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Newsmakers of 2018

As we ready to ring in 2019, it is always beneficial to look back on the year past and take stock of the people and events that inspired us, created change or were instrumental in helping our community be a better place to live.

As we ready to ring in 2019, it is always beneficial to look back on the year past and take stock of the people and events that inspired us, created change or were instrumental in helping our community be a better place to live. As we reflect on 2018, there a few standout citizens and events that made headlines. Topping the list is Morley elder Valentina Fox. Fox, who has lived a life dedicated to holding leaders of the Stoney Nakoda Nation to account and educating people about the history of Canada's First Peoples, was awarded the Rotary Club of Cochrane's Integrity Award back in May. She also participated in a blanket ceremony hosted by Rotarians and the Town of Cochrane meant to bring more awareness of Canada's push to reconciliation with Indigenous people. Paul Singh, a dedicated volunteer with Newcomers Cochrane, was bestowed with the town's Citizen of the Year award and was also nominated to receive the Order of Cochrane. Singh, who is working towards his citizenship, came to Cochrane in 2014 from his home in the province of Punjab in northern India. Although he works three jobs – catering at the RancheHouse, as a Southland school bus driver and at the West Valley Tim Hortons – he is also an engaged volunteer organizing such events as the Community Picnic and Citizenship Ceremony. Cochrane celebrity Dan Kroffat makes the list with the Cochrane Legion. Kroffat has been pushing the idea of secure poppy boxes to Canada's Legion Command in an effort to cut down on the theft of Poppy Campaign funds. While the national body has yet to embrace the boxes, the Cochrane Legion has thrown its support behind them going so far as to partially credit the boxes for the record-setting $50,000 worth of donations collected during poppy sales this year. Cochrane newspaper mogul the late Jack Tennant inspired news around the province upon his death earlier this year. Tennant was instrumental in the beginning of multiple newspaper across Alberta including the Cochrane Eagle. The former Sun columnist was also renowned for his ability to make politicians uneasy. He left this world the way he lived in it, as part of the headlines. Big Hill Haven Women's Shelter, the proposed new facility for Cochrane, has been going full bore over the year. Hosting multiple events and hiring an outreach worker, the centre is well on its way to raising funds for building the shelter and has received an outpouring of community support. Morley volunteer Tasina Pope makes the list for her work on the reserve helping in a number of initiatives to help her people. Most notably, she won the 2018 ChooseWell Healthy Community Award in the health education category for encouraging physical activity among youth. She was also instrumental in bringing fresh food markets to the community. On the sports front the Cochrane Cobras, Dillon Dube and Paul Oldridge each get a nod. The Cobras continued their winning ways shattering league and provincial winning records going undefeated throughout the season. Dube hit the big time playing for the Calgary Flames at the start of the season and scoring his first NHL goal. To start the year he won gold at the IIHF World Junior Championship. Oldridge, who golfed with Team Alberta at the Special Olympics Nationals in Halifax this year, took home a gold medal following his performance at the event.  

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