Flood Relief Update - December 11, 2013

We have received some good news today in council as we received a letter from Minister of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, Diana McQueen for the approval of $800,000 to go towards our first flood project on the Three-Point creek.  Hopefully this is the first of many approvals in the very near future!

All the best,
Jason

Connect with me on: Website - Facebook - Twitter

AAMDC - Update - November 15, 2013

I have just returned from the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts & Counties (AAMDC) fall convention.

It was the opportunity to meet a number of councillors from all around Alberta along with many of the Honorable Ministers for the Province of Alberta.

It was great to be able to put faces to names and allow them to do the same for me. 

I believe it was a very productive 4 days having meetings with Ric McIvor, Minister of Transportation, Doug Griffiths, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Kyle Fawcett, Associate Minister for Recovery & Reconstruction, Dave McGee, Alberta Environment and many others.

I was able to share your concerns with many and ensure that they know who we are down here in the Foothills.

I believe I was able to establish good relationships with many that will work in our favor moving forward to getting things accomplished.

More to come...

All the best,
Jason

Connect with me on: Website - Facebook - Twitter

Lest We Forget - Update - November 11, 2013

Today we remember all of our fallen soldiers that have sacrificed so much for us. 

I had the honor of representing the M.D. of Foothills for the Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Oil Fields High School in Black Diamond.  I was touched by the amazing turnout of residents that packed the gymnasium to pay tribute.  We owe so much to so many so it was nice to see how many people took the time out of their schedules to attend.

The ceremony was a great tribute and I thank you for inviting me to attend.

Let Us Never Forget.

Jason

Connect with me on: Website - Facebook - Twitter

Flood Relief Update - November 5, 2013

Last night we had a meeting with Hugh Pettigrew, Deputy Director of Public Works and Engineering for the M.D. of Foothills and some of the engineers working on the flooding issues in our area at the Millarville School.  It was nice to see that we are making progress.  

The engineers presented a plan that includes 4 phases the first hoping to take place in December.  

There were a few items that I mentioned last night that I also wanted to remind you of:

1. The DRP (Disaster Recovery Program) deadline is November 30/13.  Details can be found here: http://alberta.ca/2013DisasterRecoveryPrograms.cfm
2. DRP office hours in Black Diamond are Wednesday, Nov 13, 1pm - 8pm at the Black Diamond Town Office, 301 Centre Ave W
3. To be kept up to date, a few residents are creating a website for the community to have a one-stop location for you to go to.  For more information feel free to email me and I will forward you on to them.

I am here to help and support you in this process in any way I can.  If you were able to attend, thank you, if not, I hope you found this helpful.  

All the best,

Jason 

Connect with me on: Website - Facebook - Twitter

Update - October 31st, 2013

A quick update for everyone.

1. Thanks for all of your emails and messages! I am honored that there is so much excitement! Please be patient while a deal with the backlog of messages. I will get back to you as soon as I can! :-) 
2. We are in full swing with council again as of this week. Monday was orientation day and yesterday we had our Organizational meeting and first council. It was certainly memorable as we were adjourning from the morning session when a waterline in the roof of the MD office burst and we had a waterfall in the office. There was a mad scramble for us to save files, equipment, computers, etc... We did a good job of getting things done quickly, thanks to staff for finding another location for our afternoon session and not delaying it by much. 
3. Found out that last night there ended up being a fire at the MD office. This caused a loss of the MD servers. Luckily there was minimal damage. 
4. If you tried emailing anything to anyone at the MD offices over the last 24hrs, you will need to RESEND AS THEY WON'T HAVE RECEIVED IT due to the servers!

This is a start. Be sure to enter your details to the right to sign up for my email list so I can send updates via email. 

Thanks again for your support and I am very excited to represent you all!
Happy Halloween!

Thank You from the Bottom of My Heart

I am so humbled and so incredibly grateful to all of you for all the help, all the hard work and for believing in me. 

You have gone above and beyond to support me and I appreciate it so much. 

I am going to do my best to represent your voice and help make the most beautiful place in the world even better! 

All the best,
Jason

Remember to Vote

So the big day is upon us, be sure to come out and vote.  Make sure to bring your photo ID with an address on it.  All important details are below.

I have enjoyed meeting so many of you over the past few weeks and thank you for the warm welcome I have received upon arriving on your doorsteps!  I would be honoured to have your vote and the opportunity to represent you on our M.D. council.

All the best,
Jason

Election Details and Dates

Monday, October 21, 2013
Square Butte Hall
Millarville Community School
C Ian McLaren School, Black Diamond
10 am - 8 pm

Click Here to Download Map of Polling Stations (PDF Format)

CLICK HERE FOR VOTER IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Connect with Jason on: Website - Facebook - Twitter

Meet & Greet with Jason Oct 17 & 18

Come and meet me, Jason Parker Division 3 Council Candidate Millarville MD Foothills 31 on Thursday, October 17 or Friday, October 18 so that you can have the opportunity to get to know me and have your feedback heard. 

