IN THE NEWS

Bighorn Wildland Park 
The controversy and questions continue. A lengthy discussion took place at our January 8th CCTA meeting, following which a motion was made to write a letter to our County Council asking them to send a letter of opposition on the government’s proposal to Alberta Environment and Parks Minister Shannon Phillips. On January 9th we learned that Council had indeed passed a motion at their January 8th meeting requesting administration to draft such a letter. No need for our request.

On January 23rd we learned that the town and county councils met with the Deputy Minister on January 21st to discuss the Bighorn issue. The very next day, January 22nd our County Council made a motion to defer sending the letter of opposition to the Minister. Consequently, we have now sent a letter requesting Council to review that decision and proceed with sending their earlier letter of opposition.

The concerns we listed in our letter focussed on the ineffective phone in meetings, questionable validity of the online survey, mistrust of government information, lack of value/credibility attached to stakeholder input, and the potential very NEGATIVE ECONOMIC IMPACT for our area.

We also suggested that the problem is not with the use of the area but with the lack of patrols and enforcement, citing an earlier reduction of 12 Fish and Wildlife Officers in this affected area to 3. We suggested that conservation and protection of the West Country could be upheld with the reinstatement of adequate/appropriate staffing.

It has also come to our attention (on January 30th) that the cancelled information sessions have been re-scheduled according to an e-mail sent out to MLA’s by the Minister on January 29th. The meetings will be held February 1 in Drayton Valley, February 2 in Edmonton, February 3 in Red Deer, and February 4 in Sundre. This late notice/lack of publicity makes one wonder if it is a deliberate attempt to curtail attendance.

Condor Fire Hall 
The first concrete step in the building of the new Fire Hall/Public Works facility will take place at a Public Hearing in Council Chambers on Tuesday, February 12 at 9:30AM. This hearing is to re-designate +/- 8.0 acres of land from Agricultural District to Institutional District. This land is located on the south end of Condor, on the east side of the road, about ½ mile north of Hwy. 11. We look forward to watching the progress of further developments.

Meeting with MLA Jason Nixon
We have contacted his office with the possibility of having Mr. Nixon speak at one of our up-coming meetings. It was suggested that we wait until after more concrete information is available on current issues such as the Bighorn and the election. We will keep you posted.

Comments/Concerns
We welcome any comments or concerns related to county issues as we work to support taxpayers of Clearwater County. We encourage you to bring them to our meetings or contact anyone of our directors with your concerns.


ROSES
This month we are sending large bouquets of roses to all the SENIORS in Clearwater County. So often their contributions are overlooked and we want to now express our deepest appreciation for their past input, efforts, and support in the development and maintenance of our county. We are all benefactors and thank them most sincerely for their past…and continuing… contributions to the area we enjoy.


Valentine Riddles:
1. Why do skunks love Valentine’s Day??? Because they are scent-imental creatures.
2. What did the flame say to his buddies after he fell in love??? I found the perfect match.
3. What do farmers give their wives on Valentine’s Day??? Hogs and kisses.


Up-coming Meetings:
Tuesday, February 12, 7:30PM, Arbutus Community Hall; Meeting cancelled due to weather

Tuesday, March 12, 7:30PM, Arbutus Community Hall




NOTE: PLEASE CHANGE THE LIST OF DIRECTORS AS FOLLOWS: DELETE: TRISH BINGHAM, AND KEN QUALLY. ADD: HELGE NOME AND SHARON RUBELING.