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A construction worker on scaffolding

$2M curling rink deal moves ahead after councils compromise

Written on . Posted in Civic & Government, Sports.

For weeks, Pincher Creek’s two councils were stuck on a single question: whether the town should guarantee its new curling rink stays a curling rink for the next 40 years. This week, the MD dropped the demand.

The MD of Pincher Creek voted July 29 to abandon the condition — which the Town of Pincher Creek had refused two days earlier — clearing the way for up to $2 million in additional public funding and allowing construction to continue.

Broader questions about the building’s long-term future are left for future negotiations.

The sticking point

At the centre of the standoff was the MD’s proposed defined-purpose agreement, which would have required the rink to operate as a curling facility for up to 40 years. If that ever changed, the town would be on the hook to repay the MD’s funding on a sliding scale.

Town council rejected the agreement at its July 27 meeting, voting 4-2 to decline, with Couns. Mark Barber and Bernice Cyr opposed. Coun. Sahra Nodge was absent from this vote but arrived later in the meeting.

Town administration had already flagged problems with the MD’s draft, including inconsistent grant figures and a clause that could put the town in breach even in circumstances beyond its control, such as the club dropping retail or liquor sales.

Mayor Wayne Oliver compared the request to a 2018 agreement tied to the town’s early-learning centres, where the MD contributed $1 million in exchange for a similar use commitment. But he said this case is different because the town didn’t build the curling rink — the club did.

“By signing this agreement, we are committing to the longevity of curling in the community, with or without the curling club,” he said.

An older couple smiles while leaning on a wooden railing outdoors, above text describing their $879 profit share from Vision Credit Union and a website link.

Several councillors said they supported protecting the MD’s investment but questioned whether taxpayers should be responsible if the curling club were ever unable to continue operating the facility.

Councillors were split on how long a commitment made sense, with suggestions ranging from five to 20 years. Couns. Mark Barber and Bernice Cyr both said they were open to a shorter deal; Couns. Valerie Wynder and Gordon McMullen argued any binding term was too much to ask of future taxpayers.

MD drops condition

The MD of Pincher Creek called a special council meeting July 29 to revisit its funding terms. Council voted to rescind the motions it had passed July 14, which had made its additional $1-million contribution conditional on the town signing the defined-purpose agreement.

In its place, council approved a revised package requiring only that the Pincher Creek Curling Club sign an updated funding agreement with the MD. The new terms maintain the MD’s ability to recover its contribution under defined circumstances while dropping the requirement for the town to guarantee the building’s future use.

MD council also reauthorized an interim payment of $340,212 toward the project’s ninth progress payment, to be released once the club signs, from the community initiatives reserve.

What else the town decided

Along with rejecting the agreement, town council settled two other pieces of the curling file July 27.

It approved a revised lease with the curling club. This was a condition of its earlier commitment of up to $1 million, which council approved June 22 contingent on the MD matching the money and on lease changes formalizing the town’s ownership of the completed facility.

The club approved the revised lease on July 17.

Event poster for a Secondhand Dreamcar concert at the Empress Theatre on November 20, 2026, at 7:30 PM, featuring a photo of the band members.

The updated version drops a clause requiring the town to consolidate the leased land at no cost and narrows the property description to a single address.

It passed 4-2, with Couns. Brian McGillivray and McMullen opposed. Coun. Nodge was also absent from this vote.

McGillivray said he still doesn’t have a clear total cost for the project.

“I want a line of sight on what we’re spending our money on and I want to know what it is,” he said.

The six councillors also voted unanimously to order a report reviewing how the curling project reached this point, covering council decisions dating back to January 2024. Some debated the terminology, with Cyr objecting to the word “post-mortem,” arguing it implied curling in the town was already finished.

The review will proceed internally unless it proves too costly, in which case council could consider hiring an outside reviewer.

Finally, Oliver proposed the town offer joint ownership of the building as an alternative, a model under which the MD could gain a say in the building’s future use without the town facing financial penalties if the club folded.

That motion passed unanimously, with Nodge joining by then, though councillors stressed it was only a starting point for talks.

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How the project got here

The funding dispute follows months of public debate over a funding shortfall that emerged after construction was already underway — the latest chapter in a replacement-rink effort dating back more than a decade.

The Pincher Creek Curling Club first approached the MD in 2015 seeking support for a replacement rink, after the project was estimated at $3 million in 2011. It moved between proposed sites, survived a failed borrowing bylaw, and outlasted a task force that was later dissolved before construction finally began in October 2025.

By then, the budget had grown to $5.23 million, supported by $1.25 million from the town, $1 million from the MD, and a $1-million grant through the Community Facility Enhancement Program.

The gap emerged when the club’s application for a $1.5-million provincial Active Communities Initiative grant was declined in November 2025. By April 2026, club officials told both councils they were running out of money and needed up to $1.8 million in bridge financing while they reapplied.

The request sparked months of public debate over whether taxpayers should fund the half-built facility or risk leaving it unfinished. A mid-June information session drew about 130 residents from the town and MD, divided between support for curling’s role in the community and questions about how the shortfall happened.

Active Communities Initiative, Capital Projects, Community Facility Enhancement Program, Curling, Curling Rinks, Municipal Government, Public Funding

Bob Toothill stands beside the Alderson-Carthew Summit trailhead information board and points to a location on the trail map.

Bob Toothill died in fall on Great Divide Trail, family says

Written on . Posted in RCMP & Public Safety.

Update – Friday, July 31

The search for Bob Toothill has come to an unfortunate end in Waterton Lakes National Park. Seven days after he was reported missing, the 81 -year-old man from Golden, B.C., was located deceased July 30.

His daughter, Natalie Neustaedter, shared in a Facebook post that he died from “a sudden slip-and-fall while hiking the Lineham Ridge area of the Great Divide Trail.”

The search began July 23 after Toothill failed to arrive in Coleman (Crowsnest Pass) as expected. The seven-day effort included Pincher Creek RCMP, Parks Canada, Alberta Search and Rescue Teams, Parks Canada Drone pilots, Alberta RCMP Air Services and specially trained police service dogs.

Condolences are extended to Bob Toothill’s family and friends.

Search for missing Waterton Hiker remains active

Update – Tuesday, July 28

“Please help us bring him home.” That’s what Natalie Neustaedter asked of the community after her father, 81-year-old Bob Toothill, went missing on the Great Divide Trail.

RCMP confirmed late Tuesday afternoon the search remains active and Toothill has not yet been found.

His pack was located Sunday, July 26, and RCMP say this has tightened up the search to an unspecified area of the park.

Toothill, of Golden, B.C., set out from the Alderson-Carthew Summit trailhead in Waterton Lakes National Park on July 16, and Neustaedter says he was expected to reach Crowsnest Pass by July 22.

He was last seen July 19 at the Rowe Lakes trailhead. Other hikers he chatted with expected to see him at Lone Lake that night but he didn’t arrive.

Neustaedter says the family contacted RCMP and Parks Canada on July 23, after realizing her father was overdue.

RCMP say Parks Canada, Pincher Creek RCMP, Southwest Alberta Regional Search and Rescue and police dog services are all taking part in the search. Air searches have also been conducted.

Neustaedter describes her father as an experienced outdoorsman, fitter than most people half his age.

While public support is appreciated, RCMP and Parks Canada ask people not to search independently.

The search-and-rescue tip line is no longer accepting calls, but anyone with information they believe could be important is asked to contact their local RCMP detachment.

Updates will be posted they are received. RCMP do not know when the next update will be available.

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Search narrows for Bob Toothill, hiker missing in Waterton backcountry

Update – Monday, July 27

Parks Canada says the search for Bob Toothill of Golden, B.C., has narrowed to a specific section of Waterton Lakes National Park.