I want to represent you to the best of my ability and I want to hear from you. What do you love about the area?  Why do you live out here?  What have you found challenging?  What would you like to see changed? What is your future vision for the area?

Doors open at 7:00 pm and the event will begin at 7:30 pm.

Locations:

Thursday, October 17, 2013
Millarville Community School

Friday, October 18, 2013
Sheep River Library
131 Main St NE, Turner Valley

We look forward to seeing you there, hearing your feedback and giving you the opportunity to get to know me.

CLICK HERE to view or download "EVENT FLYER" (the image is clear when downloaded)

Click Here for information on Advance Voting, Election Day and Special Ballots. 

All the best,

Jason

Connect with me on: Website - Facebook - Twitter

Come Meet Jason Parker Thursday, Oct 10

Come and meet me, Jason Parker Division 3 Council Candidate Millarville MD Foothills 31 on Thursday, October 10, 2013 so that you can have the opportunity to get to know me and have your feedback heard. 

I want to represent you to the best of my ability and I want to hear from you. What do you love about the area?  Why do you live out here?  What have you found challenging?  What would you like to see changed? What is your future vision for the area?

Doors open at 7:00 pm and the event will begin at 7:30 pm.

Location:

Thursday, October 10, 2013
Millarville Race Track

We look forward to seeing you there, hearing your feedback and giving you the opportunity to get to know me.

Click Here for information on Advance Voting, Election Day and Special Ballots. 

All the best,

Jason

Connect with me on: Website - Facebook - Twitter

The Only Thing Worse Than Being Blind...

My family and I have lived in the hamlet of Millarville for 6 years. We were brought to this area by its beauty, proud history and the warmth of the people in this community. I have decided to run for MD Councilor Division 3, because I want to ensure that the things that we all love about this community keep getting better.

I want to provide the representation that this community needs and deserves, so that our community will continue to thrive and improve the quality of life that we all enjoy so very much. 

I hope that on October 21^st you will vote Jason Parker, so that I may represent you as you Councillor in the MD of Foothills and be a part of creating our collective vision.

Come and meet me this Thursday at the Millarville Racetrack.  Click here for details...

Click Here for information on Advance Voting, Election Day and Special Ballots. 

All the best,

Jason

Connect with me on: Website - Facebook - Twitter

First Event a Great Success

Thank-You Everyone for the Amazing Support!

Great response at Square Butte

So we held our first "Meet Jason" Event at the Square Butte Hall on Thursday, Oct 3 and we were blown away at the amazing support you showed us!  It was estimated that we had over 100 people in attendance!

Jason shared a little about his background, why he moved to the Millarville area, why he chose to run for council and what he hopes to be able to do for you.

He also had the opportunity to field questions from those in attendance but most importantly, he was able to hear even more from you, the constituents, about what things you would like to see changed.

Many people still arriving

Because it was such a success and the information Jason received from you was so valuable, we are excited to be hosting another "Meet Jason" event this Thursday, October 10th at the Millarville Race Track.

Doors will open at 7pm and the event will get underway at 7:30pm.

Be sure to come out, bring some friends and meet Jason to provide your feedback because it is up to each one of us to make this community the best it can be!

Come Meet Jason Parker Thursday, Oct 3 and Thursday, Oct 10

Come and meet Jason Parker Division 3 Council Nominee Millarville MD Foothills 31 on Thursday, October 3, 2013 or Thursday, October 10, 2013 so that you can have the opportunity to get to know him and have your feedback heard. 

Jason wants to represent you to the best of his ability and he wants to hear from you. What do you love about the area?  Why do you live out here?  What have you found challenging?  What would you like to see changed? What is your future vision for the area?

Doors open at 7:00 pm and the event will begin at 7:30 pm.

Locations:

Thursday, October 3, 2013
Square Butte Community Hall
Highway 762, Millarville, Alberta

Thursday, October 10, 2013
Millarville Race Track

Vision for the M.D.

After having talked with a large number of people in the area, Jason has identified a trend in the common concerns of many of the constituents.  With these concerns in mind, if elected as a member of council, Jason will bring:

 

1. Belief in Service
• As a councillor, Jason's job would be to give the people of his district a voice.  His purpose is to serve his constituents to the best of his ability by truly listening to their concerns.  It would be his job to represent you, to the best of his ability to the MD, ensuring your voice is heard.
• To serve effectively, there must be effective and efficient communication.  Jason will always do his best to respond and follow-up with his constituents in a timely matter.
• Jason would like to establish a system of feedback to enable the people to voice their opinion in a simple manner to help the MD make our community an even better place to live in.
2. Fiscal Responsibility
• Coming from a family of Chartered Accountants, Jason always has had an interest in where money goes and if it is utilized most effectively.
• He believes the questions, "Is this the best use of our resources at this time?" and "Is this something we really should be doing?" can be very valuable ones to be reminded of.
3. Responsible Development
• The M.D. is a beautiful place to live and we all have specific reasons we have chosen to live here.  With this in mind, the different divisions vary widely in landscape and land usability.  It is difficult to have one set of policies for development for all areas and this is something that Jason believes needs to be looked at again with the ability to have possible development looked at on an individual, case-by-case basis.
• It is important to maintain green space and agricultural land, however, it is also important to support the people, ranchers, farmers, services and businesses that we currently have in the area (i.e. schools, hospital, local businesses, etc.).  Hence, "Responsible Development" that preserves all these things and allows for growth in the area in a responsible way is important for the future of the area.
• There will be a great deal of pressure placed on the M.D. with the possible continuation of Calgary's ring road in the SW and the M.D. needs to have a clear long term vision for the area and Jason looks forward to helping establish this vision.

