Letters to the Editor Sept. 14

Posted on September 14, 2022 by Taber Times

Thoughts for governments and citizens

Dear Editor,

Government decisions take time to give birth; government bodies as well as the people they serve must be patient with that process so that well thought-out and wise decisions can be made.

Those who try to enforce their ideologies through mob-like and other strong-arm protests violate the very freedoms and just limitations that gave them the rights to protest when they break the law to do so. Hence, decency, civility and respect for the thoughts of others should be listened to and welcomed where prudent men/women can assemble and determine plans for acting on any issue that might be strongly held by any individual or group of people.

Beware of extremist positions and proposals of those who author them. Extremism in any form reveals a flaw in respect for the ideas of others and works to destroy a moderate but more practical outcome of the issues being considered.

The best candidates for office must show a self-disciplined attitude and approach to life. Men and women seeking office should ideally be good, honourable and wise. Neither should they campaign on a list of promises that neither they nor their voters sense cannot be fulfilled. Taber-Warner MLA Grant Hunter as it is reported in the 17 of August, 2022 of The Taber Times said, “My philosophy is under promise and over deliver.”

As criminal acts occur, police protection and the implementation of justice for those harmed will necessarily follow. When this happens, let us be careful that we don’t invest our time and energy too critically against those who enforce the law to the point where our focus becomes them rather than the criminals who perpetrated the crimes in the first place.

The consistent implementation of any or all of the above practices will go a long way in resolving the genuine and unmet needs of groups and individuals who might feel disenfranchised, socially or individually abused or racially discriminated against in any variety of ways.

Ray Sheen,
Taber

Taber CiB thanks volunteers for all the hard work this summer

Dear Editor,

On behalf of Taber Communities in Bloom, I would like to extend a sincere thank you to the many volunteers for all the work they put into making our town so clean, attractive (with all the numerous and well-tended flower beds and pots), and for providing so many wonderful sports and cultural venues for our citizenry to enjoy, while the national judges for Communities in Bloom were here at the end of July.  Taber CiB is competing nationally this year representing Taber in the 6,000 to 20,000 population category.  We will find out the results during the CiB convention in Victoria, B.C. from Oct. 20-23,2022.

When a town or city competes nationally under the Communities in Bloom banner, the judges are looking not only at flowers, etc but at the community as a whole. They want to know how we utilize our outdoor environments by developing civic pride, mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, enhance green spaces, strengthen neighbourhoods, and increase investment opportunities, and tourism.  As I was driving the judges around Taber and showing them all Taber has to offer, I experienced a deeper appreciation and pride for all this community has to offer. I was born and have lived in Taber all my life, but I saw and experienced aspects of this community on that drive that made me so very grateful to be living in such a great community.

Our next thank you goes to Gary Scherer and Lisa Debona and staff at Taber Public Works for all the little extras that we call upon them to do for us.  Lisa did us a big favour at the last minute that we are extremely thankful for.  Also, to Brian Martin and Mike Melham and staff at Taber Parks and Recreation who go above and beyond to assist with any problems or extra requests that we might have.

To those people who assisted us on the judging day, we wish to thank Brenda, curator at the Taber Impact Museum, for showing the judges around the museum and answering all their questions — well done.  A special thank you goes out to Mayor Andrew Prokop who met the judges out at the “World Famous” Trout Pond and gave them the history from its original conception to what it is today and what the plans are for its future. A special thank you must also be extended to Gary Hatch, manager at the M.D. Park, and his crew who provided an exciting ATV tour of the park and a spectacular overview of the river, park, and surrounding area from a viewpoint on the east side walking trail that was breathtaking. A thank you also to the Kubota dealer in Taber, Horizon Implements, for the use of the ATV.  Many thanks to Deb Sargeant for all the information from inception to present day on the Ken McDonald Sports Complex. If you ever want to know anything about the sports complex, then Deb is the person to call. The judges looked at so many things that day from senior housing, Parkside Manor, arts and crafts building, tennis courts, the spray park, the skate park, the Cornfest Stage, residential neighbourhoods, the cemetery, the industrial park, all of Taber CiB gardens, and many more sites too numerous to mention. The judges expressed their amazement at the wonderful facilities found in a town the size of Taber and were so impressed that many of these venues were done with volunteer labour and community donations.  We also received points for the Pheasant Festival, the Wetland Project, the new arts building where the Taber Players are going to be moving, our mural project that is denoting the history of Taber, and many others. Kudos also to the business owners downtown and in the industrial area for all the weed pulling in front of their businesses that made the town look so much better and for the many homeowners who made their properties look so attractive for the judges.

A very heartfelt thank you goes out to Arvin Singh, manager of the Taber EconoLodge, who was so gracious and accommodating to the judges when a problem arose from their original reservation. Taber should be very proud with having an extremely clean, comfortable, and hospitable venue to put family and friends when they come to visit from out of town. The customer service is second to none and Arvin and his staff are to be commended.

I would like to personally thank the members of Taber Communities in Bloom for all the hard work that everyone put in to prepare for the judging. These members put in many hours of volunteer work year round, but when you, as a club, submit to running for a national award, the hours they commit to, double. Thank you to Sid Tams for the meat for the judge’s BBQ and for doing the barbecuing. Thank you to the ladies of CiB for the wonderful salads and desserts for the BBQ and to Henk and Janny DeVlieger for hosting at their home. I also need to thank Martin Shields, Grant Hunter, and Mayor Prokop for taking the time out of their busy day to attend the BBQ and meet the judges. All in all, I think we did very well in the judging — we all learned a great deal from the experience and now we wait until Oct. 23 for the results.

Thank you all so much,

Margaret Rombough
President, Taber CiB