Red Deer Advocate, November 20, 2012

Page 1

POPCORN?!

49ERS CLOBBER BEARS

Your favourite snack is more versatile than you may realize B1

Monday Night Football B4

CENTRAL ALBERTA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER

BREAKING NEWS ONLINE AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM

Expense scandal ensnares premier’s sister

TUESDAY, NOV. 20, 2012

Ho Ho Hold Me

LYNN REDFORD EXPENSED PUBLIC FOR TORY PARTY EVENTS: DOCUMENTS BY DEAN BENNETT THE CANADIAN PRESS EDMONTON — Documents show the sister of Alberta Premier Alison Redford used her position as a health board executive to attend and hold Progressive Conservative party events on the taxpayers’ dime. There was money for liquor, travel, hotels, flowers and bug repellent. Wildrose party Leader Danielle Smith, while releasing the documents Monday, said a bigger investigation is needed since Lynn Redford and those who signed off on those expenses remain executives with Alberta’s health superboard. “We’ve got the same people in positions today who exercised this lack of judgment, and they need to be called to account,” Smith told a news conference at the legislature. Smith said the case bridges the two scandals of health officials abusing their expense accounts — such as former Edmonton health region chief financial officer Allaudin Merali — with public institutions delivering government grant and operating money to the PC party. “This connects with the broader story of repeated instances of illegal activity in giving donations to a partisan political party from taxpayer dollars,” said Smith. “We want to know how widespread that problem is.” Premier Redford, appearing on CTV’s political program Power Play, pointed out that the accusations go back to a time when Ralph Klein was premier and she wasn’t even an elected MLA yet. She suggested the criticism consists of a few “excited allegations” that will be clarified in the next few days. “I have confidence in my sister,” she said.

Please see EXPENSES on Page A2

WHITE RIBBON CAMPAIGN

Men urged to take a stand against domestic violence

Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff

Dylan Tersigni, 3, of Red Deer gets a big hug from the jolly man in red at the Bower Place Shopping Centre. Dylan and his mother, Janlyn, were in the shopping centre on Monday afternoon and decided to get in a visit with Santa. The jolly old elf is available for hugs and hearing wishes Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m and 3:30 to 7 p.m. and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Provincial government unveils new anti-smoking strategy

BY SUSAN ZIELINSKI ADVOCATE STAFF Men in Central Alberta can help stop violence against women by joining Central Alberta Women’s Emergency Shelter’s White Ribbon campaign. The campaign kickoff will be held at Breakfast with the Guys on Nov. 28. at the Red Deer Golf and Country Club, with guest speaker American Jackson Katz, who is recognized in the field of domestic violence and engaging men and boys to end the violence against women. “We’re hoping men who care about this, that men who have daughters, sisters, mothers and wives will come out and say it’s time to step up to the plate and take a stand,” said CAWES executive director Ian Wheeliker on Monday about the breakfast sponsored by CAWES and SafeTracks GPS Solutions. Tickets are $100 each and are on sale on the CAWES website — www.cawes.com.

Please see VIOLENCE on Page A2

PLEASE RECYCLE

BY ADVOCATE STAFF Banning the sale of cigarettes to children and protecting children from secondhand smoke in cars form the core of a new provincial anti-smoking campaign. Health Minister Fred Horne introduced a threeyear strategy to reduce tobacco use Monday. Horne says the province will also bring in legislation to restrict the sale of flavoured tobacco and expand school-based stop-smoking programs. All three pieces of legislation will be presented in the legislature next spring, making good an election promise by Premier Alison Redford. The government will also consider tobacco tax increases and further restrictions on smoking in public areas. Funding is to come from the Alberta Health Services budget. There will be an extra $500,000 for a social media campaign on the dangers of smoking. The province estimates smoking rates in Alberta have fallen from 25 per cent in 2001 to 19 per cent in

WEATHER

INDEX

Sun and cloud. High -11.

Four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3,C4 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D1-D4 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D5 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C5 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4-B6

FORECAST ON A2

2010. Creating Tobacco-Free Futures: Alberta’s Strategy to Prevent and Reduce Tobacco Use, 2012-2022, will focus on the following priorities over the next three years: ● legislation restricting the sale of flavoured tobacco; ● legislation to prohibit tobacco sales to minors; ● legislation to protect children from secondhand smoke in vehicles; ● more social marketing around tobacco use harms; ● more tobacco cessation training for health professionals; and ● expanded workplace, school-based and community tobacco-cessation programs. The government will also consider over the next 10 years including point-of-sale health warning signage, tobacco tax increases, further restrictions on smoking in public areas including parks and expanding the availability of tobacco cessation products and resources.

CANADA

WORLD

TORIES KEEPING ABORTION ISSUE ALIVE

CONFLICT THREATENS TO ESCALATE

It has been two months since the House of Commons rejected a controversial abortionrelated motion, but Conservative MPs are using a tried and true parliamentary tool to keep the issue alive. A5

Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers traded fire and tough cease-fire proposals Monday, and threatened to escalate their border conflict if diplomacy fails. No deal appeared near. D4


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.