Doing a whole lot of nothing

I have been doing a whole lot of nothing these past three weeks.  It will soon be a month since I had foot surgery to repair a very painful bunion.  Now I hobble around.  At first I used crutches, then a walker and now a cane.  I wear a "bunion boot" on my right foot which is designed with a wedge type heel so as not to allow any weight on the front of the foot.  On good days I just take off on my two feet and on bad days I use the cane or walker.  I haven't really had one whole good day but I know I will!

 

There is not much I can do about it.  Well.....I could have chosen not to have the surgery and then I would just be carrying on as usual.  I decided that wasn't an option since I was in a lot of pain and to top it all off my other foot is just as bad.  I am hoping to get the left foot fixed in the not so distant future.  I am looking forward to the day when my feet do not hurt!

 

If anything I could use it as an excuse for a grumpy and argumentative disposition; but I won't.  Well, maybe. 

 

All of this has given me a new outlook on some things.  I used to work for Home Care and I am glad that I have that knowledge to help me with basic every day ordinary things that we take for granted.  Each time I haul myself in and out of the bath tub I mutter a silent prayer.   I think about all the people I have assisted in their own homes and how I went about it.  Every time I take that long walk from one end of my house to the other I also say a word of thanks that I realized the dangers of scatter rugs, slippery floors and good shoes! 

 

We have two little dogs who leave their toys strewn about the living room floor and I pay a lot of attention to that whilst maneuvering around the house.  The dogs also tend to bring the snow indoors sometimes.  Snow melts and leaves puddles of water that can make life interesting while I am hopping around on one good foot.

 

So far I haven't tripped or slipped on anything.  I have ventured outside a couple of times.  Getting in and out of the truck is not easy with all the snow.  I have a patient husband who wants to help and who gets hollered at sometimes when he is not right there to offer assistance.  Sorry about that.  I have some friends left who inquire about my health both physical and mental, so life is not all that bad!

 

I am also very grateful for my basic good health and fitness level at this time.  Why do I say this?  Well for starters I vowed to lose at least five pounds before the surgery.  Thus the following quote from the Canadian Arthritis Society:   "Just 10 pounds of excess weight can put you at greater risk of developing osteoarthritis (OA) in your knees. Did you know that losing 10 pounds of excess weight decreases stress on your knees by 40 pounds? By increasing physical activity and exercise, you can make a difference to your joints and overall health."

 

That was enough for me and I thought that even a small weight loss would be better than nothing at all to relieve the stress on my feet.  Anyone who has had sore feet could appreciate what I am saying.  Mine were beyond sore, they were hell.  To top it all off I haven't worked since the end of June because of the herniated disc in my back.  I was scared that the back pain would prevent me from getting around at all once I had the foot surgery!  Oh my god......what has happened to me?

 

I found that it wasn't all that hard to shed a few pounds even though I haven't been all that active.  With the decline in physical activity came a diminished appetite.  I didn't lose ten pounds but I did lose five so that was 20 pounds less stress on the joints.  Mission accomplished.

 

Before the surgery and then just in the past few days I had a hellish stomach virus that totally incapacitated me as well.  There was no way I was going to eat anything after being so sick so that helped.  I wouldn't recommend it as a weight loss technique.

 

I am grateful for all the months of Boot Camp for the past two years.   Thank you Kendra!  I toughened myself up and believe me I am proud that at 59 years of age I can do an "almost" one leg squat.  It helps to get out of tough situations where I am sitting in a spot that is lower than I want to sit.  I am also proud that I forced myself to do all those push ups.  It sure helped when I found myself teetering and tottering on crutches in the middle of the night.  There is nothing like conditioning to get through the tough moments.

 

 

 

I meant to take a picture of my foot before surgery but I forgot.  So I took a picture of my left foot.  It is bad but not as bad as the one that is now fixed.  Then I took a series of pictures to show the progress of the right foot. 

 

 

So this was a week later after I got the stitches out.  It is healing nicely.  One of my friends said I had the ugliest feet she's ever seen.  When she saw my foot after the surgery she said, "That's better!"  LOL is all I can do.

Well that's probably enough about the feet.  What a topic.  It is my blog and I can blog about whatever I feel like and if you have read it - good for you!

I think I might practice saluting again

 
As Remembrance Day approaches it gives us time to reflect on ourselves as Canadians.  I think back to my childhood.

Gertie and Ira were a wonderful old couple who lived not far from us in the little town where I grew up. Gertie was my favourite babysitter; she was so much fun. They had no children of their own. Ira talked funny, in a strained whispery voice. My dad said he got "gassed" in the war and that's why he talked that way.

Being a child I had no clear understanding of what that meant.  I didn't ask many questions. I just remember it was something mysterious. I later found out that Ira enlisted in the 229 Canadian Infantry Battalion in 1916 and served in the Canadian Engineers, in France. He was one of the many Canadians soldiers who were gassed by the Germans at Ypres.

Ellen and Alex lived down the street from us. I didn't know too much about them.  Ellen was the "Avon Lady".  Alex sat in a dark living room in a wheel chair and chain smoked.. My mom told me that he lost his legs in the War. I don't ever remember seeing him in the light of day. Reflecting back, knowing what I know, he was probably suffering from depression related to his war time experiences.  Even now, thinking about the interior of that house makes me feel bad for him.

As a child my impressions of war were formed by my neighbours down the street and by what my parents told me. My mom talked about ration books, lack of nylon stockings and sending letters to her brother Lloyd who was in the Air Force "overseas". My dad tried to enlist and he did not pass the physical for one reason or another; he never talked about it. His brother John was in the army, serving most of his time as a prisoner of war.

Every November we had Remembrance Day services in our school. All the Veterans from the area went from school to school in those days, doing their duty. I remember looking at their medals and staring into their solemn faces. I was impressed with how they stood so tall and still, not moving while the "Last Post" was being played. I used to practice saluting in front of the mirror when I got home.

To this day I cannot recall one single word they said to us. I have only a picture in my mind of the uniforms, the medals, the rigid posture, the serious looks, the shaking hands and the tears in their eyes. Nobody ever smiled. Those impressions have stayed with me to this day. I now know why they never smiled on that day. I can now appreciate their solemn faces, their tears and their sacrifice.  I can only guess what they endured while defending our country, for me and for all of my little friends sitting so quiet and still in our little wooden desks in a crowded stuffy classroom.

As a child, it was hard to imagine having my friends by my side one minute and then dead on the ground the next. It was not in my realm of understanding, and I am sure my mind did not want to go there even if I had been told the true horrors.

As I got older I was a real rebel, even marched in a peace rally once. I was so sure that I was right, war was wrong. I never gave it much thought as to why I even had the right to march in a public place  in the first place.

