Community
Track on 2 showcases Clayton Bellamy, Dan Davidson, and Maddison Krebs at the first “Stillhouse Songwriter Sessions” Jan. 15th
Edmonton, AB — In a new partnership that will create more opportunities for entertainment in Central Alberta, The Track on 2 and Trixstar are pleased to announce that Trixstar has been contracted to act as an entertainment consultant for the Track on 2 Horse Racing and Event Centre in Lacombe, Alberta.
Beginning January 15, 2020 The Track on 2 Event Centre will host a weekly Songwriters Series featuring local, regional and national level artists. Creating a special experience for both artists and fans, the listening room atmosphere will host 3-4 artists each week with a focus on the craft of songwriting and the stories that go along with it.
Plans are also in the works for various outdoor concerts, comprehensive race day programming and various other community events.
Set in an intimate listening room atmosphere that will create a unique experience for both artists and all those attending, The Track on 2 Stillhouse Sessions will focus on the craft of songwriting and the stories that go along with it. What you will experience here is a listening room. Talking is encouraged before the show, between sets, during intermission, and after the show but during the performances, audience members are asked to keep their voices low and talking to a minimum.
MEET THE SONGWRITERS
CLAYTON BELLAMY has won many awards including a Juno for Best Country Recording, a five time Canadian Country Music Award winner Canadian Country Music Awards, and SOCAN Songwriter of the Year award. Clayton has dominated the stage performing at the Grand Ole Opry has been featured in People Magazine The New York Times and Rolling Stone and even performed for President Carter. He has released five solo studio records and has had songs recorded by Big Sugar Matt Anderson Grady Dan Davidson Jason Blaine W3apons FKB Willie Mack and many more. Bellamy is also one of the three members of the group The Road Hammers, which has released four studio albums, in addition to charting twelve singles in Canada with two number one singles and two in the United States
DAN DAVIDSON has created undeniable momentum in the last few years. With 3 CCMA nomination, 10 ACMA awards, a gold record, a number 1 selling Canadian song, top 20 charting numbers and over 100 performances this year – its easy to forget that he is still a new face on the scene. Dan exploded onto the Canadian country scene in 2016 with the release of his second single “Found” (Co-written by Clayton Bellamy). Dan became arguably the indie story of 2016/2017 as his single “Found” rocketed up the charts and he became the #1 charting indie artist in Canada. It was also the #1 selling Canadian country song for several weeks in July and August 2016. On just his second release ever in country music – he has a GOLD single. The following singles “Barn Burner”, “Say We Did”, and “Lets Go There” helped further his momentum with more top 20 recognition and solidified his name as an artist on the rise – definitely someone to watch.
MADDISON KREBS- The singer/songwriter from Okotoks Alberta, Canada, got her first guitar when she was six, so she could put her poetry to music. Right away, you could see her talents and drive would make her dreams come true. She dreamed of having a publishing and record deal by 2016; that’s the year she had won the ‘On the Spot Contest’ with Ole. She dreamed of moving to Nashville to pursue her career by 2018; that’s the year she moved to Music City. In Nashville, she finds herself working with some of music’s best producers and songwriters, such as Jeff Trott (Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks) and Tony Martin (Tim McGraw, Keith Urban). POP DUST says, “Maddison Krebs has one of those voices you listen to and instantly feel like you’ve known her your whole life.” Maddison’s brand new self-titled EP is now available everywhere. Beginning January 15, 2020 The Track on 2 Event Centre will host a weekly Songwriters Series featuring local, regional and national level artists. Creating a special experience for both artists and fans, the listening room atmosphere will host 3-4 artists each week with a focus on the craft of songwriting and the stories that go along with it.
Plans are also in the works for various outdoor concerts, comprehensive race day programming and various other community events.
“We are thrilled to bring the expertise and professionalism of Trixstar on board. They share the same passion for live events as we do and see the full potential of our property as more than just a race track. They also understand our commitment to the community and will help foster that partnership.”, says Kurt Belich co-owner of The Track on 2.
“Kurt, Kyla and Ross are exceptional leaders in their industry. We are excited at the opportunity to work with their talented team and create an entertainment destination at The Track on 2. Their vision will no doubt enhance the community and region.”, says Trixstar’s Chris Melnychuk.
