THE OFFICIAL COMMUNITY LEAGUE NEWSPAPER:BRITANNIA-YOUNGSTOWN, CANORA, GLENWOOD, HIGH PARK, MAYFIELD & WEST JASPER / SHERWOODALSO SERVING THE STONY PLAIN ROAD AND AREA BUSINESS REVITALIZATION ZONE

APRIL 2010VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 3CIRCULATION 15,000

Insidethis issueBYLAW BUZZ page 7

Keep your sidewalks icefree during the big melt!

JPRS UPDATE page 2

UPDATE on the LRT!

BRZ UPDATE page 3

What is the HUM!THE SPURR SAYS page 6

Congratulations to Marian Bruin!

It's a beautiful time of year. The snow is melting and the ground is thawing. There's adifferent smell in the air. Dare I write it? I thinkit means that spring is right around the corner,and with this comes another opportunity tosave money.

Save Money on GroceriesIf you are trying to cut back on expenses, oneway of saving on your grocery bill is to plantyour own garden. Who doesn't love the tasteof freshly picked foods and you can plant yourown vegetables, fruits and even herbs to cutyour costs in the long run.

Make sure you plant vegetables and fruit thatwill grow well for the area. To read more aboutplanting and maintaining your garden, go toyour local library to take some books out on thesubject, or search around online. You can alsoask at your local nursery.

If you use a lot of herbs, you may want to lookinto planting some in your garden or in pots inyour yard. An added bonus to herb gardens isthat most herbs will actually come back year

after year without the need to buy more andplant again each year thus saving money. One thing to note is that if you plant your herbsin containers, you will either need to movethem indoors for the winter or plant them in theground to overwinter as they will not surviveour cold winter climate outdoors in pots.

Save Money GardeningIf you are already a green thumb and you arelooking for some ways to save money whiledoing what you love, then here are some tips tohelp stretch your dollar.

Composting is good for you and the environ-ment. It helps to dispose of unwanted tablescraps, and it will help to keep the need forchemicals at bay. You can make a very cheapcomposter in your yard and even in your house.Just read up on 'do-it-yourself' compost binsonline to get an idea of what you will need.

If you have a neighbour with some beautifulplants in their yard, ask about them. Find out if they go to seed and see if your neighbour hasany that they would like to share, trade or get rid of. I know each year at our house Ihave a few plants that give off a lot of seeds. Itbenefits your neighbours to have nice looking yards around them, so they may behappy to help you out.

The same goes for vegetables. If your neigh-bour grows vegetables and you would likesome seeds, ask if they can save some seeds

for you for the next planting season. If you putthe word out early that you are interested inplants, they may think of you first if they havesome extra seeds left over from their springplanting.

One last way to save money while gardening isto wait until the late summer and early fall topurchase your plants. If you aren't too particularto what you want to plant, you may want to holdoff on paying full price for a couple of months.

Most nurseries will sell off their stock of outdoor plants starting as early as just afterCanada Day. The discount will increase as the summer goes on and with that theselection will decrease. So the longer you wait,there won't be much to choose from, but youshould be able to find something to fill that gapin your yard at a great price.

You will need to get the plants into the groundas soon as possible before the fall and doublecheck with the nursery to see if you should be fertilizing it to give it the best chance of sur-viving winter.

I hope these tips help you to save some additional money around the yard. See youagain in May when Michelle will be back withmore tips on gardening.

Sheri Landry is the owner and author ofwww.thisbirdsday.com.

SHERI LANDRY

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SPURR • APRIL 2010 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 3

www.thespurr.caGardening: Michele Hebert gardening@thespurr.ca

It Makes Cents: Sheri Landry itmakescents@thespurr.ca

Community Info: Wendy Kinsman community@thespurr.ca

Business Info: Diane Kereluk business@thespurr.ca

Advertising:Jim Wooley ads@thespurr.ca

Publisher: Pie Communications Inc. 544, 12222 137 AvenuePh: (780) 757-0993Fax: (780) 401-3438Edmonton, AB, T5L 4X5 www.piecommunications.com

What is SPURR The Stony Plain (road and area) UrbanRevitalization Report is a community basednewspaper whose mission it is to serve the west-end communities of Britannia-Youngstown, Canora, Glenwood, High Park,Mayfield, & West Jasper / Sherwood alongwith the Members of the Stony Plain Road and Area Business Association.

