Banners of Remembrance hung in Morinvillecowleynewspapers.com/pdf/freepress/FreePress_November_11.pdf · 2021. 6. 24. · Vol. 23 No. 01 Morinville-Gibbons, Alberta November 11, 2020

Vol. 23 No. 01 Morinville-Gibbons, Alberta November 11, 2020

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Ten Banners of Rememberance were hung in Morinvilleon lamp posts along 100 Street between the Sobeys storeand the fire hall Oct. 30.

Banners of Remembrancewere hung in Morinville onlamp posts along 100 Streetbetween the Sobeys store andthe fire hall Oct. 30. The cere-mony planned for that day wascancelled because of risingCOVID-19 infection numbers,so the banners were put up withno fanfare.

Lead researcher LoraleeElliott with the Morinville His-torical and Cultural Societyacknowledged it was a little dis-appointing to not hold the for-mal ceremony.

“But the banners did go up,”she said. “These men are onceagain home. We can see theirfaces.”

The 10 banners are of service-men who were born or lived inMorinville. It took Elliott morethan a year to complete herresearch on them.

“It was rather poignant, read-ing all the information,” shesaid. “I enjoyed learning abouteach soldier and airman.”

On the banners are Jean Fer-rat and Louis Bourassa who diedin World War I; George Parker,Leon Theberge, Russell JohnMajeau, Jean Paul Therrien,Louis Max Lavallee, RichardAlbert McDonald and PaulEmile Caouette who died inWorld War II; and Byron GarthGreff who was killed in

Afghanistan.Elliott wrote a history on

each, including informationsuch as how they died and whatpersonal items they had thatwere sent home to their families.Those histories are displayed inthe Morinville Museum.

Because fundraising couldnot be held during the pandemic,Elliott paid the $3,500 cost tohave the banners made. In thefuture, the Historical Societyplans to fundraise to pay for thebanners, graphic artist MonaBouchard’s work and to supportthe Faces to Graves, StitchingFaces to Canadian War GravesGroesbeek in Holland.

The Volume 4 (for) HistoryCommittee purchased 100brochures and 50 poppy broach-es for the planned banner cere-mony. Volume 4 has membersthroughout Alberta, and theygave the broaches to veterans inlodges throughout province.

Town of Morinville Publicworks staff hung the banners.

This was a joint project of theHistorical Society and the Vol-ume 4 Committee. It was sup-ported by the Royal CanadianLegion Morinville Branch 176,the Town of Morinville, KalMcDonald of Coach’s CornerSports Bar & Grill, andBouchard.

Banners ofRemembrancehung in Morinville

Matthew Silvius has a honey business,plays drums, attends grade nine at LilianSchick School in Bon Accord, andplaced third in his age group in thisyear’s CNIB Foundation short story con-test.

He submitted a fictional story basedon a real location.

“It was about me,” Matthew said. “Iran an army base out of my house.” Inthe story, he protected a mini computercontaining a whole bunch of secret files.

Matthew lives in the Bon Accord areawith his parents, Peter and Angie Silvius,and his sister, Allison. He was born withLebers congenital amaurosis (LCA).

“I can see if the light’s on or off or ifthe sun is coming up,” he said. “I can’tsee shadows or shapes.”

At school he uses Braille books andtypes on a Braille machine, neither ofwhich he needs for his favorite subject,Phys Ed.

“I like the running and the exercise,”he said. In gym class he has a partner forrunning. He also uses the elliptical.

Matthew’s beekeeping business,Magic Honey, grew out of a conversa-tion with his grandma Helen Silvius afew years ago. They were in her garden,and he heard bees buzzing around.

“There was a bee near me in the gar-den,” he recalled. “I told her I’d likesome bees, and we came up with thisidea for a honey business. We have twoplaces where we keep them. The honeyflavor’s just a little different because ofthe locations.”

They started with one hive, then splitto nine, and this year had 45. Some arekept on his grandparents’ acreage southof Gibbons and others on a friends farm in the Boyle area. Hisdad and his grandpa Peter Silvius handle the hives.

Matthew helps with the honey harvest, turning the crank toextract the honey from the frames.

“I like the sound of the bees and the taste of honey,” hesaid. “And it’s also exciting when we sell honey and makesome money. I hope people enjoy the honey.” The money getsput back into the business to pay off the capital investments.

“His Grandma and Grandpa Silvius have opened up a greatopportunity for him with this business and learning to run abusiness,” said his mother, Angie.

His other grandparents, Al and Joyce deGroot, are just asimportant to Matthew. He calls Grandpa Al his Bopa.

“When I was young I couldn’t say grandpa,” he explained.“I called him Bopa.”

“My dad, Al deGroot, and him are best buddies,” saidAngie. “My parents would do anything to make sure Matthewgets the things he needs. They are a huge sup-port to us as parents, always willing to help out

anytime I need. Especially his Grandma Joyce deGroot.”Matthew and Grandma Joyce love to have afternoon tea

together. He and his Bopa enjoy woodworking and havingBeyblade battles. They hiked Horseshoe Canyon together.

Matthew also plays drums and enjoys most types of music.“I was just always really interested in it,” he said. “I take

lessons, and I’ve written my own drumming music. I don’treally have a favorite kind. Just not country.”

The CNIB Braille Creative Writing Contest celebratesbraille literacy and encourages young people to be creativewhile practising their braille skills. Since 1997, the CNIBFoundation has organized a Canada-wide Braille CreativeWriting Contest for children and youth. This year Matthewwon third prize in the Group 3 Short Story for grades six toeight.

CNIB Foundation was formerly called the CanadianNational Institute for the Blind.

