News
Town of Blackfalds Council Highlights

COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS
February 13, 2018
DELEGATION
? Ken Morrison was introduced as the new Emergency Management and Protective Services Manager.
BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES
• Council moved to approve and direct Administration to proceed with Canada 150 Mosaic project including the construction of a 12 ft x 8 ft mosaic mural with 600 4” x 4” panels painted for a cost of $15,000 with funding to come out of the Operation Reserves.
• Council suggested Administration decide what school and which 300 students will be participating in the painting of tiles. 100 tiles will be painted by the general public and 200 tiles will be painted by the artists. 600 tiles will be painted in total to complete the Canada 150 Mosaic Mural
• Council suggested Administration work with the public to decide an agreed upon location for the mural along with the design of the mural.
BUSINESS
Animal Control Services – Proposed Contract Extension
? Council moved to authorize and direct Administration to undertake a one-year contract extension, from April 1 2018 to March 31 2019 with 327241 Alberta Ltd. – Klassic Kennels to provide animal control services for the Town of Blackfalds.
? Council approved of this decision as Klassic Kennels has provided excellent animal control services for the growing community and the growing amount of pet owners.
Director of Emergency Management Appointment
? Council moved to appoint Emergency Management and Protective Services Manager Ken Morrison as Director of Emergency Management for the Town of Blackfalds, effective immediately.
Council Community Engagement Opportunities – 2018
? Council was provided with a listing which was created to provide information on a number of upcoming events and initiatives where Council will have the opportunity to attend and network with the public.
? Upcoming events can be found online at https://www.blackfalds.com/living-here/events-calendar. This include Winterfest, Chamber Meet & Greet, Home Show, Family Easter Event, Volunteer Recognition, Volunteer Firefighter Awareness Week and Community Cleanup.
ACTION CORRESPONDENCE
? The Town is encouraged to fill out a submission form for the 17th annual Minister’s Awards for Municipal Excellence which, according to the letter provided to Council, recognizes excellence in local government practices.
? AUMA provided a templated letter with the request that Council fill it out and send to the local MLA regarding police funding. It is hoped that the letters from municipalities will move forward a fair approach to police funding provided by Municipalities.
? Council requested Administration to provide more information, including a proposed plan of action regarding cannabis legalization after receiving a request from Too Far, Too Fast initiative which hopes to deter or postpone the legalization of marijuana across the country. Due to the lack of information, Council was unable to make a decision on whether or not to support this initiative at this time.
? Council was informed that a meeting with Wolf Creek Public Schools was postponed due to a pre-existing Council meeting on March 13, 2018. Administration will work with Wolf Creek Public School to re-schedule the meeting as the partnership with them is important to the Town.
OTHER BUSINESS
? The Town is ready to host Winterfest 2018 which takes place on February 19, 2018. Community Services Department Director Sean Barnes informed council that 18 Penguin Dippers have signed up, a new record.
? Blackfalds Senior Housing is in the works and Mike Leathwood, Chief Executive Officer for the Bethany Group and Melodie Stol, Stakeholder Relations Advisor met to discuss needs and possibilities. The next step in the process is to take Administration on a schedule tour of Bashaw and Camrose’s senior facilities on February 21, 2018.
International
Germany launches first permanent foreign troop deployment since WW2

MxM News
Quick Hit:
Germany activated a 5,000-strong armored brigade in Lithuania — marking its first permanent foreign military deployment since World War II. The move strengthens NATO’s eastern flank amid Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia.
Key Details:
- The 45th Armored Brigade was formally launched outside Vilnius on Tuesday.
- Germany plans for the brigade to be fully operational by 2027 in Rūdninkai, near the Belarus border.
- The deployment marks a major policy shift for Berlin and a boost for NATO’s deterrence posture.
Diving Deeper:
Germany has officially entered a new era of military engagement, launching its first permanent foreign troop deployment since the end of World War II. The move, announced Tuesday, sees the activation of a 5,000-strong armored brigade in Lithuania as part of a broader NATO strategy to counter the perceived threat from Russia.
The newly formed 45th Armored Brigade was ceremonially inaugurated outside the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. German Brigadier General Christoph Huber assumed command, overseeing the establishment of a temporary headquarters and unveiling the unit’s crest. “We have a clear mission: to ensure the protection, freedom and security of our Lithuanian allies on NATO’s eastern flank,” Huber said, adding that the unit’s presence also directly contributes to the defense of Germany and NATO as a whole.
The deployment follows a pledge made by Berlin in 2023 — a decision that broke with decades of postwar defense policy rooted in military restraint. German officials had long avoided permanently stationing combat troops abroad. That posture has changed in response to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, which has turned the Baltic region into one of NATO’s most vulnerable frontlines.
Germany’s commitment includes more than just fighting forces. The brigade will also feature key support elements, such as a medical center, communications specialists, and command support units dispersed across multiple Lithuanian locations. Troops will initially operate out of temporary facilities, with a permanent base under construction in Rūdninkai, located roughly 30 kilometers south of Vilnius.
Currently, 150 German soldiers are already on the ground in Lithuania. That figure is expected to rise to 500 by the end of the year as the new brigade scales up operations.
Media
Top Five Huge Stories the Media Buried This Week

