Medicine Hat Public Library and Cinema Politica partner in presenting H2Oil, a film about America’s thirst for oil and and the effect on Canada’s oil sands and environment. The film takes place on Monday, October 31 at 7.00 pm in the Library Theatre.

America’s biggest oil supplier has quickly become Canada’s oil sands. Located under Alberta’s pristine boreal forests, the process of oil sands extraction uses up to 4 barrels of fresh water to produce only one barrel of crude oil.

Water has become the most important issue to face humanity in this century. At the same time, the war for oil is well underway across the globe. A struggle is increasingly being fought between water and oil, with Alberta’s oil sands at the centre of this tension.

This recent film examines the social, ecological and human impacts and the coming crisis point, as pipelines move towards crisscrossing the continent from the Arctic to the southern U. S, leaving toxic water basins the size of Lake Ontario and surface mines as large as Florida.

Cinema Politica and Monday Night at the Movies/Friends of Medicine Hat Public Library have partnered to present this free program.

For more information about Cinema Politica, go to www.cinemapolitica.org

For more information about H2Oil, go to www.h2oildoc.com

Medicine Hat Public Library and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) present Going Blind, a film about glaucoma and vision loss on Saturday, October 29 at 2.00 pm. The film will be shown in the Theatre at Medicine Hat Public Library.

When American film maker Joseph Lovett developed glaucoma and subsequent vision loss, he decided to examine the different causes of vision loss, both from a medical and an emotional point of view. His film documents the experiences of a number of people: a young Iraq war vet, an art teacher, an architect and others who are coming to terms with their vision loss.

The Library and the CNIB invite those who may be losing their vision, along with their friends and family, to view this film and learn more about this devastating disease. For more information about the film, go to www.goingblindmovie.com

Admission is free and refreshments will be served following the film showing.

For more information, contact Hilary Munro at 403-502-8533 or at hilmun@medicinehat.ca

Community welcome at college for event

Job seekers planning on attending Medicine Hat College’s upcoming annual career fair can expect a wealth of information and networking opportunities with a wide range of prominent local, regional, national and international employers. The event takes place on Tuesday, November 1 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the Centennial Hall foyer and B-Wing hallway.

This year will mark one of the largest career fairs ever held by MHC, with over 60 organizations already registered to participate. With employment and the current labour market on the minds of students and the public alike, the college is pleased to open its doors to the community and help employers meet their recruitment needs.

Exhibitors will be discussing their career and job opportunities, company perks, application process, and offer tips for obtaining employment within their organizations.

“These employers represent a variety of different fields,” said Stuart Riley, coordinator of financial aid and employment at MHC. “Industries such as health and human services, police and security, engineering, oil and gas, business, accounting, finance, construction, trades, administrative, government and marketing will all be represented at the career fair.”

In addition, MHC is also welcoming numerous career-related service providers to the fair. They will offer job seekers support and resources to utilize within their employment search. From resume and cover letter assistance to training workshops and job leads, these organizations provide a variety of comprehensive employment services within the community. For attendees considering heading back to school, MHC staff will have booths set up to offer information on their programs, courses, partnerships, and Entrepreneur Development Centre.

“As we witness the job market starting to turn around, it is becoming more important for job seekers to develop strong networking skills,” said Riley. “Some statistics show that nearly 80% of all jobs are not advertised. Tapping into this hidden job market can give job seekers an edge over their competition and help fine tune their job search strategies.”

With many attendees receiving actual job offers each year at this event, job seekers are asked to come prepared to make the right first impression. Riley suggests that students and job seekers bring several copies of their resume and dress in interview-appropriate clothing.

For more information, visit www.mhc.ab.ca or call (403) 504-2208.

MHC Career and Information Fair
Medicine Hat College Centennial Hall & B-Wing Hallway
Tuesday, November 1
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

The Boob Tour is coming to Medicine Hat Friday, October 14th. It’s a mostly stand up comedy show with a few twists, in support of The Medicine Hat Cancer Clinic Fund* and in collaboration with Bustin’ Loose Race to End Breast Cancer.

This comedy tour has traveled around Canada and raised over $130,000 directly towards local cancer causes. The show will Feature Star Search Winner Tracey MacDonald, and Breast Cancer Survivor Allison Lane who will be on Oprah this October.

The show will also star James Uloth who has done over 2,000 shows in 4 different countries and Lars Callieou who has a special on the Comedy Network and performed at the Just For Laughs festival. For more info check out http://www.theboobtour.com/. The show will also be in Taber, Brooks, Lethbridge, Stavely, Strathmore, Canmore and Calgary.