Local youth operates a business, playsdrums, wins award in Braille writing contest

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A U D I T E D C I R C U L A T I O N C O V E R I N G :Morinvi l le , Legal , Bon Accord, Gibbons,

Edmonton Garr ison, & the res idents of SturgeonCounty rural , hamlets & subdiv is ions .

Matthew Silvius turns the handle of the honey extractor to harvest thehoney from his Magic Honey bee hives.

Matthew Silvius, a grade nine student at Lilian Schick School inBon Accord, does is work on a Braille Note Touch machine.

Page A2, THE FREE PRESS, Morinville/Gibbons, Alberta, 780-939-3309, email: [email protected], www.cowleynewspapers.com, Wednesday, November 11, 2020

COVID-19 cases in Morinville jumped lastweek, with 18 new cases reported between Oct.30 and Nov. 3. Sturgeon County had 13 newcases in the same time frame. Due to technicaldifficulties, on Nov. 6 the Government ofAlberta website only had statistics up to Nov.3.

As of that date Morinville had 62 reportedcases of COVID-19. Of the 38 active cases, 18were new. There were 24 recovered cases.

Sturgeon County had a total of 133 cases,with 43 of them active and 90 recovered. Thir-teen of the active cases were new.

Sturgeon County west and the smaller urbancenters within it had 118 reported cases. Of the

41 active cases, 13 were new. There were 77recovered cases.

Sturgeon County east had zero new casesreported. Of the 15 reported cases in Sturgeoneast, two were active and 13 were recovered.

Sturgeon west includes Legal and BonAccord. Sturgeon east includes Gibbons andRedwater.

Sturgeon Countyhas a mandatory maskbylaw that goes intoeffect when it hits theprovincial ‘watch’ listas it has in the Stur-geon County West.

Morinville failed to pass a similar bylawwhen councillors made two attempts to amendthe draft bylaw and failed. The then defeatedthe bylaw by a single vote. However last weekthe province expanded the mandatory 15-per-son limit on social gatherings to all communi-ties on the watch list.

“Voluntary measures to limit cohorts to nomore than three and to wear masks in the work-place unless able to safely distance are alsostrongly recommended for any community onthe watch list, regardless of location,” statedthe province.

COVID-19 cases continue to spike in Morinville

Most Reverend Paul Terrio, bishop of the Archdiocese ofSt. Paul, blessed the school during the grand opening ofSt. Kateri Tekakwitha Academy in Morinville in October.

THE FREE PRESS, Morinville/Gibbons, Alberta, 780-939-3309, email: [email protected], www.cowleynewspapers.com, Wednesday, November 11, 2020, Page A3

After 38 years, Lorraine Blackburn willretire from Servus Credit Union in Morinvilleat the end of November.

“I appreciate how fortunate I am to be retir-ing during these challenging times and feeltruly blessed to have had my entire career of 38years in my home town at the same branch,”she said.

Over nearly four decades she advancedfrom being a teller to a Financial Advisor IIand Mutual Fund Investment Specialist,worked through several bank name changesand saw technology change her every-daywork.

“I started shortly after graduation, at the ageof 18,” recalled Blackburn. “Gaby Morin wasthe supervisor at that time. She was so kind tome, an amazing lady.”

Blackburn wasn’t sure what her career aspi-rations were, so she decided to work at thebank until she figured out what she reallywanted to do.

“When I started, we were still doing thingsmanually,” she said. “We wrote down with-drawals and deposits on a piece of paper andadded them up at the end of the day.”

They also filed cancelled cheques everymorning. Flipping through them to read thesignatures and account numbers ingrainedthem in her memory. She still remembersmany of them today.

Another big change was to security, as inci-dents of attempted fraud increased over theyears.

“Protecting our members is of the utmostimportance,” Blackburn said. “Privacy ishuge.”

Her advancement from teller to financialadvisor was accomplished through a combina-tion of in-house training, seminars and univer-sity courses.

“Servus helps you get educated,” she said.“There’s been lots and lots of education. Muchis internal.”

Blackburn chose not to go into managementbecause that would mean working at otherbranches. She wanted to remain in Morinville,where she could walk to work, go home forlunch and be close to her children.

Her career has been rewarding on severallevels.

“I like helping people, becoming a part ofmaking their goals come true, assisting a

young couple purchase their first home,” shesaid. “In some cases I’m helping a third gener-ation.” She finds the most difficult aspects ofher position are telling people their loan appli-cations were declined and working with estatesettlements.

A career highlight for Blackburn wasreceiving the inaugural President’s Award ofExcellence in 2008. She and her husband,Roland, were awarded a 10 day trip to theWorld Credit Union Conference in HongKong.

“My branch manager nominated me,”Blackburn said. “It was a huge honor and anamazing trip. It was very interesting and reallyinformative.” She has also been recognized atdifferent times for Member Service, Perfor-mance Excellence and long term service.

“The branch held a wonderful open housefor my 25th anniversary which I will never for-get,” she said.

Blackburn lived in St. Albert until she was15, when her family moved to Morinville. Shewent to high school and met Roland in Mor-inville.

“I was 16 and he was 20 when we startedgoing out,” she said. “We just celebrated our36th wedding anniversary. He is my rock, thatman. His support is unwavering.”

They raised their two daughters, Chantaland Danielle, in Morinville and now have fourgrandchildren here.

In addition to visiting with family, Black-burns enjoy travelling, particularly going oncruises.

“We’re cruise junkies,” she said. “We lovecruises.”

They had planned to travel in early 2021,but cancelled the trip because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, they will spend timewith their grandchildren, do some homeimprovements and travel within the region,attending events such as fly-in breakfasts.Roland is a commercial pilot who owns a PiperPacer and a little biplane he built 20 years ago.

Blackburn also enjoys shopping, and islooking forward to the time when the malls arefully open again and she can go there early,have a coffee and browse through the stores.

