Year-End 2018! Happy New Year!

I'm back!  I've not contributed anything to my blog in a very long time, but I'm going to try to change that today.

Here goes!

STOP!  I don't know in who in Beiseker decided it was a good idea to install stop signs on the First Avenue extension where it crosses the CN tracks, or why.  Visibility is great there.  You can easily see a train coming!

It certain situations (such as fog) it might be harder to see a train already on the crossing, especially if the cars are dirty and the reflectors aren't showing up in your headlights.

Perhaps it's an insurance liability thing; if you hit a train there, it's your own fault because you ran a stop sign.  In my opinion, a more sensible solution to the issue would be the installation of warning signs 50 metres from the crossing warning motorists that they're approaching an uncontrolled railway crossing.

Christmas Cheer!  I don't know if it's my imagination, but the village appears to be decorated far more for Christmas than in past years!  I'm glad I wasn't chosen to judge the annual Christmas Light Display contest!  It must have been a very difficult job picking the best of so many beautiful displays.  In my mind you're all winners!

Here's a special shout-out to the Village of Beiseker!  Their display is extra-beautiful this year!  Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!

Ho Ho Ho! Here's a big thank you to the volunteer firefighters of the Beiseker Fire Department who spent much of their Christmas Eve driving Santa up and down every street in Beiseker!  Their noisy little procession makes Christmas in the village just that much more special!

I will take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year!

Forest Fire Catastrophe a Sign of Neglect!

As I sit here looking out over my smoke filled village, I have come to the conclusion that the forest fire catastrophe in the West could have been far less traumatic if the people of Canada had been more proactive.  First, let it be said that I have very limited experience with forest fires.  I spent a very, very brief time at a fire lookout station back in the sixties.  Also back then I was commandeered to fight a forest fire.  That lasted less than two days!  

I did learn that forest fires destroy valuable resources.  They kill both men and critters. Man made structures are at their mercy. They are very hard and exhausting to fight.  And they can be better controlled if they are caught early!

Here's what I think Canada should do to stop what is happening in B.C. now.

• Build more look-out stations or towers in forested areas. These would act as early warning sites so fires could be spotted and attacked early.
• Create more "forest fire first responders" who can be brought into a fire early. 
• Build, equip and staff more forest fire halls, much like urban fire halls across the forested areas.
• Build more forest fire fighting aircraft like the Canadair CT415 which could be placed at more fire stations like the one in Rocky Mountain House.
• Hire more full time forest firefighters.
• Encourage more controlled burns to reduce the amount of undergrowth which can fuel a fire for months.
• Attack all forest fires.  We can no longer afford to "let nature take its course"!
• Create a national forest fire response system which could coordinate the moving of personnel and equipment to fight fires across Canada.

Would this be expensive?  You bet your bippy!   But when you consider the cost of fighting those fires and the destruction they create, it might just turn out to be a good investment!   I think it is the responsibility of the federal, provincial, and municipal governments to work together with the forest industry to build this strategy.  Remember Slave Lake, Fort Mac, and that huge grass fire in Saskatchewan among others.  I think it's time we do the math!

Poor Old Sir John A.

I was appalled over the removal of the bronze statue of our first Prime Minister, Sir John A. MacDonald from in front of Victoria's City Hall.   I was not upset with the reasoning behind the removal but in the way it was done.  It was announced that the statue would be removed just days before the event.  A crew showed up before the dawn and proceeded to haul it away to storage.  A handful of protesters were on hand but it was so early in the morning, most folks were still in bed when the deed was done! 

There was and still is no plans announced as to where the statue is to be relocated.  Maybe those in charge of the move are hoping people will forget about Sir John A. and the statue can be melted down.

Sir John A. MacDonald is a hero of mine!  I know he drank too much and he discussed political theory with lampposts among other things, but he stitched together the fabric of what was to become the greatest nation in the world; Canada!   Yes I know he screwed up some things but most of what he did led to the creation of this country.

When it came to the natives of Canada, our indigenous people, Sir John A. and his cohorts screwed up bad!  They thought the best thing for our indigenous children was to send them to boarding schools and make little English kids out of them.  Boarding schools were a way of life in Britain back then so it seemed a good idea at the time.  I am sure that had they known of the abuse and cruelty that would take place in those residential schools that they would not have pushed the idea!  As it turned out the residential schools have become a very sad chapter in this nation's history.

If moving the statue acknowledges that the way the indigenous people of Canada were treated back was terrible, then its move was long overdue!  But where's it going?  I think it should it should be rededicated in front of Victoria's federal building, wherever that is.  After all Sir John A. was a federal leader.

