Sherwood Park Minute: Politician Reflections, Winter Recreation, and Snow Clearing Begins

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

This Week In Sherwood Park:

• There are no Council or Committee meetings this week. Regularly scheduled meetings will resume on January 14th.
  
  
• Residential street snow clearing will begin today. Large orange signs will be posted in neighbourhoods, indicating the dates when parking is prohibited on residential streets to allow for snow removal. Residential streets, classified as Priority 4 roads, are cleared when snow reaches 7 cm of compacted depth, and the process may take up to 10 days to complete across all neighbourhoods.
  
  
• ​​This week, there are several winter recreation activities happening. There are Seniors’ Winter Walks at the Ardrossan Recreation Complex, all-ages recreational skating at the Broadmoor Arena, and Seniors’ Skating at the Glen Allan Recreation Complex. More information, timing, and pricing can be found on the City’s website.

Last Week In Sherwood Park:

• Strathcona-Sherwood Park UCP MLA Nate Glubish highlighted significant achievements in 2024, including the ongoing construction of Sherwood Park’s Forest Grove School and the $113 million Sherwood Care expansion. As Minister of Technology and Innovation, he launched Alberta’s AI Data Centre Strategy, emphasizing the province’s advantages in infrastructure and environmental responsibility. Glubish also advanced the Broadband Strategy, securing funding to connect over 100,000 households with high-speed internet. He sponsored Bill 33 to modernize privacy legislation, aiming to implement Canada’s strongest privacy protections. Looking ahead, Glubish praised Premier Danielle Smith’s leadership in defending Alberta’s interests against federal overreach and expressed optimism for further progress in 2025.
  
  
• Sherwood Park NDP MLA Kyle Kasawski reflected on a challenging 2024, highlighting local progress such as the Forest Grove School project and Sherwood Care expansion. As Shadow Minister for Municipal Affairs, he opposed Bill 20, which banned electronic voting machines and altered municipal election rules. He also voiced concerns over affordability issues, citing rising car insurance costs and Alberta’s loss of its low-tax advantage. Looking ahead, Kasawski plans to focus on healthcare access, affordability, and labour shortages.
  
  
• Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan MP Garnett Genuis reflected on a turbulent 2024, marked by government scandals, non-confidence votes, and economic challenges. Genuis emphasized the need for change in 2025, expressing optimism about a potential federal election early in the year. Among key issues he addressed were Indigenous identity fraud in procurement programs, foreign interference threats, and stalled parliamentary progress on bills he supports, such as age verification for online content and boosting energy and mining projects. He highlighted ongoing humanitarian concerns in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo while criticizing the current government's leadership on international relations.