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Founding board member withdraws
By John BarlowStaff Reporter and Sports Editor
After nearly 14 years as a cornerstone of the Christ the Redeemer School Division, former board chairman Jim Lewis has decided to step down.
Last Tuesday Lewis announced he was pulling his nomination papers for the Oct. 15 election and he will not run for the Okotoks Ward.
As a result, Ron Schrieber steps in by acclamation.
'I gave it some thought and I spoke to Ron and I decided to pull my papers out,' said Lewis on Monday. 'Ron is a positive guy with some positive ideas.'
Surprisingly, Lewis said it was not a difficult decision to step back from the school division he helped build.
Christ the Redeemer School Division began as a group of parents meeting in a church basement.
In their first year the division included 140 students who were bused to Mossleigh.
Now, just over a decade later, the school division includes more than 4,500 students and 14 schools in communities such as Okotoks, High River, Oyen, Brooks, Strathmore and Canmore.
'The school division has been a big part of my life for a long time,' said Lewis leaning back in his office chair in his small accounting office.
'But it has been a lot of fun. I have met a lot of fabulous people and that part is hard to leave,' he said.
Lewis leaves behind a legacy of hard work and triumphs as he and the original board members overcame tremendous odds to ensure families in the Okotoks community had a choice when it came to their children's education.
Although there were many opponents to the establishment of a Catholic school system, Lewis said now he believes the separate school division has benefitted the public system and vice versa.
Current Weather in Okotoks
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Opinion  Residents have input into new school See News |
 Musician to visit Turner Valley See Arts & Entertainment  Oilers open inaugural season at home See Sports |
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Payday
A teacher at Oilfields High School in Black Diamond does his part to help with a project to raise funds for New York by getting his head shaved last week. In just three short days of starting a campaign to raise funds to donate to the Red Cross relief fund, students raised $941. The school will take cash donations for one month.
- photo by Cindy Ballance
Future of health centre not in jeopardy
By Cindy Ballance
Editor
Recent cutbacks to capital facilities by the Alberta government has many people worried if the future of the Okotoks Health Centre is in jeopardy.
According to regional health leader Lori Anderson the fate of the future facility is safe.
'We have not received any indication that the government is looking at pulling back funding to the health centre project,' said Anderson Monday.
Last week, the Klein government announced that in light of the recent attacks in the United States, many of the capital projects planned for the future would be indefinitely postponed as a part of $1 billion in savings measures to deal with the sliding revenues and cushion Alberta from an expected global recession.
Some new capital projects promised from more than $3 billion of last year's surplus will be delayed.
However, Anderson said plans for the Okotoks facility are continuing at the same enthusiastic pace.
CrimeStoppers
High River RCMP are investigating the theft of three quads stolen over the weekend of Sept. 21 from the High River RV Corral.
The stolen quads are described as the following: Gray 1993 Kawasaki KLK 400; a purple 1999 Suzuki LT 80X; and an orange 1990 Suzuki 160.
Anyone with information regarding this theft is asked to call the High River RCMP at 652-2357 or Crime Stoppers.
Crime Stoppers will pay up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for this or any other crime. Crime Stoppers also pays cash rewards for information on any unsolved crimes. Phone Crime Stoppers now at 1-800-242-TIPS (8477) or Okotoks RCMP. Remember, you will not have to reveal your identity.
