How does Redford row her boat?

Rob Bernshaw, Comment

It is budget time once again in the Alberta of 2014.

There is an oft quoted nursery rhyme that readily fits into the latest spending fiasco by Alberta’s current Premier Alison Redford. Recently Redford and aide spent $45,000 dollars on a trip to South Africa for the funeral of Nelson Mandela. Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil billed taxpayers less than $1,000 to go to the same funeral.

What is wrong with that picture?

Curriculum criticism doesn't add up

• Preparing students for a modern economy requires the basics plus much more.

Jeff Johnson, Minister of Education

Recently, much has been made of the government's efforts to ensure that Alberta's curriculum is more responsive to the many different ways in which students learn.

I feel parents deserve to hear directly from me about my ministry's efforts to ensure the provincial curriculum enables Alberta’s students to successfully compete in a dynamic, highly competitive world.

Along with being the minister, I'm also a father of three children in the education system, and I too have experienced some of the frustrations expressed by parents in recent weeks. This is why I believe it is important for me to set the record straight about the anticipated reforms.

Senior Boys basketball: Dragons defeat Hawks

Toni Lucas

Team spirit was in evidence throughout the final game of the regular season for the games held at St. Michael's in Pincher Creek on Monday, March 3. The Senior Girls and Senior Boys Dragons hosted their home town counterparts, the Hawks, for one final league game.

Senior Girls basketball: Dragons defeat Hawks

Toni Lucas

Team spirit was in evidence throughout the final game of the regular season for the match held at St. Michael's in Pincher Creek on Monday, March 3. The Senior Girls and Senior Boys Dragons hosted their hometown counterparts, the Hawks, for one final league game each. There was a wisp of nostalgia for the season that was about to end, and for those that are about to graduate in June, to play no more basketball seasons for their respective teams.

Policing in Alberta to March 6, 2014

RCMP press releases

• Weather, road conditions factors in multi-vehicle collisions
• Armed robbery near Red Deer
• Cold Lake man shot and stabbed
• RCMP laid charges in death of man on Samson Cree Nation
• Attempted home robbery in Mundare
• Vandalism to new Airdrie school
• CN Train derailment in Beaver County
• Red Deer man charged with possession of multiple stolen items
• Young offender caught, ending Mundare crime spree
• Sexually explicit messages
• Red Deer RCMP lay more fraud charges against Red Deer man
• MVA near High River sends one to hospital via STARS
• Suspicious death of a feral horse in Clearwater County

Weather, road conditions factor in multi-vehicle collisions

Approximately 30 vehicles were involved in multiple collisions between Didsbury and Carstairs on Thursday, March 6, 2014. Weather and road conditions have made driving conditions extremely dangerous in southern parts of Alberta. Photo by Jason Graw, Sheriff ITU Airdrie

Canyon School holds Math Fair

A question of balance: Linda Vance with kindergarteners Jesse Skierka, Clay Willms, and Kendra Ratzloff compare weights at Canyon School's Math Fair as others look on.

Chris Davis

Canyon School held a very successful Math Fair on Wednesday, March 5.  For this event the gymnasium was full of booths and activity areas featuring a variety of mathematics-themed challenges and games.

Sr. Boys Basketball: Sabres defeat Vulcan Hawks

Chris Davis

Lundbreck's Livingstone School Sabres Senior Boys basketball team hosted Vulcan's Hawks for a game on Monday evening, March 3.  The Hawks put forth a solid effort but were no match for the Sabres on this evening. Final score Sabres 85, Hawks 39.

Season ends for Peewee Chinooks

Chinooks Captain Nelz Vance gets ready to fire one off

Chris Davis

Pincher Creek's Peewee Chinooks hosted the Lethbridge 2 Raiders for a faced paced semi-final playoff game on Sunday, March 2.

Having lost 6-3 in Lethbridge the day before, the Chinooks were needing to win by 4 to stay in contention, the Chinooks poured very ounce of energy into this game, which concluded with a 6-6 tie, hard earned for both sides. That ended the 2013/14 season for the Chinooks on a high note.  

Matthew Halton High School Experiential Learning Week to return in March

On March 24 to 28 Matthew Halton High School in Pincher Creek is offering to its students their second Experiential Learning Week. Throughout the week students are able to experience and learn about different interests and areas of study that for the most part are not normally offered through the school.

The courses being offered are scuba diving, hunter training, photography, first aid, wilderness skills, welding, mechanics, butchery, cosmetology, sports camp, art, early learning, forestry, textile arts, AMA driver training, robotics and pre-employment tickets.

For more information contact Sandy McDuffy or Tara Tanner by phone at 403-627-4414 or by fax at 403-627-4444.

