CABIN FEVER
HARD COURTS
Lund returns with seventh studio album C5
Canada in tough at Olympics B4
CENTRAL ALBERTA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER
BREAKING NEWS ONLINE AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM
TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2012
On-stream safety
Photo by RANDY FIEDLER/Advocate staff
Dave Redmond of Red Deer County’s technical rescue team coils a safety throw rope as rafters lacking safety gear set out from the Fort Normandeau boat launch Monday.
Pilot project promotes water safety BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF A new water safety pilot project could mark the beginnings of a new bylaw that would make wearing life jackets mandatory on the Red Deer River. Safe Communities Central Alberta recently received a $15,000 grant from the Alberta Centre for Injury Control and Research for a pilot project to study and improve water safety on the Red Deer River. The funding will be used to educate, encourage and enforce smart decisions on the river. As part of their pilot, Safe Communities and its safety coalition partners will host Landing Parties for water enthusiasts on Aug. 11 and Aug. 25 near the water departure point at Fort
Normandeau. They will give out some safety swag including sunscreen, water and personal flotation devices (PFDs) along with information on water safety. “There’s about 5,000 people that go down the river a year,” said Richard Hornby, executive director of Safe Communities Central Alberta. “Often they are not prepared so we are trying to get the message of being prepared and being aware of the risks, of planning ahead and good decisions.” Part of the pilot entails surveying users to determine a baseline of the type of behaviours seen on the river including those wearing and not wearing life jackets. This may be the push for a local bylaw that makes wearing a life jacket mandatory on the river, says Hornby. This would be similar to the City of
Calgary bylaw where violators could net a $500 fine if they are caught on the rivers without a life jacket while in a boat, inner tube, raft or other flotation device. Over the next year the safety coalition will work together to educate the public on water safety tips through various initiatives including the landing parties. In the meantime, Red Deer County director of emergency management, Ric Henderson wants water enthusiasts to use proper and durable floating devices or boats equipped with the proper equipment on the river. He said it’s been quiet on the river so far this year but that does not mean people are hearing the water safety messages. That includes not drinking alcohol on the river and being prepared for
the environment. “It’s like walking outside in winter time without a jacket on,” said Henderson. “If you are not wearing a (life jacket) on the river there’s lots of consequences that can happen.” Todd Nivens, program co-ordinator for Waskasoo Park Interpretive Program, said one of the keys of being safe on the river is to know the river because rivers change on a daily basis. “With moving water you also have stuff in the moving water,” said Nivens. “So there might be dead fall that wasn’t there the last time you went down. And so rivers are much more dynamic systems than lakes are. The challenges of a changing river environment are unique to the river.”
Please see SAFETY on Page A2
Sixteen people Farmers still counting losses in spill charged after massive bust BY JESSICA JONES ADVOCATE STAFF
BY ADVOCATE STAFF Sixteen people face 24 drug-related charges following a massive criminal investigation into organized crime and drug distribution in Red Deer. Red Deer City RCMP are expected to release more details on the investigation on today. In the meantime, police say the investigation and subsequent charges has disrupted two local chapters of nationally identified organized crime groups operating in the city. The groups are responsible for numerous violent crimes in the city including robberies, kidnappings, shootings and assaults. Sixteen people face charges including 10 people from Central Alberta and others from Calgary, Winnipeg, Man. and Abbotsford, B.C. Achein Lazro, 28, of Red Deer is charged with two counts of cocaine trafficking. He remains in custody pending bail. His court date is Aug. 9 in Red Deer provincial court. Ryan Monias, 21, of Red Deer is charged with one count of cocaine trafficking and one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking. Monias is in custody until his next appearance in Red Deer provincial court on Friday. Gabriel Agotic, 28, of Red Deer is charged with one count cocaine trafficking. He has been released and will appear in Red Deer provincial Court on Thursday.
Please see BUST on Page A2
PLEASE RECYCLE
SUNDRE — A Sundre area farmer feels his hands are tied following a Plains Midstream Canada pipeline leak. Dennis Overguard, 60, is just one landowner who is butting heads with the company in the wake of the Red Deer River oil spill. On June 7, up to 3,000 barrels (475,000 litres) of light sour crude oil was released into the Red Deer River from Plains Midstream Canada pipeline about one km north of Sundre. Overguard and his family run a ranch 10.5 kms downstream from the Red Deer River and about 12 kms north of Sundre. He says approximately 250 acres of his land for pasturing 500 head of cattle is now unusable. “The way the river was flooding in June and the way the currents were swirling and taking all the backwaters, the oil stayed on top and flooded along our place,” he said. The family’s cattle are now residing on hay land. But to make matters worse, Overguard and his wife Joanne are staying at a bed and breakfast as he recuperates from a heart attack he suffered earlier in May. He says the fumes and contamination near his home are too much for him to take.
WEATHER
INDEX
Cloudy, 60% chance of showers
four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1,B2 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D1-D4 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C5 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4-B6
FORECAST ON A2
Photo by JESSICA JONES/Advocae staff
Sundre-area farmer Dennis Overguard, speaks with former MP Myron Thompson at a rally to raise the area’s tourism profile on Monday. Plains Midstream Canada personnel continue to access his land but without an access agreement and Overguard feels they are trespassing. He says the company contacted him last week with an agreement that would allow unlimited access to his property. Much like other landowners, the Overguards continue to receive no form or very little compensation. Overguard believes he has lost
about $6 million in damages from a reduction in property value and loss of land from his multi-million dollar ranching operation. “There is a total lack of respect for landowners,” he said. Meanwhile the Sundre community came together on Monday to show support for the tourism industry with a rally to raise the area’s profile on Monday.
Please see FARMERS on Page A2
ALBERTA
BUSINESS
PROVINCE TREATING SENIORS LIKE ‘DOGS’
TAKING THE LEED
Alberta’s Wildrose Opposition says the province is treating seniors like dogs in a kennel by needlessly closing a dementia care lodge near Lethbridge. A3
Red Deer is embracing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design building practices. There are more than 3,600 projects across Canada. B1