ECA Review - 2023-10-26

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6 October 26'23 HANNA/CORONATION/STETTLER, AB. ECA REVIEW VIEWPOINTS The opinions expressed are not necessarily the opinions of this newspaper. MAIL BAG Transparent governance too much to ask? Dear Editor, Why is asking for open, honest, and transparent governance too much to ask? This story all begins at a ‘Meeting of The Whole’ shortly after our current village council was acclaimed. There were about 40 plus residents in attendance including five past council members (three of them being previous mayors). During this meeting, many questioned and pushed back on some decisions the council had or were planning to make. Council refused to take seriously what their residents were trying to say and decided that public meetings that included input from the residents were, and I quote our mayor’s words, nothing but “a shit show” and the deputy mayor inferring that the residents “do not need to know” what is going on with operations in the village. Months later, the council made a decision to purchase one of the last viable commercial properties left on main street, with the plan to supply a new location for our small library as it’s main focus, but also to create a new space for the Village Office with a board room. There was absolutely no indication to the residents that this new “Civic Centre” was being considered and there was no public input/debate on whether it was a good idea or even something that we wanted to spend almost $500,000 on! When the information finally made it to the residents’ ears, it was not supplied by the council as it appropriately should have been. Because the council refused to answer residents’ questions and concerns there was a public meeting organized by the residents, with about 80 residents participating, to discuss options on how we could obtain transparent information from the council so we can better understand the reasoning behind these questionable decisions. It was easily concluded that residents were not at all in agreement of using this huge amount of infrastructure funds to unnecessarily improve already adequate municipal services. Especially because it involved gross misuse of the last viable commercial building left in town and was destroying our hopes of ever getting another decent grocery store in town. Thanks to efforts of a few residents, and our new business owner, Elnora is proud and grateful to welcome the Grocery Barn that now takes up half of this commercial space. This resident’s group produced a list of questions and concerns and requested a meeting between the three on council and three community representatives or a town hall meeting but we were told that we could send one delegate as a voice for the community to regularly scheduled council meetings and that only 15 minutes of the meeting would be allocated to our concerns. If we did not accept this format, council member Lisa Ferguson stated that “there will be no discussion of the concerns.” Starting in July, we moved forward with our questions and concerns but not really getting any answers or validation that our concerns were even being taken seriously. The August delegation, our residential delegate elicited admission from the CAO and Mayor that they did not handle the decisions involving the expenditures of the main street property correctly and even violated some sections of the Municipal Government Act (MGA). The residents still believe council was not being transparent and the deputy mayor confirmed as much when he said, and I quote, “It’s operational, you don’t need to know”. He also suggested that they were going to approach Municipal Affairs for a Viability Study, “because it makes sense to go back to the county as they are the richest in Alberta, while we sit here and nickel and dime”. Municipal Affairs later did refuse this request until the ongoing Municipal Inspection is complete. In September our delegate was denied by the CAO for no valid reason. Fortunately, that was overridden by the council after serious push back from the community. Then again, the October delegate was once again denied despite following all policies with follow-up questions because we had still not received promised answers to our questions. Policies versus procedural Bylaws We called attention to their Procedural Bylaw that does not state any of these rules they are trying to enforce, therefore could not be used to deny us a voice. Turn to Unable, Pg 7 What is an editorial cartoon? Newspaper editorial cartoons are graphic expressions of their creator’s ideas and opinions. In addition, the editorial cartoon usually, but not always, reflects the publication’s viewpoint. Editorial cartoons are based on current events. That means that they are produced under restricted time conditions in order to meet publication deadlines. Editorial cartoons, sometimes known as political cartoons, like written editorials, have an educational purpose. They are intended to make readers think about current political issues. Editorial cartoonist use “ various tools including: • Caricatures: Many editorial cartoons called caricatures are used to poke fun at popular people such as musicians, politicians, etc. in which certain physical features are humorously exaggerated to create joy. They may also assist the main editorial of the day or deal with some other news item events for the day. Caricatures of Richard M. Nixon often show him as needing to shave. • Stereotypes are formulaic images used to represent particular groups. A stereotypical cartoon mother might have messy hair, wear an apron, and hold a screaming baby in her arms. • Symbols are pictures that represent something else by tradition. A dove is a symbol for peace. • Analogies are comparisons that suggest that one thing is similar to