The Newsy Neighbour Magazine
February Issue 112
Article Provided By: Leela Sharon Aheer, Wildrose MLA of Rocky View County
Hello Newsy Neighbour readers! Looking out the window,
there is a picture-perfect scene with snow covered fields and hoarfrost
covering all the trees and bushes. We truly live in a beautiful part of the
world. I would like to begin with thanks to Aleesha, Denise, and the rest of
the Newsy Neighbour team for all their hard work on the Second Annual Best in
Business Awards. See this issue for a list of winners. We had the great
pleasure of attending the Awards Gala. It was wonderful to meet so many of you
and to see the huge variety of local businesses that we have. Please support
them; we all win when you do. The entire evening was great fun with great food
and entertainment. We’ll be there next year.
It has been a busy time as your MLA. On the same day
as the Best in Business Awards Gala, I was a panelist for Ask Her, an
organization dedicated to advancing the cause of having more women enter local
politics. This was followed by Chestermere’s Go Girl event, attended by girls
aged 10-16. Topics ranged from self-esteem to self-defence to face painting and
Zumba. I was privileged to participate and contribute my perspective on what it
means to be a woman in the political arena, a businesswoman, and a mother.
These young ladies are our future and from what I can see, our future is in
great hands. After the Best in Business Gala, it was off to Indus for a
community fundraiser for a local fellow afflicted by Lyme Disease. The Indus
Recreation Centre was packed and the generosity of so many of you was wonderful
to behold. One of the organizers said: “It’s what we do.” And that says it all.
My assistant and I spent a day on the road looking at
many dangerous intersections in the constituency. We would like to thank everyone
who took the time to contact us with their concerns. In many cases, better
signage and longer turn lanes would go a long way towards making things safer
for everyone. We
have written to the Minister on several occasions and will continue to advocate
for safety. Please keep the calls and emails coming in and please remember to
drive defensively.
As you know, I am now the Wildrose Opposition Shadow
Minister for Education and Status of Women. On the education front, there are
several issues of concern. Many of you contacted me when the Government (with
no notice) shut down the Trinity/Wisdom home schooling board. Regardless of the
merit of any financial issues, it was completely wrong to leave 3500 students
in the lurch with no plan to have other boards take over. The Government, faced
with court action, has finally seen fit to appoint an administrator to oversee
the Trinity/Wisdom operations, which is what the Wildrose advocated from Day 1
of this fiasco. Think of the stress and lost instructional opportunities that
this heavy handed action caused. I support parental choice in education, be it
public, Catholic or other faith, private, charter, or home-based and you may be
assured I will be keeping a close eye on the Government. We are also concerned
by the apparent decline of interest in performance standards as shown by the
Calgary Board Of Education’s decision to replace grades with a 1-4 metric and
cut the reporting frequency. Parents need to know how their child is doing and
there should be regular interaction with educators. Teachers tell us they are
frustrated by this and the entire Inspiring Education program that confuses
students, parents, and the teachers themselves.
The Chestermere, SE Rocky View, and Veterans Food
Banks have all seen a huge increase in demand for their services this past
year. Please remember that the holiday season may be over but the need remains.
We collect for all of them at the office. As always, we love to hear from you.
Leela Sharon Aheer, MLA
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