THE GREAT GROCERY NHL GIVEAWAY SEASON IS BACK! OPENS
HANDLER HOLDS NOTHING BACK/D8
WITH FOUR GAMES
DETAILS INSIDE
PAGE B1
THURSDAY, OCT. 9, 2014
www.reddeeradvocate.com
Your trusted local news authority
RED DEER
BY GREG MEACHEM ADVOCATE SPORTS EDITOR CALGARY — If you don’t succeed, try, try again. Brent Sutter placed a bid with the Western Hockey League to host the 2001 Memorial Cup tournament and was rebuffed in favour of Regina. He threw his hat into the ring three years ago in hopes of staging the 2013 event and lost out to Saskatoon. On Wednesday, it was third time lucky for the Red Deer Rebels owner/ president/GM/head coach, whose club was chosen by the WHL board of governors as the host of the 2016 Memorial Cup, with the vote going in the Rebels’ favour over the Vancouver Giants and their owner Ron Toigo. Alberta last
2016
hosted the Memorial Cup in 1974 at the Calgary Corral. “It’s a historical day for the city of Red Deer, the province of Alberta and the WHL, for that matter, for bringing the Memorial Cup to Alberta for the first time since 1974,” said league com-
missioner Ron Robison, during a press conference at the Delta Bow Valley Hotel. “If you know the Sutter family, and Brent in particular, you know about perseverance. Brent has bid for this twice and of course he won the Memorial Cup in Regina and has run a model
Prentice unveils $2-billion school building plan BLACKFALDS, RED DEER TO RECEIVE CASH FOR SCHOOL, MODERNIZATIONS
WEATHER Mainly sunny. High 17. Low 4.
FORECAST ON A2
franchise since acquiring the Rebels in 1999. “When you talk about the significance and the importance of this event it will extend way beyond the city of Red Deer. It will be a provincial celebration. We’re very fortunate that Brent and his organization put forward a very successful bid and we also want to thank Ron Toigo and the Giants for their bid. “We had two quality bids and at the end of the day the league board of governors have chosen Red Deer to host in 2016.”
Please see MEMORIAL CUP on Page A2
LONG-TERM CARE
Auditor general backs surprise inspections BY SUSAN ZIELINSKI ADVOCATE STAFF
Many students from fast-growing Blackfalds are taking school division buses into Red Deer because of a lack of local options.
For years, Albertans have sounded the alarm about inadequate staffing for family members in long-term care. Now Alberta auditor general Merwan Saher says surprise inspections to check on staffing are not a bad idea. On Tuesday, the auditor general’s report said Alberta Health Services fails to periodically verify that staffing is adequate to meet the care needs of residents on every shift in the province’s 170 long-term care facilities. The facilities contain 14,370 beds. According to the report: “AHS does not obtain sufficient assurance that facilities implement individual resident care plans, and meet basic and fundamental daily needs of residents.” Brenda Corney, Friends of Medicare Red Deer chapter chair, said sometimes Red Deer facilities are really short on staff. “You’ve got this beautiful care plan but it doesn’t go anywhere if there aren’t enough people to implement it, or have the motivation to implement it,” Corney said on Wednesday. “They are human beings lying in those beds, in incontinence pads that need to be changed, and waiting to go to the toilet. Can you imagine how awful that is? We’re dealing with people. I think the report kind of emphasizes that.”
Please see SCHOOLS on Page A2
Please see CARE on Page A2
BY PAUL COWLEY ADVOCATE STAFF Blackfalds will get a new school and Red Deer will get cash for upgrades and additions at two schools. Premier Jim Prentice announced 55 new schools and 20 modernizations on Wednesday in a $2-billion school building and modernization plan. Red Deer Catholic School Division will get a much-needed kindergartento-Grade-9 school in Blackfalds and five-classroom addition to St. Francis of Assisi Middle School in Lancaster. Red Deer Public Schools will get cash to upgrade Westpark Middle School. Elsewhere in the region, Wild Rose School Division will receive money to upgrade David Thompson High School, which is about 60 km west of Red Deer. The premier said $43.2 million will be available to school boards immediately to begin planning. Another $100 million will be freed up to fast-track school maintenance projects. “It was a fantastic day. A bit unexpected but very exciting, “ said Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools board chairman Guy Pelletier, who only
REBELS START PREPARATIONS TO TO HOST CUP B1
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
As City of Red Deer mayor Tara Veer took the stage at the official opening ceremonies of the new Ecole Barrie Wilson School Wednesday the music began to play and a flash-mob of students dancing and singing about the joys of reading broke out. The new school in Timberlands named after long-time Red Deer Educator Barrie Wilson opened in September but held its official opening on Wednesday. found out on Wednesday morning that an announcement was coming later in the day. A Blackfalds school and the Red Deer addition knock the top two items off the school division’s capital wish list.
INDEX Four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . C4,C5 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5,A7 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . D1-D4 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D5 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . D8 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1-B5
Restaurateur jumps into barbecue big leagues The Red Boar Smokery, set to open in downtown Red Deer next month, features a thousand pound smoker from Tennessee. Story on PAGE C4
PLEASE
RECYCLE