Freedom, we sometimes take it for granted. We have the freedom to read and write and speak our minds, the freedom to roam about without fear. All of those rights were secured for us by my neighbours and relatives. They fought those wars and suffered great indignities only to suffer again as they remembered in November. 

As I grew and matured I became more sensitive to the circumstances that led to why I live in such a great country. I finally acknowledged that without the sacrifices of a great many people who fought to protect us from tyrants, dictators and injustices, I would be living a much different life.

As a Canadian I have never felt prouder than when we traveled coast to coast one summer.  My pride was on my sleeve as we showed off our country to the non-Canadians who were with us. We have a wonderful nation, with the freedom to express ourselves and the freedom to move about anywhere we want to go as long as we follow the rules.

As a Canadian I am proud to display my passport when I travel to other countries; secure in the knowledge that we are welcomed there because of our citizenship.  As a Canadian I am proud to wear a poppy to remember and to fly the Canadian flag year round.

Thank you Ira and Alex, thank you Uncle John and Uncle Lloyd. Thank you to everyone for your sacrifice.

I think I might practice saluting once again.

vacation

Life is good and we are still counting our blessings after the awful start to our holiday on October 14th.  Here is one of our biggest blessings.

Pam, Anita, Emma, Noah, B&B(aka Goofy)
Michael Nicholas and Leah

I insisted that we all stand together for this photo in Disneyland since the next day Michael and family were going home.  So often in the past we always said, oh we'll get one of everybody together the next time.....next time sometimes doesn't come.  So out came the cameras, we flagged down some Disney employees and here is one of the results.  Beautiful as usual!

We don't get together enough and we all laughed about how funny it was to have this little reunion in California.  I don't care where it is, we did it!

We had a great time with our son and daughter-in-law Nicholas and Pam, brother Michael and sister-in-law Anita and the kids Noah, Emma and Leah.  We love you all and we would not have missed this for the world.

We arrived on the 14th at Long Beach and stayed on the Queen Mary.  Nicholas and Pam got there on the 16th and joined us "on board".  Michael and family were in Anaheim really close to Disneyland.



In 1987 we took our boys to Disneyland and we took a tour of the Queen Mary.  We always thought it would be fun to stay on board.  Finally, 26 years later and that became a reality.  It is different to say the least.  We kept getting turned around since it is comprised of many decks, stairs and elevators. 


hot salt, hot fresh, cold fresh, cold salt
the salt water did not turn on I tried


 

Just like it was in the '30s



A real ship's toilet with the Shank's push off to the right

I know, who takes pictures of the toilet?  Me.

 

 

Long narrow hall from the main hall to our room



ouch

I just read a few hateful comments on stupid Facebook this morning and my first reaction was:  OUCH!  I use Facebook mainly to post my blogs which are my opinions or my life in general.  I have opinions on just about anything and anyone who doesn't agree or is offended can contact me:  I am in the book, I have messaging on Facebook, or a comment can be left at the end of the blog (although I have heard from some people that there is a problem with that - I haven't been able to fix it.) 

During my tenure as a Councillor I have made public comments and defended myself and sometimes it got out of hand.  I was also on the receiving end of a lot of rumor, innuendo and comment that was untrue.  Of course I defended myself the best I could since that is my nature.  I do not back down - maybe I should have.  I offered apologies that were not acknowledged; what can you do?

I am out of public office now; the people have spoken loud and clear.  It is what it is and I thank those who did have confidence in me.  I also apologize to those who were offended by any comments that were made intended or otherwise.  Sometimes things get dirty don't they? 

I have said it before and I will say it again:  while it is honorable to serve your community and it is a thankless job, you must also remember that it is not a volunteer position.  However large or small the compensation;  you are compensated. You are usually the first one people blame when things go wrong since you must be accountable to the citizens.  You will be judged.

Having said that I will get on with what I intended to do in the first place. 

The following is my opinion and anyone is welcome to comment:
..........................................................................................................................



We all show indignation towards others who bully children.  We are all outraged at the actions that hurt a child.  We have instructed our legislators to come forward with strong laws to combat bullying.  We have also lobbied for legislative change that would provide swift action against the perpetrators of bullying.

Most communities in this area have bylaws that address bullying, in the real or cyber world.  Cyber bullying is addressed in the Town of Coronation's attempt at addressing and enforcing bullying.  It is also addressed in other legislation in the area, the province and in the country.

When conducting a Google search of bullying one usually finds a lot of information that is mainly directed towards children.  There is not much out there to address bullying across the ages in terms of where an adult can go to receive support or information on laws that protect them.

It is a very real issue and especially so since the advent of social media sites. People can pump out comments at lightening speed with little regard for one another and hide behind their computer or other device. 

This is also done without the benefit of social media and the results are the same.

Hurtful untrue comments, the inability of some  to face the truth about their own actions, immature behavior, ostracism; it happens.  This usually comes from adults since the children are told that it is inappropriate and they will be punished.  We teach our children to stop their bad behavior before it hurts some one and to apologize whether they mean it or not since that is the right thing to do. 

At some level the cyber bullying has been recognized by the citizens themselves.  Yet every now and then it raises its ugly head.  For the most part it can be ignored but it is out there for all to see.  The world can be an ugly place.  When people weigh in on all kinds of things and leave their hurtful comments behind it is usually unbeknownst to the "victim" until they happen to come upon it or have someone else point it out to them.

The other type; the rumors, the hate, the hurt that is spread surreptitiously around a community is damaging as well and is classified as bullying. Most times the "victims" of such campaigning are not aware of it either.  Adult bullying is probably the worst because it is not perceived the same way as a child who is hurt by the actions of others.  In fact there is a perception that it is justified since they somehow deserved to be on the end of an unsubstantiated comment or rumor; in other words:  "they asked for it".

The results are not so nice and are not supported by legislation of any kind.  Really, do we need legislation?  As adults we need to make amends, move on and quit with the hidden agendas and try to set a better example for the younger generation.   If we need to get back at one another I think it has happened.  Some concern should also be raised about what children are thinking when the adult community goes to war with one another. 

The old adage "sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me" does not apply in this day and age.  In fact we need to come up with a better one that would explain why a public flogging would be more appropriate than a public hate fest.

Any ideas on that? 

I'm back

It feels great to be home after a wonderful holiday last week.  We spent a week in Long Beach, CA enjoying all the sunshine.

Our holiday got off to a terrible start on October 14th.  I still cannot believe what happened.  I shall start with a picture.

I still get a little shaky looking at this.



 



We started off with a terrific bang about 6 o'clock that morning.  Of course it was dark and I kept commenting that we needed to keep a close watch for deer.  A few miles east of Clive we didn't have to worry anymore about deer since we ran into a wall of cattle standing on the highway.  There was a vehicle parked on the shoulder facing east but other than that there was absolutely no warning.  It was all over in a matter of seconds and it would have been over for me if I hadn't been wearing my seatbelt.

