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CENTRAL ALBERTA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER
BREAKING NEWS ONLINE AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM
MONDAY, JAN. 14, 2013
Alberta looking for trust on water ISSUES INCLUDE FRACTURING, WATER MANAGEMENT, DRINKING WATER AND LAKES BY JOHN COTTER THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
EDMONTON — The Alberta government hopes community meetings this winter will bolster public confidence in how it manages water. A leaked draft plan says the government has been holding off on making decisions on water policy because of “challenges associated with trust.” Priority issues identified in the document include use of water in hydraulic fracturing, effective water management, sustainable drinking water and healthy lakes. One of the groups that released the draft said the community meetings are little more than a public relations exercise and avoid dealing with an idea that has been floating around the government for years — selling access to Alberta’s water. “The main thing that we are concerned about is that the government is looking at perhaps setting up a water market to sell water licences,” Bill Moore-Kilgannon of Public Interest Alberta said. “That has very serious implications. Whoever would own those licences would control the future growth of cities. It would have an impact on our economy, agriculture and, ultimately, on our environment.” The draft says the 20 community meetings will be called the “water conversation project” and will have a $1-million budget. Alberta Environment spokeswoman Jessica Potter said the government’s plan to consult with the public about water policy is well-known and has been in the works for some time. People who attend the meetings are free to bring up any concerns they wish, she said. “The point of the conversation is to hear what Albertans have to say so they can bring up any topics that are important to them.” Water licences are not listed as a priority in the draft report because the idea is not under consideration, Potter added. “We have never had an intention to sell water.
Please see WATER on Page A2
Canyon Ski Resort employees Murray Knight and Tevin Lowe hit the bottom corner of a new attraction at Canyon. The 250-metre long tube run is the latest addition to the resort. See related video at www. reddeeradvocate.com
Tubes go down, business up NEW TUBE RUNS PROVE POPULAR AT CANYON SKI RESORT BY PAUL COWLEY ADVOCATE STAFF
‘IT’S SOMETHING THAT IS MOVING INTO ALBERTA AND IT IS GROWING RAPIDLY.’
Winter tubing at Canyon Ski Resort is a hit. A steady stream of tubers made their slow ascent and much faster descent on Sunday afternoon on a pair of runs at the popular ski area. “There’s been a great reaction. We’ve got a lot of people out who don’t ski or snowboard,” said David Martel, resort co-owner and general manager. The tube runs have already proven popular in some of the B.C. resort villages, such as Big White Ski Resort in Kelowna. “It’s something that is moving into Alberta and it is growing rapidly,” he said. Since the ski area was taken over by a new ownership group in 2010, much effort has gone into finding ways to attract new visitors to the resort. The tube ride is part of that
— DAVID MARTEL, CANYON SKI RESORT
CO-OWNER AND GENERAL MANAGER plan and already Martel is thinking about making it bigger and better for next season, such as adding more lanes to boost capacity. Fresh off a run, Blair Martin, of Bowden was grinning ear to ear. “It’s awesome,” said Martin, who was there with daughter Claire and son Cameron. “It’s a little scary actually. You really get moving.” Martin was happy to see the tube ride in Central Alberta. “They’re doing this kind of stuff in B.C. quite a bit. It’s good to see it out here now.” Another thumbs up came from Scott McLean, of Blackfalds, who was there with his five-year-old son Chase. “I think it’s a blast,” said
A CENTENNIAL OF SPORTS
McLean. “It’s good for the parents, you don’t have to pull them,” he added, referring to the tow that pulls each rider and tube to the top of the run. “I think it’s great for families, I really do.” For Chase the appeal was simple: “going really fast.” Another big change this year was the relocation and expansion of the terrain park. More than triple the size of the old one, The Source-sponsored park has proven a popular draw. “We’ve got a whole bunch new features, rails, boxes and new jump lines and we’ve had a great success with it.”
Please see CANYON on Page A2
SMITH CLEMENCY DENIAL
Parole board derided for ‘being too tough’ BY THE CANADIAN PRESS
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum collections and exhibit coordinator Breanna Mielke puts the shine on an exhibit in the new 100 Years of Sport History in Red Deer at the Sports Hall. The new exhibit opened over the weekend. See story on Page C1.
PLEASE RECYCLE
WEATHER
INDEX
Snow. High -1, rising overnight.
Four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3,C4 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D1-D3 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C2 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C5 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1-B6
FORECAST ON A2
CALGARY — The Montana parole board that recommended against clemency for death-row Canadian Ronald Smith may be examined for being too tough on criminals. A motion being introduced by the state’s Republican Sen. Terry Murphy calls for a review of the Montana Board of Pardons and Parole. It could result in limitations on the board’s powers or its eventual elimination. Murphy said a 2011 report by the board indicates that 72 per cent of inmates in Montana were eligible for parole and 60 per cent of those were denied parole on their first try. “They have too much power,” Murphy said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
“A lot of non-violent offenders who qualify for parole are simply not receiving their hearings and are not being paroled. I’m not sure why except it seems like there’s a real desire to keep as many people in the system as possible,” he said. “I think the parole board is just so extremely overcautious they don’t want to turn loose anybody who might conceivably make a serious crime later. “It’s costing the taxpayers millions of dollars.” Murphy said it’s also disturbing the board has the power to add requirements on prisoners who are paroled beyond the restrictions imposed by a judge during sentencing.
Please see SMITH on Page A2
CANADA
ALBERTA
MONKEY ABUSE ALLEGED
PIT BULL OWNERS CHARGED
The battle over a Japanese macaque known as the Ikea monkey is heating up, with a primate sanctuary alleging his owners strangled the animal, hit him with a wooden spoon and planned to have his teeth removed. A5
Two dog owners are now facing charges after a vicious attack on New Year’s Eve in which three pit bulls killed a dog and injured another in an off-leash park in Calgary. A3