ECA Review 2018-05-09

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6 M a y 1 0 ' 1 8 H A N N A / C o r o n a t i o n / S t e t t l e r , A b . E C A r e v i e w On the Other Hand To kill a wife V I E W P O I N T S The opinions expressed are not necessarily the opinions of this newspaper. and mother B. P. Schimke ECA Review From my perspective the two human emotions that are the most damaging to an individual, to others around them, and society at large are hate and anger. The release of information that in less than three years, Premier Rachel Notley has received 11 death threats and endured 412 hate incidents, some so vile that they are ‘X’ rated, is truly disturbing. Most are cowardly threats on social media depicting photos and posts to encourage violence against the Premier. In the Premier’s case it’s two-fold. It’s misogynistic, suffered by all women in politics including Rona Ambrose and Michelle Rempel of the Conservative Party, where unsuccessful men resent powerful women. But for Premier Notley, it is even more vicious because she represents the New Democrat Party. A party vilified by many nationalists and far right wing supporters. Notley’s situation closely parallels the attitudes of white nationalists and Tea Party members in the American Republican Party who not only hate Democrats but hate the people who represent them. Their anger was ferocious when a ‘black’ Democratic President was elected and Russia’s Putin became their instant hero when his misinformation helped defeat the ‘woman’ candidate for President. Anger and hatred make us do very irrational and often dangerous things. A couple years ago, a very fine educated woman in conversation repeatedly and angrily said, “I hate David Suzuki”! The concern coming from that conversation still resonates with me. Why does an intelligent person become so angry about someone’s views to turn to intense hatred of a person? I can understand and fully support someone who hates the actions of people who are destroying human R R R R R Published by Coronation Review Limited rights or killing other humans for personal power, but because someone’s an environmentalist! Personally I’m always amused, as a creationist, that very intelligent scientific people can believe this amazing complex and integral world just banged into existence. But, alas, that doesn’t take away from Suzuki or the work of the scientific community who have done an amazing job of discovering, understanding and most critically today, offering solutions to curtail global warming. Sure Suzuki has flaws and if you’ve ever heard him speak to a live audience, his arrogance knows no bounds, but that isn’t a valid reason for hate! I bring the Suzuki story into the Premier Notley story because it shows how easily good people turn to hatred merely because of someone’s different religion, ideology, physical attributes or jealousy. It is so easy to forget that Suzuki has a wife, children and grandchildren. As a student of Alberta Premiers, I would argue Rachel Notley is one of the four most honourable and skilled individuals to ever occupy the Premier’s chair. Raised in the Peace Country, receiving her post-secondary education in Edmonton, her career has always focused on improving the lives of others. Personal enrichment has never been top of her list. In 2010 she filed so few expense claims that her total compensation was $129,857, the second lowest of any MLA. When her two children were young, she worked part-time in order to spend more time mothering. She is a fine human being, which should mean more to us when electing a leader than personal greed or religious piety. The truth in this world of fake news is a person who hates Rachel Notley so much as to encourage violence against her has let irrational anger and hatred skew their moral compass. Ask yourself? Is ideology really worth promoting the killing of a mother and wife? Copyright Notice All printed material, written, display advertising and photographs are the sole property of the (Coronation) East Central Alberta (ECA) Review. No reproduction of this material or layouts is permitted without written consent of the publisher. 72 pt East Central Alberta EVIEW 60 pt 48 pt 36 pt LETTERS POLICY • Letters to the Editor are welcomed • Must be signed and a phone number included so the writer’s identity can be verified. • ECA Review reserves the right to edit letters for legal considerations, taste and brevity. Letters and columns submitted are not necessarily the opinion of this newspaper. Member of: Office Hours Mon. - Fri. 9 am - 5 pm R 30 pt Subscriptions: 4921 - Victoria Avenue $42.00 in Canada; $74.20 in US; Tel. (403) 578-4111 R 24 pt $135.15 Overseas. (All prices include GST) Mail: Box 70, Coronation, AB Canada, T0C 1C0 Website ECAreview.com guest editorial A tale of two papers My perspective Kate Jackman-Atkinson Editor, myWestman.ca Neepawa, Mb. The newspaper industry has a problem, but it’s not what most people think. More than anything else, the newspaper industry in North America has an ownership problem. Long known by those in the industry, the public watched this story explode a little over a week ago. The spark? A series of editorials in the Denver Post blasting their owners, a hedge-fund called Alden Global Capital. What most readers forget, or don’t know, is that many of the papers they read are owned by hedge funds or investment companies. It could be outright, like the Denver Post, or by extension, like Postmedia, which has borrowed so much to fuel its expansion, it is effectively beholden to its lenders. This ownership structure favours profitability at any cost— they are investors looking to make money through newspaper ownership, not newspaper owners looking to make money. The Denver Post editorial was accompanied by a photo of the paper’s staff in 2013, with the people who have been lost to cutbacks blacked out. Only about a third of the people remain. These cuts are deeper than those faced by other papers in similar markets and come even as the company reported profits within its newspaper division. Denver isn’t the only place where the staff is fighting back. Last month, journalists at two other Alden papers, the San Jose Mercury News and East Bay Times, held a public rally at which they distributed fact