arbitrary laws is the wrong thing to do. May our elected leaders lead with facts. And may we, the citizens of our community, educate ourselves with more sources than the mainstream news. In times like these, we need to be caring, support each other and stand together. Let us not allow this horrible situation to create more division among us.
Sheisi deJong,
Camrose

September 22

A big thank you to our Camrose City councillors who voted in favour of our lawful freedoms–to choose ourselves whether we wear a face covering or not.
We live in Canada, yet our CBC reports the same coronavirus news as China or the UN using unscientific and “fake” doctor sources (Dr. Tedros Adhanom).
When the “real” doctors from Toronto Sick Children’s Hospital wrote a letter to the health ministers concerning the irreversible “social” damage of mask wearing for children who learn social skills through facial expression, it was ignored; not to mention the physical harm, for it is increasingly dangerous to wear a “dirty” mask, or even wearing one for prolonged periods of time can be fatal.
The real doctors say that neither “social distancing” (germs can be airborne for 20 feet) or “mask wearing” or a “vaccine” are a medical remedy, for there are too many different strands for a vaccine to be effective for everyone; maybe it’s like trying to get rid of the common cold, and the world seems to be making it worse with all their “fear” tactics.
This whole plandemic (Event 201) has made the rich richer–it is most likely a scamdemic (Bill Gates’ billion dollar vaccine, using aborted baby tissue); in all likelihood, it will give people the coronavirus.
It’s time for people to check the resources for themselves, and wake up to the truth of the spread of communism in all of its forms: through Antifa and climate change (see Friends of Science).
Canada does not want “Socialist Marxist Communism”, yet it seems Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is doing everything to destroy Canada into a communist dictatorship, like China (China Communist Party CCP), whom he admittedly admires.
I suppose our choice in this era is: Communism or Christianity? For 2,000 years, it has been Christianity or “Whatever Evil Work” the devil is able to infiltrate.
Tina Kawalilak,
Camrose County

September 15, 2020

Thank you very much for your Booster Banter. Very funny and uplifting. Especially at this time of a very adverse situation. Many people have been affected and your timely jokes are helping.
They have helped me immensely, as I lost my husband of 58 years on April 10.
For this time, I thought I would help out with some jokes that I have picked up through my extensive novel reading. Keep it up!
Sophie Maglione,
Killam
Editor’s note: Thank you for the positive letter and your appreciated submissions.

September 15, 2020

I don’t agree with burning and looting, nor do I want to make any other political statement, but I do want to offer some facts.
Canada has developed a reputation as a friendly and welcoming place for other cultures, but Canada has its own history of slavery. In the 1600s, Canada had over 4,000 slaves, approximately two-thirds of whom were indigenous, while the other third were black. This was not new, because the First Nations had their own indigenous slaves well before Europeans settled here.  And, there was, as you say, an underground railroad carrying black slaves north from the US to Canada, but there was also an underground railroad taking slaves out of Canada to safety in the North Eastern states.
Canada had fewer slaves than the southern states for many reasons, including the fact that our climate and terrain does not lend itself to plantation-style farming, but we appear to have offered them the same range of treatment from kindness to brutality that they received south of the border.
We do have many things to be proud of as Canadians–but our behaviour during the days of slavery is probably not one of them. If you doubt this, feel free to read Policing Black Lives in Canada by Robyn Maynard.
Deanne Morrow,
Camrose

September 15, 2020

Does Mr. Fournier of Sherwood Park really think that the Camrose community is not concerned or cares about COVID-19, or that we believe we are immune to the crisis? May we remind him that no one in our seniors’ homes has died of COVID-19–to the credit of the staff and residents of those homes who tolerated a lengthy lockdown and only recently admitted visitors.
Unlike the mayors of Calgary and Edmonton, our mayor has not mandated the use of masks in public indoor spaces, but many shoppers in Camrose are voluntarily wearing masks. I doubt that Mr. Fournier was shopping at 7:30 a.m. when many Camrose residents, wearing masks, choose to shop, spending as little time in the stores as possible. He probably did not attend a church service here either, where we are seated two metres apart, wear masks, are prohibited from singing, and enter and exit drenched in hand sanitizer.
At a time when all of us are feeling somewhat vulnerable, we could be adopting a more charitable attitude towards others, rather than criticizing one another.
Gail Schulte,
Camrose

