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CENTRAL ALBERTA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER
BREAKING NEWS ONLINE AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM
TUESDAY, SEPT. 11, 2012
Balanced budget first, courthouse later: justice minister BY LANA MICHELIN ADVOCATE STAFF Red Deer might have to get in line for a new court house, if Alberta Justice Minister Jonathan Denis’s comments are any indication. While helping open Corrections Week in the city on Monday, Denis said he’s aware of the local push for a larger new courthouse to replace the cramped existing one at Ross Street and 48th Jonathan Denis Avenue. But Denis said other Alberta communities also have their demands — such as for a new remand centre for Calgary and a new courthouse for Sherwood Park. The minister said he could not rank which capital need is greatest at this time. But the first priority for his department is balancing the budget. “It’s important that we get the budget on track. Red Deer’s courthouse is on a capital list, but it may be a number of years before we get to it,” said Denis, who couldn’t pinpoint how long. He only stated it would not happen this year. Red Deer’s Mayor Morris Flewwelling said he intends to start a conversation about the local courthouse with the minister. City council is proposing the parking lot behind the for-
Photo by RANDY FIEDLER/Advocate staff
The southern Alberta Corrections tactical team demonstrates crowd control methods at the Red Deer Remand Centre Monday. mer downtown RCMP station as a good location for a larger new building, but the mayor said the land couldn’t be reserved for years. “We might be able to hold onto it for a year and half or so, but we’d need to know very soon” that project would go ahead, said Flewwelling. He and the minister were among the dignitaries who spoke at an offi-
cial opening ceremony for Corrections Week in front of the Red Deer Remand Centre. Denis, who at one point, lost his speech notes to strong winds, said it’s important to recognize the vital work of behind-the-scenes corrections staff because they don’t get the same attention as front-line police. Jail and remand centre guards also
put themselves at risk every day to maintain public safety, said Denis. But the perception that’s often perpetuated by movies and the media is that corrections staffers are either too harsh or too lenient, he added. “Too many people don’t know the good work that’s done.”
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Petition calls on city to end bike lane project COUNCILLOR STEPHAN ALSO WANTS MISTAKE CORRECTED BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF
Contributed photo
The Kraay family’s seven-acre maze was recognized as the world’s largest QR code by Guinness.
A QR code for the record books BY LANA MICHELIN ADVOCATE STAFF Mixing technology with agriculture has resulted in a really big world record for the family behind the Lacombe Corn Maze. The Kraay family’s seven-acre maze was recognized as the world’s largest QR code by Guinness. “We’re pretty excited,” said the business’s co-owner Rachel Kraay, who’s glad all the efforts paid off. To attain the Guinness World Record designation, the Kraays had to prove the 310,000 square-foot maze that was designed to resemble a QR (quick response) code actually worked
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to channel smartphone users to the corn maze’s website. But nothing happened the first time someone helicoptered over the maze and pointed a phone at it. The Kraays then realized they had to Rototill the soil along the maze’s paths to make it darker. Nature also co-operated by providing “a dusting of rain” to further heightened the contrast between the cut paths and rows of corn, said Rachel. The second helicopter trip was successful — but the family was still unsure their efforts would be officially recognized.
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WEATHER
INDEX
Mainly sunny. High 13. Low 2.
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A Red Deer city councillor says the $800,000 commuter bike lane pilot project was a mistake that needs to be corrected. Coun. Chris Stephan said anytime vehicle lanes are taken away on some of the busiest roads it is going to be a problem. Stephan said he foresaw the problems in the designs for the extension of the bike pilot that Ryan Handley included 40th Avenue, 55th Street and 39th Street. “I think we need to listen to what the concerns are and we need to correct it fast,” said Stephan. “I hope that we do learn from our mistakes. I look at this as a mistake in terms of process and also implementation. I think we need to respond to the public and make the necessary corrections.” The city has received close to 2,000 responses to its online survey that went up on its website about a month ago. Stephan said city council has received more responses on the pilot
project than any other issue in this term. He said city council needs to be educated from the public on this issue. “The petitions and surveys that are going around is part of educating council on what they want us to have us as priorities and how they want their money spent,” Stephan said. “To see that community activism going around is a great thing. Ultimately in the long run it will lead to better decision making on behalf of council so I think the community input we are getting is a great thing.” Mayor Morris Flewwelling agreed the response to the pilot has been the most vocal to anything in recent years and seeing the bike lanes on streets has caught people’s attention. Flewwelling said people tend to resist change but eventually adapt to it. He said this is the first time there has been a major change in the city since the ease of communication has allowed residents to voice their opinions through e-mail and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. “If you were to talk to people in any other centre where bike lanes were initiated, you would go through the same initial, shock, awe and resistance,” said Flewwelling. Flewwelling said there was a hiccup in the designs at 39th Street and 40th Avenue and city crews fixed the issue over the September long weekend.
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ALBERTA/CANADA
LOCAL
FIRES CAUSE EVACUATIONS
HERITAGE RANCH TENDERS SOUGHT
Residents were ordered to evacuate in Alberta and British Columbia communities as windwhipped fires threatened homes in both provinces. A3/A5
The visitor’s centre at Heritage Ranch is getting a face-lift. A3