sheets about the “pillaging” of their papers; this month, staff at the Gannett-owned Knoxville News Sentinel sent a letter to all of their subscribers outlining the cuts their owners have taken since purchasing the paper in 2015. Emmy award-winning former CBS news anchor Dan Rather recently posted a video about how Wall Street is Alberta Press Council Do you have a concern or complaint about a newspaper article or ad? If after bringing your concerns to the attention of this newspaper, you are not satisfied, you may contact the Alberta Press Council at www.albertapresscouncil.ca or toll free in Alberta at 1-888-580-4104 for information. killing newspapers. We haven’t seen this kind of pushback in Canada yet, but there is no shortage of journalists who feel their papers are being bled to death by their return-focused owners. This week, you’d be hard-pressed to find a major media outlet that isn’t covering this story. Not surprisingly, these cuts severely impact the quality of the product and ultimately, readers and advertisers have been driven away, until the paper is forced to close. If the paper closes, the owners don’t really care, as long as they’ve extracted the maximum profit from their investment. The problem is that the closures, which are a result of mismanagement, help drive that narrative that the newspaper industry is dying. The media industry has changed and the days of newspapers being a license to print money have gone, probably never to return, but that doesn’t mean that the industry isn’t still viable or valuable. The reality is that the industry is starkly divided in two. On the other side of the corporate behemoths are the numerous papers that are independently owned, like ours. Across Canada and the US, a recent survey found that 50 per cent of papers were independently owned and another 13.5 per cent is part of less than five paper group, with most of the work being done locally. These papers are making a living for their owners and reinvesting in both the business and the community. The story of the large corporately-owned papers isn’t our story. Without a doubt, the media landscape has changed in the last decade and while many papers have adapted, some haven’t even tried and some have be enhampered by owners who really don’t care about their papers’ future. The general public doesn’t know about this and while reporters have long been trained to keep themselves out of the news they cover, as cuts deepen and more papers close, we owe the public an explanation of what’s really going on in our industry. Joyce Webster Publisher/Editor publisher@ECAreview.com Lisa Myers-sortland Graphic Artist YvoNNe tHulien Manager office@ECAreview.com Gayle Jaraway Marketing 403-578-4111 advertise@ECAreview.com BoNNy WilliaMS Circulation Manager Judy walGENbaCH Marketing 403-740-2492 marketing@ecareview.com R 18 pt
E C A r e v i e w H A N N A / C o r o N A t i o n / S t e t t l e r , A b M a y 1 0 ' 1 8 7 Legislature ‘This is about people, not power’ Rick Strankman MLA, Drumheller Stettler Over 2,600 people met in Red Deer to participate in the largest political convention in the 113-year history of Alberta but more importantly to work towards bringing back the advantage that Alberta once had. With the exodus of investment capital leaving Alberta in record amounts, it has never been more important to repeal and reverse the economically destructive policies that have been eliminating what we once called, the “Alberta advantage.” During his speech to the party members, Jason Kenney asked how many people were attending their first political convention, and to the astonishment of many, a third of the people in the room raised their hands. It’s apparent that average Albertans feel the urgency and the importance of repealing economy-crippling policies like the carbon tax. Sunday morning the question was asked directly of those in attendance if they wanted the carbon tax repealed, a whopping 98 per cent voted in favour of the motion. Jason Kenney set out on a mission to bring back the advantage that drew so many people to make Alberta their home. Parliament His vision for Alberta is what has drawn so many people that share that vision of an Alberta that allows us all the opportunity to make our own way. Prior to the UCP Leader’s speech, former Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall addressed the record crowd declaring that “Help is on the way and hope is on the horizon,” referring to the enthusiasm and participation he witnessed in Red Strankman Deer. The Saskatchewan Party Representation from coal communities imperative by Hon. Kevin Sorenson, M.P., (Battle River-Crowfoot) The phasing out of coal has significant ramifications that must be addressed by those most affected Coal-fired electricity and coal mining has been a mainstay of many regional economies in Alberta over the last 60 years. In 2014, 55 per cent of Alberta’s electricity came from coal with the province operating 18 coal-fired power plants including two in our Riding; Sheerness in Hanna and Battle River Power in Forestburg. Employing 4,200 people across Alberta and over 42,000 directly and indirectly throughout Canada, the phasing out of these industries will have significant ramifications. It is therefore, absolutely imperative that representation from Hanna, Forestburg and other Alberta coalbased communities be included in any discussions or on any task force designed to identify challenges and to handle the transition including new employment and re-training for local displaced workers. Unfortunately, the Liberal government apparently does not agree. On April 25, 2018, the Federal Government announced the members of the Just Transition Task Force. According to the government’s news release, the purpose of the Task Force is “to provide the government with expert advice on how to make that transition (for coal workers) a fair one.” Furthermore, a “just transition includes involving workers and their communities in decisions that would affect their livelihoods, identifying and supporting economic opportunities for the future, and helping workers and communities to succeed and benefit from the transition.” Despite this assertion, “ only one member of the newly formed Task Force represents an affected community. Rick Smith, a