SPURR is a joint initiative for Community &Business Interests of Edmonton’s west-end lead by: City of Edmonton CommunityServices, Neighbourhood RevitalizationProject and the Stony Plain Road and AreaBusiness Revitalization Zone.

The opinions expressed in the articles appear-ing in The SPURR are those of the peoplenamed as the authors and do not necessarilyreflect those of The SPURR, its editor, its pub-lisher, the City of Edmonton or the Stony PlainRoad and Area Business Revitalization Zone.

For More Information Please Contact: Wendy Kinsman, Jasper Place RevitalizationCoordinator, Office of Great NeighbourhoodsCity of Edmonton Community Services Dept.100835 - 120 St. N.W. P.O. Box 2359, Edmonton, AB, T5J 2R7 Ph: (780) 495-0321 wendy.kinsman@edmonton.ca

Diane Kereluk, Stony Plain Road and Area Business Association 10043 151 Street. Edmonton, AB, T5P 4Z7Ph: (780) 477-5169 info@stonyplainroadbrz.ca

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERSWithout our Advertisers you wouldnot be reading this newspaper. OurAdvertisers survive on your business.Please support our advertisers andwhen you call or visit them pleasemake sure to say you saw them in theSPURR. Thank you.

THE SPURR NEEDS YOU! If you have a story or a photo depicting how

life is, was or should be in Edmonton’s west

end we would love to hear from you. Please

forward your stories to the publishers address

above, thank you.

FREE EVENT CALENDARThe SPURR publishes area events and activi-

ties in a monthly calendar in print and online.

Please send us your date sensitive event infor-

mation, we would love to include what we can

and it’s FREE.

JASPER PLACE REVITALIZATION UPDATE

WENDY KINSMAN(780) 495-0321

Hello everyone; I am your newJasper Place NeighbourhoodRevitalization Coordinator and Ibring you my enthusiasm anddirect experience working withcommunities for the past 18years working for The City ofEdmonton.

I am very excited to be working inthis position and have the opportu-nity to meet great volunteers whoare supporting the Jasper PlaceRevitalization, committed workingmen and women who lead theStony Plain BRZ, not-for-profitagencies and outstanding citizenswho all have a vision to build a bet-ter place.

I would like to thank Marian Bruin,my predecessor, friend, and colleague who has workedextremely hard to hear all of yourideas, dreams and concerns tocreate the Jasper PlaceRevitalization Strategy which willcontinue to build healthy, vibrantwell connected communities.

Wendy's Monthly Quote:Changing things is central to

leadership. Changing them beforeanyone else is creativeness.

-- Jay's First Law of Leadership

I have been in this NeighbourhoodRevitalization Coordinator fourweeks now, and I have had theopportunity to meet many of you.Your input has been invaluable as Itry to get a true pulse of the workthat many of you have eitherplanned or participated in. Ithank you for being patient withme learning my new job andgiving me the time I need to getmy feet on the ground. It has beenbrought to my attention that withall of the joy, hopes and accomplishments that haveoccurred over the past threeyears, there has been some surprizes, concerns and someabrupt changes put before all ofyou. I have met with staff from theTransportation Department andthe Planning and DevelopmentDepartment, to understand whatplans are in place for the commu-nities that are connected to Stony

Plain Road between 149St. and170St. I have heard many varied comments from the people andcommittees I have met with onthe future of the LRT coming toyour communities. Some of yousee it as progressive, going green,fast efficient transportation, newarchitecture and keeping up witha fast growing population. Otherpeople have expressed con-cerns over safety for families withyoung children, seniors who havemobility disabilities, businesseswho are concerned over the wel-fare of their business, customeraccess to their shops and notreceiving updated information onthe details on the LRT routes, station locations, street alignmentand how is this going to affectthe vision and plans that havebeen created for the Jasper PlaceRevitalization (JPR) Strategy.

Transportation Department,City of Edmonton update:The Transportation Department iscurrently planning LRT PublicConsultations for all of the newroutes in Edmonton.

The WEST LRT ROUTE CON-SULTATIONS are tentativelyplanned for the first week ofMay, 2010.

The specific dates and locationsfor each section of the West LRTwill be posted in mid April on theCity of Edmonton's web page:

www.edmonton.ca/transporta-tion/ets/west-lrt.aspx. During thisLRT consultation, you will be ableto view the drawings, which willinclude the position of the LRT onthe road and the location of theLRT stations. You will learn whatare the structural givens andareas where you will have theopportunity to provide input. Iencourage all of you to come andsee the plans.

