TESTIMONY RAISES QUESTIONS Bill Cosby’s testimony in a 2005 deposition raising questions about his behaviour
ANNUAL SHOWCASE TRUMPETS LOCAL ART
PAGE C5
PAGE C1
Red Deer Advocate WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2015
www.reddeeradvocate.com
Your trusted local news authority
Youth charged with sex assaults ALLEGED ASSAULTS OCCURRED WHILE YOUTH WAS WITH SCOUTS, CADETS BY MURRAY CRAWFORD ADVOCATE STAFF A Red Deer youth faces accusations of sexually assault male and female youths over a five-year period while with two youth-based organizations. Red Deer RCMP issued a news release on Tuesday that said some of the assaults are alleged to have occurred
while the youth was with Cadets Canada and Scouts Canada on trips. There were other alleged incidents unrelated to the youth organizations. A two-month police investigation into sexual assault allegations, including assault with a weapon, have led to the arrest of a 17-year-old Red Deer youth. The youth can’t be identified because of provisions in the Canada Youth Justice Act.
Through their investigation, police believe several sexual assaults occurred between 2011 and 2015 involving male and female youth victims. Some of the offences are alleged to have occurred in Central Alberta. The youth faces nine sexual assaultrelated charges. Police said the accused participated with Scouts Canada between 2007 and 2012 and with Cadets Canada between 2011 and 2015.
INNISFAIL JUNIOR OPEN
John Petitti, Scouts Canada executive director of marketing and communication, said they were contacted by RCMP on June 29 about the investigation and co-operated fully with officers. “We provided them with any details or information they requested,” said Petitti.
Please see ASSAULTS on Page A2
DESIGNED TO MOVE
Nike likes city’s work on active living BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF
Clare McMahon, who golfs out of the Balmoral Golf Course in Red Deer, hits an approach shot on the fifth fairway of the Spruce course at the Innisfail Golf Club on Tuesday. McMahon and 50 other junior golfers from Alberta teed off at the Innisfail club Tuesday taking in the Junior Open golf Tournament. McMahon finished the day in fifth place amongst the girls with a 22-over-94. For related story see page B6
Red Deer has designed its way into being an international leader in promoting activity. The city is the only Canadian municipality out of nine case studies of exemplary active cities featured in Nike’s Designed to Move campaign. The campaign addresses the sedentary lifestyle epidemic. Red Deer was profiled as a fastgrowing city with a commitment to creating an urban environment that enables physical fitness and mobility. Mayor Tara Veer said the recognition speaks to the municipality’s progress in positioning itself as an active city. “We’re a very young city,” said Veer. “We’re one of the youngest cities in Canada. Because of that we have focused on sport and development. You can really see how that has translated into our community’s identity.” Veer said the international sports company took note of the city’s strides in extending the life of its existing infrastructure into the winter season. The city undertook a study analyzing transportation modes and collecting data on movement as part of the Integrated Movement Study. It resulted in strategies to improve walkability, cycling and transit use in the city through a Mobility Playbook, which provides the guiding principles on how the city grows and develops. Jeremy Bouw, a city divisional strategist, said the city was contacted by Nike in November.
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
Please see NIKE on Page A2
CNIB raising awareness of service dog regulations BY SUSAN ZIELINSKI ADVOCATE STAFF About 190 guide and service dogs are helping Albertans with disabilities and medical issues — and providing more education on the provincial regulations regarding their access to businesses and services in the community. On Monday, a complaint was filed with the Red Deer RCMP after a guide dog for an Edmonton staff member with CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) said he was not allowed inside a Red Deer restaurant.
WEATHER Sunny. High 31. Low 13.
FORECAST ON A2
They were in the company of another CNIB employee. “It just shows to me we have a huge hill to climb as an organization and as a society,” said Jung-Suk Ryu, CNIB director of public affairs. “There are probably a lot of instances out there where people with guide dogs or service animals are denied access and they really wouldn’t know the avenue to report it. We knew that we needed to report it to the RCMP because it was breaking the law. Not everyone else would know so I think they go under-reported.” Alberta’s Service Dogs Act, enacted
INDEX Four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . B1-B3 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5,C3 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . .D1,D2 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4 Entertainment . . . . . . . . C5,C6 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4-B6
in 2009, states that individuals with disabilities who are accompanied by qualified service dogs must be allowed access to restaurants, taxis, buses or any other location where the general public is allowed. It is an offence to deny access to any public place to individuals who use qualified service dogs. Those found in violation can be fined up to $3,000. Ryu said when there is a denial of service, it’s usually a lack of understanding of what a guide or service dog does. “They don’t understand this isn’t
a companion for the sake of being a companion. This is a companion for an individual, in the case of vision loss, to walk down the street safely in a straight line or being able to avoid certain obstacles when travelling,” Ryu said. John Wheelwright, executive director with Edmonton’s Dogs with Wings, which trains guide and service dogs and pairs them with people, said denial of service happens far too often.
Please see DOGS on Page A2
Oilpatch trying to stay positive With oil prices drifting closer to US$50, energy executives in downtown Calgary are trying to stay positive. Story on PAGE B1
PLEASE
RECYCLE