REPORT ON SE Alberta 2021

buddies with the Grade 2 class, during that press conference,” “We also see in there a loosening Mark Heinricks, principal of
and be able to bring back some Eagle Butte High School, says
of those activities,” said Gale. “But said Davidson. “But what is of some of the restrictions that some of the changes made to
we need to make sure that when interesting is that you have were really hard on our kids; accommodate COVID protocol
we do we’re being safe and doing school jurisdictions who are junior high and high school will be taken forward, whether
things within the comfort level of invited to make decisions about students were cohorted so or not restrictions continue.
everyone involved.” what has been, throughout my strongly that it was hard for them Some of those things are hand
experience in education and to see their friends,” Davidson sanitizing areas throughout the
Mark Davidson, Medicine administration, a decision made commented. “Those kinds building, continued emphasis on
Hat Public School Division by, or directed, or of changes are very positive sanitizing practices, increased
Superintendent, announced strongly advised emphasis on not attending if
the back to school plan on Aug. changes. Even if unwell and the ability to provide
12, but also indicated that his by public masking remains remote learning.
board reviewed documents in whatever
sent to them immediately after health form Heinricks says he is most looking
the Aug. 13 press conference officials. I think that as heading forward to being able to come to
where Hinshaw and LaGrange We will the year goes into the building and have teachers
announced provincial back to certainly on it will be a the fall, and students able to focus
school plans. students on what needs to be learned.
reach out lot more normal will notice He hopes extra-curricular
Hinshaw indicated that masks to regional than last. quite a opportunities will get back to
are not mandatory on the public health path normal.
provincial level, but that some officials to significant
school districts might choose seek their advice shift in what Gale suggested that the time
to continue the mask mandate. on what the best school feels like this when COVID doesn’t weigh on
MHPSD released a letter on Aug. year in comparison to last our minds is not in the near
12 announcing, among other forward is, given the data that we year.” future, but “it will be nice to just
things, mandatory masking for all see in our community.” kind of be able to take a breath
students K-12. Davidson says all performance- and move forward.”
Davidson noted that a positive based activities and sporting
“I know that the nod to school events will proceed this coming The provincial plan for the
jurisdiction autonomy in decision change heard in the Aug. 13 2021-22 school year can be
making around mandatory announcement was that positive school year for MHPSD students. found online.
masking was made or mentioned
cases will be directed home to “I think that as the year goes on
isolate, but AHS will no longer it will be a lot more normal than
be directing entire classes home, last,” predicted Davidson. “And

which will certainly be less I’m happy that that’s going to be
the case.”
disruptive for families lives.

Stronger Together! | 51

Arts&

ENTERTAINMENT

ROTARY CLUB

OF MEDICINE HAT

MUSIC FESTIVAL

SOCIETY
The Medicine Hat Rotary Club invites community members to join the Music Festival Society.
Please indicate your interest and willingness to help with the management and
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visit rotarymusicfestival.com

NAME CONTACT INFORMATION

SEND TO: Anne Carrier - [email protected] 41408244/09/28/2021

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Our goal is to encourage people to find positive

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It is called Inter-Act because it explores

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Every year our society looks to the community for

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to help tell these stories.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT

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52 | REPORT ON SOUTHEAST ALBERTA 2021

