RED DEER ADVOCATE Tuesday, July 28, 2015 A3
Police looking for man who hurled vulgarities at on-air CBC reporter Toronto police are working to identify a man heard hurling vulgarities at a CBC reporter moments after the end of the closing ceremonies of the Pan Am Games. Charlsie Agro was live on air Sunday night recapping the impressive performance of Canada’s female Pan Am athletes when a man shouted an obscenity that’s frequently directed at female reporters on the job. Agro says she tried to chase the man down to confront him, but lost him in the crowd. She wound up filing a report with Toronto police, who say they’re investigating the incident and trying to identify the culprit. Const. Scott Mills says it’s too early to determine whether any charges could be laid. Agro says the timing of this particular incident prompted her to join the ranks of reporters challenging the vulgar trend, which has been in force across Canada and the United States for months. Earlier this year, Agro’s Montreal-based CBC colleague Jaela Bernstien and Shauna Hunt of Toronto’s CityNews both made headlines by confronting men who shouted the insult during their live coverage. One of Hunt’s hecklers wound up losing his job over the incident. CBC Calgary reporter Meghan Grant managed to get one of her hecklers charged with stunting, an offense under Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act. Agro said those confrontations have obviously failed to send the message that such behaviour is unacceptable, adding the location and context of this latest incident was particularly striking. “On the last night of the Games, to have this sort of unfortunate experience . . . I just don’t think it’s right that people leave thinking that something bad would happen at a time when we’re celebrating all that Toronto’s ac-
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Former MLA wins NDP nomination in CalgaryFoothills CALGARY — A former member of the legislature has won the NDP nomination to contest a byelection in former premier Jim Prentice’s old riding of Calgary-Foothills. Bob Hawkesworth beat out Anne Wilson for the nod. Wilson ran against Prentice and lost in the May 5 provincial election. However, even though he won the riding, Prentice quickly resigned when the Progressive Conservatives were swept from power by the NDP for the first time in more than 40 years, forcing a byelection. Hawkesworth was the MLA for Calgary Mountain View from 1986 to 1993. He also served on Calgary city council for 23 years. No date has been set for the byelection, which must be held before the end of the year.
Man dies in crash on Hwy 22, two girls hurt COCHRANE — An Edmonton man
‘IF THIS HAPPENED TO A WOMAN WHO WAS SITTING AT HER DESK AT A WORKPLACE . . . I DON’T THINK ANYONE WOULD QUESTION IT AS BEING INAPPROPRIATE OR WRONG.’ — CHARLISIE AGRO CBC REPORTER
complished,” Agro said in a telephone interview. In her discussions with city police, Agro said she obtained permission to share photos of the alleged culprit on social media. Const. Scott Mills said the exposure on Twitter has led to several tips, but said the investigation is still in its early stages. Mills said investigators will have to determine what, if any, criminal charges would apply. Such incidents could theoretically be treated as mischief offences under the Criminal Code, but some jurisdictions choose to pursue charges through civil legislation or municipal bylaws. Others may opt not to take any action at all. “It’s safe to say that we’re on it, we care, and we’re trying to figure out how we’re going to go about this,” Mills said. Lawyers have previously said that such heckling incidents generally fall outside the purview of workplace sexual harassment laws, since they involve third parties who are not directly connected to the women’s employers. Agro said the explicit remarks, however, are threatening no matter where they’re made and should not be dismissed as a mere prank. “If this happened to a woman who was sitting at her desk at a workplace and someone said it, I don’t think anyone would question it as being inappropriate or wrong.” is dead after a pickup truck crashed into his car on Highway 22 just south of the Trans-Canada Highway. RCMP say it appears the driver was trying to make a U-turn when he was struck by the pickup. Of the six people in the truck, two girls were sent to hospital with minor injuries. All of the people in the truck are from Wildwood, a hamlet west of Edmonton. Police say alcohol and speed are not believed to be factors in the crash.
Government warns consumers about ridesharing services EDMONTON — The Alberta government says people are taking a risk if they use ride-sharing services such as Uber. The office of the Superintendent of Insurance says Albertans who use such services may not have access to coverage and accident benefits under Alberta law. The office says drivers may believe they are covered by Uber’s supplemental insurance in the province, but that isn’t the case. The government says passengers who want to use Uber and other ridesharing services should always ask the driver for proof of insurance coverage. Uber and other services offer passengers rides through online apps. The government says it has formed a committee to develop rules for ride-
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate Staff
Suspended from a bucket crane high above the QEII, a pair of workers attach a cone to the top level of power lines being installed across the highway on Monday afternoon. Motorists were forced to squeeze to one lane traffic during the installation. for-hire companies in Alberta that will focus on public safety and consumer protection. “The safety of Albertans is paramount,” the government said Monday in a release. “The office of the Superintendent of Insurance will continue to work with Uber on finding ways for the ridesharing service to safely and legally operate in this province.”
Driver drunk, high at time of crash: autopsy
TSB probes fatal singleengine plane crash EDMONTON — The Transportation Safety Board is investigating the fatal crash of a light plane in northeastern Alberta. The single-engine Cessna 182 went down Sunday near Seibert Lake east of the hamlet of Lac La Biche. The pilot was the only person on board. No other details were immediately available.
Multi-vehicle crash on southern Alberta highway takes second life STRATHMORE — A two-month-old baby girl who was seriously injured in a four-vehicle collision east of Calgary has died. The infant was one of four members of a family who were in a car involved in the Friday afternoon crash on the
Trans-Canada Highway. The baby’s mother died at the scene, while the child’s father and a second man were injured. One of the three other drivers involved suffered minor injuries. All four vehicles were heading east at the time of the collision. RCMP are still looking into the cause.
A driver killed in a crash near Bowden on July 19 was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time, an autopsy has concluded. A passenger in the Ford F150, which collided with a Dodge truck, is recovering from his injuries and has been released from hospital. At 4:40 p.m. on July 19, Olds RCMP officers were dispatched to a collision about one kilometre west of Hwy 2 on Hwy 587. Police said a westbound Ford crossed into the eastbound lane. An eastbound Dodge truck attempted to avoid the collision, but the two trucks collided in the westbound lane. The Ford came a rest in the lane, and the Dodge flipped into a ditch, coming to rest on its roof. Both drivers were flown by STARS Air Ambulance to hospital. Four other people were taken by ground ambulance to area hospitals. Police said the occupants of the Dodge are still recovering from significant, but non-life-threatening injuries.
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