Westwind Weekly

Author: Westwind Weekly

  • Stirling basketball success starts early

    By Lorena Rodgers

    Stirling High School basketball has had a stellar season this year with both Varsity teams finishing the regular season undefeated.
    A 1A-size school, the boys’ teams are playing at 2A level, and Varsity did not take a loss in regular season games. Having played at 2A, they won the provincial banner the past two years and took second place the year before. The girls play 1A and won provincials last year.
    Coach Bryce Coppieters said students look forward to being Stirling Lakers from when they are very small. “Basketball does not just start in high school. Basketball began for most of these players as young kids. They came to the gym dreaming about being Lakers.”
    Girls’ coach Donna Branch said success is about learning the basics and building good people, not just good players. “Our success is based on developing good character, hard work and an emphasis on the fundamentals of basketball,” said Branch, a former university basketball coach. “I am a coach who teaches strong fundamental basketball. I expect the girls to perform the skills of basketball in the proper way and I spend time on this every practice. You have to have good shooters and girls that can defend. I also ask a lot of questions so that the girls understand the game.”
    Coaches say individual talent of their players is also a factor, and the players’ leadership is a big part of the formula for success. “This year we have a talented group of Grade 11s and 12s. We also have a strong core of Grade 9 girls playing JV and SV basketball. I have always had a strong group of girls who enjoy playing basketball. That is a culture that is established
    in Stirling. The young girls can hardly wait for their time playing organized basketball,” said Branch.
    Coppieters agrees. “We were very fortunate to have many players on this years team with a lot of experience. These players play for their community, their school, their families, their coaches and themselves. There have been certain players step up this year to help lead this team. Steele Stef, Lane Still and Kyle Selk have done every well this year. Scott Mazutinec has been injured this year but even his presence around the team has been influential,” he said. “These players practice and play as a unit and I believe that the mentorship they display for the younger players will pay dividends in the future.”
    One advantage Branch sees of being from a small town is that the players already know how to work together, a very important part of how she develops a successful team. “The girls all know each other and spend a fair bit of time together in the gym and out of the gym. We also have strong community and parental support. These girls play the game together and are supportive and proud of each other.”
    The community is another part of the success. “There is a saying that goes, ‘It takes a community to help raise a child.’ I can honestly say that is also takes a community to raise good basketball teams,” said Coppieters. He said that financial support from the whole community through their Adopt-a-Laker program and other fundraisers helps the school carry out their basketball program.
    “The kids love to play basketball. There are not many team sports in Stirling. The top two sports in Stirling would be Volleyball and Basketball. Some kids play football in Raymond and Lethbridge, but basketball is king here.”

  • Huge meth bust at Del Bonita crossing

    by Tijana Martin and Lorena Rodgers

    It’s being called the biggest methamphetamine seizure at an Alberta border crossing.
    On Jan. 31, Season Truax, 40, of Calgary was crossing the border alone into Canada when she allegedly tried to smuggle 14.5 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine over the Del Bonita border crossing, southwest of Lethbridge.
    “This is our first significant seizure of 2016. It is the largest ever methamphetamine seizure in the history of the land border crossing in Alberta,” said Darryl Anderson, Superintendent with the CBSA, Friday morning at the Raymond RCMP detachment.
    “It shows our commitment together to keep drugs out of our country. Del Bonita is a small border crossing. We have six full-time officers, so this is not limited to major border crossings,” said Anderson.
    “This is coming through everywhere and our officers are diligent and they’re going to have the perseverance to detect, find and use our resources to make these arrests.”
    He noted Albertans should feel confident in the officers working the frontline of our borders as they have the technology, tools and resources to find deeply concealed narcotics.
    Anderson said it took the cooperation of different law enforcement agencies in acheiving this bust, from CBSA to RCMP, including canine units and those using advanced technology.
    This seizure happened Sunday, January 31 at 3:30 p.m., when Del Bonita border officers referred an SUV for a routine examination.
    During the inspection, they noticed multiple inconsistencies in the rocker panels and a decision was made to transfer the vehicle and Truax to the Coutts border services office.
    “At Coutts, we verified the indicators by using our detector dog service; detector dog Comet indicated on the vehicle that there was a presence of narcotics,” Anderson said. “We used an ion scanner to use trace technology to identify narcotics and we confirmed the indicators that the officers at Del Bonita had found.”

