Canyon School donates to Rotary Pennies for Polio campaign, awards literacy

Canyon students present Rotary President Gerry Alex 
with a cheque
Taylor Delay, Jarred Plante, Gerry Alex, and Jocelyn Watts
C. Davis photos and video

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Canyon School Grade 6 Leadership Students Jarred Plante and Taylor Delay were Masters of Ceremony at a special assembly held on Tuesday, January 29.

"Today we will be awarding prizes for our recent Pennies for Polio Drive, our reading challenge for Family Literacy Day, as well as watching students from Grade five music and Grade one P.E." said Delay.

"It is our pleasure to introduce a special guest from the local Rotary Club of Pincher Creek, Mr. Gerry Alex is President of the club," said Plante. "He is here to receive a cheque from our school.  Would Mr. Alex and Jocelyn Watts come forward at this time?"

Canyon School playground project receives UFA donation

Todd Vance and Canyon School Principal Carole Goodreau
C. Davis photo

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Local resident Todd Vance presented Canyon School Principal Carole Goodreau with a cheque for $500 on Tuesday, January 29.  The funds will go towards the school's new playground project.  "They asked me if I would come and donate some time and I said 'You bet, for the kids, anything'.  That's kind of where it started," Vance explained.  "I didn't use my UFA dollars for two years previous, due to UFA going through some troublesome times.  They're back on the road to recovery now."

"If the playground does not get a grant, which they are in the running to, then we'll donate some more delegate dollars as well.  UFA gives in many, many ways.  They give to minor hockey for all their medals.  At the end of the day, it's them investing back into the community."

If you have a project you would like to apply to UFA for assistance with, visit the UFA website under community investment (click here).

"If that doesn't work, they can contact me, or the local Members Relations rep, Rudy Nordin,"  Vance said.

Out and About January, 2013

Shinaya Gamache cheering on the Dragons last month

Groovy planter spotted for sale at Matthew Halton School

^ Basketballers Isabelle Twigg and Iris Good Rider at the recent Jr.B Girls Basketball Tournament held at Matthew Halton School (click here for full story)

Speaker for Rural Alberta Business Center Srecko Ponjavic
  Economic Development Committee meeting January 24.

Travel Alberta  Staff: Cathie Orchin and Cameron Spence
at the recent Understanding Branding Workshop

"Pom Pom" Rob

Tara Cryderman (rear) won the grand prize big tv at the recent Atom Hockey Tournament.  

Put me in, coach!
Jacqui Bruns photo

Concern expressed over vandalized bull pasture fence

Allen Tapay, Letter to the Editor

I am writing to warn some well meaning, Eco protester, and deer lover, the danger he is putting the public in. Three years running, some well meaning individual has either cut my fence, or this year, undone the fence to allow free access to the deer. I guess they fear the deer cutting themselves on the wire. Do they realize the danger they put motorists in? The fence is my bull pasture! If they gain access to the road, and get hit, passing motorists can be injured or killed. I will be liable, because although vandalism was the cause of the bulls at large, I am responsible for my animals. This fence cutting, seems to coincide with the nailing of anti-logging signs on my fence. I am in favor of the current logging. Please leave our fences alone, and especially, don't cut them! Someone's blood could be on your hands.

Missing woman last seen leaving Longview in October

Missing: Lisa Michelle Mitchell

The Calgary Police Service and RCMP are seeking public assistance in determining the movements of a woman who hasn’t been seen by her family since October 2012.

Lisa Michelle Mitchell, 29, of Calgary, was last seen leaving the Longview area to return to Calgary on Monday, October 29, 2012.

There is some information that around this time, she may have been seen near her home in the Calgary community of Ogden.

After not hearing from her, Mitchell's family reported her missing.

The investigation indicates that Mitchell may have traveled to the Edmonton or Fort McMurray area.

While there is currently no information to indicate foul play may be involved in this case, there is a concern that MitchellL suffers from a medical condition that may get worse if not treated.

Mitchell is described as Caucasian, 5’8” tall, 130 lbs., with straight, shoulder-length hair that has been dyed blond. She wears glasses and has a tattoo of a large phoenix on her upper, left arm.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call their local RCMP detachment, Calgary police at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers anonymously using any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477
TYPE: tttTIPS.com
TEXT: tttTIPS to 27463

Family Day event upcoming at Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village

Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village (KBPV) and Pincher Creek Parent Link will be holding a free Family Day event at KBPV on Monday, February 18, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Family fun will include outdoor skating, snowman and snow-castle making competitions, a
snow-golf course, great balls of ice-bocci.  Some events are weather dependent.  There will be a concession.

