Laurie's been busy this summer attending many constituency events and supporting Edmonton Centre's vital community spirit.  Listed below are some descriptions of the events and accompanying pictures.

Sep 04 - Lunch at St. Andrews - Laurie visited St. Andrews Centre and shared lunch with some residents.  Various topics were discussed and people seemed to enjoy having an MP's ear to bend.

Sep 04 - Jasper Place Health and Wellness Centre - Laurie spent two hours visiting the Jasper Place Health and Wellness Centre, which the riding had supported with a barbecue on Aug 26.  Laurie chatted with many mostly homeless people, sat in on a council meeting, and shared supper which was supplied by a local church.  There are many people working very hard with minimal resources to try to improve the lives of less fortunate Edmontonians.  They deserve our support.

Sep 03 - Returning soldiers - Laurie met the final flight of soldiers returning to Edmonton from Afghanistan in the current cycle.  There are still approximately 200 Edmonton personnel serving in Afghanistan for another 2 - 3 months.  As always, the Edmonton Salutes Committee and several Royal Canadian Legion members were on hand to help welcome home these Canadian heroes.  Laurie had another pleasant surprise as one of the returnees was an offcer with whom he had served.

Above - Edmonton area troops returning home.  Now those are happy smiles!

Sep 01 - Funding announcements - Laurie represented the Hon. Carol Skelton at the Edmonton Native Friendship Centre to announce over $550,000 in funding for programs in support of aboriginal adults and youth in Edmonton.  He was joined by a number of officials, including Hon. Pearl Calahasen, Alberta Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, and Edmonton City Councillor Ron Hayter.

Above - Laurie addressing the gathering and announcing funding for the Edmonton Native Friendship centre.

Sep 01 - Rosedale Manor Summer Barbeque - Laurie dropped by the Annual Rosedale Manor Summer Barbeque and enjoyed some excellent chicken and visits with a number of the residents.

Sep 01 - Air-1 Fly-along - Laurie got his first taste of night flying in quite a while ( the back of an Air Canada Airbus doesn't count) when he joined Sergeant Jim Pennie and Constable Randy Chaulk for a three-hour flight in support of law and order in Edmonton.  Please see the op-ed elsewhere on the website for the full story.

Above - With Constable Randy Chaulkay 0330 hrs after making Edmonton safe

Aug 31 - Telus World of Science - Laurie took in a technology presentation at the Edmonton Telus World of Science, along with several dozen, business and education leaders.  Implementation of the new technology would help keep Edmonton at the forefront of reserach and development in education, medicine, astronomy and many other fields.

Aug 31 - Corps of Commissionaires Visit - Laurie visited the Edmonton facility of the Corps of Commissionaires.  It is a high tech facility which explodes the stereotype of the older Commissionaire manning a gate somewhere.  The new Corps operates a state-of-the-art surveillance and security service that is gaining an international reputation for excellence and effectiveness.

Aug 31 - Dave Hancock Leadership Campaign BBQ - Laurie attended the opening of the Dave Hancock Provincial Leadership Campaign Office, which was a well-attended barbecue with many of Dave's friends and supporters. 

Above - Laurie and the future (?) Premier of Alberta Dave Hancock.

Aug 31 - Door knocking - Laurie and a team of volunteers kept up our practice of reaching out to constituents at their doors.  The response was very positive, overall, and people were glad to see us staying in direct contact.

Aug 30 - Military parades - Laurie attended two separate parades at the Edmonton Garrison.  The first parade celebrated the Change of Command of the First Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and awarded Afghanistan medals to 1st PPCLI soldiers who had returned from Afghanistan.  The second parade was in honour of the Change of Command of the First Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.  A singular honour was meeting Lady Mountbatten of Burma, widow of Lord Louis Mountbatten and much beloved Colonel-in-Chief of the Princess Pats.

Above - Laurie with Lady Mountbatten of Burma  

Above (l-r) - Laurie with BGen Tim Grant, Commander Land Forces Western Area; LGen Andrew Leslie, Chief of the Land Staff; and Gen Rick Hillier, Chief of the Defence Staff

Aug 29 - Meeting with Centre High - Laurie visited Centre High in downtown Edmonton and discussed education topics with Glenn Iryie, Vice-Prinicipal and Lyall Thomson, the recently appointed Superintendent of the Edmonton Public School Board.  Centre High provides an important capability for students who need to finish off their high school education to transition into appropriate post-secondary opportunities.

