Red Deer
HOME SHOW March 6-8
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See inside for 2015 Showguide
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WESTERNER PARK www.RedDeerHomeShow.ca
THE BIRTH OF A NATION
REBELS VISIT TIGERS
The racist movie everyone should watch C5
SPORTS — PAGE B4
Red Deer Advocate WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015
www.reddeeradvocate.com
Your trusted local news authority
‘He had so much more to do’ MAN CONVICTED OF KILLING JONATHON WOOD JAILED TWO-AND-A-HALF YEARS BY MURRAY CRAWFORD ADVOCATE STAFF Carrying the words that were synonymous with Jonathon David Wood, their family kept their heads up and their hearts strong as they heard the sentence for the man convicted of killing him. Wood, 33, died in the early morning hours of Nov. 2, 2013 when the taxi he was in was hit by a truck driven by Tyler James Wilson, 19. Wilson pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and a breach of a recognizance on Dec. 3, 2014. On Tuesday he was sentenced to two-anda-half years in custody by judge James Glass in Red Deer provincial court. Glass also included a five-year driving prohibition in his decision which will start after Wilson’s period of incarceration ends. On the breach of a recognizance charge Glass added 15 days to the sentence. “What would have been right was for Jon to have a say in this,” said Lori Church, Wood’s mother. “If he had a chance to see Tyler Wilson before this ever happened he may have had an impact on Wilson. “Jon had that effect on people. He was genuinely invested and he did want to help people be better. The best thing I could hope for in this is for him to realize ‘I need to be better, I am at fault here and I need to be responsible for my actions.’” Wood had been out at the bar with friends after competing in a local squash tournament and decided to take a taxi home. They were stopped at a red light in a northbound lane of 30th Avenue at 32nd Street. Wilson had also been out drinking that night, bar hopping starting on Nov. 1 and finishing on Nov. 2, 2013 at Billy-Bobs in Red Deer. A friend had driven Wilson back to the friend’s house where the two slept it off at 2 a.m. Wilson left the residence 3:30 a.m. He was northbound on 30th Avenue, travelling at speeds in excess of 100 km/h. According to the collision analyst’s report, Wilson hit the stopped taxi at a speed of 107 km/h.
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
ABOVE: Family members of Jonathon Wood from the left, Andrea Wood, David O’Brien, Eric Church, Wood’s mother Lori Church, Daniel Wood and Eli Church outside the Red Deer Courthouse after the sentencing of Tyler James Wilson on a charge of dangerous driving causing death. LEFT: A small memorial shrine for Jonathon Wood was set up on the steps of the Red Deer provincial courthouse in Red Deer late last month. Wood was thrown into the front seat and his body came to rest on the dashboard. He was pronounced dead at the scene. In reading her victim impact statement, Wood’s sister Kim SomervilleKeehn recalled a conversation she had with her 10-year-old child. The child asked Somerville-Keehn if “God would let me sacrifice myself to bring Jon back to everybody.”
Somerville-Keehn was joined by Wood’s brother, aunt and mother in reading their victim impact statements. Church called Wood a beacon of positive energy, calling his death the most impactful moment in her life. “He had so much more to do,” she said. A total of 11 victim impact statements were submitted, four were read
in court, six were read by the judge and one was deemed inadmissible. The statements described Wood as a loving, compassionate brother, son, uncle, nephew and cousin. He organized memorable family vacations to Radium Hot Springs, B.C. and provided support for those he knew.
Please see WOOD on Page A2
Pocket of warm air headed our way after chilly start to March BY MARY-ANN BARR ADVOCATE STAFF
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
As a cold wind blows snow around, a runner makes her way along the bike path next to 22 Street in south east Red Deer on Monday afternoon.
WEATHER Mainly sunny. High -3. Low -10.
FORECAST ON A2
INDEX Four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . B1-B3 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5,C3 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . D1-D4 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4 Entertainment . . . . . . . . C5,C6 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4-B6
Weathered Central Albertans thinking about easing up on the vigilance, be warned — winter is still coming. With mostly milder temperatures making it seem like an almost winterless winter, it turns out Red Deer’s snowiest month is now upon us. Environment Canada regional meteorologist Bill McMurtry said March tends to have more snow than other winter months. That’s true for most of Alberta. March is the time of year where warmer air that contains a lot more moisture comes in from the Pacific and moves inland across Western Canada. As the jet stream starts to move northward, and over Southern and Central Alberta, combined with the remnants of cold air associated with
winter, a lot of precipitation can occur, said McMurtry. “Temperatures are still cold enough that we don’t get much in the way of rain in March. It tends to fall in the form of snow, and when we do get it we tend to get a lot of snow for a short period of time.” Last March, Red Deer saw 44.8 cm of snow. Typically, the city gets 20.4 cm this month. So far this winter, the three-month period of December, January and February was warmer than normal by about two degrees overall, McMurtry said. December was about 2.8 degrees above average for the entire month and January was 3.1 degrees above average. February was below average by just 0.1 degree — basically it was an average February.
Please see WEATHER on Page A2
Red Deer man making GMO film Rob Saik, CEO of the Agri-Trend Group of Companies, is producing a film about the benefits of genetic engineering. Story on PAGE B1
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