Someone told me this should be a commercial for the safety features of Toyota.

I can't say enough about all the help we got that morning.  We were on our way to Edmonton International to catch a flight at 10 a.m.  Once it was determined that neither one of us was hurt bad enough to cancel our travel plans we decided to do all we could to carry on.  The Clive Fire Department, Bashaw RCMP and Lacombe EMS all responded and did a great job.  AMA responded with a tow truck and rental car arrangements for Red Deer.  The last piece of the puzzle was a wonderful act of kindness from a complete stranger.  The first person on the scene was a local man who also happened to be on the Clive Fire Department.  He just hopped out of bed and drove there to help.  He insisted on driving us to Red Deer to the rental car place.  We were just going to hitch a ride with the tow truck driver.  This fellow would not hear of it.  He put us in his nice warm truck and got us to where we needed to go.  Just as quickly as he came into our lives he left with a smile and a wave! 

Thus began our holiday.......again!  We got a rental, drove on to Calgary and caught a noon flight to L.A.  We were in Long Beach and settled into our hotel by 4:30 p.m.  If not for the kindness of others and for the miracle of seatbelts and airbags the outcome would have been altered.

I had all week to recover from the stress and strain, not to mention the significant bruising.  I am still not very comfortable as a passenger in a vehicle.  I am also quite sure that unless it is an emergency I really do not want to drive around in the dark again.

All that said, we had a great time in California once we got there!  More on that later.

My campaign speech

I am sorry I couldn’t be here in person.  We are off on a much anticipated holiday that was planned a long time ago.  Thank you to the Chamber of Commerce for hosting this Forum for the Candidates.

I decided to let my name stand for Council because I felt I owed it to myself to see if the voters in Coronation still trusted me to serve a third term.  It is a big commitment and I did think about it long and hard, mainly because it is a four year term.  I think I still have the energy, drive and sense of commitment to my community and that I still have what it takes to be a good Councillor.  I will put it in the hands of the people and let them decide if I would still be a good choice to represent them based on my experience and on my record.

I have some goals for the next four years and I would like to share them with you.

I believe we have to address the question of equitable and fair cost sharing with the County who serves about half of the people who call Coronation home; and are using and taking an active part in all of the recreational, social and general every-day life in town.  We are at a critical crossroads in our community mainly due to the fact that we have all of these services and supports that are available to all the people who chose to use them but mainly funded by the Town of Coronation taxpayer.  We are at the moment unfairly burdening our town taxpayers and we really need to have a discussion about this.  Without all of these good things in life we will not have much of a community, therefore, we need to come up with a better plan in order to keep providing for future generations.

We have already proven that we can forge mutually agreeable cost sharing initiatives, first with the formation of the Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee and then with the new Fire Agreement with the County.  It can be done, there is more work to do, with the right people it will happen.

 I believe that I have the skill set, the knowledge and the experience to initiate and move ahead with these discussions.  I am hopeful that we will all reach a better level of understanding and cooperation in this regard.

I would also like to see more frank and open discussion amongst our townspeople when it comes to the future of this community.  I want to see more community engagement and continued participation in our pursuit of a Wellness Centre, locally driven Economic Development plans, retention and recruitment of physicians and other health care professionals and affordable housing for our seniors and for those who need our help.

 I would also like to pursue more dialogue with our provincial government moving forward as a small community.  We need to take advantage of everything that we can and ask the provincial government to always consider us in their plans.

People have voiced their concerns over high taxes and high water bills.  I wish I had the magical solution to that.  I am sorry but I cannot promise that taxes will go down or that water bills will not rise.  It would be wrong for me to do that.  It would be my job to bring concerns forward to council and administration.  We need to work together to address these very real concerns.  The only source of revenue that we have comes from taxes.  We have to be able to make this community sustainable and attractive for those who live here and for those we hope will come here to make it their home.  We need to spend the money that we do have as wisely as we can and I have seen some areas where it could be spent in a different way.  We need to be talking more about cost sharing opportunities at a regional and provincial level in order to keep costs at a reasonable level for the people who live here.

I believe I am qualified for the role as Councillor for the Town of Coronation due to my past experience on council as well as by being involved in the community on a lot of fronts.  I have a good track record.  I go to my Council meetings and I go prepared.  I feel that I can continue to provide leadership for this community and I will continue to try and make decisions for the good of the entire community.

If elected I will be one of seven decision makers, one voice, and hopefully a good and proper voice.  Seven people will sit together for four years and seven people will have discussions and eventually make decisions and become the united voice for the Community.  I understand my role.  I am proud of and confident in our Town CAO.  I am secure in the knowledge that we will get the information that we need to make those decisions.  I believe I have been a good representative for Coronation and I would like to continue for one more term.

Good luck to all the candidates.  My name is Bonnie Danylyshen and I am asking for your vote on October 21^st.  Thank you.

Balancing Act

As the election campaigns are beginning to take hold in our town of Coronation I am pondering what to write next.

My last blog commented on what a ride it has been.....not only for the past week or two since the nomination papers went in but really just my life in general these past few years.

I guess what makes me wonder sometimes is what others can be thinking, but then I guess that's their business.

So, I will make some points based on my "promises" from 2010.

I have supported and will continue to support:

• Senior's Housing
• Doctor Recruitment and Retention
• Community Involvement
• Economic Development
• Fiscal Responsibility and Accountability
• Honesty, Openness and Common Sense
• Dependability, Trust and Respect

Point number one:  Senior's Housing

Well here is how it went for me.  I am still the Chair of our local Senior's Manors and Social Housing Board.  We have a very good manager who keeps us in the loop, collects the rent, does the bookkeeping, oversees the cleaning and maintenance contract and is the first one the people call when there is a problem.  We follow the policies and guidelines and we are in close contact with Alberta Housing.  We hold quarterly meetings.
I managed to stay on the Castor and District Housing Authority/Paintearth Lodge Board for a short while.  Let's just say that we are not getting much help from that little arrangement. We are required to send money every year to support this agreement.  Check your tax notices for further information.  You may also contact our CAO to find out the exact amount that is sent from the Town of Coronation.  It is in the 25 to 30 thousand dollar range.

I do not sit on the Supportive Living Board but I do know that we also support this facility with a yearly requisition that is based on equalized assessment.  Our portion is about 25 thousand, it could be more.  This is an Advisory Board and all agreements for payment from the other members are not mandated by a ministerial order or any such thing.  It is a mutually agreed upon arrangement.  This board now meets monthly.  During our tenure on council the board has hired a Coordinator to seek funding opportunities and partnerships in the hope of replacing this aging facility.

