Field of Crosses

The Field of Crosses will be different this year.  On Remembrance Day they will not be holding Sunrise or Sunset ceremonies, but will be holding the traditional Remembrance Day Ceremony which will begin at 10:30 AM.  Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the ceremony will not be open to the public.  Global Television will be providing live coverage of the ceremony and the public will be able to watch it on television or stream it live.  The site will be closed to the public on November 11 from Sunrise until 2:00 PM at which time the public are welcome to wander amongst the crosses.  The site will be monitored to ensure no more than 100 participants are in the field at any one time. Take a look at their website for more details.

Feature: Local Charity

I have been visiting as many businesses and charities as possible over the last few months but today I’d like to feature a local charity that is doing some great work in Calgary Forest Lawn. The Hope Mission runs meal programs as well as Kid & Youth programs. Kelly Row was nice enough to give me a tour recently and at the time was anxious to get his kitchen open again.

It looks like they are ready to go as they are getting set to serve Christmas meals for families in December, complete with gifts.

Contact Kelly at calgary.community@hopemission.com to volunteer or for more information.

Thanks for your work Kelly and team.

Family Separation

Last month Conservatives focused on helping loved ones who have been separated during this pandemic.  Many live in our community and have been unfairly excluded from the Liberals’ immediate family criteria to reunite in Canada, but we were able to get the government to change their policies to be more compassionate while ensuring the health and safety of Canadians. The full details of the announcement can be found here.

In the course of my work with the Citizenship & Immigration Committee, I have heard many heart-wrenching stories but last week we heard testimony from Dr. David Edward-Ooi Poon. He had compiled a list of stories of people that were separated unnecessarily from their families and loved ones during this pandemic. He was incredibly moving, take a look at the video.

Provincial & Municipal Contacts

If you require assistance from your MLA, you can look up who represents you and their contact information here. For questions about provincial government programs and services, click here.

For assistance from your City Councillor, you can find your representative here. For general inquiries about City of Calgary services and requests for assistance, please call 311. If you’re not sure about who to talk to, don’t hesitate to give us a call.

WHICH BENEFITS ARE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR?

There have been some changes to the COVID benefits that are  available for Canadians.

• The Canada Recovery Benefit is available for Canadians who aren’t eligible for EI and have lost work due to COVID-19.

• The Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit provides support for Canadians who need to take time off work because of they’re ill or needing to self-isolate.

• The Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit supports Canadians unable to work because they’re caring for their child or dependents.

We Conservatives voted in favour of these new temporary measures and will continue to support programs that help Canadians in need.  The special COVID-19 Benefits Finder tool allows you to determine what benefits you may be entitled to by answering a few easy questions.

Canada Job Bank

If you need help getting back to work, try accessing the jobs being listed on the government website, visit www.jobbank.gc.ca to see the latest opportunities.  Hundreds of jobs are listed that are in our community and they offer Canadians with a wide variety of work experiences. The Canada Summer Job Bank listings are also put up here.

From the Mailbox

Here is a list of issues that I have heard about from constituents over the last month: gun control, COVID-19 (government programs and support, economic recovery, mitigation), energy, trade, cosmetics, public transit, housing, foreign affairs, internet, plastic waste, coal, firearms, judiciary, Indigenous issues, law enforcement, medication, healthcare, wildlife, fuel regulation, climate change, Palestine, pawn shops, euthanasia, environment, homelessness, long-term care, taxation, immigration, and aircraft noise.