April 2014
The Other K-Country
A look at Kathyrn and Keoma.
Year in Review
Fire Services.
How to…
Report a road issue.
garbage and recyling services
lOcaTiOns and HOUrs
airdrie*
Seven kilometres west on Highway
567, next to the rodeo grounds
User Fees
elbow Valley
Site 1: Mail kiosk on
Clearwater Drive
Monday to Saturday:
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
2nd and 4th Saturday
of the month: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Beiseker Transfer site*
Site 2: Mail kiosk on
Lott Creek Drive
1200 First Avenue
Thursday to Saturday:
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Bragg creek
90 Elbow Rise (one kilometre north
of the bridge on Wintergreen Road)
Wednesday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
cochrane eco-centre*
50 Griffin Industrial Point
Wednesday to Saturday:
8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Crossfield*
46 McCool Crescent
Recycling is available:
Monday to Saturday:
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Garbage disposal is available:
Wednesday: 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturday
of the month: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
irricana
West of Pioneer Acres Park
Wednesday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Keoma
Beside the grader shed
on First Avenue
Tag-a-Bag Program
$3.00 Per Garbage Bag (35” x 50”)
Book of 25 Tag-a-Bag Tickets
$65.00 Per Booklet
Household Furniture
$20.00 Per Item
Bulk Waste
$45.00 Per Half-ton Truck Load
Untreated Wood
$30.00 Per Half-ton Truck Load
Treated wood or wood mixed with other
materials will be charged the “Bulk
Waste” rate.
Sunday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
langdon
505 Railway Avenue
Wednesday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Madden
Across from the recreation centre
note: Locations marked with an
asterisk (*) are partner sites and
are subject to their own disposal
rates and user fees. Please visit
or contact these sites directly for
current pricing.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
springhill
SpringHill RV Park on Highway 22
Sunday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For full details on what materials
each location accepts, search
“Garbage and Recycling”
at www.rockyview.ca.
recycling Only lOcaTiOns
airdrie*
Bearspaw
Westside Recycle Depot
2925 Main Street
Wednesday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Eastside Recycle Depot
21 East Lake Hill
Wednesday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Thursday to Sunday:
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Bearspaw Lifestyles Centre
253220 Bearspaw Road N.W.
scott lake*
Highway 1 and Highway 68
next to Volker Stevin yard
sringbank
67 Commercial Court
(At the Wild Wild
West Events Centre)
Monday to Sunday:
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Day use only
014-0307 © Rocky View County
April
2014 2013
November
Council Votes
Votes Council
Recent County
4 Council
County Council decisions.
decisions.
Manager, Communication Services:
Grant Kaiser, APR, P.Mgr.
Snowbound
Down for Spring
4 Slow
Winter emergency supplies
Farm equipment on
Contributors:
Anna
Cheryl
Wallach;
BAComm
; Anna
Melnick,
Stacy Melnick,
McGuire,BCMM;
Randy
Smith;
Infrastructure
and
BAComm
; Ryanthe
Lisowski;
Lora Plante;
Operations
and Cheryl team.
Wallach
are an essential part of
County roads.
living in rural Alberta.
Design:
Sheldon
Bueckert;
Tyler Williams, B.Des.
Tyler Williams,
B.Des
A Treat
By the Numbers
5 Easter’s
A
lookstats
at this
New
about the
Printing:
Apache Superior Printing
If you are interested in submitting
articles or material for publication in
Vantage Point, please contact Rocky
View County Communication Services.
Printed in Canada with environmentally
responsible ink on Forest Stewardship
Council ®certified
certifiedrecycled
recycledpaper.
paper.
springtime
holiday.View.
people of Rocky
Year in Review
9
In this and future issues of
Vantage Point, we’ll be taking a look
at some of Rocky View County’s key
activities and services in the past
year. This report covers:
403-230-1401
www.rockyview.ca
General Rocky View County
contact e-mail:
[email protected]
Vantage Point contact e-mail:
[email protected]
© 2014
2013 Rocky View County. All rights reserved.
Reproduction or reuse of any information in
this publication, in whole or part, without the
express written permission of Rocky View
County Communication Services is strictly
prohibited. While all reasonable care is taken
in the preparation of this publication, Rocky
View County cannot be held responsible for
unintentional errors or omissions.
Rocky View County’s large land area and relatively
small population presents an ongoing challenge
in providing effective, efficient fire services. It’s a
challenge we’re committed to meet.
