Sherwood Park Minute: Issue 127

Sherwood Park Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Sherwood Park politics

📅 This Week In Sherwood Park: 📅

• There are no meetings scheduled this week. The next scheduled meeting is a Council meeting on September 15th at 9:00 am, followed by a Priorities Committee meeting on September 22nd and a Council public hearing on September 29th.
  
  
• School zones across Strathcona County are back in effect as students return to class, with a 30 km/h speed limit in force from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm on school days. Strathcona County Enforcement Services and the RCMP are urging drivers to obey posted limits, watch for children, and stop for school buses, noting that a pedestrian hit at 50 km/h is eight times more likely to be killed than one struck at 30 km/h. Officials are also flagging the growing popularity of e-scooters and electric dirt bikes among youth, which are not permitted on public roads, sidewalks, or pathways under Alberta's Traffic Safety Act. Tom Sutton, Director of RCMP and Enforcement Services, is asking motorists to "expect the unexpected" around schools, crosswalks, and residential streets. Drivers who pass a school bus displaying flashing red lights and an extended stop arm face a $567 fine and six demerit points.
  
  
• Kyle Kasawski, the MLA for Sherwood Park, is criticizing Premier Danielle Smith's approach to the latest round of US tariffs on Canadian goods. In a column in the Sherwood Park News, Kasawski argued that Prime Minister Carney is doing the right thing by pulling back from trade negotiations with the US, and that Canada has leverage as the largest export market for the United States, but only if the country speaks with one voice. He says that the UCP government continues to devote time and resources to divisive political projects, including what he calls the "costly separatist referendum". Kasawski says that an Alberta NDP government would work collaboratively with governments across the country to protect Canadian jobs and defend Alberta industries. 
  
  
• Meanwhile, Garnett Genuis, the Member of Parliament for Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan, has published a column responding to the breakdown of trade talks between Canada and the US ahead of a planned deadline for new American tariffs. Genuis describes the escalation as a "completely unjustified" attack on Canada's economy and argues that the country's strength and sovereignty are worth defending. He says political parties should work together in the national interest, with the government negotiating and being transparent with parliamentarians while the opposition scrutinizes its decisions and suggests improvements. He also argues this is the time to strengthen Canada's economic position at home by removing barriers that limit economic development, especially those affecting exports to markets outside North America. 
  
  
• Strathcona County Councillor Aaron Nelson is urging residents to keep local farmers in mind as harvest season gets underway. He says historic rainfall has created difficult conditions, with wet fields, lower crop yields and higher operating pressures adding to the challenges farmers already face. Nelson says agriculture remains an important part of the County’s history and economy, even as energy and manufacturing often receive more attention. He is asking drivers to be patient around combines, grain trucks and other large farm equipment on County roads. Motorists should allow extra travel time, keep a safe distance, avoid blind spots and only pass when it is safe and legal. Nelson says these small precautions can help farmers complete one of their busiest and most important times of the year while keeping everyone on the roads safer.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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