The Bulletin

President’s Message

In like a lion, out like a lamb??? Not this year. Old man winter is holding on – it seems indefinitely. For the first week of ‘spring’ we sure are having a lot of snow. Nothing unusual in that, but usually there are some signs of a break. Oh, yes, it is warmer, and the days are warmer. Hoorah!

The season of re-birth – with the cattle, the pigs, goats and lambs – somewhere there are pussy willows. The birds are certainly returning, and singing their little hearts out.

Keep your cheer on! It will end.

What with melting, freezing, melting, possible flooding, it’s also a good time to keep an eye out for strangers and those who may mean harm to your property or communities. It’s not just the birds moving back! Focus on communication – within your group and to your Provincial Board. Let’s work together for change.

The Annual General Meeting

The bus from Spruce Grove was a great way to go – the “Satisfaction Engineers” – Stan Schram and Harry Schoepp were responsible, professional drivers, and once the heat came on after the first hour on Friday morning, it was terrific. I think everyone needs to think about taking “public” transportation to travcl to Cochrane. It’s fun and another great way to get to know people.

Thank you, Zone 3.

From the AGM

Liability insurance is a benefit of your annual membership dues. IT IS NOT AN OPTION. To belong to the Provincial Association, a local association must pay an annual fee and the liability insurance is part of that.

This comes due at the beginning of our fiscal year, which is November 1st. For January 1st, packages are sent out in the late fall/early winter, with information from Jubilee Insurance on Volunteer Insurance – this is optional coverage, but recommended.

Each association gets a package showing what is available to them, and it is up to the local Executive to determine which coverage best suits their local group. If your group has volunteers over 70 years of age, the coverage is an additional $50.00.

“Volunteer Accident Coverage – Our volunteer policy provides coverage for your volunteer workers while they are volunteering for your organization. It is your responsibility to keep a list of all volunteers and the date and time that they provide you with volunteers hours. Coverage Options are:

Volunteer Accident Coverage
Councillor/Trustee Accidental Death & Dismemberment (provide Councilor roster)

Critical Illness Coverage (This Critical Illness coverage policy provides basic coverage for you during recovery from a critical illness on a first diagnosis basis. “

Each package sent out has a breakdown of what is covered under the Volunteer Accident Coverage, and what is covered under the Critical Illness Coverage.

Print information – as noted – is sent to each association every year. Whoever checks your mail and brings correspondence to your meetings will be the one to speak to at your local level if you want to see exactly what is covered.

Word Play ...

1. The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian …
3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.
5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery…
6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
7. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
8. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
9. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
11. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
12. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'
13. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
14. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'
15. The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
16. The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
17. A backward poet writes inverse.
18. In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.
19. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
20. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris , you'd be in Seine .
21. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, 'I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.'
22. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says 'Dam!'
23. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, 'I've lost my electron.' The other says 'Are you sure?' The first replies, 'Yes, I'm positive.'

From the Farmer’s Advocate Office: Jim Kiss, Farmers’ Advocate, is pleased to announce the 2011 Farmers’ Advocate Award for Excellence in Rural Crime Watch to The High Country Rural Crime Watch Association of Turner Valley, Alberta After years of inactivity, The High Country Rural Crime Watch Association has reorganized for the benefit of the community. Some of their accomplishments include rebuilding the community’s relationship with the RCMP detachment and implementing a communication tool for the community. The Farmers’ Advocate Office yearly recognizes a Crime Watch Association that makes a difference in their community. Graham Gilchrist, P.Ag. Farmers’ Advocate Office 780-427-7956

Municipal Sustainability Planning in Rural Alberta

The Alberta Urban Municipalities Association, with funding from Rural Alberta’s Development Fund and Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, delivered a Municipal Sustainability Planning (MSP)Community Capacity Building Initiative between 2008 and 2011. Community Coordinators were hired with the funds to develop and begin implementation of sustainability plans for the communities of Brooks, Wetaskiwin; Morinville; Swan Hills; and Peace River. Six regions (which included 24 communities) also undertook to do community and regional planning. The regions were Taber and area; Beiseker and area; Olds and area; Camrose County and area; the Grande Alberta Economic Region; Grande Prairie and County. Communities that participated in the MSP process for regions, found they were able to discuss regional governance in a meaningful way. In many of the regional projects, the development of a governance model , including clear and mutually-agreed-upon objectives, roles and responsibilities for participants, along with a clear decision-making process for developing the plan was a desired result. This focus gave the process legitimacy and helped to manage the resources necessary to implement the plan. Further, discussions focused on developing a process providing for the inclusive and effective participation of stakeholder groups and community members in the development and implementation of the plan.

