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Associate Minister Horner holds rural business listening tour

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The Alberta government is looking ahead with Alberta’s Recovery Plan, and to better engage with businesses in rural communities Associate Minister of Rural Economic Development Nate Horner is set to hold virtual meetings with rural businesses across various sectors.
It is anticipated over 900 industry leaders will attend over 20 sessions, and invitations to the Zoom and Teams meetings are expected to go out very soon.
“Rural areas can really be a driver of the economy,” Associate Minister Horner tells the Mail.
Although Horner says he wishes these virtual meetings could be conducted in-person, he says the listening tour will give him the opportunity to focus on economic recovery regionally. It will also allow him to get a view into what is working and where certain regions need support.
He adds, as a rural person, it will help him generate a better understanding of the current landscape and allow the provincial government to create “tangible actions” to ensure Alberta’s recovery is felt in every region and corner of the province.
An online survey will also run concurrently, giving those businesses and sectors which may not be part of the virtual meetings to also provide input.
The virtual listening tour will begin the week of October 25 and is anticipated to continue until the first week of December.


Radio Auction goes live Thursday

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Where is one spot you can bid on a hockey jersey, a pepper mill, and a miniature Maserati? The Rotary Radio Auction, of course. On Thursday night, October 28, the telephone operators are ready, the mics are live, and the bidding will be fierce. Bid by reviewing the list of items on page 5 of this week’s Drumheller Mail, and listen to the live auction on Real Country 910 and bid by calling 403-823-2288, or come down, and do it in person at the Badlands Historical Centre. The action starts at 6 p.m. Rotarians at the ready include (back; l-r) Brent Pedersen, Doug Stanford, Bob Friesen, John Shannon, and Jim Fisher with (front; l-r) Linda Fisher, Bonnie Pedersen, and Ken Smith.

Delia family featured in Down Syndrome awareness production

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A Delia area family is in the spotlight after being featured in a video celebrating the families served by the Edmonton Down Syndrome Society.
October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and the Edmonton Down Syndrome Society is marking it with its production Uniquely Me TV - The Power of X in XXI. This show is airing on CTV 2 on Saturday mornings through October. It is a 30-minute program and shares the stories of the unique lives of its families.
One of these families is the Clayholts. John and Nichole Clayholt are a farm family in the Delia area raising their daughters Clara, Addie, and their 11-month-old son Sloan who was born with Down Syndrome.
Nichole explains they called in the spring and shot the segment right away.
“It was a bit of a challenge because it is something very personal, but for a very wonderful cause that has been doing amazing things for us. It was a good share,” said Nichole.
Sloan was born six weeks early and was diagnosed with Down syndrome at birth, while staying in the NICU in Calgary.
Sloan has thrived and is meeting all his milestones, and last spring Nichole reached out to the Edmonton Down Syndrome Society to learn more about their services and offerings.
In March, they began setting up their services. Through the Edmonton Down Syndrome Society, they have been able to set up occupational therapy. They also set up physiotherapy, speech therapy, and behavioral therapy. They also provide family services and social experiences services, like camps and social nights.
“The Edmonton Down Syndrome Society is excited about the opportunity to broaden its reach to families through early intervention services as they can change a child’s developmental path and improve outcomes for children, families, and communities,” said Executive Director of the Edmonton Down Syndrome Society, Alan Clay.
Nichole says they have an exciting and ideal environment to raise Sloan, which includes a working grain farm, animals, and two protective sisters.
“Sloan is going to very much be exposed to a lot of wonderful things at the farm,” said Nichole.
“He has room to move, room to grow, and lots of little projects to be working on. We are integrating his therapies and activities into every day life. What better way to work on core strength than riding in a wheelbarrow?”
She is grateful for the services provided by the Edmonton Down Syndrome Society.
“They are very therapy focused, and because of our geography and COVID, they were willing to take us under their wing because services are harder to access out here.”
“It has been exciting for the family to see Sloan on TV. His Auntie has even given him the nickname ‘Hollywood.’ I think he is the first person in our family who has been on TV.”


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