Removing his statue cannot rewrite history.  It is what it is!  Removing his statue cannot punish Sir John A. for his screw-up with the residential schools.  I hope that removing his statue might acknowledge that screw-up and declare that all Canadians are now moving on!

Canada strong!

Beware Beacon Heights!

I ask all residents and visitors to Beacon Heights to be extra cautious while driving through our neighborhood.   There are a number of children living in our area who have no concept of traffic rules and safety!  They will dart out in front moving vehicles without even looking.  They will ride their bikes and scooters down the center of the street while vehicles are attempting to drive by!  They leave their bikes, scooters, and other toys on the street and will run out to retrieve them at any time!  Our 30 km/hr speed limit is far too fast!   I have decided to come to a complete stop and wait for them to pass.  I have voiced my concern to them on a few occasions with no effect.  Please be aware of these kids and adjust your driving accordingly.  We do not want a child injured in a traffic accident in our subdivision!

More This and That

The Fire Truck Saga;  I heard that the Village of Beiseker has sold our old-new fire truck that was languishing down at the Public Works Yard!  I didn't hear what they got for it but I hope it was around the $25 000.00 mark.  That was what I figure it was worth.

I was very pleased that the young fellow who lives down in the Okotoks area was cleared of all charges related to a shooting at his rural home.  The young man found some folks trespassing on his property and allegedly trying to steal some of his belongings!  A shot was fired and the trespassers left.  They have since been arrested and face numerous charges.  The property owner was also charged for discharging his gun and other things.  I understand all those charges have now been dropped.  The charges against the trespassers and possible thieves remain!

The above mentioned story reminds us that rural policing in Alberta has its challenges.  We've all heard stories of folks having to wait more than half an hour for the police to arrive at the scene of an incident.  There are solutions;

• Increase the number of personnel at every detachment in rural Alberta.   This would be expensive but well worth it! 
• Remove the RCMP from highway traffic duty.  This would free up officers to do other duties.  Re-create the Alberta Provincial Police to do highway traffic duties.
• Have the provincial government strongly support local crime watch groups.

I worry that the large patch of prairie grass which extends right through Beiseker may become a fire hazard as the grass dries out later this summer.  The land belongs to Alberta Trail Net.  It was lent to the railway museum which appears to have disappeared like a feather in the wind.  The Village can't afford to mow it down.  What's going to happen?

Little Bugs

Early summer is bug season in this part of the world.  The mosquitoes were ferocious earlier on and now those black & yellow wasps are back!  Here are some other little bugs that annoy me:

• It bugs me to have to bump over all those "speed bumps" in parking lots!  There are some lots in Airdrie which are particularly bad.  I have to almost stop the car then ease over these lumps!  It discourages me and other motorists from visiting those shops and eateries!  I guess they're discouraging vehicle traffic there.
• It bugs me to have folks step out into a crosswalk without even checking for traffic.  They're too busy talking or texting on their cellphones!
• It bugs me when dog owners do not pick up after their pets.  There are some pooches which regularly leave dog-logs on my front lawn for me to pick up!
• It bugs me when I see an individual operating what appears to be a commercial auto repair business on a lot zoned residential without so much as a local business license!  That is against village zoning bylaws yet the village is powerless to stop it!
• It bugs me when, while waiting for a passing train, I notice that every rail car that passes is covered in graffiti!
• It bugs when the price of gasoline jumps up by more than ten cents a liter just before a long weekend! 
• It bugs me when I see drivers taking unnecessary chances trying to pass someone moving farm machinery then flicking the bird to the tractor driver on the way past.  Especially in the spring and fall, farmers need to move equipment from one field to the next quickly.  Other drivers should show patience!  

So there are a few of my little bugs.  Do you have some?

The Ridiculous Pipe Dream

This whole debate about the twinning of the Kinder Morgan Pipeline from Alberta's oil sands to the west coast has gone from the sublime to the ridiculous!

There is overwhelming evidence to show that the project will have minimum impact on the environment of either province.  A pipeline is much, much safer that shipping the oil by rail!  In my opinion, the economic benefits to Canada will be widespread and significant in a positive way! 

Yet the protesters and the support groups demonstrate against each other.  Folks are blocking access to the pipeline building sites.  The squabble has become a farce on democracy.   I suspect that most protesters don't even understand what they are really protesting and why!

Yet the fight goes on!   I think now the fight is being waged, just because!  The reasons for the initial debate have been lost in the rhetoric over the past few months.  Let's just quit all this silliness and build the pipeline!  And maybe we should build a huge oil refinery in Fort Mac. as well!