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Wild’s Jon Merrill on NHL’s Pride Night directive: ‘I don’t understand it’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:25 GMT

Count Jon Merrill among those disappointed by the NHL’s decision to prohibit players from visibly expressing “cause messaging” anywhere on the ice before or during a game or during practice.The guidance, sent by the NHL to its 32 teams last week, follows a July decision to ban teams from wearing Pride Night jerseys during games or in warmups. Most players just learned of it because of press coverage this week.“It’s just disappointing that there has to be a situation like this,” Wild defenseman Jon Merrill said Wednesday after a 35-minute practice at TRIA Rink. “I don’t know why it’s been a thing. It doesn’t seem like it’s a problem. I don’t understand it.”The move by the NHL applies to all specialty nights, including those supporting the military and the fight against cancer. But the inclusion initiatives, such as Pride Night and Hockey is for Everybody Night, have been controversial — mostly because a handful of players, such as former Wild center Eric Staal, have refused to wear t...

Some Rosemount residents hesitant about $700 million Meta data center at UMore site

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:25 GMT

Meta was revealed last month to be the potential new operator of a $700 million data center in Rosemount, but city residents are not sold on the idea yet.Rosemount residents voiced their concerns about the data center, codenamed Project Bigfoot, at last week’s city council meeting, including a lack of transparency from city leaders due to a nondisclosure agreement.Mayor Jeff Weisensel said during the Oct. 3 meeting that code names are used to keep growth plans of large companies private to avoid impacting stock prices or informing competitors.Concerns from Rosemount residents ranged from environmental issues like noise pollution and water usage to the cost of roads, street lights and fire hydrants. “Will homeowners be picking up the tab?” one resident asked.Multiple speakers also had qualms with the end-user of the data center, saying that Facebook’s parent company has “questionable ethics” and a history of censoring people when they speak out against the media and the government’s ...

Chief Rutberg reflects on transition into new role

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:25 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsCoaldale’s Director of Protective Services has transitioned into the role since former Director Kevin McKeown moved into a new role in Lethbridge earlier this year.“The transition has been fairly smooth. I was fortunate enough to be one of the Deputy Chiefs under Kevin since 2018, which provided me with a good working knowledge of the department,” Rutberg explained.The department was well-equipped for McKeown’s departure, and Rutberg said he was able to use the time after the announcement to prepare for the transition.“There was also a month of time where we knew Kevin was going to be going back to the City, and that I was going to be taking over as Chief so this allowed us to touch base on things that may have been outside of my portfolio before.”Rutberg added the leadership team in place was instrumental in making the transition as seamless as it has been.“We have a training officer, five Captains and four Lieutenants that have provided a great deal...

Maintaining adequate volunteer roster among top concerns for departments in region

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:25 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsRecruiting volunteers continues to be the most challenging factor for departments across southern Alberta.In an environment known for its extreme conditions, physical and mental demands, and steady rises in call volumes over recent years aren’t the top concern for leaders in fire services, rather it is maintaining an adequate number of volunteers, coupled with the ever-increasing challenges and demands of the profession.According to the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC), volunteer firefighters make up over 70 per cent of total firefighters in Canada. In 2022, the CAFC, in partnership with the Answer the Call committee, the Data committee, and the National Advisory Council (NAC), worked to complete the 2022 Great Canadian Fire Census which provides an overview and description of the state of the fire and emergency sector, and is the most comprehensive and current data set available. The report outlines key issues across the over 3,200 fire dep...

K.A. High School graduate receives provincial STEM honour

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:25 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsWill Peters, a former resident of Coaldale and recent graduate of Lethbridge College’s engineering design and drafting technology program is being recognized for his work on a wind tunnel project by the Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta’s Capstone Project of the Year Award.The project has landed the former team in the running for a provincial honour awarded annually by the Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta (ASET).For their Capstone Project, former teammates Will Peters, Peter Harris, Nicolas Groenheide, and Julian Krizan, posed the question of whether software was an effective as a physical wind tunnel when testing air flow around an object. To answer this question, the group conducted research and compared testing air flow in a physical wind tunnel with the data collected through digital software which was guided by a branch of fluid mechanics called computational fluid...

