Hello Chestermere! I hope you had a chance to get out enjoys a few bits of sunshine without donating a litre of blood to our mosquito friends this week. It’s amazing how fast and furious these little critters are, and we have seen many of you out and about doing the same mosquito dance. As we sit and scratch our heads due to pesky mosquito bites, you might also be doing the same thing with regards to the Power Purchase Agreements (“PPAs”) and what life is going to look like once the dust settles with these breaches of contracts. It is bizarre at best, and even more bizarre is that the Energy Minister has yet to say a word to you and I about this extremely serious situation. We know our costs are going to go up, but how much? The rate payers (you and I) deserve an answer! Families are already struggling, and this lack of knowledge or understanding in this situation is scary to say the least. The Minister needs to come out of hiding and explain why they did not understand the implications of the Carbon Tax on PPAs and needs to show some leadership on how we move forward through this mess. This government needs to put ideology aside and stop hurting Alberta families because they are aggressively pursuing their “plan”. It is hard to swallow a $100,000 dollar ad campaign against the so-called Enron clause when the fault lies solely with them and their staff. It is time to apologize to Albertans and get moving in the right direction on this file.
Well, we did it. Our two man team, “Fast Past The Post”, finished the Ride To Conquer Cancer on our tandem bike. 2 days, 239 km, average speed 20 km/hr, maximum speed 67 km/hr. Between the two of us we burned 16580 calories or a grand total of 4.7 pounds of fat! As a weight loss program I don’t recommend it. But as an inspirational program I certainly do. This is one tough ride, but as you see the yellow flags of riders who have either survived or are currently faced with cancer you can’t help but realize that the effort you are putting out pales in comparison to the fight they fight on a daily basis. Both myself and my ride partner Peter Tindall have lost friends and family to this cruel disease and the money raised here will put us one step closer to the day when cancer is no longer a killer. The tributes to lost loved ones worn by many of the riders really touched our hearts. Look at the numbers for this year’s ride:
1400+ riders and over $6.3 Million Dollars raised and counting! Donations for this year’s Ride are still open. Give us a need and Albertans step up!
This was our first ride, but not the last. We cannot say enough about the fantastic organization. Everywhere, hundreds of volunteers who made everything fun and kept us safe. Nothing but “Way to go, you’re doing great”, from volunteers and fellow riders. Even when gutting up some of the killer hills everybody had a smile on their face, and everybody said “You can do it!” Lots of people came out and stood by the road to cheer us on. I cannot say how much that meant to two people when the hilltop seemed to keep receding!
Thanks to all the sponsors. Lead sponsor Enbridge has supported the ride since its inception, and what a great job they do. Across Canada their various Rides have raised over $300 million for cancer research, over $60 million in Alberta alone! This Ride takes months of work to organize. Our Alberta and Canadian corporate citizens truly believe that to succeed you have to give back and they prove that every day. To reiterate, though, these things would not be possible without the countless hours put in by volunteers. Please volunteer if you are able, I guarantee it will put a smile on your face.
Finally, I have seen our local firefighters out this summer, and it always makes my heart happy to see those trucks, and now boats which have been out on the water practicing manoeuvres. Our local firefighters are doing a spectacular job with the community, and when they hear little voices oohing and aahing over their big fire trucks, you can see them taking the time to put one of our munchkins into the firetruck, give them a colouring book, a safety chat and see how it all works. They have been out at bbq’s, and block parties making connections with their community everywhere we go. We are so fortunate to have these spectacular people in our community, and make sure you give your local fireman a hug when you see them. They are true heroes! We would like to acknowledge our new Captain Joel Fornier, and the New Fire Chief, Brian Pomrenke. Congratulations gentlemen. We are so proud to know you, and to have you in our beautiful community.
As always, we love to hear from you!