About Trixstar
Founded in 2005 and with offices in Nashville, Edmonton and Calgary, Trixstar is a 360-degree live event management & consultation firm that activates both city and rural markets with festivals, concerts, brand activations as well as celebrity and speaker events. Working alongside organizations that want to create brand awareness, generate excitement and raise funds through impactful events and unique experiences. www.trixstar.com
About The Track on 2
The Track on 2 is a horse racing & event centre located just outside of Lacombe, Alberta on the QEII Highway. The racetrack has a one mile dirt track and the only 7/8 mile turf track in Western Canada. The facility includes a large grandstand, a riding arena and a number of stables. Open year round, the facility is also home to an amazing restaurant, The Funky Monkey Kitchen + Bar featuring famous Chef Pete Sok and has a simulcast room streaming international races as well as a VLT lounge. The Track is locally owned and operated by couple Kurt & Kyla Belich and their business partner Ross Morrison. A schedule of all upcoming events can be found at thetrackon2.com
Doors 6:00 PM, Show 7:00 PM, Tickets $5.00
TICKETS & ADMISSION
As a capacity crowd is expected for opening night on January 15, 2020 all attendees must have a ticket available through Eventbrite to ensure admittance.
COME EARLY AND JOIN US FOR A DINNER BUFFET
Dinner 530-630PM. $23/pre-purchase. $30/walk-ins.
Irish Beef & Guiness Stew
Jim Beam Bourbon Chicken
Chef’s Mashed Potatoes
Penne Primavera
Roasted Herb Seasonal Vegetables
House Salad
Assorted Dessert Squares
Read more stories on Todayville.
Addictions
‘Harm Reduction’ is killing B.C.’s addicts. There’s got to be a better way
From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
B.C. recently decriminalized the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs. The resulting explosion of addicts using drugs in public spaces, including parks and playgrounds, recently led the province’s NDP government to attempt to backtrack on this policy
Fuelled by the deadly manufactured opioid fentanyl, Canada’s national drug overdose rate stood at 19.3 people per 100,000 in 2022, a shockingly high number when compared to the European Union’s rate of just 1.8. But national statistics hide considerable geographic variation. British Columbia and Alberta together account for only a quarter of Canada’s population yet nearly half of all opioid deaths. B.C.’s 2022 death rate of 45.2/100,000 is more than double the national average, with Alberta close behind at 33.3/100,00.
In response to the drug crisis, Canada’s two western-most provinces have taken markedly divergent approaches, and in doing so have created a natural experiment with national implications.
B.C. has emphasized harm reduction, which seeks to eliminate the damaging effects of illicit drugs without actually removing them from the equation. The strategy focuses on creating access to clean drugs and includes such measures as “safe” injection sites, needle exchange programs, crack-pipe giveaways and even drug-dispensing vending machines. The approach goes so far as to distribute drugs like heroin and cocaine free of charge in the hope addicts will no longer be tempted by potentially tainted street drugs and may eventually seek help.
But safe-supply policies create many unexpected consequences. A National Post investigation found, for example, that government-supplied hydromorphone pills handed out to addicts in Vancouver are often re-sold on the street to other addicts. The sellers then use the money to purchase a street drug that provides a better high — namely, fentanyl.
Doubling down on safe supply, B.C. recently decriminalized the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs. The resulting explosion of addicts using drugs in public spaces, including parks and playgrounds, recently led the province’s NDP government to attempt to backtrack on this policy — though for now that effort has been stymied by the courts.
According to Vancouver city councillor Brian Montague, “The stats tell us that harm reduction isn’t working.” In an interview, he calls decriminalization “a disaster” and proposes a policy shift that recognizes the connection between mental illness and addiction. The province, he says, needs “massive numbers of beds in treatment facilities that deal with both addictions and long-term mental health problems (plus) access to free counselling and housing.”
In fact, Montague’s wish is coming true — one province east, in Alberta. Since the United Conservative Party was elected in 2019, Alberta has been transforming its drug addiction policy away from harm reduction and towards publicly-funded treatment and recovery efforts.
Instead of offering safe-injection sites and free drugs, Alberta is building a network of 10 therapeutic communities across the province where patients can stay for up to a year, receiving therapy and medical treatment and developing skills that will enable them to build a life outside the drug culture. All for free. The province’s first two new recovery centres opened last year in Lethbridge and Red Deer. There are currently over 29,000 addiction treatment spaces in the province.
