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“Toast of the Town” honours former Oiler Barrie Stafford and helps to raise more than $600 thousand for Colon Cancer and Multiple Myeloma research

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photo of Barry Stafford at Toast of the Town
Scroll down for photo galleries of this year’s event.

“I’m a lucky sonofabitch!” – Barrie Stafford

This year’s 31st Annual Day of Golf, held over the past 2 days at the Derrick Golf and Winter Club raised in excess of $600,000 for the Cure Cancer Foundation, with funds this year going to support research and patients at the Cross Cancer Institute and research into multiple myeloma and colon cancer.  In its now 31 years, the tournament has raised more than $16 million dollars.

Grant Fuhr co-hosted this year’s tournament along with Oiler royalty Glenn Anderson who has been involved since day 1.

This year, a companion event was added.  The Toast of the Town, held at Polar Park, honoured long time Oilers trainer and equipment manager Barrie Stafford. Barrie was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2011.

Stafford spoke passionately about his fight with the disease after being diagnosed in 2011.

“My whole life I’ve been a very health conscious person. I was struggling with pain, couldn’t sleep, and just wasn’t feeling right. I came face to face with my mortality and didn’t know if I was going to live or die.”

Research into multiple myeloma has extended his life dramatically.

The night had some real high points for fans of the great Oiler’s dynasty of the ’80’s.  Greeting came from Jari Kurri and Paul Coffey. Ryan Smith sent a video with some really kind words.  It was a hug from Smith that broke Stafford’s collar bone and led to him being hospitalized and diagnosed with the disease back in 2011.

Mark Messier sent a video that started simply with “Hey Staff – it’s Mess.”.  He went on to talk about the incredible influence Stafford had on him as a young player in Edmonton.

Marty McSorley entertained everyone, and drew a big laugh as he recalled getting Stafford to sharpen his skates for him when he was playing against the Oilers with LA.  Stafford said at the time “If Sather ever finds out, I’m going to get fired!”

The Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky said in note that was read out that “Barrie is not just a trainer. He’s a fan.  He’s a player.”

Speaking of his playing days, two of Stafford’s teammates from the Amarillo Wranglers where he played as a 20 year old and where he was known as a “tough guy”, were in the crowd to honour him as well.

In Alberta, there are 300 people suffering from Multiple Myeloma.  The Cure Cancer Foundation is a new organization.  Their goal is to cut as much cost from their fundraising efforts as possible, relying almost exclusively on volunteers to organize and manage the event. It’s a grassroots movement to generate funding for initiatives at the Cross Cancer Institute—including research, diagnosis, treatment and patient care

This year’s inaugural Toast of the Town  generated $110,000 of the $600,000 2-day total.

Now, onto more fun!

Once again this year, the golf tournament was a great success – held at the Derrick Golf and Winter Club in terrific weather, with great volunteers, and a whole lot of fun reconnecting with some of our hockey heroes of the past.

This year’s winners turned in an impressive -13 in the best ball format.  Congratulations to Al Sim, Craig Simpson, Terry Loewen, Duane Sokalski, and Gary Ziehr.

Al Sim, Craig Simpson, Terry Loewen, Duane Sokalski, Gary Ziehr

If you were at either the Toast of the Town or the 31st Annual Day of Golf, there is a good chance that your photo is included in the galleries below.  Please share this story and spread the word about the amazing people of our city who put so much into helping others.

These photo galleries were sponsored by The Creative Hive, a new co-working space on Edmonton’s west end featuring a large natural light studio and plenty of quirky things to make your workday special.  These photos are from yesterday’s golf tournament and were shot by Walter Tychnowicz.

CLICK ANY PHOTO TO OPEN A SLIDE SHOW.

Thanks again to the Creative Hive and photographer Chad Kruger for supplying this gallery of photos from Wednesday night’s Toast of the Town event.

Click any photo to open a slide show.

Click to learn more about the Cure Cancer Foundation.

 

 

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Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis condemns MAiD in Parliament as targeting nation’s most vulnerable

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From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

‘I call upon with government to reverse its course and instead provide help and hope for Canadians suffering with mental health conditions’

Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis condemned the Trudeau government’s treatment of Canada’s most vulnerable, revealing that 36 Canadians are euthanized every day.  

On November 28, Dr. Leslyn Lewis, Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Haldimand-Norfolk, Ontario, addressed Parliament on the dangers of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), the euphemistic name for Canada’s euthanasia regime.

“The poor, homeless, the abused, veterans, seniors, youth, adults suffering with disabilities, those suffering with depressions, and mental health conditions,” Lewis said. “These are among the most vulnerable in our society that are falling through the cracks of Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying regime.”  