There are currently six fire stations in Rocky
View County: three full-time stations and three
volunteer stations. A seventh station in the
Bearspaw area is set to open this year.
The Fire Services department works cooperatively with residents, businesses, and
neighbouring municipalities to ensure safety and
security for you and your family.
Calls Responded To
11
3
Aircraft Crashes
39
Miscellaneous - garbage fire,
odour complaint, etc.
51
Hazardous Materials
When Home and
Building Fires Happen
26
19
Carbon Monoxide Incidents
Animal Rescues
351
586
Traffic Accidents and
Road Hazards
53
Agricultural Burning
Complaints
6
Time of Day
52
House Fires
35
Medical
Gas Lines/Leaks
Percentage of Fires
Ten Year House Fire Trend
OPEN
239
False Alarms
55
Grass Fires
18
Flooding
35
Building Fires
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
95
2004
111
78
2005
89
61
57
2006
2007
2008
2009
Year
74
2010
60
64
2011
2012
52
2013
Other K-Country
8 The
Featuring the County
Welcome to the New Vantage Point
communities of Kathyrn
and Keoma.
We’ve been working hard on County communications
over the past few months,
with a new website, less (but improved) paid newspaper advertising, and more
public open houses and information sessions. We’ve also heard your concerns
How to…
about Vantage
Point – big, untimely, expensive, and difficult to read.
9
Rocky View County
Communications Services
911 – 32 Avenue NE
Calgary, AB, T2E 6X6
Fire Services
Alarm!!
Save your life for under $100. Year in Review
Fire Services statistics
The Business of Rocky View for 2013.
Annalise Astley-Blishen – Go4Snow Distributors.
Number of House Fires
Vantage Point is published monthly
by Rocky View County and delivered
free of charge to County households.
Vantage Point is also available online
under the News & Events tab at
www.rockyview.ca.
report road and infrastructure issues.
We’re listening to you with this new Vantage Point. We’ve reduced the
size of the
publication
and the way it’s printed, and made it monthly. That
Flood
Recovery
dramatically reduces postage and printing costs. This new version costs
Projects set to begin.
under 25 cents per person to print and mail – less than the price of a firstclass stamp.
10
11 Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park
The more
frequent
delivery
us give you more timely information about
Over
3,000
acreshelps
to explore.
County Council decisions, upcoming events, and arising issues. We’ve made
that information easier to read, and the design easier to follow.
Over the
nextCover
few months, we’ll be tweaking Vantage Point to get it just right,
On
the
and if you have any comments or suggestions we’d love to hear them. Drop
Bob
Thompson is a Langdon resident and
us a line at [email protected].
an avid lover of the outdoors. He can often
be
touring
thenew
County
on his Harley.
Wefound
hope you
like the
and improved
Vantage Point.
He is actively involved in the community,
and has sat on many boards over the years,
including the Rocky View County Family
OnServices
the Cover
and Community Support
Board,
Deanna
and Mark
the Bow North Recreation
Board,
andMuchka
is a and their children, Derek and
Kate, take
a break
from wrapping up their 2013 season at the
past president of the North
Bow
Community
Calgary Corn Maze and Fun Farm in Rocky View County,
Facility Board.
southwest of Indus. The popular attraction brings the country
experience to Calgarians and visitors from around the world.
Photograph by Carl Patzel
Photography.
Photograph by Carl Patzel Photography.
Do you know a great face for the cover of
Vantage Point? Let us
by ae-mailing
Do know
you know
great face for the cover of Vantage Point?
[email protected].
Let us know by e-mailing [email protected].
Rocky View County | 3
County | 3
Council Votes
Here are the highlights of significant or County-wide decisions from the most
recent Council meetings.
Enhanced Policing
Council voted to move
forward on an agreement
with the R.C.M.P. for
enhanced policing of the
County out of the Airdrie
Detachment. The Province of
Alberta pays for core policing
in Rocky View, but the County
has the option of funding
additional R.C.M.P. support.
The agreement will cost
approximately $145,000 per
year, which funds a greater
focus on criminal code,
traffic, and liquor and gaming
offenses. There is a similar
arrangement in place with the
Cochrane Detachment for
enhanced police presence in
that area.
Funding for Indus-Area
Recreation Needs
Council voted to provide
Emergency Community
Recreation funding to the
Bow Valley Agricultural
Society and the Bow Valley
Community Club, both in
Indus. A grant of up to
$3,900 will be provided to
the Agricultural Society to
match funds raised to replace
two aging furnaces in the
Bill Herron Arena. A grant
of up to $3,315 will go to the
Community Club for a new
stove in the curling facility.
