Cakes and trades awards

United Conservative Party house leader Jason Nixon admits he has a bit of a bias. For black forest cake. The Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House- Sundre MLA spent a good chunk of Friday judging the Bentley 4H cake competition.

In the end, he gave his vote to the aforementioned black forest cake.

“But those young ladies in Bentley that were part of that contest did a great job baking cakes,” he said Tuesday.

“I hope they have me back again next year, let me tell you.”

APPRENTICESHIP AWARDS

More than 70 Albertans involved in the trades were recognized Friday for being the best in their field.

The Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board Awards have paid tribute to top apprentices, employers and instructors in the province for more than two decades.

Among the winners were Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and Red Deer-based Brandt Tractor, which were named the top employers for 2018. Valard Construction in Leduc received the award for being the top employer of Indigenous apprentices.

“These awards help us acknowledge the important contributions our apprentices and journeypersons make to communities as our province moves towards a more modern and diverse economy,” Advanced Education Minister Marlin Schmidt said in a news release.

Budget 2018 spelled out $31.4 million for apprenticeship programs.