Pipestone Flyer
Vol 14, Issue 51 (Leduc-Wetaskiwin Pipestone Flyer)
The Christmas Open House, held by MP Blaine Calkins at his Constituency Office in Ponoka on December 20th, provided an excellent opportunity for the general public to meet all levels of local political leadership in a congenial atmosphere accompanied by tasty snacks. It was a time for Season’s Greetings, good wishes and friendly conversation. It was also a chance to meet the office staff and get a sense of their friendly concern and competence.
The office itself was tastefully decorated for Christmas, and the delicious snack trays included excellent home baking. A special touch was the hot spiced apple cider. There was seating for longer visits and a very relaxed, friendly atmosphere.
Of course, if there was a matter one wished to bring to the attention of an elected official, this was a place to catch them off guard and mention it, even though it was not the place for longer discussions. MLAs, mayors, reeves, council members, all seemed to appear here at some time during the afternoon. Such is the nature of democracy, that the people who run our country at all levels of government are elected from among us and meet us on occasions such as this simply as neighbours, as part of our communities. It is always a delight to discover that they are really pretty ordinary people like you and I, people we can meet and enjoy and who generally have the best interests of their communities at heart.