Red Deer 1913 — 2013 Create Celebrate Commemorate
FLAMES DOUSED Avalanche comes back for win B1
A TIME FOR REFLECTION Stephen Fearing’s latest album will make you take stock of your life D1
CENTRAL ALBERTA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER
BREAKING NEWS ONLINE AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM
FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2013
Social policy shift draws ire BY SUSAN ZIELINSKI ADVOCATE STAFF Alberta’s government will be shifting away from its role as service provider, funder and legislator to more “influencer, convener and partner” according to its new Social Policy Framework announced on Thursday. Fred Scaife, executive director of Red Deer Food Bank, said that’s government-speak for reduced funding to impoverished Albertans. “It’s absolutely reprehensible. No matter how you slice this, this is nothing short of them saving money on poor people,” Scaife said in reaction to the policy blueprint developed for the social challenges Albertans face. He said the province has a $6-billion shortfall and they’re picking on the most vulnerable Albertans,
the people with no voice. “What they’re doing is no different than what they’ve done with hospitals, what they’ve done with schools,” Scaife said. “When I went to school, my mother never had to do bingos. We didn’t have to pay for the field trips. When I was a kid in hospital for the first time, I wasn’t in a hospital wing that had been bought with charitable dollars and treated with equipment that had been bought with charitable dollars. That equipment and that hospital wing were the responsibility of the government. That’s why we pay taxes.” The framework says social policy change is being driven by the growing complexity of individuals’ needs as the population becomes more diverse, and significant demographic changes and sustainability challenges from population growth, changing immigration patterns and aging baby boomers. Rapid increases in the cost of living and housing are inten-
Scammell enters Sports Hall of Fame
sifying pressures on Albertans and increasing the disparity between the rich and poor. The framework has been released prior to the March 7 provincial budget. Robert Mitchell, CEO of United Way of Central Alberta, said non-profits are worried about the upcoming budget. “Is it going to be just talk and rhetoric or are they going to put some dollars in here and partner potentially with the non-profit sector,” Mitchell said. Over 31,000 Albertans participated in the creation of Alberta’s Social Policy Framework — online, in community conversations, and through surveys. They identified four main goals for social policy: reduce inequality; protect vulnerable people; create a person-centered system of high-quality services; and enable collaboration and partnerships.
Please see POLICY on Page A2
PORTUGUESE JOE
WINS 2013 BELL MEMORIAL AWARD BY LAURA TESTER ADVOCATE STAFF A longtime Central Alberta outdoor sports writer has been inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Bob Scammell, winner of the 2013 Bell Me- OTHER INDUCTEES B1 morial Award, was one of 10 inductees honoured for 2013 during special ceremonies held in various venues across Alberta on Thursday. Scammell is being praised for his long career as an outdoor sports writer, photographer, activist and organizer since the 1960s. His weekly columns have been a popular feature in many Alberta newspapers, including Bob Scammell the Red Deer Advocate, and his works describing the excellent hunting and angling opportunities in Alberta have appeared in many provincial, national and international magazines. He also published three successful books. His columns and articles on conservation have won national awards and helped save public lands. Scammell was also recognized for volunteering in various outdoor organizations, including Alberta Fish and Game Association and Canadian Wildlife Federation. Inside the Hall of Fame on Red Deer’s outskirts, Scammell said he was honoured and somewhat overwhelmed by the recognition. Among those who nominated him was Joe McLaughlin, former managing editor of the Red Deer Advocate. Scammell, 75, writes about hunting and fishing. These are often called the “blood sports” — a term he gets annoyed at. “The real blood sports we know are football, baseball and so forth,” said Scammell. “These other sports or activities are followed by just about everybody. So it’s a little unusual for an outdoor sports writer to be honoured.” He figures this recognition honours those who follow these outdoor sports well into their lives. One of his favourite writers is William Faulkner, who wrote The Bear, a story about an annual hunting expedition. “If you love the outdoors and the things you do out there, they sort of get you waxing lyrical — once in a while you write about it,” said Scammell. “I also get concerned about the resources — our public land, our water. You get that connection and write about them.” Scammell’s mother was a journalist and then he began writing at 16. Health issues concerning his legs have caused him to stop enjoying some things in the outdoors, but he can still do something he’s passionate about. And that’s writing. Another Advocate writer who received the Bell Memorial Award is Danny Rode. The longtime sports writer was inducted in 1999. ltester@reddeeradvocate.com
PLEASE RECYCLE
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
Darcy Sully, left, and Clayton Zacharias put a light coat of wax on a cedar carving of an eagle head by B.C. artist Luke Marston. The 15-foot-tall sculpture called ‘Portuguese Joe’ will be cast in bronze at the Harman Sculpture Foundry south west of Red Deer over the next few months and then returned to Vancouver, B.C., where it will be permanently installed in Stanley Park. ‘It is a beautiful piece,’ said Stephan Harman who along with his team will be casting the work at his foundry. ‘It is going to look beautiful in bronze.’ A second casting of the work may be undertaken for installation in Portugal if funding can be arranged said Harman.
Consumers driving demand for chemical-free foods: Organic Alberta BY HARLEY RICHARDS ADVOCATE BUSINESS EDITOR With some 350 certified-organic producers and processors on its membership roster, Organic Alberta has come a long way since its inception as Going Organic in 2004. Becky Lipton, the non-profit association’s executive director, said inquiries about organic production continue to come in on a regular basis — although the recent economic downturn and surge in prices for conventional agricultural commodities did result in the loss of a handful of members. What’s pushed organic food production from a niche market to a mainstream industry? It’s been more of a pull, said Lipton, who credits consumers for creating the demand for chemical-free foods. “I think that has been happening probably over the last decade.” In fact, said Lipton, Canada’s organic food market
WEATHER
INDEX
Sun and cloud. High 6. Low -7.
Five sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3-C4 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E1-E6 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D4 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . D1-D3 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1-B6
FORECAST ON A2
is now the fifth largest in the world. The corridor from Calgary to north of Edmonton is a hotbed of organic production and consumption, with a growing appetite for organic meats. “Organic Alberta is working with all of our different producers who are ranchers to be able to scale up in order to fill that demand,” she said. “There’s more demand than we have supply.” Many of Organic Alberta’s members were in Olds this week for the association’s 2013 conference. Prospective members were also on hand, and the agenda included presentations like Organics 101: Introduction to the fundamentals of organics. Lipton said she fields a lot of questions about entering the industry. “Getting into organics is very challenging,” she acknowledged. “There are a number of tools that you have in conventional production that you wouldn’t have access to in organics.”
Please see ORGANIC on Page A2
CANADA
ADVOCATE VIEW
FLANAGAN SORRY FOR CHILD PORN COMMENTS
SCREEN FAVOURS
Former Stephen Harper strategist Tom Flanagan has been widely and swiftly condemned for suggesting that people looking at child pornography shouldn’t be jailed. A5
Martin Short hosts the inaugural Canadian Screen Awards Sunday on CBC Television.