Pincher Creek Skating Club Featured Skater Tosha

Tosha is 11 and attends Canyon School. This is her first year of CanSkate and likes getting ready for the annual carnival.

50 Years On Ice: Pincher Creek Skating Club will be holding their annual skating carnival on Saturday March 22, starting at 2:00 pm.

Pincher Creek Skating Club Featured Skaters Kelly and Kim

Kelly is 8 years old and Kim is 10. Both attend Canyon School. Kelly is in her second year of CanSkate and Kim is in her fourth. They both say they have fun skating.

50 Years On Ice: Pincher Creek Skating Club will be holding their annual skating carnival on Saturday March 22, starting at 2:00 pm.

Various sandwich products recalled due to Salmonella

Canadian Food Inspection Agency, March 4, 2014

Lucerne Foods is recalling various sandwich products from the marketplace due to possible Salmonellacontamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.

Various products have been sold in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and may have been sold in other provinces.  

Common Product Names:

Roast Beef Submarine

Meat Lover's Sandwich

Roast Beef Submarine

Roast Beef & Cheddar Sandwich

Click here for a full list of Product Codes and UPC numbers.

Season ends for Midget Huskies

Chris Davis

The 2013/14 season ended last weekend for Pincher Creek's Midget Huskies after a second round playoff overtime 4-3 loss to Coaldale's Cobras on the evening of Friday February 28 and a 7-6 overime * loss the next day in Coaldale.

Back on November 15 the Huskies blanked Coaldale 6-0, at a time when the Huskies were 7 games into a winning streak that kept on going right to the very end of the regular season. Huskies head coach Kent Goodreau still cautioned at that time that the Cobras were not a team to take lightly. During this second round of Spud League playoffs that proved to be very true.

Art in the hallways at St. Michael's

Toni Lucas

St. Michael's School has very creative people attending.  Check out some of the arts and crafts found there on March 03, 2014.

Happy Birthday, Francesca.
T. Lucas photos

The one eye-witness to the above locker vandalism was speechless.

Austin Parker and Ashley Higginbotham cheering on the Red and the Blue

Ceiling art

Opposite ceiling art

Policing in Alberta to March 4, 2014

RCMP press releases

• Pincher Creek RCMP weekly news summary 
• Shots fired following road rage incident
• Two deceased after Devon area motor vehicle collision
• RCMP Looking for suspect in Grande Prairie Armed Robbery
• Red Deer RCMP lay charges in online purchase assault
• Screaming man in Fort McMurray leads to drug bust
• Drug trafficking charges laid in Grimshaw
• La Crete man charged with illegal possession of handguns and firearms related offences
• Wood Buffalo RCMP Superintendent attends Crime Report reveal
• Red Deer RCMP seek witnesses in brutal bar attack
• Fatal Motor Vehicle Collision On Hwy 40 South of Grande Prairie
• Red Deer man charged with fraud and forgery
• Clairmont man charged with impaired driving causing death 
• Buckle Up
• Armed Robbery in Sylvan Lake
• 911 call Leads to Drug Seizure in Lloydminster
• Man arrested with gun at Sylvan Lake bar
• Fatal Motor Vehicle Collision near Picture Butte

Pincher Creek RCMP weekly news summary

Injured skier at Castle Mountain Resort

A 13 year old female skier was taken to hospital on March 3rd, 2014 following a collision with a tree off of a groomed green run at Castle Mountain Resort.

The skier was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

Mountain Safety responded quickly to the scene and an ambulance was called to take her to Pincher Creek Hospital. A decision was then made to transfer her to a Calgary Hospital by STARS.

Fire on Main Street

David Crowell photo

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Updated at 6:30 pm March 4, 2014

Pincher Creek Emergency Services were called to the scene of two businesses on Main Street just after 5:00 am this morning, after smoke was reported.  Residents in the area report waking to the sound of  "at least eight" explosions.

"Our response was two engines out of Pincher Creek, one engine out of Lundbreck, Peigan Fire, and an ambulance," said PCES Chief Dave Cox.

A Physics lesson with Collision Reconstructionist Cpl. Barry A. Red Iron

Collision Reconstructionist RCMP Corporal Barry Red Iron

Chris Davis

Collision Reconstructionist RCMP Corporal Barry Red Iron is a man who sees and analyzes lots of grim events.  Last week he took a break from that to educate some Matthew Halton School students, explaining and demonstrating how the application of physics enables him to come to some very specific conclusions about chaotic events.

"I am the Program Manager for UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicle) in Alberta, we have about ten of these, and they're about $20,000 a pop."

Season ends for RHL Huskies

Lakers and Huskies face off at MCC arena
Lloyd Lybbert photos, C. Davis video

Chris Davis

Pincher Creek's Senior Huskies hosted Lomond's Lakers at Pincher Creek's Memorial Community Centre Arena on Saturday evening for game four of the preliminary round of RHL playoffs, a must-win game for the Huskies.

