Alberta celebrates business excellence

Last Friday night I attended the 2016 Alberta Business Awards of Distinction ceremony in the Renaissance Edmonton Airport Hotel.  The annual event recognizes business of all types from across Alberta, and the high-voltage energy produced a very enjoyable evening. The wit and humour by Master of Ceremonies Peter Brown (CBC Radio in Edmonton host, pictured here) was worth the price of admission for many.

The award categories ranged from Aboriginal Relations Best Practices and Arts & Culture to Marketing, Small Business and Young Entrepreneur.  Other categories were Diversity Leadership, Exports, Woman Entrepreneur and Employer of Youth.  The highlight was the Premier’s Award, which had 40 nominations.  Congratulations to Western Manufacturing Ltd in Hythe for winning.

The Alberta Business Awards of Distinction event was made possible by the Government of Alberta, the Alberta Chambers of Commerce and several other organizations that support business in this province. 

Full disclosure:  I’m on the Board of Directors with the Morinville & District Chamber of Commerce.  That’s why I strongly recommend that business people get involved with their local Chamber, especially in this current economic climate.  Networking is vital.  This strength in numbers enables business people to accomplish together what cannot be done alone.  To find out how to become a member, contact the Alberta Chambers of Commerce.

Grant Cree is an Edmonton-based photojournalist focusing on photo and video event coverage to help clients connect with their audiences. www.grantcree.ca  780-940-3228

Caribbean adventures!

Last Thursday I returned home after a working vacation on the Caribbean island of Roatan, Honduras.  Yes, I know the phrase ‘working vacation’ is a paradox – unless you’re a photographer!  Roatan is about 35 miles north of the mainland, and is one of three Bay Islands in the area.

Back in the day, this region was dominated by Spanish conquistadors, pirates and eventually the navies of Britain and Spain.  Roatan is now a popular tourist location that features spectacular scenery and world-class diving.  The island is on the tip of the Mesoamerican Reef, and is comparable to the Great Barrier Reef near Australia.

The island is only 45 miles long, about 5 miles wide, and populated with around 85,000 people.  Everyone is happy to see you and there’s friendly service at all businesses – ranging from guides and beach vendors to restaurant staff and service providers. 

You can see more of my photos at my online gallery.  Enjoy!

  

Grant Cree is an Edmonton-based photojournalist focusing on photo and video event coverage to help clients connect with their audiences. www.grantcree.ca  780-940-3228

Published in Esprit de Corps magazine

Very proud to have one of my photos published in the February 2016 edition of Esprit de Corps military magazine.  “A treasure for all Canadians” is the title of an article featuring Cecil Kinross, a Canadian soldier who won the Victoria Cross medal for his actions during the First World War.  The medal is now on display for public viewing in the office of Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson, following a ceremony on Nov. 9, 2015 in City Hall. 

My photo shows the unveiling ceremony that day with Mayor Iveson, members of the Kinross family, and Captain Rick Dumas, the event organizer and author of this article.  In his article, Captain Dumas notes that Private Kinross served with the 49^th Battalion – now known as the Loyal Edmonton Regiment.

On Oct. 30, 1917, Private Kinross was at Passchendaele, Belgium, where the 49^th Battalion lost 75 per cent of its soldiers that morning.  By that evening, only 145 of almost 600 men remained standing.  It was during that battle that 19-year-old Cecil Kinross earned Canada’s highest military decoration:  the Victoria Cross.

Shortly after 49^th Battalion launched their attack, they endured a ferocious enemy artillery barrage.  Their advance was then bogged down by machine gun fire.  Kinross surveyed the situation, tossed his equipment on the ground except for his rifle and ammunition and moved alone over open ground in broad daylight.  He charged the enemy machine gun and killed the crew of six.  His action encouraged his comrades who rallied and advanced 300 yards to capture an important position. 

Kinross was seriously wounded that day, and did not return to frontline duties.  After the war, he returned home to Lougheed, Alberta, located about 2-hours east of Edmonton. In 1951, a 2,640-metre mountain in Jasper National Park was named Mount Kinross in his honour.  The peak is located 24 kilometres northwest of Jasper, Alberta.  Cecil Kinross passed away in Lougheed on June 21, 1957 at 59 years of age.

I offer my thanks to Captain Dumas and members of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment for inviting me to cover this significant event. 

Grant Cree is an Edmonton-based photojournalist focusing on photo and video event coverage to help clients connect with their audiences. www.grantcree.ca  780-940-3228

Paratroopers story in Western Sentinel

My coverage of paratroopers with Third Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI) was published in the current edition of the Western Sentinel military newspaper. This is very rewarding, especially since I was the editor/ photojournalist of the Sentinel from 2008 to 2013, and had the privilege of covering numerous military events across Western Canada.

My story featured in the January 21 edition is about 3 PPCLI paratroopers jumping into CFB Wainwright last December.  I made a 4-minute video that you can view by clicking this link l and also posted photos on my gallery.   The purpose of that exercise was to capture a bridge held by simulated enemy forces while also preparing for arctic training conditions.

Early this morning, those same paratroopers flew on three Hercules aircraft from Edmonton to Resolute Bay, Nunavut. They are participating in Exercise Arctic Ram, a large-scale activity involving about 2,500 troops, local Inuit residents and members of the Canadian Rangers.

The training mission scenario is to recover a mock satellite that crashed near Resolute Bay. The overall objective is to train soldiers in Arctic survival and navigation in a barren area where there are no trees or other natural shelter.  One of the challenges includes the weather that can plunge to -50°C with the wind chill – not to mention occasional whiteout conditions.

Arctic Ram takes place from Feb. 12 to 20, and is part of Canada’s Arctic sovereignty plan so the military is ready if called upon for emergency response in the far north.