Red Deer 1913 — 2013 Create Celebrate Commemorate
SUPER BOWL
WEDDINGS SOS
Ravens beat 49ers
For magical moments C1
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CENTRAL ALBERTA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER
BREAKING NEWS ONLINE AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM
MONDAY, FEB. 4, 2013
ALBERTA PC PARTY
Illegal political donations made by towns DONATIONS MADE IN RIDINGS WON BY WILDROSE PARTY IN LAST ELECTION BY PAUL COWLEY ADVOCATE STAFF The towns of Rimbey and Sylvan Lake have been identified as making illegal campaign donations in a report posted by Elections Alberta. Sylvan Lake was singled out in the report posted on Friday for making a direct contribution of $640 to the Innisfail-Sylvan Lake Progressive Conservative Constituency Association. The town broke rules in September 2010 by waiving the normal rental fee for a facility used for a fundraising function. Elections Alberta issued a $160 administrative penalty against the town and the constituency association was ordered to repay the $640. Mayor Susan Samson said the town’s community centre was used free of charge during a fundraising ball tournament for then-MLA Luke Ouellette. Neither she nor council were aware that the constituency association had not been invoiced. “Typically these kinds of things are not on the radar for council. You can appreciate that the billing practices of the town are not part of the day-to-day operations of the elected officials. So we were not aware of it.” Since then, administration at the town has changed and the error will not be repeated, she said.
Please see DONATIONS on Page A1
Photo by SUSAN ZIELINSKI/Advocate staff
AUPE members took a final walk around Symphony Senior Living Aspen Ridge on Saturday to celebrate their new contract.
Week-long labour dispute ends, seniors’ care staff return to work BY SUSAN ZIELINSKI ADVOCATE STAFF
SYMPHONY SENIOR’S LIVING ASPEN RIDGE
Seniors’ care employees at Symphony Senior Living Aspen Ridge are back on the job today after ratifying their first collective agreement on Saturday. A tentative agreement between the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees and Symphony Senior Living, the Ontario-based company that runs Aspen Ridge, was reached early Friday morning in Calgary. About 130 AUPE members voted in favour of the contract on Saturday. The strike/lockout began last Monday at 1 p.m. Health care aide Tina Larsen was among the group of about 20 AUPE members who returned to
the facility on Saturday at 5 p.m. to wave flags and wear placards announcing they were returning to work. “I’ve been here nine years this October and it was worth it,” said Larsen about the strike after the celebratory walk. “I’m happy to go back and see my residents. I miss them dearly. I can’t wait to get back to see them.” She said it’s hard going on strike, but support from residents in the facility, their family members and the public who drove by honking and waving helped a lot. “Without that, we couldn’t have done it. It was wonderful.” AUPE was able to significantly improve compensation and work-
ing conditions. Wages will be brought up to the industry standard by the end of the agreement, increasing compensation for licensed practical nurses by 18.4 per cent, health care aides by 38.3 per cent, and support employees by 17.2 to 18.2 per cent, depending on the classification. “Health care employees shouldn’t be paid less simply because they are working for a private contractor – Albertans’ medical needs demand the same level of experience and professionalism whether it is a private or public facility,” said AUPE president Guy Smith.
Please see AUPE on Page A1
Mint ceases production of penny, value retained BY SUSAN ZIELINSKI ADVOCATE STAFF Penny pinching is going to get harder starting today. As of Feb. 4, the Royal Canadian Mint will no longer distribute pennies forcing transactions to be rounded up or down by one or two cents to the nearest five-cent increment — for cash purchases only. There will be no impact on payments made by cheque, credit or debit cards, gift cards, and pre-paid credit cards. Phasing out the penny was announced in the Government of Canada’s Economic Action Plan 2012 due to the rising cost of production. Making each penny was costing 1.6 cents and eliminating the coin will save the country $11 million a year. Red Deer MP Earl Dreeshen said other countries — Australia, New Zealand, Sweden — have successfully eliminated their pennies. “There certainly a lot of nostalgia, and I appreciate that. It just seems the right thing to do,” Dreeshen said. The penny will retain its value indefinitely. Canadians can redeem their pennies at their bank and consumers can use pennies for cash transactions at
PLEASE RECYCLE
businesses that choose to accept them. Only the final and total amount owing in a cash transaction will be subject to rounding. “I think from a customer perspective it will be a lot more confusing then it will be from a retailer perspective. There will be some confusion when you get a price and they give you different change back,” said Gayle Langford, Red Deer Chamber of Commerce president. She said businesses have had lots of time to prepare for the change. Fast food restaurants and corner stores, that likely get more cash transactions, will be where cashiers will be rounding up or down the most. Langford said since most people don’t count the change they receive in small coins after a purchase so they may not even notice the difference. Rob Stryker, vice president of retail operations for Servus Credit Union for Southern Alberta, said it will take some time before pennies are out of circulation. “There will still be businesses accepting pennies and giving out pennies. When they do their commercial deposit with us, there will still be pennies in there,” Stryker said.
Please see PENNY on Page A2
WEATHER
INDEX
Mainly sunny. High 2. Low -10.
Four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3,C4 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D1-D3 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D4 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C5 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1-B6
FORECAST ON A2
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
Servus Credit Union member service advisor Susan Knock, left, and member service representative Estelle Gascon fill a collection box with donated pennies at the downtown Servus Credit Union branch in Red Deer. The bank is collecting pennies from members and staff in their Pennies For People campaign in support of Loaves and Fishes. ALBERTA
CANADA
FIRST NATION SHOOTING DEADLY
RCMP WATCHED OCCUPY MOVEMENT
Police say they are investigating whether a 16-year-old boy’s death in a troubled aboriginal community in Central Alberta this weekend is gang-related. A3
The Mounties compiled a dossier on the Occupy Ottawa movement, scouring social media sites and even quizzing campus security after protesters held planning sessions at a university, newly released documents show. A5