His daughter, Natalie Neustaedter, says searchers found his backpack in the Tamarack Basin area late Sunday afternoon. High winds kept a helicopter from flying a team in, she says, and a two-person team went in early Monday for a more focused search.

Parks Canada says it is concentrating its efforts in the western part of the park, with Southwest Alberta Regional Search and Rescue covering areas outside it and aircraft assisting. No trail closures are in place.

Toothill may be wearing dark blue shorts or pants and a light blue shirt.

Both Parks Canada and Toothill’s family are urging people not to search on their own. Parks Canada says the terrain is remote, rugged and mountainous, and that unauthorized searches could put people at risk and pull resources from the operation.

The most helpful thing the public can do, the agency says, is share official updates.

Neustaedter says the family is grateful for the messages and offers of support, calling the response overwhelming.

Anyone with information, or who was in the area and saw someone matching Toothill’s description, is asked to call 1-855-727-6825, extension 2.

Search underway for Bob Toothill, missing in Waterton backcountry

Original post – Sunday, July 26

Somewhere on Section A of the Great Divide Trail, in the mountains between Waterton and the Crowsnest Pass, an 81-year-old hiker is missing, and his family is asking for help bringing him home.

Bob Toothill, of Golden, B.C., is an experienced outdoorsman his daughter describes as fitter than most people half his age. According to Parks Canada and his family, he set out from the Alderson-Carthew Summit trailhead in Waterton Lakes National Park on July 16 at 11 a.m., and was seen by other hikers as he started.

His daughter, Natalie Neustaedter, has pieced together the days that followed from calls, campground records, a trail camera and the hikers who crossed his path.

On July 17, she says, he phoned family to say hikers ahead of him had been charged by a grizzly and that he’d seen a sow and cubs himself. Bob told one family member he was heading down into a meadow to get around the bears but did not ask to be picked up at that time. It is unknown if he camped on the trail that night.

Neustaedter has confirmed that Bob arrived at the Waterton townsite campground Saturday, July 18 and checked out July 19. That Sunday morning, around 11, he got off a shuttle at the Rowe Lakes trailhead with two other hikers and was caught on a trail camera there.

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Bob mentioned to other hikers that he might try to flag the bus to carry on toward Tamarack Trail. He was expected at Lone Lake that night, Neustaedter says, but other hikers say he never arrived.

The Parks Canada notice lists the Rowe Lakes trailhead as the last place he was seen, and says he was expected to reach Coleman by July 22.

When the pieces stopped fitting together, Neustaedter says, the family raised the alarm, reaching out to Parks Canada and Crowsnest Pass RCMP on July 23.

The response since has been considerable, according to the family. Search and rescue teams from Crowsnest Pass, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat have been out on the ground and in the air, Neustaedter says, with helicopters and riders on horseback in the search. B.C. search and rescue are assisting across the border as well. RCMP have asked businesses in Coleman and the surrounding area to keep watch, and notices have been posted along the trail.

As of Friday night, she says, the entire trail had been walked twice, with no sign of him.

Neustaedter says the worry is that her father is hurt somewhere. He’s a strong hiker who can cover 15 to 20 kilometres or more in a day, she says, which means the ground he might have reached is wide. His cellphone is powered off, and a satellite phone he carried was never activated.

“If you have seen Bob, or have noticed anything on the trail or outside the trail that seems unusual, please contact the search team,” she says.

Neustaedter says the family is grateful to the RCMP, the search crews, Waterton park staff, and the friends and hikers who’ve never met her father and have turned out to help anyway.

“Please help us bring him home,” she says.

The Parks Canada notice asks anyone who saw Toothill, or who hiked Section A of the Great Divide Trail since July 19, to call the search team at 1-855-727-6825, extension 2.

 

Bob Toothill stands beside the Alderson-Carthew Summit trailhead information board and points to a location on the trail map.
Bob Toothill stands beside the Alderson-Carthew Summit trailhead information board and points to a location on the trail map.

Bob Toothill points to a location on the Alderson-Carthew Summit trail map in Waterton Lakes National Park.

Photos courtesy of Natalie Neustaedter

Backcountry Hiking, Hiking, Missing Persons, Search and Rescue

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Fire ban and restrictions in effect across southwestern Alberta

Written on . Posted in RCMP & Public Safety, Weather.

Dry conditions and rising fire danger have prompted new fire restrictions across the region.

A fire ban is now in effect for the Town of Pincher Creek, the Village of Cowley, Piikani Nation and the Municipal District of Pincher Creek.

The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass has moved from a Fire Advisory to a Fire Restriction, and Waterton Lakes National Park is under its own fire restriction as well.

Pincher Creek, Cowley, Piikani Nation and MD of Pincher Creek — Fire Ban

Under the ban:

  • No new debris or fire pit permits will be issued.
  • Existing debris permits are cancelled.
  • Existing and new recreational fire pit and burn barrel permits are suspended until conditions improve.
  • Fireworks are prohibited.
  • All open fire is prohibited.
  • Propane barbecues and fire pits are still permitted.

People are asked to use caution with off-highway vehicles.

The ban will remain in effect until conditions improve. For more information, call 403-627-5333.

Ace of spades card on ad for Chase the Ace at the Pincher Creek Legion

Crowsnest Pass — Fire Restriction

The restriction took effect July 29, and will remain in place until conditions improve or further escalation is needed.

Not allowed:

Outdoor wood fires on public land, including backcountry and random camping areas

Any burning on private land, other than a campfire

Fireworks and exploding targets

Still allowed:

  • Backyard fire pits
  • Propane fire pits and gas-powered appliances
  • Charcoal and wood-burning devices with an on/off switch
  • Indoor wood fires
  • Open-flame oil devices

For more information, contact the municipal office at 403-562-8833.

Waterton — Fire Restriction

Campfires are permitted only in designated Parks Canada metal fire rings or boxes and cook stoves within cooking shelters.

Building a rock ring in place of these designated pits is not permitted, and random fires are never allowed.

To safely enjoy a campfire in the park:

  • Keep campfires small and only in designated fire rings or boxes.
  • Never leave a campfire unattended.
  • Completely extinguish campfires with water — soak it, stir it, and soak it again until it’s cool to the touch before leaving it.
  • Naturally occurring wildfires, such as those from lightning strikes, can’t be prevented, but human-caused fires can. Parks Canada asks the public to help keep communities and first responders safe by not lighting illegal campfires.

Report wildfires, illegal campfires or suspicious smoke to Parks Canada Dispatch at 1-888-927-3367.

For the most current fire ban information, visit albertafirebans.ca.

Fire Bans, Fire Restrictions

Alex, Xaviar and Annalese hold gift cards they received through the MD of Pincher Creek’s Positive Ticketing Program.

A different kind of ticket: MD program rewards youth for positive choices

Written on . Posted in Civic & Government, Community Life.

A ticket from an enforcement officer is something people generally hope to avoid. But for young residents in the MD of Pincher Creek, a ticket can now be a reward for doing the right thing.

When community peace officer Robyn Potter recently stopped Alex, a Lundbreck youth, after spotting him walking his dog safely on a leash, Alex thought he was in trouble.

“I explained to Alex that he was caught doing the right thing and that I wanted to reward him with a positive ticket,” she says. “Alex got excited and told me that he walks his dog every day and asked me if he could get another ticket tomorrow.”

Moments like this are the idea behind the MD’s new Positive Ticketing Program, launched in June.

Everyday acts of responsibility — from safe cycling to following community bylaws — present opportunities for encouragement and connection. Kids are ticketed for doing things right, not for doing things wrong.

The idea came to council in January, when Potter pitched the concept during a committee meeting. Council backed it right away.

Positive ticketing isn’t new — it’s already used in communities across Alberta — but Potter says the timing made sense for Pincher Creek, with new bylaws recently passed.

“I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to engage with the younger generations, educate, promote and reward compliance with those bylaws,” she says.