The stove is an important
part of the lounge, which is a
significant source of revenue
for the facility.
On average, County Council
deals with many agenda items
at each meeting, most relating
to localized land use and
development issues. If you’re
interested in all of Council’s
decisions, or details on the
decisions shown here, you can
read the full Council Minutes by
visiting www.rockyview.ca and
clicking on the “Government”
then “Council” tabs.
Slow Down for Spring
The planting and summer
pasture season is here,
and with over 90 percent of
Rocky View County’s land
devoted to agriculture, it is
not unusual to see tractors,
trucks, and other large
equipment on roadways as
farmers and ranchers move
equipment and animals.
have turn signals (they’re
not required by law). The
operators will instead use
hand signals to indicate
their intentions, and that’s
something many drivers
are not used to, so watch
carefully for these big
vehicles turning.
Remember that living in
Rocky View County includes
the need to occasionally
slow down for equipment on
the roads. It’s all a part of
the unique rural quality of life
we enjoy.
Remember to slow down as
you approach these slowmoving vehicles, and make
sure the equipment operator
sees you. They’ll move to the
side of the road when they
can, giving you the chance to
pass in safety.
Much of the farm equipment
you may encounter won’t
4 | Vantage Point
Since all of Rocky View County sees farm equipment on the roads,
there are no special signs to warn drivers. Be careful everywhere.
Rocky Viewers will spend just over $1.6 million on Easter this year, including candy, flowers, and decorations.
Easter’s A Treat
Easter is the oldest Christian
festival and holiday, with
traditions that come from
many cultures. It is the
most flexible holiday on the
calendar. Easter occurs on
the first Sunday after the first
full moon after the first day of
spring. That can put Easter
anywhere between March 22
and April 25.
Easter sees the highest
dollar value of candy eaten.
•Solid chocolate Easter
treats are a dentist’s best
friend. People often break
teeth on solid chocolate
eggs and bunnies, but not
on hollow ones.
Since the early 1800s,
Easter has been associated
with candy, and here are
some sweet facts about
Easter treats:
•In Sweden and parts of
Finland, little girls dress up
as witches on the Thursday
or Saturday before Easter
and go door to door with
a copper kettle looking for
treats.
•Easter and Halloween
battle for sweet supremacy.
Halloween sees more
candy consumed, but
•The jelly beans eaten at
Easter would circle the
world three times if laid end
to end.
•Cadbury’s Creme Eggs
are the most popular eggshaped treat, with over
200 million sold world-wide
each year.
•When taking a bite into
a chocolate bunny, 76
percent of people eat
the ears first, 13 percent
eat the feet first, and 10
percent eat the tails first. •Jelly bean guessing
contests are popular at
Easter. You’ll have an
advantage in knowing
that 248 standard-sized
jelly beans fit in a one-liter
container.
Rocky View County | 5
Year in Review
In this and future issues of
Vantage Point, we’ll be taking a look
at some of Rocky View County’s key
activities and services in the past
year. This report covers:
Fire Services
Rocky View County’s large land area and relatively
small population presents an ongoing challenge
in providing effective, efficient fire services. It’s a
challenge we’re committed to meet.
Calls Responded To
52
26
House Fires
Miscellaneous - garbage fire,
odour complaint, etc.
Carbon Monoxide Incidents
3
51
351
Aircraft Crashes
Hazardous Materials
Traffic Accidents and
Road Hazards
239
55
18
False Alarms
6 | Vantage Point
39
Grass Fires
Flooding
There are currently six fire stations in Rocky
View County: three full-time stations and three
volunteer stations. A seventh station in the
Bearspaw area is set to open this year.
The Fire Services department works cooperatively with residents, businesses, and
neighbouring municipalities to ensure safety and
security for you and your family.
When Home and
Building Fires Happen
19
Animal Rescues
Agricultural Burning
Complaints
586
35
Medical
Time of Day
53
Gas Lines/Leaks
Percentage of Fires
OPEN
35
Building Fires
Number of House Fires
Ten Year House Fire Trend
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
95
2004
111
78
2005
89
61
57
2006
2007
2008
2009
74
2010
60
64
2011
2012
52
2013
Year
Rocky View County | 7
The Other K-Country
In the centre of Rocky View
County’s eastern lands
lie the hamlets of Keoma
and Kathyrn. These two
community centers lie about
four kilometres apart, along
Highway 566.
