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Red Deer Advocate TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015
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HITTING THE PARK
SCHOOL BOARD, PROVINCE DON’T AGREE ON WHEN SCHOOL WILL OPEN BY MURRAY CRAWFORD ADVOCATE STAFF A new school construction project in Red Deer is not as far along as a government update indicates. An update provided on Monday by Alberta Infrastructure shows construction of the Inglewood Elementary School was supposed to begin next month. However, Red Deer Public School District officials said they haven’t even sent the project to tender yet. “We’re in the design phase now and we see going to tender in the summer and construction starting in the fall,” said Bruce Buruma, Red Deer Public School District director of community relations. The government and the local school board also vary on opening date for the school with the department saying the school will open in September 2016, while the board said it won’t be opened until September 2017. Once completed, the Inglewood school, located at 99 Irving Cl., will have an initial capacity of 500 students with the capacity to expand to 600. Cody McClintock, Red Deer Public School District associate superintendent, said construction is estimated to start between October and December.
Please see CONSTRUCTION on Page A2
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
Working the dry end of one of the bowl features at the Glendale Skate Park Forest Reiten works on his tailwhip on Monday afternoon. Ice and snow remains covering much of the park but warm weather and some shoveling is helping to get the park ready for summer action.
‘That should be the last thing that happens’ PUBLIC INTEREST ALBERTA, RDC FACULTY, STUDENTS SAY CUTTING POST-SECONDARY FUNDING IS A BAD IDEA
SUNDRE
Town considering ban on feeding deer
BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF
BY PAUL COWLEY ADVOCATE STAFF
Two years ago, Red Deer College eliminated 30 positions, including seven full-time teaching positions, and took aim at programming as a result of provincial funding cuts to post-secondary education. The move was forced as the province slashed post-secondary budgets by an estimated 7.2 per cent across the board, resulting a more than $5 million shortfall in the college’s budget. Now, both RDC students and faculty are bracing for more of the same when this year’s budget provincial is released on March 26. On Monday, Public Interest Alberta made a stop at the college as part of its joint advocacy campaign Post-Secondary Education is the Answer. The campaign is intended to protest the anticipated reductions in funding and to highlight the importance of education in Alberta. The group — along with students, faculty and staff — is trying to mobilize support for more investments in post-secondary education. Ken Heather, the president of the Faculty Association of Red Deer College, said the college is still feeling the effects of the cuts in 2013. Heather said if administration takes the typical route of making up shortfalls by eliminating programs and services, then the college is not doing its due diligence to find that money elsewhere in the operation so students are not impacted. “That should be the last thing that happens,” said
Heather. “If we suspend programs or eliminate services, that will mean the learners of Central Alberta are not being served by a comprehensive college.”
A thriving cougar population has Sundre considering whether to ban deer feeding in town. Fish and Wildlife officer Adam Mirus told town council recently that deer are being drawn into town by food left out by local residents. Unfortunately, with the deer come their hunters. Mirus told the Advocate last month that cougar numbers are up dramatically, largely because of an ample supply of deer, whose population is also on the rise. Unfortunately, the natural cycle has led to more cougar-human contact. A couple of pet dogs have been killed in recent months and a local woman was confronted by a cougar outside a town convenience store early last month. Mirus suggested it might be time for the town to consider a bylaw discouraging people from feeding deer within the town. Sundre chief administrative officer Dave Dubauskas said the town is considering the request and wants to hear from residents. “I’d like to gauge citizen input in terms of is this something citizens want to see or not,” he said. “If people feel strongly one way or another, if they’d let us know that would be great.” A call for feedback will be posted on the town’s website.
Please see POST-SECONDARY on Page A2
Please see DEER on Page A2
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INDEX Four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . B5,B6 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . D1-D3 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D4 Entertainment . . . . . . . . C5,C6 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1-B4
Finding BSE source ‘a needle in a haystack’ Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says finding out how an Alberta cow became infected will be very difficult. Story on PAGE B5
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Photo by Crystal Rhyno/Advocate staff
Ken Heather, president of the Faculty Association of Red Deer College, and Bailey Daines, president of the Students’ Association of Red Deer College, are bracing for cuts to the post-secondary education budgets.