Council put a plan drawn up with the Okotoks Dawgs to build a baseball diamond and soccer field near Seaman Stadium on hold until later this month to look at other options.

Under the proposal, the Town would lease a 10-acre site east of the Seaman Stadium owned by energy firm Nexen Inc for 25 years. Nexen would donate the use of the land in return for a tax receipt from the Town. The site would become home to a baseball diamond and soccer field.

Coun. Stephen Clark

Coun. Stephen Clark wanted the matter put on hold to look at whether the site would be suitable for an indoor field house for soccer, lacrosse and other sports instead.

“It seemed to me that we should at least consider an indoor soccer pitch,” he said.

The Dawgs have committed to provide between $750,000 to one million dollars to build the baseball diamond and related facilities.

Under a proposed agreement between the town and the sports team, the Town would be responsible for extending municipal services to the site and constructing the soccer field.

Alternatively, Clark pointed to a concept proposed by Aldersyde-based Sprung Instant Structures for an indoor field house. The plan included a single indoor field with change rooms. Clark also said such a facility would be able to be used year-round, opposed to an outdoor soccer pitch and baseball diamond that would only be able to be used for part of the year.

Dawgs managing director John Ircandia was disappointed with council’s decision.

“We are utterly crushed and disappointed by this decision,” he said.

Ircandia said the Dawgs youth programs have grown to the point where they can’t accommodate them all in the Seaman Stadium.

He said they need to be able to complete much of the work before frost sets in. A month delay would be a serious problem, he added.

“Time is critical,” he said. “We need this facility in the spring.”

He said the team will pay 100 per cent of the cost for the diamond and has secured private funding on the basis that the field is ready by the spring.

“It doesn’t get any better than somebody paying for the facility and saving the Town money,” he said.

Mayor Bill McAlpine opposed putting the plan on hold.

He said it’s a good use for the site and the Town can continue to work with neighbouring municipalities towards the goal of building an indoor regional field house.

It’s also a significant benefit that the Dawgs would be paying to build the diamond, he said.

McAlpine said the Town wouldn’t likely be able to rely on any support from neighbouring municipalities if it went ahead on its own and would be on the hook for an indoor facility.

“I don’t think the MD is going to want to pay for something that will be in the Town, it’ll be up to us,” he said.

Municipal manager Rick Quail said the site is in the sheep River flood fringe area and sports fields are a good use for the area.

He said the site would have to be raised if an indoor facility were constructed, but would not for outdoor sports fields. Quail said it would cost about $600,000 to fill the site with enough dirt to raise it 1.5 meters to be above the flood fringe.

Okotoks minor soccer president Ed Arnone said it makes more sense to build an indoor soccer facility at the Nexen site.

“We’ve been after one for 10 years now,” he said.

Arnone said the association has looked into using Sprung structures before and said it would be a good option for an indoor field.

Whatever happens, Arnone hopes the situation will put more attention on the need for an indoor soccer facility in Okotoks.

“Even if this does go through for now, it puts the new council on notice that we need [an indoor field],” he said.

Debate over the future of the registry is heating up ahead of a Sept. 22 vote in the House of Commons for a bill to amend the Firearms Act to scrap the registry.

MP Ted Menzies said the Conservative Party promised Canadians it would get rid of the registry and he has also received strong support for the move in the riding.

Macleod MP Ted Menzies

“It’s one of the most repeated frustrations of my constituents, when are we going to get rid of the Long Gun Registry,” he said.

It could be a close vote because Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff is requiring all MPs from his party to vote against the Conservative government’s plan to scrap the registry. NDP leader Jack Layton has said he will allow a free vote among his party’s MPs on the issue.

It’s become a contentious issue, even among law enforcement.

Many police chiefs from across Canada have spoken out in support of the registry.

Toronto Police Chief William Blair, the head of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, announced members decided at the group’s annual meeting to endorse a national firearms strategy that includes a public relations campaign explaining the value of the registry.

