The Chamber of Commerce hosted their monthly luncheon, their first since June, on Wednesday, October 14 at the Crowsnest Centre. The luncheon featured presentations about local EMS and the H1N1 flu threat, and a presentation on the new Chamber-administered highway service sign program.
Lowry Toombs, Chamber of Commerce President, said that reports indicate the local economic climate generally improved over the summer. "But we don't know where we're going," he said. "It's very important that we stick together as a business community." He encouraged shopping locally and supporting local businesses.
Toombs gave a presentation on the Chamber's new highway services sign program. Working with Alberta Transportation, the Chamber has negotiated a new service sign system for the community. Instead of one service sign at each end of the Crowsnest Pass corridor, each district of the community will get two signs of its own.
There will be two service signs for Bellevue/Hillcrest, two for Blairmore, and two for Coleman. Each will feature panels that businesses in that area can advertise on, available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
There are four panels available on each Bellevue/Hillcrest sign, nine each for Blairmore, and six each for Coleman.
Getting onto the signs requires a five-year advertising commitment from a business, said Toombs, who added that two panels for Blairmore had already been sold. The cost is higher up front in order to cover the expense of installing the signs, but decreases over the length of the contract, and would stay low if the contract is extended to further five-year periods.

The cost, he said, is $1200 for the first year, $1000 for the second year, $600 for the third, $500 for the fourth, and $400 for the fifth. This is relatively inexpensive for highway advertising, he said, noting that getting on a highway service sign in Canmore costs $3000 a year.
In the luncheon's other presentation, Troy Linderman, Director of Crowsnest Pass EMS, provided attending members with an update about EMS services, and gave information about the H1N1 flu virus.
Linderman said that the transition to provincial control, which took place in April of this year, has been successful. Crowsnest Pass EMS is currently contracted to continue providing EMS service in the Pass until April of 2011.
He added that he has been able to add his third ambulance back in with his two full time ambulances, giving the community extra coverage if the other two are busy.
As of October 29, said Linderman, EMS in the Pass will be dispatched from Calgary instead of through Foothills Regional, as it is currently. He said that there might be some growing pains. "But we're working diligently with them," he added.
For the anticipated H1N1 flu outbreak, expected to hit in mid- to late-November, Linderman says that all levels of Alberta Health Services has gone through a big planning stage for it. Updates for individuals and businesses are available at www.albertahealthservices.ca.
Linderman told business owners to encourage staff members to wash their hands, and to stay home if they are sick. Typically, he said, a flu outbreak has an eight week period of peak time.
He said that 70 percent of Alberta is expected to get H1N1, while 10 percent will have to visit the hospital because of it, and one percent will become critically ill. Special H1N1 flu shots will be available to Albertans sometime in early to mid November, if they wish to receive them.