The Page

Mike Snedden tells us that Grade 6 class at E.G. Wahlstrom School raised about $690 on a the skate-a-thon last week. The kids skated a total of 1,556 laps, for which they had collected pledges. They followed that up with a sort of shoot-a-thon – 25 cents per puck to shoot pucks at Mr. Snedden, which he apparently survived because we spoke to him on the phone afterwards. That raised about $20, which means roughly 80 pucks were fired at the teacher.
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There’s a junior bird club starting up in Slave Lake, we hear. Jeff Manchak and Patti Campsall of the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation have got a whole schedule of activities planned out for kids who want to get out and have some fund and learn about birds. The next event is called ‘birding basics’ and its at the Friendship Centre on Feb. 7. That’s a Tuesday evening at 6:30. For more information call Jeff at 849-7101.
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And speaking of birds, Feb. 17 – 20 are the dates during which the Great Canadian Backyard Bird Count takes place. The above-mentioned Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation hopes to organize – or at least encourage – local people to take part. Like the Christmas Bird Count, the GCBBC gives scientists a snapshot of winter bird populations right across the continent, but unlike the Christmas count, it’s as easy as looking out your back window, bird book in hand. Call Amy Wotton at 849-7117 for more information.
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Ed Mason from 630 CHED radio news told The Leader that the wholesale price of gasoline in Edmonton last Friday was 50.7 cents per litre, down from 53.4 cents seven days before. That is a 2.5 cent drop. Strangely, the pumps price of gas held steady, 89.9 at in Slave Lake, 87.9 in the city.
As for low-sulfur diesel, the wholesale price was 59.9 cents per liter, down only four tenths of a cent.
As ever, applicable taxes include a 10 percent federal excise tax, a nine percent provincial excise tax and the GST. It means that retailers were paying 76.7 cents per litre before shipping costs and individual mark-up.
With the Tories suggesting reducing (or eliminating) the GST, it will be interesting to see if those pennies disappear from posted prices.