After years of drafting and wrangling over budgets and cost, St. Albert’s new $51-million Sturgeon Community Hospital opened to the public in January 1993. Intended to replace the 25-year-old facility on McKenney Avenue, the new hospital opened with only 150 of 200 beds available, the remainder sacrificed due to funding cuts, an ominous beginning.
The health of the Sturgeon River was also front and centre as an Alberta Environment report suggested leachate was leaking from the former landfill in Riel Park. There were concerns the sludge of chemicals buried beneath the ground could seep into the river or Big Lake, more ominous still.
Yet in 1994 the news was all provincial as Premier Ralph Klein began his aggressive offensive on Alberta’s debt and deficits. Nothing was safe as school boards lost their taxation powers, kindergarten was cut and the province opted to no longer fund returning Grade 12 students. St. Albert learned it would lose access to the Municipal Assistance Grant, which had just paid out $1.2 million. The school districts reported problems accommodating funding shortfalls but expressed relief the cuts weren’t as bad as feared. The Inglewood liquor store closed its doors and reopened as a private entity after Klein privatized the industry.
In a display of belt-tightening, the city responded by negotiating a salary freeze with city workers and council froze its own salaries to pass a budget with no property tax increase. The city also reached a deal with the chamber of commerce for the chamber to move into the new $274,000 Tourism Centre. In return the chamber gave the city $50,000.
Just as the month was about to end, word came out that Richard Fowler, St. Albert’s former mayor and MLA, had been appointed a family court judge.
In 1995, the city made one of its best decisions for the future when it voted to hold the Northern Alberta International Children’s Festival, taking it over from the Citadel Theatre which could no longer afford it. As the theatre tightened its belt, so too did MLA Len Bracko, who was named the legislature’s tightwad for accruing the fewest expenses among MLAs who served at least 10 months.
But cutting expenses was all the rage in Alberta. In St. Albert, the Sturgeon Community Hospital Board folded as the Capital Health Authority took over the reins.
By the next year St. Albert was awash in gold as city son Jarome Iginla returned from the World Junior Hockey Championship held in Boston with a gold medal. His five goals and six assists also earned him tournament all-star honours and he was also named the best forward in the tournament.
As of 1997, petitions were starting to circle the entire province to rid municipalities of video lottery terminals that many believed exacerbated gambling addictions. A similar petition started up in St. Albert, with Mayor Anita Ratchinsky stating she would respect the will of the people even if it meant the city lost out on lottery grants. The mayor and council were also under fire for the environmental impact assessment conducted for the west bypass road after it was presented to the public. Many believed comments solicited from the public were twisted to support the road’s construction.
On the ice, Dan Bokhenfohr of the St. Albert Saints became the franchise leader in goals scored with 112 after notching a hat-trick in a 6-3 win over the Sherwood Park Crusaders.
As soon as the new year began in 1998, the city was left reeling from a riot in downtown just prior to Christmas. After RCMP members responded to complaints of teen drinking or drug use, a band playing at the hall whipped them into a frenzy with an “anti-police song.” Some smashed the window of a cruiser to liberate an arrested teen. In response, the RCMP called in off-duty staff and Edmonton police as back-up. One officer was hit with a beer bottle and of 14 people arrested, two were charged. Within a week council members were asking for a watchdog to oversee the detachment.
As if in response, council voted at the end of the month to pump $125,000 into a proposed youth centre. A lease at Grandin mall was being negotiated and employees were already in place.
If 1998 started with a bang, then 1999 started with a bark. A 911 operator received a call but there was no answer at the other end. An ambulance and police were dispatched to an Alpine Place apartment, which was locked with no signs of suspicious activity visible. Inside they found the caller — a five-month-old German shepherd named Shay who had somehow dialed the number. No charges were laid.
The bingo scene was starting to heat up, however, as Red Barn Bingo looked to set up shop in town, much to the chagrin of Grandin and Campbell bingo halls, who feared the move would lead to fewer profits for volunteer organizations.
As the clock ticked down on the millennium, everyone was both enjoying the coming of the new year and worried about Y2K. While the common belief was that computers across the world (and in St. Albert) had been updated to recognize the year 2000, the city staffed a command room on New Year’s Eve with the head of the local RCMP and the fire chief keeping an eye on the situation. As midnight passed, nothing happened.
The Jan. 1 Gazette appeared with an image of Father Time surrounded by young children dressed as doctors, police officers, firefighters and lawyers, the caption wondering what the future will bring.