I will admit it is so frustrating to get anything done and I want it done yesterday!  The only thing that I can say is that we need to keep advocating for more and improved Senior's  and Affordable Housing in Coronation.  We have to move forward and find ways to get it done.  While appreciating what has gone before we cannot get mired in the past we have to look to the future and keep going.

Point number two: Physician Recruitment and Retention

I am currently one of two Councillors who sit on this board.  We are in a cost sharing agreement with the county.  The board is made up of two County Councillors, Two Town of Coronation Councillors, One member at large from town and one member at large from the county, one member at large from town/county.  Our town and county CAOs, the site manager from the hospital and our physicians all act in an advisory capacity.  In the past three years with this Board we have purchased two houses as rental accommodations for our physicians, use the town condo for locum accommodations, continue to fine tune our recruitment incentives and meet monthly and more often at the call of the Chair.  We have successfully recruited one physician and his family to Coronation.  We are in the process of recruiting again (and again and again).  I say that because you never stop recruiting.  I think that sometimes we forget about the retention part of what we do.  We always have to think of the critical role our physicians play in our community and never forget how much we appreciate them.  I would also like to say that we are very appreciative of all our health care professionals and everyone who works at our Hospital and Care Centre, Continuing Care and Supportive Living.  The largest employer in Coronation is our Health Care Facility and we need to support every aspect of recruitment and retention.

Point number three:  community involvement

I have and will continue to be involved in our community.  We have chosen to live here and we want to make the best of it.  Sometimes my idea of what constitutes community spirit and involvement and other people's perception are two different things.  I am not in favor of always doing things the same old way.  We have to move with the times and come up with new and exciting ways to do things.  I believe that by doing this we can engage more of our citizens in community endeavors.  We have several volunteer opportunities for people who want to get involved.  These are all great groups and I am sure they would welcome more helping hands. Young people especially have different ways of doing things and I think we should be mindful of that and try to embrace some of their unique perspective.  This is why we did the community survey for the Wellness Centre and why we decided to get the school age kids involved in the survey.  In other words:  instead of telling them how to do something ask how they think it should be done!  Kudos to all the people who get involved in the community life of Coronation.  I hope that you all feel welcome and that you count!

Point number four:  Economic Development

I went to a Travel Alberta one day session this spring and met a fellow who stood up and said:  Economic Development is a fancy phrase for Tourism.  I agree.  We need to promote our town every chance we get.  The idea behind tourism for our little community would be that we come up with some plans to attract people to town for one day and maybe they will come back next year and stay for two days.  We have several businesses in town who could put their collective heads together to not only market themselves but also help one another to keep people at home to shop, to eat, to enjoy their lives right here at home. 
We belong to PEPS which eats up a lot of our Councillor time and a lot of the taxpayer's money.
I would suggest that if you have questions perhaps you could ask some of the most recent new businesses in town if they have heard of PEPS.  Then ask them how PEPS encouraged and promoted for them.  Then ask some of the older businesses in town how they have benefited from the Paintearth Economic Partnership Society.  I am not going to speak for the businesses and I am not going to tell you what to think.  Ask.
Otherwise I am proud to say that our Town CAO  has done a very good job with Economic Development.  I am also proud to have been part of a proactive council that approved everything that needed to be done to develop our new Light Industrial Subdivision.  We can all thank good leadership for that one.

Point number five:  Fiscal Responsibility and Accountability
I think that by the changes we made to our administration that we can now show fiscal responsibility and accountability.  Now we need to move one step further and show the taxpayers that the same old ways of spending the money can be changed up a bit.  Sometimes the hard decisions have to be made and I believe they were made.  It is not really council's job to parse the money out; but council has to approve a budget that is balanced and responsible to the people.  To tell you the truth budget time gives me a headache.  I just want to thank our CAO for working so diligently the first year of this council's term. 

Points six and seven: 

Honesty, Openness and Common Sense

Dependability, Trust and Respect

If anything I am honest and open.  Sometimes it gets me in trouble since in my way I sometimes equate bluntness with honesty.  We have to follow the rules and that is what I meant by common sense.  It is not common sense to make up your own rules just because you think that would work better.  It is in the publics' best interests to have rules, policy and by-laws and it is in any councillor's best interests to exhibit common sense and follow these rules.  It works better for everyone.
On the last three lovely statements I am a dependable person and I hope that people trust and respect me not only for who I am but how I am.  I respect each and every person, group and organization in this community as well.  I am not in favor of disrespecting or showing favor to any one person or group over another.  I make no excuses if this was ever the case.  Being on a town council is a balancing act.

So there you have it - an explanation of how I think I did based on what I said I would do.

Quite a ride

Well it has been quite a ride these past few days trying to pack and get ready for our holiday and checking out some of the Facebook rants.

The Advance Poll was yesterday and I am not certain how many went and cast their ballot.  Hopefully those who cannot make it for Oct. 21st went if they are at all interested.

I say that tongue in cheek because after all the firestorms caused by some comments about other candidates.......and then the vindictiveness towards me...........wow.  I had to admit I had a knot in my gut for a while over all of that.  All I can say is that when you put your name out there for Public Office you might get a comment or two and believe me some of the comments may not be flattering!

I am trying to rise above it.  I used to do that - the unflattering comment stuff - when I worked for the Coronation Review.  Yes I had my fun.  I poked fun at certain Councillors, I criticized, I ranted a bit.  I didn't get much feedback but my first clue that something was wrong was when some of them crossed the street to walk on the other side when they saw me coming!  My second clue was when the paper appeared at the Council Meeting and was waved in my face!

Then I became a Councillor.  It was actually easy the first time because there was not an election.  I was basically out of the loop and I realized that at the first meeting because it was all prearranged in regards to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor positions.  What can you do?  What can you do?  The next time around we had an election and it was a little more stressful since I had to wait for a phone call to see if I was successful or not.

I was successful and so began the journey.  I felt a little more responsible this time since I had a little more knowledge about governance, etc. and how things work.  So we had nominations for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, and picked our committees and life went on.

I am actually disappointed in how some things went because as usual when I got in my stride and tried to hammer my point home sometimes it didn't have a successful outcome!  Other times I really should have kept my mouth shut.  Oh well, I think there were and still are hard feelings but at least it happened during the meetings where it should have happened. 

There were some things that happened that were not so pretty.  My advice to anyone who is in public office:  please do not presume to tell other groups and organizations in town what a decision of council will be before the decision is made.  Bad, very bad.  Do not do it.  If you do it, admit you did it, make amends and move on. 

All the crap on Facebook?  Well, I didn't start it did I?  I probably have a slim chance of getting enough votes to sit at the council table again.  If the electorate does not cast their ballot for me because of all of this then so be it.  I would rather I got their vote because I am for Coronation and I am for spending our tax dollars as wisely as possible. 