September 15, 2020

For over a quarter of a century, our team of security professionals has been attending to Camrose every summer to help contribute to the success of the Big Valley Jamboree. We were commonly known as “the red coats” and were largely composed of active and retired law enforcement professionals. We started out in Craven, Saskatchewan, doing security consulting for a local country music festival there.  We were asked to become involved in the BVJ when it relocated to Camrose and have never regretted accepting this invitation.
I am sad to say that once BVJ resumes, our security team will likely not be involved any longer. After spending every August long weekend in Camrose since 1993, it’s finally time for a change. I will truly miss the many friends I have made during this time. Both the City and the people of Camrose are incredible.
The festival and its security requirements have changed considerably during the past 25 years.  However, what remained constant was the exceptional hospitality and assistance from the numerous individuals and businesses that we became reliant upon.   My gratitude towards you is endless.  To the countless people and businesses who assisted us, I truly want to offer my thanks.
I especially want to thank Camrose’s emergency service teams for their unbelievable professionalism, dedication and support. Having personally spent 40 years working with emergency service teams from across Canada, I can unequivocally state that your local police, fire and EMS professionals are among the best I’ve ever worked with. They are an incredible group of professionals and serve your community exceedingly well.
To the many emergency service professionals I have had the pleasure to meet and work with, I want to say thank you for your friendships and support. (Even though most of you were not Rider fans, I soon learned to overlook this character flaw.)
Camrose, good luck with continuing to host this world class event in your beautiful city. BVJ is known internationally as a leader in outdoor music festivals and you should all be proud of what you’ve accomplished.
Tom Fulcher,
Regina, Saskatchewan

September 15, 2020

I have concerns about the current Camrose County press release on oil and gas assessment. What concerns me is the tone and direction the County has positioned itself in with regards to the changes in assessments. Showing pictures of unplowed roads and road closures due to holes in them unless taxes go up is a very exaggerated example of an, at most, nine per cent budget cut. Why cut the most important services? Instead of trying to scare people into raising residential taxes, the county would better serve their constituents by using their time developing ways they are going to cut excesses and potentially downsize departments that are not vitally essential. Maintaining roads is most important, based on a survey conducted by the County.
Camrose County has increased taxes every year by two or three per cent on average since 2014, while our economy has been in a very bad recession. The County has also increased the number of employees during this time. In the private sector, many have lost their jobs and others have taken pay cuts. Shouldn’t Camrose County be able to cut back and not constantly raise taxes? What concerns me is that the size of government continues to grow, spends more money, and takes a higher percentage from the private sector. Simple math proves that this will lead to greater economic stagnation. By cutting some services, the private sector will grow to fill any void if the service was actually needed.
Alberta has been in recession since 2014 and our unemployment rate in July was at 13.7 per cent. The energy industry is a major economic driver in our province. When it struggles, everyone else feels it. The County has stated that oil and gas companies will not reinvest their money back into the communities if taxes are reduced. This statement is misleading for a number of reasons.
Many of these companies are losing money, some are now bankrupt and when companies shut down, it not only affects the local jobs that are lost, but all the other businesses that service and provide for that company and the workers…that affects the entire economy. It’s not like they are in any position to buy back their own stock. They are fighting to survive. When they thrive, our entire economy thrives. Would the County rather they disappear and get no taxes?
Alberta’s municipal assessments on energy companies are four or five times higher than Saskatchewan and British Columbia. This has been stated by the provincial government and they are mandating municipalities lower rates on energy companies to a more competitive level. Energy companies are to fix the roads that they damage and get no extra services from the County. Ember Resources paid around $1.4 million in County taxes in 2019 and run mainly a dry field, meaning there is very little truck traffic on the roads. So little that the average-sized farmer puts more large vehicle pressure on the roads than they do. How were the high taxes justified? Shouldn’t taxation represent something provided in return?
The County suggests companies will take the money elsewhere. In response to this, I would ask how does the County know this? Forcing high taxes on a company because the County thinks it is better at reallocating the company’s money discourages business growth. A company located in our County invests heavily through infrastructure, job creation and community facilities. How did Encana get its name on one of our ice arenas in Camrose…they donated a lot of money! Ember Resources also donates money to local fire departments. Our municipal, provincial and federal governments have done a really good job at encouraging energy companies to leave to greener pastures since 2014 (Encana moved its head office to the US). When the bad times came, governments milked companies too hard through taxation and regulation that they moved to other places out of necessity because it was becoming too hard to do business.
Let’s not forget that all government pensions are reliant on a strong economy. With the low interest rates, the only way pensions will be viable is if they invest in stocks, real estate, or the government bails them out with taxpayer money. Stable pensions cannot have a political environment that stifles business because the private sector is what funds them all. It concerns me when governments do things that hurt the very companies and economies that support their wages and pensions. The companies in government employees’ pension funds need to make profits to grow and pay dividends, which will hopefully provide them a stable retirement. I would highly suggest that the County stop raising taxes and cut spending. Being more in line with the economic realities in our province for the past seven years would be the responsible thing to do.
In my conversations with the County, I have been told that they are unable or unwilling to not raise residential taxes. How is it that businesses and households can cut spending, in many cases much more than nine per cent, and still get the most essential things done, but the County cannot, even though taxes have been raised every year throughout a recession?
Tyrel Herder,
Camrose County

