MLA report June 8

Hello Chestermere! Well we are at our last week “under the dome” in Edmonton. I can ay that I am truly looking forward to being back in the constituency with all of you as we celebrate some truly amazing things together. We will be celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday together on July 1, and I am so excited to share this celebration with you. We celebrated our graduates from both Chestermere High School and St. Gabriel the Archangel this past week, and I was so honoured to attend and see all of you cross the stage and embrace your families as you celebrated this accomplishment.
We had a busy week in our little city. I would like to start off with thanking the Historical Society. It was wonderful to see the refurbished fire truck out on display, and to be able to personally thank all of our Chestermerians who have contributed financially and in volunteer hours to put this piece of history back together. What a wonderful legacy the historical society has created for all of us. Thanks to Audrey MacDonald, Jen Peddlesden, Stu Hutchison, Ray Blanchard, Ray Hessler and the rest of the Historical Society, Ken Friesen who did the body work and paint, and all the other volunteers who have donated countless hours to this project. It will look great in the parade!
That same Saturday we attended the Victims Services Barbeque. It was great to talk to Staff Sergeant Mark Wielgosz, Chestermere RCMP Commander , Corporal Keith Anderson, and Sherry Hornby, Program Director of Victims Services. Victim Services, based out of Strathmore, offers assistance to people who are in need during some of the most traumatic moments in their lives, and they do a phenomenal job. Thank you to all our first responders for everything you do. We are truly grateful.
I was also able to attend along with my friend Peter Tindall, the Feed the Need – “no plate empty” fundraiser at No Frills in Chestermere. This fundraiser challenges businesses to fill up their grocery carts full to the brim with donations for the food bank, and I must say Chestermere came out in force. I love this city, and it is during times like this when I am overcome with pride for the people I have the privilege of representing. Volunteer Krista Mainprize’s 5 year old son Tristen took it on himself to collect bottles from neighbours and personally raised $253 for the Food Bank. Wow! Volunteers are the lifeblood of any community and Chestermere has some of the most dedicated volunteers anywhere. Thanks to Krista, Liz, and the rest of the volunteers. Special thanks to Eric from No Frills who stepped up (again!) and hosted this event.
I also was able to squeeze in the World Partnership Walk that is put on by the Aga Khan society and is on a mission to end world poverty. The lieutenant governor Lois Mitchell was in attendance and gave greetings both at the morning breakfast and on the main stage. We also attended the Lilac festival with our Wildrose team, and our memberships are selling faster than we can keep up. This is truly amazing as this will give you the opportunity to vote for the merger at the special meeting on July 22nd. Please make sure you have purchased a Wildrose or PC membership before July 8th in order to participate in the vote. Please make sure you exercise you democratic rights and get excited about getting involved. We also attended the Youth Singers “Year End” show at Canada Olympic Plaza, where they put on an amazing show with some amazing performers. I’m a little biased as my youngest is heavily involved in this group. At the Ukrainian Festival we were able to enjoy the smells of fresh perogies and cabbage rolls, made on site and enjoyed by all. The dancing was outstanding, and the company was fabulous. If you get a chance the Holomodor bus is travelling around Alberta and is an amazing look into this tragic and horrific time in Ukrainian history where Ukrainians were starved to death by a man made famine that claimed millions of Ukrainians between 1932-33. This genocide must be remembered. This is Seniors Week in Chestermere and across Alberta. There are lots of great events to be enjoyed by all. I will be at the Waiting Room Café on Wednesday afternoon with my oldest son Akesh to perform for the Seniors Tea. As always we love to hear from you!