OYEN BRIEFS: Interesting snippets from CARA and Special Areas newsletters
By Diana Walker
Reminder: I will not be in the Oyen Echo office the first week in June and have changed my regular June 12 visit to Thursday, June 13. I will also be in the office the next morning, Friday, June 14, until noon. You can contact me by cell at 403-664-6600 or email oyenecho@telus.net.
OOOPS: I made an error when submitting a BCAS coming event last week in regard to the Man Van coming to Oyen June 22, the same day as the Car/Bike/Hot Rod/Big Rig Rally. Men between the ages of 40 and 80 are encouraged to visit. Watch for an ad in next week’s Echo.
Sorry for the inconvenience: The electrician and I have been communicating with Nayax, the provider of the card reader at the Crossroads Centre potable truck fill. A broken wire was discovered and one of the pins inside the reader had a broken bracket. A new dial and harness wire is on its way from down east and will hopefully arrive June 3. Until the unit is repaired the card reader is out of order. More fine-tuning is required on the coin machine as well.
Chinook Applied Research Association welcomes six Summer Research Technicians: (taken from the CARA Grain, Grass & Growth May 2024 Newsletter)
Kinley Baier, of Compeer, completed her first year at Lakeland, Vermilion in Animal Science Technology. She plans to return in the fall.
Nicole Bodnaruk from the Cappon area south of Oyen. She has completed her second year of Animal Science at the University of Alberta. She plans to continue her education at NAIT this fall in animal Health Technology. This is her fourth summer working for CARA.
Presley Bouvier of Oyen completed her first year of Animal Health Technology Program at Lakeland College, Vermilion. She too plans to return in the fall. After she graduates she hopes to go into mixed animal practice as a Veterinary Technologist.
Randi Meyers of Minton, Sask. Took one year in the Vet Tech Program at Lakeland College but has since changed her career path. She is currently a student at Lethbridge College in the Renewable Management Program where she hopes to work in the wildlife field.
Naman Naman, born and brought up in Rajastham, India and completed high school education from D.A.V. Ganganager, Rajastham in Agriculture stream. At present he is pursuing higher education as a Precision Agricultural student from Olds College.
Jaskarndeep Singh hails from the picturesque province of Rajastham, India. His academic journey led him to Maharaja Ganga Singh University, Rajastham where he pursued a bachelor’s degree with a fervent passion for botany, zoology and the ever-evolving realm of computer science. In the autumn of 2023 he embarked on a transcontinental odyssey to Canada. The Olds College of Agriculture and Technology beckoned with a promise of a post-diploma certificate in Environment – a gateway to understanding the intricate dance between nature and humanity. He says a Ph.D. in Environment beckons.
Interesting 2023 Highlights in the Special Areas Spring Newsletter
Fire & Enforcement Service
Special Areas fire departments responded to 195 calls in 2023, a slight decrease from 2022. Medical responses continue to be a large part of the calls for local fire departments, representing almost 30% of all calls.
Regional training continues to be a priority, including medical first responder (MFR) courses.
Enforcement services focused on supporting public safety and effective infrastructure protection of Special Areas roadways.
2023 saw a significant increase in heavy traffic on local roads from large industrial projects. Over 7,000 over-dimensional permits were issued in 2023, a 198% increase from 2022.
Municipal Parks
2023 saw a change in leadership in the Parks department with the retirement of John Armstrong as Parks Supervisor. Melissa Lee was recruited as the new Parks Supervisor and led our parks team through another busy season. We welcomed a record number of visitors, and the online reservation system (Campspot) continued to see high levels of use for Prairie Oasis Park.
Partnership work with Alberta Environment & Protected Areas included looking at potential upgrades at Gooseberry Lake and Little Fish Lake Provincial Parks, and mitigation of invasive species at Blood Indian Reservoir.
Interesting 2024 Highlights in the Special Areas Spring Newsletter
2024 Projects include:
Facilities & Shops Projects
Renovations and accessibility upgrades at Oyen and Consort District Offices
Maintenance Shop – Cessford
Parks & Recreation Projects
Prairie Oasis Park – concession updates & engineering for future projects
Blood Indian Park – investigate future location for BI Trading Post
Carolside Campground – installation of power (serviced sites planned for 2025)
Gooseberry & Little Fish Lake Provincial Parks – operating partnerships