Until then, she will do other fun stuff, likeskating. She bought herself a new pair ofskates for her retirement.

Lorraine and Roland Blackburn of Morinville enjoy their grandchildren, Everly (L-R), Abria, Isla and Levi Visscher.

Lorraine Blackburn retiring fromServus Credit Union after 38 years


Tyrell Brink ofMorinville earnedhis third degreeblack belt, calledSandan in Japan-ese, in the Uechi-Ryu style of karate.

“I like that it’san individualsport,” Brink said.“You get to workon bettering your-self.”

Maintaining thephysical conditionrequired to succeedin karate is onlypart of the sport.

“It’s pretty men-tal,” said Brink.“You have to havea positive attitude.Even when you getknocked down,you learn. You stilldo it and get betterat it.”

Brink trains andteaches at theRooke School ofKarate in Mor-inville under thedirection of senseiSteve Rooke.

“Tyrell’s alwaysshown a great dealof dedication, notonly to the art, butto the karate schoolitself,” said Rooke.“He’s dedicatedand consistent as astudent and as aninstructor.”

When a boy liv-ing in Ontario,Brink trained in theGoju-Ryu style ofkarate. After hisfamily moved toMorinville whenhe was 12, hebegan training in Uechi-Ryu style at the RookeSchool of Karate.

He has continued to train there for the past10 years and now also teaches other students.Brink likes to participate in tournaments,although this year, because of the COVID-19pandemic, tournaments were not held.

“I enjoy the tournaments,” he said. “It’sfun to watch other black belts compete andto watch the Rooke students compete andprogress.”

He feels that being an instructor hasunique rewards.

“There’s energy that comes with stu-dents,” he said. “I like the fact you can beyourself and learn how to grow yourselfwhile helping younger students grow andbecome better.”

Brink keeps busy with karate and working at

the Morinville Home Hardware store. Hespends at least eight hours a week training andteaching karate.

“With certain permissions from my teachers,I would like to eventually open my ownschool,” said Brink. When he is ready for thatstep, the process will not be simple. He willrequire permission from his teacher and fromhis teacher’s teacher in Okinawa, Japan.

For now he is con-tinuing to train andadvance his skills (thehighest level is a 10thdegree black belt),both physical and men-tal.

“The best thingtraining and teachinghas given me is confi-

dence,” he said. “Confidence to stand in frontof people and talk. And perseverance to nevergive up, to look at situations in a self-defenceway.”

He explained that karate is a self defencemartial art, and people who practice it should

use their brains before their fists. He appreci-ates all he has learned from it.

“I’d like to thank my parents, Martin andTeresa Brink, and Steve Rooke and the RookeSchool of Karate,” said Brink.

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Tyrell Brink earns third degree black belt

Tyrell Brink (Right) receives his third degree black beltcertificate and apprentice instructor’s certificate from senseiSteve Rooke of the Rooke Schcool of Karate in Morinville.


Kelsey Nuttall of Morinville is nominatedfor a 2020 Alberta Minister’s Senior ServiceAward.

“It was a humbling experience for me,” saidNutall. “Getting nominated for the award ispretty awesome. I’m just doing what I do everyday.”

Nuttall has worked with seniors for eightyears and served the last four years as the exec-utive director of River Ridge retirement resi-dence in St. Albert.

River Ridge resident Colin Spencer nomi-nated Nuttall for the award.

“Kelsey is a very active manager,” saidSpencer. “It’s not just an administrative job.He’s involved in our lives. He knows us. He’ll

carry groceries we order up to our rooms; hewill go pick up things we need.”

Spencer said Nuttall is always available forresidents to talk to and it is Huttall’s leadershipthat makes River Ridge a community, not justa place people live. He also credits that leader-ship with inspiring staff members and keepingthe community free of COVID-19.

“I’ve lived in River Ridge seven years,” saidSpencer. “He is the best adminstrator, the bestmanager, we’ve had. I was very pleased tonominate him.”

“Morinville is a great community filled withgood people who have tremendously bighearts,” said town councillor Scott Richardson.“We are a community of hard workers who on

a daily basis go aboveand beyond. A greatexample of this isKelsey’s selfless dedi-cation to the healthand safety of the resi-

dents in his seniors home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Congratulations to Kelsey on thenomination, and thank you for representingMorinville.”

Nuttall worked for many years in real estatebefor switching gears to become a seniorshousing manager.

“I just got the seniors bug,” he said. “Myfavorite person growing up was my grandma.Seniors paved these roads for all of us comingup. I just love them.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit this yearNuttall helped protect his residents by goingout to do drop-offs and pick-ups for them, toget stamps, milk, wine or whatever they need-ed.

“I never say no,” said Nuttall. “I just likehelping them. Who wouldn’t?” He noted thateveryone on the team, all his staff, have thesame helpful attitude. No one says duties arenot in their job description: they all do whatneeds doing.

“Public service and volunteering is some-thing I’ve always done,” he explained. “I justtry and do what’s right for people. For seniors,I try to go above and beyond every day becauseyou never know when it will be their last day. Ilove to give back, to make their day. There’s somuch more we can do for each other.” He is aformer member of both the Kinsmen andRotary clubs, but does not have the time to par-ticipate with them right now.

Nuttall and his family have lived in Mor-inville for the past four years. He and his wife,Leah, have three children: Ethan, Kasen andLailah. They all love hockey and riding theirbikes along the town’s awesome trails.

The Minister’s Seniors Service Awards rec-ognize individuals or organizations who pro-vide volunteer service, demonstrate philanthro-py, or exhibit excellence to serve seniors inAlberta.

Award recipients will be announced later.

