Red Deer Advocate, April 08, 2015

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FANGS FOR THE MEMORIES

OILERS HELP FLAMES’ PLAYOFF CHANCES

Nina Dobrev bids farewell to ‘The Vampire Diaries’

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Red Deer Advocate WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015

www.reddeeradvocate.com

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We’ll be the judge CE CENTRAL ALBERTANS HAVE MANY ISSUES THEY WOULD LIKE THE PARTIES P TO ADDRESS BEFORE THE PROVINCIAL P ELECTION ON MAY 5 BY C RYST R Y STT AL RY A L R HY HYNO NO ADVOCATE STAFF In a tim ime e off fis isca ca al r e st stra r ain ra int, in t, A lb b erta err ta tans ns willl b be e on the h hoo ook k fo for for an est an s im mat ated e $1 10 0-m mil illliio on n spr prin in ng el elec e tion ec tiion on.. P rem Pr em m ie e r Ji J im m Pr P en ent i ce tice ti c e c al alle led le d th the e ea earl rll y elec el le ec c ti t on o on o n Tu Tues ess d esda da ay morn mo rnin rn ng an a d wa w stted ed no time ti me m e hit itti ting ti n tthe ng he ec cam a pa am paig ig gn trai tr a l. ai Fro Fr om hiss cam cam a pa aig i n bu us he ead adin ng to t Gra rand an nd de Ca Cach che, ch e, Pren Pr enti en tic ti ce c e re eii te t rra a tte e d hi h s part pa rtty’ y’ss promis om mis ises se ess fo orr tthe h nex he extt thre th ree e to 10 ye year a s an ar nd de defe fe fend end nded ed the th e de deciisi sio on tto o o se send nd d Alb lber lber ertta ans ns to tthe he pol olls ls on Ma May y 5. 5 Th he ma mand nd dat ated e ele ed lect ctio ion n da date te was in 201 wa 16. P en Pr entiice c saiid th he go gove v rn ve rnme ment n nt has br ha brou o gh g t fo f rwar rw w rd a 10 10-y -yea ear, r, rre eal alis i tiic pl pla an a n and Alb ber erta tans ns d deeserv rve e th he op opp po ort r un u it ity y to jud udge ge tth hat pla lan. n “ n te “I term rm ms of cos ost, t, tthe h e he ele l ct le ctio ion n woul uld d co cost st the he sam ame e ne next xt yea earr as it wo oul u d cost st tthi hiss ye y ar ar,” ,” sai aid d Pren ren e tiice ce. “T The he poi oint nt is it it’s ’s the s a me c os same ostt e eith ther er w way ay.. Bu B t we are in n tou o gh h circu ums msta tanc ncess a and d the Al th Albe be ert rta a go gove ern rnme ment nt nee e ds a mand ndat ate e to o mak a e ch chan ange gess in the pr province c .” ” Prr en enti t ice ce s ai a d Al Albe bert rtan a s de an deserv r e th t e op ppo port r un rt unit ity y to jud udge ge tth he pllan and to ju judg dge e wh what a the opposi p s tiion o par a tiies are e say a in i g. g T e 20 Th 012 ele lect ctio ion n ca came wit ith h a $1 $13. 3 66-mi mill lliiio ion n pr pric ice e ta tag, g, whi h ch iin ncl c ud ded a Sen enat ate e el elec ecti t on on th ti the e

