Droog earns provincial honour

trevor.kenney — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 18:32:03 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge honorary degree recipient Dr. Tom Droog is among three accomplished Albertans who will be recognized for their significant professional contributions and inducted into the Agriculture Hall of Fame. Each inductee has been a catalyst for change in advancing their areas of expertise. The other inductees are Dr. Ieuan Evans and Mabel Church Hamilton.

The awards are presented every two years and this year's ceremony takes place at the Delta Edmonton South on October 5.

"These three individuals are terrific champions for their industries and have dedicated their lives to ensuring Alberta's agricultural industry progresses in new ways," said Verlyn Olson, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. "I am honoured to induct these three individuals and thank them for their dedication, ingenuity and hard work."

Dr. Tom Droog of DeWinton, and his late wife, Emmy, started growing sunflowers as an alternative crop and soon turned Spitz, which sells sunflower and pumpkin seeds in re-sealable bags, into a snack product that captured 75 per cent of the Canadian market.

Droog, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Honorary Degree recipient (2006) also recently established the Emmy Droog Chair in Complementary and Alternative Health Care – the Faculty of Health Science's first endowed Professorship. The professorship will enable evidence-based research to explore the issues and care practices associated with complementary and alternative medicine.

Parkland County's Dr. Ieuan Evans determined that prairie soil lacking copper hampers cereal production and when the mineral was added crop yields soared. As a horticulturalist, he propagated a species of cherry tree that is now sold commercially throughout Canada and the United States.

Mabel Church Hamilton of Innisfail, helped establish Angus cattle as one of the largest and most influential breeds in Canada. As a founding member of the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency, she was instrumental in establishing the national cattle identification program.

Since 1951, the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame has recognized outstanding contributions to agriculture and rural development. To date, 126 leaders have been named to the Hall of Fame.

Weadick appointed Minister of Advanced Education and Technology

trevor.kenney — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 18:55:11 +0000

Premier promotes Verlyn Olson and Greg Weadick to cabinet
Cal Dallas becomes the new Parliamentary Assistant to Finance

Premier Ed Stelmach announced today that Wetaskiwin-Camrose MLA Verlyn Olson, QC, has been named Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and Lethbridge West MLA Greg Weadick has been named Minister of Advanced Education and Technology.

"We look forward to working with Greg in his new role as Minister of Advanced Education and Technology," said U of L President Mike Mahon.

"As our local MLA and in his prior role with Advanced Education and Technology, Greg is very aware of post-secondary education issues and challenges. Greg has been a long-time supporter of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge as a graduate himself and as a parent of one of our current students. I know Greg is very aware of the aspirations and needs of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and I offer him the congratulations of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community on his new appointment."

"I'm pleased to welcome Verlyn and Greg to the cabinet table," said Premier Stelmach. "Verlyn and Greg bring the necessary talent and experience - Greg as a parliamentary assistant and Verlyn as a long-time member of the bar - to complete our cabinet team. Our cabinet will continue to provide the steady leadership required right now to continue building a better Alberta."

Premier Stelmach also named a new Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance and Enterprise. "I'm pleased that Red Deer South MLA Cal Dallas, who had been serving as the Parliamentary Assistant in Environment, will take over this important role and work closely with Finance Minister Lloyd Snelgrove," said the Premier.

Premier Stelmach also announced changes to committee memberships. Joining the Agenda and Priorities Committee are Sustainable Resource Development Minister Mel Knight, Children and Youth Services Minister Yvonne Fritz and Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Jack Hayden. New members of Treasury Board are Len Webber, Minister of Aboriginal Relations, Heather Klimchuk, Minister of Service Alberta, and Naresh Bhardwaj, MLA for Edmonton-Ellerslie.

The new Cabinet members will be sworn in Friday, Feb. 18 at 8:30 a.m. at Government House.

Lloyd Snelgrove was sworn in as Minister of Finance and Enterprise on Jan. 31.

UNews - Verlyn Olson

Droog earns provincial honour

Related Topics

Weadick appointed Minister of Advanced Education and Technology

Related Topics