something else. The title of a popular song or film might be used by a cartoonist to comment on a current political event. • Humour is the power to evoke laughter or to express what is amusing, comical or absurd. Evaluating a cartoon A good editorial cartoon combines a clear drawing and good writing. A good editorial cartoon expresses a recognizable point-of-view or opinion. In the best instances, the cartoon cannot be read or understood by only looking at the words or only looking at the picture. Both the words and the pictures must be read together in order to understand the cartoonist’s message. Not all editorial cartoons are meant to be funny. Some of the most effective editorial cartoons are not humorous at all. Humour is only one tool available to editorial cartoonists. Editorial cartoons provide a window into history by showing us what people were thinking and talking about at a given time and place. Today’s editorial cartoons will provide the same record of our own time. Not all editorial cartoons are meant to be funny. Some of the most effective editorial cartoons are not humorous at all. “ R R R R R Published by Coronation Review Limited Subscriptions: $52.50 in Canada; $98.70 in US; $183.75 Overseas. 72 pt East Central Alberta EVIEW 60 pt 48 pt 36 pt Website ECAreview.com Office Hours Mon. - Fri. 9 am - 5 pm R 30 pt 4921 - Victoria Avenue Tel. (403) 578-4111 R 24 pt Mail: Box 70, Coronation, AB Canada, T0C 1C0 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: Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. JOYCE WEBSTER Publisher/Editor office@ECAreview.com YVONNE THULIEN Marketing/Digital 403-575-9474 digital@ECAreview.com JUDY WALGENBACH Marketing 403-740-2492 marketing@ECAreview.com STU SALKELD LJI Reporter 403-741-2615 reporter@ECAreview.com LISA MYERS-SORTLAND Graphic Artist R 18 pt
MAIL BAG ECA REVIEW HANNA/CORONATION/STETTLER, AB October 26'23 7 Exclusivity of inclusion initiatives Dear Editor, Down the Canadian rabbit hole, military chaplains are now prohibited from praying at Remembrance Day ceremonies. You might assume that the rationale for such a decision would be impeccable. After all, is prayer not the purpose of chaplains at public services? Regrettably, rabbit holes are not known for their abundance of reason. The Epoch Times first covered the story, having gained access to a directive sent out to chaplains by Brigadier General Guy Bélisle. He laid out the Unable, unwilling to answer our concerns and questions Cont’d from Pg 6 As we have come to expect, there was no response, however, when the agenda was posted on the Oct. 10, lo and behold, there was text included that was titled “Policy #2023-03, Delegation to Council” containing the “rules” they were trying to enforce earlier, and many more, and it was passed at the meeting. Bylaws outweigh policies It was pointed out to council at this time that their Procedural Bylaw outweighs a policy, rendering it useless. An email from Municipal Affairs Advisory Services affirmed this to be correct. The actions of council and the CAO the last six months has sent a very clear message to our community that they are unable and unwilling to answer our concerns and questions and will not stop at anything to try and shut us up. On average, Elnora council meetings are only 30 minutes long (45 if there is a delegate or a closed session)!?! This current council and administration are far from prepared for their meetings. This was also very apparent in the audit meeting held on Sept. 11 which was four months late! The general consensus from the current residents of Elnora is that we have no confidence in the CAO’s abilities or desire to act in the interest of the village as a whole. She has proven through her actions and words that she does not equally, nor seriously, consider the concerns brought to her by the residents. We have also lost all confidence that she is doing her due diligence in preparing and providing accurate, timely financial information to the public. Eligibility At the time their nominations were accepted by the CAO (acting as the Returning Officer of the election), at least two of the acclaimed councillors were not even eligible to be nominated under Section 21 of the Local Authorities Election Act that states how long a person must live in the municipality to be eligible to be nominate. This alone should require them to resign! Shouldn’t be allowed to play Dear Editor, Divine Right: The belief/theory that a monarch [king, queen, emperor] has the right [the power] to rule with the approval from God and not from the people. We seem to have a premier who believes she has the “divine right” to rule Alberta without input from the people. For example, she is going to spend “mucho dinero” (much taxpayers’ money) on convincing us that we need to have our own Alberta Pension Fund to replace CPP when, in fact, most Albertans have already told her they don’t want to lose their CPP. But, is she listening to the people, or is she listening to God? Hmmm? The same way she listened when municipalities and citizens opposed her plans for a provincial police force to replace the RCMP? The same way she has supported private health care despite objections from the public? The same way her government has supported mining operations on the eastern slope of the Canadian Rockies despite objections from ranchers, farmers, tour guides, outfitters and environmentalists ? The same way she and her gov’t has supported private schools and charter schools over the public school system? The same way she and her party are supporting partisan politics in local elections? new regulations as well as the motive behind them: “...we do not all pray in the same way; for some, prayer does not play a role in their lives… Therefore, it is essential for chaplains to adopt a sensitive and inclusive