How it works

The process is simple. When Potter spots a child or teen doing something responsible, such as wearing a helmet, crossing safely, walking a leashed dog or showing kindness, she stops to say thanks.

“When I observe a child or youth engaging in positive behaviour or being a great community member, I stop and chat with them to thank them for doing the right thing,” she says.

From there, she writes a positive ticket on the spot. The recipient can take it to the MD’s administrative office to trade for a gift card toward a cold treat.

Three positive tickets have been handed out so far.

When Potter pitched the program to council, her sample ticket showed a youth walking a dog on a leash — which happened to play out for real with Alex.

“I enjoy these positive interactions and being a part of showing kids that doing the right thing is cool,” Potter says.

Community support

The program relies on local businesses to fund the rewards. Three sponsors are on board, each having donated gift cards.

“We warmly welcome any additional sponsors who want to help reward the good choices made by children and youth in the MD,” Potter says.

Businesses that sign on get their logo featured on the positive tickets — visibility for them and rewards for the kids.

The program has minimal cost for the MD, requiring no additional staffing or resources.

Businesses interested in becoming sponsors can contact Potter at 403-632-5096 or MDCPO@mdpinchercreek.ab.ca.

Looking ahead

Potter says the goal is to build trust between young people and enforcement officers.

“Enforcement services hopes that these positive interactions between the children and youth, and officers, will inspire more positive decision-making, build a friendly relationship with the youth, and make them feel comfortable approaching us with questions, concerns or just to chat,” she says.

She encourages residents to celebrate the program’s small wins.

“If you know someone in your community that has received a positive ticket, congratulate them,” Potter says.

“Keep up the great work, everyone. We love catching people doing the right thing!”

Positive Ticketing Program

Wooden gavel resting on legal books beside brass scales of justice

Separation petition clears signature threshold, court fight continues

Written on . Posted in Civic & Government.

A citizen initiative petition proposing a referendum on Alberta becoming an independent country has been declared successful after Elections Alberta verified enough signatures to satisfy the requirements of the Citizen Initiative Act.

The agency announced Friday that statistical verification estimated 222,597 valid signatures from an initial submission of 286,593 signatures, surpassing the required minimum of 177,732.

Despite the successful verification, the process cannot move forward until the courts decide an appeal stemming from an earlier ruling that quashed the petition.

The petition, titled A Referendum Relating to Alberta Independence, asks whether Alberta “should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state.” It was organized by proponent Mitch Sylvestre.

Chief electoral officer Gordon McClure determined the petition met the requirements of Section 6 of the Citizen Initiative Act after Elections Alberta completed its verification and determination process. That review was carried out following a June 29 direction from the Alberta Court of Appeal.

How the numbers were reached

According to Elections Alberta, petition organizers initially submitted 286,593 signatures. After the validation process, 279,337 were found to be valid.

A statistical verification process using a 95 per cent confidence level estimated 222,597 signatures belonged to eligible electors, representing about 7.5 per cent of the province’s registered voters.

Under the Citizen Initiative Act in effect on May 1, constitutional initiative petitions require signatures from at least 10 per cent of the 1,777,315 ballots cast in the 2023 provincial election. That amounted to a threshold of 177,732 signatures.

The agency said the most common reasons for rejecting signatures during the initial review were incomplete addresses and electors failing to complete a required declaration of eligibility.

Some canvassers signed witness declarations before electors had signed the petition. Others listed a mailing address instead of a physical residential address, as the law requires.

Elections Alberta also rejected 292 duplicate signatures. Signing a petition more than once breaches the act, the agency said.

During the verification phase, signatures were most often rejected when information provided by an elector did not match the signature sheet, or when an elector was unable or unwilling to verify their information.

For the statistical sample, Elections Alberta contacted 952 individuals by phone to complete 384 verifications, the minimum sample size required.

The agency said a caller ID system identified calls as coming from Elections Alberta. Electors who did not answer, or did not return a call, voice mail or email, were not counted as having failed verification.

Fraud allegation reviewed

Elections Alberta said it was aware of a social media post alleging that an individual’s signature had been used fraudulently. The agency reviewed the claim against its verification script, process and call records. It said the description in the post did not match its process and records did not support the allegation.

The account holder who made the post did not respond to requests for further information.

Separately, Elections Alberta said it screened the petition for names seeded from the Republican Party of Alberta’s list of electors, a step ordered by the chief electoral officer on May 1 after a data breach in April.

Any seeded name found on a petition would trigger additional scrutiny. The agency confirmed none of the seeded names appeared among the submitted signatures.

A petition tied up in court

The petition’s path has not been straightforward. The application was approved and a notice of initiative petition was issued Jan. 2.

The signature-gathering period ran until May 2 and Sylvestre delivered the signed petition to McClure on May 4, along with an affidavit confirming all copies of the signature sheets had been destroyed, as the law requires.

Before verification could begin, the petition was challenged in court by a group of First Nations, who argued the process was unconstitutional. A judge agreed to pause certification of the petition on April 10, ruling that First Nations had not been properly consulted.

Both Sylvestre and the Alberta government appealed that decision.

A later ruling on May 13 from the Court of King’s Bench went further, quashing the chief electoral officer’s original decision to approve the petition. The signature sheets were sealed, locked in cabinets and kept under 24-hour security while the legal fight continued.

Sylvestre appealed the quashing and on June 29, a Court of Appeal justice granted a partial stay, ordering Elections Alberta to carry out the verification process and report the results publicly.

The stay took effect July 6. It did not require McClure to forward the proposal to the responsible minister, a step normally required once a petition succeeds.

Verification was carried out between July 6 and 23. With that work now complete, Elections Alberta says any further steps in the process remain on hold, pending the outcome of that appeal.

What comes next

Because the underlying legal question is unresolved, Friday’s announcement does not guarantee a referendum will take place. Elections Alberta said next steps will depend on the Court of Appeal’s ruling and any further direction from the courts.

If the process eventually proceeds, the province would move toward a public vote on the question proposed by Sylvestre’s petition: whether Alberta should leave Canada and become an independent state.

Alberta Independence | Separation, Citizen Initiative Act, Citizen Initiative Petitions, Elections | Referendums, First Nations

A hand holding a smartphone showing an incoming call screen with "Decline" and "Accept" buttons. Breakfast foods like croissants and cake are visible in the background.

Did Elections Alberta call you? Water Not Coal wants to know

Written on . Posted in Civic & Government, Environment.

Water Not Coal is asking people contacted by Elections Alberta during petition signature verification to share their experiences, as the campaign weighs a legal challenge with a filing deadline of Aug. 2.

“We’re still gathering our information. We’ve put out a public call,” campaign proponent Corb Lund says. “We want to understand their experience and make sure that their experience matches with what we’re being told by Elections Alberta.”

Water Not Coal submitted 207,435 signatures on June 10, and an initial count validated 196,088 — well above the 177,732 needed to force a referendum on new coal mining in Alberta’s Eastern Slopes.

A second-stage verification, run from June 11 to July 2, dropped the estimate to 172,088, leaving the campaign 5,644 signatures short.

Caller ID use in question

Lund says the campaign is trying to determine whether Elections Alberta used caller ID during its verification calls, and whether it did so consistently.

He says the question matters, given the timing. The province’s voter list was breached in April, exposing the personal information of 2.9 million Albertans.

If people were called without proper identification, in the wake of the privacy breach, they may not have felt comfortable sharing their information, he says.

Some people have told the campaign they did not see Elections Alberta identified on their caller display, Lund says, while acknowledging it is too early to determine whether that was isolated or widespread.

“We’re trying to find out if that was just a couple of anomalies or if it was systemic, and we’re not sure yet, honestly,” he says.

Elections Alberta responds

Elections Alberta says caller ID displaying “Elections AB” was active during the petition verification process and that testing confirmed it worked as intended.