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Stronger Together!| 53

Mavericks owner
and GM can’t wait

to unleash new
team in 2022

RYAN DAHLMAN “It’s about trying to be resilient and
looking forward to the light at the end of
The Medicine Hat Mavericks haven’t seen the tunnel and the preparations for the
the field in two seasons, and owner Greg summer college teams.”
Morrison, says he can’t wait to put the
2020 and 2021 seasons behind him. The Mavericks’ home will look different
when they return as well. Not only is the
However, Morrison, a former major old ticket booth and office gone near
league baseball player in both the Athletic Park, but according to a Medicine
Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Hat News story from March, the stadium
Dodgers systems says the public itself will have the fan overhang replaced,
pandemic-related protocols hurt him and new fencing, seating and new ticket
the Western Canadian Baseball League- booth built at a cost of $3.1 million —
based Mavericks. part of the City of Medicine Hat’s summer
construction budget’s “redeployed federal
The Mavericks opted out of the 2021 grants” covering $2.25 million.
season and the WCBL ran with a five-
team, all-Alberta league with Highway 3 Morrison was part of those discussions
rival Lethbridge Bulls taking the crown of what was needed. With new baseball
Aug. 21. Still, Morrison has been working parks going up in Regina, Edmonton
hard to be ready for 2022. and Sylvan Lake, he was acutely aware
of the best trends of nearby fan and
“It has been a double-whammy as my player experiences. Morrison says the
job, because my job as the GM for the communication between himself and
Mavericks and my personal business the the City of Medicine Hat’s Parks and
sports therapy clinic were both closed, so Recreation staff has been excellent in the
it hasn’t been an easy go from that side, past decade. He says he wants Athletic
but I know a lot of other people have Park to be a place where people can
had similar experiences and illnesses and come catch a game and walk around
gaps because of COVID so I will by no way on the berm, then head downtown
say that I’ve had it the hardest,” explains afterwards.
Morrison about his Morrison Movement
Therapy business where he works with “That’s really where I’ve tried to have
athletes in sport performance and injury an ear, whether it’s just through
rehabilitation. communications at games or doing

54 | REPORT ON SOUTHEAST ALBERTA 2021

surveys at games,” explains Morrison of what Hat over the summer. He say it bodes well for how it has taken some lives, so I will never
fans and interested parties want. “I’m really the sport and for the city in general. sit here and say ‘woe is me.’ It is one of those
excited, a lot of things I’ve recommended things where you look forward to what’s
(are being done), they really are for the fan “I may be the owner of the Mavericks but coming through at the end of the tunnel
experience. The approach of the ticket office I’m more of a big-picture baseball guy who and we’re very appreciative of the (city)
of having three ticket windows to improve wants to see baseball thrive and flourish,” he government support for the stadium, but for
flow and sales speed, increasing the footprint says, adding he was thankful he had time the federal and provincial support that helps
and the aesthetics of the concourse. There’s to help with his son’s little league team this organizations like ourselves pull through this.”
going to be a beautiful shade canopy as well.” summer. “I have seen the affects of COVID and

Morrison says he expects a lot of renovation
will be done by December.

As far as the on-field product goes, Morrison
started advertising for a manager in mid-
August. He says that’s when to find managers
for this league and he’s hopeful the search
will be a good one. Morrison also has his eyes
on potential players to come to Medicine Hat.
He adds that he may also look up to Highway
41 to see if there is anyone to look at from
the Oyen Baseball Academy, where former
Maverick Nolan Rattai is head coach of the
high school program. Rattai had taken over as
assistant general manager and head coach of
the Mavericks at the end of 2019 but left for
Oyen in July.

In the meantime, Morrison says enjoyed all
of the baseball which took place in Medicine

