2025 Year in Review

Posted on January 15, 2026 by Vauxhall Advance

March continued

Arrowwood’s David Bexte ran against Taber’s Graham Abela, Vauxhall’s Josh Senneker, and Chestermere’s JL DeCosta for the right to be the Conservative representative for the riding. As a lifelong Albertan, farmer, and former vice-president at the largest oil field service company in the world, Bexte’s appeal earned him a chance to become an MP come the next general election.

The Vauxhall Academy of Baseball Jets are back on the field as it gets back to business as usual. What has seen some changes though is this year’s annual VAB Banquet. While the banquet usually sees some form of baseball great come to town for a Q&A, this year’s version will focus more on live entertainment.

The provincial increase in the education tax will result in a much higher property tax bill this year.

The Taber detachment received eight calls for service in the Vauxhall area, and report three criminal code violations and two non-criminal code for the area.

April

At the March 31 Horizon School Division (HSD) board meeting, trustees carried a motion to include Lomond Community School’s senior boys volleyball program in the Deep South Volleyball League during the upcoming season.

 Family and Community Support Services and The Do YouthCrew will host a Penny Carnival at the Vauxhall Hall (located at 417 4 St N) on Saturday, April 26 from 1 to 4 p.m.

With the federal election at hand, voters are taking a closer look at the candidates within their ridings. For every voter, the candidate they select at the ballot box will be the one who represents their best interests both locally and in Ottawa. On top of that, each vote will be a stamp of approval for that candidate’s taxpayer-supported, six-figure salary. For some voters, that’s a tough pill to swallow and a reason to raise the bar for their political expectations.

During their regular April 7 meeting, Vauxhall town council reviewed a proposed bylaw for virtual attendance to council meetings.

Bylaw 1007-25 would allow for people to attend council meetings virtually or by electronic means, rather than having to physically be present at a meeting. CAO Cris Burns said they tried to tie it into the Procedural bylaw – passed earlier during the meeting – but ultimately kept them separate. When asked if it was a new bylaw and if they needed to have it, Burns confirmed it was new, and they needed to allow for the option of electronic attendance for people wishing to attend or participate in a public hearing.

Environment and Climate Change Canada reported the first confirmed tornado of 2025 touched down about 10 kilometres north of Rolling Hills on April 12. 

There was no reported damage, and Environment Canada issued a preliminary rating of EF-0 – the weakest rating on the scale of tornado intensity – however it does mark the earliest opening of the tornado season in Alberta since roughly 1980.

Support for an Vauxhall Ag Society project and event will be considered before final budget deliberations for 2025.

On May 2, Vauxhall Elementary School will host a STEM event starting at 10:30 a.m.

Reiling says that the school is ‘very excited’ to host their first ever event of this nature.

May

During their regular April 22 meeting, Vauxhall town council reviewed their interim operating and capital budget.

In the three-year operating budget, town CFO Clark Holt reported little changes to it compared to the other times council has reviewed it, with the exception of notes and updates from town staff that were built into the budget.

The Vauxhall Academy of Baseball Jets were looking to repeat as champions at the Prairie Baseball Academy Prairie Showcase Classic this past weekend. After winning the 2024 tournament, the Jets were looking to repeat in 2025 as they started on Friday with a pair of games at home.

Within the riding of Bow River, Conservative David Bexte secured the seat with roughly 83.7 per cent of votes when the riding was called, a sharp rise from the 69.76 per cent support gathered by Martin Shields in the 2021 federal election.

During the M.D. of Taber Council meeting on April 22, Council reviewed a Request for Decision memo regarding the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball Dryland Training facility.

Vauxhall town council has approved a new frontage tax bylaw.

Presented during their regular May 5 meeting, bylaw 1009-25 would allow the town to collect a special tax rate of $6.15 per foot for all accessed properties, for repair and maintenance of roads and water and sewage facilities. Mayor Kimberly Cawley noted that they had to dedicate the revenue raised from the bylaw to a certain area of their budget. 

After plenty of road tournaments to start the spring, the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball Jets were at home this past weekend to play host at their Haven Agencies Tournament. Looking to continue their momentum from the previous weekend, the Jets were also looking to see improvements in all facets as the spring season rapidly approaches its end. 

Canada Post employees may be headed back to the picket line this week as an extension of the existing agreement between the postal carrier and the union is set to expire on May 22. 

With the M.D. of Taber facing a municipal election in October 2025, the M.D. of Taber Council has been contemplating their future in politics.

Tamara Miyanaga, who currently serves as the Reeve for the M.D. of Taber, has elected to put her name forward for the 2025 municipal election.

The season came to a rain-soaked finish last weekend for the Vauxhall Vikings high school baseball team.

Moisture wiped out the Southern Alberta High School Baseball League Tier 1 championship tournament. Vauxhall was set to host the tournament but in the end, the home team was only able to get in one game.

June

The opening of the upgraded arena in Vauxhall may be delayed due to unexpected repairs.

Previously, during their May 5 meeting, council was informed crews had encountered a frost and mud issue in the arena when they were digging into the soil underneath the ice rink. While the town had a contingency fund for the project, at the time, they weren’t sure what the exact fix was, and how much it would cost.

On Saturday, June 7, there will be a come and go gathering honouring former Bow River MP Martin Shields at the CPR Engineer’s House in Brooks (50 Evergreen Park Close) from 4:30 – 7:30 p.m.

During their regular June 2 meeting, Vauxhall town council reviewed the written CAO report.

In the report, it said that contractors will be closing the east portion of 7th Avenue North to complete work for the Sanitary Upgrades project. When asked if it was fixing the road, mayor Kimberly Cawley said she believed they were finishing the opening to tie in the sanitary lines. When asked if they were also working on tying in water lines, assistant CAO and town office manager Mindy Dunphy said she believed so, and it would take about six weeks to complete.

Following recent project developments, start dates for Vauxhall’s ice rink and curling arena use has been pushed back.

Due to the hot, dry conditions that exist and are forecasted to continue, the Municipal District of Taber has issued a Fire Advisory within the municipal boundaries until further notice.  

With the Fire Advisory in effect, the public is advised that a higher risk of fire exists. Fire permits continue to be issued. We ask that you use extra caution while performing any controlled burn.    

Canada Day 2025 in Vauxhall will be full of excitement.

“It’s a special event that brings people near and far to celebrate,” said Town of Vauxhall Chief Administrative Officer Cris Burns. “it’s an opportunity to connect and have some fun.”

South Country Co-op has announced it will be re-purposing its Vauxhall Tire Shop as part of a strategic decision to focus on its core strengths in agriculture, fuel, and member services.

Vauxhall town staff has officially moved into new headquarters.

During their regular June 16 meeting, Vauxhall town council discussed moving council meetings into the new town administrative building.

The new town office is in the location of the old Scotiabank building located at 127 4th Street N. Following its closure, the Town of Vauxhall was offered the building for free provided they did not offer it to another financial institution. As a result, renovations were undertaken to turn it into the new administrative office and council chambers for the town.