Christmas HampersAs we head into the holiday season, most families will celebrateand enjoy Christmas but there are individuals and families in theMorinville area that are struggling to make ends meet. Just onelayoff or injury is all it takes to cause a family despair especiallythis year due to Covid-19 it will be even tougher.

Our goal is to help everyone enjoy a hearty meal (with theKnights of Columbus Christmas Hampers) and ensure thatevery child receives a few gifts on Christmas day. Through thegenerosity of the Morinville community and surrounding areawe are able to make this happen.

If you are in need of a Christmas Hamper, toys for yourchildren, (or know of someone who is) starting Nov. 5thregistration forms are available at the Midstream Thrift Store(9922 101 Street, Morinville) Tuesday and Thursday between9:30 -3:00pm, the Morinville Library, Morinville Cultural Centre,schools, churches, and Higher Grounds coffee shop.

Every request for assistance is treated with compassion, respectand confidentiality.

Wishing yyou aand yyours aa MMerry CChristmasMidstream Support Society

Nuttall nominated for Minister’s Seniors Service Award

Colin Spencer (Left) nominated Kelsey Nuttall of Morinville for a 2020 AlbertaMinister’s Senior Service Award.


The town of Morinville draft 2021 budgetcalls for constructing over $5 million in capitalprojects. This includes some projects that havealready been approved and submitted for spe-cial senior government grants to promote workduring the pandemic.

Proposed General Infrastructure Invest-ments for 2021 total $5.1M and include:

•100 Avenue Curb Extensions - $530,000.•100 Street Trail Extension - $85,000.•Annual Playground Replacement -

$120,000.•Annual Sidewalk Replacement Program -

$250,000.•Asset Management Implementation plan -

$100,000 plus $100,000 in 2022.•Gear Extractor/PPE Dryer - $30,000.•Fleet Addition - Asphalt Hot Box Trailer -

$49,320.•Fleet Addition – Medium Tractor -

$122,969 net after $50,000 trade-in.•Fleet Vehicle Replacement - $1,058,730

plus $550,000 in 2022 for a total of$1,608,730.

•Infrastructure Services Building Condition

Assessment - $75,000 for report.•Morinville Community Culture Centre

Main Hall Audio System Upgrade - $125,000.•Morinville Leisure Centre – Site Develop-

ment - $225,000.•Morinville Park Pavilion (outdoor rink

/splash park bathrooms /viewing building) —$285,000.

•Morinville Outdoor Multi-Sport Facility(outdoor rink) - $395,000.

•Replacement Protective Services Facility –Business Case (building design) - $150,000

•Fleet Addition – Skid Steer Snow PusherAttachment — $11,768.

•Splash Park Replacement - $255,000.•Tennis Court Replacement - $125,000.•Trail Development - $289,750.In addition proposed utility infrastructure

investments for 2021 total and additional$345,000 and include:

•Stormwater Management Aerating Foun-tain - $40,000.

•Culvert Replacements - $80,000.•Sanitary Trunk Relining - $225,000.

Town budget proposes$5.1M in capital projects

Kelsey Nuttall (back L-R) stands with his wife, Leah and oldest son, Ethan. In frontof them are their younger children, Kasen and Lailah. Kelsey has been nominatedfor the Alberta Minister’s Senior Service Award. Story page A5

The urban municipalities within SturgeonCounty collect utility franchise fees as generalrevenue from property owners in addition totheir property taxes. Fees range from five per-cent to 30%.

Franchise fees are added to consumers’monthly bills throughout the year. They arepaid by all utility users, unlike property taxeswhich are not paid on schools, churches or gov-ernment buildings.

Bon Accord collects an electrical franchisefee of 20 percent and a natural gas franchise feeof 25 percent. The revenues go into the generaloperating revenue of the municipality eachyear.

“The Town of Bon Accord Council hasadopted the same franchise fee for natural gasand electricity that has been used in manymunicipalities across Alberta for many years,”said mayor David Hutton. “If the municipalitywas to increase the mill rate on property taxesto collect this revenue, each property would paya different amount as it would be based on theassessed value of the property rather than on anindividual service.”

Gibbons collects a 10 percent electrical fran-chise fee and a 30 percent natural gas franchisefee.

“Utilizing this method rather than includingthe cost in the millrate means the resident isonly paying the franchise fee based on theirown consumption,” explained CAO FarrellO’Malley. “Council, in full consideration of theeconomic challenges facing residents, is retain-ing the franchise fees for both utilities at the2020 levels.”

The revenues generated via the electricityfranchise fee was dedicated to offset the operat-ing costs of the Gibbons Community CulturalCentre while the revenues generated throughthe Natural Gas franchise fee is transferred intothe town’s general revenues.

Morinville charges an electrical franchise fee

of 19 percent and a gas franchise fee of 20 per-cent.

Legal collects the second lowest amount,with an electrical franchise fee of 10 percentand a natural gas franchise fee of 16 percent.Next year the electrical fee will increase to 15percent to help pay for provincial policingcosts.

Redwater collects a five percent electricalfranchise fee that was first charged in 2020 andwill be continued in 2021. The money collectedis used to help offset the provincial policingfees that were implemented in 2020 and to paythe debenture for renovating Pembina Place.The town owns its natural gas distribution sys-tem and does not charge a franchise fee.

Sturgeon County does not charge franchisefees.

The franchise fees are only charged againstas specific portion of electrical and gas bills, aslegislated by the province — not the fullamount of the bill.