Tickets are available at Runner’s Soul, Medicine Hat Hyundai, Margery E. Yuill Cancer Centre and the Bustin’ Loose Committee. Call 403-526-6089 or email DoucetteRoebuck@shaw.ca for more information. The show is at The South Side Events Centre, 4 Strachan Court S.E.

Tickets are $30, seating first come/first serve. Buy a table of eight and the table will be reserved for you. Cash bar and small appetizer menu will be available.

The Boob Tour – Fight Cancer With Laughter

*The funds are used for direct treatment related costs for those who have a demonstrated financial need. The donated funds will be used for direct patient costs such as, travel and accommodation if required to travel outside of the patient’s home community for treatment. The fund will also be used for meals, medication, and help for a caregiver who may be needed to accompany the patient to their appointments. The fund may also be used for emergency needs to see that treatment is accessible.

Contact info for James Uloth – jamesuloth@yahoo.com 323-202-0997

Download the the full Alberta Art Days 2011 schedule here (.PDF).

The City of Medicine Hat Cultural Development Department and the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre are proud to join in the celebration for Alberta Arts Days from September 30 to October 2, 2011.

“With an array of cultural activities happening in every corner of Medicine Hat over the weekend, the community displays vibrancy like no other in Alberta. This is an occasion for everybody in Medicine Hat to take pride in who we are and what culturally shapes our identity,” says Tobie Laliberte, Marketing/Promotions for the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre (Cultural Development Department).

The weekend will kick off Friday evening with the Downtown Medicine Hat Artwalk putting together a roving art reception called pARTy!. All the galleries downtown will be open from 7 PM until 10 PM, with the exception of the Esplanade Art Gallery which is open until 9 PM. The Esplanade Art Gallery will hold the opening reception of the two latest exhibitions: Michael Campbell’s Field Recordings of Icebergs Melting and Craig Cote’s Surfacing: Metaphor and Meditation, joined by artist Blake Senini from Calgary, in celebration of the completion of Turn, Turn, Turn (AFA/Esplanade public art commission). Molly Johnson will be performing in the Esplanade Theatre at 8 PM.

On Saturday October 1, Medalta in the Historic Clay District, an official host site for Alberta Arts Days, will hold a Raku Festival from 10 AM to 4 PM. Visitors will be able to choose and glaze a piece of pottery, made by Medalta’s volunteers and watch it be fired in their raku kiln. They will also be serving pizza out of the new wood-fired pizza and bread oven. There will be kids’ activities and admission will be free to Medalta’s exhibits.

From noon until 5 PM, the Esplanade will host the City Centre Development Agency Artisan’s Fair where a wide variety of fine art and local craft will be on display and for sale by artists and artisans from our community. There will also be live music in the Studio Theatre with the Academy Orchestra from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM and Bill Wahl’s No Name Combo from 3 PM to 4 PM while Jake Lennox will provide ambient music in the main lobby. The Esplanade café will have an Ice Cream Social. Admission to our Galleries will be free. Take advantage of this day to visit the Esplanade Museum new exhibit, Pack Your Bags! A Kid’s Ticket to Travel. This is an interesting, engaging, informative and very enjoyable traveling exhibition from the Canadian Museum of Civilization. There will be a free shuttle between the Esplanade and Medalta from noon until 5 PM providing everybody with an environmentally friendly alternative to enjoy these two locations. THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »

Tonight, the Street Art Works Association is presenting “Tunnel Vision”: A public art project.

Tunnel Vision is a new public art project in the tunnel walkway which joins South and North Railway streets (under the tracks). This project features the work of many local artists who have are using the theme or genre of “street art”.

Tonight, Friday, September 30th at 6PM, the Tunnel Vision artists and members of Street Art Works Association will gather at South Railway Street and move through the tunnel to North Railway Street, to present the first installation of this new public art project. Artists will meet with members of the public and the media to answer questions about the project, their approach and creative process.

This event kicks off the Downtown Artwalk Roving Reception, which is also happening tonight from 7PM – 10PM as part of Alberta Arts Days celebrations.

Street Art Works Association – Mission Statement

Street Art Works Association strives to work with artists and stakeholders to beautify the City of Medicine Hat with various projects and installations for the benefit of the public, visitors and the producing artist.

Ali Riley
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Nanton poet Ali Riley reads from her work on Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at Medicine Hat Public Library. Her reading takes place at 7:00 pm in the Currie Room.