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Stronger Together! | 55

Worming her PHOTO ANNA SMITH
way to the top: T.R.A.D. Worms
Industies Ltd. CEO
Doerksen developed business from the ground up Roxanne Doerksen
poses for a portrait
ANNA SMITH something different we can do.” in the fields of her
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter This research brought Doerksen to articles farm with a handful of
on nuns in California that had been growing worm castings. As well
Coming into nearly three years of operation, CBD-heavy strains of cannabis for children as the creation and
TRAD Worm Industries LTD continues to with cancer to help control the effects of harvesting of these
explore what it means to have healthy soil and chemotherapy. castings, T.R.A.D.
healthy food. “I’ve had a worm farm in our house since 1997. Worm Industries
The company’s CEO, Roxanne Doerksen, I thought it was kind of a cool thing, because also hosts a fully
described the beginnings of the idea as a we’d lived on an acreage up in Edmonton and functioning farm.
“cacophony of events” that took place while I thought, you know, I’m too lazy to drive my
she was attending classes at Medicine Hat garbage to town, so I was familiar with worms, applied to the topsoil of gardens and fields as
College. but not to this scale. I went to my professors opposed to synthetic fertilizer to rejuvenate
“I retired from a real, normal job, where I got and I said is this doable. Can we grow cannabis, the soil and encourage healthier, more robust
a paycheque. I loved what I did, but I had just like the nuns do in California, can we grow plant growth. Doerksen has moved into both
done that for 25 years, so it was time to try it naturally, without synthetics, would it be a the application business for several large,
something else, so I decided to go back to better product and they’re like yeah, let’s try it.” commercial farms and further into research
school,” said Doerksen whose operation is TRAD Worm Industries was officially and development regarding the microbiology
located in Cypress County. “While I was in incorporated in 2018. of the soil around us, and how it affects plant
school, my middle kid got sick. She was on all “At the time was just a tiny little company growth.
these aggressive drugs to try to control what and our only goal was to produce natural “We have an incredibly diverse market,” said
we didn’t really know what it was at the time. castings; they’re not treated, they’re not Doerksen. “We have the cannabis growers,
We thought it was leukemia but it wasn’t. We sterilized. They’re straight out of the butt of the home growers that are growing for
thought it was a lot of other different things a worm and help people that were growing medical reasons. We have the apartment
disease-wise so they had her on these monster cannabis for medical things like the MS Grow dwellers who are container growing and
drugs, she was turning this weird shade of Society, so that’s how this company started,” have beautiful tropical plants, we have the
orange, she was in isolation and then finally said Doerksen. “It’s been a very steep and scary big gardeners, we have the small gardeners,
our doctor said that maybe there’s something growth curve.” we have the commercial farmers that we get
we should do instead of having her on all of From there, the business has taken off at to put on sections and sections and sections
these narcotics.” an exponential rate. In 2020, TRAD Worm of biologicals. We also have a really specific
At the time, CBD oil was new on the market, Industries won New Business of the Year in the market with people who want to be all natural,
said Doerksen, and she worried about the Driving Business Forward Awards. because what we are is 100% all natural.”
potential of addiction for her daughter. “It was pretty cool because we get to be on a In May 2021, TRAD Worm Industries formed a
“Cannabis seemed like a really bad thing, and world stage, tiny little Cypress County gets to partnership with Fieldberg Farms to provide a
I’m like, no thank you, I’m going to rely on be on a world stage and we get to talk about specialty soil amendment, a partnership with
traditional medicine,” said Doerksen. “Finally it worms, and growing food,” said Doerksen. which the business is extremely pleased.
came to the point where they said we’ve got “In this two and a half years, I look back and “Harold Fieldberg’s motto is, healthy soils,
to either do something aggressive or change almost overwhelming how much how much healthy plants, healthy food, healthy bodies. All
practices. I started looking into CBD oil and we have changed, how fast we’ve changed, of that comes back to exactly what we’re doing
honestly I really tried to study what it was, if it’s how basically we are running at an inhumane here is trying to get our soil healthier to grow
not habit forming and it’s not all these things pace and we’re still okay.” a healthier plant,” said Jodi Meyer, a project
that I’ve been told my entire life. We tried the The business has since moved on from only manager at TRAD. “It’s been so interesting.”
traditional medicine, and it did what it was producing this worm castings, which are Doerksen says she hopes to continue running
supposed to do, but her body was starting to trials on-site with Medicine Hat College to
show real effects of it so we thought is there develop new technology and research once
COVID-19 abates further, but the previous
results were promising.