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ACREAGES & RAW LAND

E4098135 "WOW" Have to seethis to believe thepotential this littleproperty has tooffer!!! 1943 - 2800sqft. historic buildingwith 1 car attachedgarage, fully stockedantique store up frontwith living quarters inthe back. the wholeproperty has beenredone where neededand the historic andcharacter featureshave been left forone to see the beauty

of classic property in the heart of downtownBELLIS.. which in the summertime comes TOTALLYALIVE with LAKE PEOPLE.. as THIS IS LAKECOUNTRY. Whether it's ice fishing in the winter orweekend boating etc. this little hamlet always hassomeone coming or going thru town.. BELLISbeach to south, KADUK to the north, FLOATINGSTONE, UPPER MANN, AND MORE.. plus IRONHORSE TRAIL runs right down the street. Livingquarters- 1 brdm -1-4pce bath-dining room, livingroom with gas f/p, kitchen all redone new. Up frontis 3.pce bath, sales counter, mini kitchen, pluseverything known to man for sale (this is includedin purchase along with fenced lot next door.BELLIS $279,900

E4164809TOTAL OF 160ACRES - to add toyour existingf a r m i n go p e r a t i o n! ! ! ! P r o p e r t yconsists ofmixed meadowand bush, great

for grazing cattle, had 80' deep well close toentrance of property seller not sure whereabouts it is now or if it has caved in... This1/4 section is being SOLD with the other 2ajoining quarters buy all 3 and own a smallblock of land...480 ACRES !!!! Legal forother 2 properties SW-17-62-12 W4AND SW-20-62-12-W4 $150,000.

E4139585 ACREAGE DREAMH O M EOPPORTUNITY" INEXCLUSIVE RAVINE

LOCATION NEAR WASKATENAU WITH12.93 ACRES JUST 1 MILE OFF HIWAY 28ON R.R.193. CREEK FRONTAGE with trees andbeautiful building spot for your dream home..Newer Septic system(has never been used ) . Gasand power at road Property was currentlyapproved for RV campsite development but hassince expired.. Can possibly re submit to county ifyou wish to pursue.... Seller motivated...No REALPROPERTY REPORT WILL BE PROVIDED... TITLEINSURANCE IS OFFERED IN LIEU!!! $79,900

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E4144887 APPROX 0.40 ACREPROPERTY Treed on3 sides is in a privatesetting & has plenty ofroom to build a bigbeautiful garage orshop. Property

already houses 1 + 1 bedroom bungalow withrenovations being finished 2017 which includesnew windows, new flooring, new ceilings, newpaint throughout, all new kitchen cabinets &bathrooms, all new electrical & plumbing.. kitchenhas big beautiful island to do prep work or guestscan sit around while U cook.. brand new SSAswith gas stove with flat cooking grill. Newlaminate throughout main floor with lino in both3 pce baths. Shingles have approx. 5-8 yrs leftwith HWT & furnace less than 10 yrs old. Backyard has new 20 x 12 shed with overhead doorfor yard equipment, plus wrap around drivewayhas been repacked with road crushed gravel .Home is spotless and move in ready $179,900

E4164782Total of 160 Acres - 122Acres in recreational bush withwildlife abound. 38 cropableacres. The north part of this ¼

borders Cole Lake. Previous owner harvested wildrise on lake side. The lake is approx. 8' - 32' insome places. Original owners had ok from countyto sub divide 27 lake lots. (this has since expired)The other 2- quarters to the south are also forsale. Buy all 3 quarters & own a block of land toadd to your land base. NW-17-62-12-W4 - & SW-20-62-12-W4 are the other 2 - 1/4'S $180,000.

E4177220Approx. 4 acres of fenced land with(1.93 acres each with 2 separate titles) inVillage of Andrew with beautiful EGG CREEKbordering the NORTH and a little bit EAST ofthis wonderful property. All utilities are to theproperty line with Edmonton water being abonus. Comes with canopy style storage shedwith lots of room for Quads, lawnmower, andtool storage. Perfect place to hang out on,plus you can build your new dream homehere also.. Excellent soil for hobby farmenthusiast, plus lots of room for a fewanimals ... address for second parcel is 4816- 52 ave and have to be SOLD TOGETHER ...FOR GREAT PRICE OF $44,900.00 If a personis having a hard time could sell off one of theparcels .. There is also a development permitpaid for and in place for 1 year for a 40' x 60'shop from Aug 2019 to Aug 2020.. bonus forbuyer. ANDREW $44,900

E4164829TOTAL - 160 ACRES - 108 Acres with mix oftrees, some pasture, has a 20' springfeddugout, with a 40' X 40' airplane hanger withgravel floor, person can turn this into shop...plus 52 acres - ALPAC has agreement onthis land til 2030 with $1500.00 / Year leaserevenue.. This quarter section is for sale withthe other 2 quarters.. NW-17-62-12-W4 +SW-20-62-12-W4- BUY ALL 3 and own asmall block of land (480 acres) to add to yourexisting land. $150,000

Frank Farley sends a rock down the ice during the first game of the season Oct. 8.The Morinville Curling Club began its season last week with COVID-19 protocols inplace.

Towns in Sturgeon County havea wide spread in franchise fees

The town of Morinville was nothing if notthorough in approving an updated five page, 44clause policy on Commemorative Naming.

The resolution to approve the policy, whichadministration noted included a Commemora-tive Naming Committee that hadn’t met since2009 was even debated in a Committee of theWhole of council before going to a regularmeeting.

This compares to the Town Awarding Con-tracts to Councillors Policy which does notexist and has zero clauses. Councillor StephenDafoe currently has a $10,000 contract fromthe town which involve supplying advertising.

It was coun. Dafoe who “moved that Coun-cil approve the Commemorative Naming Poli-cy as presented.”

The motion passed unanimously on Sept.22. Interestingly the annual contract to Dafoehas also passed unanimously (with Dafoe leav-ing council chambers momentarily during thevote or being absent from the meeting) everyyear in the current term, as well as multipletimes in the previous council term.

