From the Smoky Lake Signal, December 12, 2001. Page 3. Editorial.

Save the World

Even weekly newspapers sometimes get can we save the world phone calls, from citizens who hope that we have the answers. This morning's was from Fiona Pelech. She's an 87 year old retired teacher. She lived in Bellis where her husband was a grain buyer before he died of a heart attack. She moved to Edmonton, and raised four children, who are now quite successful.

She believes, like I do, that if you spend your time and energy on your kids while they are young, then the rest of your life will be easy. Hers has been. She has had time to help organize events like the elder hostel tours that came to Smoky Lake and Warspite a few years ago. They enjoyed it here.

A problem she wanted me to solve is how do you stop the Alberta government from wiping out small businesses. A senior's housing unit in Edmonton was supplied with eggs by a farmer from Two Hills. He was recently told he can't deliver his eggs any more.
Pretty soon we won't be able to even buy honey at Farmers' Markets, said Fiona Pelech. Having read articles over the years in the Smoky Lake Signal, she asked how's the milk plant? Bankrupt.

How did those small meat cutters do? The Bellis 4-H beef incident.  Well, the meat got tanked by the Alberta government inspectors. Not even the support of the local MLA helped, and the regulations keeping small competition out of the meat cutting industry is as strong as ever. Not good, lost that one too.

She said she has a number of friends who were all leaders, award winners in their field, and she wants them to do something.

I told her not to vote Conservative. Join the Parkland Institute, it's part of the University of Alberta (492-8558), and they promote the viewpoint there are other ways besides the Conservative "let the rich stay rich, and who cares for the poor" attitude that we have in this province. This is a province that doesn't even have the guts to put in a law that says schizophrenics have to take their medicine.

 Saskatchewan, B.C., Ontario and many of the United States have that law. If Marvin Pytel had of been living elsewhere, maybe his son would have been on medication instead of holding a gun to his head. And, if we had politicians who worked at economic development in this area, Marvin's last days wouldn't have been fighting to save the Smoky Lake Elevator.

Fiona said she has had her own frustrations with government. She tried to promote multi languages in the province. Albertans should know more than one language. Twice the bill got to the stage of final readings and only needed to be proclaimed, but then was dropped because of an election.

Why do governments do that?

Why do governments stay in power for 30 years in this province?

Fiona said she would contact Ralph Klein. There has got to be a way to save small businesses.

She had read the Edmonton Journal article, and couldn't understand why the County of Smoky Lake wasn't supporting the Signal. She encouraged us to continue anyway.

If the Signal goes, the whole town will go, she said. Not really. It may just seem that way.

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