This treatment-based strategy is in large part the work of Marshall Smith, current chief of staff to Alberta’s premier and a former addict himself, whose life story is a testament to the importance of treatment and recovery.
The sharply contrasting policies of B.C. and Alberta allow a comparison of what works and what doesn’t. A first, tentative report card on this natural experiment was produced last year in a study from Stanford University’s network on addiction policy (SNAP). Noting “a lack of policy innovation in B.C.,” where harm reduction has become the dominant policy approach, the report argues that in fact “Alberta is currently experiencing a reduction in key addiction-related harms.” But it concludes that “Canada overall, and B.C. in particular, is not yet showing the progress that the public and those impacted by drug addiction deserve.”
The report is admittedly an early analysis of these two contrasting approaches. Most of Alberta’s recovery homes are still under construction, and B.C.’s decriminalization policy is only a year old. And since the report was published, opioid death rates have inched higher in both provinces.
Still, the early returns do seem to favour Alberta’s approach. That should be regarded as good news. Society certainly has an obligation to try to help drug users. But that duty must involve more than offering addicts free drugs. Addicted people need treatment so they can kick their potentially deadly habit and go on to live healthy, meaningful lives. Dignity comes from a life of purpose and self-control, not a government-funded fix.
Susan Martinuk is a senior fellow at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy and author of the 2021 book Patients at Risk: Exposing Canada’s Health Care Crisis. A longer version of this article recently appeared at C2CJournal.ca.
City of Edmonton
City of Edmonton defends response to homeless encampments
Edmonton homeless encampment from 2022 (Photo: Alexander Shamota, Alberta Views Magazine).
News release from the City of Edmonton
Overview of the City of Edmonton’s information in Court about its response to homeless encampments
- While numbers of shelter beds and unhoused persons vary from day to day, Edmonton’s shelters have had excess capacity throughout 2023, with even more capacity available in 2024. In periods of extreme demand, capacity can be scaled upwards immediately. A person seeking indoor shelter in Edmonton will never be left without an indoor place to shelter.
- Edmonton’s shelter system supports and accommodates persons with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, including persons who use drugs, all genders and sexualities, all religions, couples, and persons with disabilities. Edmonton has Indigenous-led shelter spaces, women-only spaces, and specialized shelter programming for Indigenous persons who have experienced trauma.
- Outdoor sheltering poses severe dangers to the unhoused. Evidence will be presented of examples of gang victimization, armed robbery, physical and sexual assault, sexual exploitation, sanitation issues leading to disease, frostbite and cold-weather injuries, and fatalities caused by tent and encampment fires. These risks will be shown to be attributable to outdoor sheltering, not the removal of encampments.
- In the last five years, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services has reported at least seven deaths and 26 injuries from 276 fires that could be attributed to tents or encampments. This number is likely a significant underestimate due to the challenges inherent in investigating these types of fires.
- Expert medical evidence from Alberta’s former Chief Medical Officer of Health will be presented showing that encampments increase potential communicable disease transmission and fire- and violence-related injuries when compared with emergency shelters.
- Encampments can pose a danger to the community at large. Evidence will be presented of violence arising from encampments, accumulations of human feces, biohazardous waste, weapons and drug paraphernalia surrounding encampments, uncontrolled fires and propane cylinder explosions, and examples of wildfires starting at encampments in Edmonton’s natural areas.
- The number of complaints from members of the public has significantly risen over the last number of years. Between January 1, 2023 and October 22, 2023, there were 13,683 complaints from concerned Edmontonians.
- Encampment closures are evaluated on a risk matrix. This is an attempt to respond to community concerns, ongoing damage to the environment and infrastructure, as well as the inherent dangers in outdoor encampments. When camps are first assessed and again when closed, offers are made to take individuals to a shelter. As well, during the encampment closure process, opportunities are provided for individuals to connect with various community organizations supporting the unhoused.
- Evidence will be presented on the impacts associated with Camp Pekiwewin (2020). The City has been provided evidence of physical and sexual violence, gang violence, sex trafficking, sanitation and biological health hazards for occupants of Camp Pekiwiwin. Evidence provided by residents of the Rossdale community shares examples of violence and physical assault, theft of property, residents leaving the community for their own safety, vandalism, fire, and significant River Valley damage due to firewood cutting by encampment occupants.
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