Proudly Serving Vermilion And Area Since 2004

In a media release on December 15, the County of Vermilion River announced that they voted to support the efforts to have a Canadian Soldier’s Star for Military Valour upgraded to a Canadian Victoria Cross. If successful, the campaign to have Pte. Jesse Larochelle awarded the medal would make Larochelle the first person to receive the honour, which was created in 1993 to replace the British Commonwealth Victoria Cross. A Victoria Cross has not been awarded to a Canadian since

Over the past seven years, it has always been Laura Waterfield’s priority to provide her customers with high-quality locally grown product, and her hard work and dedication to the craft has been recognized by her peers. Waterfield’s hard work was recognized by her peers in September 2021 when her name was initially put forth to the Alberta Greenhouse Growers Associaton (AGGA) for the Grower of the Year by Christie Pollock owner of Christie’s Gardens and Greenhouse Ltd in High

A regular Town Council Meeting was held on Tuesday, December 21, and here are some of the decisions made. Deputy Mayor for January and February 2022 will be Councillor Conlon. The council defeated a motion by the Parks, Recreation and Culture Board to have council amend Bylaw 5-202. The Town’s Retail Development Incentive Program was approved to assist Perfectly Mentionables, a new business in Vermilion in setting up their location. It was moved by Councillor Robert Snow “Tha

Cold weather conditions didn't deter birdwatchers from participating in the 122nd Audubon Christmas Bird Count on December 18. Up from last year, this year 26 birders participated in the count and covered a 24-kilometer diameter circle around Vermilion. "We had 12 feeder watchers and 14 field observers and this year some of the big flock species made an appearance, like Snow Buntings, Bohemian Waxwings and Common Redpolls,” commented Iris Davies. According to Davies, there ar

Good ol’ St. Nick visited Vermilion back on November 25 during the Light Up parade, but the Vermilion Voice has received word from the jolly old elf that he will be returning one last time before the holidays to do a check for the naughty or nice and to have pictures taken with both young and old, pets, etc. Santa has informed the Voice that he will be making an appearance at the Town Christmas tree in front of the Telus building on Dec 18 from 2-4 p.m. While visiting with Sa

Westman Farms held their annual Bred Heifer Sale on December 6 at the farm and considering the year the cattle industry has experienced they had a great sale. Now being operated by the 4th generation of the Westman family, Westman’s 22nd annual sale has grown with the changes in the industry, offering three different ways to purchase cattle; online, offsite, and in person. With over 500 head of cattle, potential buyers were able to view the variety of heifers available throug

Erin O’Toole leader of the Conservative party has called upon the House of Commons to investigate workplace harassment allegations made against Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs, by former members of her staff. According to a report O’Toole called for the probe following reports from former staff members alleging they experienced extreme workplace abusive behavior at the hand of Stubbs. The report states that at least one employee was forced to take sick leave to get away from what

A regular Town Council meeting was held on Tuesday, December 7, here are some of the highlights. Meetings can now occur in person at the Town office, with members of the public invited to join the council. You can also continue to watch Council meetings through the Town’s YouTube channel which you can access through their website. The next regular Council meeting is December 21, at 7 p.m. Councillor Snow moved, “That Council for the Town of Vermilion approves the hiring of pa

The Vermilion Curling Club began its season at the beginning of November and everyone is enjoying being back on the ice. A full season is planned this year, with all five leagues back in action. Tuesdays once again host both the Youth and Ladies League and the Men are on the ice Wednesday evenings. The Senior League plays on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, and Super League owns the rink on Thursday nights. Three bonspiels are planned for the season, the Jim Smith Memorial fo

Are you someone who enjoys watching and tracking birds in the area? If so, the Vermilion River Naturalist Society has just an event for you. Each year Birds Canada and the National Audubon Society help coordinate and support the efforts of more than 2500 counts throughout the Western Hemisphere. The Audubon Christmas Bird Count utilizes the power of volunteers to track the health of bird populations at a scale that scientists could never accomplish alone. Data compiled in Ver

With Christmas just a few short days away, the town of Vermilion is beginning to look a lot like Christmas with all the festive lights and lawn displays throughout. As a child, one of the best parts of the Christmas season was when my parents bundled us up, stuck us in the car and off we went looking at all the beautifully decorated houses for the season. I remember the awe and magic I felt as we passed by each house, and to this day it is still one of my most favourite thing

Lakeland College students wanted to improve farm operations, but without funding to do so the vision wouldn’t be able to come to life. Luckily for the students Roy Kubica came to the rescue and provided the students with a brand new Demco 1050 grain cart and it was unveiled at the Vermilion campus on November 19. Kubica’s $80,000 gift supported the purchase of the new grain cart as well as any required student leadership initiatives around its use. “When I started farming, th

Third-term County of Vermilion River Councillor Stacey Hryciuk has been elected by her peers to be the Reeve for the County for the next year. The annual position adds a few tasks to Hryciuk’s role as the Councillor for Division Three, including chairing council meetings, and acting as the public spokesperson for the council. She also has the role of being the closest contact with the County’s Chief Administrative Officer, Harold Northcott. For those that don’t know, the coun

Gord Bamford is an Alberta singer/songwriter and is said to be, “one of the most decorated artists in Canadian country music.” During his career, Bamford has been awarded 26 Canadian Country Music Association awards, multiple JUNO nominations, and is the only two-time winner of Nashville’s Country Music Association Global Country Artist. Bamford is also known for the success of his self-named charity The Gord Bamford Foundation which he began 14 years ago. Since its inception

Community Futures Lloydminster and Region has opened an office in Vermilion, and are looking forward to continuing to help local entrepreneurs establish and build their businesses. Offering several programs to assist local businesses with everything from marketing to financial advice and aid, Community Futures staff are ready to help the community grow. “This is another excellent source of lending and business support for our community,” stated Councillor Pulyk, “people may n

Two of Lakelands alumni family will be heading to Las Vegas in December to compete in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR). Scott Guenthner, who finished his regular rodeo season in 7th place with $74,953 will compete in the steer wrestling competition, this will be the fourth time in his career. Guenthner is a livestock production alumnus. Guenthner who is a class of 2021 alum says that it is a dream come true and implied that it is everyone’s dream and that it is not an

To end their busy first month as elected officials, the newly elected Vermilion Town council were able to attend the 2021 Alberta Municipalities (formerly the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association) Convention in Edmonton both in person and virtually from November 17 to 19. Four councillors, Mayor Throndson and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Kevin Lucas spent three days in Edmonton connecting with other municipal governments, private sector leaders and provincial politi

The Vermilion Chamber kicked off the Christmas season on November 25 with some delicious food, the Light up Parade and some family fun activities on mainstreet which included a chance to see Santa before he got too busy. A substantial crowd enjoyed the many floats decorated brightly with lights and donned holiday scenes. A visit from good ol’ Santa Claus, who travelled in a side by side was also in the parade this year. “It was so nice to be able to have a normal parade this