Why Council

With his daughter now 3, Jason started thinking about what the long term vision of the community is and what it will look like for her to grow up in. This, along with his strong desire to serve and add value to others, got him thinking about how he could possibly have a positive impact in the community and help be a part of creating a future vision for the area. The answer to how he could have that impact came when he was approached by a number of people in the area about running for Division 3 Councillor.

Jason loved how the role seemed to be perfect fit for the contribution he wanted to make and jumped in with both feet. Having always been told how good a listener he is, Jason saw the opportunity to get to know the people in the area better and find out how they think we can make the community an even better one. He feels the chance to connect with the heart of the community and be a voice to take the opinions to the next level is one he couldn't pass up on.

Why Millarville

Jason's sport brought him to Calgary where he spent 12 years representing his country. After which, his desire for a strong sense of community led him on a search for the perfect place to start and raise a family. 

Having lived in Calgary for 14 years, seeing how the city had changed over that time and only getting to know his neighbors on either side and across the street, Jason and his wife wanted to feel like they belonged somewhere, a place that would feel like home.  

That search brought them to Millarville where they have now lived for over 6 years. Shortly after arriving, Jason introduced himself to Ted Thorne and donated his services to speak and inspire the children at the Millarville School with the hopes of meeting people in the community.  He was accepted with open arms and shortly thereafter, both he and Kristen started volunteer coaching the school's volleyball team (and continued for 3 years).  

Jason and Kristen feel so blessed to have met so many amazing people and have made a number of close friends.  Now with a 3 year old little girl, they couldn't be more proud to have started their family in such a welcoming place and look forward to raising her in this incredible community.

About Jason

Jason grew up as an athlete in a family of accountants in Saskatchewan whose primary clients were farmers, business owners and municipalities in the area. He was blessed with having his family instill the beliefs that a hand shake and your word was better than a contract and that hard work takes you a long way. These lessons have served Jason well. 

After graduation, his sport brought him to Calgary in 1993. He had the amazing privilege of representing his country for 12 years as a member of the Canadian Speed Skating team. After failing to make the Olympic team in 1994, 1998 and 2002 he shifted his mindset from just trying to make the Olympics for personal reasons, to focus on the difference and contribution he wanted to make to society, his community and the world in general.  His persistence, dedication, commitment and perseverance enabled him to win an Olympic silver medal in 2006 at the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.

Even though this shift in mindset allowed him to reach the pinnacle in his sport, it wasn't the medal that he cherishes most. His most prized experience was the pride he felt every time he wore the maple leaf to represent his country. That is a feeling he wishes every person could experience.

This belief in contribution and the difference he wanted to make in the world led him to share the many lessons he learned along the way on a grander scale.  He became a Professional International Speaker in the spring of 1994 and has shared his message and inspired well over 50,000 people around North America including over 30 schools.  He loves inspiring others to want to achieve more.

His experiences both on the competitive stage and the platform have left a deep mark on Jason and has led to his desire to continue his contribution and leave a mark of his own, closer to home which is a big part of the reason he wants to serve his community as a member of council.

When Jason isn't sharing his message on stage, he loves helping people and has his own small business as a Lifestyle coach where he helps people to live a more balanced and healthy life.  This passion has stemmed from personal struggles with his own life early on including being bullied in school, overcoming a weight problem and missing multiple Olympic Games due to sickness.  

This drove Jason to create a program in 1999 that has now helped athletes to win over 70 Olympic medals in the last three Winter Olympics alone and has now grown to include over 600 elite, professional and Olympic athletes.  He has switched his focus from High Performance Athletes to working more with upcoming athletes and the everyday person as he feels like he is able to make a bigger impact with them.  After learning that the "Millennials" (children born after the year 2000) are the first generation expected to live shorter (by 5 years) than the previous generation, Jason has a mission to help reverse this statistic through educating parents on the need for learning how to live healthier and be positive "health models" for their children.  


Over the last three years, Jason's life has had likely it's most drastic positive change as he and his wife Kristen entered the realm of parenthood!  Jason's absolute passion is his daughter, Shelby and his desire to raise her in the best community possible has been a strong motivation for him stepping up to become a councillor for the M.D. of Foothills.