Town of Coalhurst

A great place to live, work and play!

News and Updates

In this section find current and archived news releases for the Town of Coalhurst and other local news of interest to residents.

Do You Have Problems With Crows on Your Property?

Here is some information on how to help deter crows from being pests on your property.

How to Deter Crows from your Property

1. Store trash securely where it cannot be accessed by crows. Crows can easily rip into a plastic trash bag to start rummaging through your trash. Make sure your container is not overfilled as crows can get into the trash if a small part of the bag is showing. Look to get a container that has a locked lid. Once a crow finds a source of food, it will be back daily to forage, so it is important to always keep trash completely secure.

    • Cover and lock all trashcans.
    • Secure the handles to stakes stuck in the ground to prevent bins from being knocked over.

2. Cover and contain all compost. Crows are omnivores and will eat any food scraps they happen upon. It is important to make sure all food scraps are securely contained. Composting is a great sustainable way to get rid of leftover food, however open compost is very inviting to a crow. To compost food without attracting crows, make sure you cover your compost or keep it contained in a bin. You can compost yard waste without attracting crows.

3. Protect your garden. Although crows can be beneficial to gardens because they eat insects and grubs, sometimes they will help themselves to your crops as well. Place a flexible bird net over your crops purchased from your local garden or hardware store. A four inch net will keep the crows out but still give smaller birds access to the insects in your garden. Before your fruit starts to ripen, drape the net on the crops or suspend it above the crops with a frame built around the garden. Make sure the net is secure to ensure it will keep the crows out. You can also put this netting over fruit trees and bushes.

4. Use bird feeders that exclude large birds. Invest in a bird feeder that automatically closes when birds of larger weights try to feed. You might also try using a feeder with a wire mesh that excludes crows but lets smaller birds in. Clean up any spillage each day to prevent crows from foraging around the feeder.

5. Install crow-proof nest boxes. Crows will sometimes eat the hatchlings of other, smaller birds. If a crow finds a nest box that it can get a hatchling out of, it will return every year to do the same.

    • Make sure all of your nest boxes are over 6 inches (15.2　cm) deep from the hole to the bottom of the box.
    • Remove the perch or ledge under the hole of a nest box so that the crow doesn’t have a place to stand and wait for a hatchling to poke its head out.

6. Trim dead branches from trees. Crows gather in groups and will look for open spaces to roost. Removing dead branches prevents large numbers of crows from converging on the leafless branch.

7. Use transparent bird gel on branches and other roosting areas. You can purchase bird gels from a local hardware store or online. Bird gel is a non-toxic sticky substance that does not disrupt the natural look of windows or trees like bird spikes. The sticky gel makes the surface uncomfortable to crows and will prevent them from establishing your yard as a nesting site.

8. Reduce outdoor lighting. Crows tend to congregate in well lit areas at night. Reducing your outdoor lighting will help make your space less attractive to crows.

9. Address the arriving crows early in the winter. Crows are migratory birds and typically choose roosting grounds in early winter. Disrupt their habits by addressing the birds as soon as they arrive so they don’t take up residence with you all winter.

10. Disrupt the crows right before dusk. Scaring crows away in the evening helps prevent them from spending the night in your yard. A crow will look for a safe place to spend the evening, and by scaring them right before it gets dark, they are likely to look elsewhere.

11. Use fake animals to deter crows. String fake crows from a Halloween store upside down with their wings out. Crows will avoid the fake dead crows. You can try using fake horned owls or snakes, but these will only deter the crows for a short while. Crows will even learn the patterns of animatronic animals and recognize that they aren’t real eventually.

12. Scare crows away with reflective objects around your property.[12] Crows can be frightened by moving shiny objects. You can find bird tape that is designed as a visual deterrent to crows. Hang shiny streamers on poles throughout your yard, or make a fence around your property by twisting the tape together and stringing it between poles along the perimeter. Move the location of your streamers periodically to keep the crows from overcoming them as a threat. Other reflective ideas to try:

    • Reflective tape
    • Old CDs hung vertically on a string.
    • Aluminum pie pans. Adding anything shiny to your yard will help to deter the crows.

12. Use loud noises to frighten crows away. Crows do not like loud sounds such as explosions, loud banging, and alarms; these options, however effective, may be impractical for people in urban settings. Each time you see the crows, make the noise to train them to stay away. Playing a recorded audio of crow predators or crow distress calls can also help keep them away. You can find audio of crow sound deterrents available online at bird control companies. Try these noisemakers to keep the crows away:[13]

    • Recordings of crow distress calls
    • Recordings of crow predators such as owls and hawks
    • Air horns

 

Provincial Election Information

The Provincial Election will be held on Tuesday April 16, 2019. Follow the link below for up-to-date information regarding Advance Poll Dates, voting locations (as they come available), and will allow you to speed up the voting process by making sure you’re registered to vote beforehand. It will also provide links to news, party/candidate information, and will answer other questions you may have regarding the election.

https://www.elections.ab.ca/current-election-information/

 

 

RESULTS OF A PUBLIC HEARING AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Town of Coalhurst held a Public Hearing in the Council Chambers on February 5, 2019 for proposed Bylaw No. 404-19, Amendment to Municipal Development Plan. The purpose of the proposed Bylaw No. 404-19 is to provide clarity as to when the preparation and adoption, by bylaw, of an area structure plan is required, pursuant to section 633 of the Municipal Government Act, Revised Statutes of Alberta 2000, Chapter M-26, as amended.