The town claims no policy is needed toaward current members of council a town sup-ply or service contract because it is allowedunder the Municipal Government Act (MGA).The MGA also allows Commemorative Nam-ing by a municipality.

Five page policy oncommemorative naming,zero for awardingcouncillor a contract



On Oct. 19, the Sturgeon 4-H District Councilheld their fall annual meeting at the SturgeonAgriplex in Cardiff. This was our first in personmeeting since COVID-19 began.

Chairman Ken Moon called the meeting to orderwith 5 of the 7 Clubs in attendance.

Each Club then gave a report of what has beenhappening in their Club, number of members nowregistered, what projects are being offered andwhat’s happening in the next month! Finding avenue with social distancing space and reasonablerental costs, and following 4-H and AHS guidelines,is a concern for many of the Clubs.

Many of the Clubs did some interesting thingssince 4-H opened up again in June! A Cancermarathon, Hwy Cleanup, and a Cemetery Cleanupto name a few!

We sadly say goodbye to Kathy Keiser, a former4-H leader, one of our Key Leaders in Sturgeon, andCommunications Specialist for our Region. Kathyhad been involved with the 4-H program for over 40years! All the best to you Kathy in your “retirement”- and enjoy those new grandchildren!!

A number of our fall activities and our annualAward Night have been delayed until spring, whenhopefully covid allows larger group gatherings!

Also, with changes in the Alberta 4-H program,we need to relook into our Constitutions, Bylawsand Policies!

Elections were held with the following results:Chairman - Ken Moon (re-elected); Vice-chairman -Leona Petherbridge (Remaining on); Secretary -Madeleine Shank (re-elected); Treasurer - RaeganMoon (re-elected); Reporter - Hayden Clark; Keymember - tabled to next meeting; Key Leader -Corine Verbeek (remaining on); Project Representa-

tives to Regional Council; Beef - ColleenWhittal; Horse - Sonya Shank; Lifeskills& Other Animals - Leona Petherbridge.

District fees were discussed remindingeveryone they are due to the treasurer byDec. 1.

NW Regional President Leslie Majeaualso discussed Leader screening changes,and new programs Commit to Kids andThe Leader in You!

Corine Verbeek discussed a program“Clean Farms - Twine Recycling. Moreinformation to come next meeting.

The Horse leaders are also working onpossibly hosting an equine workshop forour District only to replace the NWRegion Horse Play.

Our next Sturgeon District 4-H Coun-cil meetings to be in the Cardiff Agriplexis Nov. 16.

—Submitted by Hayden Clark, Stur-geon District Reporter

Mike and Karen Ullman of Sturgeon County brought sewing, hand made garmentsand canned goods to the Smoky Lake Fall Market last month. “He grows thevegetables,” said Karen.

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Sturgeon 4H District councilhears interesting activitiesundertaken by clubs

The town of Morinville mantra of ‘on time andunder budget’ regarding the Morinville Leisure Cen-tre continues to be cloaked in irony as an updatewith some inconvenient statements was presented tocouncil Oct. 13, along with a request to approve thethird debenture borrowing for the project debt.

“The Morinville Leisure Centre (MLC) budgetand debt analysis has been updated and reflectsspending to date (including forecasted expenditures)totaling $29,700,321 which represents 97% of theoverall approved construction and site servicingbudget totaling $30,500,000. The overall project isunder budget by 3% or $799,679. Although theMLC opened to the public at the end of May 2019,there continued to be a number of outstanding itemsin the Construction and Site Servicing budgetsspecifically which were forecasted to be expendedthrough the balance of 2019 and the 2020 construc-tion season, specifically the storm pond landscapingand toboggan hill (separately financed through the2019 Annual Park Program),” states the report fromtown of Morinville administration to council.

While the statement puts the ‘on time’ part of theslogan in the bin, its conclusion that the overall proj-ect is under budget was immediately put in jeopardyby the debenture borrowing background documentsattached to the same agenda.

Borrowing bylaw 9/2018 states “...and whereas,plans and specifications have been prepared and thetotal cost of the project is estimated to be$28,800,000 and the Municipality estimates the fol-lowing grants and contributions will be applied tothe project: Partnerships, Sponsorship and Fundrais-ing $6,185,000; Debentures $15,835,000.”

That borrowing bylaw was passed on June 26,2018. Somewhere between then and the pronounce-ment of being under budget two years later thatbudget grew by $1.7 million ... but what’s a millionor 1.7 million between friends?

Council was so pleased at being only $1.7 millionover the 2018 budget (or was it the $799,679 underthe mystery date budget) that it decided to spendanother $160,000 on a digital sign at the site.

Actually in addition to the toboggan hill, etc, notbeing included in the project cost total of the phan-tom date budget, the walking trail from East Bound-ary Road to the leisure centre and the lighting proj-ect for the being-completed trail is also coming fromother sources (including photo radar tickets). Also,the millions of dollars in financing to carry the over$21 million in 20 year debenture financing is not inl-cuded in the project budget — you will find it buriedin your annual property tax bill.

‘On time and under budget’ should be the mantraof every project done by the town of Morinville --but just as a chant rather than a statement of sub-stance.

‘On time andunder budget’slogan forLeisure Centrewearing thin


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The Free Pressemail [email protected] 780-939-3309

Regular office hours 9am - 4pm Tuesday thru Friday (Closed daily 12:00 to 12:30)

NOTICEFREE PRESS, REVIEW --During the current COVID-19 situation

office hours are being minimized and phone access will beirregular, depending upon staff hours. Email and fax remain the

best communication tools. The Free Press office in Morinville has a newsstand in the front

lobby to pick up extra copies during business hours and the Reviewhas a newsstand outside the front entrance in Redwater.