Last month, RCMP Chief Supt. Marty Cheliak, who was a supporter of the registry, was removed from his post as director-general of the firearms program last month. The government has claimed the move was not political.

Okotoks RCMP referred interview requests on the issue to national headquarters in Ottawa, where spokespeople said interviews regarding the registry were not being granted.

While some in law enforcement have expressed their support, Menzies said many police chiefs support the Conservatives’ stance against the registry.

“The City of Calgary police chief is in solid support,” he said.

Menzies argues the registry hasn’t been effective in catching criminals.

Anyone who has a gun they plan to use in a crime will not register it, he said.

“The majority of violent crime that involve firearms of any kind are not the 30-odd-six that you use for coyote control or the .22 rifle you use for controlling gophers,” he said.

Menzies argues said the $2 billion spent to set up the registry would have been better off used to beef up border security to prevent smuggling of handguns into the country.

“That’s the real issue, it’s not the rancher who is trying to keep the gopher population under control or keep coyotes away from his calves,” he said.

Okotoks Mayor Bill McAlpine is feeling more confident the 32nd Street bridge will be able to open to traffic this fall.

“We’re cautiously optimistic that it can be open by late November,” he said. “We’re cautiously optimistic, don’t forget those words.”

Three weeks ago the Town said they could only commit to the bridge opening by next year.

Mayor Bill McAlpine, Highwood MLA George Groeneveld and Macleod MP Ted Menzies take a tour of the 32nd Street construction site last week.

In order to qualify for economic stimulus funding, the bridge project must be completed by March 31, 2011.

Last week Macleod MP Ted Menzies and Highwood MLA George Groeneveld toured the site.

The bridge over the river is completed and vehicles can drive across from the south side, but they can’t go very far. It still hasn’t been connected to 32^nd Street on the north side of the river yet.

McAlpine said the bridge will be substantially completed this fall, but there will still be a lot of little details that will need to be done. If workers need the road space to complete the job on time, he said the bridge will remain closed so traffic will not interfere with construction.

Municipal engineer Marley Oness said there is a possibility the bridge could be open to traffic in the fall, but he can’t guarantee it.

He said the project is in the most critical phase and construction is running on schedule as anticipated. Weather will play a major role in how quickly the work will progress in the next two months, said Oness.

“Ideally we could have pavement down and it could be passable, but exactly when will we be able to open it to the public?” he said. “We would hope by the end of November, but there’s no guarantees.”

Work on the bridge began last fall.

The project passed a major milestone last month when the Sheep River was diverted to a new channel under the bridge. Crews are currently building the bridge approaches and embankment across the former river channel and the road will be paved this fall.

Macleod MP Ted Menzies said the Town is to be commended for taking a firm lead with the project to keep it on schedule.

“The Town pushed, the Town stayed behind it, they didn’t lose focus and they got this done in what I would say is exceptional time,” he said. “Let’s hope that opening day is sometime this fall and we can get things moving by this winter.”

Menzies said the bridge is a model for how infrastructure and stimulus projects should proceed.

“We have other projects in this riding, and across the country, that haven’t moved so quickly,” he said.

The Lineham Avenue rail crossing was the site of a collision between a car and a train on Aug. 19.

The Town has planned upgrades to the rail crossing at Lineham Avenue, which would include installing arms and improved warning devices.

While it has applied for federal funding to offset the cost of the work, Transport Canada has not made any financial commitments to the project.

Municipal engineer Marley Oness said it’s possible the collision could push the project up the priority list, but he hasn’t heard anything from Transport Canada since the incident.

“The best case scenario would be for construction in 2012, but that was prior to this recent incident,” he said. “I think it will move it up in the priorities, but I don’t know if it would be enough to move it up into 2011.”

The Town has already set aside $88,750 for its share of the $710,000 cost for both projects in its 2009 capital budget. If federal funding is approved, 80 per cent would be covered by Transport Canada and 7.5 per cent by CP Rail.

Kevin Hrsak, CP Rail spokesperson, said the Town and company have submitted an application for funding to the federal government.

Even if the upgrades are approved for next year, he doesn’t expect construction to proceed until late next year, if not 2012.