Change is coming and as theJasper Place RevitalizationCoordinator, I am planning aworkshop with the Jasper PlaceRevitalization SteeringCommittee to discuss their suc-cesses, challenges, and issuesand how we can make the JPRStrategy a living, breathing,action orientated document.The 2010 JPR Plans include,continuing support of theSPURR, with further public consultation to develop a final-ized land use plan andstreetscape plan integrated withthe LRT for the Stony PlainRoad area; supporting communi-ty events, signage to the rivervalley, work with the BusinessAssociation to develop aHolistic Urban Market and workwith interested citizens to support the development ofcommunity gardens.

I look forward to working with allof the volunteers, staff and busi-nesses who are supporting theJPR Strategy and meeting citi-zens at all of the exciting eventsthat are planned over the nextfew months! Working closelytogether we can take plannedaction and make our communitiesa better place to live.

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STONY PLAIN ROAD AND AREA UPDATE

DIANE KERELUK(780) 477-5169

I just had to write you about amost memorable experience werecently had.

My family and I went to HapsRestaurant recently on a Saturdaymorning. Although the restaurantwas very busy we were greeted atthe door by a cheerful hostesswho showed us to our table. Shedelivered menus and water foreach of us. Our waitress camesoon behind her with a coffee potand asked if we would like anyother beverages. After our orderwas taken for drinks she soonarrived back at our table with milk

$50 gift towards your next diningexperience within the qualifyingbusiness area and your review willget printed in the next edition ofthe SPURR. Reviews should bearound 300 words and e-mailed inWord (.doc) or Rich Text (.rtf) to:editior@thespurr.ca. Winningentries will be based on the qualityof writing and may be edited forcontent and length.

Congratulations to the followingrestaurants for the great reviews:

Hoang Long Restaurant Vic’s Pizza

Cheese Cake Tasty Tomato

Joeys Grill & Lounge

You be the Judge…Restaurant Reviewand a carafe of coffee. What a treatnot having to wait for a second cupof coffee.

Breakfasts were well priced andvery large servings. When youhave teenage boys you are tryingto feed there never seems to beenough food. One ordered pan-cakes (3) and bacon and could notfinish his meal. The secondordered the special, bacon, eggs,toast and hashbrowns. Guesswhat, he could not finish all of iteither. I had the Eggs Bennedictand was very delighted. Grandmahad the Veggie Omelette whichwas loaded with veggies. The totalbreakfast bill for us all including a

good tip (always worth a big onefor great service) was under$45.00.

I don't know where else I could fillthese boys up for so little.

I would highly recommend HapsRestaurant to anyone looking for agreat meal at a good price withwonderful service, but hurry theyare only open till 3:00 pm and arealways super busy.

Thank you.Debbie de Boer

Submit your reviews! If we chooseto print your review, you will win a

What’s the HUM?Holistic Urban Market

As a non-profit organization fund-ed by its member, the Stony PlainRoad and Area BusinessAssociation strives to establishlong-term partnership betweenthe business community, the sur-rounding communities and thepublic and private sector toimprove safety and security, topromote business revitalizationand to encourage economicdevelopment and businessrecruitment. In order to attractmore people to the street,improve image of the Stony PlainRoad and Area BusinessRevitalization Zone, raise morefunds, and interest new busi-nesses and investors, variousevents and activities are launchedand offered free to the public.We are very excited to announceanother new launch. To furtherenhance community and busi-ness development we are work-ing towards establishing a worldclass indoor/outdoor year roundHolistic Urban Market that willattract the public who not onlyenjoy frequenting the standardfarmer markets but also thosewho are interested in the holisticapproach to a healthy life style.By creating the big dream andvision, attracting the people whobelieve the vision is achievable,encouraging stakeholders to

invest their time and resourcesand seek out sponsorship whoappreciate the value and want tobe part of the development, webelieve all of this is a combinationfor success. By creating aholistic and uniqueapproach we are hopingto attract the very valu-able consumer, by entic-ing them to visit andexplore a whole new con-cept for a farmers marketwhich in turn will onlyincrease the chances ofsuccess in an already com-petitive and repetitive mar-ket.

