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Todd Pawsey enters UCP election ring

pawesymug

    Todd Pawsey of Paintearth County has decided to put his name forward in the upcoming United Conservative Party (UCP) leadership position nomination for the Drumheller-Stettler riding.
    The 50-year-old single father of two was born and raised on a grain farm south of Edgerton. He has over 26 years experience of working and serving rural communities in the community services department of two municipalities.
    Pawsey put his name into Elections Alberta the first weekend in May after pondering his choices for roughly six months.
    “We were hearing a lot about how our area could be better represented and I’ve worked 26 years in rural county government. A lot of my work is an overlap of what a representative for the area does so I put my name forth because I think I have a lot to offer,” said Pawsey. “I’m an empty nester with lots of time, passion, commitment, and experience to be a good voice for our riding.”
    The candidate worked for the MD of Bonnyville for 16 years as the Community Services Director before moving to the County of Paintearth for a position as the Community Services Development Officer for 10 years.
    “So basically I’m dealing with all things of life in rural Alberta and local governance levels dealing with counties, towns, and villages,” he said.         “I’ve got a wide breadth of experience with various different provincial government departments to see how they impact our resident's lives, businesses, and various facets. That’s why I think I have a lot to offer.”
    Pawsey wishes to see more representation within the constituency which will reflect the needs of the area in Alberta’s capital.
    “We need to have an MLA that is in touch with the community. From what I hear is that not so much has changed in the government but also hasn’t changed in representation so we need to make sure the person we send into Edmonton just doesn’t disappear for four years and represent Edmonton back to us,” said Pawsey.
    Nomination Day is Saturday, June 23. Only members of the party are allowed to vote for who they think best fits the bill so all three candidates including Nate Horner and Rick Strankman are trying to sell as many memberships as they can.
    “Our time crunch to sell memberships to support our candidacy is limited down to about June 1. After June 1, only party members can vote and that’s why it’s critical to reach out now,” he said.


Sunday afternoon grass fire

grass fire may 27 2018

On Sunday afternoon the Rosedale Fire Department and the Drumheller Fire Department responded to an apparent grass fire on Hwy 10 in a resident’s yard on the North side of Cambria.

The East Coulee Fire Department used their water truck due to the remote location. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time.

Cambria grass fire may 27 2018

Gaming and Liquor video features Morrin SADD chapter

Kids making bags 1

    Morrin School has seen provincial attention after a video released last week on the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) Facebook page.
    The video, which was filmed in December, shows how the Morrin School Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) Chapter made hand drawn liquor bags which were distributed to local stores in Drumheller to share the dangers of drinking and driving.
    “They really wanted to highlight the whole process because a lot of people don’t understand there is the contest involved with it so the bags they are getting in the liquor stores aren’t necessarily the ones that are being entered into this contest,” said Reach Wellness Worker and SADD Chapter advisor Katie Suntjens.
    Featured in the video are Suntjens, Grade 12 students Mesha Olson and Vannessa Richmond, and Grade 4 student Reid Macfarlane.
    “When I showed the video to Mesha and Vannessa, they were really impressed and shocked at how good of quality the video was because they themselves weren’t sure what it was actually going to turn into,” she said.
    Morrin holds the largest SADD Chapter in the province. Suntjens credits the strength of the program to continuous interaction between younger and older students.
    “We always ask “Oh, do you know who these kids are?” and they are like “Oh yeah, that’s so and so, she rides on my bus. I’m like “Okay but do you know what group they are in the school?” and they all know they are in the SADD Chapter. By the time those kids get into Grade 7 and they are able to join SADD, they already have that foundation about what types of activities they are going to be doing. That’s what has helped make our chapter a little bit more sustainable.”
    The school community wasn’t sure what they were getting into in the beginning.
    “They wanted a school that they knew was active in the campaign and SADD has a tendency to contact our group because they know we are really active. Of course we jumped on it and in December they came out twice. They filmed the interviews and the decorating part where we were in the classrooms doing the workshops with the elementary students,” said Suntjens.
                The no drinking and driving campaign began roughly 10 years ago where it annually begins in September and ends in May.
    “This year we produced a video to capture the spirit and heartfelt energy and to share with Albertans the magic of the SADD One Million Liquor Bags program,” The AGLC Facebook post attached to the video read.
    Grade 11 student Portia Miller of W.R. Myers High School in Taber won the overall contest where her bag design has been printed 1 million times and distributed across Alberta starting this past May long weekend.
    “I think that this campaign specifically is so important because it involves so many different age groups so it isn’t necessarily the ones who are driving, it’s going to filter out to the ones that are purchasing the alcohol in a store and it’s also connecting to the younger ones who are decorating the bags. It’s more of a visual reminder not to drink and drive. A lot of the stuff that is out there is very much just messaging focused so they don’t really have that image to connect everything.
    On the bags, it tells you what school the bag was decorated in.
    “So when they see that they might think about people and kids who they know in that school so then it impacts them a little bit more.”


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