By Sarah Junkin
The Eagle
The Bow Valley High Bobcats football team was upset at home 21-19 by the Phoenix from Springbank Community High school Oct. 23.
“It was very disappointing,” said Bobcats coach Steve Etcheverry. “Penalties hurt us early in the game and they capitalized on that and kept the drive alive and scored. They (Springbank) completed passes and were able to move the football. In the end, that’s what it’s all about.”
Etcheverry said snowfall during the Tier 3 playoff game didn’t help either.
“We felt the weather did affect our strength and caught us off guard,” he said.
Springbank coach Jason Hutchins was delighted with the result.
“When we played them earlier in the season they beat us 32-14,” he said of the Oct. 12 game in Springbank. “Penalties hurt us early in that game and we learned from that. This time we only had two in the whole game.”
In the previous game Hutchins said he was also missing six starters due to injuries, sickness and suspension.
“This time we had all our bodies and offensively we just moved the ball,” the coach added. “The kicking game had a lot to do with it and we did a fake punt that magically worked.”
The Bobcats finished the season 8-3-0 overall, while in Rocky View league play they were 4-2 and the Phoenix 2-4.
“From a record point of view it’s okay, but not for an end result,” said Etcheverry. “Yup, it’s disappointing.”
Springbank’s next playoff match is against the Cobras at Cochrane High 11:30 a.m. Oct. 30.
The Tier 3 Cobras were 6-0 in league play.

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By Shawn Logan
The Eagle
Questions of character and extreme political agendas have already surfaced in the provincial election campaign launched by Premier Ralph Klein Oct. 25 in Edmonton.
Alberta voters won’t go to the polls until Nov. 22 but in the new riding of Foothills-Rockyview, harsh words have already surfaced as opponents of Progressive Conservative candidate Ted Morton took aim at the front runner.
The riding, which surrounds Cochrane and stretches from Black Diamond to Crossfield, will see Morton run against Liberal Herb Coburn and Jason Herasemluk of the Alberta Alliance, the only candidates to declare so far.
“He’s with the wrong party,” Herasemluk said of Morton. “He’d be willing to separate from the rest of Canada.”
The 36-year-old Okotoks resident called Morton an “extremist.”
Morton, a University of Calgary professor and a former senator-in-waiting, helped draft the “Alberta Agenda” manifesto that calls for more provincial powers.
In an Oct. 25 interview, Morton adamantly denied Herasemluk’s claims.
“That’s just an absurd claim,” Morton. “It’s an attempt to win some media attention. I’m on record numerous times as being completely opposed to separation.”
Coburn questioned the U.S.-born Morton’s decision to travel to Europe during the Vietnam War.
“That’s a fancy way of saying he’s a draft dodger,” Coburn said Oct. 23, noting a number of his own family members served during war-time “and I didn’t see them running away from service.”
Morton denied Coburn’s charge of being a “draft dodger,” noting he avoided being called by drawing number 211 in a pool of 195 possible draftees in a lottery.
“It was just the luck of the draw. If you go to Europe to avoid the draft, you come back and you get arrested,” he said Oct. 26. “That’s an outright lie and (Coburn) should retract it and apologize.”
Coburn, a 52-year-old Springbank resident and Calgary school principal, also questioned Morton’s credentials.
“I think there’s a danger or perhaps should be some caution there in supporting someone like Ted Morton without understanding the stands he’s taken in the past,” Coburn said.
He noted that while Morton’s campaign literature calls for an end to judicial activism, that stance may be too simplistic.
“I wouldn’t have wanted to be against court activism when it came to women getting the vote,” he said.
Herasemluk also took aim at Morton for living in Calgary.
“I feel the residents in Foothills-Rockyview wouldn’t have an MLA who is in touch with the issues because he doesn’t live in the riding,” Herasemluk said. “He would make a great senator but I’m not sure he’d be a good MLA.”
Morton said where he chooses to live should have no impact on how he represents constituents.
He added he has been campaigning in the area for nine months and likely has a better understanding of residents’ issues than his competitors.
“Being a resident is a positive that I don’t have but that’s just one factor,” Morton said. “The other is the ability to listen to constituents’ concerns and forcefully represent them in caucus.”
Two candidates have lined up so far to challenge Banff-Cochrane MLA Janis Tarchuk, who is seeking her third term. She is being challenged by the Green Party’s Chris Foote and Bob Argent of the Alberta Alliance.
Tarchuk, who was first elected in 1998, said she intends to continue representing the needs of her constituents in a debt-free Alberta.
“This whole campaign is about building Alberta’s future,” she said. “We’re in a wonderful financial situation and that has opened up opportunities and choices.”
She said with the province’s debt virtually paid off, the government now has the funds to concentrate on improving health care, education, infrastructure and sustainable development.
Foote, who ran federally for the Green Party in June, said Alberta is floundering under low oil royalties despite an industry boom.
“My main focus will be to increase royalties on oil and gas in Alberta,” the Banff resident said. “I would like to see that money secured for when the oil runs out.”
Foote said Alberta currently charges oil companies only $4 per barrel versus $11 per barrel in Alaska. With the volatility of the oil market, he said the province should take advantage of the situation before the market dries up.
Argent, a 56-year-old Red Deer resident, admitted he is not fully aware of the issues facing Banff-Cochrane but hopes to learn them during the campaign.
“The common issues seem to be generally province-wide,” he said. “Someone has to step forward. I’m going to come out and make some visits.”
Maria Kostaras contributed to this report.