    Once the rocker panels were dismantled, 14 packages of methamphetamine were found. CBSA officers then arrested Truax and transferred her and the drugs to the Raymond RCMP.
    Truax was expected to appear at Lethbridge provincial court on Friday morning. She is facing three charges: importation of a schedule one substance; possession for the purpose of trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act; and smuggling under the Customs Act.
    No street value dollar amount was released.
    Last year CBSA officers made 87 seizures of narcotics or chemicals including suspected methamphetamine.
    “Seizures such as this, occurring regularly across the country in our partnerships with CBSA, has an across-the-board impact on the harm reduction that can occur in our communities,” said Cpl. Sharon Franks, RCMP spokesperson for Southern Alberta District.
    “This quantity of meth could be extremely harmful. The cost to society could be astronomical-in the billions of dollars.”

  • Tractor used to break into Magrath convenience stores

    by Lorena Rodgers
    Two convenience stores in Magrath were broken into early morning on February 12.
    A tractor stolen from Jim’s Auto adjacent to the Blue Goose gas station was used to smash through the front window of Blue Goose shortly before 5 a.m. and was then driven the three blocks and smashed through the front of Winks. Police say the suspect was likely there to get at the cash machines.
    In both cases, the intruder appears to have left as soon as alarms were set off. A security camera at  Blue Goose caught images of a man in the store.
    The man was not recognized as a member of the community, but was reported to resemble a man noticed in Blue Goose about three times the day before.
    When the suspect left Winks, the tractor stalled and he left it in the front of the store. The alarm woke the convenience store owners, who came into the store to find the tractor left parked where the front door used to be. The surrounding brick wall was so damaged some had to be knocked out to be able to stabilize the store front.
    Eunyoung Lee who owns Winks with her husband, Kang Park, felt someone was around and they went to check on the store as the alarm started. She said she was afraid when she saw the tractor in the store that the intruder would return, but he did not. Magrath resident Scott Wolsey was joggingthat morning  saw what happened, called 911 and stayed with the family.  Park said they have had, “a lot of support from the community. Food, donations, cards–they are a big help to us, I appreciate them.
    The paper has had no response from RCMP as to the progress of the investigation, but heard they were again reviewing security footage Tuesday Feb 16.

  • New building to house Magrath’s history to break ground

    By Lorena Rodgers

    Work on a new building to feature early facets of Magrath’s development is set to begin with help from area businesses big and small.
    Danielle MacCallum, Territory Account Manager for Monsanto presented the museum board with $2500 from their Canada’s Farmers Grow Communities grant.
    Gary Stanford of Stanford Farms not only applied for the Monsanto grant for the museum, but also gave the museum a $500 donation from Stanford Farms, challenging other area farmers to also “help keep [Magrath’s] history alive.”
    The new museum building will recognize farming as one of the early industries in Magrath. “Farming is what this community is built on,” said Stanford.
    Alan Dudley, past president of the museum, agrees. He recalls years when farming was a big part of life within the town. “Every property had room for a house, a garden, a cow , a chicken coop and a pig,” Dudley said, so families could be mostly self-sufficient. He explained how the cows in town would be herded down to the community pasture where the Magrath Golf Club is now. In the evening they would be herded back into town. Stores had no refrigeration at the time, so families milked the cows each day to provide milk. If chickens laid more eggs than families needed, extra eggs would be taken to the store to barter for what families couldn’t provide on their farms.
    These things are to be the focus of the new museum building. “I see this being an opportunity for education,” said Dudley. “Children can come here from all around the area and see where their porridge or bread comes from.”
    Construction on the barn-style building will begin within the next week immediately north of the museum. It will feature industries that were the foundation of the community, including agriculture, irrigation, the woolen mill and the cannery.
    Although funding is in place to finish construction of the building, more donations are required to finish the shelving and displays.
    The building is expected to be completed in the late spring so it can be welcoming visitors by summertime.

  • Raymond council calls off arena open house

    By Lorena Rodgers

    An uproar over discussion about the Raymond ice arena greeted Raymond Town Council on Tuesday, resulting in Council calling off an open house scheduled for later this month.

    The mayor and council emphasized that the open house, planned for January 27 and 28, was only meant to be about ideas for better use of town facilities. Mayor George Bohne spoke of meeting with concerned parties before Christmas and clarifying that council was not considering closing the arena.

    Community-members Brian Eakett, Rod Wendorff and Darin Ellington expressed their concerns to council about how information got out and the division created in the community. They also expressed how important the ice arena is to the town and that perception from the proposal is that council is planning to replace the arena with a recreation centre. Consensus was that right now the town is too polarized on the issue to discuss looking toward a recreation centre, even with the arena being removed from the conversation.

