Honoured

Last Monday night, just before we convened our July Council Meeting, I was most honoured to be presented with a Senator's Contribution Award!

The award was presented to me through the office of the Honourable Doug Black, Q.C., an Alberta Senator.  I was very pleased and honoured to accept this award.  My wife and I have always enjoyed volunteering.  It is one way we can give back to the community we enjoy living in so much!

Thank you to our CAO Jo Lambert and our village staff for nominating me for this most appreciated award.  To be sure, our volunteer efforts will continue after I retire from Council this fall.

Great 149th Canada Day!

I hope you all had a great Canada Day!  The weather sort of cooperated to give most of us the chance to get out and celebrate Canada's 149th Birthday. 

I often wonder if Sir John A. MacDonald, Canada's first Prime Minister, would recognize the nation he helped create 149 years ago.  It was much smaller then with only four provinces, but it grew into one of the proudest nations in the world! 

Thanks again to the "Flag Folks" who put a tiny Canadian flag at each home throughout the village so it will be there in the morning to announce cheerfully Canada Day!  Otherwise, Canada Day was very quiet in the Village.  Other communities around us had parades, parties and fireworks, so this Canada Day did not slip by unnoticed! I hope you were able to take in some of the festivities.

I hope you had a great Canada Day 2016.  I did!  Now we get to plan out our big celebration for next year as Canada turns 150 years old.  I think Sir John A. would be proud of Canada today.  I know I am! Happy Canada Day!

Ray's Note: Did you know that Canada Day was known throughout most of Canada's history as "Dominion Day," to celebrate the creation of the Dominion of Canada?

Super Town Hall Meeting!

We had an excellent turnout for our annual Spring Town Hall Meeting last night in the Beiseker Community Centre!

Council faced some difficult questions on topics ranging from the burned out Bassano Station to sick trees.  There were some questions about the Village's finances, and suggestions on how we could save money.

The topic of junky back lanes and a disreputable Main Street business was a hot one.

Our application to the Canada 150 Fund to build a new Tourist Information Centre was questioned.  The water valve replacement program was discussed.  (Surprisingly, street paving was barely mentioned.)

We had some excellent suggestions made, too;

• We offer a babysitting service at town hall meetings to attract more young people.
• We encourage volunteers to re-engage at the recycling facility to relieve pressure on Public Works.
• We re-examine our Municipal Plan on a regular basis so it may be updated to reflect the current situation in the village
• We encourage residents to notify the village in writing of any junky or messy area within the Village.

To mention a few.

Overall, I thought it was a very productive meeting, giving council a good idea of what some of the folks out there are thinking about their town.  Now, council will take these suggestions and work out a plan to deal with them under the constraints of provincial and federal law, and available tax dollars.

Well done everyone!  Thank you so much for coming last night!

Excellent ICAS Convention this Year!

ICAS is the International Council of Air Shows, and their convention is held every year at the beginning of December in Las Vegas, Nevada.  I've just returned from this year's convention with a renewed sense of excitement and optimism for the 2016 air show season!

The American military is back in a big way, flying at shows on both sides of the border!  They were back in a limited capacity in 2015 but they are planning to go all out in 2016.    Canada's magnificent Snowbirds have a full 2016 schedule planned. 

One of the most exciting bits of news comes from right here in Alberta!  Team Rocket, a two plane aerobatic team from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, announced that they are planning a most ambitious air show tour in 2017!

As you all know, Canada is celebrating its 150th Birthday in 2017.  Air shows are huge spectator draws.  They rate right up there with auto racing, soccer, football, and baseball in the numbers of fans attracted to air shows each year.  But the folks in Canada's far north rarely, if ever, see an air show!  Team Rocket is planning to remedy that in 2017!   They're planning an air show blitz across Canada's North to celebrate Canada's 150th Birthday!  They want to organize full air shows in the bigger centres and almost 40 fly-pasts over the smaller communities!

What a fantastic plan!  I volunteered to help out wherever I can. Stay tuned for more details coming up.

Overall I found this year's convention full of optimism and excitement.  Now we need to get ready for the spring!  Clear skies!