Be a part of this excitingdevelopment, to kick off theH.U.M. the Stony PlainRoad and Area BusinessAssociation will be hosting aBusiness/Community mixerthat will exhibit retailers in thearea that provide services andproducts related to the holistichealthy lifestyle. Come out andsee what we have to offer. First60 tickets are free. Pick up yourticket at 10043 151 Street.

Join us for the firstBusiness & Community Mixer

$10.00Thursday April 29

5:00 – 7:00 pmAppetizers and Refreshments

(Cash Wine Bar)15211 Stony Plain Road

Eclectic Strip Offers UpHealthy Alternatives to

Big Box ShoppingBy Leslie Marks

Finding healthy organic foodchoices needn’t involve a lengthy

trip to the south side ofEdmonton. Stony Plain Road isbursting with healthy alternatives,right here in our own community.Just steps away from

your frontdoor are a variety of businesseswho want to help you make posi-tive long term lifestyle choices.

The next several articles willunearth some of these whole-some hidden gems and offersome great ideas for healthy livingfound along our unique retail strip.With the support of its residentsand the Stony Plain RevitalizationCommittee, our eclectic west endcommunity will continue to grow, we must shop locally.

Long before anyone had heard oforganic, trans fat free or freerange, Ben’s Meat, still operatingtoday from their original locationon Stony Plain Road , has beengracing dinner tables with quality,local products. Now operated byBen’s grandson, David, this thirdgeneration retail icon store boastsa variety of meat, eggs and poul-

try along with several Dutch andIndonesian treats. Wanting tograce my table with locaI poultryI decide on a Chicken for

dinner thisevening. David wraps up a plumpfree range roast chicken as hechatters away with some regularpatrons. Within a few minutes ofour meeting, David has given mea couple of great ideas for a porkroast, offered a short lesson onselecting meat, and providedsome background about the farm,south of Edmonton, wheretonight’s chicken dinner originat-ed. Even the elderly shopper wait-ing her turn in line, chimes in withher secret for tender poultry. Onetrip to Ben’s and I’m hooked.

After years of battling the bustleand anonymity of big box shop-ping, it is a real treat to pause andinteract with the person behindthe counter and meet my fellowneighbours. Shopping locally pro-vides so much more that justfresh food – it gives us a connec-tion to our community and astrong, sustainable future.

1/2 cup olive oil

3 lemons

2 Table spoon of Moroccan Seasoning- if you do not have recipe below

2 springs of fresh parsley

Chicken for Roasting - I am using 4lb chicken

Moroccan Seasoning

5 Teaspoons of Nutmeg2 1/2 Teaspoons of All Spice

5 Teaspoons of ground cumin 2 1/2 Teaspoons of ground ginger

5 Teaspoons of Coriander 1 1/4 Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper

1 1/4 Teaspoon of Cinnamon - Mix Spices and store in Airtight Container

MethodPreheat oven to 350. Combine olive oil, fresh lemon juice, 2 pinches of lemon

rind, moroccan seasoning in a small bowl. Brush bottom of roaster and Chicken

with the mixture. Cook for 2 hours basting every 1/2 hour - last 1/2 hour top with

fresh parsley

Serve with Couscous and a Green Salad

Leslie's Moroccan Roast ChickenLeslie's Moroccan Roast Chicken

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$10

$10$10

$10STONY PBUSINESS & C

REF

STONY PBUSINESS & C

my

4 S P U R R A P R I L 2 0 1 0

BRITANNIA-YOUNGSTOWN

GLENWOOD

CANORA

HIGH PARK

S P U R R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S

Contact: 15927 - 105 AvenueEdmonton, AB T5P 0T8Phone: 780-483-8983

Gardening ClubIn February we launched the upcomingspring with a Gardening and Seed Party. Itwas such a success that we've decided tostart a gardening club. Interested in joining?Our second event is planned for mid-May - aperennial exchange. Watch for the MaySPURR for the exact time and date. Startthinking back to how your perennials lookedin the fall. Do any need dividing? Do youneed to add anything new? Spring is a greattime to sort them out and enjoy a beautifulsummer of blooms. Come and join us!

Contact miep@shaw.ca or byclcommunica-tions@hotmail.com (Evelyn at 780-930-2195)to get onto our email list and don't miss anyof our gardening events.

SoccerAre you still looking for a soccer team for yourchild this spring? Email Debbie Yochim atdyochim@hotmail.com and she'll do her bestto match you up with a team.

Hope to see you on the field this year!