September 8, 2020

Way back when I was filling out my mail-in Conservative leadership race, I just had received a friendly call from Erin O’Toole’s campaign office by this very friendly young lady.
She took the time to listen to my concerns for over 15 minutes. I was clueless who I should vote for, so I put Erin O’Toole for my first selection, thinking this underdog should at least get one vote.
I placed Peter MacKay as second, which at first was my first selection. After the vote, I was really impressed with who this guy really was. I had no idea that this man had a seat and he was in one of the ridings in Ontario where the party needs to win seats in.
I thought Peter MacKay still had a seat in Parliament. Now that I found out that O’Toole came first in Alberta, I am beginning to see why our Premier endorsed this candidate. It is a good sign when my friends who are NDP supporters tell me that they are not too pleased that this man won.  They want a leader whom their party could defeat in the next election. If there is a man who could lead a majority Conservative government, he is the one. Canadians go back to the voting booths in our next election, which will be held by the spring of 2023.
Lorne Vanderwoude,
Camrose

September 8, 2020

When traveling in the United States, you cannot find news or weather for Canada on US television. In Canada, half of the news and weather is American. I am Canadian, not American. Their problems are not my problems.
We did not have a civil war over slavery and had hundreds of slaves escape the US and come to Canada to be free people through the underground railroad. We accepted them here.
During the war between native Americans and the US Army, hundreds of native Americans escaped to Canada. We accepted them here.
During the Vietnam War, hundreds of Americans came to Canada as draft dodgers. We accepted them here. Americans want to destroy its history, riot, loot and burn cities–let them. Do not let this stupidity come to Canada. We are Canadians, not Americans.
Statues are part of our history. They are put up for the good things the person has done for the country. We cannot judge them for things that are not acceptable at this time today.
Show me a person who has not done something wrong in their lifetime and  learned it was wrong. This is called growth and history. No person is perfect.
There was a slave ship captain that dealt in the slave trade for years. One day, he realized slavery was wrong and the things he had done were wrong. He changed his life.
He was the one to write the song “Amazing Grace”. That is part of history. If you have no history, there is nothing to improve, correct or learn from.
You cannot change or hide history. To change the names of cities, towns, buildings, streets, etc., would be non-ending. Next we will be burning books. Destroying the pyramids, Roman Colosseum and anything else slaves built would never end. In the end, we will have no history and nothing to improve. We will be perfect.
Crime, theft and shooting are on the rise in Canada. There are people who want to defund police. Are you out of your mind? This is Canada, not the United States.
Glenn Dunn,
Camrose

September 1, 2020

Just want to let the people of Sedgewick know that our MLA in Camrose is on the ball and doing a great job. Jackie Lovely was contacted at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and she was still in her office working. We told her we had a problem with a phone line not working in the home of a 95 year old senior. After many attempts and waiting 1.45 hours they finally got a phone rep in a country way across the pond. She told them that they could get hooked up on Sept. 4 (two weeks later), which is not good for a lady that needs a phone for her lifeline.
Many attempts were made on five different numbers with the same result,  wait for more than one and a half hours for a rep. At 5:30 p.m. I called the office of our MLA in Camrose and by golly, Jackie Lovely answered the phone herself. When we explained the problem Jackie said, give her a bit of time and she would try and do something. At approximately 8 p.m. she got through to the right person and was given confirmation that someone would be out the next day to fix the phone. Because the help and late hour work ethic of Jackie, the phone was repaired on Saturday. We need more politicians like Jackie putting in extra time to help people in need.
Many thanks go out to Jackie.
Jim Coles,
Sedgewick

