Year-in-Review: July

Our annual Year-in-Review series continues today with a look back at July and August 2013. We will be publishing two months of review each day during the remainder of our holiday closure here at the Morinville News. The entire Year-in-Review will be published in our Jan. 8 print edition.

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Morinville Celebrates the Life of Mayor Paul Krauskopf

by Ashley Janes

The town of Morinville gathered together at the St. Jean Baptiste Church July 5 to grieve the passing of Mayor Paul Krauskopf who lost his battle with cancer the previous Sunday at the age of 63. If you attended the service, you were part of the hundreds of family, friends, and townsfolk who streamed into the nave to comfort one another with happy memories of their mayor.

Krauskopf was diagnosed with cancer in 2010. Soon after, he decided to make his battle public in an attempt to comfort and support others who were affected by this disease. Whether people had known him as a town figurehead, a supportive friend, or a member of the family, on Friday they came from every corner of the community and beyond to say goodbye.

Krauskopf was first elected to council in Morinville in 1998 with 718 votes. When he was elected at the time, he told a reporter from the Morinville Mirror that he was “happy, relieved, and anxious to get at it.” His attitude towards his career did not change over the following 15 years. When he was re-elected to council in 2010, it was with 1,050 votes, putting him in second place among 10 candidates. Then, on November 13, 2012, he was chosen by council to serve as mayor after then Mayor Lloyd Bertschi resigned. He was sworn in shortly after on Nov. 27 by MLA Maureen Kubinec.

Indeed, Krauskopf served his community well, with the passion and dedication we all hope for from our representatives. However those delivering his eulogy asked that the people in attendance remember him as more than a hard-working civil servant. He should be remembered as a complete citizen who dedicated himself entirely to both his town and his family. “The community was his home while this earth was lucky enough to have him,” said Stephen Dafoe, “and when Paul was at home with his wife, children, and grandchildren, he was content in a way that a man was when he truly loved his family.”

Council to appoint new mayor in August

The mayoral vacancy left by the passing of Morinville Mayor Paul Krauskopf was set to be filled in August. In a 3-2 decision July 11, Council moved in favour of having Deputy Mayor Lisa Holmes continue over the summer until Council’s next regular meeting Aug. 27. Councillors Gordon Boddez and Sheldon Fingler opposed the motion by Councillor Nicole Boutestein, preferring instead to appoint a new mayor at that time.

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Lawyer’s call to the bar marks Morinville first

A small ceremony at the Morinville Court House July 12 marked the start of a career for a local lawyer, but the gathering also marked an historical first in the community.
Jessy Inkpen, who had spent the past year articling with Putnam and Lawson, was the first lawyer to be called to the Bar in Morinville. Judge Vaughn Myers conducted the ceremony.
Inkpen took her oath, signed the necessary papers and received her robe in the courtroom after Myers accepted the application to the Alberta Law Society submitted by Morinville lawyer Gord Putnam on Inkpen’s behalf.

Chamber calling on council to fill mayor’s chair immediately

The Morinville and District Chamber of Commerce (MDCC) called on Deputy Mayor Lisa Holmes July 22 to call a special meeting of Council in order to fill the chair left vacant by the passing of Mayor Paul Krauskopf.

“Given the timeframe, Council needs to end the leadership crisis immediately and appoint a mayor or let the people decide in a snap by-election,” said Chamber President Simon Boursma at the time. MDCC Director and Policy Chair David Marshall agreed and said a good governance model required someone to be both in charge and responsible. “That’s why the Chamber, given the current political reality, took the position that a snap by-election was the best and fairest way to fill the vacancy,” Marshall said in the July release.

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Korean War Vet recognized

Korean War veterans were honoured at the Alberta Legislature July 28, the 60th anniversary of the ceasefire. One of those honoured was Korean War veteran John Hamilton, who also received a certificate from South Korea recognizing his contributions to their country so many years before.

The Korean War began in 1950 and ended in 1953. More than 26,000 Canadians served in Korea. Of those, 1,500 were wounded and 516 paid the price of freedom with their lives. Veterans Affairs created a certificate of recognition to honour the veterans and 2013 was declared as the Year of the Korean War Veteran.

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