March 5, 2008
Lakeland Eagles advance to NPHL semi-final
Lakeland knocked off the Valleyview Jets 7-5 in game three of its best-of-five North Peace Hockey League quarterfinal, advancing to the next round against Fairview.
March 12, 2008
Goudreau wins provincial election in Dunvegan-Central Peace
Political winds of change would not be blowing through the Dunvegan-Central Peace constituency anytime soon. That was the strong message Progressive Conservative supporters sent to political party rivals in last week’s provincial election by endorsing a third straight term in the legislature for incumbent Tory MLA Hector Goudreau. In terms of overall support, Goudreau led the way in the election race with 4,185 votes (or 52 per cent of the voting electorate). His closest competition came once again from Wildrose Alliance Party candidate Dale Lueken, whose support dropped to 2,361 votes from the previous total of 3,322 in the 2004 election. Finishing third was Nathan Macklin of the New Democratic Party with 1,218 votes, followed by Alberta Liberal Party hopeful Bob Woken, who captured just 285 votes.
Jean Cote murder mystery fundraiser nets $8,000
Theatrical enthusiasts with an insatiable appetite for good food, mystery and intrigue got a full belly’s worth at the March 1 to 2 fundraising production of A Twist of Wine & Murder in Jean Cote. “It went over exceptionally well with the audience,” says Michelle Duval, president of the Jean Cote Cultural Development Society. So well in fact that the show was still the talk of the town and region days after the final curtain call of a blockbuster performance, which netted the society a profit of $8,000.
March 19, 2008
Former Vanier teacher admits to student romance
A teacher alleged to have been romantically and sexually involved with an 18-year-old Grade 12 student who later took his own life is facing charges in an internal Alberta Teachers’ Association disciplinary hearing. Lori-Lee Simard, who taught drama and French at Georges P. Vanier High School in Donnelly pleaded guilty Tuesday to one charge under the Teaching Profession Act – that she “engaged in an inappropriate teacher-student relationship” with student Riley Aubin between September 2005 and April 2006. Simard, who was suspended from her job in July 2006, was not at the hearing because of a prior commitment, her lawyer Brad Minuk said. Aubin, from Whitemud Creek south of Donnelly, died at home on April 9, 2006, of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. The death was ruled non-criminal.
Eagles move on to Campbell Cup final
The Lakeland Eagles of the North Peace Hockey league advanced to the Campbell Cup final against Spirit River after defeating Fairview 4-1 in games in their best-of-seven semi-final series. Poor ticket sales force cancellation of NHL Alumni fundraising game Low ticket sales forced Smoky River Golf Course Society to pull the plug on its plans to host a fundraising game with the NHL Alumni on March 15. A smaller dinner auction event was announced in its place for the evening of March 29.
March 26, 2008
Simard found guilty
An Alberta Teachers’ Association disciplinary committee found former G.P. Vanier School teacher Lori-Lee Simard guilty of four charges of unprofessional conduct. The verdict was handed down March 17 following a four-day hearing in Edmonton, which came to a close after a three-member disciplinary committee rendered its decision. The committee found that the teacher and 39-year-old mother of three, engaged in a romantic relationship with former student Riley Aubin, engaged in a sexual relationship with him and directed him to lie about his involvement with her. The committee would recommend that Alberta’s Education Minister Dave Hancock cancel Simard’s teaching certificate.