Keoma is a first nations’
word meaning “over there” or
“far away.” The community
was founded in 1910 along
the CP rail line, and rapidly
grew to include a lumber
yard, store, post office,
school, blacksmith shop,
barber shop, and community
centre. With the coming
of the automobile and the
mechanization of agriculture,
the importance of small
railway communities slowly
declined. The population of
the Keoma area reached 67
in 2006, but has rebounded
to 85 in the 2013 census.
That might be considered
a boom – on a percentage
basis, the hamlet has grown
by almost 27 percent in
seven years.
Kathyrn is a year younger
than Keoma, and is
experiencing a similar miniboom. Residents around
the hamlet now number 20 –
almost a 43 percent increase
from the 2006 population
of 14. The community was
founded when local farmer
Neil McKay donated land
to the Grand Trunk Pacific
Railway on the condition it
be used for a town named
after his daughter. The
unusual spelling of the name
is the result of low literacy
skills in early Alberta. A
sign painter switched the Y
and the R in Kathryn on the
railway station sign, and the
error was never corrected.
Kathyrn was originally about
three kilometers north of its
current location. The original
land Mr. McKay donated was
unsuitable, so the community
moved south, but the name –
and spelling – remained.
Today, people tend to
settle in larger, centralized
communities. But to the
rural residents of Alberta
and Rocky View County,
these small hamlets remain
an important gathering
place for the community,
and the centre of the
agricultural lifestyle.
Keoma is an important gathering place for the community.
Adopt a Pet
Thor is a super sweet, burly boy who loves a good cuddle
and will purr up a storm for you. He loves his scratching
posts and is always searching for things to play with. Come
see Thor, he’s easy to fall in love with and will be an excellent
addition to your home!
Learn more about Thor at www.cochranehumane.ca.
Rocky View County funds and works with the Calgary and Cochrane
humane societies to ensure the welfare of animals throughout
the County.
8 | Vantage Point
Escaped animals on roadways are one of the issues the County relies on residents to report.
How to . . .
report road and infrastructure issues
Highways
All primary and secondary
highways in Rocky View
County are the responsibility
of the Province of Alberta.
These roads are marked as
highways, and you can find a
map of them by searching for
“Provincial Roads” at
www.rockyview.ca.
For any issue on a
provincial highway, call one
of the Province’s private
contractors:
•For the northeast part
of the County call
1-888-255-5554
•For the west or southeast
part of the County call
1-888-877-6237
County Roads and
Infrastructure
For non-urgent issues and
requests, such as road
repairs, ditch and culvert
repairs, road dust control,
and brush or snow clearing,
there are three ways to
contact Rocky View County
to report the issue or make a
service request:
•Fill out the online form
found by clicking
“Contact Us” in the upperright corner of
www.rockyview.ca
•E-mail:
[email protected]
•Call Rocky View County’s
Response Line at
403-520-6378 from 8:00
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For nonurgent issues after hours,
it’s best to e-mail or use the
online form.
Some road and infrastructure
issues pose a real risk, such
as missing stop signs, large
objects on the road, loose
animals, or flooding. Rocky
Viewers should report these
urgent issues to the 24-hour
Response Line at
403-520-6378.
Emergencies
Remember to dial 9-1-1 in an
emergency. Trying to contact
hospitals or fire stations
directly can cost lives. If it’s
an emergency, call 9-1-1.
Winner, Winner, Free Dinner!
Congratulations to Edward
Z. of Bearspaw who is
the winner of a $100 gift
certificate from February’s
Vantage Point restaurant
contest. Having just moved
from Thunder Bay, Ontario,
for work, Edward is excited to
explore the County and find
a new favourite restaurant.
Watch for more contests in
upcoming issues.
Rocky View County | 9
Damage from last June’s flooding to the County’s infrastructure was extensive.
Flood Projects Set to Begin
Last June’s flooding in
southern Alberta impacted 20
different locations throughout
Rocky View County,
including Bragg Creek, Elbow
Valley, Bearspaw, Conrich,
Springbank, and more.
Just over 320 landowners
were affected by the floods,
with about 65 reporting
damage serious enough
to warrant participation in
the Province of Alberta’s
Disaster Recovery Program.
A significant amount of
municipal infrastructure was
also damaged or destroyed.