Admission is free.  Enter via the KBPV back gate, located on the south end of James Avenue.

• For more stories related to Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village click here.

Library Speakers Series presents Sandra Lamouche

Sandra Lamouche
T. Lucas photo and video

The Pincher Creek and District Municipal Library is holding a Speakers Series on Tuesday nights from 7:00 to 8:00 pm.

On the evening of January 29 their guest speaker was Sandra Lamouche, a Nehiyaw Iskwew (Cree Woman) from the Bigstone Cree Nation in Northern Alberta. Lamouche received a B.A. in Native American Studies from the University of Lethbridge in 2007 and is currently completing her Master of Arts Degree at Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario in Indigenous Studies.

Lamouche spoke and performed a hoop dance during the event, presenting part of the work that she has done while working towards her thesis titled "Nitona Miyo Pimadisiwin (Seeking a Good Life)".  Her topic of discussion was Indigenous Dance as a Social Determinant of Health and Well-being.

Learning without seatbelts

Dr. Charles Boulet, Columnist, Gateway Gazette

In 2007, the Government of Alberta introduced mandatory seatbelt laws. This was not openly received by everyone. Nowadays, not even 6 years later, it seems a critical error in judgement to allow children, or indeed anyone, to take a high speed ride in a seat of 2 tonne vehicles without some sort of restraint to prevent unneeded death and injury.

Applying the same logic to the way we manage early childhood education would also go a great distance to reduce healthcare and education costs. The benefits to the economy, and to individual and public health, of mandating vision assessments for children are greater even than those of seatbelt laws.

…from 1/6 to 1/3 of children in our own community schools are seriously affected by visual impediments, yet our success in managing these concerns is similar to success in the third world, especially so on First Nations reserves.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize that if a person is affected by visual impediments, much of life can be out of reach, from education to work opportunities. It is not so widely known or obvious that visual difficulties can also often lead to some common medical concerns, like headache and learning disabilities.

Midget Huskies Home Tournament Schedule

Pincher Creek's Midget Huskies hockey team will be holding their home tournament this weekend at the Memorial Community Centre Arena.  6 teams will be competing in two Pools.  Each team will play three games.  The first game for the Midget Huskies is the tourney opener on Friday evening, February 1, starting at 8:00 pm.


Memorial Community Centre Arena
867 Main Street, Pincher Creek
Phone: 403-627-4354

(Click here for a Google map)

Pool A
A1 - Pincher Creek Huskies
A2 - Elk Valley Wild
A3 - Wetaskiwin Ice Kings

Pool B
B1 - Okotoks Oilers
B2 - Glenlake Hawks
B3 - West Country Chiefs

SCHEDULE:

Friday, February 1
8:00 pm–10:30 pm ~ Elk Valley Wild/Pincher Creek Huskies

Saturday, February 2
9:00 am – 11:30 am ~ Okotoks Oilers/Glenlake Hawks
11:30 am – 2:00 pm ~ Wetaskiwin Ice Kings/Elk Valley Wild
2:00 pm - 4:30 pm ~ Glenlake Hawks/West Country Chiefs
4:30 pm – 7:00 pm ~ Pincher Creek Huskies/Wetaskiwin Ice Kings

7:00 pm – 9:30 pm ~ West Country Chiefs/Okotoks Oilers

Sunday, February 3
8:00 am – 10:30 am ~ 3rd place Pool A vs 3rd place Pool B
10:30 pm – 1:00 pm ~ 2nd place Pool A vs 2nd place Pool B
1:00 pm – 3:30 pm ~ 1st place Pool A vs 1st place Pool B

Blasts from the past: Oldtimers hold 34th annual hockey tournament

Camfield Drillers vs Castaways
J. Davis and C. Davis photos, J. Davis video

Josh Davis with Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

The 34th Annual Oldtimers Hockey Tournament was hosted at the MCC Arena on the weekend of January the 25, 26, and 27. Twelve teams participated in three different divisions for the love of the sport in a total of 18 games.

Teams arrived from all over southern Alberta, including four teams from Pincher Creek, two teams from Lethbridge, and teams and players from Elk Valley, Coaldale, Calgary, Sparwood, and Claresholm.