“We’d like to see this on the list for 2011, but I can’t guarantee that,” he said. “We’re just kind of in a waiting pattern here, so we hope it works out.”

Transport Canada spokesperson Glyniss Hutchings said an application has been received for funding for the Lineham Avenue crossing and the project is on an eligibility list for a grant under the Grade Crossing Improvement Program (GCIP). She said it will be reviewed and prioritized along with other applications for funding in the next year.

“Since the Lineham Avenue crossing has not yet been priority ranked for funding, we cannot speculate on when possible funding could be in place,” she said.

Hutchings said applications are reviewed based on factors such as accident history, the volume of road and rail traffic and the adequacy of sightlines along the road approach to a crossing.

She said proposed rail upgrades don’t have to wait for federal funding to go ahead, but municipalities will have to pay the cost on their own and there’s no guarantee they will receive funding through the program.

“If the Town of Okotoks feels there is a safety concern in their community they do not have to wait for Transport Canada funding to make safety improvements,” she said.

According to information provided by the Town in January, the project was ranked 1,860th in line for funding.

Hutchings said this did not refer to a ranking under the GCIP program and the number referred to a system used by Transport Canada to identify crossings in the prairie provinces that could benefit from improvements.

In the wake of the recent collision, Macleod MP Ted Menzies said he’d support getting the project sped up.

“I’ll pass it on to the transport department that we’ve had a serious injury accident there and the Town is concerned,” he said. “Whether we can get anything, I guess that’s the next question.”

Menzies said he has not received any notification about where the crossing stands in the federal government’s priority list.

Associate superintendent Hans Woehleke said most trustees are acclaimed into their positions.

Requirements for the position are that the person need only be over the age of 18 and a resident of Alberta for six months to run for election.

“So far we have had very little interest,” said Woehleke. “That’s, unfortunately, typical.”

Ron Schreiber, school trustee

Nominations for the election of candidates must be received at 46 Elma St. West in Okotoks between 10 a.m. and noon on Sept. 20. Woehleke believes few people run for trustee because education in general is well run and there are few contentious issues on the table.

“We have very few parental complaints or issues,” said Woehleke.

Trustees are asked to attend 10 meetings a year and are often part of a number of committees. In addition, trustees are asked to work 20-50 days as part of their regular duties.

“Plus we have a lot of retreats for our trustees,” said Woehleke. “They attend school functions, graduations, special event days.”

Trustees for CRCS develop and direct the school division’s policy, CRCS’ mission and beliefs. Woehleke said the school trustee role is very important to CRCS and trustees should be part of the church.

“You need to declare your Catholicity,” said Woehleke.

People who run for trustee usually have a vested interest in kids, Catholic education and improving the community they live in. In addition to being part of the school division most trustees have a full-time job. Trustees get nominal compensation.

Ron Schreiber has been part of CRCS for 16 years. In his time as trustee for Okotoks and Oyen he has been acclaimed to the position every time.

He believes that if there is enough debatable issues surrounding the school division and its operations existed, more people would run for the position of trustee.

“Where there is two different ways to approach this problem and one group of people feels this is the best and one feels this, then you would see competition coming forward,’ said Schreiber.

Contentious issues could be anything from poor student academic performance or school uniforms according to Schreiber. Nothing on that sort of scale has cropped up in Okotoks said Schreiber.

He said people may also hold off running to see if a long-time trustee is planning on running again.

There are eight open trustee positions within CRCS, including three in the foothills area. St. Thomas Aquinas-Foothills Ward No. 3 has open positions in electoral subdivision 2 (Foothills), subdivision 3 (Okotoks) and subdivision 4 (High River).

Schreiber said he will be running for another term come election day on Oct. 18.

“I do more and more want to try to meet the needs of those we are not meeting the needs of,” said Schreiber.

During the 2009/2010 school year, approximately 5500 students in grades kindergarten through 12 attended one of 16 traditional CRCS schools and over 2000 students were part of The Centre for Learning at Home.

