Town of Pincher Creek passes bylaw to allow Boston Pizza VLTs

Toni Lucas

At the beginning of the regular meeting of Town of Pincher Creek council on Monday evening February 8 there was a scheduled public hearing regarding Bylaw No. 1547-Z, an amendment to allow the local Boston Pizza lounge to install five video lottery terminal (VLT) machines. There were no written submissions or people to speak for or against the amendment. Later during the same meeting the amendment passed third reading, allowing the lounge to install the VLTs.

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Conservation group questions repair of Castle OHV trails

Castle-Crown Wilderness Coalition press release

The Castle-Crown Wilderness Coalition (CCWC) is asking why the Government of Alberta continued to spend money repairing and entrenching off-highway vehicle (OHV) trails in what is to become the Castle Provincial Park when OHVs aren’t allowed in provincial parks.

Proposed rezoning to accomodate youth camp meets with opposition

MD map of proposed rezoning area

Christian Davis

Council for the MD of Pincher Creek No. 9 (MD) held a public hearing on the evening of February 9 to receive input on proposed Bylaw No. 1265-5. The bylaw is intended to the land use designation of a quarter section of land in MD Division 3 from “Agriculture - A” to “Rural Recreation 1 - RR1”, to allow for the establishment of a commercial / private recreational use, in order for the site to be developed as a youth camp, specifically the Camp Gladstone youth camp led by Heartland Community Church Pastor Donny Coulter and overseen by InterAct Ministries.

MD of Pincher Creek supports Highway 3 economic and safety study grant application

Christian Davis

On February 8, 2016 the MD of Pincher Creek No. 9 received an email from the Town of Coaldale requesting support for a Highway 3 economic and safety study. At their regular meeting the next day MD council agreed to support the Town of Pincher Creek’s application on behalf of the Highway 3 Economic Development Association, which will seek funding from the Alberta Community Partnership InterMunicipal Collaboration Grant to update and develop a study for the economic and safety benefits of twinning Highway 3. MD council also agreed to support the Town of Pincher Creek as applicant and managing partner.

A Splash of Romance Luau fundraiser a festive and fun event

Toni Lucas

The A Splash of Romance Luau was held at the Pincher Creek Community Hall on Saturday, February 13, just before Valentine's Day. Many of the 150 people who attended dressed to hit the beach and all were presented with leis upon arrival. In luau tradition, the main dinner fare was a pig roast.  The evening included live, silent, and dessert auctions.

Spring Glen Panthers win Sabres A Boys 2015 Basketball Tournament

First place: Spring Glen Panthers

Second place/hosts: Livingstone Sabres

Third place: WCCHS Cobras

Consolation: Crowsnest Panthers

Pfizer recalls 126 lots of Advil liquid products for infants and children

Health Canada

Health Canada is informing Canadians that Pfizer Consumer Healthcare has initiated a voluntary recall of 126 lots of Advil liquid products for infants and children because of a potential risk of inconsistencies in dosing of the product.

“Clumps” of Ibuprofen may form in the bottle and lead to higher or lower doses that are given to infants and children if it is not shaken well before each use.

Sr. Boys basketball - Sabres defeat Piikani and Dragons

Christian Davis

Lundbreck's Senior Boys Livingstone Sabres basketball team hosted their Piikani counterparts on the evening of February 11.  Piikani made them work for it, but the Sabres managed a convincing 77-54 win.  The week before that the Sabres hosted St. Michael's Dragons.  The Livingstone gym was reportedly packed for that encounter, which the Sabres won 75-56.  It was the first regular season loss for the Dragons.

Observing Lent: Obligation or opportunity

Joyce Sasse, Spiritual Gleanings

Many of my friends observed Lent when I was a kid. There were weighty obligations connected with the fasting and praying and confessions.

However, over the seven weeks of Lent they had “days off” (Sundays and St. Patrick’s Day) when the rules were relaxed and their steps lightened.

As my understanding of Lent deepened, I began to see Lenten practices to be less of an “obligation” and more of an “opportunity”. Before I retired I declared this was a time to “give up stress”, and I really tried to carve a niche in an over-busy schedule to find some stress-free moments.

RCMP reminds Albertans to drive safe this Family Day weekend

RCMP Alberta

Police expect to see an increase in increase in traffic volume on Alberta’s roads and highways over the Family Day Weekend and are reminding all drivers that this may increase travel times. Driver frustration in the face of slower traffic flow or unexpected delays can result in motorists taking unnecessary risks like speeding and unsafe lane changes. In winter, these behaviors present increased risk after road condition and shorter daylight hours factored in to driving equation.