NEERA TANDEN: “The military requires accountability. It’s the most accountable organization. You are supposed to be accountable to higher-ups. Politics isn’t supposed to have to do with any of this, and the fact that that’s happening, that they’re just basically saying nothing to do here, is a big problem, I think, for those who believe in accountability.”
@ScottJenningsKY: “I think Republicans aren’t interested in any lectures on accountability in the military after the Biden administration. I mean, the bar for getting rid of a Secretary of Defense is apparently pretty high. You can get 13 people killed and go AWOL and not tell the commander in chief, and that’s not a fireable offense.”
“But these lectures about accountability and national security after letting 10 million people into the country who raped and murdered and committed violent acts and no remorse or accountability.”
NEERA TANDEN: “What are you talking about? They closed the border.”
#4 – Bill Gates says we won’t need humans “for most things.”
During an appearance on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon asked Gates a pretty direct question: “Will we still need humans?”
Gates responded, “Not for most things. We’ll decide … There will be some things that we reserve for ourselves, but in terms of making things and moving things and growing food, over time those will be basically solved problems.”
VIDEO: @TheChiefNerd
REP JORDAN: “Is NPR biased?”
MAHER: “I have never seen any political bias.”
JORDAN: “In the DC area, editorial positions at NPR have 87 registered Democrats and 0 Republicans.”
MAHER: “We do not track the voter registration, but I find that concerning.”
JORDAN: “87-0 and you’re not biased?”
MAHER: “I think that is concerning if those numbers are accurate.”
JORDAN: “October 2020, the NYPost had the Hunter Biden laptop story, and one of those 87 Democrat editors said, ‘We don’t want to waste our readers and listeners’ time on stories that are just pure distractions.’ Was that story a pure distraction?”
Video + Transcript via @Kanekoathegreat
While you’re here, don’t forget to subscribe to this page for more weekly news roundups.
#2 – Utah becomes the first state to officially BAN fluoride in all public drinking water.
For decades, fluoride was accepted as a safe way to prevent tooth decay. Few questioned it.
But last year, in a dramatic legal twist, a federal judge ruled that fluoride may actually lower children’s IQ—and cited evidence that could upend everything we thought we knew.
That ruling sent shockwaves through the public health world.
Judge Edward Chen pointed to scientific studies showing a “high level of certainty” that fluoride exposure “poses a risk” to developing brains.
He ordered the EPA to reexamine its safety standards, warning that the margin for safety may be far too narrow.
At the center of the case: dozens of peer-reviewed studies linking everyday fluoride exposure—even at levels found in U.S. tap water—to reduced intellectual capacity in children.
It wasn’t just one paper. The National Toxicology Program, a branch of the U.S. government, also concluded that higher fluoride levels were “consistently associated” with lower IQ in kids.
They flagged 1.5 mg/L as a risk threshold. Some communities hover right near it.
In response to the growing evidence, Utah passed HB 81, banning all fluoride additives in public water.
The law takes effect May 7. It doesn’t ban fluoride completely. Anyone who wants it can still get it—like any other prescription.
And that’s the point: Utah’s lawmakers say this is about informed consent and personal choice.
This issue is no longer on the fringe. Across the country, cities and towns are quietly rethinking water fluoridation—and some have already pulled out. Utah is the first state to take bold action. It may not be the last.
The conversation surrounding fluoride has shifted from “Is it helpful?” to “Is it safe?” And for the first time in nearly a century, that question is being taken seriously.
VIDEO: @TheChiefNerd
#1 – RFK Jr. Drops Stunning Vaccine Announcement
Kennedy revealed that the CDC is creating a new sub-agency focused entirely on vaccine injuries—a long-overdue shift for patients who’ve spent years searching for answers without any support from the government.
“We’re incorporating an agency within CDC that is going to specialize in vaccine injuries,” Kennedy announced.
“These are priorities for the American people. More and more people are suffering from these injuries, and we are committed to having gold-standard science make sure that we can figure out what the treatments are and that we can deliver the best treatments possible to the American people.”
For years, the vaccine-injured have felt ignored or dismissed, as public health agencies refused to even acknowledge the problem. Now, there’s finally an initiative underway to investigate their injuries and to provide support.
Thanks for reading! This weekly roundup takes time and care to put together—and I do my best to make it your go-to source for the stories that matter most but rarely get the attention they deserve.
If you like my work and want to support me and my family and help keep this page alive, the most powerful thing you can do is sign up for the email list and become a paid subscriber.
-
2025 Federal Election5 hours ago
Mark Carney refuses to clarify 2022 remarks accusing the Freedom Convoy of ‘sedition’
-
2025 Federal Election9 hours ago
Poilievre To Create ‘Canada First’ National Energy Corridor
-
2025 Federal Election8 hours ago
Fixing Canada’s immigration system should be next government’s top priority
-
Bruce Dowbiggin7 hours ago
Are the Jays Signing Or Declining? Only Vladdy & Bo Know For Sure
-
Daily Caller6 hours ago
Biden Administration Was Secretly More Involved In Ukraine Than It Let On, Investigation Reveals
-
Freedom Convoy2 days ago
Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich, Chris Barber found guilty of mischief
-
COVID-192 days ago
Trump’s new NIH head fires top Fauci allies and COVID shot promoters, including Fauci’s wife
-
2025 Federal Election2 days ago
Poilievre promises to drop ‘radical political ideologies’ in universities