Senior's Spring TeaA traditional way to celebrate the return ofwarm weather is with a tea party. With Aprilnot being predicably spring-like, let's wait untilMay. Watch for the date in the May SPURRand come on out to join us.

Hall BookingsFor hall bookings, general inquiries,requests for programs or to join our league,please call Britannia YoungstownCommunity Hall at 780-483-8983 or emailBYCLgeneral@hotmail.com. We'd love tohear from you.

Contact: 10425 - 152 StreetEdmonton, AB T5P 4P1Phone: 780-489-6007

Contact: 11032 - 154 StreetEdmonton, AB T5P 2K1Phone: 780-484-4646www.highparkcommunity.com

High Park Community LeagueAnnual General Meeting

Sunday, May 30, 20101:30 – 2:30 Everyone Welcome!

High Park Preschool Registration for September, 2010 Ages 30 months – 4 years. Thursday April 29 @7:00. High Park Community Hall. Contact Paulafor more information @ 780-479-6929

High Park Garage SaleSaturday May 8th, 2010. For Tables contactPaula – 780-297-0648

1st High Park Movie NightFriday April 30. Dinner & Movie, 6:00 pm. Musthave Community League Membership to

Contact: 16430 - 97 AvenueEdmonton, AB T5P 0E8Phone: 780-489-7571

Glenwood's Gone……through one of it's busiest years ever!From a crowd of 500+ at a birthday bash, tobeing front and centre in the debate over thepath for the largest light-rail expansion inEdmonton in 30 years.

MAYFIELD

Contact: 10941 - 161 StreetEdmonton, AB T5P 1G2Phone: 780-483-4675

It’s time to Spring Clean the Executive! At the Annual General Meeting, some Boardmembers will be vacating their positions.Volunteering on the Executive Board is anexcellent way to have an impact in your community. If being on the board is too muchof a time commitment, there are other ways toget involved. Please plan to attend the AnnualGeneral Meeting to find out more about howyour Community League operates.

The Annual General Meeting is Thursday,April 8, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.

Come meet the Executive Board membersat a Twoonie Pancake Breakfast on May 15thfrom 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Contact Information Community League President: Tara Middleton 780-486-6152 or e-mail mayfieldcommunity@yahoo.ca

What do you think?Watch your mailboxes for a questionnaire asking your opinion about the community andits needs. You can return it at the CommunityLeague Hall or at Save On Food at MayfieldCommon. Each questionnaire will be enteredin a prize draw, which will occur at the AnnualGeneral Meeting on Thursday, April 8th.

Come out to the Glenwood Tea and AGMon Sunday, April 18th.

Join us for specialty tea, coffee and sharesome sweet treats around a table with yourfriends, neighbours and some new faces.Everyone is welcome to come and share theirideas for activities, events and suggestionsfor improving the beautiful community ofGlenwood. We will be going over the pastyear's activity, and looking forward to the nextyear. There will be plenty of information aboutthings happening in and around Glenwoodincluding information regarding the LRTexpansion. All Glenwood residents are wel-come, including those in apartments, condosand houses.

Glenwood Annual Tea and AGMSunday, April 18th, 2010 at 2:00 pmGlenwood Hall - 16430 97 Avenue

Everyone welcome!

(The Glenwood boundaries are from 156Street west to 170 street, and from 95Avenue north to Stony Plain Road.)

Higher Density Housing = More People in a Smaller Area(i.e. Apartments, Condos etc.)Do you know where higher density housingwill be allowed in your mature neighbour-hood? Find out at the Residential InfillGuidelines Session at the GlenwoodCommunity League Hall, 16430-97 ave, 7 pm, May 5, 2010. The session will pro-vide a map of where higher density housingis recommended (giving Glenwood as anexample), an overview of quality controlguidelines, and the opportunity to haveinput into requirements for apartment yardssuitable for children. For more informationcontact Paula.Ainsley@edmonton.ca orBev.Zubot@efcl.org, 780-437-2913

attend. Cost for dinner - $15.00 Family of 4 ormore $4.00 per person. Adult must be in atten-dance with children. Additional Movie/ DinnerNights will be last Friday of each month unlessotherwise noted. For additional info or to regis-ter, contact Nora at 780-4861867.

Adult Drop-In Please join us when we reconvene inSeptember . Drop in, have a cup of coffee anda visit! Wednesdays – 12:30pm – 3:30pm.High Park Community Hall, for information, callJoan at 780-489-5419

High Park Community Hall seats 200 people. Please call Roger to book your special event @ 780-474-7892 before 8 PM.