Regional water supply levels adequate, says MLA

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:25 GMT

By Trevor BuschSunny South [email protected] conditions have pervaded the prairies throughout 2023, and as reservoirs were drawn down and watersheds reduced to a proverbial trickle, several local municipalities have warned residents to reduce or limit their consumption.Last month, the St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID) shut down water delivery several weeks ahead of schedule to help conserve water for the region and ensure there will be enough supply for communities that rely on the SMRID’s water, like Taber and Coaldale.Taber-Warner MLA Grant Hunter is confident there is no risk the taps will run dry this fall-winter as the region progresses into colder weather.“I am confident. I’ve had some good conversations, Agriculture and Irrigation ministries, and also with Environment and Protected Areas. And they’ve assured me that they will be making sure that the water is for domestic use, what we need.”Reservoirs that feed the SMRID did not start out at full capaci...

Coalhurst council tasked with allocating 2022 surplus

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:25 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsCoalhurst council has opted to allocate a $220,000 year-end surplus into the Town’s general reserve, and has requested administration develop a reserve policy to guide council in the future on matters concerning reserves.According to administration, the Town does not currently have a policy in place which outlines how to allocate a surplus at the end of the year. As such, it is at the discretion of council for how to best allocate these additional funds.Mike Passey, Director of Corporate Services, proposed several options for how council could proceed with the matter which included the option to allocate the surplus reserves, fund one-off projects or initiatives, or create an RCMP subsidy reserve to help manage the impact of cost increases with respect to contracted policing services in Coalhurst.The option to direct administration to develop a standardized policy regarding surpluses was also proposed to council.Administration noted, “in the last few ...

County updates Tax Incentive Bylaw

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:25 GMT

By Nikki JamiesonSunny South NewsClarifying updates have been added to a bylaw aiming to bring in new investment into the county.During their regular Oct. 5 meeting, Lethbridge County council reviewed the proposed Bylaw 23-024 – or the Commercial & Industrial Municipal Tax Incentive Bylaw.The bylaw is an updated version of an existing one. Previously, council had passed the Commercial & Industrial Municipal Tax Incentive Bylaw #22-008 on Dec 1, 2022, with the goal of attracting new development and encouraging the expansion of existing businesses by providing an exemption in municipal taxes. Since then, however, there has become a need for clarification in the bylaw.“So since that time, some inquiries regarding the bylaw have been made and administration has determined that some clarity is required, specifically under section 3 with regards to the criteria for the Tax Incentive Bylaw,” said Cole Beck, CAO for the County. “So essentially, we sought some legal counsel just to p...

Shaughnessy subdivision approved

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:25 GMT

By Nikki JamiesonSunny South NewsLethbridge County council has approved the subdivision of a Shaughnessy property.During their regular Oct. 5 meeting, council reviewed a subdivision application for a property in Shaughnessy.Subdivision Application #2023-0-111 – Fleischhauer – Lots 12 & 13, Block 7, Plan 8321EE within NW1/4 30-10-21-W4M (Hamlet of Shaughnessy) – would see a 0.32-acre title split in two.“The current parcel would be subdivided into two equal parts, being 0.16 acres in size,” said Hilary Janzen, supervisor of planning and development for the County. “The dimensions would be 50’ x 135’, this exceeds the minimum lot size that we have in the residential hamlet district for a parcel within the Hamlet of Shaughnessy. With that, I do believe everything else meets, everything does meet the requirement of the County planning policies.”The proposal would split the property in half along the original plan lot line, creating separate lot titles for residential use. The p...

Coalhurst Council amending LUB

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:25 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsCoalhurst council has passed first reading of Bylaw 445-23, which includes amendments to the Land Use Bylaw (LUB) 354-12.Discussion took place during the Oct. 3 regular council meeting.The proposed changes seek to redefine uses and updates definitions regarding renewable energy development within the LUB.With respect to Bylaw 445-23, it proposes updates to the Town’s current review and permit process regarding  renewable energy systems.Administration explained that data shows the acceptance and uptake of solar energy development continues to trend upwards in Coalhurst.According to the report, the development of solar energy for use within individual households is typically implemented to supplement power usage on-site and divert surplus energy to the power grid for a fee.In 2012, “alternative energy system, individual” was incorporated into the LUB as a discretionary use, and thus necessitated that adjacent landowners be notified in the event a landow...