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By Shawn Logan
The Eagle
Some members of Cochrane’s new town council used their first meeting Oct. 25 to promise a new way of doing business after last week’s election saw four new councillors elected.
After they were sworn-in to their positions, Coun. Ken Hynes, who suggested during the campaign the town needs to promote better communication with the public, continued the theme during his report to council.
“I want to be clear in stating that our citizens have indicated a strong desire for change in the way their elected officials and civic administration communicate with them and each other,” he said. “People need to be able to tell their stories and not feel as if they will be marginalized because they don’t agree with the majority.”
With three re-elected councillors looking on, and two former councillors sitting in the gallery, Hynes said the new council will have to be more civil than the last.
“Negotiation and collaboration absolutely must replace litigation and adversarial rancor as the way to resolve our conflicts,” he said.
Previous council members often clashed with each other, the public and with a couple of developers.
A number of candidates for the Oct. 18 election vowed to end the conflict if they were elected.
Hynes’ comments were echoed by fellow rookie Coun. Andy Marshall, who noted the dialogue from council must be more open and respectful.
Coun. Truper McBride, who was re-elected but also during the campaign called for council to be more inclusive and less combative, said he would like to see the administration finish off a public consultation policy he hopes will tone down the political discourse.
He had asked staff to prepare a policy almost a year ago.
Coun. Jeff Genung, who was re-elected, noted the new council was a mix of old and new, featuring former councillor Ken Bech now as mayor.
“The community didn’t do an entire change,” Genung said in response to Hynes’ statement.

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By Sarah Junkin
The Eagle
A convicted murderer offered a tearful apology to her victim’s family before being led away in handcuffs to begin a 25-year sentence.
“I’m sorry for what I’ve done to Jordena,” said Roseanne Andrea Turningrobe Oct. 22, moments after being found guilty of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Jordena Baptiste, 22, of Morley. “I pray you guys will forgive me for what I’ve done.”
Turningrobe, 19, stabbed Baptiste 15 times in the early hours of Aug. 11, 2003, after a party at the home of Jeanette Wildman on the Stoney First Nation. A friend of Turning-robe’s, Glenna (Lisa) Goodstoney, was reportedly angry that Baptiste had begun dating her ex-boyfriend Dennis Wildman, and had asked Turningrobe to kill her.
Goodstoney’s first-degree murder trial is set to begin Jan. 24.
Turningrobe sobbed loudly in the Calgary courtroom as Justice Sal LoVecchio handed down the mandatory 25-year sentence. She then asked permission to address the family who had attended most of the two-week long trial at the Court of Queen’s Bench.
“I’m asking your forgiveness,” she said, adding she was especially sorry that the victim’s daughter Jayda, who will be six-years-old in November, has been left without a mother.
As Turningrobe was led back to her cell, Baptiste’s cousin Conrad Rider asked Crown prosecutor Peter Barley for permission to shake her hand on behalf of the family.
“For myself, that allowed me to let her own her actions and let go of the pain and anguish,” Rider said later. “If I can forgive that means the healing can begin.”
For Baptiste’s mother Verna that healing could take longer. In a victim impact statement read to the court by Barley, she said:
“There’s a big emptiness in my heart that nothing will replace. It hurts so much that my heart is forever broken.”
Verna added her health and marriage had suffered as a result of losing her daughter.
“Because of the way my daughter’s life ended it almost makes me crazy. The pain and agony it has caused me is unbearable.”
As Turningrobe was led back to her cell, she was comforted by defense lawyers Paul Brunnen and David Andrews.
“Of course there will be an appeal,” Brunnen said.
Barley was pleased with the outcome but reserved.
“There is no happy outcome for anyone in this case,” he said.
Rider said he was relieved that Turningrobe had referred to Baptiste’s daughter in her apology.
“When she mentioned taking away my niece’s mother and leaving her motherless I was pleased because nothing about her (Jayda) had been mentioned in the trial,” he said. “Sometimes I felt like I wanted to stand up and shout, ‘What about the daughter?’”