Aug 29 - BioNeutra Opening - Laurie brought greetings and congratulated a new member of Edmonton's technology company community, BioNeutra, at the Alberta Research Park.  Edmonton continues to be a leading technology incubator and Laurie stressed the importance of this aspect of Alberta's new economy.

Aug 29 - Air Transport Association of Canada Reception - Laurie attended the ATAC reception at the Westin Hotel and had informal discussions with various stakeholders in the air transport industry.

Aug 27 - Returning soldiers - Laurie again spent time at the Edmonton International Airport greeting our Canadian soldiers on their return from Afghanistan.  Once again, CF-18s from 4 Wing Cold Lake provided escort for the Canadian Forces Airbus and its precious passenger load for the last hour of their journey home. 

Above - CF-18 off the wing of CF Airbus shepherding soldiers home to Edmonton

Aug 27 - Ukrainian Independence Day - Laurie was very pleased to represent the Government at the celebration of the 15th anniversary of Ukrainian independence from the Soviet Union.  Laurie brought greetings to several hundred people in Ukrainian and English and enjoyed some great musical and dance performances.

Above - Laurie bringing greetings to Ukrainian Independence Day festivities 

Above - Spectacular Shumka Dancers

Aug 26 - First Annual Charity Barbecue - The First Annual Charity Barbecue for Edmonton Centre was held at our Constituency Office.  A steady stream of visitors enjoyed burgers, dogs, pop, chips and prize draws in support of the recently opened Jasper Place Drop-in and Wellness Centre.  Laurie thanked everyone in attendance and had some special words in support of our troops in Adfghanistan and their important mission. 

Above - A lucky winner from the Charity BBQ

Aug 26 - Meeting with 100 Huntley Street - Laurie and Rahim Jaffer met with a group that included members of the long-running television program 100 Huntley Street.  Laurie and Rahim talked about how they got into politics and their relationships with the faith community. 

Above - Laurie, Rahim and friends from the faith community

Aug 26 - Raising money for Autism - Laurie helped Mike Lake, MP, raise money for autism by attending the pancake breakfast in the constituency of Edmonton Millwoods Beaument.  Hon. Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration was also on hand.  Mike is at the vanguard in the struugle to deal with autism and Laurie was only too happy to help. 

Above - Monte Solberg, Laurie and Mike Lake

Aug 25 - Edmonton and Area Caucus Meeting - Laurie and Ken Epp chaired another is the series of meetings of the Edmonton and Area Caucus.  It was a busy day, starting with a technology demonstration at the Telus World of Science and several presentations by a variety of groups working to make Edmonton and Alberta better.

Aug 25 - Memorial Service at Edmonton Garrison - Laurie attended a memorial service at the Edmonton Garrison to honour seven members of the Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty in Afghanistan.  It was a sombre affair, but one that also underlined the commitment and devotion to duty that is so characteristic of Canada's military and their families.  In conversation with some of the families of the fallen, it was very clear that, although grieving, they were extremely proud of their husbands, sons and brothers.

Aug 25 - Meeting with Taiwanese Minister - Laurie held a short meeting with Dr. Fu-Mei Chang a Minsiter in the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan).  Trade and cultural relations were discussed with an open invitation for Laurie to visit Taiwan. 

Above - Laurie with Dr. Fu-Mei Chang (his right) and Edmonton community leaders

Aug 24 - An evening with Hon. Monte Solberg - Laurie and the 97th Street Business Association hosted an Evening with Hon. Monte Solberg, enjoyed by over 120 people at a restaurant in Edmonton's Chinatown district.  Everyone enjoyed hearing from the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and meeting him personally after dinner.

Above - The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and Chinese community leaders

Aug 24 - Alberta Computers for Schools - Laurie visited the Alberta Computers for Schools facility and was impressed with the size and scope of the operation that has delivered over 80,000 refurbished computers to schools throughout Alberta, northern B.C. and northern Canada.  It also provides summer employment and valuable hands-on experience for university students.  Laurie also contributed a number of surplus computers, printers, scanners and other electronic equipment.