“They are the ones who will be at risk when the MAiD laws in Canada are expanded in March 2024,” the pro-life MP added. “Last year, death by euthanasia increased by 30 percent from the year before. Every day in Canada, 36 people use MAiD to end their lives, which is the highest in the world.” 

“I call upon with government to reverse its course and instead provide help and hope for Canadians suffering with mental health conditions,” Lewis appealed.    

On March 9, 2024, MAiD is set to expand to include those suffering solely from mental illness. This is a result of the 2021 passage of Bill C-7, which also allowed the chronically ill – not just the terminally ill – to qualify for so-called doctor-assisted death.  

The mental illness expansion was originally set to take effect in March of this year. However, after massive pushback from pro-life groups, conservative politicians and others, the Liberals under Trudeau delayed the introduction of the full effect of Bill C-7 until 2024 via Bill C-39.

The expansion comes despite warnings from top Canadian psychiatrists that the country is “not ready” for the coming expansion of euthanasia to those who are mentally ill, saying expanding the procedure is not something “society should be doing” as it could lead to deaths under a “false pretense.” 

“Unfortunately, there is no reprieve in sight as think Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) becomes a national horror and the ‘professionals’ sharpen up their needles,” Ireland told LifeSiteNews. 

“We have reached the point where we must all protect each other from MAiD,” she noted. 

Euthanasia deaths have gone through the roof in Canada since it became legal in 2016. 

According to Health Canada, in 2022, 13,241 Canadians died by MAiD lethal injection, which is 4.1 percent of all deaths in the country for that year, and a 31.2 percent increase from 2021. 

The number of Canadians killed by lethal injection since 2016 now stands at 44,958.

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Community

Giving Hope on Giving Tuesday

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From Kaelyn Gillard, Communications | NOVA Chemicals Corporation

I’d excited to share an announcement from NOVA Chemicals’ Senior Vice President, Human Resources & Communications, Mona Jasinski outlining how NOVA is participating in Giving Tuesday in support of mental health.

Over the coming weeks we will be highlighting these organizations and the great work they’re doing on our social media channels and internally with our employees.

Today, I heard about an interaction between two employees in our office that made me think about how simple actions can make a difference.  

“Mia” asked “Robert” how it was going as they passed in the hall. His glib ‘honestly just trying to make it through’ struck her, so after finishing with her colleagues she circled back to check in on how Robert was really doing. She then took that a step further, offered a supportive ear and proposed a lunchtime walk break to check in.  Fortunately, in this case Robert wasn’t facing anything dire and was putting unnecessary added stress upon himself – but he felt better after talking about it.  

We don’t have to look far, however, to find harsh statistics surrounding the true state of mental well-being across North America, and we know it’s declined even further over the past few years.  

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in the U.S. reports that one in five adults experience mental illness each year, and one in six youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year. Similarly in Canada, in a given year 6.7 million Canadians – or one in five people – experience mental illness, and by age 40, that number increases to one in two.  

When it comes to our youth, according to Youth Mental Health Canada (YMHC), there are approximately 1.2 million children and young people affected by mental illness in Canada alone, and around 20% of young people will develop a mental illness before they turn 25. However, less than 20% of them receive the right treatment. That’s staggering.  

At NOVA Chemicals, we believe that positive mental health is essential for our overall well-being. I’m proud of the resources we make available to our employees supporting their total well-being, and hope our people take advantage of them all. We know, however, that not everyone has ready access to the resources they need.  

That’s why this year, we’ve chosen mental health as our focus on #GivingTuesday, and are donating almost US$500,000 toward a series of agencies providing mental health supports to youth and adults in the regions where we work, live and play. Having the right resources available in the moment that you need them has never been more important, and we at NOVA want to be sure crucial programs remain strong and sustainable, available to continue their work providing vital, life-saving care – and hope – for our neighbours.  

Giving Tuesday Blog Image

I invite you to follow us on social media over the next few weeks as we shine a light on each of the recipient organizations and the tremendous work they are doing every day. 

There’s no question the decline in society’s mental well-being impacts us all. My hope for each of us – from friends, family and colleagues to neighbours and strangers across our communities alike, young and more seasoned and everywhere in between – is that when we need help, there’s a resource there to support us.  

We can all play a role. It doesn’t have to be complicated, and can start with simply reaching out to those around us. Think like Mia did. She doesn’t have any particular expertise and she and Robert are work acquaintances – not teammates nor even on a project together. It doesn’t matter. She paid attention, reached out, and showed kindness. One small action can make a difference.

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