Highway 22 accident sends 4 to hospitals

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Updated at 11:35 am, March 3, 2014


RCMP and Emergency Services from Pincher Creek, Lundbreck, Cowley, Crowsnest Pass, and Claresholm responded to a serious multi vehicle accident involving two SUVs and a tractor trailer on Highway 22 earlier today, March 2, 2014.

According to Pincher Creek Emergency Services (PCES) Chief Dave Cox, it appears this incident was caused by localized whiteout (blowing snow) conditions near the North Waldron buildings on Highway 22, approximately 20 km north of Highway 3. Two SUVs and a tractor trailer were involved in the collision, coming to rest in the roadway. According to Chief Cox an RCMP collision investigator was called to the scene, and that investigator will likely have a more specific and accurate reconstruction of the accident in due course.

According to a press release from the Crowsnest Pass RCMP "Two occupants from one of the vehicles were transported to Pincher Creek Hospital with minor injuries. The male and female occupants of the second vehicle were transported to Foothills Hospital where the male is in serious condition and the female is listed critical. The tractor trailer driver was uninjured. Road conditions and visibility due to blowing snow was a factor."

PCES responded with two ambulances and a rescue vehicle. One of the PCES ambulances was used to transport one of the patients to Calgary. A Crowsnest Pass ambulance transported another patient to Calgary, and the other PCES ambulance was used to transport the remaining two victims to Pincher Creek Hospital.

Lundbreck responded with an engine, as did Cowley. Claresholm responded with two engines and a rescue vehicle. Rescue personnel cleared the scene and returned to their respective stations at approximately 2:00 pm.

The accident caused Highway 22 to be closed until approximately 5:00 pm, from the Highway 3 junction at the south end extending north as far as Highway 533 (parallel to Nanton) so that the RCMP investigator could do his job and the scene could be cleared. Claresholm responders managed traffic to the north of the scene and Cowley Fire maintained the road closure at the junction of Highway 22 and Highway 3.

Sabres win SWJHAA Junior A Boys basketball championship

SWJHAA champs: 2013/14 Junior A Sabres baskeball team

Rear (left to right): Quinlan Connelly-Engel, Mathias Vanderplaas, Brady Douglas, Johnathon Erickson, Levi Sekella, Justyn Connelly-Engel, Cole Schweb, Debbie Erickson, Paul Erickson.  Front: Keith Desrochers and Logan Kaack

Dana Connelly, Contributor

Livingstone's Junior Boys A Sabres won the South Western Junior High Athletic Association (SWJHAA) league championship in the post-season tournament in Kainai over the weekend.

The Sabres got a 'bye' as they finished at the top of the league. They played the Crowsnest Pass Panthers on Friday night, earning a decisive win to meet St. Michael's Dragons in the final on Saturday March 1.  The Dragons and Sabres  have been very evenly matched throughout the season with each beating the other once in regular season play. Livingstone won their match on Wednesday night by a very close margin to make it to the Zone championship tourney this coming weekend in Mountain View.

Initiation Chinooks host Kainai

2013/14 Initiation Pincher Creek Chinooks

2013/14 Initiation Kanai Chiefs

Chris Davis

Pincher Creek's Initiation Chinooks hosted Kainai at the Memorial Community Centre Arena this morning, March 2, 2014.  It was the second game of the season for the Chinooks.

Silver Reins hosts District 4-H presentations

Back Row:  Haylee Williams, Sommer Hagley, Deloy McKenzie, Megan McGlynn, Janet Taylor

Front Row:  Tim Jorgensen, Logan Deley, Mathias Lynch-Staunton, Danielle Hann, Jessie Terpstra, Kim Turnbull

Joyce Taylor photos

Jerry Terpsta

Silver Reins Light Horse Club hosted District 4-H Presentations on Wednesday February 26th, 2014 at Foothills Church in Pincher Creek. Thanks to the Judges Kelly McRae, Bev Barr, Heather McGlynn, Hilary Matheson, Susan Vogelaar, and Anne Stevick. Janet Taylor did a great job as Mistress of Ceremonies! Thanks to Timer and Teller Kate Puch and Rebecca Taylor.

Novice Chinooks astonish with 13-1 victory

Lloyd Lybbert

On Saturday March 1 the Pincher Creek Novice Chinooks played an exhibition game against the Crowsnest Pass Thunder.

This game was clearly one sided win for the Chinooks. They played very well with good passing and shooting, they also had a solid defense and a keen goalie who took a few shots, saving all but one.

Upcoming hockey games at Pincher Creek's MCC Arena

Sunday March 9
11:30-1:30 Atom Chinooks exhibition game vs Fort Macleod