However, the agency says some recipients may not have seen the identification because individual telephone companies may not include caller ID information in their registries or because of recipients’ own spam or caller ID settings.

“Testing indicates most major telephone companies and their discount carriers showed the caller ID and did not report the call as spam,” Elections Alberta says in a written statement to Shootin’ the Breeze.

The agency says electors selected for verification received a text message before a verification phone call if a phone number was provided on the petition. If the call was not answered, staff left a voicemail explaining the purpose of the call, providing a callback number and outlining the verification questions.

If an email address was provided instead, Elections Alberta says, electors received an email asking them to verify the information recorded on the petition.

“No signatures were deemed invalid or failed verification because an elector did not answer a phone call or respond to an email or voicemail,” the agency says.

Judicial review deadline

Water Not Coal has until Aug. 2 to file and serve an application for judicial review of Elections Alberta’s determination, as required under Section 53(2) of the Citizen Initiative Act.

The provision requires an application to be filed within 30 days of the July 2 determination. A judicial review allows the court to examine whether the decision-making process complied with the law and principles of procedural fairness.

Lund says the deadline is adding pressure, but the campaign will not be rushed into a decision.

He says the proposed challenge would not allege corruption or dishonesty by Elections Alberta. Instead, it would challenge whether the agency’s process was reasonable and fair.

Focus stays on petition

Lund says his focus right now is on the petition itself, not broader reform of Alberta’s citizen initiative process.

He says a judicial review, if the campaign proceeds, could still prompt Elections Alberta to make internal changes.

“I don’t think I’m personally going to be going after EA. I don’t have the energy for it,” he says.

Anyone wishing to share their verification experience can find an online form at verify.waternotcoal.ca.

Citizen Initiative Act, Coal Mining, Elections | Referendums, Water Not Coal Petition

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Range Road 13, not one dash three

Written on . Posted in Agriculture & Rural Life, Opinions.

I grew up in small-town Saskatchewan in a community much like Pincher Creek. Giving directions often centred on local landmarks and many descriptions led us to the same place. If you got lost along the way, there was always someone to help you out.

We lived on First Street West, but might direct someone by telling them it was the old Koffski house with the giant trees in front, down the street from Kitely Park.

If we knew they were coming from a different direction, the description might include Busy Bee Daycare instead.

Rural directions were similar and I don’t recall much for signage in my early driving years.

To visit my friend Kim, I turned left just after Relland Sales (an abandoned auto shop), then left again two roads past the Moose Plains Hall. I knew I was heading out of Nipawin toward Carrot River, but Highway 55 was never a reference in our directions.

Somehow, we always found our way, whether in town or in the countryside.

Moving to Alberta as an adult, I learned about range and township roads, and appreciated the clear signage.

The biggest change was moving to an acreage and remembering two addresses — the gate and road numbers, and the legal land description. For days with bad recall, I could pull the information up from my phone memos or look at the marked map on the fridge.

My late husband Jim and I lived on Range Road 1-3. The sign had a dash and people said it with the dash — one dash three.

Several times during Jim’s illness I found myself frantically calling for an ambulance.

During a stressful time, the last thing anyone wants is to argue with a dispatcher about your address, but that’s exactly what happened more than once.

The first dispatcher made me doubt myself, so I ran to the kitchen to be sure. There it was marked on the fridge map — Range Road one DASH three. Still, he insisted my call was coming from Range Road 13.

I stressed that both the highway and gate signs contained dashes. I told him to please send the ambulance east from Pincher Creek on Highway 507 and gave landmarks for good measure.

I was terrified the ambulance would end up in the wrong place and the address discrepancy added a layer of fear to what was already a scary situation.

After two similar incidents, I chatted with Emergency Services Chief Pat Neumann, sharing both my concern and frustration. This is how I learned about the differences in road numbering here compared with other municipalities.

I no longer argued when the dispatcher said 13 back if I said the dash and, thankfully, the ambulance always arrived.

If you haven’t yet read “Drop the dash: Rural address format matters for faster 911 response,” please do.

Drop the dash. It’s simple, but can be a hard habit to break.

This is important for rural residents, but also for town folks. You could be visiting a friend’s ranch or camping in the backcountry and need to make an emergency call.

In a situation where seconds can matter, getting the address right is critical.

Resist the urge to give local landmarks that can confuse dispatchers, and trust our emergency services teams to get to you as quickly as they can.

911, Emergency Response, Rural Addressing

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Associate Clinic wins U of C rural teaching award

Written on . Posted in Health & Wellness.

Hunting trips, coaching, weekly pickup soccer — when medical residents train at Pincher Creek’s Associate Clinic, they learn more than medicine. A community-immersed approach has earned the clinic the University of Calgary’s Rural Family Medicine Clinic of the Year award for 2025-26.

The award, presented annually through the university’s Rural Family Medicine Residency Program, recognizes a clinic that provides a welcoming and supportive learning environment while modelling high-quality, comprehensive patient care.

The Associate Clinic was nominated by multiple student residents and selected from a field of several finalists by the program’s resident body.

Dr. Gavin Parker, a physician at the clinic and clinical associate professor with the U of C’s Cumming School of Medicine, says the recognition was meaningful for the entire team.

“We work very closely with a lot of the other rural sites, so we’re pretty knowledgeable about the excellent clinical work that happens across the province,” he says. “We’re certainly honoured by it.”

The award reflects a long-standing commitment to teaching and mentorship. Parker estimates the Associate Clinic has been training medical learners for more than 40 years and all seven of its physicians serve in teaching roles.

Residents and medical students rotate through a range of health-care settings including family medicine, emergency medicine, surgery, inpatient care and community-based health care. Learners also work alongside allied health professionals such as respiratory therapists, dietitians and mental health practitioners, and take part in weekly simulation training.

“We really do prioritize the learner experience in our community,” Parker says. “We’ve got a really fantastic group of physician preceptors and, equally important, we’ve got a really great staff that creates a welcoming environment for these students.”

The clinic typically hosts three to four residents at a time, with 15 to 20 completing rotations in Pincher Creek each year.

Beyond clinical training, the team encourages learners to step into local activities, from coaching youth sports to attending events and finding volunteer opportunities.

According to Parker, understanding the broader role physicians play in a rural community is an important part of medical education. That sense of connection benefits both learners and the community.

“We’ve had several of our learners coach volleyball or basketball, or get involved with Lego League or whatnot in town, and so kind of really showing them the role that physicians play in a community outside of the medical context,” he says.

That connection positively supports physician recruitment, a challenge faced by many rural communities.

“Most of the data shows that the earlier and longer that you can expose medical learners to the rural context, the more likely they are to make that as part of their career path,” Parker says.

This approach has already paid dividends locally. Several former learners have returned to work at the Associate Clinic, including current physician Dr. Ashley Rommens, who completed her residency there before joining the team.

Parker also recalls a former resident who was invited on a hunting trip by a Pincher Creek resident during their rotation and has since returned as a locum physician.

“The communities that do really well — and this is not just physicians, but nurses, allied health professionals, teachers as well — if you want to recruit those professionals, you have to make it a welcoming community,” Parker says. “It’s cliché, but it literally does take a village.”

Parker says the recognition belongs to far more than just the physicians.

“It’s massively a team effort,” he says. “It’s everybody. It’s all the way down to our reception, our schedulers, finance people, all our allied health professionals and all the other preceptors, the learners themselves and the community at large.”

He considers Pincher Creek’s supportive environment a major reason the clinic has been able to build a successful teaching program.

“It’s an awesome place to work,” he says, “and I think if it wasn’t because of the community making it such a great place to work, it’d be hard to win awards like this.”

Awards, Family Medicine, Medical Education, Physician Recruitment, Physicians | Doctors, Rural Health Care

An older woman with glasses and short gray hair, wearing a white jacket and pink shirt, stands among several black wheelchairs in a room with white walls.

