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Alberta

A breathtaking image of Alberta from a passionate Alberta artist – Bow Lake by Larry Reese

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6 minute read

With gratitude, Todayville shares this work from well known Central Alberta artist Larry Reese. Larry has been a fixture in the artistic community for decades.  

In this brief article, Larry shares the inspiration behind this recent work “Bow Lake”

In these busy and interesting times, we invite you to take a moment to stop and smell the flowers, or in this case to drink in the overwhelming beauty of Alberta.

From Larry Reese:

The Painting of Bow Lake

Last October my wife and I left our home in Half Moon Bay, Alberta very early in the morning heading out to Summerland B.C. to attend a dedication in her father’s name, of the new George Ryga Arts & Culture Centre.
It was a clear, crisp day and around 9:30am we passed by Bow Lake. I have stopped at Bow Lake many times over the years but was so awestruck by the scene on this particular morning that we decided to turn around and go back to have a closer look. The sunlight and reflections on the water were extraordinary. There was just a slight breeze and honestly it made the lake and mountains look incredibly spectacular. In fact more spectacular than usual.
For me it was a profound experience. I quickly got a few photos and mentally did a rough sketch. When we returned home I was somewhat disappointed with the pictures as they didn’t capture the emotions I felt at the time. But my mental image was so vivid that I decided to see if I could replicate the feeling in a painting.
I knew I had to go big so the canvas I used was 40”X60”. It took me a couple of months to paint but I was in no hurry. Which was a good thing because I used oils and needed to wait for them to dry after each layer of glazing (which there were many) in order to get the water to look believable. I worked hard to get the light just right, the way I remembered the sun’s beams nestled amongst the mountain rocks and crags.
As a result I’ve got to say I am proud of the way it turned out because it comes close to expressing those wonderful sensations I had on the day. I don’t paint to make a living so I’m not sure I want to sell it. However if anyone is interested in Bow Lake, they can contact me through my website: larryreese.ca
P.S. Bow Lake is situated along the Banff/Jasper Highway 93 just south of the Saskatchewan Crossing turnoff to Highway 11. This area is one of my favourite places to go plein air painting. I have painted in this region for decades and will continue to do so for as long as I can.
Larry Reese

Photo from Artist Profile on RedDeerMuseum.com

About Larry Reese (from IMBd.com)

Born in Wisconsin in 1951 and immigrating to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada ten years later, Larry made his first impact on the art scene by winning a city wide contest to attend art classes at the Edmonton Art Gallery. There he was taught by the renowned Alberta artist, Sylvain Voyer. In 1966 his family moved to Dacca, East Pakistan where Larry learned to play the sitar, meeting Ravi Shankar in 1967 in Calcutta. Two years later Larry returned to Edmonton to pursue his music studies earning a degree in music composition at the University of Alberta. In 1971 Larry opened for British rock group, Procol Harum the night they recorded their platinum selling LP, Procol Harum – Live with the Edmonton Symphony. He toured North America with the Canadian Rock Opera’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar, and took UofA extension art classes with another famous Alberta artist, Harry Savage and family friend artist Harry Wolfarth.

Larry was off to Brandeis University near Boston Massachusetts to get a Master’s Degree in Acting in 1976 culminating in a stint at the famous off-off Broadway theatre, Café LaMama, NYC, in 1978. Larry’s first major role was in the Canadian classic film, The Hounds of Notre Dame, which over the years was followed by roles in Academy Award winning films including Clint Eastwood’s, Unforgiven and Ang Lee’s, Brokeback Mountain. Most recently Larry had a role in the Ridley Scott produced TV mini series, Klondike.

In 1983 Larry and wife Tanya Ryga went to Mexico and various places throughout South America, where Larry met and worked with German Expressionist artist Georg Rauch.

Alberta

Red Deer Justice Centre Grand Opening: Building access to justice for Albertans

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The new Red Deer Justice Centre will help Albertans resolve their legal matters faster.

Albertans deserve to have access to a fair, accessible and transparent justice system. Modernizing Alberta’s courthouse infrastructure will help make sure Alberta’s justice system runs efficiently and meets the needs of the province’s growing population.

Alberta’s government has invested $191 million to build the new Red Deer Justice Centre, increasing the number of courtrooms from eight to 12, allowing more cases to be heard at one time.

“Modern, accessible courthouses and streamlined services not only strengthen our justice
system – they build safer, stronger communities across the province. Investing in the new Red Deer Justice Centre is vital to helping our justice system operate more efficiently, and will give people in Red Deer and across central Alberta better access to justice.”

Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice and Attorney General

Government of Alberta and Judiciary representatives with special guests at the Red Deer Justice Centre plaque unveiling event April 22, 2025.

On March 3, all court services in Red Deer began operating out of the new justice centre. The new justice centre has 12 courtrooms fully built and equipped with video-conference equipment to allow witnesses to attend remotely if they cannot travel, and vulnerable witnesses to testify from outside the courtroom.

The new justice centre also has spaces for people taking alternative approaches to the traditional courtroom trial process, with the three new suites for judicial dispute resolution services, a specific suite for other dispute resolution services, such as family mediation and civil mediation, and a new Indigenous courtroom with dedicated venting for smudging purposes.

“We are very excited about this new courthouse for central Alberta. Investing in the places where people seek justice shows respect for the rights of all Albertans. The Red Deer Justice Centre fills a significant infrastructure need for this rapidly growing part of the province. It is also an important symbol of the rule of law, meaning that none of us are above the law, and there is an independent judiciary to decide disputes. This is essential for a healthy functioning democracy.”

Ritu Khullar, chief justice of Alberta

“Public safety and access to justice go hand in hand. With this investment in the new Red Deer Justice Centre, Alberta’s government is ensuring that communities are safer, legal matters are resolved more efficiently and all Albertans get the support they need.”

Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services

“This state-of-the-art facility will serve the people of Red Deer and surrounding communities for generations. Our team at Infrastructure is incredibly proud of the work done to plan, design and build this project. I want to thank everyone, at all levels, who helped make this project a reality.”

Martin Long, Minister of Infrastructure

Budget 2025 is meeting the challenge faced by Alberta with continued investments in education and health, lower taxes for families and a focus on the economy.

Quick facts

  • The new Red Deer Justice Centre is 312,000 sq ft (29,000 m2). (The old courthouse is 98,780 sq ft (9,177 m2)).
  • The approved project funding for the Red Deer Justice Centre is about $191 million.
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Alberta

CPP another example of Albertans’ outsized contribution to Canada

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From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill

Amid the economic uncertainty fuelled by Trump’s trade war, its perhaps more important than ever to understand Alberta’s crucial role in the federation and its outsized contribution to programs such as the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).

From 1981 to 2022, Albertan’s net contribution to the CPP—meaning the amount Albertans paid into the program over and above what retirees in Alberta received in CPP payments—was $53.6 billion. In 2022 (the latest year of available data), Albertans’ net contribution to the CPP was $3.0 billion.

During that same period (1981 to 2022), British Columbia was the only other province where residents paid more into the CPP than retirees received in benefits—and Alberta’s contribution was six times greater than B.C.’s contribution. Put differently, residents in seven out of the nine provinces that participate in the CPP (Quebec has its own plan) receive more back in benefits than they contribute to the program.

Albertans pay an outsized contribution to federal and national programs, including the CPP because of the province’s relatively high rates of employment, higher average incomes and younger population (i.e. more workers pay into the CPP and less retirees take from it).

Put simply, Albertan workers have been helping fund the retirement of Canadians from coast to coast for decades, and without Alberta, the CPP would look much different.

How different?

If Alberta withdrew from the CPP and established its own standalone provincial pension plan, Alberta workers would receive the same retirement benefits but at a lower cost (i.e. lower CPP contribution rate deducted from our paycheques) than other Canadians, while the contribution rate—essentially the CPP tax rate—to fund the program would likely need to increase for the rest of the country to maintain the same benefits.

And given current demographic projections, immigration patterns and Alberta’s long history of leading the provinces in economic growth, Albertan workers will likely continue to pay more into the CPP than Albertan retirees get back from it.

Therefore, considering Alberta’s crucial role in national programs, the next federal government—whoever that may be—should undo and prevent policies that negatively impact the province and Albertans ability to contribute to Canada. Think of Bill C-69 (which imposes complex, uncertain and onerous review requirements on major energy projects), Bill C-48 (which bans large oil tankers off B.C.’s northern coast and limits access to Asian markets), an arbitrary cap on oil and gas emissions, numerous other “net-zero” targets, and so on.

Canada faces serious economic challenges, including a trade war with the United States. In times like this, it’s important to remember Alberta’s crucial role in the federation and the outsized contributions of Alberta workers to the wellbeing of Canadians across the country.

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