Ali Riley’s first book, Wayward, was shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award. She has since released another book of poetry, Tear Down. A third poetry collection, Mile Zero, is being published in Spring 2012.

Ali Riley was born in Calgary, and was the singer/songwriter of the seminal psycho- country band Sacred Heart of Elvis. In Toronto, she acted in several theatre productions, including The Lorca Play, for which the company won a Dora Mavor Moore award for best performance by a female. Her produced plays include dog dream, Philosophy in the Bedroom and Hole in my Heart the Size of My Heart. Her poetry has appeared in Geist, The nth Position Anthology, Matrix, This Magazine, Event and the Moosehead Review, and she has performed at festivals, schools, and hootenannies across the country. She currently lives on a farm between Nanton and Vulcan, Alberta.

For more information about Ali Riley go to: www.frontenachouse.com

She may be contacted at soddydaisy@hotmail.com

Ali Riley’s visit to the library is cosponsored by the Literary Readings Program of the Canada Council and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

CITY AND COLOUR
WITH THE LOW ANTHEM
TUESDAY JANUARY 24, 2012

ESPLANADE ARTS & HERITAGE CENTRE

401 FIRST STREET SW, MEDICINE HAT AB – WWW.ESPLANADE.CA

DOORS 7:00 PM – ALL AGES

TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30 AT 10 AM

ADVANCE TICKETS $44.50 (+S/C), available at UnionEvents.com, Tixx.ca, Esplanade Box Office (M-F: 10 am – 5 pm / weekends & holidays: Noon – 5 pm), phone 403-502-8777

City and Colour has announced an extensive and much-anticipated cross-Canada tour. The tour kicks off in Vancouver on January 19, 2012 and wraps up in St. John’s, NL on February 25, 2012, with a few stops in USA border towns along the way. This is the first major national tour since 2008, which sold-out across the country and comes off the heels of an extensive international run, including several sold-out shows in the US, UK and Europe. The tour is in support of Little Hell, the 3rd studio album from City and Colour, currently out on Dine Alone Records.

Pre-sale began Tuesday September 27 at 10AM local time in each city and runs until Thursday, September 29, while pre-sale quantities last. Fans will be able to purchase tickets, during the pre-sale, directly from cityandcolour.ca/tour. Tickets will be available to purchase on their own or with added bonus items including an 18 x 24 screen-printed tour poster designed by Munk One (munkone.com), and a 10″ limited edition vinyl. The 10″ features a live version of “Sometimes (I Wish)” on side A and two unreleased covers on side B. The Canadian colour variant is purple and limited to a pressing of 700 copies. It is the 3rd and final colour in a three colour set (black, green, purple) which were also sold as part of the USA, UK and European tour presale. THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »

It’s time for the 7th annual One Book One Community (OBOC) in Medicine Hat. Winner of the 2010 Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award, Newfoundland author Jessica Grant’s quirky Come, Thou Tortoise is this year’s featured book. This delightfully offbeat story features an opinionated tortoise and an IQ-challenged narrator who find themselves in the middle of a life-changing mystery.

The OBOC festivities will begin with ‘An Evening with Jessica Grant’ on Friday, October ^14th at 7:30 pm in the Medicine Hat College Theatre (refreshments and book signing to follow).

On Saturday, October ^15th, facilitated book discussions, readings from the novel by FUT in the Hat, and fun activities take place in Medicine Hat College, beginning with coffee at 9:30am. Everyone is invited to this book club! All events are free with the exception of Saturday’s lunch (tickets now available at Medicine Hat Public Library and at Medicine Hat College Vera Bracken Library).

For more information about Come, Thou Tortoise, Jessica Grant, and One Book One Community, visit the website at http://obocmh.ca.

This event is sponsored by the City of Medicine Hat, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Medicine Hat College, Medicine Hat Public Library, L.E.A.R.N., Medalta, Coles, and Safeway.

Medicine Hat Public Library and the Calgary Co-operative Memorial Society present an information session on preplanning for simple, dignified funerals at a moderate cost. This free presentation takes place in the Currie Room, Medicine Hat Public Library on Tuesday, October 4, 2011 from 10.30 am to Noon.

Since 1966, the Calgary Co-operative Memorial Society has been helping its members to preplan simple, dignified and economical funerals. The Memorial Society’s membership is wide ranging, covering southern Alberta.

The presentation, Sensitive Planning for the Future: a humourous approach to a Heavy Duty Topic, will be made by several members of the Calgary Co-operative Memorial Society and will be followed by questions and answers.

For more information about the Memorial Society: go to www.calgarymemorial.com