Leduc city councillor has been appointed to the Task Force as have an additional 10 people with outstanding qualifications. Without in any way disparaging those selected, I strongly believe that at least half of the appointees should have come from the most affected areas as opposed to only one in 11. I would encourage you to pass this message onto the Hon. Catherine McKenna, Minister of the Environment at Catherine.mckenna@ parl.gc.ca. Currently, five out of the 11 representatives are from Ontario; two from Toronto, two from Ottawa and one from St. Catherines while only two are from Alberta. We need local people to help solve local challenges! Parkland County partnered with Leduc County, Spruce Grove and Stony Plain to commission an independent study on the socio-economic importance of this sector to these communities. The findings revealed that the three power plants and two coal mines in this area: employ (directly) over 1,600 people; support or induce another 2,100 plus jobs; contribute $280 million annually to the regional economy in terms of gross domestic product; contribute $130 million in labour income within the region; pay almost $20 million in annual property taxes to Parkland and Leduc Counties; contribute (directly and indirectly) to a wide range of communitybased programs, services and infrastructure; and provide an important source of off-farm income for many farming and ranching operations in the region. Sixty per cent of Forestburg’s economy is based on the coal industry. Eighty people are employed at the Battle River Mine and another onehundred at the power plant. Welding shops, restaurants, retail stores and numerous homes were built in the mid 1950’s when ATCO first came to the area. Those businesses and the people they employ will indirectly be impacted by the loss of coal-related jobs. Similarly, Hanna’s economy is tied to Sheerness where 200 plus people are employed at the generating station or coal mine in wellpaying jobs. The town of Hanna has hired a private consulting firm to measure the impact of the loss of these jobs “ Sorenson which was originally going to occur in 2040 but is now going to happen before 2030. While I recommend this impact study be shared with the Task Force, I also implore the Liberal government to either replace some of the appointees or add representatives from Hanna, Forestburg, Parkland, Spruce Grove and Stony Plain. Those closest to the situation are the best placed to help these communities succeed in this transition. If you agree, I would encourage you to pass this message onto the Hon. Catherine McKenna, Minister of the Environment at Catherine. mckenna@parl.gc.ca. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this or previous columns you may write me at 4945-50th Street, Camrose, Alberta, T4V 1P9, call 780-608-4600, toll-free 1-800-665-4358, fax 780-608-4603 or e-mail Kevin.Sorenson.c1@parl. gc.ca. Municipal District Of Provost No. 52 NOTICE The Financial Statement for the year ending December 31, 2017 for the MD of Provost No. 52 is available at the MD Administration Building (4504 – 53 Ave., Provost, AB). Please pick up a copy or contact the MD office if you require a copy. Phone: 780-753-2434 or 780-857-2434 Email: mdprovost@mdprovost.ca A copy can also be downloaded from our Website: www.mdprovost.ca TYLER LAWRASON ADMINISTRATOR M.D. OF PROVOST NO.52 government that was led by Brad Wall gives us hope that our common sense conservative principles are the tools we need to put Alberta at the top of the list with investors again. Jason Kenney added that “Albertans have always been determined can-do people,” which is a vision we all know most Albertans share. The average Albertan is looking for a hand up not a hand out; we would rather do for ourselves, which is why our government is committed to fostering opportunity. Jason reminded us all what our focus should be; “This is about people, not power,” he reminds us to dream big and to think beyond just becoming government. Our goal is to stay humble, be disciplined and earn every vote that Albertans feel we’ve earned. In 2019, a new conservative government will need to hit the ground running to work towards getting the province out of the legislative mud the NDP have us stuck in. Alberta produces the most ethical energy produced anywhere in the world. Production in Alberta is done with stringent environmental regulations that protect and prevent the environment from being damaged. Alberta also respects and protects the human rights of our workers and the citizens of the entire province, yet we are demonized by people determined to eliminate our opportunities. Jason’s vision is shared by a great many people as we saw in Red Deer and it is also shared by the entire UCP caucus. The experience we’ve gained through the last several years will be invaluable to understanding and legislating what needs to be done. In recognition of Canada’s national EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS WEEK MAY 6 – 12, 2018 The County will be sending out a farm planning form with Tax Notices this year to be used in the event of rural emergencies and disasters. All rural residents are encouraged to complete it (it’s voluntary!) and return to the County for use in emergencies only. It will even let you think about your farmsite emergency plans! The County also continues to promote a public awareness campaign entitled “Preparedness Begins at Home” and is making available the following resources: 1. Emergency Preparedness Guide 2. 72 Hour Emergency Kit Checklist 3. Family Emergency Planning – 5 Step Guide These documents are available at the County office for no charge, or may be downloaded from our website: www. countypaintearth.ca and printed at home. Families are also encouraged to check out www.getprepared.gc.ca for more information on family preparedness planning. The County of Paintearth is providing these resources in cooperation with Public Safety Canada and the Alberta Emergency Management Agency. Don’t wait until an emergency hits - please take time with your family to prepare now! Todd Pawsey Director of Emergency Management County of Paintearth No. 18
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ECA Review 2018-05-09

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