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By Sarah Junkin
The Eagle
Members of the Stoney First Nation are trying to heal their community in the wake of the first-degree murder conviction of Roseanne Turningrobe Oct. 22.
Turningrobe stabbed Jordena Baptiste on the east end of the reserve on Aug. 11, 2003.
Diane Dixon, a Baptiste family member, is a former community wellness coordinator for the Bearspaw band. She recently quit her job to help support Baptiste’s mother and daughter and to attend the two-week long trial.
Dixon said the murder has caused some unrest and division within the Stoney community. Turningrobe is originally from the Siksika Nation and had only lived in Morley for a few months prior to the murder.
“This has been very difficult for us because as First Nations members we’re all native, it doesn’t matter where we’re from,” said Dixon. “So dealing with this has been difficult because usually there’s unity in our community.”
Friction has arisen in the community because of the actions of some witnesses, though not directly involved in the crime. Margaret Good-stoney testified she drove Turningrobe to the Seebe Dam to dispose of the weapon soon after the murder; Wacey Labelle was there when the knife was tossed into the Kananaskis River.
“You have to learn to put your feelings aside,” said Dixon. “We do run into these people, but we have no hard feelings. None of the family blames Wacey. We told him we’re not here to point fingers, or to get revenge. That doesn’t get you nowhere.”
Baptiste’s cousin Conrad Rider agrees although he says it’s not always easy.
“We’re the victims here, but it’s sometimes hard for people to understand we’re not out for revenge. That’s not the way we are. We kept ourselves calm in the courtroom though we sometimes heard some hurtful words.”
Dixon said the first-degree murder verdict has helped some family members find peace.
“It put everyone’s heart at ease,” she said. “This will help with the healing and with inner strength.”
For Baptiste’s mother, Verna, much of her inner strength, said Dixon, comes from her five-year-old granddaughter Jayda.
“That’s her little light that shines for her,” she said. “Jordena left her with a little light that comes on and she blesses the Creator for that every day.”
But Rider believes Jayda, though a toddler at the time of the murder, feels the loss of her mother as well.
“She’s healthy and she’s doing well,” he said. “But sometimes she doesn’t want to eat and I think that’s when she’s lonely for her mom.”
Dixon, who intends to study at the University of Calgary for a social work degree, hopes the tragedy will bring some positive change to the community.
“This is really hard to put into words. But we have to integrate our culture with the mainstream way of doing things. We have to start telling our children that they can’t keep taking lives, that violence and murder is not an answer.”

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It was inevitable but it’s still too early for this annual event: the fireplace has been burning for a week now at Coffee Traders.
It’s one of the greatest fireplaces in the world but it’s still too early.
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Has there ever been a day that there wasn’t a mattress sale?
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Junior Achievement (JA) is a great program for budding entrepreneurs and there are plans to start a student program in Cochrane.
If you want to get involved helping kids understand business, give JA a call at 237-5252, ext. 34 or visit www.jasouthalberta.org.
You could bail me out on this one. I thought I might get involved but can’t.
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Who would ever have thought that in the last six months of 2004 Albertans would see three elections and not one NHL hockey game?
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Is the Florida vote in and counted for Cochrane’s mayoral election yet ?
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Provincial election candidates have 14 days after the writ is dropped to enter the race.
As of Oct. 25, there is no Liberal candidate in Banff-Cochrane. Does that leave enough time for former mayor Judy Stewart to run for the Liberals?
Just wondering.
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We received an e-mail from the Green Party asking how much free advertising they’d get for the election campaign. I can answer in a single word: none.

