City Notebook: Where have we seen that name before?

By COLLIN GALLANT on May 18, 2019.

Hatters may have had their ears perk up at familiar names a couple times this week watching national news.

Most notably, Spencer Fraser, the former GM at local defence contractor Meggitt, was featured prominently in a report of the confusing case of Admiral Mark Norman.

Fraser’s new firm, Federal Fleet Services, is one of the companies at the centre of the case.

Also, a protest by energy workers of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s appearance in Edmonton this week was led off by comments from member of the crowd Jason Battershill.

Battershill played parts of two seasons for the Medicine Hat Tigers in the mid-2000s before studying to become an oil and gas engineer. We’re still trying to discern a possible connection to outspoken energy advocate Cody Battershill.

On a slight tangent, has it ever been noted that Trudeau’s head speechwriter, Jordan Deagle, also has a connection to Medicine Hat?

Deagle was a high draft pick of the WHL club and played Midget AAA here before a trade and then university to train for a broadcasting career.

Speaking of hockey

The Prince Albert Raiders are WHL champs after edging the Vancouver Giants is a thrilling sudden-death win on home ice. Sound familiar?

“I don’t always cover the WHL Final series, but when I do it’s a Game 7 OT classic,” remarked former News sportswriter and WHL reporter Darren Steinke, whose base is now Saskatoon, but covered the series.

A side note, your column’s author was in Swift Current for a Tigers playoff series about 10 years ago trying to gin up a rivalry story on a slow day in Speedy Creek. That was scuttled when former Tiger captain, then Swift Current coach Dean Chynoweth, said flat-out the 1980s Tigers lineup saw PA as their biggest rival.

The two teams won a combined three Memorial Cups in four years during the era. It seems they met each year in the playoffs. The potential draft jockeying between stars Mike Modano and Trevor Linden was palpable. Good times.

Civic recognition

Accolades go to George Russill, who was named as Cypress County’s 2018 citizen of the year at a gathering last Friday night. Aside from serving for 24 years as county councillor for Elkwater, Russill has also been heavily involved in the townsite’s community association, golf course, curling club and other endeavours over the years.

We missed it, but a while back Redcliff’s Melvin McNeil took home similar honours, an award sponsored by the town’s Lions Club.

The deadline for nominations for the City of Medicine Hat’s civic recognition awards is May 31. With 2019 being the 40th anniversary of the awards, now known as the Community Spirit Awards, a gala and reunion of past recipients is being planned for October 3.

A look ahead

Council next sits on Tuesday evening following the long weekend when we can expect details of a potential sale of land near Primrose Drive and the city’s 2018 annual report.

The Alberta Legislature resumes the same day with a speech from the throne following last month’s election.

100 years ago

An estimated 30,000 workers in Winnipeg walked off the job to begin a general strike in that city, the News reported May 15, 1919. Trades and labour councils, telephone operators and police were involved and the action was formally approved by a meeting of returned veterans in that city of 180,000.

The strike was the latest in an escalating campaign to form “One Big Union” comprising both skilled trades and general workers to force reform action outside of the political process.

Medicine Hat MP and cabinet minister Arthur Sifton would return home on the Aquitania with Prime Minister Robert Borden following the completion of the Treaty of Versailles.

Canada required co-operation between the east and west to secure new trade routes to the Pacific, Mayor Brown stated in a speech to local business audience at the Assiniboia Hotel. The luncheon was a follow to Brown’s attendance to the Alberta industrialization conference, where the province invited industrialists from across the continent to promote local opportunity.

The Canadian Pacific Railway applied for a commercial air charter.Â

If you wished to keep your sons and daughters at home and out of trouble, consider buying a Victrola Record player, a local shopkeeper suggested in an ad.