Congratulating the grads of 2019

By Leela Sharon Aheer Chestermere-Strathmore MLA

Hello Strathmore Times readers! To begin, I would like to thank my assistant Vicki Welsh who was able to attend some very important local events in my absence this weekend. First, parents, teachers and, of course, 300-plus students celebrated at the Strathmore High School grad. You should all be proud of this wonderful milestone in the lives of our future leaders. On May 25, the town hosted Equipment in the Park where families could explore all the equipment that Strathmore uses to maintain the town and protect its citizens, have a bite to eat and enjoy an energetic DJ. A great time was had by all.
Also on May 25, Steering Towards Hospice was held in Carseland and hosted by Wheatland and Area Hospice Society (WAHS). Over 300 guests worked to raise funds for the construction of a rural hospice in Wheatland County. They are committed to seeing this facility built to support “end of life care” to support families and keep them close to their loved ones who are in need of palliative care.
From their website: “In 2015 the WAHS Board was established to support the dream of creating a hospice for Wheatland and surrounding area. Building upon the foundation laid by the Cheadle Lions Club, WAHS grew within the Wheatland community and established partnerships with Alberta Health Services (AHS) and other organizations in the Wheatland area.”
Thank you to all who came out to support this important event and to the Cheadle Lions Club who served the meal. Thanks to Dr. Joni McNeely, the rest of the board and the many volunteers working to realize this dream. There is no mistaking the passion of people who genuinely care for one another. This is what community is all about.
I would like to take a moment and acknowledge the families in and around High Level that have had to be evacuated. Some of these fires are thousands of hectares in size, and the lack of rain and strong winds are feeding and pushing the fire, thankfully not in the direction of the town. The Premier and the ministers of Municipal Affairs and Forestry have been travelling to the affected areas and the welcome centres to make sure the evacuees are comfortable and have what they need in this time of crisis. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were dealing with the Fort McMurray fires and the trauma from that; but as we know, forest fires are a part of the lifecycle of a forest. The Chuckegg Creek wildfire is burning out of control, and to my dismay the articles coming from the media do not focus on the need to help people, but focus on the inaccuracies around the dismantling of the carbon tax, as Keith Gerein referred to in his May 23 article in the Edmonton Journal: As Alberta burns, UCP begins its mandate with a retreat on climate change. (https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/keith-gerein-as-alberta-burns-ucp-begins-its-mandate-with-a-retreat-on-climate-change)
Wow! This article is worth a read just to comprehend the climate alarmism in our midst and why climate activists and eco-activists are able to shut down our ability to get our incredible resources to tidewater. Somehow getting rid of the carbon tax is the cause of this forest fire, along with complacency and… oh yes, wilful obliviousness. Evidently, because I question this article, I am a denier or a skeptic, even though Mr. Gerein himself admits that it is difficult if not impossible to draw a “direct causal relationship.”
Somehow this and other fires are caused by Canada’s 1.6 per cent of global emissions that we add into the world. If someone could please explain to me how the carbon tax has in any way helped our emissions or changed our environmental footprint, I would be grateful. Last week in question period, Rachel Notley stated that the carbon tax had reduced emissions by 45.4 MT. Perhaps she meant the carbon tax combined with the rest of the NDP’s job-killing policies that resulted in unprecedented private sector unemployment. You’re not driving to work if you have no job. There are a lot of people out of work right now thanks to the antics of the previous government and the priority has to be creating an “open for business” agenda, not one of fear and bias.
I am sure you are familiar with the Vice Admiral Mark Norman situation. This is another one of those things that just breaks my heart, similar to the Jody Wilson-Raybould/SNC-Lavalin scandal. Just think about this for a moment. Supposedly this highly decorated Canadian hero leaked cabinet documents dealing with a $700 million contract to build a desperately needed supply ship for the navy. Thank goodness, the Admiral had the capacity to hire a defence team with Marie Henein at the helm, and the Trudeau government has dropped all charges, as it seems that our Prime Minister has been accused of attempting to hold back some important evidence. So for fun, let’s review. There is the Lavscam scandal, a carbon tax that is at odds with several Premiers including ours, Michael Wernick, the Privy Council Clerk who just stepped down, the disgusting destruction of the careers of two of his cabinet ministers, and the list goes on and on. This is just in the last four years! Please read the April 19 Toronto Sun article by Mark Bonokoski for the events leading up the charges being stayed: (https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/bonokoski-vice-admiral-mark-norman-and-the-sinking-of-the-hmcs-trudeau)
Finally, if you are a Calgary and/or even a Canadian sports fan, then you were probably overjoyed with last weekend’s results. In hockey, Team Canada won against the Czech Republic 5-1, but lost in the finals against the Finnish team. Our soccer team, Cavalry FC, won their fifth premier league match, with attacker Dominique Sossorobla getting two goals. Also, in the National Lacrosse League championship, Game 2 saw the Calgary Roughnecks win against the Buffalo Bandits with a final score of 14-13 that had us all on the edge of our seats. Congratulation to our new 2019 NLL Champions. And last, but certainly not least, was the Raptors game where we saw the Toronto Raptors for the first time in franchise history go to the NBA finals. What a weekend!
As always, we love to hear from you!
(Leela Sharon Aheer is the MLA Elect for Chestermere-Strathmore, Minister of Status of Women and Minister of Culture and Multiculturalism)