Alberta Country Music Awards announces 2018 Finalists

December 11th, 2018 (Edmonton, AB) – The Association of Country Music in Alberta (ACMA)™ is pleased to present your Final Nominees for the upcoming 2018 Alberta Country Music Awards™ presented by Stingray.

Winners will be announced at the 7th annual awards gala on January 27, 2019 at the Sheraton Red Deer Hotel (3310 50 Ave).

The evening will be hosted by Albertan country singer/songwriter and CCMA-winner Aaron Goodvin

“I am incredibly honoured to have been asked to host The ACMA’s in Red Deer this year. There is so much great Canadian country music that comes out of Alberta. I literally cannot wait to host my first ever awards show and I’m excited for it to be in my home province!” – Aaron Goodvin

Canadian country music fans are well acquainted with Goodvin’s music after winning the2018 Canadian Country Music Award (CCMA) for “Songwriter(s) of the Year” for his platinum single “Lonely Drum”. Goodvin was also nominated for the “Single of the Year”, and “SiriusXM Rising Star Award”.

Also a Warner/Chappell songwriter, Goodvin has landed cuts with Luke Bryan, Canaan Smith, Cole Swindell, and others. He was recently signed to Reviver Records in Nashville and fans can expect new music in 2019.

The 2018 ACMA™ awards weekend will occur on January 26 and 27. Events include the kick-off party, conference, seminars, fan fest, and the much-anticipated awards gala. Members of the ACMA™ have the privilege of voting to select the nominees for each category. The final round of voting to select the award-winners ends December 28, 2018.

Tickets and more information about the ACMA™ Awards Weekend are available on the ACMA Website

Without further ado, the nominees are:

Male Artist of the Year
Brad Saunders
Dan Davidson
Drew Gregory
Karac Hendriks
Ryan Langlois
Trevor Panczak

Female Artist of the Year
Alee
Andrea Nixon
Krissy Feniak
Lauren Mayell
Michela Sheedy

Group/Duo of the Year
Nice Horse
Renegade Station
The Dungarees
The Orchard
The Prairie States

Fans Choice
Dan Davidson
Drew Gregory
Hailey Benedict
Megan Dawson
Renegade Station
The Prairie States

Industry Person of the Year
Angie Morris – Sirroma Entertainment
Bill Borgwardt Performance Photography
Carla Hackman – Sakamoto Entertainment
Carly Klassen – Alberta Music
Johnny Gasparic – MCC Recording Studio
Sarah Scott – Golden West Radio

Musician of the Year
Johnny Gasparic
Josh Ruzycki
Lisa Dodd
Mitch Jay
Weston Blatz

Album of the Year
Along for the Ride – Renegade Station
Good Place to Start – Drew Gregory
Lost in the Right Direction – The Prairie States
Songs For Georgia – Dan Davidson
This Road is Mine – Karac Hendriks

Song of the Year
“Don’t Hold Back” – Written by: James Murdoch & Darren Gusnowsky
Performed by: The Dungarees
“Know Good” – Written by: Drew Gregory, Trinity Bradshaw, Brad Stella
Performed by: Drew Gregory
“Light > Dark” – Written by: Ryan Langlois & Duane Steele
Performed by: Ryan Langlois
“Mansplainin’” – Written by: Brandi Sidoryk, Tareya Green, Katie Biever, Jeff Dalziel
Performed by: Nice Horse
“Safe Harbour” – Written by: Kent Nixon, Luanne Carl, Doug Folkins
Performed by: Renegade Station

Single of the Year
“Don’t Hold Back” – The Dungarees
“Know Good” – Drew Gregory
“Play it By Beer” – Brad Saunders
“This Road is Mine” – Karac Hendriks
“Who’s Gonna Love Me Tonight” – Renegade Station

Country Venue of the Year
Boot Scootin Boogie Dancehall
Ranchman’s Cookhouse & Dancehall

Talent Buyer of the Year
Big Valley Jamboree
Calgary Stampede
Country Thunder
Ranchman’s Cookhouse & Dancehall
Sakamoto Agency

