Any Ponich in the Smoky Lake area are relatives, but I'm a bit surprised they would have hired anyone on a somewhat long-term basis, as they were all farmers. The one thought is that Tom Ponich did have 16 children, so maybe they hired a woman to help with all the children, but that is just a guess on my part. Do you have any more details? What was your grandmother's sister's name?
Have you found any info in Ancestry.com or elsewhere about when they came over, and from what village they are from, etc? If you don't have it, here are the homestead records for Olyniaks (George & Metro) in the Pakan area:
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/western-land-gr...If I can further help, let me know - I'm always interested in helping out with the pioneers in the Smoky Lake area, having grown up there. If you go to Smoky Lake, I don't think the library has much info - I was there last year and they couldn't offer much help. You might try contacting the Taylors at the Smoky Lake Signal (the local newspaper) - they might be able to point you to locals who maintain a history - I've been meaning to do that myself but haven't done so yet. So if you have any successes, please let me know.
Best regards,
Leonard Ponich