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Ford Focus Roadtest
 Posted
1/28/2012 10:00:00 AM
Let me start by saying I’m somewhat of a Ford Focus expert. My Focus SE company car has been in my hands since April of last year. The odometer just clicked over the 50,000 mark. The previous company vehicle was a 2008 Focus. That car was good, but not a driver’s car. I have also driven two different generations of the European Focus and knew what drivers here at the time were missing. Thankfully for the 2012 model year, the Focus sedan was redesigned using the same European-inspired styling and platform that’s sold elsewhere in the world. The new four-door sedan bodystyle has sportier, more aerodynamic bodywork with a new grille that automatically opens and shuts to improve airflow so you get better fuel consumption. There is also a four door hatchback model now.
Whether hatchback or sedan, the Focus features a new instrument panel with soft-touch surfaces, sculpted shapes, ...
Have I got a job for you
Posted
1/28/2012 9:55:00 AM
Have you checked the job want ads lately? Some interesting employment opportunities await those searching. I’m amazed at some of the postings. Would anyone work for less than $15.00 an hour? I’m talking about an adult. Makes you think, huh? Perhaps, if a person was desperate to work. And by the way there are jobs that offer hard work for less than $11.00 an hour. More on that in an upcoming paragraph.
If I had to I could clean homes. I’m a rather neat person and can wheel around a vacuum cleaner like no other guy in St. Albert. A house cleaning service here starts their employees at $16.40 an hour and that includes 10% holiday pay and bonus. You have to own a reliable vehicle to get around. And although a bicycle might also work, I suppose you need to haul cleaning supplies. Okay, then a bike is out ...
You’re building a what?
Posted
1/21/2012 11:18:00 AM
The other day I was driving by my little neighbourhood community shopping centre when I saw a wire fence and heavy equipment on vacant land which is part of this complex. I was a little taken back because this grassy area has been that way for years. It had never crossed my mind this could be the site of another building. Turns out I’m wrong.
The word is out that construction has begun on a 15 bay car wash for Appleyard Square. A car wash? Yes, a car wash and it is allowed under the commercial zoning. The owner of the new car wash, Jay Tarrabian has said St. Albert cold use another and it will be a first-class facility to be built and landscaped so as to fit in with rest of the shopping complex. He also said the car wash will not eliminate any parking spots from the shopping centre. ...
Fiat 500 Roadtest--This car can be fun
Posted
1/19/2012 9:41:00 PM
When I first saw the retro styled Fiat 500 car a couple of years ago, my feeling was it could be a great city commuter and a good alternative to the Smart car and others in this market segment. Near Stuttgart not far from the Porsche factory in 2010, I walked by a black 500 which had a lowered suspension and aftermarket wheels. You can see an image of it on this blog. This little Fiat looked like it could be a terror on the Autobahn and a lot of fun to zip around city streets, I was hooked. I figured the 500 would make it over to this side of the Atlantic after Fiat bought up a chunk of Chrysler and of course it did.
The Fiat 500 launched in 2007 becoming European Car of The Year in 2008. Base price is just over $13,495 in Canada. There are ...
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Garry Melnyk
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We don’t need no bong shops
Posted
1/13/2012 10:38:00 PM
I think we’ve finally heard the last of the “bong shop” issue in St. Albert.
Not long ago, an entrepreneur in our fair city wanted to expand his business interests from selling cigarettes to selling drug paraphernalia. While the city of St. Albert is open to new business, this type of enterprise didn’t sit well with a few people. Mayor Crouse included. To put it mildly, he made it known this type of business was not welcome here. Tenants of a shopping centre who would be neighbours to the bong shop weren’t that keen either. Of course, members of the public depending on their age or moral standards had mixed feelings too.
Letters to the editor were of mixed opinions. One young lady wrote such a business is widely accepted in her hometown of Vancouver. Well, a lot of things are accepted in that part of the country and hence ...
Thanks for being a good guy Harry
Posted
1/7/2012 11:54:00 AM
Once in a while our community loses a beloved person who contributes to the good of all of us who live here. Some are prominent, others perhaps not as well known.
Harry Hutchings was laid to rest this week after living a good, long 85 years. Perhaps not as well known as other business people, since him and his wife Margaret retired in 1995. But long time St. Albertans began to know the couple after they opened Hutchings Shoes in Grandin Mall in 1967. He began his career in the shoe business years before in Toronto where he met his wife. Then they moved west and settled here. People reflecting on his life remember Harry as being very outgoing and cheerful who always had something good to say.
Back in the late eighties when I worked at MG 1200 radio, our office and studios were located in the tower of ...
Looking back and looking forward
Posted
12/29/2011 12:02:00 PM
It’s that time of the year when we reflect on the year that was and wonder what the New Year will bring.
In St. Albert issues which began this year include portable signs. Depending on your point of view the signs along St. Albert Trail within the city limits can be an eyesore to some or an important marketing tool for entrepreneurs who run their business along this main thoroughfare. The mayor and some members of council have mixed feelings about the signs. It didn’t help council recently approved a motion increasing fees for portable signs by $100. Councillor Roger Lemieux originally put forward a motion calling for a $200 increase. The chamber of commerce isn’t happy with the increase and president Linda Moffat is disappointed the chamber wasn’t given a heads up it was coming.
As a result the chamber is planning to find out how other communities ...
It’s still okay to say Merry Christmas!
Posted
12/24/2011 10:54:00 AM
In the weeks leading up to Christmas Day advertisers, many retailers and even the news media would make you believe the word “Christmas” should not be used in conjunction with the word holidays. Whether viewing ads on television or listening to “holiday” ads on radio, many businesses advertising their wares seem to be following a trend not created by the public at large. That is, trying not to utter the word Christmas. During the past few years there has been considerable discussion of how political correctness has gone too far in Canada. Perhaps it stems from a political power base in Ottawa making us believe we ought not to offend those who don’t celebrate Christmas as part of their belief. Yet, we’ve heard from many of these visible minorities they aren’t offended and a good number of them are happy to be in Canada enjoy what Christmas is all about. ...
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