Are you interested in your community? Meetingnew people and making a difference? Join ourBoard of Directors. If you are interested, contactJanice Gargas at 780-489-4753

Did you know that you can use your communi-ty Credits for use OUTSIDE of the community!Registering your child for tae kwon do, etc?

Cheques are issued at the Board of Directorsmeeting, the second Tuesday of each month at7:30pm. Contact Nora St Jean prior to registering 780-486-1867!

S P U R R A P R I L 2 0 1 0 5

COMMUNITY NEWSMark your calendars for August 9 – 13, whenMayfield Community League will be hostingRock Star Camp/Rock for children aged 9 –12. Watch for registration information comingsoon in the City of Edmonton SummerPrograms Booklet as space will be limited.

BaseballThe Mayfield Community Ball Tournament willrun again this year on the Father’s Day week-end, June 18th – 20th. Watch for details.

Bingo Mayfield is always looking for volunteers towork. The credit you receive can be usedtowards Mayfield Community classes andeven children's programs outside our commu-nity. Please call Tara if you are interested. Thenext bingo dates are: Saturday, May 1st and Sunday, June 6th.

Hall Rentals For resident members only. Leave a messageat the hall and a Board member will call youback. 780-483-4675.

Community MembershipsGet your membership now! Call Elaine 780-481-8108 Singles - $15.00 Families - $25.00 Seniors - $10.00

WEST JASPER / SHERWOOD

Contact: 9620 - 152 StreetEdmonton, AB T5P 4N9Phone: 780-483-2815

More Soccer for the Little OnesIs your 4 - 6 year old interested in trying outsoccer? Call Mike @ (780) 487-1031 to joinMayfield's Little Kickers program. Available toMayfield residents.

Pilates Every Monday at the hall 8 to 9 pm. CallBonnie for more info 780-489-3254.

Yoga Every Tuesday at the Hall 6:30 to 7:45 pm. CallFran for more info 780-484-1476.

Seniors Carpet Bowling Tuesdays and Thursdays. For more informa-tion call Doreen @ 780-486-1833 or Marlene @780-484-5728.

Moms and Tots Dads, newborns, grandparents, and caregiversall welcome. No cost. Wednesdays 9:30 -11:00 at Mayfield Hall. For information contactTara @ 780-486-6152.

Please make sure you fill out the questionnaireas it gives important feedback to theCommunity League and to the City ofEdmonton of how best we can serve the community.

Mmmm…cookies!The Girl Guides will be out selling girl guidecookies on March 31. Cookies are $4.00 perbox. We will also be out for a bottle drive onApril 17 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Please haveyour bottles ready for us when we knock onyour door. All your support is greatly appreciated in our fundraising efforts. If we miss you, please contact us atbonniesgirlguides@yahoo.ca

Spring Cleaning Your CommunityPitch-In Canada week is April 19 – 25, 2010.This is the time to rally the neighbours and getrid of the unsightly gunk revealed by the melt-ing show. Check out www.pitch-in.ca for moredetails. Contact Tara the Community LeaguePresident at 780-486-6152 or e-mail mayfieldcommunity@yahoo.ca to get involvedin our community clean-up.

Start Thinking of Summer!The City of Edmonton “Green Shack” programwill be running again this summer.

M a r y M a c D o n a l dFederaL Liberal Candidatefor Edmonton Centre

e-mail: ElectMaryMacDonald@gmail.com

Cat Sittingby

Call Joanat 451-3384

Let your cat(s) enjoy your holidayin the comfort of their own home.

The Cat Lady

BUSINESS CONNECTOR

CLASSIFIEDS

For SaleNew-to-You Sale April 10, 9am – 1pmTrinity United Church8810 Meadowlark RoadClothing, linens, householditems, toys, books jewellery,garden items, and more_________________________

Got Something to Sell?Place your text only classi-fied ads here in your localcommunity newspaper andreach 15,000 people inEdmonton’s West End. At$0.10 per character this Adyou are reading costs lessthan $20.00.