FULL ELECTION COVERAGE A3 WHY PRENTICE IS IN A RUSH A4 b ll ba llot ott, co ot, comp mp par ared ed d to to $9 $ .9 m mil illli lion on n in n2 200 008. 00 8 8. C nt Ce ntra rall Al ra Albe bert rtan rt anss el an elec ecte ec t d fi te fiv ve v e Wild Wild Wi ldro rose ca ro rose an ndida didate di da ate es an and d tw two Pr P o o-g es gr essi sive si ive C Con on nse serv rvat rv ativ at ive iv ve c ca an nd did idattes es in n the h 2 201 01 12 el e ec ecti tion. on. Prren on nti tice ce e ssai aiid a h was n he not ot worrrriied ed a abo b u bo utt the eroro osiion of su upp por ortt in n the he rreg e io eg ion. n n. He saiid th the e P PC Cs ha ave a g gre r a re att ca and did idat ates at es in Ce Cent ntra nt rall Al ra A be bert rta. a a. Red Re d De Deer er M ay ayor or T arr a Ve ee err s id the sa e m mun u ic un icip ipal ip allit iy w wiilll worrk with wi th the new MLA As in Red dD Dee ee e er No orrtth an and d So Sout u h an ut a d th t e go gove ve ern rning in g pa art r ie es. She sai a d pr p io i ri riti tiies es f r th fo the e ciity y inc inc nclu lude lu de e sec ecur urin ur ing in g a new ne w llo oca ati tion on for for the h pro ovi v nc n ia al cour co u th thou ouse ou se e in Re ed De eer e . V er Ve e a als lso ls o sp spok oke ok e ab abou abou ut th the e im imp rt po rtan a ce c of ma ain nta tain nin ing g in infr infr fra a-a stru st ruct ru uct ctur tu urre fu und ndin din ing g to to mun uniic icip icip ipal a ial itiies, es, secu es se ec cu uri ring nec eces essa sary sa ry g gra rant ntts to exp xpan an and nd th he Re Red De Red D er A Air irpo porrt rt alon al ong g wi with th R Red ed D Dee eerr Co Coun unty ty,, an and d work wo rkin ing g to t rep e ur urpo pose se tthe he ffor o me or er Vall Va lley ey y Par a k Ma Mano norr si site te a and nd e emp mppty Mic iche hene enerr Ce C nt ntre re b bui uiild din i gs for or publ pu blic i use. se e In the he e ffut utur ut ure, e, tthe he c cit ity y wi will ll be l ok lo okin ing g fo forr fu fund n in nd ing g fo or th the e No Nort rth h High Hi ghwa way y Co C nn nnec ecto tor. r. Befo Be fore fo re t he b bud udge g t wa ge wass rere eleas le ased ed, th t e pr prov o in ov ince ce rea eaff f ir ff irme med d itss posi it siti tion on o on n ke keep epin ing g Mi Mich chen ene err e Cent Ce n re r o ope pe en an and d an anno noun u ce un ced d it it w ul wo uld d re repu purp rpos rp ose e th t e Re Red d De Dee er er Nurs Nu rssin ing g ho home m sit i e to u use se ffor or aff-ford fo rdab able le ssen en nio iorr ho hous usin ing g wi with th tthe he e P pe Pi per Cr Cree eek ee k Fo Foun u da un dati tion on..

Please see ELECTION on Page A3

Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS

Temporary foreign workers caught in limbo BY MURRAY CRAWFORD ADVOCATE STAFF

Photo by MURRAY CRAWFORD/Advocate staff

Teresa and Wayne Wilson came to Canada through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program two years ago. Wayne was laid off a year into his stay and is unable to get a new job because of his closed work permit. The couple has lost all its money trying to stay in Canada and now can’t afford a plane ticket home.

WEATHER Mainly sunny. High 10. Low -2.

FORECAST ON A2

INDEX Four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . B1-B3 Canada . . . . . . . . . A5,A6, A7 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . D1-D4 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4 Entertainment . . . . . . . . C5,C6 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4-B8

A couple of temporary foreign workers feel trapped and helpless as their dream of living in Canada has turned into a nightmare. Wayne and his wife, Teresa Wilson, came to Canada almost two years ago. Wayne was recruited as an electrician to work for a local company and his wife had procured an open work permit. Working a couple of jobs, she has settled into one she is passionate about. They both came as part of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. A year into their stay in Canada, Wayne was laid off. While he has tried to get a job, and has received three job offers, no one can hire him. That’s because he is on a closed work permit through the Temporary Foreign Work Program. He can only work for the company that brought him to Canada, the same one that laid he and hundreds of other TFWs off. He has been on employment insurance for eight months, but those benefits run out in three months. His wife still has a job. Between her income and his EI benefits, the two barely make enough to scrape by. They can’t afford

a plane ticket back to New Zealand and they haven’t been able to get any traction towards permanent residency or a work permit. “I’m lucky that I came over with Wayne and that I can work,” said Teresa. “I have to put in all the hours I can so that we can just live. If they had given him an open work permit, it would have been fine. “At this point, we can’t even afford to leave the country. We can’t afford to fly and we can’t afford to start over because everything we had went into coming here.” To compound the problem, their permit to work in New Zealand (which they had before they came to Canada) officially expired on April 6. They received an email saying the permit expired since they had not been in New Zealand for the mandated 184 days over a 12-month period. The couple spent NZ$36,000 (about $34,000 Canadian) to get to Canada and apply for any kind of program to stay or get Wayne working. Now all that money is gone. Wayne feels the TFW program is a failure, saying he is getting the runaround and has been stuck in limbo for far too long.

Please see LIMBO on Page A2

‘Not guilty, your honour’ Mike Duffy, who faces 31 counts of fraud, breach of trust and bribery, delivered his plea after the court clerk read the charges into the record. Story on PAGE A6

PLEASE

RECYCLE


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