Rising Star
Karac Hendriks
Lauren Mayell
Nice Horse
The Prairie States
Trevor Panczak

Radio Station of the Year
93.1 The One Leduc
Wild 95.3 Calgary
Real Country 95.5 Red Deer
96.5 CKFM Olds
103.9 CISN FM Edmonton

Horizon Youth
Hailey Benedict
Krissy Feniak
Jonah Langlois
Hannah Gazso
Martina Dawn

Entertainer of the Year
Aaron Goodvin
Brett Kissel
Gord Bamford
Lindsay Ell
Paul Brandt

Video of the Year
“Don’t Hold Back” – The Dungarees
“Know Good” – Drew Gregory
“Let’s Go There” – Dan Davidson
“Mansplainin'” – Nice Horse
“Who’s Gonna Love Me Tonight” – Renegade Station

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Meet Marjorie Mallare, a young woman with a leading role at one of Canada’s largest refineries

Published on May 10, 2025

Todayville

Marjorie Mallare at Imperial Oil’s Strathcona refinery.

Fr0m the Canadian Energy Centre

By Cody Ciona

Mallare manages an all-female team of engineers helping keep operations smooth and safe

As the utilities and hydroprocessing technical lead for Imperial Oil’s Strathcona Refinery near Edmonton, 32-year-old Marjorie Mallare and her team help ensure operations run smoothly and safely at one of Canada’s largest industrial facilities.

The exciting part, she says, is that all four engineers she leads are female.

It’s part of the reason Mallare was named one of ten Young Women in Energy award winners for 2025.

“I hope they realize how important the work that they do is, inspiring and empowering women, connecting women and recognizing women in our industry,” she says.

“That can be very pivotal for young women, or really any young professional that is starting off their career.”

Born and raised in the Philippines, Mallare and her family moved to Edmonton near the end of junior high school.

Living in the industrial heartland of Alberta, it was hard not to see the opportunity present in the oil and gas industry.

When she started post-secondary studies at the University of Alberta in the early 2010s, the industry was booming.

“The amount of opportunities, at least when I started university, which was around 2011, was one of the high periods in our industry at the time. So, it was definitely very attractive,” Mallare says.

When choosing a discipline, engineering stood out.

“At the time, chemical engineering had the most number of females, so that was a contributing factor,” she says.

“Just looking at what’s available within the province, within the city, chemical engineering just seemed to offer a lot more opportunities, a lot more companies that I could potentially work for.”

Through work co-ops in oil and gas, her interest in a career in the industry continued to grow.

“It just kind of naturally happened. That drew my interest more and more, and it made it easier to find future opportunities,” Mallare says.

Following a work practicum with Imperial Oil and graduation, she started working with the company full time.

On the side, Mallare has also driven STEM outreach programs, encouraging young women to pursue careers in engineering.

In addition to supporting the Strathcona Refinery’s operations department, Mallare and her team work on sustainability-focused projects and reducing the refinery’s carbon footprint.

The 200,000 barrel per day facility represents about 30 per cent of Western Canada’s refining capacity.

“Eventually, our group will also be responsible for running the new renewable diesel unit that we’re planning to commission later this year,” says Mallare.

Once completed, the $720 million project will be the largest renewable diesel facility in Canada, producing more than one billion litres of biofuel annually.

Projects like these are why Mallare believes Canada will continue to be a global energy leader.

“We’re leading others already with regards to pursuing more sustainable alternatives and reducing our carbon footprints overall. That’s not something we should lose sight of.”

Alberta

Alberta Precipitation Update

Published on May 9, 2025

Todayville

William’s Substack

William Lacey

Below are my updated charts through April 2025 along with the cumulative data starting in October 2024. As you can see, central and southern Alberta are trending quite dry, while the north appears to be faring much better. However, even there, the devil is in the details. For instance, in Grande Prairie the overall precipitation level appears to be “normal”, yet in April it was bone dry and talking with someone who was recently there, they described it as a dust bowl. In short, some rainfall would be helpful. These next 3 months are fairly critical.