Foothills School Division

The Foothills School Division (FSD) has five positions up for election on Oct. 18 and according to Rita Janzen, executive assistant with FSD, most will be filled by acclamation. However, unlike CRCS, there have been some past controversies within the school division.

In 2007, a number of spoiled ballots in Ward 1 (Turner Valley/Black Diamond) led to a by-election.

Hours and workload can also be part of the problem when finding people to run for trustees. Jerry Muelaner is currently trustee of Ward 1.

“It’s not terribly demanding but there are times when you require them to be away,” said Janzen.

FSD meetings are held during the day and Janzen said it is hard for people with full-time jobs to attend.

Janzen has not received official word whether any of the current trustees have chosen to run for re-election.

rnorthrop@okotoks,greatwest.ca

http://www.redeemer.ab.ca/Pages/Default.aspx

Council voted last week to donate $100,000 to the air ambulance service over the next four years with annual contributions of $25,000.

Reeve Roy McLean said STARS is a critical service for the MD given the size of the foothills area and the remoteness of some locations.

“STARS is very important to the MD,” he said. “There are lots of places that they take people from once ground ambulance gets them out and STARS takes them from there.”

McLean said the support for STARS is one of the MD’s largest charitable contributions.

The move is a renewal of a four-year, $100,000 commitment made in 2005. The MD began making annual donations in 1992 and has donated $146,645 to date, not including last week’s commitment.

Phil Levson, STARS Foundation vice president, said STARS considers the MD’s contribution a “major gift.”

“At STARS, we’re certainly humbled by the commitment the MD of Foothills has made over the years,” he said.

Levson said the funding will go towards operational expenses such as fuel, maintenance, training and costs related to the acquisition of new aircraft.

He said STARS is 75 per cent funded by donations and the remaining 25 per cent is provided by Alberta Health Services.

Levson said they fly frequent missions to the Foothills area.

Whether it’s a motorcycle accident on a foothills road, a hiking injury in the backcountry or an injury sustained riding on a quad, he said there are a number of incidents that STARS has responded to in the MD over the years.

While it may be close to the city, Levson said there are many areas where it can take a long time to transport a patient by ground ambulance.

The use of STARS can shave precious time off a response that often means the difference between life and death.

STARS flew more than 60 missions to foothills communities in 2009.

Roughly half of STARS missions are for medical emergencies while the other half are in response to major trauma incidents such as auto collisions.

MD supports Turner Valley pool

The MD of Foothills will also be contributing funds to upgrades to the Dr. Lander Swimming Pool in Turner Valley.

The exact amount hasn’t been determined, but MD manager Harry Riva Cambrin expects it will be between $50,000 and $55,000.

The money was not included in the MD’s 2010 budget and, as such, he said the Town would not receive the funds until next year.

Riva Cambrin said it’s standard practice for the MD to contribute funds for recreational facilities in municipalities in the foothills.

“Our agreements have always been based on the percentage of use coming from the MD in the past,” he said.

The pool was estimated to cost $429,000, one-third of which ($143,000) was covered by a grant from the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program.

The Town budgeted for the pool project without any contribution from any other municipalities.

As such, Turner Valley Mayor Dona Fluter said the Town will continue with its plans as they have been from the beginning.

Once the Town receives the funding from the MD next year, she said it will be put back into a reserve fund used for the pool.

“It allows us to be able to move forwards and look to a new project,” said Fluter.

The Town would normally inform the MD of new projects such as the pool upgrades to receive funding support. However, with the hiring of a new chief administrative officer in the spring, the project fell through the cracks.

Fluter is thankful the MD stepped up to the plate.

“The MD has always been really good about contributing to projects and being a part of capital projects,” she said.

The MD approved a new dog bylaw last week beefing up provisions targeting nuisance and vicious dogs.

Geoff Carpenter, MD protective services coordinator, said the changes will be a good tool to encourage responsible behaviour for dog owners.

“If you let people in an area know they have to be responsible dog owners, they generally respond to it,” he said.

