Buildings in Provost Await SuperNet
A protective casing for a fibre optic cable first goes into the ground as workmen had been operating a boring machine (not shown) at the other end of the Provost Public School yard. The Alberta SuperNet project that will allow high capacity data communications has been worked on in Cadogan—and now moves here for a couple of weeks of initial installation. Manitoban Jerry Lamott who is in charge at this portion of the operation says that the directional drilling machine will plow the casing up to four or five feet deep to connect the town library, town office, hospital, MD Provost, the provincial building and both schools. Alberta SuperNet will link 88 communities with a completion date of mid 2004. (See PN Sept. 10). ©Provost News Photo.
Print version in October 8 edition of The Provost News.
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Alberta Separatists Meet in Provost
A group called the Separation Party of Alberta was in Provost on Tuesday night looking for signatures for a petition to help form the fledgling political organization.
A dozen people plus the press were in attendance at the meeting that ran from 7:30 p.m. until about 9 p.m.
Chairman of the meeting, Rocky Mountain House resident Bruce Hutton explained the reasons why he has become a separatist and asked others to join him.
He said that he became more political in 1998 to fight the Liberal party firearms proposed legislation (and he was in Provost earlier to argue that case).
Hutton, who has lived his entire life in Western Canada said that even though his wife died in May 2002, he has devoted the last six months as a volunteer to talk not just about the threat of separation of Alberta—but the actual plans to do it. He says his plans are legal and wants to gather 10,000 signatures; they need 5,769 people signed up.
Hutton acknowledged that separation “is a pretty drastic proposition” but described Alberta as “the golden goose” and how central Canada will not allow the province to be a major player in confederation.
“We’re Alberta separatists, not western separatists.”
The Albertan said that he was once a proud Canadian and several things turned him into a separatist—and gave examples of alleged shortcomings Alberta suffers in the present political situation. The main thing that made him a separatist however, was when 12 farmers were put in jail (see PN Strankman and others sentenced to jail time) for doing, he says, what eastern farmers do all the time. He was referring to a fight stemming from the Canadian Wheat Board. “There is one set of rules for the east, and one for the west.” He said he was in Lethbridge the day the farmers were sent to jail and praised them for the “courage and conviction of their beliefs.”
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