World Cup? Which one?
There’s a bit of talk around the area these days about the Women’s World Cup of Soccer, which is going on in France. Canada is a contender and as of this writing at won its first two games, pretty much…
All Stories
Coincidence? Maybe it was, after all
Two fires two weeks apart in the same spot south of Widewater? How does that happen? Three possibilities come to mind: one is that it’s a coincidence. You have to allow for it. Another is that the last fire wasn’t…
Touting tourism
People tout tourism as ‘the future’ of the Lesser Slave Lake area. These are generally folks who look at the horizon and see the oil and gas industry in continued decline and are worried about what happens then. Tourism has…
The rip-off continues
Prices at the pump in Slave Lake were making people mad last week. Who knows, maybe it continues this week. That’s not new – people are always unhappy that we pay more for a litre of regular than they do…
Oilpatch movement
There are stories floating around the world of business news in which the name ‘Marten Hills’ comes up. That’s because it has seen quite a bit of drilling for oil lately, with companies such as Cenovus, Spur Energy and Deltastream…
The debate rages
Meanwhile….. the debate rages as to whether the above sort of item is good news or bad news. Depending on your point of view, it will be one or the other, or even some of both. A reasonable person today,…
People want to know
It’s not every week that firefighters show up at a wildfire and find a dead body. It’s understandable that people want answers to the obvious questions, such as how did it happen and why. The ‘who’ we know. Darren Dawson,…
Ignoring the rest of the story
If it bleeds, it leads. That’s the maxim from the heyday of daily newspapers. Desperate for any edge over the other guy, big city papers would go for the gore wherever possible, on the theory that the more shocking it…
Why Slave Lake?
So why was Slave Lake chosen as a reception centre for evacuees from High Level? Somebody asked us that question. Probably because it’s the first town of any size on the evacuation route that’s capable of fulfilling such a role.…
How it goes with those water bombers
There’s often a reasonable explanation for things; usually you just have to ask the right people. For example: the other morning after the big fire north of the Wabasca highway blew up and ran wild, it was calm and no…
About those ugly properties
It’s been stated plainly and often why the town can’t just make unsightly premises disappear. Even if certain legal obligations weren’t in play (they are), the cost can’t be taken lightly. Say it costs the town $50,000 to clear up…
Best get used to it
It’s been remarked lately that increases in fees/bills/taxes etc. are not matched by increases in pay. This is generally true, the two things having not much to do with each other. Occasionally the cost of something will go down, reflecting…
Coffee shop verdict
The coffee shop talk lately is about brazen thefts from industrial properties. It appears to be a thriving industry. That, and smash-and-grab ATM heists seem to be going on at a professional level, which suggests organized criminals are involved. Local…
Forests a big part of who we are in this region
The forests hereabouts provide a good living for a lot of people and have for many decades. Some of them get together every so often to celebrate and reminisce. When it comes to Slave Lake history, forestry goes back much…
Rosy days of reycling are gone
It’s looking as if we might have overreached ourselves when it comes to recycling ambitions. According to news reports, a lot of recycling simply doesn’t pay. Worse than that, it’s putting companies in the hole and they are getting out…
Once in a while something interesting floats by
Somebody the other day likened social media to an open sewer. ‘Sometimes something interesting floats by,’ he said, or words to that effect. ‘But the bad smell is still there.’ That’s being a bit harsh. If you look at all…