With my most heartfelt thoughts, I express thanks to so many. I leave the office of mayor with feelings of satisfaction and comfort; satisfaction knowing that the city and the community are truly in a good place with an abundance of opportunities ahead, and indeed no dire concerns looming. Comfort comes from knowing that the city is in good hands with the city’s management team, together with the newly elected council. It is through concerted efforts by school boards, school leadership, not for profit organizations, city administration, business leadership, city councils, churches, youth and senior groups, ad hoc community leaders and all residents that a community is built. Together, everyone assists the community in rising to be better each day and for that I am grateful and it has been a privilege to serve you, doing my part as your mayor. Thank you for extending that privilege to me for 10 years. My thanks certainly extend to my family, my regional colleagues, Sturgeon County Council, my St. Albert Council colleagues over the past 13 years, and to the 65,000 residents who are all a part of building our community today. We owe so much to so many of the past 156 years who have been our bridge through time; building the past so that we can all enjoy St. Albert today. In 2004, when I was first elected, we did not have, in their current mature forms, Riel Recreation Park, the Botanic Park, the Grain Elevator Park, Servus Place, Ray Gibbon Drive nor a downtown that is as beautiful as it is today. Much has changed and we are all better off for those amenities, just to name a few. So many volunteers, professionals and organizations contributed to their being. Over many years, the pillars of economic, environmental and social progress (triple bottom line) have each advanced through areas such as Sturgeon River cleanup activities, waste management programs, significant non-residential development and a Social Master Plan that has spawned many policies and improvements that have driven the social fabric of St. Albert to be better each day. Personally, I am particularly pleased to see the decline in community crime over the past number of years and the corporate and city traffic safety progress. That progress results in fewer people being injured or killed and contributes to St. Albert being ranked as one of the safest communities in Canada. Our community also takes pride in our annual ranking as one of the best communities in Canada to live in and of course safety is a key element contributing to that ranking. As your mayor over the past 10 years, in this tremendously rewarding role of human endeavour, the white light of publicity may at times dim the reward of progress, but it has indeed been my pleasure to have served you under that white light where I vowed to continue to make everyone proud of St. Albert and our collective pride endures these many years of progress. As such, I bid you farewell and I bid that farewell using the brief statement made years ago by a United Nations official as he closed a life chapter at the UN: “Night is drawing nigh. For all that has been, thanks For that shall be, yes” Nolan Crouse, St. Albert