I  care about the community but I have to admit if I do not get back on Council I am not so sure how available I will be for anything such as volunteer groups or helping out by sitting on the odd board or committee.  I think I would just take a break from it all.

Cheers to all and please vote one way or another since it is one of the few democratic rights that we have.

And one more thing

I broke my own rules by commenting on something.  So I will just copy and paste now.

Oh and by the way, no mud slinging is coming from me. I would like to remind people that I don't have to sling anything, people's records speak for themselves and most thinking people can read between the lines. I have enjoyed every minute of my six years on Coronation Town Council and I have worked very hard to prepare myself and to attend meetings and events both in and out of town. I do not think it is a fault to speak my mind and I do so with no apologies. I have a brain and I use it and I am proud to say that I think of each and every citizen in Coronation when I am in "councillor" mode. I am especially thinking of all the taxpayers in town - and those who pay taxes as a business. I would like to ask them where they think their tax dollars are going? Are they staying here at home to promote, market and develop Coronation, or are they flying out of town to some innocuous organization that they have never heard of?? Just ask.

Our job as a Council is to govern and to keep the citizens of Coronation in mind with everything that we do and with every motion that we make.  I voted to not send the money out of town - AGAIN - and others thought they should just let it go and cave in to pressure that certainly does not come from the taxpayer let me tell you.

I was there in June 2010 when the hall was filled with angry and upset people.  Two business owners in town - who do not even live here but pay big money in taxes to run their businesses - were so upset that they paid money to advertise on a billboard.  They encouraged the citizens to go to the council meeting.  At the time we held our Council meetings in the meeting room at the hall.

The people started pouring in through the meeting room door.  I opened the doors to the main hall while the rest of the councillors and the mayor sat there with stupefied looks on their faces.  I opened the doors and I had to tell the rest of them to set up a table and put the chairs out.  I did that, not anybody else.  I sat there and I listened while the mayor at the time gave a little speech about not being able to run the town anymore because the county doesn't give us enough money for recreation and the fire department.  Oh yeah he said that and now he would probably deny it.  So what.  He never came to another meeting after that.  He resigned - four months before the election.  I spoke up and said something that I can't even remember now and I even got some appreciative applause.  Thank you for that.

The point of all this is that I would like to be appreciated for standing up for the town of Coronation instead of caving in to outside forces every time an issue arises.  I stand up for all the businesses in town.  I know what kind of taxes you pay and I would like you to get value for your tax dollar.  If others on council do not see it that way by voting to send the money out of town then perhaps you should ask them why.

Brief Synopsis

I am sorry I cannot be present for the Candidate's Forum on October 15th.  We had planned a much anticipated vacation way back in January so we will be gone at that time.  I had planned it that way in order to be back just in case I wanted to run for Council.

As it turned out the Forum was planned for the 15th which did not jive with my plans.  Oh well.  The Advance Poll is tomorrow at the Lion's Rec. Centre from 12 noon to 6 p.m.  I would like your vote and here is why.

I have served on two consecutive Councils from 2007-2010 and 2010-2013. 
I have my six years of experience to draw on. 
These past three years on Council have seen a lot of accomplishments and I am proud to say that I have played a huge role in the following:

Physician Recruitment and Retention:  we successfully recruited one new physician and his family to this community and we are now in the process of another phase of recruitments.

Community Standards Bylaw/Bullying:  I was on the council committee that reviewed our Community Standards Bylaw and brought forward to Council a new and improved section on Bullying.  I believe this is what the community wants and needs.

New Town Office:  I am proud to have promoted and supported the creation of a new town office that was more cost effective and justifiable to the public than our previous one.  We had the Grand Opening on September 12, 2012 and I was present.  What a wonderful place we now have, modern, private, state of the art at about ten percent of what had previously been proposed.

I am also proud to say that we have a totally new office staff in place.  We have an excellent CAO who is well versed in municipal governance, a new Financial Officer who excels at her job and we have hired excellent front office staff to serve the public.  Thanks to these people we are confident that the public is being served in a professional and efficient manner.

I supported a motion by this council to move forward with the concept of a Wellness Centre for our community.  It is community driven and I do hope that it flourishes and comes to fruition in the near future.  Our current recreational facilities are getting to the end of their useful life and they will have to be replaced.  Our Wellness Centre Society is working hard to make that dream a reality.

I fully support all of our volunteer organizations in town.  We have a lot to be proud of:  Communities in Bloom, Minor Sports, Community Centre (hall), Library, Choosewell, Chamber of Commerce, just to name a few.  Keep up the good work, you have my support.

We moved the Coronation and District Support Services (CDSS) Office to the site of the former town office in the Coronation Mall.  Our Community Liaison, Diane Schmidt, now has more room for her office which serves a large and varied sector of our community.

We negotiated a new and more equitable Fire Agreement with the County.  I was in on these talks that saw the communities of Coronation, Castor and Halkirk get together and come up with a plan to present to the County.  Thanks to solid leadership on our Council we brought everyone together and came up with a good agreement which will protect the people in this community.

We have attracted new businesses to town, in particular Techmation's Regional Office.  We conducted phase one and two environmental studies to make it possible to have the surveying done for a light industrial subdivision south of Railway Avenue.  I am in full support of this and proud to be a part of the decision making.

We have improved our methods of communication and a Town Newsletter was implemented as well as a new and improved web site and Facebook page.  We are trying to move with the times and social media plays a huge part.

I took part in the strategic planning for our Community in April 2013.  I, along with all of the other members of council, gave up a Friday evening and a whole day on Saturday to take part in this exercise.  I believe we have a strong document which will now be implemented by administration.

The Coronation Transfer Site finally became a reality.  Thanks to good planning we are now proud to say that this Transfer Site has provided recycling opportunities for Coronation.

I have sat on just about every board and committee there is to sit on and I bring a lot of experience to the table.

I would appreciate your vote and your confidence in me to sit as a Councillor.  Thanks for your vote!

Dum ta dum dum DUMMMMMM! Election time in Coronation!

With election time looming and with a lot of speculation about who will get in and who won't, who knows anything and who knows nothing, I thought I would throw my views into the mix.

As a candidate I am doing it today because there was a little firestorm on Facebook last evening with comments even coming from people who don't even vote here anyway!  But, everyone has opinions including me and apparently my husband.  Yes, my retired husband has taken on a new venture called Crown News and he is having a great time.  First he learned how to build a website from scratch, and he's still learning.  He did that while I thought he should busy himself doing other things, but he managed to multi task so I am not criticizing him, just observing!

Of course he has made comments on the candidates, well most of them since I see there is more to come.  I guess he is spreading it out over time so people can read and absorb.  Not sure.  It is his online newspaper and he calls the shots.  To my knowledge there haven't been any direct comments made to him, only one Facebook comment by one local resident who, while appalled that he should even voice an editorial comment, was encouraging everyone to come out and vote. 