Games were played over the course of two periods, with many teams holding five person shootouts following the official game, including the occasional goalie-on-goalie shootout just for fun. A Texas mickey was awarded to the team winning the shootout.

A portion of the MCC arena lobby was sectioned off so players could have a private club to hang out in between games.

On Saturday evening everyone retired (even those who were already retired) to the Pincher Creek Community Hall for the traditional mid-tournament party, featuring a whole roast pig with all the fixings and the slick stylings of variety band "Fast Times", the same high energy outfit that entertained at last year's party, with an additional vocalist this year.

Athlete of the day, January 30, 2013: Colin Lincez

Colin Lincez

Colin Lincez is currently a member of the St. Michael's Jr. A Dragons basketball team and the Pincher Creek Chinooks Bantam hockey team.

During the Dragons' game against the Crowsnest Panthers on Monday evening, January 28 Colin played hard the whole game and contributed 7 points to his team's win.   While playing for the Chinooks he can be seen giving it 100% as well, scoring and assisting and being a dependable teammate.  His favourite class is Gym.  He also excels at soccer in the summer months.

Colin is 14 years old and in Grade 9 at St. Michael's School.

Sobeys donates to Crestview Lodge

Richard Levesque (Sobeys) and Millie Loeffler (Crestview Lodge)
C. Davis photos

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Sobeys Manager Richard Levesque presented Crestview Lodge Facility Manager Millie Loeffler with $1000 in Sobeys gift cards on Wednesday, January 23.  The donation was offered as part of Sobeys annual "Time For Sharing" campaign.  Crestview Activity Coordinator Cathy Klein already has big plans for the donation, predicting improved upcoming parties and other social occasions for the residents.  Crestview resident John Sinnott will be performing with his band at one of those upcoming events.

Rumours of cake could not be confirmed at this time.

Cathy Klein, John Sinnott, Richard Levesque, and Millie Loeffler

Shell Waterton Ombudsman

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Bear and Wolf information meeting to be held January 29

The Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association Carnivore Working Group (CWG) will be holding an information meeting for landowners on Tuesday, January 29 beginning at 7:00 pm at Pincher Creek's Heritage Inn.

Speakers will include CWG Coordinator Jeff Bectell, Grizzly Bear Monitoring Project Coordinator Andrea Morehouse, and Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit Dave Ausband.
 
The grizzly bear monitoring project has been collecting hair samples in SW Alberta, for DNA analysis, since 2011.  At the invitation of landowners, in 2012 the project was expanded from public to private land.  The information available to date will be presented, including number of samples collected, number of individual grizzlies identified etc.

Canada-wide Science Fair judges and volunteers needed

Organizers face unique challenge of recruiting highly-qualified volunteers from across the province to judge national science competition to be held at the University of Lethbridge

In preparing for 52nd annual Canada-Wide Science Fair, hosted in Lethbridge Alberta this coming May, Chief Judge Dr. Roy Golsteyn is faced with a unique challenge.

Evaluating 500 of Canada’s best young scientists requires judges with specific expertise to ensure that participants receive the highest-quality feedback on their exceptional projects.

Hosted at the University of Lethbridge through the local host organization, the Southern Alberta Technology Council (SATC), this national event is a program of Youth Science Canada and strongly supported by corporate, community, federal, provincial and city organizations.

Monday night basketball at the Dale Wentz Memorial Gymnasium, January 28, 2013

Jr. B Girls: Dragons vs Hawks
C. Davis photos

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Three Junior League basketball games were played at St. Michael's Dale Wentz Memorial Gymnasium on Monday evening, January 28.

Jr. B Girls:  Hawks defeat Dragons

St. Michael's Jr. B Girls Dragons hosted their Halton Hawks counterparts  for a spirited game of basketball.  Both teams played their hearts out at the Hawks' hosted B Girls Crossover games held last weekend (click here for that story) but didn't face each other.

Jr. B Hawks vs Dragons

It was a low-scoring game, with lots of back and forth action.  At the half the Hawks were ahead 12-6.   Both teams scored 8 points in the third quarter, and the Hawks edged the Dragons 8 points to 6 in the final quarter, to win the game 28-20.

Eileen was the top scorer for the Dragons with 8 points, getting a basket in each quarter.  Dakoda was the top scorer for the Hawks, also with 8 points to her credit.

A solid effort from both teams.

