The Wildrose Party has taken aim at employees of Stettler County in its most recent salvo of Freedom of Information requests.
    In a press release, Wildrose MLA Shayne Saskiw asked for an investigation by Elections Alberta into possible violations of financing laws by the County of Stettler.
    This comes in light of an e-mail from an employee of Stettler County in regards to a newly created Facebook page supporting former MLA Jack Hayden before last spring’s election.
    “I believe the documents obtained and attached establish a prima facie case that a municipal employee created a Facebook page for PC candidate Jack Hayden with County resources,” said Saskiw in a letter to Ms. Lori McKee Jeske, Acting Chief Electoral Officer.
    In the letter he also alleges the employee communicated highly partisan materials through a county e-mail address and that county trucks could have been used to post election signs.

Rick Strankman, MLA Drumheller-Stettler asks for Elections Alberta investigation into Stettler County employeees

    Drumheller-Stettler MLA Rick Strankman says it is his responsibility to look out for the taxpayers.
    “This is not a personal vendetta about myself, there appears to be irregularities there and so Mr. Saskiw decided to issue a press release in that regard,” said Strankman.
    Strankman said the responsibility for this kind of action falls on a number of people, from staff right up to Hayden.
    “The County and County staff would be (responsible) for using public resources for political activities. I have a duty too, as an elected official, to not be doing that, and to be a guardian of public funds,” said Strankman. “It is public money and employees are being paid on public time for that. (For my staff) I have consequences for people even doing Twitter, although it is open knowledge that many staff Twitter during work hours.”
    He said he has warned his own staff about such actions.
    His question coming out of this event was if there were any consequences for the staff member from the reeve or administration.
    Strankman said he was the one who instigated the investigation into the employee after seeing the person at an election forum in Drumheller.
    “The research team took it from there,” said Strankman.
    Jack Hayden said he believes in the Freedom of Information Act, but feels these requests are personal in nature.
    “They are out to discredit and demean people. I love my constituency and just wish they would get around to representing people, and looking after the interests of the communities, because that is what I did,” said Hayden.
    He would like those asking for the investigation to come forward if they have something of substance.
    “They are talking allege, allege, allege, it is a drive-by smear campaign. I am fair game because I was in public life,” said Hayden.
    He said time and resources could be better used to fight for schools, hospitals or seniors.
    “I feel so bad for the people of my constituency because this is the kind of representation they have now,” said Hayden.

    The Drumheller area is once again leading the province in employment according to the most recent statistics from the Government of Canada.
    In the month of July, the Drumheller-Camrose economic region, which extends east to the Saskatchewan border, had an unemployment rate of 3.7 per cent, the second lowest in Alberta. The lowest was Grande Prairie-Athabasca-Peace River with 3.3 per cent.

The Drumheller-Camrose economic region is booming and has the second lowest unemployment rate in the province as of July at 3.7 per cent. However, such a low rate creates challenges for employers, who are having trouble filling vacancies. Alberta Works suggests employers create a positive work environment to attract and retain staff.

    “The most current unemployment figures, as of  July, are at 3.7 per cent, which is the second lowest in the province, but over the past year, we’ve had the lowest rate most of the time. The province was at (an unemployment rate of) 4.5,” said Rob Lunman, business and industry lead with Alberta Works.
    The low unemployment market has left the area brimming with employment opportunities.
    “There are a lot of opportunities in our area. There’s agriculture, labour positions, oil and gas servicing, and really just jobs of all kinds. Even after the tourist season, there are always positions available. There are jobs across the whole gamut, from entry-level jobs to professional positions, and from unskilled labour to trades. There are opportunities across the board,” said Lunman.
    However, the low rate creates challenges. Most positions cannot be filled, especially when considering the population drain faced by rural areas.
    “Communities are struggling to find people to fill jobs. As businesses and companies grow, I don’t know if the population is necessarily growing along with it,” said Lunman.
    In addition, employers are being hard pressed to fill positions, with some remaining vacant for months. Lunman suggested employers take a look at how they attempt to hire new employees.
    “The market has changed, so you have to sell that position and your business. With such a low unemployment rate, people have so many choices. Many of the people you might want to come work for you, probably already work somewhere else. If you’re going to try to attract people to your business, you have to let them know the benefits,” said Lunman.
    “Another key is to keep the staff you currently have. If you can keep them happy and working for you, then it reduces your need to go out and find new staff. If you try to make a positive work environment, not only will it make your existing staff happy, then it will be easier to find new staff when you need to.”