Local community builder inducted into LTCHS Hall of Fame

A dynamic Red Deerian who has touched the lives of many across the community over the years has been inducted into the Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School Hall of Fame.

As part of the Class of 1976, Val Jensen made her mark at the school as an influential student leader, serving on the Student Council and also as the Graduation President during her graduating year.

An induction ceremony and luncheon was held on Oct. 15 to celebrate Val’s significant contributions not only to the school, but to the community as well. The Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School Hall of Fame recognizes alumni who have made a difference in their community, while being role models for future graduates.

“Being inducted into the Lindsay Thurber Hall of Fame is truly an honour,” said Val. “This community has always been close to my heart, and to be recognized among such inspiring individuals is incredibly humbling. It reminds me of the amazing people who have shaped this school and our community over the years.”

Val’s dedication to physical activity and wellness is evident in her impressive athletic achievements, including competing in Alpine Skiing at the Alberta Winter Games and representing Canada as a member of the duathlon and triathlon teams. Val has also completed numerous marathons and Ironman races worldwide, including the prestigious Ironman Hawaii.

In 1987 Val founded Dance Magic Studio, offering children of all ages and abilities, a chance to explore the joy of dance. Val has served as the Race Director for Woody’s Triathlon many times and was the chairperson for the Alberta Winter Games opening ceremonies in 2006. She also played a vital role during the Canada Winter Games 2019 bid as co-chair of the community engagement and was the founder of the PCN Fun Run, serving as its Race Director for a decade. Additionally, she coordinates the Aloha School Run, which sees participation from 10,000 students across Central Alberta each year. Her extensive volunteer work has empowered countless Red Deerians to train and compete in a way that connects people through activity.

“Physical activity and healthy living have always been a cornerstone of my life and my work in the community,” said Val. “I believe that staying active not only strengthens the body, but also builds resilience, confidence, and connection with others. It’s about creating habits that empower people to live their best lives.”

Val’s unwavering commitment to community service and her tireless work ethic have garnered well-deserved recognition. In 2012, the Red Deer & District Community Foundation honoured her as a Woman of Excellence, and in 2014 she received the Volunteer of the Year Award from the City of Red Deer Sport Council. Val’s contributions have also been recognized with the Golden Dove Award from the Mustard Seed in 2012, the Mayor’s Special Award in 2022, and the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II – Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022.

Principal of Lindsay Thurber, Chris Good, said it’s always exciting to see where the future takes the school’s students after they graduate.

“At Lindsay Thurber, our school staff works hard to foster a love of learning and a desire to reach and attain your goals,” he said. “Val has remained an integral part of our community, and has gotten behind many different causes and organizations – all for the better of Red Deer. Val’s passion for wellness and her dedication to fostering community spirit continue to inspire us all, and we were thrilled to honour her.”

From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy

By Hymie Rubenstein

“There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be reinstated”

An arbitrator has ruled that Calgary’s Mount Royal University (MRU) acted in a “disproportionate” manner in late 2021 in its firing of Frances Widdowson, a tenured political scientist with a specialty in Indigenous issues.

Dr. Widdowson, an outspoken critic of the politically charged but theoretically simplistic notions of the academic culture wars at MRU was dismissed just before Christmas 2021 during what arbitrator D.P. Jones called a “Twitter War” between her and a few activist colleagues opposed to her views.

The hearing took 30 days, over ten months, as 25 witnesses gave evidence. Its main findings were on the appropriateness and fairness of the procedures used to dismiss her, not on the reasons given for her dismissal.

The latter concerned September 2020 comments from Widdowson that far from constituting genocide, aboriginal children gained educational benefits by attending Canada’s Indian Residential Schools, an outrageously scandalous opinion among some at MRU.

Her position on Indigenous issues would certainly have been considered heretical at MRU where extreme pro-indigenous, anti-colonial, anti-white privilege perspectives have long ruled.

Following her dismissal, Widdowson filed ten grievances, eight on procedural grounds and two on substantive ones. In his nearly 300-page decision, Jones threw out the grievances involving the improper procedures employed by the university in its dealings with Widdowson.

On discipline, Jones found that while Widdowson’s behaviour was “just cause” for discipline, her firing was “disproportionate” to that behaviour.

On one of Widdowson’s substantive grievances, Jones ruled that her two-week suspension was disproportionate, ruling that a letter of reprimand be substituted for the suspension.

When it came to Widdowson’s firing, Jones wrote that there was just cause for discipline based on Widdowson’s conduct, but that dismissal was an inappropriate penalty.

However, Jones said that Widdowson’s continued employment with the university would not be viable for several reasons, including Widdowson’s ongoing hostility toward the university and colleagues, witness testimony that stated her return to the university would be disruptive, and her “persistence” throughout the arbitration hearing that several tweets investigated did not constitute harassment.

Instead, the arbitrator suggested, “In my judgment, this is an appropriate case in which to substitute a monetary payment rather than reinstatement with lesser penalties.”

In an interview with CBC News on Friday, October 4, Widdowson said she’s pleased with the arbitrator’s ruling that she was wrongfully terminated but that she continues to be upset about how the arbitration approached the issue of harassment.

“People continue to think that I engaged in harassment, which I did not. I’ve done extensive analysis of the different findings which were put forward by the different investigators,” she said.

“There were four different investigators hired by MRU, and these investigators all had different, contradictory findings. What we need from the decision is for there to be a neutral person who makes findings of facts about this.”

“There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be reinstated,” she said during a phone interview with a national media outlet.

“The people who don’t want me to return to MRU, I don’t work with those people,” she replied.

She doesn’t “work with those people” because she shares nothing with them intellectually.

The irony is that Widdowson is an old-school leftist, a classical Marxist whose views on inequality focus on inter-class conflict having little to do with racial, ethnic, sexual, or gender identity, the preoccupation of contemporary identity politics, also known as wokeism.

Traditional Marxists and disciples of wokeism are both on the left, often the hard left. But they support incompatible paradigms about the causes and consequences of social and economic inequality, hence their mutual loathing.

Widdowson said she is appealing the decision to regain her tenured faculty position. It seems likely, however, that she’ll end up accepting a huge payout instead.

In his ruling, Jones found that although Widdowson has “controversial views on a number of topics … there has never been a complaint about the quality or ethics of her scholarship; she has never received performance management counselling for either her teaching or scholarship; and the University has supported and recognized her scholarly activities.”

Mount Royal officials said, “While the formal process continues, we will have no further comment.”

Hymie Rubenstein is editor of REAL Indigenous Report, a retired professor of anthropology, and a senior fellow at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.