Protesters take stand on border
Honking horns and flags in the wind were heard and seen on April 1 as carbon tax protesters congregated at the Saskatchewan border on the east side of Lloydminster.
The message behind the protest is simple: axe the carbon tax.
“Drop the tax altogether. I don’t want the 23 per cent gone, I don’t want a pause. Across Canada, Canadians want the carbon tax gone altogether,” said protest organizer Miranda Courts, amidst honks of support near the old Lloydminster Visitor Information Centre.
“This is organic and it will grow as more people talk. The people that came here talked to their friends and family. It’ll only grow from here as we continue on in this protest,” said Courts.
Courts says they aren’t against environmentally-friendly programs or initiatives, but funds from taxpayers shouldn’t leave Canada.
“If you want to talk about money for initiatives to help the environment, I’m down for that … but as long as you’re sending one dollar out of this country, I’m not paying a carbon tax.”
She said it was exciting to see so many people come out to support the protest, but the thing that surprised her the most was the support of those passing by.
“The one convoy, the one slow-roll that they did out of here was incredible,” she said, adding many people passing through joined in on a whim.
“They wanted to be a part of it and a lot of them joined into it just put on their hazards and joined in and were honking away. That to me was great because they’re engaging.”
Courts wants people to know that they’re in it for the long haul. She says they, along with others across the country, won’t leave until the carbon tax is discontinued.
“I want people to know that we’re out here 24/7. We’re out here until the carbon tax is dropped. I want people to know that I know it’s an inconvenience for locals and it adds some extra time onto them, but in the end, if and when we succeed at this, everybody benefits,” said Courts.
Construction looms for dialysis unit

The design phase of the planned relocation and expansion of renal dialysis services in Lloydminster is now complete with construction expected to start later this year.
The milestone achievement, which was announced by Alberta Health Services (AHS) and Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) last Thursday, is welcome news to project advocates.
“Nearly three years ago, dialysis expansion was identified as one of our group’s top 12 priorities,” said Paul Richer, chair of the Lloydminster and District Health Advisory Council.
“There will be much to celebrate at the grand opening.”
Currently, Lloydminster hemodialysis operates at the Lloydminster Hospital with five stations, allowing treatments for 20 patients per week.
The dialysis unit will expand to six stations serving 24 patients. The new unit will be built to be fully functional for nine stations and 36 patients to respond to increased patient needs in the future, should funding to operate these stations be secured.
Steelers crowned provincial champs

While most were hunkered down at home enjoying Easter weekend with family, the U13 AA Western Financial Steelers were busy winning a provincial gold medal on home ice.
The U13 AA Alberta Female Hockey League (AFHL) provincial championships were held at the Servus Sports Centre over the weekend, with the Steelers beating the Calgary Fire 3-1 on Sunday in the gold-medal game.
The provincial championship capped the Steelers’ storied season, which saw them wrap the regular season with a 21-0 record before representing Zone 7 at the Alberta Winter Games in Grande Prairie from Feb. 16-19 where they got their first taste for gold. After such a successful season, the three forwards attribute their on-ice success to a strong family dynamic, something coach Payne saw from day one.
“This is a very special group of girls,” he said. “We knew they’d be good from the start, but we didn’t know how good or how special they were. They all listen, work hard, and put in effort in practice, and it seemed like every time we were down a bit, someone, or a group of them, stepped up.”
Agriterra opens for farm season

The sun came out for the grand opening of Agriterra Equipment’s new farm equipment shop along with up to 250 invited guests, employees and visitors.
The special event was held last Thursday with a ribbon cutting, door prizes and tours of the 15,500 sq. ft. facility in the refitted former Trans Canada Truck Wash off Highway 16 in Blackfoot.
“It’s very exciting. The weather is co-operating, the yard is full of equipment, so hopefully, we’ll have lots of people out and see what we’ve done to the building,” said branch manager Kim Wildeman.
The opening was timed just ahead of farming seeding with early sales of their Morris seeding drills and Fendt tractor units.
“We’re basically concentrating on that, getting them out and getting them ready for farmers to get out in the field,” said Wildeman.
“The farmers will be itching to get in the field pretty soon.”
Agriterra is primarily an AGCO farm equipment dealership and the owner of equipment brands such as Fendt, Massey-Ferguson, Hesston and Challenger.
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