    Mayor Bohne said the town can’t wait two years to discuss dealing with inefficiencies with the arena, and that if organized meetings can happen with interested parties, an open house wouldn’t be necessary. Bohne said the open house would need to be rescheduled with an organized purpose that does not have residents feel they must choose one facility at the expense of another.

    After lengthy discussion, councillor Jim Depew made a motion recommending that the open house would be cancelled and administration continue efforts to keep the ice arena open for the remainder of current council’s term. Councillor Dustin Ralph clarified that council can discuss development of a recreation centre, just not in relation to the arena. The motion passed unanimously.

    Some community-members were upset that a concept drawing had been presented, which appeared to say that plans were already moving toward a recreation centre. Councillor Ralph explained that concept drawings are much cheaper than blueprints and are often made so council can visualize ideas that are being presented for discussion and planning.

    Those at the meeting who opposed the open house said they were glad it was cancelled, but they were still concerned about misinformation that got out.

    Mayor and council encouraged anyone with ideas for making use of the arena more efficient and profitable to talk to administration.

  • Classic weekend for Zeniths

    by Lorena Rodgers

    Magrath High School will host its opening basketball tournament this weekend with the Zenith Classic, and this year is featuring something new.
    As well as eight boys’ Varsity basketball teams from our school division and around the province, this year will have a four-team Junior Varsity tournament as well.
    “There aren’t many tournaments around for JV teams,” said MHS vice-principal Darryl Christensen. “We just want to give them a chance to play.”
    The Varsity tournament has a draw and will have awards and prizes. The JV tournament will be round robin play without any awards.
    Varsity tournament guests are Raymond Comets, Cardston Cougars, LCI Rams, Centennial Coyotes from Calgary, Bev Facey Falcons from Sherwood Park and Ernest Manning Griffins from Calgary.
    JV guests are Raymond, Kainai Warriors and Ernest Manning. All JV games will be played in the auditorium.
    The Varsity Zeniths won the Classic last year as well as five other times since 2000.

  • Battle against the bill

    By J.W. Schnarr, Southern Alberta Newspaper Group Southern Alberta producers had a chance to air their grievances about Bill 6 at a town hall session in Lethbridge on Thursday.
    An estimated 700 people showed up to confront Lori Sigurdson, Minister of Advanced Education and Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour, and Oneil Carlier, Minister of Agriculture. The crowd was well-behaved but made no mistake about their opposition to the contentious bill.
    Carlier began the discussion by offering an apology to those in attendance.
    “On behalf of our whole caucus, we are sorry,” he said. “We should have provided the details about how we planned to protect farm and ranch families when we first introduced the bill.”
    Bill 6 – Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act – would remove existing exemptions from workplace rules for farms. The bill would make changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Workers’ Compensation Act, Employment Standards Code and Labour Relations Code. Changes to OHS are not planned to be implemented until 2017.
    Sigurdson said the bill is about safety and protection for farm and ranch paid employees.
    “I know farmers and ranchers want to make sure paid employees are safe in their workplaces.”
    She noted there is still a full year of consultation to be done on working out the Occupational Health and Safety technical requirements before they are to be implemented in 2017.
    “That’s how it works,” she said. “You pass the Act, and then you work out the technical requirements.”
    Jake Meyer is a rancher from Welling, who said he was attending the event because he sees Bill 6 as one of the biggest political events to affect farmers in a long time.
    “(It is about) the possibility of out-of-control regulations,” he said. “There’s no farmer or producer that is against increased safety, and there’s no farmer or producer against making that mandatory, but giving the government such a blank cheque is absolutely wrong.
    “Farmers and ranchers need to be consulted prior to any legislature being passed.”
    Meyer said people were peacefully gathered to defend their livelihoods and their lifestyles.
    “We hope that the government sees the importance of what they’ve done, with the miscommunication, and the wrong way they’ve introduced this bill.”
    John McKee, from Stirling, said Bill 6 was less about safety and more about restricting the freedom of producers.
    “Agriculture has worked in Alberta for over 100 years,” he said. “We don’t need or want this legislation.”
    “We feel this bill is all about control,” he added. “A way to penalize forward-thinking producers, a way to keep us under their thumb, a way to shut down what we stand for, and the way we’ve been taught to live.”
    Sigurdson said workplace safety rules put in place for farm operations would not necessarily look the same as in other industries.
    “We need to make sure that WCB and OHS understand the uniqueness of the industry,” she said.
    At one point, Carlier told the crowd due to the laws in Canada, all Canadians must be given an equal right to form a union. The crowd responded with a chorus of boos.
    One speaker accused the government of being untrustworthy.
    “We don’t trust you,” he said. “There’s nothing you can say to make us believe that you care about us.
    “We don’t like you. We don’t like your bill, and you should not be happy we’re here, because we are very angry.”
    One common demand was that Carlier meet with producer groups in order to gain more perspective.
    “I’ll contact those producer groups, and I would very honestly like to meet with them,” Carlier said.
    Another speaker broke down into tears when addressing the ministers.
    “I don’t own a farm or a ranch,” she said. “But I’ve always worked on one, and so has my husband. And you’re singlehandedly going to wreck our lives with your bill.”
    Few voices speaking at the event seemed in favour of any aspect of the bill, but one speaker said he could understand some of the points of the bill. He noted he supported some change to labour rules on farms, including the practice of hiring children.
    “I think it’s a small problem, but it’s one that needs to be dealt with. I don’t think we should hire school-age kids during work hours.
    “I don’t think I should be taking kids out of school to work on my farm. Maybe I’m wrong.”