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Evangelical Christians are among the most dangerous people in the world today, if we are to believe much of what is said in the media.
Just look at what passes for intelligent commentary on this year’s U.S. presidential election: You want to put a candidate down? Simply accuse him of being one of “those” evangelicals.
According to such critics, evangelicals are anti-intellectual, self-righteous, and lacking in compassion — fanatics out of touch with the real world and at odds with their historic Christian roots. And horrors, they actually pray!
Well, I for one am fed up with the hate-mongering and innuendo to which evangelical Christians are being subjected.
So, what really is an evangelical?
To start with, they are not some small breakaway sect. As conservative Protestants, they are a significant reminder of what most of Protestantism stood for prior to the rise of Modernism a century ago.
Ten per cent of Canadians regard themselves as “born again” evangelicals; while over 40 per cent of Americans so identify themselves.
They come from every race, educational background, and social stratum. And they may, or may not, belong to churches and denominations that use the word “evangelical” in their name. (Southern Baptists constitute the largest evangelical denomination in North America, while Pentecostals are the fastest growing worldwide.)
On many issues today they have more in common with post-Vatican II Roman Catholics than with Protestants of a more liberal bent. They share common ground with Catholics in such areas as medical ethics, the definition and value of human life, the promotion of Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ, and the use of the Alpha Course (an international introduction to basic Christianity jointly conducted in Cochrane by the Alliance, Anglican, Catholic and Lutheran churches).
All evangelicals have this in common: they hold to the inspiration and authority of the Bible and are convinced by the Spirit of God of its good news that Jesus Christ has come as Saviour and Light for a dysfunctional world adrift in darkness — i.e., they are personally “born again,” or “persuaded from above” about the unique identity of Jesus, and are not ashamed to call Him Lord.
Evangelicals regard the sharing of this message — the “evangel” — and the story of the new life they have received through it as a great privilege and an act of love.
This love has its roots in God’s love as recorded in the John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Evangelicals have celebrated the joyfulness of this love over the centuries in memorable Christmas carols such as Charles Wesley’s: “Hark, the herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King; Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!’”
They’ve expressed their gratitude by singing what is arguably the best-known hymn in the English language: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!”
Preachers like Billy Graham and groups like the Salvation Army have proclaimed this amazing grace in great crusades and on humble street corners. Writers like C.S. Lewis have plumbed its depths.
But is this all merely words? It was the 19th century member of the British Parliament William Wilberforce, an evangelical, who succeeded in abolishing slavery in England.
And what of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, also an evangelical, who works tirelessly on behalf of Habitat for Humanity building homes for those less fortunate?
The story is told about Karl Barth, widely regarded as one of the 20th century’s most influential theologians, that gets to the very heart, I think, of what being an evangelical is truly all about.
A student of this brilliant scholar asked him one day what, in view of all the books he had written, was the most important thing he had learned.
He replied that it was contained in a simple children’s song:
“Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”
(c) 2004 WarrenHarbeck, warren@harbeck.ca.