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Jr. B Boys: Dragons vs CNP Panthers

Trends among Mom food shoppers

Gateway Gazette

http://gatewaygazette.ca

Comparison shopping is a way of life for many consumers. In an effort to save a few dollars here and there, shoppers take many routes to get a deal, including utilizing some digital help.

A recent report shows women, and mothers in particular, are increasingly turning to social media and store Web sites as a means to making food shopping decisions. According to the report “Moms as Food Shoppers: Grocery Store and Supercenter Patterns and Trends,” which was produced by Packaged Facts from data compiled by the Experian Simmons National Consumer Study, mothers are 43 percent more likely to go online to gather coupons and 38 percent more likely than other shoppers to look at store Web sites.

Car batteries and extreme cold weather

Cheryl Santa Maria, staff writer, The Weather Network
theweathernetwork.com

photo: theweathernetwork.com

Winter is here and for motorists, that can mean slippery roads, poor visibility and dead car
batteries in extreme cold weather.

When extreme weather hits, it’s common for roadside assistance programs to see a substanital spike in calls – many of them battery-related.

The weather can be taxing on a car’s battery, which will typically last between 3 and 5 years. While there’s no way to prolong them indefinitely, Paul Datzkiw, supervisor of approved auto repair services for CAA South Central Ontario, says there are things that can be done to maximize a battery’s lifespan.

Third annual Flight of the Crows Loppet to be held February 2

The Crowsnest Pass Cross-Country Ski Association will be hosting their third annual Flight of the Crows Loppet X-Country Ski Race on Saturday, February 2, 2013.

The event begins at the Allison Chinook Recreation Area.

How to get there:

Take Highway 3 to the Allison Creek Road. (From Coleman: 2.8 km west of where the speed limit rises to 100 km/hr. From BC: 6.3 km east of the roadside turnout on Crowsnest Lake.) Turn north on the Allison Creek Road and proceed 2.7 km until you cross a cattle guard. Take the left fork immediately after the cattle guard and continue 1.3 km to the parking area.

visit www.allisonwonderlands.ca for more information

Censorship?

Cornell Van Ryk, Letter to the Editor

Some time ago, the PC Voice published my letter in which I applauded our newly elected MP, Pat Stier, for openly communicating with the electorate . I had several conversations with him using his Facebook page. Then he published his goals for the upcoming legislative session:

* The Police Training Facility in Fort Macleod
* Seniors lodges
* The Water Co-Op Funding & Licensing
* South Saskatchewan Regional Plan
* Calgary Metropolitan Plan
* Bill 202 (Amending Public lands Act)
* Alberta Land Stewardship Act
* Logging
* Windpower
* Proposed Power Transmission Lines

Athlete of the day, January 29, 2013: Dexter Obrique

Dexter Obrique

This fine young hoopster has being making a mark for himself as a member of St. Michael's Junior B Boys Basketball team.  He comes out of nowhere to intercept, his long shot is amazing (see the video below) and he can leap twice his height, at least. The last time he was seen on this site he was taped to a wall (click here for that story).  That's probably the only way to stop this dynamic athlete from running away with the ball.

Dexter is a Grade 8 student at St. Michael's School.  He's been playing basketball for "more than a year".  He also enjoys playing hockey.

Sr. Huskies vs Palominos game degenerates into barroom brawl

Sr. Huskies vs Nanton Palominos
C. Davis photos and video

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

The surprising thing at last weekend's Sr. Huskies/Palominos game wasn't the number of penalties called.  It was the number of penalties that weren't called.

Pincher Creek's Senior Huskies hosted the Nanton Palominos at the MCC arena on Saturday night, January 26.  The Huskies lost by a wide margin.  The Palominos outshot them, they outskated them, and their passing play was on a whole different level.  They were also a lot rougher.  Local fans were not happy with the quality of the reffing, and were not shy about letting their feelings be known.

Pincher Creek Voice partnering with Gateway Gazette

Chris Davis, Publisher, Pincher Creek Voice

Effective immediately the Pincher Creek Voice is engaging in a trial partnership with the Gateway Gazette, an online publication boasting more than 10,000 readers.  The Gateway Gazette has a very similar philosophy to that of the Pincher Creek Voice when it comes to community news, and represents a partnership between multiple Alberta news sources.  We will be test driving this partnership over the next six months, and monitoring whether it helps or harms our enterprise.

To be clear, we have not sold any or part of the Pincher Creek Voice.  The Pincher Creek Voice is locally owned and operated by Toni Lucas and myself.  We receive no subsidies, and we have no financially based partnership with any other business or organization.  If you're thinking about buying the Pincher Creek Voice, you'd better make an offer quick, because the price is going up.

