Red Deer Advocate, January 15, 2013

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Red Deer 1913 — 2013 Create Celebrate Commemorate

WHEELS IN MOTION

JUST UNDER THE WIRE Russian orphan reaches new home ahead of adoption ban B1

GoTire busy after appearance on show C3

CENTRAL ALBERTA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER

BREAKING NEWS ONLINE AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM

TUESDAY, JAN. 15, 2013

Family This crushed snow blows by son’s death BRETT WIESE, 20, STABBED AT HOUSE PARTY IN CALGARY BY LAURA TESTER ADVOCATE STAFF A young Ponoka area man who was stabbed at a Calgary house party early Saturday is being remembered for his love of family, sports and his kind, easy-going nature. Brett Wiese, 20, died after being stabbed twice while at a party near the University of Calgary, where he was attending his third year at the Haskayne School of Business. Calgary Police Service were called out to the 500 block of Brisebois Drive NW at about 3 a.m. They arrived to find two men suffering from stabbing wounds, one of them serious and one in life-threat- Brett Wiese ening condition. Both were taken to hospital and Wiese died shortly after. The other victim remains in serious condition in hospital, said police on Monday. Police laid second-degree murder charges later Saturday against a 17-year-old youth. On Sunday, Mitchell William Harkes, 19, of Calgary was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault and four breaches of various court orders. The Calgary Police Service Homicide unit continues to investigate. Reached at the family’s 80-acre property just west of Ponoka, his mother Brenda Wiese said the family has been torn apart by their loved one’s murder. Brett also leaves behind a father, Jody Wiese, and a 17-year-old sister Morgan.

Please see WIESE on Page A2

Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff

Jared Fitzgerald uses a gas powered blower to remove snow from the sidewalk outside the Red Deer County offices Monday afternoon. By 1 p.m. Fitzgerald was on his third lap of his route, which includes 18 bus stops in the county and the sidewalks at the county offices. For the next three days, temperatures are expect to climb above the freezing level, so be prepared for slushy travels on foot and behind the wheel. Please see related story on page C1.

Innisfail man facing hefty Mexican health-care bill BY MURRAY CRAWFORD ADVOCATE STAFF An Innisfail man is on the hook for almost $100,000 in health-care costs he incurred because of an emergency that happened in Mexico in 2009. Hubert Jenkins was diagnosed with hepatitis C and in 2009, he shut down his business so he could seek the treatment that he was told was expensive and had a variety of side effects. He was told he had to wait three months to see a specialist and he wanted to go to Mexico in the interim. He said medical professionals told him he was

fit to travel and a few days later, he headed south. “I tried to get health insurance, I phoned about it, because I had hepatitis they said no,” said Jenkins. “Now I could get insurance to go to Mexico, but not for the pre-existing condition.” A week and a half into his Mexican vacation, he suddenly filled up with fluid, including in his lungs, and had to be taken to a local hospital for what Jenkins called an emergency. At the hospital, he had his spleen removed. He was released but had to return to the hospital in Mexico daily for blood tests and Xrays over the next three months.

Please see BILL on Page A2

Sylvan Lake town council approves 2.4% tax hike Sylvan Lake residents are apparently satisfied with the town’s spending plans that call for a 2.4 per cent municipal tax rate increase this year. Town council unanimously passed the $28.4 million operating and $11.6 million capital budgets on Monday night, after delaying the vote for a month to

PLEASE

give residents an opportunity to comment. Council was told no new comments came forward from the public during that span. Given that property assessments have dipped slightly in many cases, the town is estimating a typical house owner whose property was assessed at $297,000 will see their municipal taxes go up about 1.3 per cent. That would boost the bill to $1,583.90, an increase of $21.50 over 2012. A recreation levy of $61.18 is also

WEATHER

INDEX

Clearing. High 2. Low -2.

Four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3,C4 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D1-D3 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D4 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C5 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4-B6

FORECAST ON A2

RECYCLE

added to bills. Mayor Susan Samson was satisfied that the community’s needs will be met. “In a perfect world you would wish for less of a tax increase, but when I look at the growth of this community and the demands on our infrastructure I am pleased that we came in at 2.4 per cent,” said Samson.

Please see BUDGET on Page A2

ALBERTA

CANADA

MORE TOUGH BUDGET TALK FROM REDFORD

HUMAN SMUGGLING LAW STRUCK DOWN

Alberta Premier Alison Redford is dropping more hints about a tough budget, but no hard facts on where the axe might fall. A3

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A B.C. Supreme Court judge has taken the bluster out of the Conservative’s campaign against illegal migrants by striking down a section of the law targeting human smuggling, putting at least two high-profile prosecutions in limbo. A6

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BY PAUL COWLEY ADVOCATE STAFF


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