Production and distribution of the weekly newspapers will continueon the normal weekly schedule. Ads, flyer orders, news, photos canbe submitted to [email protected] The warehouse will continue

to receive flyer shipments as per normal.

Morinville town councillors voted to sign the annual statement ofcommitment to the Council Code of Conduct Bylaw on Oct. 27 — andthe substance of the code is already being tested, with one councillor lastweek getting involved in a social media discussion of COVID-19 mask-ing.

Council Stephen Dafoe stated: “I can tell you that anyone who thinkscouncillors voted for or against the proposed bylaw without a lot ofthought, lost sleep, or consideration should pull their heads out of theirposterior orifices.”

The Code of Conduct has a section on “Respectful interactions withcouncil members, staff, the public and others.”

That section of the code of conduct states in part that council mem-bers “shall treat one another, employees of the Municipality and mem-bers of the public with courtesy, dignity and respect and without abuse,bullying or intimidation.” It also notes “No member shall use indecent,abusive, or insulting words or expressions toward another Member, anyemployee of the Municipality or any member of the public.”

Suggesting anyone with a different opinion should “pull their headsout of their posterior orifices” will probably be treated as acceptable forthe level of respect and dignity Morinville council expects from its ownmembers, and no investigation or enforcement action will result. Mor-inville council has never taken any action involving any councillorunder the Code of Conduct Bylaw.

Matthew Silvius sits with some of the honeyhe has for sale from his Magic Honey beehives. Story on front page.Below -- Matthew Silvius enjoys a hike in theforest.

Council code of conductmakes sure you are treatedwith respect and dignity ...but don’t disagree with them

Barbara Latham enjoys a game of floorcurling at the Rendez-Vous Centre inMorinville Oct. 15. “We get to meetpeople,” she said. “We enjoy each other’scompany, and we get a little bit of rivalryback and forth.”


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Roseridge Waste Management Services Commis-sion is planning to upgrade the facility at the southend of its regional landfill to create a safe, convenientwaste and recycling experience for users. A commu-nity engagement campaign on what upgrades aredesired will run until Nov. 22.

“We can’t design a facility that will benefit theregion for the next four decades without your input,”said Roseridge manager Susan Berry in a Nov. 2 pressrelease. “Please get involved.”

She said no plans will be drawn up until after theyhear what residents feel is important.

“The input we receive will completely drive theupgrades,” Berry said. “So far we have heard thingslike more capacity for recycling and an area to pickup compost.”

Area residents may participate with Roseridgeonline.

“We are gathering ideas until Nov. 22,” Berry said.“Then we will put your thoughts on paper with con-cept drawings. Detailed design will go to tender in2021, and construction will begin in 2022.”

Berry said the Roseridge regional landfill opened40 years ago and at the time was designed to serve amuch smaller population. Since then the Sturgeonregion has grown considerably, as have traffic vol-umes at the landfill. This past May a record 8,000vehicles drove over the scale.

In addition to operating the landfill, Roseridge

partners with local organizations to support their pro-grams. “We are hosting in-person drive-through recy-cling round-up events in the community to encourageparticipation and fundraise for local charities,” saidBerry.

On Nov. 15 Friends of the Redwater Public Librarywill be accepting electronics for recycling as afundraiser to purchase green toys. That event will beat the library parking lot from noon until 2:00 p.m.

In addition to the online survey and drive-throughevents, residents can participate in one of three live,facilitated workshops via Zoom. Workshops are Nov.4 at 7:00 p.m., Nov. 9 at 2:30 p.m., and Nov. 19 at7:00 p.m. All workshops require zoom software andcan be accessed through instructions on Roseridge’sinternet site.

Roseridge regional landfill is located east of Mor-inville on RR251 south of Hwy 642. It serves the res-idents of Sturgeon County and the urban municipali-ties within it.

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Ten Banners of Rememberance were hungin Morinville on lamp posts along 100 Streetbetween the Sobeys store and the fire hallOct. 30.

Four Winds Public School (FWPS) in Morinvilleremains under a COVID-19 watch because of activeCOVID cases in the school population.

On Nov. 6 the Government of Alberta websitelisted Four Winds as under a Watch. That means theschool outbreak was declared with five or morecases where the disease could have been acquired ortransmitted in the school, and the school is openwith near normal operations with some public healthmeasures.

On Nov. 5 FWPS appeared to be open with stu-dents and staff inside it.

Sturgeon Public Schools board chair Terry Jewellsaid he could not confirm whether or not the schoolwas open to students. That information, and howmany school staff and students tested positive forCOVID-19 would have to come from the schooldivision central office.

Superintendent Mary Lynne Campbell did notrespond to requests for information before presstime.

School remains on theCOVID-19 watch list

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Judy Carver knits a blue scarf during Knitting Club at the MorinvilleRendez-Vous Centre Oct. 1. It was the club’s second meeting (thefirst was Sept. 30) since shutting down in March because of COVID-19. “It’s wonderful social time,” she said. “I missed it.”


The town of Morinville has no reason to increase propertytaxes for 2021, despite pages of financial gymnastics in thedraft 2021 budget which calls for a municipal tax increase of$1.5% for residential and 6% for commercial property.

The reality is that its own documents show that the 2020 taxrate will achieve the 2021 target revenue figure of$10,678,748 in property tax revenue. The projected total actu-al property tax collected in 2020 is $10,625,029. That is only$50,000 below the 2021 tax revenue needed and with no taxrate increase, the additional $50,000 will come from assess-ment growth as a result of commercial and residential con-struction in 2020.

The whole concept of predicting a tax increase in the budg-et is flawed because the town does not have the changes to theexisting assessment yet. If home values rose 5% the tax ratewill actually have to decrease 5% to net the same revenue —if the assessment value decreased 3% then the tax rate wouldhave to increase by 3% to bring in the same revenue asplanned in the budget.

