Crash leaves man in critical condition LES STULBERG Independent reporter An early-morning single-vehicle rollover last Saturday sent an 18-yearold Stettler man, Lane Turigan, to a Calgary hospital in critical condition. Stettler RCMP reported that Turigan, the driver of the pickup truck, wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. Three passengers received non-life-threatening injuries, police said. The rollover occurred just west of the intersection
DAVE MORRIS/Independent contributor
Ty Page (16) of the Stettler Wildcats makes a tackle during the Wildcats’ 39-3 win over the Camrose Trojans on Thursday in Stettler. See more on pages B1 and B2.
of Highway 11 and Highway 12, about 21 kilometres west of Stettler. Turigan was operating the four-door 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 that left the road, RCMP said in a news release. A police investigation identified that alcohol was not involved, but speed and heavy fog at the time of the rollover were considered factors. Stettler RCMP, Stettler Regional Fire Department and Stettler EMS responded to the 911 call at 2:24 a.m. Saturday. Turigan was taken to
Red Deer Regional Hospital by ambulance. STARS wasn’t available because of heavy fog over central Alberta, police said. The passengers — a 21-year-old woman, a 26-year-old man and a 31-year-old man — were all taken to the Stettler hospital. Turigan was later transferred to a Calgary hospital, where family members are at his side. A spokesman for the family said Tuesday morning that they would release an update on Turigan’s condition later this week.
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‘Dramatic’ local impact from Brooks beef recall LES STULBERG Independent reporter Local farmers and ranchers are already impacted by the recall of beef products contaminated or potentially contaminated with E. coli bacteria from XL Foods in Brooks. The Brooks plant, which has been closed because of the controversy, processes about one-third of the beef in Canada. “It’s been dramatic on the cow and bull market — a lost 25 per cent of value,” said Greg Hayden, one of the owners of the Stettler Auction Mart. Cows that were trading for 80 to 84 cents per pound before the recall are now selling for 60 to 65 cents per pound, Hayden said. “I don’t know what percentage of the drop is caused by E. coli issues and what is due to seasonality (of the market).” Traditionally, cow prices weaken during the fall sale run when numbers are greater. Beef producers have responded largely by holding back cows and bulls from the auction block. The yearling feeder market has been less affected, off about five to 10 per cent, according to Hayden. “The early calf market started with gusto,” he said. “It’s not nearly as exciting as a month ago, but now it’s about the same market as last year’s good market.
“Feed prices are considerably higher this year — we are fortunate to have this good of a market.” When the Independent spoke with Crowfoot MP Kevin Sorenson last week concerning the beef recall, he said he didn’t know when XL Foods would reopen. “It will re-open when CFIA (Canada Food Inspection Agency) inspectors are confident it is safe,” Sorenson said. The plant regularly has 46 inspectors — 23 per shift. Sorenson said the CFIA is distanced from the government, so politicians don’t have a direct influence on inspections. Funding has been increased to the agency, and “few are talking about that anymore,” he said. “I am not afraid to eat beef processed there — even beef tested positive for E. coli, if it is cooked to well-done.” A statement released by Health Canada said ground beef should be cooked thoroughly to an internal temperature of at least 71 C (160 F) to kill disease-causing bacteria. Last Saturday, XL Foods temporarily laidoff 2,000 of its 2,200 employees. However, 800 of those laid-off were called into work Tuesday to work on the processing side to process carcasses already in storage at XL. The slaughtering side remained closed as the Stettler Independent went to press Tuesday.
RICHARD FROESE/Independent reporter
Stettler Mayor Dick Richards (left), town parks and leisure services director Lee Penner and Rob Spencer, the chairman of the Heartland Beautification Committee and Communities in Bloom, show off the town’s latest Communities in Bloom awards. Last week in Edmonton, the town was honoured in multiple categories.
Stettler flowered with praise among Communities in Bloom RICHARD FROESE Independent reporter Competing internationally for the first time, Stettler has been ranked as one of the top contenders in the Communities in Bloom competition. In the international honours announced last week, the Stettler entry won the national outstanding achievement award for landscaping and earned a special mention for its network of walking paths. “We received five blooms and a rounded average score of 84 per cent,” said Rob Spencer, who chairs the Heartland Beautification Committee and Communities in Bloom for the Town of Stettler. “International competition has harder judging, so I was happy to stay pretty close to the past scores.” St. Martins Parish, Guernsey, Channel Islands, was selected as the winner. Spencer said Stettler was among “lots of great competition,” which included nearby Forestburg, as well as Trail (B.C.), Gibbons (Alta.), Assiniboia (Sask.), Neepawa (Man.), Killarney/Turtle Mountain (Mand), Fogo (N.L.), Aya Town, Japan, and Smrzice, Czech Republic. “I think the five blooms and the award shows the commitment the Heartland Beautification Committee has towards this community and should be commended for their efforts,” said Mayor Dick Richards. “For Stettler to be recognized year after year by Communities in Bloom is a great achievement.” Richards also lauded residents for catching the community spirit. “All you have to do is drive around town and see at the pride residents have for Stettler,” he said. For the outstanding achievement award for landscape, Stettler beat two
other finalists and many other applicants from across Canada, regardless of population of the community. “I’d like to recognize the efforts of our community, our residents, our volunteers, our town administrators and staff towards making Stettler a great place to live,” Spencer said. “It isn’t the work of one person or department that gets things done — it is everyone collectively caring.” Stettler’s five-bloom certificate and landscape award will be placed in the town office. Stettler scored higher in the landscape award than the Alberta applicants of the Regional Municipal of Wood Buffalo and Athabasca for that award. “It is very big,” Spencer said. “We were also one of three finalists for the environmental-action award.” The awards are judged on individual applications outlining work toward the criteria for each award, and are judged by judges other than those who visit the communities involved. Even at the international level, Stettler remains high in its standards to beautify the community, Spencer said. “Stettler has received five blooms in the national competition for the last five years and has shown continuous improvement every year. “We received many positive comments from our judges, including their recognition of the walking/bike pathways and other initiatives.” Spencer further credited the community for supporting the local program. “We will continue to compete in this program, as we gain incredible insights into improving our community in ways that we might not think of,” he said. After their evaluation of the community in late July, volunteer judges Lorna McIlroy and Diana
Weiner gave high praise to the Heart of Alberta, which serves as a regional hub for east-central Alberta. “More than a tenth of the town’s total area is devoted to parks and environmental spaces,” they reported. “Extensive pathways crisscross and connect the many green spaces, and the pathways are being expanded annually. Pathways have grass borders and trees are planted alongside for interest and beauty, with garbage cans and benches regularly positioned. “The residents of Stettler were observed walking the paths from dawn to dusk. The mission of the Heartland Beautification Committee is Keeping Stettler Clean and Green.” The judges wrote that Stettler’s walking paths contribute to a “clean, green and healthy” community. “Communities in Bloom is a national organization dedicated to the promotion of green spaces in community settings,” they said in their report. “Within the actual context of climate changes and environmental concerns, communities involved in the program can be proud of their efforts, which provide real and meaningful environmental solutions and benefit all of society.” During the awards celebrations in Edmonton, Spencer valued the opportunity to meet people from other communities and learn what they do. “I also had a chance to visit with some of our past judges, and they were very positive about the direction we are going and the strength of the efforts of our town departments and committees,” he said. “Our continued excellence is a tribute to the ongoing efforts of our town staff, volunteer committees and organizations and individual residents.” Over the coming months, the committee hopes to review the complete evaluations and plan strategies to improve for next year.
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