September 1, 2020

I found the visit of Premier Kenney on Tuesday, Aug. 11 quite ironic. He was taking advantage of a photo opportunity at the Chester Ronning School development. A development which was initiated by the former NDP government. While he did not miss the opportunity to partake of pie and coffee with local MLA Jackie Lovely, he did miss the opportunity to meet with and a get comment from a group of knowledgeable and involved citizens when he cancelled a scheduled meeting at Augustana.
I found the Premier’s visit ironic because during that week the loss of jobs to 51 people came to my attention. Nine of the 51 were former colleagues with Children’s Rehabilitation Services (CRS). Two friends worked in the schools. And 40 people at Augustana.
Those job losses have a devastating impact on those 51 people and their loved ones and their friends. But the negative impact reaches far beyond. For instance, a full-time therapist with CRS can be working with around 80 clients. That means there will be around 320 children who will not receive the professional care and assistance from a speech language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist or respiratory therapist come September.
Even prior to these cuts to services it has been decided to restrict services to children aged zero to five years. Prior services were rendered for children from zero to 18 years. What will families do who need the help of these special therapists for their children of school age? Most schools will not be able to find the resources to contract our regular therapy services. Most families cannot afford private services. The result will be extreme pressure on children, parents and school staff. I have a question for you if you voted UCP and fit one or more of the following conditions:
1. You have a child or grandchild who needs extra support or specialized therapy to succeed in school.
2. You have a child or grandchild who attends university, or you are a student yourself.
3. You work in, or know someone who works in, publicly funded schools, universities or health care. My question is: “Are you happy living in Alberta with so many job losses, and reduced services as a direct result of funding cuts?”
If you are dissatisfied, contact your MLA and tell them this is simply not the time to cut funding to education or health care.
Donna Hackborn,
Camrose

September 1, 2020

As “new reality” continues to darken our doors with confusion and Negativity, Positive thought deserves refreshing.
Being relatively new to the area, I chose Camrose for shopping and services and it is there I found some special individuals deserving acknowledgement of appreciation. A bundle of gratitude to Humpty’s Restaurant’s thoughtful, courteous waitresses, and especially “Emily”…a refreshingly cheerful, confident and enthusiastic young woman. The groomers at I Pets Quality Dog Grooming who tackle their fur-filled job with delightful determination, patience and gentle consideration, making moments memorable for pooches and felines. The language of their clients “speaks” volumes. So value the gals’ understanding of body language! Remedy Rx staff and manager Sumitha Sasi RPh. Sumi exudes sunshine from her very soul as her ever-present golden smile greets all who enter. A most welcomed and charming quality from an especially kind and a lovely service provider. Guy, the Shoe Doctor…dependable and surely capable of “putting boots to the ground.” Such fun to discover his humour bubbling quietly behind a smile.
As a profoundly deaf individual, appropriate words of appreciation are in short supply to express my good fortune with the discovery of Claire Milligan (a Woman of Vision possessing a fine ear for listening) and Hauck Hearing Centre. Shortly after navigating our way through the swamps to settle in Beaver County, it was, shall I say, “dumb luck” to notice within the pages of The Booster, Claire’s announcement of her “Hearing Presentation.” Claire’s exceptional communication skills with those in attendance, plus her knowledge and experience went far beyond any I had encountered in my 52 years of deafness. Later, at her office and within minutes, Claire successfully rejuvenated my hearing devices which were three years beyond warranty. That in itself saved me bundles, plus I could hear birds again and even my vehicle’s engine. What a wow. Claire’s dedication and integrity was a treasure then and continues. Thank you for a genuine passion for caring.
Many deserving others are tucked between the petals of my small bouquet of gratitude, including those who frequently contribute thoughts and opinions to Just Sayin’, or wherever. I encourage you to continue and request others follow…while your freedom of speech exists.
Lennie McKim,
Camrose

August 18, 2020

Alberta’s world-class post-secondary institutions are under attack by the UCP government. I’ve expressed my concerns to Alberta’s minister of advanced education, an academic whom I thought should know better, but his maddening reply is all about saving money, even though he also claims that the “government believes strongly that post-secondary education is critical to building Alberta’s future.”
To me, the government’s actions (insanely vicious funding cuts) speak far louder than words; the excellence that has been achieved is under threat since the government appears to prefer to fund for mediocrity (the inevitable outcome if funding continues to be withdrawn). [As if COVID-19 wasn’t enough to deal with, the universities were walloped by the government’s cuts–a cruel and unnecessary double whammy.]
Perhaps I’m terribly naïve, but I thought that the job of the minister of portfolio X was to advocate for X, to help to improve it, to protect it. Above, I was addressing the case of X = advanced education, but I see an unfortunate pattern with the UCP government: think of health, and of municipal affairs, as examples.
At any rate, we’re fortunate to have a “jewel” in Alberta’s post-secondary “crown” right here in Camrose: Augustana. We can all show our support for both the jewel and the crown at an event this coming Saturday, Aug. 22, at 2 p.m. in Jubilee Park, across 50 Street from the Lougheed Performing Arts Centre. Wear a mask and prepare for physical distancing. See you there!
John Olson,
Camrose