The Oct. 27 council agenda’s background information onthe budget notes that “The Consolidated Operating Budgetreflects revenues totaling $22.9M which represents anincrease of nearly 1.4% over the prior year approved budget.The increase is primarily associated with increased municipalproperty tax projections based on a 1.5% municipal residen-tial tax increase and a 6% nonresidential tax increase ... alongwith higher anticipated franchise revenue and an estimatedincrease in utility revenue.”

According to tax charts, municipal property taxes haveincreased from $9,299,254 in 2018 to $10,678,748 for 2021 inthe draft budget — an increase of over $1.3 million in thethree years of the current council’s term of office.

Revenue isn’t the only questionable area of the draft budg-et. According to text in the town of Morinville budget, oper-ating costs have dropped by $2.4 million since 2018 to the2021 draft budget. However the budget expenses for 2021 aresubstantially higher than 2018’s expenditures. In 2018expenses totalled $18,464,265. Expenses total $22,860,604 inthe 2021 draft budget — an increase of $4.4 million (not adecrease of $2.4 million).

The budget states: “Operating costs throughout the organi-zation have seen reductions totaling more than $2.4Mthroughout 2018 through the 2021 budget. These reductionshave been accomplished through the deployment of budgetstrategies including absorbing inflation, cash flowing newpositions to actual start dates, reducing expenditures based onhistorical results over a 3-5-year period, as well as seeking

operational efficiencies from a resources and financial per-spective. These reductions have helped partially offsetincreased expenditures in other areas and maintain a stablefinancial outlook for the municipality as revenue projectionshave been budgeted to decline within certain areas of theorganization.”

In fact all revenue line items are higher in the 2021 draftbudget than in the 2020 forecast actual revenue except ‘Salesto other Governments’ which is down by less than $20,000.

There is also no explanation as to why “partially offsetincreased expenditures in other areas” would not containthese “other areas” in the budget which is expected toaccount for all revenue and expenses. In fact, thelargest increase in the budget is ‘Salaries, Wages &Benefits’ which is increasing from the 2020 projectedcost of $9,665,777 to a 2021 budget of $10,997,339.The expense had been budgeted to increase in 2020 to$10,628,745 and despite being projected to come inmuch lower is increased by over $330,000 from that2020 budget figure, and $1.3 million above the 2020expected actual cost.

The budget was scheduled to go to town council forsecond reading on Nov. 10. On Oct. 27 coun. StephenDafoe’s motion “that Administration come back atBudget 2nd Reading with a list of items from the oper-ating budget that could be removed to decrease our1.5% property tax increase to a 0% increase” despitethe budget as presented actually requiring no increasein tax rates to meet the tax revenue shown in the budg-et.

In another strange twist administration is requestingcouncil amend first reading of the 2021 budget twoweeks after first reading was unanimously passed. Atthe Nov. 10 council meeting council was to considerthe recommendation to: “Amend 1st Reading of the2021-2023 Operating Budget by $65,000 to includethe Temporary RCMP Staff Accommodations initia-tive,” and “Amend 1st Reading of the 2021-2023Operating Budget by $23,000 to increase the totalEdmonton Global requisition to $49,000.”

With 2021 being a General Municipal Election yearand the majority of Morinville council expected to runfor election again, a zero tax increase is expected —and the budget shows that it can be done without agreat deal of noise. In fact, the only real debate is theamount of decrease in the tax rate which should bepassed by reducing proposed excesses in spending.

The request to re-write history by amending the first

reading is part of a report requested by council to cut the pro-posed 1.5% residential tax increase to zero. The report sug-gests cancelling Cost of Living increase of 2% would save$161,000 and cancelling two initiatives would save another$100,000 — Resident Survey ($25,000) and EngineeringStandards ($75,000).

There is still a lot of room in the budget to cut withoutimpacting core services, but the current council has been a taxand spend regime and it cannot be assumed they will decreasetaxation despite Morinville having one of the highest residen-tial tax rates in the Edmonton Capital region..

Casavant, Julia “Julie” Florence (nee: Schayes)

1940 – 2020It is with deep sorrow and muchlove that we mourn the passing ofJulia Florence Casavant of Legal,Alberta on November 2, 2020 at theage of 80 years.Julie will be lovingly rememberedby her son, Dean (Lynette);

daughter, Carol (Daryl) Popeniuk; grandchildren:Emily, Marina, Eric and Lexi; sister, Cecile Vion, aswell as numerous relatives and friends.She was predeceased by her loving husband, Andyof 55 years; brothers, Marcel and Leon; sisters, LucilleD’Heer, Denise Tieulie and her parents, George andFlorence Schayes.Due to COVID – 19 Restrictions, a Private Familyinvitation only, Funeral Mass was Celebrated at10:30 a.m., on Saturday, November 7, 2020 at St.Emile Catholic Church, Legal, AB.In lieu of flowers, Memorial Donations may be madein Julie’s name to the Kidney Foundation ofCanada, 202 – 11227 Jasper Ave NW, Edmonton, ABT5K 9Z9 or the Heart and Stroke Foundation, 5241Calgary Trail NW Suite 144, Centre 104, Edmonton,AB T6H 5G8To send condolences, please visitwww.connelly-mckinley.com.Connelly-McKinley Funeral HomeSt. Albert Chapel • (780) 458-2222

Morinville does not need an increase in taxes toreach budget revenue, despite proposed hike

Documents

Banners of Remembrance hung in Morinvillecowleynewspapers.com/pdf/freepress/FreePress_November_11.pdf · 2021. 6. 24. · Vol. 23 No. 01 Morinville-Gibbons, Alberta November 11, 2020