Place your business card in the SPURR and reach out to the community. Email: ads@thespurr.ca

If you have questions or concernsplease feel free to contact me:

Karen LeiboviciCouncillor, Ward 1

2nd Floor, 1 Sir Winston Churchill Sq.,Edmonton, AB T5J 2R7Phone: 496-8120 Fax: 496-8113Email: karen.leibovici@edmonton.ca

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5 - 7 PMAPRIL 29, 2010

APPETIZERS AND REFRESHMENTS SERVED

CASH WINE BAR15211 STONY PLAIN ROAD

FOR MORE INFO VISIT WWW.STONYPLAINROADBRZ.CA OR CALL 780-477-5169

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BUSINESS & COMMUNITY MIXER5 - 7 PM

APRIL 29, 2010APPETIZERS AND

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15211 STONY PLAIN ROAD

STONY PLAIN ROAD AND AREA

BUSINESS & COMMUNITY MIXERDeadline fornext issue is:April 21, 2010

6 S P U R R A P R I L 2 0 1 0

UNDERSTANDING PET FOOD

JILL BLADON

The SPURR Staff sendCongratulations to Marian Bruinon her new position at the City ofEdmonton. Marian was a drivingforce in the creation of SPURRand a vaulable asset to all in theCommunities she served.

We wish Marian the best of luckin her new adventure.

THE SPURR SAYS…

Come out and Play Full Contact Footballwith

The West Edmonton Raiders

www.westedmontonraiders.comwww.westedmontonraiders.com

Registration will take place at Aldergrove Community League in the hall the address is 8535 - 182 Street.

The West Edmonton Raiders Minor Football Association is now registering kids between the ages of 7 and 15 for our new season of full contact football.

The registration dates and times are as follows:

Friday March 26th from 6:30 - 9:00Saturday April 10th from 5:00 - 8:00

Friday April 16 from 6:30 - 9:00

All equipment is provided, check out our website for more details.

Pet food commercials can be veryconvincing. Vibrant dogs intentlystare and jump at morsels of theirkibble and adoring owners playingwith their cats. When only thefinest will do, why is a commercialor what your friends or family feedtheir pet the reason you selected aparticular brand for your animal? Inreality if images of your pet’s foodare flashed across a televisionscreen, then it’s probably not thatgreat for them.

Pet foods need to meet or exceedthe minimum nutrient standardsset by the Association of AmericanFeed Control Officials (AAFCO).This can be done in two ways, for-mulating the food and having itchemically analyzed afterwards toprove that it provides adequatenutrition or by testing the food onpets to see if it meets adequatenutritional levels. The latter is oftenthe preferred method by veterinar-ians; however it would seemunnecessary to have animals suf-fer from the ill effects of foodwhen the food could be formulat-ed properly to begin with.To really understand what you’refeeding your pet you need to start

with the basics. Every ingredienton the ingredient panel is listed byweight. Pet foods are made up ofmany components, but for thisexercise concentrate on what it ismainly comprised of. Locate theingredients panel on the bag of petfood and find the first fat or oil. Theingredients that come before thatfat or oil is what the food is prima-rily made up of.

Secondly, analyze the quality of allof the ingredients. Grains (often anallergy source) are not that highlydigestible, and as a general rule it’sbest to avoid corn, wheat, and soy.Protein sources should be highlydigestible and easily recognizable such as chicken orchicken meal. Mysterious proteinsources such as “meat”, “animal”,and even “poultry” do not pin pointa specific animal. When vagueterms such as these are found onthe ingredients list, you likely donot want to know what was actually used.

Another problem is the use of ren-dered animals and by-products inpet foods. Be aware that eutha-nized animals and even animalsused in laboratory tests can end upin pet food. Even if that is not thecase with your pet’s food, it may

still contain by-products whichessentially are the hair, hooves,feet, beaks, and feathers of ani-mals that would normally be dis-carded. In low quality pet foods,they will use this cheap and barelydigestible ingredient to increasethe crude protein content of thefood, often trying to pass it off as anatural source of glucosamine.

Lastly figure out how your pet foodis being preserved. Chemicalpreservatives allot up to a 5-yearshelf life and are believed to be car-cinogenic. To be safe avoid BHA,BTA, Propylene Glycol, Ethoxyquin,TBHQ, Propyl Gallate, and SodiumBenzoate. Alternatively look fornatural preservatives includingmixed tocopherols, citric acid androsemary that keep pet food freshfor up to 18 months without poten-tially nasty side effects.

Our pets live only a fraction of ourlifespan and bring so much joy toour lives. There are safer andhealthier pet foods available on themarket than perhaps the oneyou’re currently feeding. Likely itwill not cost that much more, if atall, to treat them to a better diet.Bring in a bag of your pet’s currentfood to Tailz for a complimentaryanalysis.