Donations sought for Legion wheelchair washer

Written on . Posted in Community Life.

The Pincher Creek Legion’s medical equipment lending cabinet has grown into a quiet community lifeline, but volunteers now need help keeping up with the wheelchairs, walkers and scooters coming into and out of the basement storage room.

The local Legion branch is requesting donations for a wheelchair washing unit as part of a planned upgrade of its basement medical cabinet space.

Volunteer co-ordinator Lou Burnham says the unit will allow donated equipment to be professionally cleaned and sanitized in minutes.

“Currently, my very small group of volunteers and I spend so much time cleaning each walker, wheelchair or mechanized scooter that is donated or returned, trying to get into every crevice with spray cleaners and cleaning wipes,” she says.

“Having a wheelchair washing unit will be so much more efficient.”

It will also save time when used with other types of equipment.

Burnham volunteered to organize the collection of wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, canes, toilet seat risers and other items donated to the Legion’s medical cabinet for use by the general public. The collection also includes a number of large motorized scooters.

The collection has grown far bigger than expected, overwhelming the small crew that manages it. Even the Red Cross and staff at the Lethbridge hospital now recommend those in need of such supplies contact the Pincher Creek Legion.

There is no charge to borrow equipment, but the Legion asks for a donation when items are returned. The medical equipment lending program operates entirely on those donations.

To learn more about accessing, assisting with or financially supporting the medical cabinet, call or text Lou at 403-627-7621 or visit www.pinchercreeklegion.com.

Accessibility, Fundraising, Medical Equipment

Heart rate graphic over orange background with text reading "EMERGENCY ROOM CLOSURE" on top and "Fort Macleod Health centre" on bottom.

Fort Macleod ED without physician coverage overnight

Written on . Posted in Health & Wellness.

The emergency department at Fort Macleod Health Centre will be without physician coverage from 7 p.m. Thursday, July 23, to 7 a.m. Friday, July 24, because of an unexpected shortage of clinical staff.

Nursing staff will remain on-site during that time, providing triage, assessment and referral to emergency departments in neighbouring communities as needed.

Anyone with a medical emergency during the overnight period is asked to call 911. Emergency Health Services will continue to serve the community and will re-route patients to surrounding facilities, including Claresholm General Hospital, Pincher Creek Health Centre, Chinook Regional Hospital and Cardston Health Centre.

Health Link is available 24/7 at 811 for non-emergency health questions, and local pharmacies can help with some needs.

AHS says it is still working to find coverage, and the disruption will be cancelled if staff are secured.

Residents with concerns can contact AHS Patient Relations at 1-855-550-2555.

Physician Shortage

A police car roof with red and blue flashing lights against a blurred cityscape; the word “ASIRT” is boldly overlaid on the image.

ASIRT investigating death after Lethbridge police interaction

Written on . Posted in RCMP & Public Safety.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is investigating the death of a man following an interaction with a Lethbridge Police Service officer at the Lethbridge Viaduct, commonly known as the High Level Bridge.

Lethbridge police received several 911 calls about 7:30 p.m. July 13 reporting a man walking west on the bridge, a railway trestle that is not open to pedestrians.

One of three responding officers went onto the bridge and approached the man near the middle. ASIRT says the officer spoke with the man and directed him to leave, but he remained, and the two continued to speak. About 8 p.m., following an interaction between them, the man went over the side of the bridge. Paramedics declared him dead at the scene.

ASIRT says its investigation will examine the officer’s actions and the circumstances surrounding the death, including what happened immediately before the man went over the side.

The Police Review Commission directed ASIRT to investigate the case as a Level 1 matter. Under the Police Act, that category covers cases involving serious injury or death, or serious or sensitive concerns about an officer’s actions.

ASIRT is part of the Police Review Commission, an independent civilian-led agency that investigates potential criminal offences involving police across Alberta, including cases where an officer’s actions may have resulted in serious injury or death.

The investigation is ongoing and ASIRT says no further information is available.

If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline is available 24/7 by call or text.

Police Act, Police Oversight

Man with shaven head, dark eyes and beard stubble

Ohanes (Johnny) Melkon missing since 2007, RCMP still looking

Written on . Posted in RCMP & Public Safety.

Innisfail RCMP are asking for help finding Ohanes Melkon, who has been missing for 19 years.

Melkon, also known as Johnny, was last seen March 28, 2007, leaving his home on 56th Street in Innisfail. He was 27 at the time. His family reported him missing April 3 that year, after they lost contact with him and he stopped showing up for work.

Originally from Montreal, Melkon had moved to Alberta for work in May 2005. He worked for a pipeline company in Blackfalds and built fences seasonally in the Sylvan Lake area, and was known to spend time in Red Deer, Blackfalds, Sylvan Lake, Penhold and Innisfail.

He is described as five foot nine and 161 pounds, with a slender build, brown eyes and a medium complexion. He had black hair and was sometimes bald or shaven-headed. He would now be 46.

RCMP say the case has remained active since 2007 and investigators are urging anyone with information, however small, to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to call Innisfail RCMP at 403-227-3342. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, online at P3Tips.com, or through the P3 Tips app.

Cold Cases, Missing Persons

Close up of two people exchanging a box of food

Food centre use doubles as costs squeeze family budgets

Written on . Posted in Community Life, Health & Wellness.

The number of people turning to the Pincher Creek and District Community Food Centre for support has more than doubled in three years.

The centre served 427 people in the past year, compared with 197 two years earlier. Those receiving support include children, seniors, working adults, rural residents and families facing unexpected or temporary financial hardship.

Nearly one-third of those served last year were under the age of 19.

Growing region, growing need

Established in 2020, the centre has grown from a grassroots effort into an accredited member of Food Banks Canada, with charitable status, an active volunteer base and partnerships across the region.

The centre serves residents in Pincher Creek, Pincher Station, Beaver Mines, Lundbreck, Twin Butte, Castle Mountain and Cowley.

Davina Brown, who chairs the centre’s board, says the centre has focused on building a sustainable operation while continuing to respond to community needs.

She says the centre assisted an average of 77 households each month over the past year, with monthly demand ranging from 70 to 92.

“Demand has remained consistently high and continues to grow,” Brown says.

Children and youth received the largest share of hampers last year. The full breakdown by age:

—Children and youth (18 and under): 132

—Aged 25 to 35: 80

—Aged 36 to 50: 77

—Aged 60 and older: 59

—Aged 51 to 59: 43

—Aged 19 to 24: 36

Most hampers, 337, went to residents in the town of Pincher Creek, while 48 went to rural areas, 19 to Cowley, 12 to Lundbreck, seven to Pincher Station and four to unhoused individuals.

How the hampers get made

The centre operates Monday to Thursday, with clients ordering hampers by phone or text. Access is based on a means test and hampers are provided at no cost.

Volunteers play a central role in daily operations by sorting food, checking expiry dates, preparing hampers and delivering food to clients. A separate team of volunteers maintains the centre’s vegetable garden, which provides fresh produce.

“Our biggest challenges include keeping pace with rising food costs, maintaining a reliable food supply and ensuring we have sustainable funding to support our operations,” Brown says.

“Community partnerships are essential to everything we do. We simply couldn’t operate without the generosity of local businesses, organizations, grant funders and residents,” she says.

The centre receives food from Walmart, No Frills, Co-op food bins, Canada Bread, Back Country Butchering and the Interfaith Food Bank Society of Lethbridge, redirecting surplus food that might otherwise go to waste.

Grant funding from Food Banks Canada, Alberta Food Banks, United Way, Community Foundation of Southwestern Alberta, the Town and MD joint council, and TC Energy also supported the centre’s operations over the past year.

Recent fundraising included a Walmart Pincher Creek campaign that raised $16,488.93.

“The Walmart Fight Hunger, Spark Change campaign was a tremendous success and represents one of our most significant annual fundraising initiatives,” Brown says.