The primary changes over the previous dog bylaw are regarding nuisance dogs.

The major change will be for dog owners in rural areas, particulary for those used to letting their dogs run loose. Under the previous bylaw, dog owners in hamlets could not allow their pets to wander off their properties, but those in rural areas did not face a similar rule.

Under the new bylaw all dog owners must ensure their dog does not wander away from home.

The new bylaw also includes a barking provision to ensure their dogs don’t disturb nearby residents. It also requires people to clean up after their dog when it defecates on public or private property.

The bylaw also gives animal control officers more authority to deal with nuisance dogs, allowing them to go onto private property if needed.

The former bylaw included a code of conduct and two sets of rules to dealing with nuisance dogs, one for hamlets and one for the rest of the MD.

All sections have been consolidated in the new bylaw, creating one set of rules for all owners.

“The (new) bylaw is all encompassing to the MD,” said Carpenter. “All rules now apply to all areas of the MD.”

Carpenter said picking up after dogs is primarily an issue for hamlets and country residential areas rather than more rural areas.

The changes give bylaw officers a better framework to deal with problems in larger country residential areas such as Norris Coulee or Silver Tip, he said. These areas aren’t as densely populated as hamlets, but also aren’t entirely rural in nature and weren’t addressed properly in the former bylaw, Carpenter said.

The MD already had provisions regarding vicious dogs, however, he said the new bylaw clarifies the process of dealing with a vicious dog.

“If you’re going to have that kind of dog, this is what you have to do,” he said.

Coun. Ralph Nelson said the provisions for a vicious dog should be tougher.

Nelson said there needs to be the ability to destroy a vicious dog. He doesn’t want a situation where a dog with a bad track record can end up back in the community.

“It’s almost condoning having a vicious dog,” he said.

Carpenter said the ability to make the decision to destroy an animal lies with the courts.

Coun. Larry Spilak voted in favour of the bylaw, but he’s concerned about treating rural areas and hamlets the same way.

“There are some things in hamlets that are not relative to rural areas,” he said. “Is it too onerous on rural landowners? That’s my concern.”

Spilak said the bylaw is needed to address dog issues in hamlets such as Heritage Pointe. He said the bylaw could also lay the groundwork to create off-leash parks in the MD.

Spilak is satisfied bylaw officers will only deal with complaints received about dogs and won’t be searching out infractions.

He said they will have the latitude to deal with situations as they arise.

“Our bylaw people aren’t going out there to enforce these types of things, they’re out there to deal with the extreme situations,” he said. “Most dog owners are responsible enough that they look after (their dogs).”

Rural MD resident Leslie Elder agreed the issue comes down to responsible dog ownership.

However, she said animal control officials can’t treat hamlet residents and acreage owners the same and they need to use discretion when dealing with complaints.

“It’s a different playing field so I hope it’s treated differently,” said Elder.

She doesn’t let her dogs run at large or leave them outside when she’s not home and she tries to keep them from barking so they don’t disturb her neighbours.

“I don’t leave them out because I can’t control them when I’m not home,” said Elder.

Don Lawton, chair of exploratory geophysics at the University of Calgary, said students will be conducting seismic tests to get a better picture of the geological makeup of the area.

“It will provide a lot of useful information for our planned site work but it will also provide a lot of useful information about where the groundwater systems are flowing there,” said Lawton.

Ken McCreath has been a resident of the Priddis-Millarville region for 20 years and he is happy to hear that the University of Calgary is going to study underground water in the area. Rick Northrop/OWW

Studying the geology in the area will have some benefits in that geologists will gain a better understanding of how and where water flows in the Priddis-Millarville area.

Lawton said after the seismic tests are finished there may be another town hall type meeting for residents where researchers will present their findings regarding water. The Priddis-Millarville Residents Association held a meeting on March 20 where members of the public voiced concerns about groundwater supply in the area.

Priddis-Millarville resident Suzanne Oel said the study is important and hopes it can expand to take in other areas.

“I think it would be nice if it extends to the other parts of the MD as well including the catchment for the Bow River,” said Oel.