I encourage that as well, and I also encourage the voters to ask the questions that were posed.  Really, we should all know what or who convinced the candidates to run, what they want to accomplish during the next term of council, why they think they would be a suitable candidate and just a general answer to a common question about taxes and water bills.

Am I running again for Council?  Yes I am and some days I wonder why but I am.  I have been called names, I have lost friends (although I am not sure they were my friends to begin with), I have also gained friends.  I have had my voice mail and my phone tied up with irate citizens.  I have lost sleep, I have embarrassed myself, I have embarrassed others.  I have been accused of improprieties.  I have been down the road many times about a lot of things.  I have learned that sometimes the truth hurts; and if it is said it is said, no regrets on that one.  Anyone who becomes a Councillor, anyone who puts their name forward, had better be prepared for the comments, and sometimes the love just isn't there.  Oh well, oh well, that's life in the trenches.  I am not looking for sympathy because I didn't have to do it, no one twisted my arm.  I will be two years away from collecting my old age pension when the four years are up.  I feel that I still have some gas left in my tank so I will run again and let the voters decide based on my record.  I would like to thank those who have encouraged me.

I should also point out that Council meetings are open to the public and the minutes are an open book as well.  The minutes tell a story that would amaze and impress if anyone took the time to read them.  We have made many motions, discussed many a by-law, had umpteen discussions about a lot of things.  So just take the time and form your own conclusions about the past and present governance of this community.  I was proud to be on both Councils for the past six years.  I wasn't always proud to be a part of some of it:  some of the malice, the hidden agendas, the decisions made before I even got there, the wink and a handshake crowd.  No I wasn't proud of that at all, I refused to take part.  I fought the good fight and basically became a renegade which is frowned on in some circles.    I can say that this past three years has been refreshing because it all happened at the council table.  Discussion is good, everyone has a point of view, everyone sees things differently.  Some people are of the same mind, some are not.  Some will speak up, others are more reticent.  At the end of the day the decisions are made and we live with it. 

I also want to point out that the nomination papers are open to public scrutiny.  If you are a voter in Coronation just go in to the town office and have a look at them if you want to see another story.  They could perhaps tell you something about the dedication of some, the determination of others.  Prior to nomination day there was also some meddling by people who don't vote here and that I find very troubling and also very amusing.  So........if you think that the Town of Coronation should be governed by those who don't get a vote and who think they have a lot of influence, then so be it.  We also have the folks out there who will not let their name stand but do manage to get others to do their bidding.  Some also have some very strong, inaccurate and ugly opinions about some of us who collectively have more common sense, brain power and experience than they will ever have.  Those with the strong opinions also don't have the intestinal fortitude to voice anything in public; cowards in my opinion.

Having said that.  Good luck to all the candidates.  Congratulations and welcome to the world of politics.  To all of you, stay strong, stay true to yourself, don't be discouraged.  If you have your own reasons for running and you have the courage of your convictions you will be fine. I think we probably all want the same thing:  to serve our community.  If you want to comment on my performance or on my character, go right ahead I have nothing to hide - I am an open book and I try not to take myself too seriously.

Later on today I will give my reasons for running and why you should vote for me and what I can bring to the table.  I am also taking the opportunity to put my "Five Minute Speech" out there because I cannot make it to the Candidates Forum on October 15th.  Tomorrow, October 10th, is the advance poll for those who cannot make it to the October 21st election.

Hard day

I have never been good on this day, October 4th, not for thirteen years now.  So I decided to just write away and drink my coffee and do laundry and do whatever I have to do to keep busy.  I don't like going out much even though today is similar to the day thirteen years ago when I began this journey that I did not want to take. 

Yesterday after taking yet another yearly course to update my Basic Live Saver skills I thought about it all afternoon while trying to keep up with the compressions and the airways and all the information.  October 4, 2000.....everything is as clear as a bell and I wish I would just lose my mind. 

I can hear the phone ringing, I remember getting up to answer it and recognizing Brett's number on the call display.  Bernie had already left for his physio appointment in Coronation and I was awake but not wanting to get up just yet.  I grumbled a little, I wish I hadn't.......7:00 a.m., what could he possibly be wanting to tell me at this hour.  His voice was strained, he was sick and he told me all about it and I regret to this day that I didn't go to him right away.  That's what mothers are for; but he did not want me to so I didn't, he just wanted to talk. 

I went to my Standard Ed. Day - anyone around at that time will know that we had to take a whole day of education as part of the health care system.  The morning we learned about WHIMS, and OH&S, etc. etc. It was actually fun.  I remember telling Wendy A. about Brett's early morning call and we talked about colds and flu.  I told her I was kind of worried.  We went for lunch at the cafeteria - some kind of taco salad thing - I floated a two dollar loan to Wendy and we joked about it.  Then the phone call from Bernie.  Irene L. walking through the link with the portable phone and I had to call him back because the connection was poor.  He tells me Brett called, he didn't sound good and he was worried about him. 

All the phone calls from Assisted Living to Brett to tell him to call an ambulance and how he started to cry and I just hung up.  My phone call to 911 and to Edmonton and finally to him again to tell him that they were on their way.  Flying home to tell Bernie what I was doing, packing a bag, flying again to Edmonton, trying to concentrate on my driving.  Three people previously saying the word "meningitis" to me........I couldn't even think and then when I got to Camrose I realized that my phone wasn't turned on so I pulled over and talked to Bernie, talked to Nicholas. First Brett is in the hospital, then he isn't, then he is again.  I don't know what the hell is going on and Bernie is telling me that Brett thinks he has chicken pox and I told him about the meningitis thing.  It was all so unreal but I can still see my hands gripping the wheel of that van and willing it to just go.

So I get to Edmonton and go to get Nicholas at his place and we get to the hospital and Bernie calls to say that Brett is at home.  He lived just a few blocks away.  So we peel out of there and get to his place.  He never did give me a key so I have to lean on the bell.  Nicholas is just following me, he is so scared but I was glad he was there.  We just ran up those stairs and into his apartment and out of the bedroom he comes with purple spots all over his face.  I rummaged through a pile of things and found his keys and we just got the hell out of there.  He was bigger than both of us and fought us the whole way, not well, not very coherent except that he did tell us about his previous encounter at the hospital.  I wasn't sure at the time how he got there - found out later he took a cab and he must have either walked home after he left the Emergency Dept. or called another cab, who knows.  He did not go with the ambulance that I know. 

