Knowledge I have that can be used in my role. As the marketing and public relations chairperson for the 2023 Alberta 55+ Summer Games, I bring a unique set of skills and experience to the table. I am a local entrepreneur and business owner and I manage a team of close to 70 people in my two retail businesses. Marketing and public relations are a part of my daily life, and I am continually looking for ways to learn from those around me and the experts I encounter along the way. I am involved in the business community in Brooks and have many connections and relationships that will assist me in this role. I take great pride in all the community engagement I participate in, and I can’t wait to see the results of the hard work of our planning committee and volunteers as we lead up to a successful games weekend in August!

Advice to help people become better versions of themselves. When I think about how to become my own best version, I remind myself to listen to those around me and acknowledge my weaknesses so that I can grow and overcome them. I am a firm believer in leading with kindness, not judgment, and in pushing myself to accomplish more than I think I’m capable of. I’m not an expert in being your best self, so I can only speak from personal experience, but I think it’s important to be kind to yourself, allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them, and most importantly have fun every day and don’t sweat the small stuff that you can’t control!

Favourite podcasts or books? I am an avid reader and I’ve always got more than one book and audiobook on the go! I lean toward thrillers typically, the creepier the better—who needs sleep right? The best book I have recently read (maybe ever) was Fairy Tale by Stephen King, which surprisingly, for both my personal tastes and King’s typical writings, is not scary at all! It’s an amazing story about a boy and his dog, and King set out to write it in the thick of the pandemic when all everyone needed was a story that would make people feel good. He did exactly that!

Big dream for the event? My big dream is that we have a hugely successful games weekend with competitors and athletes from all over the province who will be blown away by the region and what we have put together for them. A little bit of perfect summer weather wouldn’t hurt either!

Tilley wastewater lagoon system will be getting an assessment and cleaning. There is an excessive amount of solids in the lagoons which has caused complications when discharging the lagoon effluent. This is typical throughout the life cycle of a lagoon system. A list of lagoons in the County’s inventory will be evaluated.

Snow removal costs continue to increase, costs are $91,000 higher than projected. This does not include the costs relating to the snow event of March 10, which are anticipated to be an additional $20,000 in contracted snow removal. The City has a Stabilization Reserve to cover this increase.

Amphitheatre at Evergreen Park? The idea was presented to Council to obtain their feedback and support. Evergreen Park was discussed as a potential strategic location as it could reduce train noise. Parking, future maintenance obtaining feedback/ideas from user groups, and applying for grants to complete the project was also discussed. This item will be brought back in the fall to Council Committee.

The games will ​take place
August 17th - 20th

We'll be welcoming over 1,000 visitors to our community and will be looking for volunteers to help with transportation, sports/activities, entertainment, games headquarters, etc.

The Rolling Hills Ag. Society will receive Recreation Facilities Improvement Funding for the development of additional camp stalls in the Rolling Hills Campground. Projects that are considered for the RFIF fall into one or a combination of the following categories: 1) New Builds, 2) Facility Life Extensions, 3) Projects intended to reduce the amount of public funds required to cover annual operating costs.

RCMP Community Consultation - Interested in helping make Brooks and the County of Newell a safer place to live, work, learn, and play? The Brooks RCMP and Brooks & Newell Safe Communities Committee are conducting a survey to assess the priorities of the various communities in their jurisdiction. Complete the short 5-question survey by clicking here.

Safe Communities Committee filled two vacant member-at-large positions and one youth position.

Bob Breakell is a past Mayor, Councillor and president of Brooks Citizens on Patrol and acts as a guard at the RCMP Detachment. As Citizens on Patrol recently disbanded, he would like to continue to contribute to the community.

Lisa Albers has volunteer experience with various organizations in the community and has received Victim Services training. She would like to be involved with the Committee to make the community safe for all ages.

Adorn Mehare is a student at Brooks Composite High School who enjoys helping his community and values advocacy to ensure that people have equal opportunities in life.

NewGrow was so successful they are bringing it back, biannually! Business retention and expansion is one focus area of the Brooks Newell Region Economic Development team. The NewGrow pitch competition stimulates business growth in the Region, hopefully leading toward better business retention and expansion. All participants who take part in NewGrow have a chance to receive an award package including up to $10,000 in funding plus valuable business services, promotions and mentorship. May 26 will be the next pitch competition. Find out more here.

Your TOP 5 Downtown Businesses . . . so far

Cherry Bomb
Steaming Cup
G & T
Home Hardware
The Barber Shop