Oel sits on a number of boards including the Bow River Basin Council and the Highwood Management Plan and she said it’s important to get a picture of the geography in the area to be used when planning for future growth.

Priddis-Millarville Residents Association executive Ken McCreath has lived in the area for 20 years. He said representatives from the university are welcome to come on his land, though they will not have to.

“Anything that gives us a better read on where the water is,” said McCreath.

The study is being conducted with assistance from Carbon Management Canada.

Carbon Management Canada is a federally funded research network studying underground carbon storage for the fossil energy sector.

Geologists know that the Millarville-Priddis area is linked to the Rocky Mountains to the west, they just have to map out how. Lawton said if all goes well there may be more wells drilled on land near the observatory, which will be then used for training and research in the area of geophysics.

The observatory itself is located in the northeast corner of a section of land north of Millarville. Lawton and his students use the remaining space to study and test local geology.

“It’s actually idea for establishing monitoring stations and networks and doing physical experiments where we need access to wells,” said Lawton.

Lawton said researchers will be using undeveloped road allowances owned by the Province. He has visited with all residents immediately next to the area being tested and discussed the field school and equipment being used.

The university operates the observatory for training and research but last year the U of C also started using the site to monitor earthquakes from all over the world with specialized equipment called an earthquake seismometer. Alberta is a relatively quiet area when it comes to earthquakes but there is interest in man-made disturbances below the earth’s surface.

“There’s a lot of interest in earthquakes that might be low intensity that might develop as a result of oil and gas production activities,” said Lawton.

The last recorded earthquake in the foothills occurred in February 1994 and measured 2.4 on the Richter Scale.

The observatory is ideal for studying local geology because of its close proximity to Calgary and the university.

“Our motto there is that you can look up at night and look down during the day,” said Lawton.

Seismic surveying is like ultrasound. An energy source similar to a fence post pounder is placed at surface level and geophones (like microphones) are planted at various corners of the area being tested. The geophones “listen” for echoes bouncing off rock layers and the energy source is low-impact meaning no explosives are used.

rnorthrop@okotoks.greatwest.ca

http://www.ucalgary.ca/rao/

A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new clinic last week where officials from the MD of Foothills and Town of High River attended. While the MD is not usually involved in the financing of clinics, it was necessary in this case to replace a number of retiring local doctors according to reeve Roy McLean.

“It was evident that something should be done and we felt we could do some good,” said McLean.

The MD provided financing for the new 22,000 square-foot, $6 million Charles Clark High River Medical Centre which will be open to the public. The Town of High River owns the land and physicians who rent space at the clinic will, in effect, pay for the cost of construction.

“It will be paid for by the doctors,” said McLean.

The clinic will feature a walk-in clinic to service residents of the foothills. Small towns have a hard time attracting physicians and the clinic will provide an opportunity for them to rent space at below market rates.

“I think lots of times doctors are backing off and not wanting to do general practice and would see that there is more money in specializing,” said McLean.

When completed, the centre will have room for 11 physicians, some of whom will act as mentors to newly graduated doctors the centre hopes to attract. The clinic will be located across the street from the High River General Hospital.

“It will also be a teaching centre where young doctors in training can learn more about working in rural areas,” said McLean.

Taxpayers have contacted McLean concerned about public funds going towards a facility, which will be rented by physicians. He said he received “two or three calls.”

“They felt that public money shouldn’t be used for such things,” said McLean.

Over the next five years, officials hope to recruit five new physicians to the foothills area by offering lower than market rental rates on quality spaces. The facility, which will be the first in Alberta to have a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, is expected to open next fall.

“I would say that we are all in the business of trying to look after our ratepayers,” said McLean.

Okotoks Town Councillor Ed Sands, who also operates a chiropractic clinic, said while more doctors are a positive, he is not in favour of using public money to fund private medical facilities.

“If the ultimate reason for government to be in the commercial leasing business is to attract physicians to a community that is certainly a noble and defensible end, but I question whether physician services are so marginally profitable as to need government funding,” said Sands.