Funds will help the centre purchase nutritious food to supplement donations and ensure balanced hampers are available throughout the year.

“It has a huge impact on this particular town because this is a small town, and I’ve seen there are very needy people here,” says Kash Panwala, lead food and fresh department manager at Walmart Pincher Creek.

“They help a lot in terms of food, specifically when we are donating food, which helps a lot to those people.”

Other campaigns through Tim Hortons, Boston Pizza and Loblaws, along with the CPKC Holiday Train, have also supported the centre over the past year.

More than a hamper

“Beyond providing food, the food centre helps reduce stress and uncertainty for individuals and families facing food insecurity,” Brown says. “We also build community by connecting volunteers, donors, local businesses and partner organizations around a shared goal of ensuring everyone has access to nutritious food with dignity and respect.”

While future demand is difficult to predict, she says recent trends show the need for food assistance will likely continue. The centre’s strategic plan focuses on financial sustainability, community engagement, program effectiveness and team excellence.

“Many people needing assistance are working, raising families or facing unexpected life circumstances,” Brown says. “Asking for help takes courage and everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.”

CPKC Holiday Train, Fight Hunger Spark Change, Food Banks, Food Donations, food insecurity, Fundraising, Volunteering

Graphic with the text "Municipal News from the MD of Pincher Creek" on the left side, featuring a stylized image of people seated around a meeting table on the right.

Curling rink gets MD funding boost, but strings attached

Written on . Posted in Civic & Government, Sports.

The unfinished walls of Pincher Creek’s new curling rink moved a step closer to completion last week, after the MD of Pincher Creek approved up to $1 million in additional funding. Council attached a series of conditions meant to protect taxpayers while construction continues.

Council’s decision follows public debate over whether municipal governments should commit more public money to a project that ran short of funds after construction was underway.

The funding will be released only after agreements are signed with the Pincher Creek Curling Club and the Town of Pincher Creek. Payments will be tied to construction progress, with provisions allowing the MD to recover its contribution if the club later secures provincial grant funding.

To ensure construction is not delayed while those agreements are finalized, council also authorized an instalment of $340,212 for the project’s next progress payment.

Deputy reeve Tony Bruder chaired the July 14 meeting in the absence of Reeve Rick Lemire. He says the instalment is intended to keep construction moving while the required agreements are completed.

The payment is part of the approved contribution of up to $1 million and is expected to be issued by the end of July.

Bruder says the MD will not provide the entire amount up front. Instead, funds will be released as construction bills are submitted, with the final total depending on what construction actually costs.

Funding tied to agreements

The MD’s approval includes several conditions before the full funding commitment proceeds.

The first motion, which approves up to a maximum of $1 million, directs the funding to come from the Community Initiatives Reserve.

The curling club must sign a funding agreement with the MD. Under the agreement, payments will be provided in instalments and may be recoverable depending on the terms.

The MD also requires the Town of Pincher Creek to sign an agreement ensuring the building remains a curling facility for the life of the structure.

Only once both agreements are signed will the MD advance further money beyond the progress payment. That payment was carved out specifically so construction crews get paid regardless of how long the paperwork takes.

“We don’t want to hold up the process,” Bruder says. “In case all the agreements aren’t signed in time, that fourth motion makes sure that the next monthly instalment is covered. So the construction can carry on.”

Repayment tied to grants

The MD and curling club are still finalizing an agreement on repayment. Any provincial grant money the club secures would be used to repay the MD’s contribution, Bruder says.

The club has applied for a $1.5-million Active Communities Initiative grant after an earlier application was declined. Should that application succeed, the club has committed to repaying both the town and MD for their respective shares of the additional funding.

Dispute over ownership

The ownership issue has been a key difference between the town and MD throughout discussions.

During its June 22 meeting, town council approved up to $1 million in additional funding, but attached its own conditions. Those included amendments to the lease agreement to formalize town ownership of the facility before additional money is released.

“From the start of all this, the MD has had the opinion that we want the curling club to own the building,” Bruder says. “We still have that opinion.”

However, because the building sits on town-owned land, he says the MD cannot prevent the town from establishing ownership.

“The town has unilaterally decided that they’re going to own the building. We don’t agree with it, but we can’t stop it because the town owns the land,” Bruder says. “I guess the MD just has to follow along with [what] the town wants.”

Council says project must be completed

Councillors expressed concerns about how the project reached its current financial position but Bruder says they did not want to see the partially completed facility abandoned.

“All of us councillors have discussed this with a lot of our ratepayers in our separate divisions. We’re all kind of disappointed that it got to this point,” he says. “We don’t want to leave a building half built and then put a fence around it and watch it just fall down.”

How the shortfall happened

Discussion of a new curling rink in Pincher Creek dates back more than a decade. The curling club first asked the MD to match town funding for a replacement facility in March 2015, when the project was estimated at $3 million.

In 2017, the town, MD and curling club shared the cost of a new ice plant, with the condition that it could be moved to a future facility.

In 2018, the club again requested municipal support for a new rink.

The proposal moved through multiple sites and stalled repeatedly over the following years. A $4-million borrowing bylaw failed in 2023, withdrawn after a petition opposed it, and a task force on the project was later dissolved.

A memorandum of understanding signed in June 2023 cleared the way for the club to build on land occupied by the town’s golf course, before the club shifted the project to its current site on Chief Mountain Avenue.

Construction began in October 2025, with the project’s budget standing at $5.23 million, supported by $1.25 million from the town, $1 million from the MD and a $1-million provincial Community Facility Enhancement Program grant.

In November 2025, the club learned it was unsuccessful in attaining a $1.5-million Active Communities Initiative grant after construction had already started.

In April 2026, club representatives met with MD officials and requested bridge funding while reapplying for the ACI grant. The club told council it would repay municipal contributions if it successfully secured the $1.5-million grant or other funding sources.

Bruder confirms that repayment remains part of the MD agreement.

“If they get the grant, our portion of the million dollars, or whatever of the million dollars that is used, then they pay us back that amount,” he says.

Community debate preceded decisions

The municipal decisions followed a June 17 public input session that brought together about 130 residents from the town and MD. The meeting featured both support and criticism of additional municipal funding.

Supporters highlighted the curling rink’s role as a community gathering space and pointed to opportunities beyond curling, including youth programs, tournaments and other community uses.

Critics questioned why the project reached a funding shortfall and whether additional taxpayer money should be committed.

Several residents raised concerns about cost increases and accountability, asking why construction started before all funding sources were secured.

The discussion continued when town council considered the issue on June 22. Councillors were divided on whether to provide additional funding.

A motion from Coun. Brian McGillivray to provide no additional funding was defeated in a 4-3 vote.

Coun. Bernice Cyr later brought forward a motion to provide up to $1 million, conditional on matching funds from the MD. That motion passed 4-3.

The town’s funding would be released through monthly instalments tied to construction costs and would require amendments to the lease agreement to formalize town ownership of the facility.

Next steps

MD council’s decision satisfies its side of the matching-funds condition set by the town, but does not resolve remaining uncertainties.

Both the curling club’s agreement with the MD and the town’s agreement guaranteeing the building’s long-term use as a curling facility still need to be signed before the bulk of the $1-million commitment is released.

The town’s lease amendment formalizing its ownership of the building, directed by council in June, also has yet to return for final approval.

The curling club’s application for the ACI grant is also still pending.

Construction is expected to be completed by the end of September 2026.

Active Communities Initiative, Community Facility Enhancement Program, Construction Funding, Curling, Municipal Funding

Two girls pose behind their lemonade stand

Beyond the lemonade stand

Written on . Posted in Business & Economy.

New Lemonade Day workbook makes business basics easier for kids

Before pouring their first glass of lemonade, Pincher Creek’s young entrepreneurs will need to think like business owners.