56 | REPORT ON SOUTHEAST ALBERTA 2021

Medicine Hat Sport and Event Council
getting the city’s name out there

RYAN DAHLMAN Julie
Garvey
Like the rest of world, the
pandemic and subsequent awareness to for folks of all ages, bodies of different sports, sports They have been doing their best
regulations and restrictions because obviously it is geared organizations, places that may be to keep the communication lines
have negated a lot of cultural for younger kids, and some of it looking to host something. open. Between a mixture of totally
and sporting events in Medicine is geared towards adults” virtual meetings and then slowly
Hat. As the city slowly starts to “It now is going to align us integrating in-person meetings,
get back to normal, so has the The council has been working competitively with other markets “engaging the stakeholders” was
Medicine Hat Sport and Event with an organization which will in Alberta and Canada. This portal critical.
Council who are embarking on a officially unveil new specialized will be introduced at a conference
new venture to help attract new marketing near the end of in the US at the end of September “It was definitely a challenge for
events. September which will make the so it will hopefully put us on a a lot organizations. But, what
city more visible to those major level playing field with some is great, is they are emerging
Manager for the council, Julie organization hosting provincial of the other cities that we are as government restrictions lift,
Garvey, says the Sport and Event and national-scale events. essentially competing for events obviously,” explained Garvey.”
Council has remained busy nationally.” Several of them have opened
during COVID-19 restrictions. “What’s really cool coming down up for business, having hosted
the pipeline is that we have She says the council is also a variety of sports and cultural
“We are big proponents of partnered with an organization working on plans for virtual events since July.”
helping promote and market called Adrenalin. We actually registration and ticketing where
the organizations that we have are creating an online profile. people can do all of these Garvey is grateful for the support
in the city. One recent campaign They’ve created a new platform, online or on their personal and patience those involved in
we actually just ended was a it is called the Sport Research communication devices. cultural and sports organizations
tie-in to the Olympics,” she said. Portal and what’s great about have shown during the past 18 or
“Every day on our social media this is it’s actually going to In the meantime, the city’s cultural so months.
platforms we would highlight have national and international and sports communities are trying
a particular sport during the reach,” explains Garvey. “What to get back to pre-pandemic “The support in the City of
games, but then we tied it it does is it allows us to put in status quo. Medicine Hat has been great, the
back to the organizations that information about the city of organization, the understanding
have that particular sport in Medicine Hat and the type of Garvey, who has been manager that this has been a massive
the city, so what it was, was venues that we have available, since the late spring, says the learning curve for everybody,” says
an opportunity for people to sports that we host, different council and all of the member Garvey. “Just thanking the city on
realize, maybe there’s actually an things like that. It really organizations have been working their continued support through
organization that that they may showcases the city to governing hard to keep track and adhere all of this.”
not have been familiar with… to guidelines and regulations.
things like rugby or fencing.

“There were additional
swimming clubs that weren’t
originally part of our stakeholder
list that we were able to add
so it was really trying to get

REPORT

AlbertaON SOUTHEAST

2021index of advertisers
Apex Alberta 59 Invest Medicine Hat 30-31 Memory Lane Computers 49 Save-On Foods 29

Brooks & District Museum 44 Janzen Builders 6 Michaela Glasgo 17 South Country Co-op 37

Brooks Corn Maze 44 Landscape Depot 20 Miywasin Friendship Centre 35 South Country Co-op 60

Brooks Industrial Metals Ltd. 45 Leon’s Furniture 2 Newrock Developments 29 SpaTacular 43

Community Food Connections 23 Mark’s Marine 43 Patio Café 53 Special Areas 24

Community Foundation 23 Medicine Hat & District 5 Police Point Park 13 Standard Jeep Ram 46
of SE Alberta Chamber of Commerce Interpretive Program

Community Foundation 45 Medicine Hat & District Health Prairie Rose Public Schools 11 Stewart Optical 8
of SE Alberta Foundation 16
Praxis 13 Suffied Military Family
CORE Association 23 Medicine Hat & District Resource Centre
Live Music Club 9 Redcliff Home Hardware 48 33
Creative Floor Coverings 25
Medicine Hat Catholic Richardson’s Jewellery 11 Taco Time 53
Cypress County 7 Board of Education
13 River Dental 27 Town of Redcliff 10
Dynamic Industrial Solutions 55
Medicine Hat College 15 Rotary Music Festival 52 UPS Store 32
Eastern Irrigation District 45
Medicine Hat Nissan 19 Saamis Memorial Funeral Chapel, Verge Economic Development 26
Exotic Touch Auto Detailing 14 Crematorium & Reception Centre 21
Medicine Hat Public Library 23
Forever Lawn 20 Salvation Army 13 Wellspring 22
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Inter-Act Theatre Society 52 Shelter Society 13 Santa Claus Fund 24 YMCA 23

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58 | REPORT ON SOUTHEAST ALBERTA 2021

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Stronger Together! | 59

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