Snippets from January 4 or 5 Lakeside Leaders
1978
(In 1978, The Leader came out on Thursdays, so this paper was dated Jan. 5)
‘Chief Walter Twinn denies charges of unlawful conduct’ was the headline of the top news story.
Chief Twinn was the leader of Sawridge Indian Band (now called Sawridge First Nation). He denied allegations that the Department of Indian Affairs had spent $20 million in the Lesser Slave Lake area to benefit Sawridge. He was also suing the person who made the claim, CBC and a CBC reporter.
Twinn said that the $20 million came from multiple sources and was divided between multiple companies and only a portion went to First Nations. This portion was divided between seven First Nations in the area, not just Sawridge.
Gateway Aviation had suspended scheduled airline service from Slave Lake. This was because of not enough passengers. Peace Air offered chartered flights from Slave Lake.
Town of Slave Lake deputy mayor and town councillor Henry Sinclair was appointed to the Northern Alberta Development Council. He was the first representative from the Town of Slave Lake to sit on the council.
Another member on the council was Lesser Slave Lake MLA Larry Shaben.
High Prairie School Division moved the former Canyon Creek school building from one Slave Lake school (Roland Michener Secondary) to another (C.J. Schurter Elementary). The move cost just under $25,000.
1989
The Slave Lake New Years baby was born on Jan. 3. Her name was Amy. Her parents were from Wabasca-Desmarais.
MLA Larry Shaben wasn’t going to run again.
The Lesser Slave Lake Progressive Conservative (PC) Association had a tentative nomination date in February. This was in case a provincial election was called.
Potential nominees included Pearl Calahasen (Grouard), Sam Sinclair (ex-Slave Laker), and possibly Slave Lake town councillor Peter Moore.
The Slave Lake Native Friendship Centre spent $8,000 toward Santas Anonymous, which provided Christmas dinner food hampers to people in need. One of the fundraisers was a weight-loss event with 30 participants. However, the fundraising efforts were about $2,000 short.
Santas Anonymous had 200 hampers. This was divided into Slave Lake (80), Red Earth Creek and surrounding communities (48), and Canyon Creek, Smith, and Kinuso (32).
The Slave Lake Permanent Pool Society committed to start building a pool in Slave Lake. However, it was still about $25,000 short of the $1.6 million needed.
A $168 million pulp mill was coming to Slave Lake. In preparation, Community Futures, Alberta Vocational Centres – Lesser Slave Lake, Canada Employment Centre, and Alberta Career Development and Employment were joining forces to train local workers for the jobs at the mill once it was opened.
High Prairie School Division was looking into hiring social workers to be in schools. This was in response to “social, personal, and psychological problems” interfering with students ability to do their school work.
Volunteers were packing down six inches of snow on the Grizzly Ridge ski hill. If the snow continued, it might open have opened the second weekend in January. The ski hill was working on adding a snow making system.
Slave Lake had a Christmas Tree Burn on Jan. 8 in the southeast south of Tags. This included hot chocolate served by the Kinsmen.
1995
The Slave Lake New Year’s baby was born on New Year’s Day. Her name was Regan.
Slave Lake RCMP were praising a Good Samaritan. Gordon Richard of Slave Lake Safety Supply picked up a hitchhiker. The man from Edmonton was on his way to Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories. In Edmonton, all of his belongings including his medication was stolen. In Slave Lake, the RCMP were able to help him to the hospital to get new medicine, but couldn’t help with transport. Instead, Richard bought the man a bus ticket, with a $163 price tag.
The Slave Lake Legion and Slave Lake Elks were furious that they hadn’t received infrastructure funding from the Town of Slave Lake. The two groups accused the board which made the decision of favouritism. However, the board staunchly denied this.
The money was divided into thirds – one third from the federal government, one third from the provincial government, and the ability by the agency to fundraise the final third.
Nine groups applied for funding. Five were approved – Slave Lake Golden Pike Society, Roland on the River, the municipal library, Gilwood Golf and Country Club, and Grizzly Ridge Ski Club. Four were turned down – the Legion, Elks, SPCA, and Slave Lake Model Club.
The RCMP held a ‘well-advertised’ Christmas check-stop. A total of 2,200 people were pulled over. One was charged with drunk driving. One vehicle was deemed unfit for the road.
However, the RCMP were surprised by the number of people driving without insurance. The ticket had just gone up from $600 to $2,500. In just four hours, 14 people without insurance drove through the check-stop. All 14 vehicles were towed.
After the inspection, drivers received a Christmas card and candy cane.
Amoco Canada Petroleum Company had been working in the Slave Lake area for 25 years. When they first were in the area, to extract some of the oil, they floated drilling rig parts across Utikuma Lake on a barge to reach the eastern shore.
Amoco also worked in the Nipisi and Marten Hills areas.
The Marten Hills gas field started with the first well drilled on Dec. 4, 1961. This well was still producing in 1995. Over the next 25 years, the field grew to 150,000 acres. The Marten Hills plant had averaged about 80 million barrels of gas per day since it was built in 1969.
Slave Lake Ranger Blades short-track speedskating club were hosting an Alberta Cup, which was also a qualifier for the Alberta speedskating team for the Canada Winter Games.
Roland Michener Secondary School was one of 300 in Alberta to take part in a pilot project called ‘SchoolNet,’ which included putting computers with CD ROMs in the school.
2005
Around 200 farmers and landowners met in Flatbush to learn about the benefits of carbon offset trading.
There was a push to pave Hwy. 88 all the way to Fort Vermillion. One idea to get it done quicker was to make it a toll road. Town of Slave Lake council had been asked to send a letter of support to the Alberta Transportation and Infrastructure. They were in favour of paving the road, but not of making it a toll road.
Local businesses were getting into the spirit of Christmas giving. For example, Slave Lake Pulp donated to the United Way of Slave Lake. Slave Laker Gail Ungstad received the cheque from Adrian Schultz.
Slave Lake goalie Megan Melnyczuk (16) made the Team Alberta North junior female hockey team for the Arctic Winter Games.
A federal election was afoot.
Roland Lefort, from Fort McMurray, was the New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate for the Athabasca riding, which included Slave Lake. He hoped to get at least 27 per cent of the vote, which was the best the NDP had done in the riding. That was back in 1988.
Brenda Remple of Smith opened a scrapbooking store called Endless Creations.