Above - Laurie with summer students who bring the old computers back to life

Aug 23 - Laurie met for breakfast with the Edmonton Real Estate Board.  Like many parts of the country, the real estate business in Edmonton is booming and sales are up significantly over last year.  Unfortunately for buyers, especially first time buyers, prices are up significantly, as well.

Aug 23 - Lawn Bowling - Laurie brought greetings and performed the official opening of the 2006 Canadian Junior Lawn Bowling Championship and the 2006 Canadian Under-25 World Junior Cup Qualifier at the Commonwealth Lawn Bowling Club.  Canadians, young and old, are active in so many diverse ways and it's nice to see younger people carrying on a traditional sport.

Above- Laurie opening an Edmonton lawn bowling tournament

Aug 23 - NAIT Shell Manufacturing Centre - Laurie represented Honourable Carol Skelton, Minister of Revenue and Western Economic Diversification at the funding announcement for the NAIT Shell Manufacturing Centre.  The Federal Government kicked in $3.1 million to the project which will improve Alberta manufacturers' productivity through accelerated technology adoption and training.  It will also support Alberta's youth in attaining transferable job skills in our quickly evolving Alberta job market.

Above - At the NAIT funding announcement, (Left to Right) Lauren Russell (recent NAIT alumni), Laurie, Hon George VandenBurg (Alberta Minister of Government Services and Acting Minister of Innovation and Science), Doug Goss (Chair of NAIT Building on Demand campaign), Brian Straub (Shell), Armie Tremblay (recent NAIT alumni) and President Sam Shaw in front

Aug 22 - Molson's Tour - "Laurie and a small group visited the Edmonton Molson Brewery to learn about the beer business.  The brewery has been in Edmonton since 1904 and in its current location since 1913.  Molson has been an excellent corporate citizen of Edmonton and follows enlightened business, personnel and social practices.  A light lunch was washed down with a small amount of liquid produce."

Above - Laurie checking out the beer making facilities of Molson 

Aug 22 - Addition to Royal Alberta Museum - Laurie was on hand to represent the Honourable Bev Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage at the unveiling of the Southesk Collection for the Royal Alberta Museum.  The Federal Government contributed $600,000 towards the purchase at auction from Sotheby's in London of this unique collection of northern plains ethnological artifacts from the mid 1800s.  They are a valuable addition to the museum and will help First Nations and Metis people preserve their heritage and culture.

Above - Laurie, Elder Auger and Denis Ducharme, Alberta Minister of Community Development, displaying the first three artifacts

Aug 22 - More heroes return - Laurie was again on hand at the Edmonton International Airport to greet 140 Edmonton-based soldiers returning home to their happy families after outstanding service in Afghanistan.

Aug 20 - Art Outdoors Opening - Laurie participated in the opening of the Edmonton Art Galleries 'Art Outdoors' series.  With the help of Pattison Signs, twelve works of art will be displayed on the backsides of billboards around the city.  The first artwork was unveiled today by Laurie, Mayor Steve Mandel, Pattison Signs, the Edmonton Art Gallery and, most importantly well known artist Alex Janvier.  Mr. Janvier has a well-deserved worldwide reputation and Laurie has seen a lot of his work over the years, as Mr. Janvier lives and works in Cold Lake.  It is hoped that the Art Outdoors displays will encourage people to visit the Edmonton Art Gallery, which is one of the treasures of our city.

Above - Laurie with artist Alex Janvier at the Arts Outdoors Opening.

Aug 20 - Air Canada Route Announcement - Laurie attended a very important announcement by Air Canada that, as of Oct 31, 2006, there will be direct flight service between Edmonton and London, England.  It will start on a three flight a week schedule and expand to daily service next spring.  This is a great plus for Edmonton and European pleasure and business travellers.

Aug 19 - Equatoria Day 2006 - Laurie and Judy were guests at the Sudanese community's Equatoria Day 2006 and were joined by members of that community from across Alberta.  Equatoria is one of the provinces of southern Sudan and has a rich history and culture.  Laurie brought greetings and everyone enjoyed excellent food, music and dance.

Above - Laurie with new friends, Tina and Jordan, at Equatoria celebrations.  

Aug 19 - Doorknocking - Laurie and a team of volunteers spent a couple of hours in a southwest neighbourhood, chatting with constituents at their doors.  This is one of many ways that Laurie tries to stay in touch with people to hear their views.