We got him to the Royal Alex. and wheeled him in.  They just stared at him.....I think now that they all knew they screwed up royally.  A young man walks into ER, purple spots on his face, and they tell him to wait.  So they ask him why he walked out and he just shrugged but I knew it was because he could and because all you could hear in that crazy place was people being told they would have to wait for three hours.  I wanted to scream but I didn't.  Nicholas was a wreck and he came into the examination room with us but left soon after to just sit in the waiting room.  The Dr. was no help, she knew too, it was too late.  By the time they got him to the trauma room he was dead and I knew it I just did not want to believe it, who would. 

The doctor booted me out of the trauma room, I wanted to stay, the other doctor thought I should.  I left because I was just being obedient.  Nicholas and I sat in the Quiet Room for another half hour before we were told Brett was dead. 

Everything is so clear - the people who talked to us, the long walk to the room where he lay dead, the drive back to Nicholas's apartment, the trip to the pharmacy for the drug I was supposed to take, the phone calls to all the family.  Bernie finally getting to Edmonton around ten o'clock, I don't know how he endured it.  What the hell, this wasn't really happening was it?

What were we supposed to do now?  All the bloody phone calls from health people, so called important people expressing their sympathy in one breath and then trying to discourage us from going public.  Well, that is when the "Bonnie" in me kicked in and a couple of days later I told them all to go to hell I was going to the media and his name would be released.  He wasn't going to be just another one of their goddamn statistics, the 39th or 40th or whatever it was to contract meningitis in the Capital Region.  I wasn't putting up with that crap.  He was the 3rd death.  Wow.  Only three?   Well that must mean it's not that bad so why worry.  Oh no, I was putting a face to this and to all the screw ups along the way.  I was told by someone that the doctor who saw him the day before he died must be feeling really bad.  Well I hope he did because how the hell did he think we felt?

I wondered if all of these important people would now like to plan a funeral for our son.  We of course did not have much experience in this area and it was all new ground to cover.

Our house was full of people.  All the family came.  All of our friends, Brett's friends.  We had enough food to feed an army, our cupboards were loaded, the fridge was full, the freezer was filled to capacity.  Everybody was wonderful, we would not have made it through those first few days without all the people.  Complete strangers called us.  As a family we walked to the Church for the funeral, it wasn't very far, we had nothing but time.  It was a beautiful warm day.  Our family was wonderful to get things together, lots of pictures, lots of memories to share.  I of course had to record the Eulogy because I didn't want anybody else to read it.  Just the "Bonnie" coming out in me again.  Bernie couldn't quit crying, I had to hold it all together.  I lost it when I saw the bus full of  our hockey family.  We made it through, the sun still rose and set.  Everyone else's world kept on turning.  Ours had stopped. 

I saved all the newspaper clippings, I saved everything and made a scrapbook later.  It made me feel better.

Now I can't go through anything so I am glad that I forced myself to do that scrapbook.  We have a closet full of Brett's things and there is a great big t.v. sitting in front of it.  I cannot go through it again.  I was forced to when we moved from Veteran but I think it will just stay there forever.  I open the door and I just shut it again.

In the days, weeks and months following Brett's death from meningitis we encountered the good and the bad.  Mostly the good came from all the people who just surrounded us and put their arms around us.  I am so grateful for that, I still am.  In some ways I am more affected by everything now than I was then.  I just pull back and let everything wash all over me because I do not want anyone around.  No one really.

Since I have a way with words I wrote countless letters to the editor.  I contacted just about every major newspaper in Canada.  I was on a mission to get the message out about this terrible disease and the fact that there are vaccines that can prevent another tragedy.

Years later I still marvel at all the people I have come in contact with and formed strange relationships with because of Brett's death.  Dee and Sherry two moms who lost a daughter and a son to meningitis the same year.  We formed what I referred to as "the grief and crying club".  They were a source of strength, courage and inspiration to me.  I lived in a little world of my own.  I struggled at work and I had to take a leave of absence, I became this person who lived in front of the computer scanning all the news stories from everywhere for meningitis cases.  I wrote letters to health regions in Alberta and asked them for their stats on meningitis.  Some of them questioned why I would ask and when I told them they just sent along the info.  We had endured some rude treatment from a local health care manager and I fought back against that as well.  I wasn't putting up with any crap.  They phoned and invited me to be present for the mass immunizations but I declined.  We saw lawyers and got information that might have lead to a lawsuit, but in the end it went no where.  Just as well.  Ironic that 75% of the information we paid them to get I actually got for nothing!  I was very forceful.  I put it out there, the media lapped it up, we worked together.  I knew they had their bottom line and I had mine.  Eventually I tapered off because I was really losing my way.  I had to let go of a few things and I did.

Bernie and I went on a Cross Canada Cycling trip with the Tour du Canada.  It was just what we needed.  I am glad he talked me into it.  We discovered that we both had a lot of healing to do.

What a journey it has been.  I miss my son every day.  I am forever changed and some days I don't like myself very much.  Some days I don't even understand myself very well.  Over all, I have learned, I have moved forward.

Every October 4th I will remember, I will cry all over again, I will always wonder what if......it won't matter how much time passes.

Drive on Brett
 

Not very consistent!

I have not been very consistent with my blogging.  I started to comment on a few things on Facebook this morning and then did not post them because it would be better if I blah blah blahed my way on my Blog!

Nomination Day is slowly creeping up.  Nomination Day for what you say?  Well, for Municipal and School Board elections that's what!

I have not made anymore You Tube videos with tips for anyone considering becoming a Councillor.  I think one is enough really.  If you missed it here is the link: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f--6elKEq-c

 

That was a lot of fun and anyone who has heard it might draw some conclusions about "growing up to be a Councillor".  I didn't do it to discourage, I did it to educate and I hope I did. 
1.  The term is now four years.  Think about how old you will be when your term is up. 

2.  Your pay will be $500.00 a month and $650.00 if you "wannabe" the Mayor.  Make sure you take off appropriate deductions for income tax.  If you don't you will pay the tax man in April.  I would advise just donating the whole shebang to the government every month, let them hang on to it and maybe you will get a refund.  No kidding.

3.  Be prepared to attend two Council meetings per month.  Be prepared when you attend those meetings.  Read your Council package for crying out loud.  Don't show up at the damn meeting with a puzzled look on your face and ask what is on the agenda.  If you do don't be surprised if you get your ass kicked by the rest of those who did come prepared and who have made themselves as knowledgeable as they could get with the information provided.  Don't let your public down - you are there for them and you are also there as part of a team so don't let your team down.  Council packages are ready by Thursday evening and are posted on the Civic Website.  If you become a councillor you will get a password to get into this website to retrieve your package.  That's right, it is yours, make it yours.  Get to know it intimately.  Use your Town supplied computer/tablet when you get to Council Chambers for the meeting.  Please arrive a little bit earlier than the 7 p.m. start time in order to plug your computer in and make sure you are on the wireless network.  It is not that hard, if you are reading this you know how to use a computer.  Council passed a motion a while back that there would be no paper copies of the council package made for Councillors since we are trying to go green and be responsible when it comes to paper usage.  We also felt that if we were given the computers for our use and given the use of a website to access the council package why would we need paper.  If you want to make copies of things then go ahead and hit the print button and print off whatever you want on your own printer which you probably have.  If you don't, then get one they aren't that expensive and your life will be easier from here on in.  I use scrap paper to print things on.  I think it is a waste if you don't use both sides.

