When somebody we’ve interviewed asks us: ‘When will the story come out?’, we often say something silly, such as, ‘Next week, if there isn’t an earthquake or something to bump it off the page.’ Never thinking for a moment such a thing would ever happen around here. Forest fires, sure. Floods – only a matter of time. But earthquakes? Fuggedaboutit!. Until now.

Skating season has reached the outdoor rinks and Canyon Creek.
In Slave Lake, the ice is in at the outdoor rinks.

In Canyon Creek, the arena has ice and has some free public skating times.

The MRC also has three public skating times. In the past, these were sponsored by a local company, but there isn’t a sponsor anymore, so regular drop-in rates apply.

Kinuso also hoped to have the ice in the outdoor rink by the festival on Dec. 10. Smith had some outdoor skating at the end of November.

The Métis Nation of Alberta has ratified its constitution. This is part of the process toward self-government. Of the Métis citizens (16+) who voted, 96.9 per cent voted for the constitution. Over the 30 days of voting, 15,729 people voted.

The news release says, “ This was the largest ratification vote by an Indigenous nation in Canadian history, showing how deeply engaged Métis are in advancing our rights recognition and securing our future.”
Voting was Nov. 1 to 30. In a news release before voting starting, MNA said, 50,000 MNA citizens (16+) were eligible to vote.

At least one Leader employee had to walk to work on Tuesday, Dec. 6, because her car wouldn’t start. The issue was partially the fault of a too-stiff extention cord, meaning the block heater wasn’t actually plugged in, but the day was definitely cold.

How cold was it?

Record-setting, according to a website called the dailyhive.com.

On Tuesday, Dec. 6, Slave Lake broke a record low for that particular day of the year. It was minus 34.7 degrees Celsius. The previous record low was set in 1970.

The website says records have been kept in the area since 1922.

Whitecourt was colder, at -35.7, just nipping the old record of -35.6, set in 1956.

But the coldest of the new records was at Edmonton airport area, with -39.3.

However, on the same day the high Arctic had record highs. Alert area was a balmy – 7.6 (old record -8.3 in 1958) and Clyde River area -1.8 (old record -6.7).

Speaking of the weather last week… a crew from the Town of Slave Lake was putting up decorations on the spruce tree in Citizen’s Park on a very blustery Dec. 5, in a snowstorm. It didn’t look like much fun, and when we drove by again, they’d called it off. That was about the fourth windy day in a row, and it was quite the bone-chiller. One of the big ornaments was later spotted somewhere down by the post office.

Meanwhile, the new Royal LePage sign went up on the old RE/MAX office in downtown Slave Lake on another windy day. The installers had called it off a few days earlier, citing cold and wind (but it wasn’t windy). The day they did put it up it was a lot windier! But evidently it all went well enough, because the sign is up there. So, as noted in an earlier article, no more RE/MAX Realty in Slave Lake. That office and the LePage one are all one big happy family now, under the Royal LePage banner. Good luck to them.

The calendar on the Leader website is the most comprehensive Slave Lake community calendar that we know of. If you are organizing something in 2023 please let us know.