  • Alberta supports farmers- Drought aid coming

    The provincial government is taking steps to ensure agriculture producers dealing with dry conditions have resources to feed and water livestock and assist with growing conditions.
    “I’m quite familiar with the adverse, dry drought conditions we are facing, and I know how difficult and stressful times like these can be on our close-knit agricultural community,” said Oneil Carlier, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, during a press conference earlier this month. “Since coming to this job a little over two months ago, I’ve been reaching out to farmers, municipal leaders, and industry representatives to hear directly about how conditions have been impacting them.”
    Rental fees have been cut in half for Agriculture and Forestry’s Water Pumping Program. The program provides pumps and pipes to help producers get water for domestic and livestock use by filling their dugouts or other suitable catch basins from nearby water sources.
    “We are cutting fees to use Alberta Agriculture’s Emergency Water Pumping program in half. This program helps farmers pump water from lakes, rivers and other water resources to provide water for their livestock and for other uses,” said Carlier.
    The emergency water-pumping program provides assistance to between 400 and 1,400 clients every year. The fee reduction will apply to anyone who uses the program in the 2015-16 fiscal year and will be retroactive to April 1.
    “There’s no doubt that an early snow melt, dry spring, and recent hail storms have taken a toll, while significant rainfall in July has provided some relief to some portions of the province, we know that areas of the province remain very dry, and many producers are still struggling,” said Carlier.
    Environment and Parks is also working with municipalities to identify additional public lands for grazing purposes to help increase producers’ access to livestock feed supplies. The measures will allow temporary grazing or haying permits in suitable locations.
    “I’ve been working with Environment Minister Phillips to identify any grazing opportunities on vacant and under-utilized Crown land,” said Carlier. “Environment and Parks have been considering and approving applications for access to appropriate
    Crown lands, and authorizing sub-leases in cases where the lease holder isn’t fully utilizing the land. This will help producers struggling with inadequate pasture and high hay prices.”
    In addition to these programs, a full suite of insurance and business risk management programs is available through Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC).
    “These conditions have activated a significant suite of agricultural insurance and business risk management programs that were designed to help producers in difficult times like these,” said Carlier. “Crop insurance continues to be an important first line of defence. Approximately $70 million in claims have already been processed and paid out through the Agricultural Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) this year.”
    Provincially, 78 per cent of crops and 29 per cent of pasture acreage has been insured in 2015. For multi-peril crop insurance alone, AFSC estimates this year’s claim payments to range from approximately $700 million to $900 million. Producers also have access to approximately $541 million currently deposited in their AgriInvest accounts.
    “I’ve been working closely with AFSC to ensure they have the resources in place to respond to farmers quickly,” said Carlier. “I know that their front-line staff are working overtime and weekends to process claims as quickly as they can. Based on current conditions, we expect to pay $700 to $900 million in direct support to farmers through these insurance programs by the time the growing season is complete. Producers are also carrying a collective balance of $541 million through the AgriInvest Program, which can be accessed any time for any reason.”
    This program allows farmers to invest up to $15,000 per year to receive matching funds from the provincial and federal governments.”
    The province continues to work with the federal government to ensure that tax deferrals are available for livestock producers in affected municipalities. Those who need to sell livestock because of feed shortages can defer a portion of their 2015 sale proceeds of breeding livestock for one year to help offset the cost of replenishing that stock in the following year.
    “We have been working with the federal government to ensure that livestock producers in affected communities qualify for tax deferrals if they need to sell off part of their herds, and we welcome the recent federal government announcement on this,” said Carlier.
    Alberta Agriculture and Forestry has a number of online resources at www.agriculture.alberta.ca to assist producers with decision making, including crop and moisture reports, planning information for dry conditions and a hay and pasture directory.
    “Although cattle auction volumes, primarily due to yearlings coming off grass early, have been above average for the past eight to nine weeks, we have not seen a large sell-off of cattle at this point,” said Carlier. “Year to date sales volumes are still below last year at this time, and also below the three-year average. We’ll have a better idea of the effect on cattle herd numbers later in the fall, We’ll continue monitoring the situation on the ground to determine if action is required in additional communities.”