“The best way to show your loved ones that you care this Family Day Weekend is to make sure everyone arrives home safely,” said RCMP Traffic Superintendent Ian Lawson. “The easiest way to do that is to slow down, keep your eyes on the road and drive sober.”

Nominations open for Alberta’s highest honour

Alberta Government

Albertans are invited to nominate outstanding citizens, community leaders and innovators for membership in the Alberta Order of Excellence.  Up to 10 people will be inducted into the Order this year to recognize their remarkable contributions to their community, the province and the nation.

Cougar spotted in Pincher Creek

Iris Reed image

Toni Lucas

A cougar was spotted in the town of Pincher Creek area at approximately 8:30 pm Tuesday, February 9. Iris and Ian Reed were in their vehicle when they first spotted the cougar.  Iris said "At first we just thought it was a big dog cause we were back aways. So we went to go see if we could find him and then we spotted him going in the compound and that's when we noticed it was a big cougar." Fish and Wildlife Officers Matt Voramwald from Pincher Creek and John Clarke from Crowsnest Pass did see the cougar in the Telus compound close to the waterway of Pincher Creek.

Iris Reed video

 The cougar became spooked by a third party and jumped the fence, and headed for the creek bed. "We think it came up through the river hunting a deer," said Clarke, who explained the cougar appeared to be a healthy cat who may have been become confused with the lights and noise once inside the town and then took the first opportunity to leave. Fish and Wildlife worked with RCMP, BearSmart trained volunteers, and Karelian bear dog Koda to search the area for over 5 hours in an attempt to find the cougar.

Warm weather prompts ice condition advisories

Alberta Parks

Due to recent unusually warm weather conditions in Alberta, an ice condition advisory has been issued for various areas across the province – please use caution.

Advisories have been issued for:

• Beauvais Lake Provincial Park
• Beaver Mines Lake Provincial Recreation Area
• Chain Lakes Provincial Park
• Chinook Provincial Recreation Area
• Island Lake Provincial Recreation Area
• Jenson Reservoir Provincial Recreation Area
• Lake McGregor Provincial Recreation Area
• Little Bow Provincial Park
• Little Bow Reservoir Provincial Recreation Area
• Oldman Dam Provincial Recreation Area
• Park Lake Provincial Park
• Payne Lake Provincial Recreation Area
• Police Outpost Provincial Park
• St. Mary's Reservoir Provincial Recreation Area
• Traverse Reservoir
• Waterton Reservoir Provincial Recreation Area
• Wyndham Carseland Provincial Park

For information on ice safety visit this link (click here).

Scotch tasting event at KBPV well attended

Scotch expert Steve Firth

Toni Lucas

Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village (KBPV) held a Scotch tasting event on Thursday evening, February 11. This was an evening of adventure in learning more about the drink, and how to truly appreciate its finer qualities. Taking close to 50 people on this journey of the palette was Steve Firth from Andrew Hilton Wines and Spirits in Lethbridge. Firth is also a member of the Lethbridge Scotch Society.

Friendly Zamboni drivers - another reason Pincher Creek should win Kraft Hockeyville

#KHV_MemCommunityCtr

Pincher Creek 4-H clubs hold 2016 Multi-Species Judging Contest

Josh Davis

On Saturday February 6, 2016, Pincher Creek District's Foothills Beef 4-H Club hosted a Multi-Species Judging Contest.  The event included the participation of over 30 members from all the clubs in the district, including Rocky Mountain Swine, Chinook Multi, Timber Trails, and Foothills. 4-H members judged species in four different categories, hay, heifers, horses, and sheep, and were graded on their judgements by volunteer leaders. Seniors, Juniors, and Intermediate level members of 4H were awarded prizes for first, second, and third place judging the species.

2016 Novice Chinooks Tournament

Josh Davis - Pincher Creek's Novice Chinooks hockey team hosted a tournament on the weekend of February 5-7. The tournament featured a fun round robin structure, with 8 teams in attendance, after one team could only make it to two of their three scheduled games. There were two divisions present, Tier 3 teams and Tier 5 teams, The Chinooks fared well in all of their games. The Chinooks #16 Walker Anderson scored seven goals in his first game Friday night, making for over 94 points in 25 games this year.

Foothills MP John Barlow visits Pincher Creek Town Council

Toni Lucas

Foothills MP John Barlow visited Pincher Creek Town Council during their regular meeting of Monday evening, February 8. He spoke to council at length and answered a number of questions from the councillors. He started off by touching on a number of programs available to municipalities and other subjects of interest. This included the Canada Summer Jobs program, the Building Canada Program, the Connecting Canadians Program, an e-petition on Electoral Reform, a discussion about Energy East, agriculture, and community housing.

