NO SANDWICH SUMMIT
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Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has earned the wrath of The Iron Sheik after failing to break bread with the former wrestling star
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Red Deer Advocate MONDAY, APRIL 28, 2014
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Speed thrills BUT LONGBOARDING IS NO LONGER A NICHE PURSUIT BY MYLES FISH ADVOCATE STAFF The long and short of longboarding is that it need not be any more dangerous than any other athletic pursuit. But it certainly is faster than a lot of them. Longboards, like skateboards, were likely first created by surfers bummed out on waveless days in mid-20th century America. Whereas its shorter cousin rose to prominence with youth in the 90s and now every reasonably-sized community has a skate park or two, longboarding has long been a much more niche pursuit. That is changing. Longboards have become a preferred method of transportation for masses of youths; many may just use their one-to-1.5 metre long boards to get around town. Others, like Riley Sibbet, take to the hills inside or outside of Red Deer where they can reach the posted speed limits in a hurry.
Please see LONGBOARD on Page A2
Underground economy beats tax strategy
Photo by ASHLI BARRETT/Advocate staff
Ian Wheeliker the executive director of the Central Alberta Women’s Shelter (CAWES) sits in the midst of the Children’s Healing Room at the shelter.
BY THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — After a three-year effort, the Canada Revenue Agency has failed to produce a new national strategy to combat the underground economy — despite repeated requests to do so from cash-starved provinces. The provinces, especially Ontario and British Columbia, have been pressing the agency since late 2010 to update its strategy for extracting taxes from the underground economy, estimated to be worth more than $35 billion annually. The current guiding document is a decade old, and changes since then — including the advent of cash-register “zapper” technology that conceals sales — have made it increasingly out of date. The agency regularly audits offenders in three most-active underground sectors, that is, construction, retail trade and food services, including tablewaiting staff. In 2011-12, the last year for which statistics are available, the agency carried out almost 11,000 underground-economy audits, finding more than $300 million in unpaid taxes. But internal documents from last October show that an updated strategy for targeting the right businesses and workers, with enough resources and agency-wide co-ordination, has eluded officials. “A number of stakeholders have been consulted, all with varying opinions and suggestions as to what the focus and direction of the strategy should be, such that a strategy has not emerged,” says an Oct. 23 report to the CRA’s senior management.
Please see CRA on Page A2
WEATHER Cloudy, 60% showers. High 7, low 1.
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INDEX Two sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . C8,C9 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . .B8-B10 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A10 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . .A11 Sports. . . . . . . . . .B1-B7,B11
GROUP THERAPY SESSIONS DESIGNED AROUND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HAVE SHOWN SUCCESS This is the third story in a three-part series looking at domestic violence in Red Deer and Central Alberta. BY JOSH ALDRICH ADVOCATE STAFF Domestic violence stains everything it touches with a dark cloud — but there is hope. For the victims and offenders, there are group therapy sessions designed around domestic violence that have shown success. There is also a movement for the healing of this segment of society with a stronger push towards prevention as opposed to just playing catch-up. To accomplish that, the generational cycle of domestic violence has to be stopped. Ian Wheeliker, executive director at the Central Alberta Women’s Emergency Shelter, believes the key battleground in this regard should be elemen-
tary schools. “The elementary schools know the kids and families that are having trouble, they’re already good at engaging families,” he said. “We’ve got to partner up with the elementary schools and develop an effective early intervention and prevention program that gets to families early and interrupts the generational cycle of violence. “The longer that these kids are exposed, the more likely it is they are going to be the next generation.” Red Deer has the highest rates of reported domestic abuse in the province. The vast majority of offenders and — IAN WHEELIKER victims of domestic abuse were victims of domestic abuse or witnessed it as children. According to a 2012 Justice Canada report, family violence costs Canadians $7.4 billion every year, taking into account everything from policing and health care to funerals and lost wages.
‘THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS KNOW THE KIDS AND FAMILIES THAT ARE HAVING TROUBLE, THEY’RE ALREADY GOOD AT ENGAGING FAMILIES.’
Please see DOMESTIC on Page A3
Stories of impaired driving go back decades. Bob Bell has 32 years of front-line policing experience filled with tales of destruction wrought by impaired drivers.
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