  • Local signs with University of Calgary Dinos

    By Karlene Skretting
    Westwind Weekly News
    reporter.karlene@gmail.com

    He may have left just last week for his two year LDS mission in New Zealand, but Tim McMahon has more than just reuniting with family and friends to look forward to upon his return. The Zeniths alumni has a University of Calgary Dinos basketball scholarship awaiting him for the 2017-2018 season.
    “I’m really excited to play at the University of Calgary,” said McMahon less than 30 minutes before leaving Magrath for the airport. “I really like the pace of the game and the style that they play as a team, they’re really team-oriented.”
     The 5’9″ point guard help lead his high school team to a fourth place finish at this year’s 4A provincial championships.
    “He is one of the most committed players to improving himself and working hard that I’ve ever coached,” shared Allen Gallup, Magrath High School Zeniths senior basketball coach, who has coached at various levels for over 43 years. 
    Gallup pointed out that it wasn’t uncommon to see McMahon in the gym by 6:30 a.m. working on his shooting and ball handling before school started.
    The team captain averaged 25 points, eight assists, five rebounds and five steals per game and had four triple-doubles this past season. He upped his game even more at provincials, with averages of 28 points, 10 assists, four steals and six rebounds.
    McMahon said Dinos head coach Dan Vanhooren was a major reason in him committing to the program. 
    “That’s a big deal for a coach to say I’m not 100 per cent sure what’s going to happen two years from now, what the team’s going to look like, but we still want you,” McMahon said. “That helps my confidence level, the trust that’s there between me and him.”
     McMahon knows he will have to spend time getting back into shape after his mission, but he looks forward to the challenge and opportunity of playing CIS basketball.
     “Tim is an exceptional talent and his skills will help our program,” Van Hooren said. “He has the ability to make people around him better with his tremendous space and time skill. Additionally, he is an excellent shooter and competitor, Tim will prove to be a strong asset to the Dinos basketball program.”

  • No Cost Clothing exchange

    No Cost Clothing exchange

    By Karlene Skretting
    Westwind Weekly News
    reporter.karlene@gmail.com

    Individuals looking to get a deal on a new outfit or article of clothing, whether for themselves or a family member, should plan to attend the No Cost Clothing exchange at the Garth Veale Arena in Magrath Saturday.
    The date of the annual No Cost Clothing community event has been revised this year to take place on Aug. 22, it is a week earlier than published in the Magrath Stake Calendar to accommodate for an earlier start to the school year, explained Roger Davies, Magrath Lions Club treasurer.
    Gently used clothing donations are being accepted in a labeled white van in front of the Magrath pharmacy between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. with today (Thursday) being the last day to donate.
    “I’m always amazed at the amount that people donate,” said Davies, who joked that each year he thinks people in Magrath will run out of clothes from the large quantity they contribute.
    People can expect to find gently used clothing for infants, kids, teens, adults and seniors alike.
    “We get tons of donations. I have over a 100 bags full so far. Last year we had over 300 total.
    “Anyone that needs them are free to come and get them,” said Davies. You did not have to donate to participate, he added.
    Davies said the Lions Club has organized the event for the last three or four years, prior to that the churches in the community did. The Lions Club felt the event was of value and well attended and decided to keep the tradition alive.
    The No Cost Clothing exchange will take place at the Ice Arena from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Seniors are invited to get an early start and take home items on Friday between 3 and 6 p.m.
    Set up and sorting will also take place on Friday. If you are able to volunteer or have questions, contact Roger or Shauna Davies at 403-388-4332 or emai weserve@magrathlions.com
    Items that do not find a new home will do donated to the Canadian Diabetes Association bins.