Once the initial recovery
efforts were completed,
Rocky View County’s
Infrastructure and Operations
department began an
ambitious plan to repair
infrastructure and reduce the
impact of any future floods.
A tremendous amount of
work has been done in
securing funding, completing
engineering and technical
studies, and lining up
equipment and contractors.
With warmer spring weather,
work can soon begin on 37
individual projects throughout
the County:
•Bearspaw: Aspen Dr.
Repairs; Meadow Dr. Repairs;
Rolling Acres Rd. Repairs
10 | Vantage Point
•Bottrel: Campground
Pedestrian Bridge Repairs;
Township Rd. 283 Bridge
Repairs
•Bragg Creek: Balsam Ave.
Erosion Reconstruction;
Bracken Rd. Bridge
Repairs; Bracken Rd. Flood
Gate; Bracken Rd. Repairs;
Campground Repairs;
Community Association
Building Repairs; River
Dr. South Armouring
Project; Snowbirds Area
Access Reconstruction;
Water & Waste Water
Project Work; Water Intake;
Wildrose Close Repairs;
Wintergreen Rd. Erosion
Repairs; Township Rd. 233
Bridge Repairs; Range Rd.
54 Repairs; Water Intake
Stage 2 (now completed);
White Ave. Armouring
Project (now completed)
•Conrich: Township Rd.
244B Repairs
•Division 1: Hermitage Rd.
Bridge Repairs; Range Rd.
45 Repairs
•Division 9: Township Rd.
274 Repairs; Township Rd.
272 Bridge Repairs; Range
Rd. 54 Bridge
Repairs; Range Rd. 53
Bridge Repairs
•Elbow Valley: Bank
Reconstruction
•Rocky View County
Emergency Operations
Centre
•Slapping Tail Pond
Reclamation
•Springbank: Springbank
Rd. Bridge Repairs; Range
Rd. 41 Bridge Repairs
The cost of these projects
is estimated to be just over
$13.2 million. Each has its
own timeline, and Rocky
View County is looking to
complete the projects as
quickly as possible, while still
ensuring the budgets are
efficiently and effectively spent.
The Province of Alberta,
with financial support from
the Government of Canada,
is funding these important
projects. Thanks to this
exceptional level of support,
Rocky View County can
rebuild our infrastructure;
help mitigate the potential
damage of any future
flooding events; and help
restore the quality of life of
all Rocky Viewers.
The Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park maintains foothills parkland in its natural state.
Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park
Rocky View County is known
for the beauty of its vistas
and its rugged prairie and
foothill landscapes. It can be
hard to single out a diamond
in a land full of gems, but few
will argue that the Glenbow
Ranch Provincial Park stands
out, even by Rocky View
County standards.
Glenbow Ranch Provincial
Park officially opened to
visitors in August of 2011,
making it Alberta’s newest
provincial park. The 3,300
acres of foothills parkland
was sold to the Province
at about half its value by
the Harvie family, under
the condition that the truly
beautiful and historically
important area be preserved.
The family also established
a $6 million foundation to
promote and develop the
park and the Lois Hole
Centennial Provincial Park
near Edmonton.
The Glenbow Ranch
Provincial Park is managed
differently than other parks
in Alberta. The park’s
board consists of equal
representation from Alberta
Tourism, Alberta Parks &
Recreation, and the Harvie
Conservancy Foundation.
The park continues to be a
working ranch. Cattle graze
the fescue grasslands, as
bison once did, helping
to protect this threatened
landscape. Cattle eat the
grass stalks in the late fall
and winter, helping sunlight
to penetrate in early spring,
which ensures healthy new
fescue stalks.
Visitors can experience the
park through 25 kilometres
of walking and cycling
pathways, or through a trip
to the visitor centre to see
displays on the history and
culture of the area.
Stop by and take a look for
yourself. You can find more
information on the Glenbow
Ranch Provincial Park by
visiting www.rockyview.ca
and searching “Parks and
Pathways.”
Fast Fact: The sandstone
that makes up Alberta’s
Legislature and many other
historic buildings came from a
quarry located within the parks
boundaries.
Do you know an entrepreneur,
an interesting person, or a
neat place in Rocky View
County? Send an e-mail to
[email protected] to
let us know.
Rocky View County | 11
Many Hands Make Light Work
April is Volunteer Month and we salute those who
give their time to help make our community such
a great place to live, learn, work, and play.
014-0307 © Rocky View County
The spirit of volunteering is alive and well in
Rocky View County.