August 18, 2020

The  UCP is fulfilling its promises and doing so rapidly. Rapid action was also promised. The spending cuts we have seen implemented by our government in the past year and a half were planned at least two years ago, if not more.
The UCP did not include a promise to be flexible in their actions in the event of catastrophic events beyond their control. There is no way they could have anticipated the colossal downturn in world prices. However, the UCP as a whole and each individual UCP MLA can, should be, must be held to account for the terrible impact of government cuts to spending which exacerbate the employment problem resulting from the combined impact of oil pricing and the pandemic.
Could there be a worse time to cut government expenditures and associated government funded jobs? I hope every person who voted for the UCP will think, “Why is the government I voted for unable to adapt their actions to these catastrophic events?”
Has there not been even one UCP MLA who has thought, “Maybe this is not the time to be cutting program funding.” Is this government not capable of saying, “We made these promises at a time when they made sense, but they do not make sense now.”
In a recent Camrose Booster, our local MLA seemed to take great pride in the actions taken by herself and her colleagues. In the past several days, I personally have heard of six job losses directly resulting from government program funding cuts. Job loss is not going to end soon. We know there are imminent bankruptcies forthcoming. Can there be a more insane time to cut government spending? Are the actions of the UCP in the past year things of which to be proud?
Is the UCP so dogmatically committed to cutting government spending that they are not able to see the lunacy of doing so at this time? Can they not see that this is the time to increase taxes on those who are fortunate enough to be able to pay taxes? Our government cannot prevent the devastating effects of the pandemic on business.
However, it can and should stop feeding into the problem with mindless and thoughtless cuts to government funded programs. Is this not the greatest possible time for sharing through increased, rather than reduced, government program funding?
Marvin Miniely,
Camrose

August 18, 2020

It seems, that these days, when my wife and I go for an evening stroll around one of Camrose’s great walking trails, individuals, couples and groups are not now as diligent in keeping any form of “physical distancing” as before.
At the start of the pandemic, people about to cross paths would almost somersault out of each other’s way. This seldom is the case anymore. The same is true for grocery stores’ uni-directional flow patterns.
Walmart has chosen to lead by soon requiring face masks in their store. This corporation is exercising their responsible part in flattening the curve…well done.
To those who have, by their actions, declared the pandemic to be “over”, I would invite them to watch the evening news featuring a COVID-19 patient in hospital, or a family saying goodbye to their loved one at a graveside.
Albertans are proud of their rugged frontier, individuality and fierce independence, but there is also an equally strong determination to help each other in times of great need. 
If a big-box store can harmonize safety, health protection and profit, do we do less? Or, find the courage to do this and more?
Decide.
Jacques Vaillancourt,
Camrose

August 18, 2020

My name is Julia and I would like to give some feedback.
I have gone into several businesses lately where the staff are wearing masks and there is background noise.
Because I mostly lip read, often there are very few words I understand.
I will explain. The mask is raised for about 20 seconds, and for the next choice or direction I again request.  ‘Please raise your mask. I mostly lip read. I am having trouble understanding.’
When they are considerate of my request, I will return. When they are not and I need to ask several times, I do not want to come back.
I am a human being. I like people very much. I am not a virus.
Julia Siemens,
Camrose

August 1, 2020

It appears that several persons in Toronto have taken leave of their sanity. They are attacking statues of the Father of our Country. Without the influence of John A. Macdonald there simply would be no Canada.
Canada is the product of our history. Most of which is source of pride. Any negative elements are also part of our story and must be lived with.  John Macdonald is definitely a source of positive memories. His vision lead other leaders of his time to support: “One nation from sea onto sea” and he was the leader who lead Canada’s growth from four provinces to seven with the territory which became nine included as part of the nation.
He did not establish residential schools. That institution was established by the government headed by Alexander MacKenzie during the five years (1873-1878) that Macdonald was out of office. He did continue the policy.
It is not politically correct to say anything positive about residential schools, but it is a fact that relations between invading whites and the natives in Canada were peaceful. The native leaders, at the time, were accepting of the policy of residential schools; not the final result, but the concept. The United States had a half century of Indian Wars, while Canada had peace.
Canada also had peace with the black race. Canada was a place of freedom at the end of the underground railway. On entering Canada, Black Americans, kissed the soil of the “Land of the Freedom Queen.”
During the first session of the first legislature of Upper Canada, Ontario, a law was passed that provided that any slave entering the colony became free. This was 70 years before the American Civil War.
Therefore what are these dim witted people protesting?

Ronald  Williams,
Camrose