MLA committee to choose police college site

FRANK MCTIGHE MACLEOD GAZETTE EDITOR

The fate of Fort Macleod and the other three finalists for the provincial police college rests this morning in the hands of four Alberta MLAs.    The committee spent Tuesday touring Fort Macleod, Red Deer, Camrose and Lac La Biche which made the short list of the college site selection committee.    "The purpose here is to put a second set of eyes on this whole process," said Andy Wieler, director of communications for the Alberta Solicitor General's office. "It puts a fresh perspective on everything. The site selection committee wants to make sure it has done all its homework properly, and the MLA committee will provide that validation."    Mary Anne Jablonski, Fred Lindsay, Len Mitzel and Ivan Strang yesterday toured Fort Macleod, Red Deer, Camrose and Lac La Biche.    The MLA committee will make its recommendation to Alberta Solicitor General Harvey Cenaiko, who is expected to announce the site some time in August.    "The MLAs will be recommending the choice," Wieler said Friday in a telephone interview. "The review committee has pared it down to four."    Wieler was unable to say when, or where, the announcement of the site selection will be made.    "We'll give the committee as much time as they need to review the bids and come up with a recommendation," Wieler said.    Livingstone-Macleod MLA Dave Coutts has confidence his home town is in good hands.    "The make-up of this committee will be strong enough they will make a balanced decision," said Coutts, who is minister of sustainable resource development. "The people on this committee are strong."    Coutts was responding to a question regarding the appearance of bias with the appointment of Red Deer-North MLA Jablonski.    "The minister (Solicitor General Harvey Cenaiko) has chosen this committee," Coutts said. "Certainly when the minister chooses a committee he does so for specific reasons." Coutts said all four members of the committee chaired by Strang are knowledgeable about the college and each of the four bids.    "All four of them are very detail-oriented people," Coutts said. "They're very experienced in going out and looking at proposals like this."    Coutts said the backgrounds of each committee member are impressive.    "They're good people," Coutts said. "They will do their due diligence.    Coutts also pointed out that while Jablonski is MLA for Red Deer-North, the proposed site is not in her constituency.    "I'm not overly worried," Coutts said. "I don't see one person being able to sway an entire committee."    The following are the biographies of the members of the MLA review committee from the Alberta government Web site.    Mary Anne Jablonski    Jablonski was first elected Red Deer-North MLA in a by-election in 2000 and was re-elected in the 2001 provincial general election. She was elected in 2004 to her third term. Jablonski chairs the Justice and Government Services Standing Policy Committee and has also served as chair of the Youth Secretariat.    Jablonski has also been a member of standing committee on public accounts; the special standing committee on members services; and the standing policy committee on health and community living.    Jablonski was raised in St. Catharines, Ont. and was awarded a scholarship to attend Brock University, where she studied psychology and political science.    Married since 1971, Jablonski and her husband Bob have three grown children and one grandchild.    Jablonski and her family moved to Alberta in 1980 when her husband was transferred to Penhold with the Canadian Forces.    From 1982-'85, she helped lobby the federal government for a dental plan for the families of the Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP as well as for the rights of spouses of military members.    Before entering politics Jablonski and her husband owned and operated a fiberglass manufacturing company that employed 18 people. Her work experience also includes seven years in the banking industry.    Jablonski has been involved in community groups, sporting associations, church boards, the Catholic Women's League, Girl Guides of Canada and the Chamber of Commerce. In 1999 as a member of the I.T.C. Jablonski won the international speech competition in Kobe, Japan.    Fred Lindsay    Lindsay, who is in his first term as a Stony Plain MLA, was certified as a survey technician and a concrete technician from NAIT in 1967 and obtained his ERCB surface mine manager's certificate in 1975.    Lindsay held many positions with Calgary Power and TransAlta including surveyor, party chief, assistant mine supervisor, mine supervisor, farm and reclamation manager and community relations manager.    He was also an auxiliary constable with Parkland County from 1972-'74.    Lindsay was mayor of Wabamun from 1980-'84 and 2001-'04. He was also a stakeholder relations consultant.    In the Wabamun community, Lindsay was arena manager and president. He was a hockey coach, league organizer, referee and president of the Parkland Minor Hockey League. Lindsay was a trustee with Parkland school division from 1985-'93 and director of Yellowhead Regional Planning Commission from 1981-'84. He was also chair of the New Era Municipal Planning agency from 2003-'04.    Lindsay has been a director and member of the Stony Plain Progressive Conservative Association for approximately 25 years.    Lindsay was Wabamun Citizen of the Year in 1984 and received the TransAlta community service and entrepreneurship awards.    He was elected to the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy in 1993.    Lindsay is married to Janice and together they have raised four children.    Len Mitzel    Mitzel is the first-term MLA for Medicine Hat-Cypress.    He worked for Alberta Transportation as a surveyor and was promoted through the ranks until he became responsible for two crews, primarily focused on preliminary designing and constructing of major highways in southern Alberta before entering the University of Lethbridge as a second year pre-engineering student.    When his father died in 1977, Mitzel returned to run the family farm. He served as reeve of the MD of Cypress for 12 years and as chairman of the regional health authority board for six years.    Mitzel was president of Zone 1 and chairman of the provincial mayors' and reeves' association of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties.    Mitzel was co-founder and chairman of the Mayors' and Reeves' Association of Southeast Alberta    He chaired the Southeast Alberta Water Task Force Committee, which won an Emerald Award for its work on reclaiming abandoned water wells.    Mitzel was also a member of the Alberta Environment Water for Life Task Force; vice-president of the Red Coat Trail Association; executive member and president, of Southeast Alberta Travel and Convention Association; and a director of the South East Alberta Water Co-op.    Mitzel and his wife June, are founding members and volunteer as curators for the Etzikom Museum of South East Alberta and the Historic Windmill Center. Ivan Strang    A resident of Edson, Strang is in his third term as MLA for West Yellowhead and chairs the rural caucus and is a member of the Treasury Board. He was appointed Deputy Whip in April.    The 66-year-old Strang was born in Winnipeg and later lived in Hay River, NWT.    Strang worked for Federal Public Works and the Giant Yellowknife Mine before moving to Edmonton in 1967 to begin a 27-year career in the tire business.    Strang worked for three tire companies before opening Tamarack Tire Service in Edson, which he operated until 1994.    Strang served one term as a councillor for the Town of Edson before serving as mayor from 1989-'97. He was also president of the Edson Chamber of Commerce, and in 1984 received the Alberta Small Business Award.    Since being elected as West Yellowhead MLA in 1997, Strang has chaired the standing committee on public affairs; the Alberta Forestry Research Institute advisory committee; the quota tenure review committee; and the endangered species conservation committee.    Strang has also been a member of the standing policy committees on agriculture and municipal affairs and agriculture, environment and rural development.    In addition, Strang has been a member of the standing committees on private bills; and privileges and elections, standing orders and printing.    He has also been a member of the Natural Heritage Act MLA Review Committee; the Task Force on Children at Risk; and the Non-Profit Tax Exemption Review Committee.    Strang has two daughters and six grandchildren. He lives in Edson with his wife, Tammy.