What does this partnership mean?  It means our advertisers can reach a broader audience, if they so choose.   It means advertisers in other markets or who make group regional buys may wish to use our publication for exposure to our audience.  Since we rely on advertising to exist and prosper, it means an improved bottom line for us.  Hopefully.  It will give us access to a larger readership and access to more regional stories. We already have a very large readership, particularly considering the population of our area, but a thousand or two more wouldn't hurt.  We already publish a large amount of stories, but we have room for a few more every week.

It's an experiment that we hope succeeds, because there are a lot of potential positives to being a member of a larger group of like minded publishers.  There are, of course, risks.  We will be paying close attention to how our enterprise is affected over the next six months.

The Pincher Creek Voice itself will not change because of this.  We will however continue to grow and innovate.  Advertising rates for ads that appear on this website will not be affected. We will review our advertising rates annually, and we've already done that for 2013.   We will soon be embedding ads when appropriate into our news articles, a common practice in the industry.  That's something we have already experimented with, and was already in the works regardless of this deal.

 This partnership gives us more access to regional news, but the focus of the Pincher Creek Voice will continue to be Pincher Creek and area.

Check out the Gateway Gazette by clicking here.  Feedback is always appreciated.

Snapshot: Pincher Creek Voice pageviews, December 30, 2012 to January 28, 2013:

Midget Huskies winning streak continues with 2 Provincial and 1 regular season win

Midget Huskies vs High Country Rockies
C. Davis photos and video

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Pincher Creek's Midget C Huskies' winning streak continues unabated.

On Thursday, January 24 they played the first of two Provincial Playdown games against the High Country Midget C Rockies in Black Diamond.  The Huskies won that game, by several accounts a rough one, by a score of 9-5.

On Saturday, January 26 they played another away game, this one a regular season game, against Bow Island, winning that one 8-3.

On Sunday evening, January 27 they brought it back home for their second Provincial Playdows game against Black Diamond's CAHL High Country Rockies, winning by a score of 9-3.  Doing the math, that's a 9 point difference in their first Provincials outing of the season.  Encouraging.

January 27th game: Midget Huskies vs High Country Rockies

Albertans can take control of their health information

To mark Data Privacy Day 2013, Alberta’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Jill Clayton, announced a new initiative to inform Albertans about their privacy rights in the provincial electronic health record system, Alberta Netcare.

Commissioner Clayton said, “Albertans may not be aware, but just about everyone’s health information has been made available to authorized users in Netcare. My Office has reviewed and accepted privacy impact assessments from Alberta Health and other participants in Netcare, but I want to make sure patients are aware of their access and privacy rights and how to exercise them."

In relation to Alberta Netcare, you have the right to:

Matthew Halton School hosts B Girls League Crossover basketball games

Kainai's TMS Eagles were undefeated at the recent MHHS B Girls Crossover Games
C. Davis photos and video

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Matthew Halton School hosted B Girls League Crossover basketball games on Friday and Saturday, January 25/26.  7 teams participated in a total of 11 games.  These were regular season games played back to back to enable teams that are spread over a wide geographic region the chance to face each other over the course of one weekend.

Participating B Girls teams:

MHHS Hawks (Pincher Creek)
LHS Sabres (Lundbreck)
SMHS Dragons (Pincher Creek)
WCCHS Cobras (Claresholm)
TMS Eagles (Kainai)
JTF Raiders (Nanton)
FPW Flyers (Fort Macleod)

Games at a glance:

1. LHS 38 vs FPW 19
2. TMS 85 vs SMHS 7
3. FPW 28 vs MHHS 27
4. WCHHS 38 vs LHS 31
5. TMS 61 vs MHHS 28
6. SMHS 18 vs JTF 14
7. TMS 66 vs LHS 24
8. WCCHS 23 vs JTF 15
9. FPW 40 vs SMHS 12
10. WCCHS 29 vs MHHS 25
11. LHS 42 vs JTF 16

Undefeated: WCCHS B Girls Cobras

The Kainai Eagles and the WCCHS Cobras were both undefeated but didn't face each other over the course of the weekend.  Livingstone's Sabres won two of their three games, as did the F.P. Walshe Flyers.  St. Michael's Dragons won one game and lost two.  Host team the Halton Hawks lost all three of their games, but two of those losses were by very slim margins.