Editor: The candidate for this job willhave editing experience and a desire tobe a part of the SPURR community.Basic computer skills a must along witha good understanding of MS Word andEmail, other software experience aplus. Join the SPURR and get involvedin the communities it represents.

Sales Associate: Do you want to workfrom home, make your own schedule,and get rewarded in proportion to yourefforts? Then you might be the personwe are looking for. The SPURR is look-ing for an energetic individual who canknock on doors and chat with clientsregarding their advertising needs. Thisis a commission based position, so adsales experience would be a plus, butall you need is a good work ethic andbe willing to take direction.

Interested? Please forward your resumeto info@piecommunications.com or faxyour resume to 780-401-3438.

POSITIONS AVAILABLEPOSITIONS AVAILABLE

S P U R R A P R I L 2 0 1 0 7

Happy Spring Everyone.The snow is quickly melting andsoon it will be time to get out andenjoy the great outdoors and ourparks.

Upcoming events in St. AnnePark at 102 Ave and 153 St is:

MAY 30Third Annual Mini Carnival from 1:00PM to 4:00PM.

Come out and join us for aBarbeque. We will also havethree live bands, face-painting,games and much more. Bring

CANORA PARK WATCH

As the sun shines a little longereach day and the snow disap-pears from our yards, I ampleasantly reminded that thepassing of winter and the transi-tion to spring means “it’s timeto clean up.”

Homeowners, please be sure tokeep city sidewalks adjacent toyour properties safe. We allknow how slippery sidewalksget with the melting snow andfreezing rain. Free sand is available to all residents at localcommunity leagues.

BYLAW BUZZ

ONE STEP AT A TIME

ANDREW JABS

Did you ever wish that you couldchange the world? Well, you canmake it happen, one step at atime. Positive thinking can makeit happen. Remember the littlechoo-choo train? Let me sharewith you what I’ve done and nowI can enjoy the results of myefforts for the rest of my life.

Every time I see a yard that is allcluttered with stuff I am remind-ed of this story. I see yards in thearea full of old vehicles andgarbage. Some have fencesneeding paint or are in generaldisrepair. This encourages badthings to take place and is not anasset to the community. Our yardwas the same once, a real messbefore I cleaned it up. My hus-band was in the constructiontrade, so our back yard was full ofboards, bricks, gravel, wire, etc.This was a magnet for rodentslike mice and squirrels.

A clean, attractive yard is pleas-ant to the eye and an environ-

As the snow melts, garbage isoften found hiding beneath it.Property owners are responsibleto keep their own yards cleanand the adjacent boulevards andalleys. Keep in mind that thismeans owners must maintaincleanliness from their propertyline to the centre line of thestreet.

Keep an eye out for Big BinEvents in your community.These events provide residentswith the opportunity to discardrefuse not appropriate for regularwaste collection, and they areFREE of Charge.

For more information, pleasecheck our city web site atwww.edmonton.ca or contactCustomer Service at 311.

mental plus for the area. It encour-ages beautiful things to happen.When I cleaned all of the rottenwood and hauled away the use-less stuff from our yard, I planteda vegetable garden, new grassand flowers. And last year, when Iwas taking a break and sitting qui-etly in the shade, a hummingbirdflew from flower to flower in myyard. It was such a beautiful siteand stirred my emotions. I evencried a little. This was the firsttime I’d ever seen a hummingbirdand it never would have visitedmy yard if I had not cleaned it up.

The squirrel has moved his homeacross the avenue, but now I haverobins, blue jays and other birdscoming to feed in my back yard.Of course the magpies are stillbehaving as they do naturally, butit is truly amazing what a cleanyard can do.

One small step at a time, we canchange the world, starting in ourown back yards.

your families, friends and neigh-bours out to join in the fun.

Everyone is invited to join theCanora Park Watch committee.Our meetings are held on thethird Tuesday of the month atCanora Community Hall, 10425152 St, at 7:00 pm. If the weath-er is nice we will hold them at StAnne Park. Contact us at canora-parkswatch@yahoo.ca or call usat 780 489 6007 and leave a mes-sage for Park Watch.

For more Park Watch itemsplease visit www.thespurr.ca

8 S P U R R A P R I L 2 0 1 0

Ph: 780.450.9898

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