As clinical department head of the department of rural medicine for Calgary south, Dr. Val Congdon oversees physician issues in the area. She said some precedence for a publically funded health clinic exists in southern Alberta.

According to Congdon, the MD of Willow Creek spearheaded the formation of a foundation that owns the Nanton Community Health Centre. The centre is in turn leased by Alberta Health Services.

“Different communities are pulling together in different ways to support physicians,” said Congdon, who maintains an office in Black Diamond.

Besides a number of retiring physicians, High River also had a lack of space available for doctors to rent if they wanted to come to the small town. Congdon said new grads are not of the mindset to start up a new clinic on their own due to cost and the work involved in running a small business.

“It’s going to be a more attractive environment for new physicians to come into the community” said Congdon.

Working alone in an office is not always a good environment for doctors, said Congdon, as time off or holidays can pose a problem.

“If you have a physician who is working alone and he wants to go on holidays, who looks after his patients,” said Congdon.

Publically funded doctors offices are the way of the future said Congdon.

“I think when you go to many of the small towns it’s already happening and we will see more of it in the future,” said Congdon.

rnorthrop@okotoks.greatwest.ca

http://www.highriver.ca/

Ray Reid takes over from Sabine who stepped in as CAO on April 12 after taking over from retired Stan Ogrodniczuk. Ogrodniczuk was CAO of Turner Valley for five years prior to retiring April 15.

Prior to being hired on in Turner Valley, Sabine was CAO for two years in Canal Flats, B.C., and CAO for the Port Alberni/Clayoquot Regional District (ARCD).

Sabine earned a geography degree from the University of Alberta and started as a land use planner for the Province of Alberta.

On May 19, the Western Wheel reported that Sabine was let go from his position with the ARCD and he had resigned from Canal Flats following a lawsuit brought upon the town by a developer. Turner Valley council was aware of the lawsuit at the time Sabine was hired. At the time of the report by the Wheel, Coun. Garry Pollock said he had faith in Sabine.

Turner Valley Mayor Dona Fluter said Sabine’s work history had nothing to do with the termination of his contract with Turner Valley.

Fluter said the Town brought in consultant Glen Pittman to help evaluate Sabine’s performance after three months on the job. Pittman was also contracted as a consultant to help in the search for Ogrodniczuk’s replacement.

“After we went through that process and sat down with Mr. Sabine we both amicably agreed that we would terminate the probationary period and that we wished Mr. Sabine well in his endeavours,” said Fluter. “It was amicable, we’ve ended it and we wished him well and he wished us well.”

Pittman contacted Transitional Solutions who helped find interim CAO Ray Reid. Fluter said the transition from Sabine to Reid as CAO has been smooth.

Reid took over last Wednesday after the town announced the “mutually agreed upon termination” of Sabine’s contract. Reid, a retired Okotoks resident, previously worked for the City of Leduc as assistant city manager and as interim CAO for the Town of Killam and the Village of Boyle in northern Alberta.

“You don’t walk into interim positions like that without having that kind of background,” said Fluter.

Sabine had been working under a six-month probationary period and had been on the job for just under four months.

“If the match isn’t there and it happens in partnerships, sometimes it just isn’t a match, that’s why you have a probationary period,” said Fluter.

Reid will act as interim CAO until a full-time replacement is hired after the municipal elections on Oct. 18.

Reid is currently working three to four days a week in his interim position and Fluter is satisfied with his ability to fill-in for the departed Sabine.

A recommendation will be issued that the newly elected council once again use Pittman as a consultant when looking for a permanent CAO after Oct. 18.

“Sometimes partnerships don’t line up the same way you’d like them to, that doesn’t mean he won’t go into another community and do a great job,” said Fluter of terminating Sabine’s contract.

Fluter would not comment on the dollar amount of the severance pay Sabine was given.

“We followed the agreement of the contract,” said Fluter. “There was severance pay which was part of the contract.”

rnorthrop@okotoks.greatwest.ca

http://www.turnervalley.ca/