Year in Review

Posted on January 16, 2025 by admin

January

The Village of Coutts has received a grant of $6,900 from the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta.

According to CFLSA, the funding will be used to remove old lighting fixtures in the Coutts Municipal Library and replace them with energy-efficient LEDs. 

“This grant helps with funding to many organizations, and they really deserve recognition,” said Lori Rolfe, Chief Administrative Officer for the Village of Coutts.

On Monday, Glen Motz, MP for the Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner riding, along with representatives from the Town of Raymond, Village of Stirling, and County of Warner, will be hosting a Town Hall from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Raymond Broadway Theatre, located at 15 Broadway South.

“The town halls are a way to connect with community,” said MP Motz. “We’re there to listen to listen to constituents, answer their many questions, demonstrate that to be effective, all levels of government work together and we do that. It’s important that they see it here and they can get questions answered.”

Kurtis Pratt, Chief Administrative Officer for the Town of Raymond, states that 2023 was a successful year for the Town of Raymond.

“Raymond’s Canada Day Celebrations were the biggest yet and record crowds took in the last Raymond Stampede at its Victoria Park location,” said Pratt. “Our facilities, such as Victoria Sports Park, Hell’s Creek Golf and Footgolf Course, the Aquatic Centre and the Ice Arena, as well as the many youth sporting programs, were all heavily used and met or positively exceeded budgetary expectations.”

February 

The Village of Stirling celebrates its 125th anniversary this year.

According to Village of Stirling Mayor Trevor Lewington, and the Village of Stirling website, a group of 30 settlers arrived in Stirling on May 5, 1899. The group came because of a contract for a canal between the Alberta Irrigation Company and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

By November 14, 1899, the contract was completed, and the water gates were opened at Magrath. The completion, however, caused hardships in 1900 because no money was being earned by the settlers; although Church officials in Utah had been told that the two settlements could sustain themselves. 

Teams are hitting the homestretch as the Central Alberta Hockey League chugs on into February.

In the U11 division, Raymond skated to a thrilling 9-9 tie with Medicine Hat on Saturday, as Cooper Rodeback led the way with three goals and one assist. Houstin Hill had two goals and one helper, while Tripp Durfey had two goals. Beau Salmon had two assists and Stetson Nelson and Brixden Manning added one goal each. Max Walburger also picked up an assist, while Remington Jardine was in goal.

On Sunday, Raymond could only muster three goals in a 7-3 loss to Lethbridge. Rodeback scored all three Raymond goals, and Hill added two assists. Jordan Schmidt was in goal.

Two of four men charged with conspiring to murder RCMP officers during the 2022 Coutts border protest of COVID-19 health measures, have pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

Christopher Lysak pleaded guilty Feb. 6 in Lethbridge court of justice to a single charge of possession of a weapon in an unauthorized place, while Jerry Morin pleaded to a charge of conspiracy to traffic firearms.

Lysak received a three-year prison sentence, but was released after he was credited for the equivalent amount of time he’s already spent in remand custody since his arrest. 

Winter water supply in the St. Mary River Irrigation District reservoirs edged up in the right direction, according to the District’s Feb. 18 season update. After unseasonably warm temperatures in November and December of 2023, winter finally landed with a thud in January and the bleak forecasts have trended slightly better.

“We are now at 285,000 acre-feet of storage for the entire St. Mary Project, which represents 47 per cent of our combined Headworks and District reservoirs winter storage target levels. Our winter storage target is estimated at 78 per cent of our Irrigation Storage FSL (Full Supply Limit) to accommodate spring runoff and precipitation events,” said George Lohues, board of directors for SMRID, in his February update.

The Town of Magrath is turning 125 years old this year.

According to Mayor Byrne Cook, Magrath is known as the ‘Garden City’ because of irrigation, and it was originally founded as settlers started the development of what is now known as the St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID) canal system.

The population of Magrath, Cook says, is 2,481 according to the 2021 Federal Census and the community is predominantly made up of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as it was settled by pioneers of that faith 125 years ago, but there are also active Mennonite and Lutheran faith groups in town.

March

The provincial government has lifted its pause on the final approval of renewable energy projects.

Any projects moving forward will be undertaken with agricultural lands being a priority, Premier Danielle Smith said Feb. 28.

Smith and Lethbridge East MLA Nathan Neudorf, the Minister of Affordability and Utilities, made the announcement.

May

Calling Alberta the country’s leader in renewable energy, Smith said the province wants to ensure it has affordable and reliable energy for residents.

A new family physician is now practising in the community and accepting new patients.

 Dr. Theresa Akewe is working out of the Milk River Medical Clinic and supporting the Milk River Health Centre emergency department. She joins Dr. Pieter Meyer in serving the community and surrounding area, and can be reached at 403-647-3599.

 “This is great news for patients in and around Milk River,” says Grant Hunter, MLA for Taber-Warner. “Physicians like Dr. Akewe are critical to supporting and growing rural Alberta, and she will make an excellent addition to Milk River and the surrounding area.”

On March 27, Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner MP Glen Motz and representatives from Cardston Town Council and County of Cardston will be hosting a Town Hall at the Cardston Civic Centre, located at 67 – 3 Avenue W. in Cardston from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

“We want to hear what’s on people’s minds,” said Motz. 

Rather than a structured meeting with an itinerary and confirmed topics, Motz says that the event will be wide open for people to talk about whatever they wish to talk about.

Two men facing a charge of conspiracy to commit murder during the 2022 Coutts border protest are in a two-week hearing as Crown and defence lawyers prepare for trial later this spring.

Anthony Olienick and Chris Carbert are sitting through pre-trial motions in Lethbridge court of Justice, where their lawyers and the Crown are presenting and responding to respective motions, and are expected to call a number of witnesses, including police officers, who were involved in the protest of COVID-19 health measures and restrictions.

April

With the City of Calgary already warning residents it could enact outdoor water restrictions as early as May, Raymond residents don’t have too much to worry about: yet.

Barring extreme dry conditions or imposed government restrictions, Raymond residents aren’t facing the immediate prospect of water rationing, says the Town’s chief administrative officer.

Kurtis Pratt says the Town is waiting to see which direction the government goes and what directives may come down the pipe to municipalities, but in the meantime town residents shouldn’t be too concerned about rationing, and it may not become necessary.

Raymond local Delaney Gibb, who is currently in Grade 12 at Raymond High School and due to graduate in June, was recently the focus of a short documentary film titled ‘DELANEY’ made by Jesse McRae Foster and his production team, Director of Photography and Editor Levi Holwell and Jaimie Stewart, filmmaker and composer.

The Cobblestone Manor Bed and Breakfast and Restaurant in Cardston is running a contest to find its next owners from now until July 15.

Ivan Negrych, current owner of Cobblestone Manor, says the contest rules are that entrants need to write a letter consisting of 300 words or less outlining what they would do if they owned Cobblestone Manor. 

The entry fee, Negrych said, is $500 and is to be paid via certified cheque, credit card, money order, or e-transfer.

DonnaJean Wilde is a fairly typical grandmother, with a rather atypical penchant for planking.

No, she’s not a floor installer, and she’s not a pirate, never having walked a plank in her life. But this 59-year-old retired school teacher from Welling loves to plank, as in lying face-down on the floor, then raising her body onto her forearms and toes and staying that way, like forever.

Continued in next week’s Westwind Weekly News.