That lesson is at the heart of a revised workbook developed by the Pincher Creek and District Chamber of Commerce for its annual Lemonade Day program. The workbook uses simpler language and clearer explanations to help young participants understand concepts such as pricing, budgeting, profit and customer service before opening their lemonade stands during rodeo weekend.

Lemonade Day runs Aug. 15 from noon to 2:30 p.m., with registration open until Aug. 6.

“We’ve always had a workbook that they go through,” says chamber manager Crystal Senkpiel. “But this year we’ve revamped it a little bit, just to simplify things for younger children to understand, and make it a little easier for parents to explain it to the kids.”

The workbook serves as a business plan that participants fill in before and after the event. It encourages children to think beyond selling lemonade by asking why they want to start a business, what problem it will solve, who their customers are and what will make their stand different from others.

It walks participants through four reasons people start businesses: to solve a problem, to share a passion, to be the boss and to make money while helping others. Each idea is explained using everyday examples, such as tangled dog leashes or a love of baking, rather than formal business language.

Participants set spending, savings, sharing and profit goals, and consider donating part of their earnings to a local charity or community organization.

Kids learn basic financial concepts, including how to calculate the cost of producing each cup of lemonade, set a selling price, track expenses and income, and determine whether they have made a profit.

The workbook also covers basic bookkeeping. Expenses are shown as negative numbers, since money is leaving the business, while sales and tips are positive, since money is coming in. The goal is to keep expenses low and increase profit by the end of the day.

“It’s a great opportunity to plant that seed for younger kids to understand how business works,” Senkpiel says.

Judges consider the completed workbook, the quality of the lemonade, the stand’s display and the overall business plan.

Senkpiel says the chamber has received five registrations, including sibling pairs and groups of friends who plan to operate their stands together.

As in previous years, participants will receive a free business licence from the Town of Pincher Creek to display at their stands, adding another element of realism to the experience.

“They’ll go to the town office and let them know they’re doing Lemonade Day,” Senkpiel says. “They can display it at their stand and, when the judges come around, they’ll see that they have their business licence. We always say make sure you have it at your stand in case the bylaw officer comes by.”

Senkpiel encourages people to visit the stands and support the young vendors during Lemonade Day on Aug. 15.

“We have some great entrepreneurs registered for this event, and we’re really hoping the community will come out and support them in their endeavours,” she says. “There’s a lot of hard work they put into it ahead of the event, so it’s a great opportunity to teach them about work ethic and setting a goal and working toward it.”

Interested children can register for the event through the chamber’s website by visiting pincherchamber.ca/events.

Registered participants can pick up a paper copy of the workbook at Pincher Pets, or request a digital copy by emailing info@pincherchamber.ca. Completed workbooks are due by Aug. 12, ahead of the event.

Business Education, Financial Literacy, Lemonade Day, Youth Entrepreneurship

Man and young girl in orange t-shirts wave while standing with their bicycles

Father-daughter cyclists ride to fight childhood cancer

Written on . Posted in Community Life, Health & Wellness.

When Arnei de Guzman moved to Canada, he struggled with homesickness and wondered if he’d made the right call. A Facebook post about the Great Cycle Challenge led to the sense of purpose he yearned for.

Each August, the national event sees riders set distance goals and raise money for childhood cancer research. Since it began in 2016, nationwide participants have ridden more than 31 million kilometres and raised more than $61 million to combat kids’ cancer.

Inspired by the cause, Arnei rode in 2021 and has never looked back.

Now taking on the challenge for a sixth consecutive year, he looks to build on the 1,144 kilometres he has ridden and $7,690 he has raised for the SickKids Foundation.

“I choose to help them because they don’t want this kind of illness,” Arnei says. “For me, that’s the only thing that I can do for them — riding my bike and asking some of my friends to do the fundraising.”

This year’s ride carries personal significance — his father-in-law is a cancer survivor and his nephew is living with metastatic cancer.

“This ride is for him,” Arnei says.

To buy his first bike, Arnei worked two jobs while settling into life in Canada. Over the years, the challenge has become about far more than cycling, giving him purpose while meeting new people and strengthening his ties to the community.

“A lot of people, a lot of the Filipino community here in town supported me, so I became motivated again,” he says.

One of his favourite memories is exploring southwestern Alberta by bicycle, especially the Waterton area, which he says made him feel alive while providing peace and purpose.

Arnei also draws inspiration from his daughter, Freya, hoping participating in the challenge will teach her the importance of helping others.

“I’m doing this because I want my little girl to see how beautiful it is to live when you’re going to help someone,” he says.

Freya is riding in the Great Cycle Challenge for a third consecutive year. To date, she has ridden 79 kilometres and raised $1,552.

“Right now, over 1,700 children are diagnosed with cancer every year and it’s the biggest killer of children from disease in Canada. Kids should be living life, not fighting for it,” Freya wrote on her rider profile.

Arnei’s mountain bike, which he says holds special sentimental value, was recently stolen and later recovered with significant damage but the setback isn’t stopping him. He plans to ride this year on his road bike.

When it was suggested community members would help him buy a replacement, he asked them to give to the fundraiser instead.

“If anyone is thinking of helping me, I would respectfully ask that you consider supporting my fundraiser instead of helping me buy a new bike,” he wrote on Facebook. “Your generosity will go directly toward helping children who are bravely fighting cancer.”

Arnei says his fundraising remains his priority because he still has another bike he can ride, while children fighting cancer need support now.

“A new bike can wait,” he says. “If people want to help me, I’d rather they donate to the fundraiser so that children with cancer can receive the medicine and care they need. If a donation can help ease a child’s pain, even for just one day, then that’s far more important to me than getting a new bike.”

He is grateful to the community for helping him recover the stolen bike.

“It meant a lot,” says Arnei. “I never thought that I could recover my bike again.”

For this year’s challenge, Arnei has set a goal of riding 100 kilometres and raising $500, with $159 raised so far. He plans to do the ride on his birthday, Aug. 7.

Freya has set a goal of riding 75 kilometres and has already raised $500 this year.

Arnei says helping people who can’t repay the kindness is reward enough for him.

“If you are going to help, you don’t need to expect anything to come back from the people that you help,” he says. “That’s why I always choose to help the people that don’t have the capability to give back that help.”

More information about Arnei and Freya’s Great Cycle Challenge, including how to donate, is available online through their rider profiles at greatcyclechallenge.ca.

Cancer Survivors, Childhood Cancer Research, Community Support, Cycling, Fundraising, Great Cycle Challenge

Canadian $100 bill

Apply now for $100 energy rebate

Written on . Posted in Civic & Government.

Albertans can now apply for a one-time $100 energy rebate from the province, with applications open until Sept. 30.

The payment goes to each eligible adult and is meant to help with everyday costs such as fuel, groceries and utilities. The province says nearly 3.4 million Albertans are eligible.

Who qualifies

To be eligible, an applicant must:

—Be 18 or older.

—Be an Alberta resident with a verified alberta.ca account.

—Have filed a 2025 tax return.

—Have a household income of $225,000 or less.

For the rebate, a household means a single person or two people who are married or common-law. Adults living at the same address who aren’t married or common-law — including roommates, adult children and other adult relatives — count as separate households and each must apply on their own.

Albertans already receiving the Alberta Seniors Benefit, Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped, the Alberta Disability Assistance Program or Income Support as of July 1 are enrolled automatically and don’t need to apply.

How to apply

Applications are made online through the province’s portal at energyrebate.alberta.ca. Applicants log into a verified alberta.ca account (or create one), confirm that the mailing address on their driver’s licence or ID card matches their account, and submit.

Eligible applicants receive payment by Interac e-Transfer within 14 days. Those without e-Transfer set up can arrange it through their bank. The rebate is non-taxable and does not affect eligibility for other provincial or federal benefits.

Applications close Sept. 30.