Aug 19 - Westmount Family Drop-in - "The residents of Westmount re-initiated an annual family drop-in with music and free hotdogs and pop.  It was a great event for families to gather and enjoy some relaxation on a beautiful summer afternoon.  Laurie paid a short visit between other events and enjoyed meeting some of the families taking part."

Aug 19 - Sudan All-Stars vs NAIT Alumni - "Laurie brought greetings and enjoyed watching a basketball game between a team of Sudanese All-Stars from around the province and a team of NAIT Alumni all-stars.  The Sudanese team kept it very close in the first half, but NAIT pulled away a bit in the second half of a clean and well-played contest.  Before the game, a clinic was held for children of the Sudanese community and many children went away with NAIT Ook basketballs.  NAIT has established a scholarship in conjunction with the event and the plan is to make it an annual affair.  Well done to NAIT and the leadership in the Sudanese community for bringing this together." 

Above - Wrestling with Peter for a jump ball.

Aug 18 - 10th Annual Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival - Laurie helped kick off the 10th Annual Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival with Their Honours Norman Kwong and Mary Kwong and Councillor Michael Phair.  This is another colourful festival that reflects the diversity of Edmonton and the commitment of Edmontonians to an active lifestyle. 

Above - Laurie and the Lieutenant-Governor beating a retreat from the fireworks while Michael Phair (right) holds his ground

Aug 18 - More heroes return home - Laurie was on hand at the Edmonton International Airport to greet each of the 140 Canadian soldiers returning from their tour of duty in Afghanistan.  The Edmonton Salutes Committee and the Royal Canadian Legion were out in full force with Tim Horton's coffee and donuts.

 Aug 17 - Canadian Paraplegic Association Charity Golf - Laurie helped raise money for the Canadian Paraplegic Association by participating in and bringing greetings to their annual charity golf tournament at Red Tail Landing.  The attitude and determination of everyone involved with the organization and, especially those making the best of their abilities was truly inspiring.  One of Laurie's playing partners was a man named Atif Farhan, who hasn't let physical limitations slow him down nor prevent him from leading a productive life.  Edmonton Oiler Captain Jason Smith was the featured attraction and he, Laurie and all the rest found out that putting with a hockey stick is a challenge and levelled the playing field regardless of apparent physical capabilities.

Above - (Left to Right) Teren Clark (Executive Director Canadian Paraplegic Association), Atif Farhan, Jason Smith, Laurie, Allan Skoreyko (Tournament Director)

Aug 16 - Kick-off to the Fringe Festival - The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is one of the largest and most successful in Canada.  Laurie joined a host of loyal Fringe followers at the reception to kick off this 25th Anniversary of this signature Edmonton event.  picture - Laurie with Bob and Marilyn Westbury kicking off the Fringe

Aug 15 - WISEST - Laurie spent two hours meeting some very accomplished young high school women who have spent six weeks working on science projects with research teams from the University of Alberta.  Their knowledge, self-confidence, communication skills and enthusiasm should give us all faith in the future.  Laurie presented certificates to five young women who live in Edmonton Centre.  It's interesting to note that there are many countries in the world where young women would not be allowed to participate in such activities.  One of those countries was (and in places, still is) Afghanistan.  Canadians are working very hard to make that a thing of the past. 

Above - Presenting WISEST participant Tamara Bain with certificate

Aug 15 - Laurie helped raise money for the fight against Juvenile Diabetes at a golf tournament at Jagare Ridge.  His golf partners were Mayor Steve Mandel, Jim Kulik, Eugene Sekora, and Mike Kuzicki, who is the main organizer of the event.  Laurie was lucky enough to win the 50/50 draw for $630 and donated it back to the cause.  His golf was not nearly as good. 

Aug 14th Constituency Day - Laurie met with numerous constituents and community leaders about Edmonton concerns and issues.

Aug 13 - Ukrainian Days - Laurie attended Ukrainian Days at the Ukrainian Cultural Village on Highway 16, east of the City.  He brought greetings to hundreds of people who were impressed with his ability to handle a few sentences in the Ukrainian language.

Aug 13 - Constituent's 90th birthday - Laurie drove to Villeneuve to attend a family celebration and bring personal greetings on the occasion of the 90th birthday of Edmonton Centre resident Muriel Schumacher.  Muriel has a rich history of accomplishment over many years as a teacher and is the matriarch of a large and wonderful family.