4.  Keep in mind that you are there as a team of seven people.  You will be asked to nominate a leader - the Mayor - to chair the meetings and to be your Chief Executive Officer.  The Mayor is like the captain of the team and while each team player should be respected and valued, so too should the Mayor.  The Mayor is expected to show up for everything in town and give a speech once in a while.  You will also choose a Deputy Mayor who will quite likely take over for the Mayor more than a few times during the term.  Be happy with your choices and move on.  Don't start dickering, bickering, whining and complaining about your choice a year or two into the term.  Deal with it, get over it and get on with it.  That's about the only advice I have on that one.

5.  When you make a motion, have a good discussion if you need to have one, vote yay or nay and live with the decision.  A motion of council is decided by all of council and whatever the decision is you must abide by it.  Do not go around yipping to anyone who will listen later on about why you did not agree with something.  No one cares anymore and it doesn't matter, the motion was made and council decided.  If you are asked about a motion you can say it was a council decision.  You get your chance before the decision is made, at a meeting, to voice your concerns.  Please don't be the one who goes all over town yapping about who said this and who said that - let the press do that.

6.  Speaking of the press:  They have every right to be at a meeting and basically they will report on what goes on.  You have no control over it so just act naturally. There may be times when you want to make a point and you will use the press for this.  This may not always turn out to be your best decision since sometimes "the paper gets it wrong".  Once again, live with what you have no control over or it will drive you crazy.  It is not a good idea to write letters to the editor since that just makes the paper more popular and is that what you really want?

7.  Be aware that you are now a public figure.  People will get a hold of you on the phone, in person, etc. etc. and sometimes it isn't very pleasant.  Mostly it is just to ask a question because they know you are on council and they trust what you have to say.  Be careful with that since you do not and never will have all the answers.

8.  Be prepared to sit on council committees, community committees and boards and regional boards.  I would think if you were really doing a good job as a councilor you would be spending at the very least about 10 hours a week doing that job.  You will be representing council and the community on these boards.  My best advice is when asked a question about the town to say you will take it back to Council and get back to them on that. 

9.  Remember that the CAO is your only employee, the rest of the town staff are not.  Do not attempt to guide the town employees with any of your wisdom since it is inappropriate to do so.  The CAO is their employer and the CAO is responsible for them.

10.  Do not throw your name in as a candidate if you have a personal agenda since that is not the right reason.  Say you have never liked Mr. So and So down the street and you think if you get on council you will make it miserable for him since you are sure there are some bylaws that you could use to get back at him for this personal grudge match you have had going on for years and years.  Stop right there.  That is not a reason to run for council.  Your only reason should be that you have some time to devote to your community.  Use that time wisely and you will come away from it as a better person.

 

I think ten things to remember or consider are enough, maybe too much.  It is not easy and like the song says:

"Councillors ain’t easy to love and they’re harder to hold

They’d rather give you a story that’s already told.

Five hour meetings, In Cameras, delegations, each meeting begins a new day

If you don’t understand things and they don’t explain

They’ll just move on their own way."

 

Above all, don't take yourself too seriously. 

 

 

This is just a quick blog and then I will post something more amusing!  Anyway, I received an e-mail from Annette Allan yesterday about the impending move of the Air Cadets from Castor to Stettler.  She is upset and very concerned about this move since there are a number of young people from Veteran, Consort, Coronation, Castor, Stettler and Hanna who belong.  The distance to travel might possibly be a detriment to some and then their young people would not have an opportunity to belong to the Air Cadets.  Anyway, the following is an e-mail that I sent to a number of people in the area.  I also put it on Facebook and sent via Private Messaging.  Well.....facebook does not like that and I got a notice to "slow down" since I am using a feature that was not intended for this kind of use.  I had to prove I wasn't a robot not once but twice!  Anyway, I think the message went through.  If it did not I am putting it on my blog and posting the link to Facebook for people to read.  What a morning!  I started out sending e-mails to people on my contact list and it was a good way to clean up my list.  A number of them came back as being "undeliverable".  I am presuming these people have changed their addresses and have not informed me!  Oh well, can't win 'em all!

Here is the e-mail message I sent to everyone.  I hope some of you will contact Annette and help keep the Castor Air Cadets in Castor:

Hello everyone,

 

I received an e-mail yesterday from Annette (Stonehouse) Allan from Coronation asking for Town Council’s support.  She is the Chair for the Squadron Sponsoring Committee for the Castor Air Cadets.  She received notice last week that the powers that be are going to move the Squadron to Stettler.  Her concern is that some may not want to travel that far, thus not having the benefits or the opportunity to either stay with the Cadets or to join.  I can’t help but think she’s right.  There are young people ages 12-16 coming from Consort, Veteran, Coronation, Stettler, Hanna and Castor to weekly meetings every Monday evening in Castor.  Annette’s fear is that we will lose those young people because of the daunting challenge of driving them that far every Monday.

 I forwarded all information to Town Council and now I am asking the community members for their help.

I have heard only good things about the Cadets.  I know that Annette’s daughter is involved and that she spent six weeks this past summer at a camp in Penhold learning new skills as an Air Cadet.  I also know that Cadets is a free program, it costs nothing.  Any young person ages 12-18 can join, be provided with a uniform and training, all free of charge. 

In Coronation I believe we can all see the value of this program and understand why it would be a detriment to make the move from Castor to Stettler.  We all drive, but sometimes the drive is just too far and our kids are the big losers.  We support all kinds of things including sports and recreation and education and higher learning.  We can all see the value of having these stay right in our own community or at least a short drive away.  Why not support the Air Cadet Program in Castor and express our desire that it not be moved to Stettler.  It may be an opportunity you have already had or it may be something that your children or grandchildren would be interested in. 

For some more information on the Cadet program go to:  http://www.cadets.ca/en/about-cadets.page?

I am a Town Councillor and I am also a community member, a proud citizen of Coronation.  I support almost anything that is going to grow and sustain the future of our community.  I believe that the Air Cadet Program and its sustainability in Castor is part of the growth and sustainability in our own community.  Our children are our future.  What do you think?

Please respond either to this e-mail or send your thoughts to Annette (Stonehouse) Allan at:  ajstonepuck@yahoo.ca  Please do this before September 19, 2013.

 Thanks so much,

Bonnie Danylyshen