Cost of Living, Energy Rebates, Government Benefits

A woman with blonde hair and glasses smiles as she holds up a children's picture book

Around the world in six weeks at the Pincher Creek library

Written on . Posted in Education.

This summer, a missing animal is waiting to be found in Prince Edward Island, then Hawaii, Australia, Bali and the Caribbean, and Pincher Creek children are travelling the world, one week at a time, to bring each one home.

It’s Pincher Creek Municipal Library’s own globetrotting spin on the 2026 TD Summer Reading Club, and outreach co-ordinator Samantha Bonwick builds a fresh adventure around the national theme every year.

Running July 7 to Aug. 12, the six-week program embraces this year’s national Dive In theme, which encourages children to explore waterways and aquatic life.

The TD program supplies libraries across Canada with activity books and resources, but Bonwick creates her own story around the national theme.

“We are going to a different location in the world to find that a certain species has disappeared,” she says.

“We learn about that animal and learn about what happens to that environment without that animal, and how important that animal was to the environment.”

Each week, participants travel to a different destination, beginning in Prince Edward Island and ending back home in Pincher Creek to learn about rainbow trout.

Along the way, children complete themed crafts and activities and search for the week’s missing animal. Once it’s found, they place a sticker on a habitat display, symbolically returning the species to its natural environment.

The library offers three age-based sessions:

—Ages zero to four: Wednesdays, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

—Ages five to seven (kindergarten to Grade 2): Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m. to noon.

—Ages eight to 11 (grades 3 to 5): Wednesdays, 1:30 to 3 p.m.

Weekly Funday Fridays are also held on the library lawn and are open to families on a drop-in basis.

Bonwick enjoys taking the annual theme and turning it into an imaginative adventure that makes learning feel less like schoolwork.

Among past adventures was chasing Bigfoot across Canada during the country’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

“There was a learning aspect and a reading aspect to it, but we do it in an adventure,” she says. “It’s in a fun way because I want them to still get it somewhere and not have to come here and do worksheets and school.”

Participants receive TD Summer Reading Club activity books to record everything they read throughout the summer, whether it’s a chapter from a novel, a recipe or anything else.

Children earn weekly prizes for tracking their reading and every completed title helps build an aquatic-themed mural on the library’s program-room window.

During each session, Bonwick also reads a picture book connected to that week’s featured destination or animal.

She hopes the club introduces new families to the library and helps children develop a lifelong appreciation for reading.

“I really love that I’ve seen kids who I’ve never met before come for the Summer Reading Club, and then I get to see them continue using the library that following year,” she says.

“I really love meeting new faces and trying to help foster that love for the library and for reading.”

The main goal is simply to keep children reading through the summer, and that doesn’t need to mean “sitting down and reading a long chapter book,” Bonwick says.

“Reading can be reading a magazine. Reading can be following a recipe. Reading can be pointing out traffic signs as you’re driving. Reading doesn’t have to be ‘Sit down, be quiet and read.’ Reading can be fun.”

Children’s Literacy, Environmental Education, Summer Activities, TD Summer Reading Club

Fire restriction notice for Pincher Creek area with prohibited fire symbol

Fire restriction now in effect — firepits still allowed

Written on . Posted in RCMP & Public Safety.

A fire restriction is now in effect for the town of Pincher Creek and surrounding municipal district, the village of Cowley and Piikani Nation, in response to recent and forecast warm, dry conditions.

Under the restriction:

—No new debris-burning permits will be issued, and existing debris-burning permits will not be extended.

—Fireworks are prohibited.

—Recreational firepit and burn barrel permits remain active and are still being issued.

Residents are asked to use caution with open flames and off-highway vehicles, which can spark grass fires in dry conditions.

The restriction will stay in effect until conditions change. For more information, call 403-627-5333 or visit albertafirebans.ca.

Fire Restrictions, Wildfire Prevention

Graphic with the text "Municipal News from the MD of Pincher Creek" across the top, featuring an image of large windmills in a field with mountains in the background.

News briefs from June 23 MD of Pincher Creek council table

Written on . Posted in Civic & Government.

A resident’s challenge to how fire-suppression costs are billed, and confirmation of more than $1.4 million in local funding allocations from the province, were key topics at the MD of Pincher Creek’s June 23 meeting.

Fire-suppression costs

Bill Thorpe, a longtime MD resident, questioned charging property owners for emergency response costs. He said residents already pay for emergency services through municipal taxes and suggested a model where fire response is funded through taxation instead of recovery charges.

He offered to lead a committee, with support from the MD and the Town of Pincher Creek, to review alternatives.

Council said fire response charges are capped at $25,000. The cap was introduced after a major fire where multiple residents assisted and air support was used, and some landowners later received significant bills for emergency response costs.

Council said it was willing to continue working with the community on the issue, but noted that not all fires occur under the same circumstances. It suggested Thorpe also take the matter to the Pincher Creek Emergency Services Commission.

Provincial funding confirmed for 2026

Council received a letter from Alberta Municipal Affairs outlining the MD’s 2026 funding allocations.

The MD will receive $1,146,862 through the Local Government Fiscal Framework Capital program, $107,056 through the LGFF Operating program and $244,929 through the Building Communities Strong Fund’s community stream.

The funding is part of the province’s support for municipalities to maintain services, improve infrastructure and invest in community priorities.

Aerospace partnership signed

Council approved a memorandum of understanding with three neighbouring municipalities — Cardston County, the MD of Willow Creek and the Town of Fort Macleod — to support regional aviation and aerospace collaboration.

Public auction set for November

The MD will hold a public auction this fall for a property with tax arrears. Under the Municipal Government Act, municipalities must prepare an annual tax arrears list for properties with more than one year of unpaid taxes.

One property currently sits on the MD’s 2025 tax arrears list. Council set a reserve bid of $49,500 for the property, located at SW-01-09-03-W5. The auction is scheduled for Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. at the MD administration building.

In the meantime, the owner can still pay the arrears to prevent the property from being sold.

Humane society receives gravel donation

Council approved a request from the Pincher Creek Humane Society for material support for its agility dog run project. The MD will provide 65 yards of small gravel plus delivery.

The gravel will help create a safer, well-drained surface for the run, which provides exercise, stimulation and training opportunities for shelter animals.

Bylaw error corrected

Council fixed a clerical mistake in a bylaw dealing with agricultural reservoirs and dugouts. Administration found that Bylaw 1369-26 listed the wrong volume — 2,500 cubic metres where it should have read 7,500.

Provincial legislation allows municipalities to correct clerical or technical errors without a public hearing, as long as the fix does not change the bylaw’s substance.

Council gave Bylaw 1372-26 three readings and approved the correction.

Letter of support for ALUS

A letter of support was approved for Alternative Land Use Services for its Building Communities Strong Fund proposal.

Correspondence received as information

Council accepted several other pieces of correspondence without further action.

A Beaver Mines resident, Marie Everts, thanked the MD for supporting the community’s annual spring cleanup and reuse fair, crediting administration and crews for organizing it.

Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors responded to MD concerns about litter at the Pine Ridge turnout.

The province said No Overnight Camping signage would be installed soon, with enforcement to follow through bylaw officers, sheriffs or the RCMP. It said garbage bins at the site are cleaned twice a week and provided a phone line for reporting overflow between cleanings.

Administration will forward the response to the landowners who raised the concern.

Alberta Environment and Protected Areas replied to an MD letter about water access for livestock, saying it is working with MD staff on options including temporary diversion licences, temporary pumping stations and reservoir improvements to increase access for producers.

Hometown Award recipient visits council

Council welcomed Hunter McMullen, a student from Matthew Halton High School, who received the 2026 Hometown Award from the town and MD. McMullen attended the meeting to thank council for the recognition.

Aviation and Aerospace, Building Communities Strong Fund, Fire-Suppression Costs, Hometown Award, Livestock Water Access, Municipal Government Act, Tax-Recovery Auctions