The Village of Standard, like many other communities, has faced numerous challenges throughout 2020.
Despite the unforeseen circumstances presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the community managed to come together to support their neighbours, and prepare shovel-ready projects for 2021.
“Due to the pandemic and the fiscal uncertainty surrounding it, the village did not enter into any major infrastructure projects in 2020,” Standard Mayor Joe Pedersen told the Mail. Mayor Pedersen notes much needed concrete repairs throughout the village were completed.
Local groups and organizations also had a troubling year, with all community events being cancelled, which may pose significant impacts in the coming year. “We have directed groups and individuals to certain programs that are available to assist them through this troubled time,” Mayor Pedersen says.
Surveying on a new residential subdivision was completed in November, allowing for lot size increases. Mayor Pedersen is hopeful this will help to attract buyers to “build and join” the community. “The community has been amazing in its response to the (COVID-19) situation, with everyone willing to help their neighbour,” Mayor Pedersen adds.
The village’s grocery store has remained open and continued to serve the community, despite supply chain concerns early in 2020. Staff and community volunteers worked together to ensure no one went without necessities, offering curbside pickup and home deliveries to those who were self-isolating.
Currently, the village is in the process of developing additional lots in the industrial park area of the village. “We hope to have shovels in the ground in the first half of 2021,” Mayor Pedersen says, although he notes there is still plenty to do ahead of this including surveys, and completion of underground infrastructure and roadwork.
Provincial stimulus funding will help the village complete major infrastructure projects in 2021 and Mayor Pedersen says the village will be calling for tenders early in 2021.
“The village council and staff wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and hopes, after this trying and challenging year, success and good health.”

Many Albertans were shaken to the core upon learning one of the first actions of the newly sworn-in US president was to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline.
President Joe Biden indicated in March of last year if elected he would cancel the project, which was under construction on both sides of the border. Much of the work in Alberta is in the Drumheller-Stettler riding.
“I would say it is devastating,’ said Drumheller-Stettler MLA Nate Horner. “We got one year of work out of what was going to be three, of a major boom to the economy in the eastern side of the province.”
He says he has learned from a company the project on this side of the border has been suspended. While at times there were upwards of 1,500 workers in the Oyen area working on the pipeline, last Thursday, January 21, Horner said there were about 200 in the field doing some large scale clean up.
“They are already pulling out of there,” he said, adding the 1,500 jobs are just direct employment. It doesn’t take into consideration all the other industries that benefit from the project.
When the project moved in it nearly doubled the population of the area, making it a boomtown. Accommodations were in high demand.
He is disappointed with the decision and says it is a different pipeline than the one that was initially vetoed years ago by then-President Barrack Obama.
“This pipeline in 2021 is far different. The real moves they made on First Nation investment, the waiver agreements on both sides of the border, the green power pledge by 2030,” Horner said.
Brad Peake has been involved in the resource sector for many years and while he is disappointed, he is not surprised.
“Governments always say they never should be part of business. You take conservative-minded people, and the first thing they do is criticize the government for getting into business, and then they do exactly that,” he said.
He said if he were making decisions at TC Pipelines he would pull it off the table.
“The American people don’t want it, let them wait until it becomes their idea. We’re trying to shove it down their throat, and they don’t want it,” he said. “It was a bad investment on their part. We can learn from that, complete the TMX and get on with life.”
Premier Jason Kenney came out swinging at the announcement calling on the federal government to take action.
“Alberta’s government calls for the federal government and Prime Minister Trudeau to immediately enter into talks with the Biden administration on their cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline in the context of a broader agreement on energy supply and climate action. Failing an agreement with the American government, we call on the Government of Canada to respond with consequences for this attack on Canada’s largest industry. We are not asking for special treatment, simply the same response that Canada’s government had when other areas of our national economy were under threat from the US government,” Kenney said.