Below - Laurie and Muriel Schumacher on her 90th birthday

Aug 12 - Laurie attended a fund-raising pancake breakfast held by MP Rahim Jaffer to benefit Ronald McDonald House.

Below - Laurie and Rahim Jaffer

Below - Laurie with Ronald!

Aug 11/12 - CariWest Festival - On Aug 11, Laurie and Judy attended the evening kickoff of the CariWest Festival, celebrating the culture, music, food, dance and costumes of this vibrant and fun-loving community.  On Aug 13, Laurie marched, or more properly danced for two-and-a-half hours along the Jasper Avenue parade route to Sir Winston Churchill Square.  He had a lot of fun, but his knees were a bit sore the next day.

Below - Laurie and fellow Cariwesters

Aug 10th Folk Music Festival - Laurie helped kick off the event with a reception at the Ramada on Kingsway and took in dinner at the Festival site and part of the first night's performance.

Aug 10 - Laurie met the second flight rotating soldiers home from Afghanistan.  Eighty tired and happy warriors arrived home along with five of their wounded comrades.  The Chief of the Defence Staff - General Rick Hillier, Mayor Steve Mandel and Concillor Ed Gibbons were also in the greeting party.  The CC-150 Airbus was escorted by a pair of CF-18s from 4 Wing Cold Lake.

Aug 9 - Sod turning at Stanton Lake Estates - Laurie and Environment Minister Rona Ambrose helped turn the sod on a very exciting and environmentally friendly housing project west of Stony Plain.  It is the brainchild of an entrepreneur named Al Stan and is a great example of what can be done for the environment and society by dedicated individuals.

Below - Al Stan, Rona Ambrose, and Laurie Hawn

Aug 9 - Laurie brought greetings to 'Moonlight in the Meadows' at the Whitemud Equine Centre.  This barbeque was the first gathering of the Edmonton Technology Chamber, an organization devoted to the promotion of start-up technology companies.  Also speaking were MLA Dave Hancock, Mayor Steve Mandel and Councillor Mike Nickel.

Aug 8 - Laurie enjoys fine wine and helping his friend Nick Lees raise money for charity.  Laurie and Judy attended 'Zin on the River', which is an annual event on the patio at the Hotel Macdonald.  It combines fine wine, fine food, great music, live and silent auctions and a lot of blarney by Mr. Lees.

Aug 5 - Heritage Days - Laurie and Councillor Mike Nickel wandered the grounds at Hawrelak Park, enjoying all that Heritage Days has to offer.  Later, Laurie brought greetings to the opening ceremonies and spoke about the strength and value of Edmonton's diversity.

Above - Laurie and Scandinavian Scott Thorkelson

Aug 4 - Heroes Return - After flying back from Ottawa, Laurie and Westlock - St. Paul MP Brian Storseth waited until after midnight to greet the first flight of troops rotating home to Edmonton from Afghanistan.  It was wonderful to get them back.  Laurie had a special treat when down the ramp of the Airbus came an airman who had been one of the technicians on 416 Tactical Fighter Squadron at Cold Lake when Laurie was Commanding Officer.  Laurie's had been the last hand that he shook when he got on the Hercules to go to Gulf War I in 1990 and Laurie's had been the first hand that he shook when he got off the Boeing 707 in Ottawa at the end of that war.  The two old squadron mates had a big hug and a great chuckle over the deja vu all over again.

Aug 2 -4 Conservative Summer Caucus Meetings Cornwall, Ontario - Laurie and his fellow Conservative MPs gathered in Cornwall, Ontario for three days of updates and team building.  The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Peter MacKay gave a briefing on the highly successful evacuation operation from Lebanon.  13,052 Canadians were rescued without harm, a remarkable accomplishment given the circumstances.  The Minister of International Trade, Hon. David Emerson briefed on progress on the softwood lumber agreement.  We remain optimistic that the industry will understand that this is the best possible deal and give their support to an agreement that will provide them some stability.  The Middle East and Afghanistan were also discussed and all are firmly behind Prime Minister Harper's position on both issues.   Everyone regrets civilian (and military) casualties, but the realities that principled democracies and leaders have to deal with require clear thinking and resolve in the face of rhetoric and misinformation.