A variety of training approaches were utilized to build sustainability planning knowledge while meeting participants’ learning needs. A range of tools were used to engage stakeholders and community members, including workshops/consultations, social marketing tools, Twitter, blogs, Facebook, and surveys. The communities of Swan Hills (www.myswanhills.com) and Wetaskiwin (http://www.wetaskiwintomorrow.ca/) developed MSP websites. Though input was sought from all community members a specific focus was placed on engaging youth in the MSP process.

The regional MSP projects encountered a number of unique challenges, many dealing with governance. These included:

1. Reconciling the needs of local actions with the work of regional collaboration.

2. The responsibility of overseeing, managing, and resourcing the implementation of regional sustainability plans.

3. Aligning the individual community MSPs with the regional MSPs.

4. Managing expectations due to the challenge of simultaneously resourcing the regional plan while maintaining the integrity of managing and resourcing individual community plans.

As a result of the project, 29 ndividual community MSPs and 6 regional MSPs (which includes 24 individual community plans)were completed. In most of the communities elected officials and administrative staff participated in sustainability planning training.

Of the communities participating in the MSP initiative, 78% felt that the development of their MSP has had a positive impact on the planning and implementation within the municipality. In addition, many of these communities have pursued funding for the implementation of heir MSPs.

Patricia Macklin
Rural Development

Someone has written these beautiful words. Must read and try to understand the deep meaning of it. They are like the ten commandments to follow in life all the time.

1. Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout.

2. So a Car's WINDSHIELD is so large & the rear view Mirror is so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, Look Ahead and Move on.

3. Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.

4. All things in life are temporary. If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.

5. Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamonds! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!

6. Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!

7. When GOD solves your problems, HE has faith in your abilities.

8. A blind person asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"

9. When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

10. WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES, it takes away today's PEACE.

Connie Newgard

Forgetter Be Forgotten? My forgetter's getting better, But my rememberer is broke To you that may seem funny But, to me, that is no joke For when I’m here I’m wondering if I really should be 'there' And, when I try to think it through, I haven't got a prayer! Oft times I walk into a room, Say 'what am I here for?' I wrack my brain, but all in vain! A zero, is my score. At times I put something away Where it is safe, but, Gee! The person it is safest from Is, generally, me! When shopping I may see someone, Say 'Hi' and have a chat, Then, when the person walks away I ask myself, 'who was that? Yes, my forgetter's getting better While my rememberer is broke, And it's driving me plumb crazy And that isn't any joke.

Today, I am giving you a DAILY SURVIVAL KIT To help you each day............

Rubber band ... to remind you to be flexible. Things might not always go the way you want, but it can be worked out.

Band-Aid ... to remind you to heal hurt feelings, either yours or someone else's.

Eraser ... to remind you everyone makes mistakes. That's okay, we learn by our errors.

Candy Kiss ... to remind you everyone needs a hug or a compliment everyday.

Mint ... to remind you that you are worth a mint to your family & Me.

Bubble Gum ... to remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything.

Pencil ... to remind you to list your blessings every day.

Tea Bag ... to remind you to take time to relax daily and go over that list of God's blessings.

Upcoming dates:

Winners, 2011 Poster Contest APRCWA

Contact the APRCWA Office
#106-7000 113 Street
Edmonton, AB T5H 5T6
Ph: 780-422-0922
Fax: 780-427-4227
Email: aprcwa@interbaun.com
Website: www.ruralcrimewatch.ab.ca

Editor’s note. Articles are always solicited for upcoming editions of The Bulletin, and to date we have been very fortunate to receive information from a variety of sources. Please note that articles in The Bulletin express the opinion of the contributor/writer, and are not the opinion of the Provincial Board. The Board does not condone or promote vigilantism or the taking of the law into the hands of common citizens. Please take the information you glean from articles in this newsletter with a grain of salt, and consider the current climate that the article may have been written in.

Disclaimer: Editorial opinion, reports and articles published herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Alberta Provincial Rural Crime Watch Association.

Deadlines for Submission to the Bulletin: March 15, June 15, September 15 and November 15 Thank you to the United Farmer’s Association for their support of APRCWA - they print and help distribute this newsletter. We couldn’t do it without you!

Disclaimer: Editorial opinions, reports and articles published herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Alberta Provincial Rural Crime Watch Association.