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Often on Halloween, I trot out a column declaring my views about this dreadful holiday.
You know, the one about the dangers of celebrating evil, and condoning greed in our children.
The one where I point out there’s nothing remotely pleasant about having sinister masked teenagers thrust pillow cases in your face right in your own hallway. Or that watching your kids squeeze more than seven O Henry bars in their mouths at one time is more than any person should ever have to endure.
But every year people tell me I’m too uptight, that I don’t understand the intent of the season.
They tell me I’m not fun and that I’m deliberately trying to restrict their enjoyment. Even my kids point out, between mouthfuls of gooey chocolate covered raisins, that I should lighten up, that I’d feel much better if I were to don a purple wig and thrust my face in a tub filled with water and apples.
So I’ve tried, I really have. But I’ve been unable to get past the fact that Halloween is simply an excuse for big kids to get in trouble, for little kids to eat too much candy, and for all of them to behave rudely on their neighbours’ doorsteps.
Most years I’ve felt quite alone in my disdain for the day our nation’s youth band together in a confederacy of candy-related greed. But this year, I am delighted to say, I’m not alone at all.
Dr. Melvin Blackaby, senior pastor at Bow Valley Baptist Church, does not officially recognize Halloween either.
“Today, there’s so much going on that is evil . . . we’d rather let Halloween slip by and focus on Christmas,” he told me, adding that his church doesn’t actually impose an official ban on celebrating the holiday.
“We let each family follow their own conscience, but lots are strongly opposed,” he said.
Pastor Norm Miller of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church agrees with Blackaby.
“The greed thing really bothers me,” he said. “It doesn’t tie in with what we’re trying to do as Christians. It focuses on the other side — the ugly side.”
Miller explained that All Saints Day, from which Halloween originated, was never ever meant to be a celebration of horror, but somehow it evolved that way.
“It was originally a time to remember grandparents or loved ones who had gone,” he explained. “But as time went by, thinking about death became a celebration of ghouls, goblins and so on. So it’s actually become the exact opposite of its original intent.”
Dr. Robert Butler, of the Cochrane Valley Community Church, has spoken out against Halloween in newspaper columns in the past but to no avail.
“I think as a church we have to take seriously some standards of morality,” he said, adding the majority of his congregation does not participate in Halloween.
“Just the ‘trick or treat’ custom sends an awful message about values to children, yet it’s promoted all over the place,” he said.
Butler added he’s not necessarily accusing everyone who participates in the custom of being morally corrupt.
“The majority of people are not celebrating evil,” he said. “But the lines have become blurred and most people don’t take the time to find out the meaning of what they’re encouraging their children to do.”
Like Miller, Butler has noticed that demanding candy from total strangers is the opposite behaviour we want to promote in our kids.
“It’s a double standard,” he said. “In Canada we talk about goodness and kindness. Halloween doesn’t fit with that.”
But Butler has a great solution and I’m hoping Cochrane will be the first community to adopt it.
“Here’s my suggestion: Instead of asking for treats, why not take treats to our neighbours’ homes and leave them for people who need them?”
We could go further.
Instead of having our children shouting the old “trick or treat” line, what about asking neighbours if there’s anything they can do to help them out? The immediate results may not be as lucrative, but I have a feeling the long-term rewards might be greater for all of us.
Contact Sarah Junkin: sarah@cochraneeagle.com.

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My hands were shaking as I adjusted my mirrors and positioned my seat allowing my feet to reach the pedals. I had trouble fitting the seat-belt into the buckle as my hands were vibrating like an earthquake.
My dad told me to relax as I turned the key starting the engine. I looked in my mirrors and changed the gear from park to drive. As I slowly released my foot off the brake, my heartbeat grew stronger — it felt as if it were about to break through my skin.
I started to calm down after approaching two stop signs and soon I was driving on Quigley Drive. I went from calm to nervous as soon as I approached my first set of stoplights, but fortunately it stayed green and we were on our way to the grocery store.
My dad did a great job calming me down and gave me great directions and tips every step of the way. The only trouble I had was parking within the yellow lines, staying on my side of the road and slowing down much too early. But with a little practice I should be able to perfect my errors.
We made it home from the grocery store with all of the items we were to get and the car was still in one piece. But it was not the end of our mission — we still had to pick my brother up from work.
By this time I had become “semi” used to driving and wasn’t as nervous as I had been 20 minutes earlier. The only difference was that we had to go on the highway to get my brother. I was doing great until we reached the hill on Highway 22. I had no idea that you need a lot more gas when your driving up a hill in a small car. The speed limit was 80 km/h at that point and my speed had been slowly decreasing from 70 to 60. So I pressed my foot down a little harder, hardly increasing our speed. By the time I finally reached 80 it was time to slow down and turn off — my first attempt at driving at highway speeds never materialized.
When my brother came out of the building, he was quite shocked to see me in the driver’s seat. I never had much of a desire to drive, so I had been putting off getting my learner’s licence since I turned 14 last December.
Now that I have my learner’s I have to overcome my fear of driving. I am finally at a comfortable stage where my hands aren’t vibrating anymore, but they are just a tad bit shaky. And when I come to a stop sign, instead of slowing down 50 m before the sign I’m at 30 m.
I am learning a little bit at a time. But one thing you should know is perfection doesn’t come over night, so if anytime in the next couple of months you get upset when you go to park because a car decided to take up two lanes . . . I am sorry!
Joslynn Boyce is in Grade 10 at Bow Valley High school.

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