Crestview Lodge update for January 2016

Greetings from Crestview Lodge

Thank goodness January came as it was time to slow down and get back into a regular routine. Don’t get us wrong, we did have loads of fun but now it’s time to get ready for the next year of adventures at Crestview.

Town of Pincher Creek council updated on Kraft Hockeyville effort, gets support from MP John Barlow

MP John Barlow, Mayor Don Anderberg, Councillor Wayne Elliott

Toni Lucas - Foothills MP John Barlow visited Pincher Creek Town Council during the regular meeting of Monday evening, February 8. He spoke to council at length and answered a number of questions, which will be in a separate article. Afterward he participated in a quick photo op with Mayor Don Anderberg and Councillor Wayne Elliott, with Elliott and Barlow wearing Pincher Creek Huskies jerseys in support of Pincher Creek's bid in the Kraft Hockeyville 2016 contest.

Councillors Wayne Elliott and Jim Litkowski get Krafty/cheesy for a photo op

Barlow said "I am very excited. Anytime you can access some funding for projects, it helps a community. Wayne has done an amazing job." Councillor Wayne Elliott has championed the Pincher Creek bid for Kraft Hockeyville for the last two years. Elliott said nominations were now closed and for the province of Alberta there were 205 nominations, 19 of them for the Pincher Creek Memorial Community Centre Arena.

A tie and a loss vs Red Deer Chiefs for Pincher Creek's Midget Huskies

Josh Davis

On Friday evening February 5 Pincher Creek's Midget Huskies hosted the Red Deer Chiefs at the MCC Arena in Pincher Creek. The Midgets looked strong coming out of the first period, eking a small lead, but the Chiefs tied the game in the second. Both teams scored a single goal in the third period, and the game ended in a 4-4 draw.  The next day the Huskies again hosted the Chiefs, this time at the Coleman rink.  The Chiefs won that encounter 5-2.

Windy weekend in Pincher Creek area

Overturned trailer on Hwy 3 east of Cowley

Toni Lucas

Wind caused havoc in the Pincher Creek area during the weekend of February 5, 6 and 7.  According to TransAlta representative Wayne Oliver, wind speeds of up to 137 kilometres per hour were recorded at the top of local wind turbines.  Shingles were ripped from homes, trees were downed, drivers were challenged.

Fortis repairing downed power line on Main Street

Pincher Creek Emergency Services responded to two calls for fallen trees which affected power lines.  The first was Friday night February 5 on Charlotte Street, the second was Saturday morning February 6 on Main Street near Rimmington Avenue.  Fortis worked to reconnect power in both cases.  Deputy Fire Chief Pat Neumann said the department was not called out to Highway 22.  On Saturday February 6 at approximately 10:00 am local RCMP attended a  single vehicle incident on Highway 3 just east of Cowley.  A pickup truck pulling a trailer with equipment in it lost control when the trailer hitch became disconnected.  The safety chains stayed attached but the trailer ended up on its side.  RCMP reported no one was injured in the incident.

Mobile mammography service to visit Brocket in March

Women ages 50 to 74 - the group most at risk of developing breast cancer - will have local access to mammography services when Alberta Health Services’ Screen Test program arrives in the community next month.  A mobile mammography trailer will be stationed at Aakom-Kiyii Health Services (on the east side, near old health centre) on March 8 and 9. Residents can book an appointment by calling 1-800-667-0604.

Saddles stolen from rural Pincher Creek property

Pincher Creek RCMP
On Wednesday, December 9th, 2015, an unknown vehicle entered a rural property east of Pincher Creek and entered the unlocked barn located on the property. The suspect (or suspects) stole several items, including a custom made John Visser Slik Fork Saddle, three custom Dave Elliot bits, custom reins and headstalls, and other custom leather pieces. The total replacement value of these items is approximately $10, 000. All items can be identified by the owner.

If you have information on this or any other crime, contact the Pincher Creek RCMP Detachment at 403-627-6010 or to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers. If you provide information to Crime Stoppers that leads to an arrest or the recovery of stolen property or the seizure of illicit drugs, you could be eligible for a cash reward. Information also available on the web at www.crimestoppers.ca.

Pincher's Creakers host 37th annual Oldtimers Hockey Tournament

Christian Davis

Pincher Creek's Creakers hosted their 37th annual Oldtimers Hockey Tournament January 30 to February 1, 2015 at the Memorial Community Centre Arena.  12 teams competed, divided into three pools.