Serving the Heart of Central Alberta for 106 years
VOLUME ONE-HUNDRED EIGHT
PM40011853 R08546
NUMBER NINE
STETTLER, ALBERTA
February 26, 2014
PRICE — $1.09 Plus GST
ROBIN TARNOWETZKI/Independent reporter
Assistant chief administrative officer Greg Switenky will become the Town of Stettler’s CAO after Rob Stoutenberg’s retirement in June, the town decided last week.
Switenky to take over as town CAO ‘We’ve got a rural charm about Stettler with an urban expectation’ R OBIN TARNOWETZKI Independent reporter
The Town of Stettler didn’t have to look far to find a new chief administrative officer. Assistant CAO Greg Switenky has been chosen to replace current CAO Rob Stoutenberg, who plans to retire in June. “I’ve had a lot of handshaking and I’ve had a lot of congratulations and things like that,” Switenky said Monday. He said that at the time that Stoutenberg decided to retire, he had no idea that he would be the next CAO. However, a bylaw has to be passed in council (it was passed last Tuesday) to appoint a new CAO, so he knew in advance of that meeting.
The official start date for the new position is June 2. “I think we all felt that we would love for Rob to stay and guide the ship,” Switenky said. “You can’t replace 27 years of knowledge in this organization … what is going around in his brain and his knowledge is irreplaceable.” Switenky’s job as assistant CAO deals more with numbers and budgets, whereas the CAO position is all about the big picture. “It’s certainly a step up,” he said. He joined the Town of Stettler almost 10 years ago as the director of finance and administration, which has since been upgraded to assistant CAO. Before that, he worked as the CAO of Golden, B.C., and as the city treasurer for Lloydminster, Sask. “I think the good thing about
working in local government is you see the results of the organization’s efforts that get put in,” Switenky said. “Facilities get built, infrastructure gets renewed. It’s right there before you and it’s rewarding to know that you had a little piece of helping progress a community that you live in.” He said his favourite part of working with the town, though, is the people. “It’s just a marvelous organization with wonderful people that really do take their careers seriously and really do try to do a wonderful job for the citizens of this town,” he said. In the past decade, he’s seen a lot of growth in Stettler. When he first arrived, there was no Boston Pizza, Tim Hortons or Wal-Mart. A lot of the residential
developments weren’t there, either. “We’ve been able to maintain our small-town feel, and yet still have opportunity for jobs and growth and that type of thing,” Switenky said. “We’ve seen our downtown core change, we’ve seen our stores come and go, but we’re still very vibrant.” He’s not expecting there to be big changes for Stettler, as he believes people like Stettler the way it is. Switenky hopes the town will continue to make sure there are jobs available and will try to retain young people. He said Stettler is just the right size to maintain a small-town feel while still offering much to the community. “We’ve got a rural charm about Stettler with an urban expectation,” he said. “We’ve got a really good thing going in Stettler.”
Central Alberta measles alert includes Stettler STACEY LAVALLIE Independent reporter
Alberta Health Services confirmed last week that one Red Deer resident has contracted measles and three others are considered “probably cases,” and might have come into contact with people in Stettler, Camrose and Red Deer. Last Wednesday, the health services issued a warning regarding the highly infectious virus. The possible dates of exposure are from Feb. 1 to 7. In Stettler, the potential exposure to measles occurred at Sobeys and Wal-Mart, health services reported in a news release. Dr. Digby Horne, one of three medical officers assigned to the central zone of health services, said that results from the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg have confirmed a strain of the measles virus, which is currently making rounds in the Philippines. It’s not the first time in recent memory that health services has issued measles notice. In December 2013, an outbreak of the virus in the south zone of health services, mostly in Calgary, was declared and lifted only in early January of this year.
The measles virus, which swept through Calgary, was traced back to an infection in the Netherlands, Horne said. “We wanted to warn people who were possibly exposed,” he said. “The risk is greatest for unimmunized people, but it’s not impossible to get it even with an immunization.” People born before 1970 are presumed to have had natural exposure to the virus, while after that, most people received two doses of the vaccine through childhood immunization, which is usually good enough to build up enough of an immune reaction to the virus and prevent infection later in life. One of the three confirmed cases had received both immunizations, Horne said, while one of the remaining infected was born before 1970, making both infections “unusual.” “It was a bit of a surprise that (the patient) caught it,” Horne said last week. All three individuals who caught the virus were over 40, and are believed to have had a common cause of infection. Other than that, they are not related. Most people with measles show signs before the rash, such as a fever of 38.3 degrees Celsius, a runny nose,
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and sore and reddened eyes that are sensitive to light. “Measles can lead to complications such as inner ear infections, pneumonia, and one in a thousand develop inflammation in the brain,” Horne said. “Non-vaccinated pregnant women who catch measles can cause premature delivery or miscarriage.” The final symptom of measles is the rash, which usually begins on the face and goes on to cover a large amount of the body. About four days after the onset of the rash, however, “the average individual” is no longer contagious. Horne called measles “one of the more highly communicable diseases.” He said it’s important people who believe they might have contracted measles stay at home, as the highly communicable virus can spread through the air and doesn’t require physical contact. “Really severe cases should go to the hospital, or else stay home,” Horne said. He urged people who think they have the illness to phone Health Link Alberta to discuss their symptoms. If it’s decided measles is the likely culprit, instructions will given on how to see a doctor while limiting exposure to the illness. In cases where the likelihood of
exposure to measles is high and it has been less than 72 hours, a vaccination can possibly prevent infection. “We haven’t completely eliminated the diseases we provide childhood immunization for, so (the outbreak) is a good reminder of just why we immunize,” Horne said. Possible exposure sites Feb. 1: Camrose Tim Hortons Subway Humpty’s Restaurant Camrose Community Centre fieldhouse Feb. 2: Stettler Sobeys Wal-Mart Feb. 3: Crossroads Church Red Deer City Hall Wal-Mart Staples Scott’s Parables Costco Red Deer Key Hole People visiting Bower Mall between 8:15 a.m. and 7 p.m. between Feb. 3 and 7 might have also come into exposure with the virus.
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