Red Deer Advocate, November 16, 2012

Page 1

Jesse Wallin reflects on firing Former Rebels coach won’t waste time feeling sorry for himself

B2

CENTRAL ALBERTA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER

FRIDAY, NOV. 16, 2012

Red Deer College prepares to stage classic/ Page D1 Captain Hook as played by Glenndl Miguel. Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff

Another police review? COUNCILLOR WANTS TO LOOK AT RED DEER RCMP COSTS AGAIN, A YEAR AFTER A MAJOR REVIEW BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF A city councillor who voted to keep the RCMP in Red Deer is having second thoughts. Coun. Paul Harris introduced a notice of motion at Tuesday’s council meeting to discuss whether council made the right decision in October 2011. Council voted 7-2 in favour of keeping the RCMP versus starting a municipal police force. Coun. Chris Stephan and Coun. Buck Buchanan voted against the motion last year.

“I am having second thoughts,” said Harris. “We’ve been working with the RCMP to get a clear set of service delivery standards essentially with them for several months so we know exactly what we’re getting for the money we are putting for the service. And that process has been going a little too slow.” Harris said he would like to see the process speed up because he knows the RCMP will ask for more police officers during January’s operating budget talks. “I feel really uncomfortable in granting more police officers without knowing what our service levels are

Sylvan Lake council seeks mediator’s aid to repair relationship with Wildrose MLA BY PAUL COWLEY ADVOCATE STAFF Sylvan Lake town council will meet today with local Wildrose MLA Kerry Towle to fix their souring relationship. In an unusual move that suggests how deep the divide has become, a moderator has been recruited to referee the luncheon get-together to improve communications. “I think the reason to go to a moderator is because we’re starting to have a pattern in how the MLA handles the affairs of our community,” said Mayor Susan Samson. “And we need to break that pattern. (It) doesn’t work for us.” Relations between the town and its MLA have been rocky for

PLEASE RECYCLE

months. In August, the town went as far as to post an open letter to local residents on its website criticizing Towle for not communicating with the municipality. The letter followed a Wildroseorganized meeting that drew 500 people on the contentious intersection at Secondary Hwy 781 and Hwy 11. Towle irked town council by questioning why it wasn’t there and suggested they weren’t listening to the needs of the community. A raucous meeting in the town on Wednesday seemed to further exacerbate relations between municipal officials and their local Opposition MLA. The meet and greet was advertised as an opportunity for residents to get some face time with Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk

the policing contract that caused him to rethink the city’s move. “Let’s just be sure that we decided and all those assumptions we made over the policing contract is actually still valid and holds true today,” he said. “I am supportive of the police. I am happy to put more officers on the street but I want to know we’re getting good value for our money.” Policing is a leading cost in the city’s operating budget. According to city documents, the RCMP account for 15.5 per cent of the current $272.6 million operating budget.

Please see POLICE on Page A2

INFLUENZA

Vaccination numbers down from last year Innisfail-Sylvan Lake MLA Kerry Towle.

BY SUSAN ZIELINSKI ADVOCATE STAFF

to discuss local issues such as the need for an urgent care centre and highway access improvements. However, a vocal contingent, travelling from as far as Camrose, showed up to debate property rights. Samson decried the gathering as an opportunity lost. She knows of a resident who wanted to discuss the care an elderly parent was receiving in a seniors home, but could not. “The deputy premier was not able to address that because the meeting, the style of the meeting and the intent of the meeting ,was changed through the actions of our MLA working in collaboration with Joe Anglin (Wildrose MLA for Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre).

Fewer Central Albertans have been immunized against the flu by the public health department so far this year. “Public health-administered doses is down about 6,000 compared to this time last year,” said Dr. Digby Horne, a chief medical officer of health for Alberta Health Services Central Zone, on Thursday. He does not know why. “One suggestion is pharmacists and physicians may be doing more (immunizations). But we won’t know their numbers until December.” As of Nov. 10, a total of 38,276 doses were administered by public health in Central Zone. That includes children under nine who have so far only had one of the two doses they require for immunization. Last year, 85,877 doses of the influenza vaccine were administered in Central Alberta. Six influenza cases have been confirmed in Central Alberta as of Nov. 10. Between Aug. 26 and Nov. 10, a total of 82 cases were confirmed across Alberta.

Please see SYLVAN on Page A2

Please see FLU on Page A2

WEATHER

INDEX

Sunny. High -2, low -14.

Five sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3,C4 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5-A7 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E1-E5 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D4 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . D1-D3 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1-B7

FORECAST ON A2

going to be,” said Harris. “It’s giving the cart before the horse.” The October 2011 vote came after the city paid consultants $150,000 to produce a report on crime prevention and policing in the city. The report recommended keeping the national police force versus starting a municipal force. The report said retaining the RCMP would be more cost-effective and present fewer staffing challenges. The startup cost of establishing a new force — pegged between $7 million and $10 million — played a factor in council’s decision. Harris said in the last few months there was an unanticipated increase in

ALBERTA

ADVOCATE VIEW

ALBERTA MUST BORROW: REDFORD

ENTERTAINING YOU

Alberta Premier Alison Redford admitted Thursday that while her party didn’t campaign in the April election on running up debt, the economy has worsened since then and now they must adapt. A7

Rick Campanelli and Cheryl Hickey co-host Entertainment Tonight Canada weeknights on Global Television Network, taking you where the stars are. INSIDE


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Red Deer Advocate, November 16, 2012 by Black Press Media Group - Issuu