The Council of the Town of Coalhurst had given first reading of the proposed Bylaw on January 15, 2019 at their Fifth Regular meeting and second and third reading was given at the Sixth Regular meeting on February 5, 2019. Bylaw 404-19 was signed and sealed.

The Town of Coalhurst also held a Public Participation in the Council Chambers on February 5, 2019 for proposed Bylaw No. 405-19, a Bylaw to specify the number of Councillors sitting on the Municipal Council from 5 to 7.

The Council of the Town of Coalhurst had given first reading of the proposed Bylaw on January 15, 2019 at their Fifth Regular meeting and second and third reading was given at the Sixth Regular meeting on February 5, 2019. Bylaw No. 405-19 was signed and sealed.

Youth Advisory Board

Eight youth from the Lethbridge riding will be selected to meet with Rachael Harder, Lethbridge MP, once a month on a Saturday morning.  The Youth Advisory Board will run from April 2019 to March 2020, with a break over the summer.

Take a look at Rachael Harder Youth Advisery Board for all the important details on how to apply for this amazing opportunity.

New Program for Coalhurst Youths

FCSS and the Coalhurst Youth Centre will now accommodate a Friday Drop In for Grades 4-6 at the Coalhurst Youth Centre every other Friday from 1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.  Check link for details:
FCSS & Youth Center.

The Coalhurst Youth Centre will still remain open every Friday for youths Grades 7+ from 7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Town Office Closure for the Holidays

The Town of Coalhurst Administration Office will close on December 24, 2018 for the Christmas holidays and re-open on January 2, 2019 .

Payments can be made on line or cheques can be dropped off in the drop off box located at the entrance of the Town Office.

Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year!

Hometowner – Sergeant Jeremy Joseph James Leblanc

Special Guest of the CDS
Remembrance Week, 2018

Submitted by Department
of National Defence

Every year for a week leading up to Remembrance Day, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the Canadian Armed Forces Chief Warrant Officer (CAFCWO) select a member of the Canadian Armed Forces to be a guest of honour to accompany them during the Remembrance Day ceremonies located at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.  This year the CDS, General Jonathan Vance and the CAFCWO, Chief Warrant Officer Alain Guimond chose Sergeant (Sgt.) Jeremy Joseph James Leblanc from Coalhurst, Alberta to be their guest.

Created in 1998, the Remembrance Day Sentry Program recognizes outstanding Regular and Reserve Force sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen of the CAF, and a member of the RCMP, for their dedication, professionalism and performance. Participation in this program is a unique experience for those selected.

Typically, the member who is chosen by the CDS and the CAFCWO is a soldier who has displayed exemplary conduct on and off duty and has been wounded in the course of action on a tour overseas.

Sergeant (Sgt.) Leblanc currently serves in the first battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment (1 RCR). He grew up in Coalhurst, attending Coalhurst Highschool.  Jeremy played a lot of soccer and hockey.  It was travel and a sense of adventure that drew him to join the Canadian Armed Forces in 2000.

After completing his Basic Infantry Qualification, he was posted to 1 RCR where he deployed to Bosnia, Afghanistan and, most recently, to Ukraine. It was in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in Oct of 2006 that he was injured.  During a coordinated direct enemy attack on their strong point along route Summit, Sgt. Leblanc was hit by shrapnel from an enemy rocket-propelled grenade.

An avid fisherman, he lives in Petawawa with his wife, Melissa, and their sons Cooper and Parker.

Below:  Sergeant Leblanc and sons

Carbon Monoxide Awareness

November 1-7 is Carbon Monoxide (CO) Awareness Week in Alberta. With second (or third?) winter creeping in and heating season is in full swing, it’s time to remind Albertans to protect their homes against CO.

CO is an invisible, silent, odourless toxic gas, often referred to as the ‘silent killer.’  Every year, ATCO responds to more than 3,000 service and emergency calls related to CO, involving improperly operating natural gas appliances, exhaust from vehicles idling in a garage and poorly vented wood-burning fireplaces. It’s extremely hard to detect, and in an enclosed space such as a home or garage, even a small amount can be dangerous. That’s why having a CO alarm can save your life.  carbon monoxide

Submitted by ATCO

 

RCMP Interactive Crime Information Map

The RCMP has provided the Town with a resident-facing, interactive crime map that shows information on missing persons, stolen vehicles and high crime areas.

This new information can be found on the Town’s web site under Emergency Services. Check it out.

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