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Senator Bert Brown presents Rocky View County Councillor Lois Habberfield with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, July 31 in council chambers. Habberfield was presented with the medal, which commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne, to thank her for her years of service to the community.

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Rocky View County councillor awarded Diamond Jubilee medal

Rocky View County Councillor Lois Habberfield was recognized for her years of service to the community with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, July 31.

Senator Bert Brown presented Habberfield with the medal at council chambers, on behalf of Canadian Governor General David Johnston, and thanked her for her dedication to her community.

“In granting you this honour, I thank you for your dedication, your service to your peers, to your community and to Canada,” said Brown, a Balzac resident and former Kathyrn farmer. “The contribution you have made for our nation is most commendable and deserves our praise and admiration. I wish to convey to you the heartfelt congratulations of your fellow Canadians.”

Habberfield, who has served on council for the past 11 years after retiring from teaching in 2001, said she was honoured by the recognition.

“It was a wonderful surprise to be presented with this medal,” she said. “Sometimes, especially with new faces coming on council, you can start to feel like you’re not valued because they have new ideas and you wonder if you’ve lost it. It felt good to be reminded that, while some might not share your way of thinking, a lot of people do and feel you are representing them well. That means a lot to me.”

Habberfield grew up in the Beddington area, which was later annexed by the City of Calgary and has since been completely engulfed by residential and commercial development in the city’s north end.

She has lived roughly 10 kilometres west of Balzac for the past 31 years and taught in schools across the region, including Calgary, Chestermere, Acme, Drumheller, and Airdrie’s Bert Church High School, from which she retired in June 2001. Four months later, she started her career on council.

“Rocky View is my home,” she said. “I was always interested in what was going on in the community. Growing up in a rural community, my family was always involved in local events. To me, serving on council was a way to know what was going on and allowed me to try and make good decisions for my own community and all of Rocky View.”

Habberfield was first elected to council in October 2001, and during her time on council she served as deputy reeve for four years before becoming reeve during her third term from 2007 to 2010. She has since returned to her role as area councillor for Division 7, which includes the community of Balzac and surrounding area.

“I still really enjoy the job,” she said. “I like looking at controversial issues from all sides and debating. I have no agenda of my own, I am just interested in doing what’s right. I try to listen to residents and what they think is important is what I try to put forward.”

Habberfield is one of 60,000 Canadians who will be recognized for their contributions to Canada this year with the Diamond Jubilee medal, which commemorates the 60th anniversary since Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne.