Special 2025 Graduation insert

Attached to this week’s edition of the Pass Herald is our special 2025 Graduation insert. I was honoured to be invited to offer felicitations to this year’s graduates on behalf of municipal council. Several people have since asked me to share the speech I gave at the ceremony.

While there was not room to include it in the special insert, I felt the space was better used showcasing the photos and proud moments from the event, I am happy to share the full text of my remarks here.

Below is the speech I delivered to the CCHS graduating class of 2025.

Good evening, graduates, families, teachers, and honoured guests.

As a member of municipal council, it is a privilege to stand before you today, not just in an official capacity, but as a proud member of this community that has watched you grow, struggle, thrive, and arrive at this moment.

Graduation is an important milestone. It marks the end of one chapter and the start of something new. Some of you have your next steps all mapped out — university, trades, travel, a job. Some of you are still figuring it out. That is totally okay. Life rarely unfolds exactly as planned anyway.

Because community does not disappear when you cross a border. It lives in your voice, your values, and the way you treat people. It lives in how you show up when someone needs help, how you carry yourself in a difficult conversation, how you push through when the odds are against you.

You may not realize it yet, but growing up here gave you something rare.

You have been raised by a community that shows up, through snowstorms and fundraisers, through early morning practices and late night emergencies. You have been shaped by the mountains, by the grit it takes to get through a winter here, by the kindness that comes when neighbours help each other shovel sidewalks or get unstuck on the highway.

You might not realize it now, but those experiences gave you something powerful: resilience, adaptability, and heart. You know how to work hard. You know how to care for others. And you know how to keep going when things get tough.

That is the kind of strength the world needs more of. And you carry it with you whether you are headed to a lecture hall, a work site, or somewhere entirely unexpected.

One day, someone is going to ask you, “Where are you from?” And you will say, “Crowsnest Pass.” And they may not know where that is, but they will see it in how you carry yourself. In your work ethic. Your loyalty. Your humour. Your strength.

And just in case you ever doubt how far a person from here can go, remember this:

Rick Rypien, who fought his way from Coleman to the NHL as one of the most beloved enforcers on the Vancouver Canucks.

Joe Kryczka, born in Coleman, who led the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and later served as a respected Alberta judge.

William A. Kovach, a coal miner from Bellevue who became a long serving MLA and a voice for working people.

Lloyd Pinkney, a Blairmore born NRC engineer who helped develop the Space Vision System used on the Canadarm and International Space Station.

Louise Costigan Kerns, a world renowned concert pianist and opera coach raised in Blairmore, now performing and teaching around the world.

Kirk Muspratt, who joined the local symphony as a boy and now conducts orchestras across North America, honoured as Chicagoan of the Year.

Darcy Wakaluk, Doug Houda, Glen Cochrane and Perry Turnbull, NHL hockey players.

Ellen Picard, who became Alberta’s first female Queen’s Bench judge and a national leader in law.

Helen K. Picard, one of Alberta’s earliest female physicians, who advanced rural and women’s healthcare.

Dr. George H. Malcolmson, who brought Western Canada’s first X-ray machine to Frank in 1906 and pioneered rural hospital care.

Dr. Peter B. R. Allen, who rose from Coleman to become one of Alberta’s top neurosurgeons.

Jason Easton, who went from the Pass to become a senior advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, shaping national trade and foreign policy.

Fred Bradley, Blairmore born MLA and Alberta Environment Minister who helped preserve Kananaskis Country.

Arthur O. Wheeler, who mapped the mountains around us and co founded the Alpine Club of Canada.

And finally, Jim Prentice was a former Alberta premier and federal cabinet minister.

Now, I would not be doing my job if I did not put in a word about service. I know that might sound boring, but trust me, it matters. Whether it is helping with a food bank, coaching a team, joining a volunteer board, or yes, maybe even running for council one day, your community needs you. Not just this one, but any community you live in. You do not have to be in politics to lead. You just need to care enough to take action.

I also want to leave you with this: wherever you land, your community will need you. Not just this one, but the one you choose to live in. Being involved, helping, showing up, that is how you make a place better. You do not need a title to make a difference. You just need to care.

Some of you will come back here and build your lives in the Pass. Others will go out into the world and blaze your own trail. Both paths matter. But no matter where life takes you, this will always be your home. And we will always be proud of you.

We watched you grow from the sidelines, from the bleachers at sports tournaments, the sidewalks during Terry Fox runs, the community halls during bottle drives and butterfly releases. We saw your potential long before tonight. And we are so excited to see what you do with it next.

So go boldly. Go with courage, humility, and grit. And remember where you came from. Not just for our sake, but for yours.

Because in a world that is constantly shifting, the Crowsnest Pass will always be your anchor.

On behalf of the mayor and council, congratulations. We are so proud of you.

And as you take this next step, remember to follow Kelso’s rules, because conflict resolution still matters, even in the adult world.

Thank you, and all the very best.