approach when publicly addressing military members”. All prayers will be “inclusive in nature”, meaning chaplains must use gender neutral words (no ‘God the Father’) and refrain from quoting specific religious texts. The directive also reads, “Chaplains must consider the potential that some items or symbols “There are people running governments who shouldn’t be allowed to play with matches” (quote from Mark Twain). “The short memories of the voters is what keeps our politicians in office” (quote from Will Rogers). George Thatcher Olds, Alta. Business Directory Mike Sept OWNER 403-443-1213 mikeseptcarpetcleaning@gmail.com Residential & commercial carpet & upholstery cleaning in South-Central Alberta L. Strom Custom Corral Cleaning and Manure Spreading • available for stock piling • equipped for big/small jobs: low sheds, confined areas General Contracting • Track skid steer with high flow; available for all types of services including mulching, landscaping etc. 403 574 2222 / 741 9974 may cause discomfort or traumatic feelings when choosing the dress they wear…”. In other words, chaplains will now also set aside their personal religious crests — such as the Jewish Star of David — in favour of the Royal Canadian Chaplain Service crest. No one should be surprised. Last year the National Defense Advisory Panel — tasked with investigating discrimination in the armed forces — recommended this in their final report, regarding the chaplaincy: “Do not consider for employment as spiritual guides or multi-faith representatives Chaplaincy applicants Also, members of the community immediately questioned the “Bedroom Quorum” as our mayor and council woman are husband and wife . . . in a council of three! Although there is no section of the act to prohibit this, any reasonably minded, honest person can see how this would be concerning in a council of this size. It was the obligation of the Returning Officer (our CAO) to extend the nominations deadline when no eligible nominees were presented. The one positive thing that has come out of these events is that we have learned our lesson in our village. It will never again be repeated as many people are now more than involved in our village affairs then ever and are willing to put their hand up in the next election and treat the responsibility of serving the public with the seriousness it affords. Maybe this council will stop and listen to the collective voice, or the impending Municipal Affairs Inspection they are currently under will force them to look at their actions from a different perspective. All we can do for now is continue to keep this council’s actions in the spotlight to try and mitigate the economical and democratic damage that they have shown they are capable of inflicting through their ignorance and arrogance. And hope that which is already done is not irreversible? Ward & Leah Nelson Members of the Concerned Citizens of Elnora Big Country Construction & Building Supplies 2018 Ltd. • Custom New Homes • All Farm Buildings • Renovations • Windows and Doors • Overhead Doors & Service • Retail Sales Quality Customer Care 403-854-3585 Bill’s Waterwell Services Ltd. Well Drilling Pumps & Repairs 403-747-2120 drillerbill@xplornet.com affiliated with religious groups whose values are not aligned with those of the Defense Team. The Defense Team’s message, otherwise, is inconsistent.” The full report is available online. Supposedly, these recommendations will allow more people to take part in prayers; to “project” onto them without feeling unable to participate. However, I would point out that there is little value to diversity in thought if it is not allowed to be publicly expressed. As well as this, praying to every single g/God at once is not genuine prayer. It is performance. Thirdly, Jewish chaplains are not there for the sake of Christian members. They are there for the sake of Jewish members, and vice versa. My point is that if anyone has an issue with prayers delivered by a representative of a different faith, the problem is not one of diversity. The problem is the expectation that at all times, one ought to be catered to by all people. The hypocrisy is rancid. Somehow I fail to see the inclusivity in forcing chaplains to “pray” to every single g/ God at once and forbidding the use of personal religious crests. Neither can I fail to see the irony in claiming to be against “LGBTQ2+ prejudice” and Islamophobia, while also urging the military to avoid hiring chaplains based on incompatible religious beliefs. Islam is not famous for its love of gay men. Should Islamic chaplains be barred from service for refusing to condone homosexual relationships? Here, chaplains may abide by whichever religious beliefs they choose, so long as they do not contradict the ultimate authority of Advisory Panel doctrine. We find here a symptom of a much deeper national infection. Either our governing powers are absurdly idiotic or we are being manipulated. This is an observation, not a conspiratorial sentiment. When in ‘diversity’s name’ federal initiatives so often achieve the exact opposite, we should all be worried — religious or not. When I say this next thing, I am not trying to diminish the experiences of those who have suffered at the hands of the religious. Such traumas are real and all reasonable people should grieve the fact of them. However, I can not stress the simple truth of this enough: If our rights and freedoms are hinged on the feelings of others — no matter how valid — they do not exist. CAN'T SEE OUT? Option #1 Replace the Foggy Unit Option #2 Replace the window Financing Available Anchor Glass 403-854-4414 • 1-800-463-3148 www.anchorglass.ab.ca tim@anchorglass.ab.ca As
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ECA Review - 2023-10-26

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