Red Deer 1913 — 2013 Create Celebrate Commemorate
A PLATE OF VEG
BRUINS BLANK HAWKS
Recipes that will get you eating more vegetables B1
Grab 2-1 series lead B4
CENTRAL ALBERTA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER
BREAKING NEWS ONLINE AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM
TUESDAY, JULY 18, 2013
City edges toward 100,000 RED DEER GREW TO 97,109 FROM 91,877 IN 2011 BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF
CENSUS
Red Deer’s population grew by 5,232 over the past two years — solidifying its place as the third largest city in Alberta. On Monday the city released early 2013 municipal census data that showed Red Deer’s population grew to 97,109 from 91,877 in 2011 on Monday. A city census was not conducted in 2012.
Figures show the city remains young with the average age being 32. Males have a slight edge representing 50.1 per cent of the population while females make up 49.4 per cent of the population. The data showed 80,715 residents are Canadian citizens — 63,979 over 18 and 16,736 are under 18.
High labour costs having major impact on businesses
Deputy Mayor Tara Veer said the census reflects the city’s projected three-per-cent growth rate each year. She said many communities experience regressive population trends where they are faced with a unique set of challenges. “While there are challenges with a growing population, they are certainly welcomed challenges,” said Veer.
Please see CENSUS on Page A2
SAFE DRIVERS
BY HARLEY RICHARDS ADVOCATE BUSINESS EDITOR Alberta’s tight labour market is putting a financial squeeze on employers who can’t compete for high-priced workers. A recent survey by ATB Financial found that 67 per cent of small and medium-sized businesses are finding it hard to attract and keep experienced or skilled labour. While many of these cited a shortage of workers as the problem, 37 per cent complained that the salary expectations of prospective and current employees are the problem. “Certainly, the number was high‘IT’S A SIMILAR er than what we KIND OF STORY anticipated,” said Wellington HolRIGHT ACROSS brook, ATB FinanTHE ECONOMY IN cial’s executive vice-president of VIRTUALLY EVERY business and agriSECTOR, WHERE culture. Jonathan Seib, SMALL BUSINESSES policy co-ordinator with the Red Deer ARE HAVING A REALLY Chamber of ComDIFFICULT TIME merce, said many small businesses KEEPING UP WITH THE in Red Deer are SALARY DEMANDS OF among those strugQUALIFIED PEOPLE.’ gling with high labour costs. And — RICHARD TRUSCOTT while the energy DIRECTOR, CANADIAN FEDERATION OF sector is a big INDEPENDENT BUSINESS contributor to the problem, businesses in other industries are suffering. “They’re not able to pass on those rising costs downstream,” said Seib. Richard Truscott, Alberta director with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, agreed that the issue is widespread. “It’s a similar kind of story right across the economy in virtually every sector, where small businesses are having a really difficult time keeping up with the salary demands of qualified people,” he said. “The pockets of a big oil and gas companies are certainly a lot deeper than a small business’s.” Seib noted that many small businesses are finding other ways to compete for workers. These include offering greater flexibility with respect to working hours, granting more time off, giving generous employee discounts on their products or services, and even providing non-vocational training — such as language courses for recent immigrants. ATB Financial has observed the same response, said Holbrook, with employers trying to make their workplaces more fun for staff and even offering them an equity interest. “What we’re seeing is more and more creativity around creating stakes of ownership for their employees in their businesses.” Truscott is also seeing creative measures to attract and retain workers. But some CFIB members are also being forced to take matters into their own hands — literally. “Our research shows that business owners themselves end up working longer hours because they either can’t find qualified people or they can’t afford them.”
Please see SALARIES on Page A2
PLEASE RECYCLE
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
Dakota MacKinaw leads the way for Ryler Knelsen, Nathenial Chipesia and Ryder Siegers as they negotiate a turn at an intersection in Safety City in Red Deer on Monday. The four Grade 1 students from Glendale Sciences and Technology School were taking part in a pedestrian traffic safety session at the facility and got the chance to try their hand at driving the electric quads around the roadways. Safety City also has community and school-age programs covering fire and home safety and acreage and farm safety.
Police chiefs urging province to tighten traffic laws to curb excessive speeding Knecht, who is head of the Alberta Chiefs of Police. The vote was not unanimous because in some rural areas, worries about access to tow trucks is an AND THE CANADIAN PRESS issue. The chiefs approved a similar motion in 2009, but EDMONTON — Police chiefs in Alberta want the the province turned it down. provincial government to toughen up its traffic laws. There have been several cases of people being They have voted in favour of a resolution that charged with excessive speeding in Central Alberta. would allow officers to seize vehicles of drivers Last week Ponoka’s Integrated Traffic Unit caught caught going more than 50 kilometres per hour over 65 speeders and aggressive drivthe speed limit. ers while targeting morning comIt would also give officers the ‘WE JUST DON’T WANT TO muters — including a 17-year-old authority to suspend drivers’ lidriving 204 km/h on Hwy 2. The SEE PEOPLE KILLED.’ cences — both of which would speed limit on Hwy 2 is 110 km/h. last one week. The Lacombe youth was — ROD KNECHT, Edmonton police chief Rod EDMONTON POLICE CHIEF clocked going 94 km over the Knecht says there’s too many peoposted speed limit on Wednesple being killed on the highways day. He was charged with dangerous driving and is and it’s due to people driving 160-170 km/h and even scheduled to appear in Ponoka provincial court on 200 km/h. Aug. 14. The chiefs don’t want it to be a mandatory seizure; Police say the majority of tickets issued over the they want police to have the ability to use their distwo-day operation were for speeding and many of cretion when seizing the vehicle. those caught exceeded the 110 speed limit by more Knecht says that would accommodate circumthan 40 km/h. stances such as a woman in labour with a complication. “We just don’t want to see people killed,” said Please see SPEED on Page A3 BY ADVOCATE STAFF
WEATHER
INDEX
60% Showers. High 21. Low 11.
Four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3-C4 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D1-D3 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D5 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C5 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4-B6
FORECAST ON A2
LOCAL
BUSINESS
WEATHER BUGS ‘SKEETERS’
PIPELINE PINCH A THREAT
The good thing about having a cool, wet June is the mosquitoes don’t like the weather either. City parks crews have had an easy spring and summer so far, in terms of mosquito control. C1
The Conference Board of Canada says uncertainty over new pipeline projects poses a threat to Canadian companies that provide services to oil and gas producers. C3