Snippets from January 25 and 26 Lakeside Leaders

1978

Supposedly fire-proof asbestos insulation ‘exploded into flames like a bomb’ after it was hit by a ruptured hose from a welding tank. R & R Autobody in the northwest industrial area of Slave Lake, went up in flames and was completely destroyed. The shop was owned by Robbie Robinson and Ron Frelich.

A proposed dam on the McGregor River by Prince George, BC, came up at Kinuso Fish and Game’s annual supper.

Tony Ferguson the president of the Alberta Fish and Game Association said that the proposed dam would devastate the fish in both the Peace and Fraser river systems. The dam would flood a lake which would connect the two river systems, which might allow eels and squawfish to migrate from the Fraser into the Peace and enter Alberta. This could impact game and commercial fish in Alberta. Also, northern pike from the Peace could introduce parasites in the Fraser which could decimate the salmon population. The lake would also destroy a lot of timber.

Alberta was considering hydro dams on the Slave River south of Fort Smith and on the Peace River near Dunvegan.

The dams were to make hydro electricity. Ferguson proposed that alternatives such as coal should be used to make electricity, because hydro electricity is so expensive and causes environmental damage.

Captain Robert E. Jensen took over command of the Slave Lake Army Cadets from Captain W.E. Russ Waite.

The price of gas was increasing. It was close to $1.50 a gallon (about 33 cents per litre). An article talked about all of the gas and oil being wasted and worried about when the world would run out. It estimated that Canada used 10 billion gallons of gas per year, which was about 400 gallons per each man, woman, and child.

Gordon Ferguson was one of the winners of a Foosball tournament. (See photo).

The Slave Lake Recreation Department was hosting an introductory gymnastics course for children aged four to eight.

An article about influenza included the reason why flus are called things like H3N2 (a strain first found in Hong Kong in 1968). In 1933, the virus which causes influenza was discovered. It includes two types of protien spikes – Hemagglutinin and Neuraminidase. Since then, variants were labeled using these initials. The article also referenced what must have been a recent ‘swine flu’ (for which people were vaccinated) and the history of the 1918 influenza (from which 21,640,000 people died world-wide).

The sponsors and winners of a 1978 Foosball tournament in Slave Lake. Left to right, Kevin Marcy, Gordon Ferguson, zzrm (seems like a typo) Falkins, Cody Friesen, and Phil LeMarche.

1989

The January 24 paper is missing from The Leader archives.

1995

Hospital bed closures were hitting home. Louis Hladnick (72), from Widewater, had been waiting five-and-a-half months for a bed to become available in Edmonton for a hip replacement. He had been paying into Alberta Health Care since 1965.

Alberta Health suspended the license of the company that ran ambulances in Wabasca. The vehicles weren’t roadworthy, which endangered the safety of patients.

1995 continued
Richard Spenard was hoping to have a youth drop-in centre in Slave Lake by the end of March. Steps to get this done included starting a society, building a board, and fundraising.

The proposed name was of the society was Slave Lake and Surrounding Area Youth Enhancement Society (SLASAYES).

The Kinosayo Museum in Kinuso was 10 years old. It hoped to build a new building to house all of the artifacts it had collected. Also, one that was atmospherically controlled.

A Fort Chipewyan man backed over a man and a woman in Smith. The victims suffered ‘non life-threatening injuries.’ The driver was charged with impaired driving causing bodily harm and refusing to provide a breath sample.

Three Lakeside Figure Skaters took home medals from a competition in Warburg. They were Bonnie Leung, Tara Meyer, and Donald Leung.

Slave Lake Ranger Blade speed skating team won three medals at a competition in Calgary. The medalists were Wendy Garratt, Terri Dukewich, and James Maddex.

Paul Caffaro, Helen Gall, Nicole Redgate, Terri Dukewich, and C.J. Schurter School were chosen as the Slave Lake Community Champions.

Community Champions was a province-wide recognition program started by AGT.

1989

Seven people were running to be the Progressive Conservative (PC) candidate for Lesser Slave Lake in the upcoming election. The candidates were Pearl Calahasen, Garfield Cox, Stan Jenkins, Dena Jones-Short, Rick McCotter, Bill Pearson, and Sam Sinclair.

A two-engine airplane made an emergency landing at the Slave Lake Airport, with one engine down and landing gear which was stuck in the ‘up’ position until moments before touchdown.

The plane and the crew survived the landing intact.

The weather went from rain to minus 35 C. On Jan. 26, Slave Lake had a record high of plus 12.3 C.