Lana Michelin talks to comedian Lorne Elliott in today’s FRIDAY FORWARD
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Red Deer Advocate FRIDAY, OCT. 16, 2015
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‘Grain engulfments’ deadly SAFETY EXPERT CALLS FOR AWARENESS AFTER FARM TRAGEDY BY THE CANADIAN PRESS WITHROW — An agriculture safety expert is calling for more education about dangers on the farm after three Alberta sisters suffocated while playing in a truck loaded with canola. Glen Blahey with the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association says it may look like fun to jump in a pile of tiny grains or seeds — but it can be deadly. He wants companies that sell grain bins and farm equipment to talk with customers about the risks of
“grain engulfments.” He also wants more farm families to talk about it with their children. “It’s what we perceive as being hazardous is the challenge,” Blahey says. Catie Bott, 13, and 11-year-old twins Dara and Jana were buried by canola Tuesday on their family’s farm near the hamlet of Withrow in the west-central part of the province. Their parents and neighbours worked to free them from the truck but two of the girls could not be revived. The third was taken by air ambulance to hospital in Edmonton, but she died overnight.
Blahey said four other people, including a 14-year-old boy and his grandfather in Saskatchewan, have suffocated in grain so far in 2015. The number of cases has been increasing in recent years, he added. That’s why the agency has a program that funds training volunteer firefighters in rescue techniques, he said. Earlier this year, a crew that received the training helped save a man buried up to his chin in grain on a farm in Nova Scotia.
Please see SAFETY on Page A2
ENTER THE VORTEX
FEDERAL ELECTION
Advance poll turnout promising BY MARY-ANN BARR ADVOCATE STAFF Central Alberta advance poll results for the 42nd federal election might be the precursor of a better voter overall turnout than in the 2011 election. For the first time, advance polls were open four days in- Harper, Mulcair take stead of the usual three, and ac- aim at Trudeau A6 cording to Elections Canada, this is at least part of the reason why there was a 71 per cent overall increase in the number of Canadian voters choosing to vote early. The general election is on Monday. Chief Electoral Officer of Canada Marc Mayrand released the estimated preliminary number of electors who voted between Oct. 9 and 12, which showed a total of 3.6 million electors voted at advance polls across the country. There were 2,100,855 electors who voted in advance in the 2011 general election, which, after the general election was over, tallied an overall voter turnout of 61.1 per cent. In Central Alberta it’s difficult to compare advance vote numbers with the previous election because new ridings have been created, along with new boundaries. The changes have been substantial. The old Red Deer riding in 2011 is now split in two, becoming Red Deer-Lacombe and Red Deer-Mountain View ridings, but also taking into their new boundaries portions of other 2011 ridings. The advance polls for the new Red Deer-Lacombe riding drew 11,439 people, or 13.3 per cent of the 85,865 eligible voters. Red Deer-Mountain View saw 12,275 advance voters,or 14.2 per cent of 86,322 eligible voters. In the 2011 election, advance polls in the old Red Deer riding drew 4,602 voters, or just five per cent of its then 93,723 eligible voters. And in the former Wetaskiwin riding — part of which the new Red Deer-Lacombe riding takes in — there were 80,262 eligible voters in 2011 with 4,792 (about six per cent) casting votes in the advance polls. In the new Yellowhead riding, 14.8 per cent (10,854) of 73,357 eligible voters cast advance votes. Even though the riding name has not changed, its boundaries have. The new riding includes Rocky Mountain House voters. In the new riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, which includes the Stettler area, there were 7,246 advance voters, representing nine per cent of the 80,259 eligible voters. On Monday, when the full election turnout is known, it may be better understood whether the increased advance voter was because more people just decided to vote early, more decided to vote, or the election campaign itself has created new interest in voting. Or maybe it was just the weather. The weather forecast for Monday in Red Deer is looking positive, showing some cloud, with a chance of a shower and a high of 13C. Polls in Alberta will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. For more information about voting go to the Elections Canada website at elections.ca or call toll-free 1-800-463-6868 between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m.
WEATHER Mainly sunny. High 14. Low 0.
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Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
Be prepared to have your mind blown. That’s what those who have built this years edition of the Zed haunted House in Red Deer hope to achieve with all those who dare to enter. The 25th annual fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club Red Deer and District is located in the former Princess Auto building at 6833-66 Street. Sponsors of the event got a preview of the house on Thursday night and did not go away disappointed. Here a group passes through the Vortex, which is sure to get even those with the best balance feeling a little queasy. Starting today the Haunted House is open to the public from 6 to 10 p.m. every night until Halloween. Matinee events will take place each Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. For more details visit zedhauntedhouse.com.
Flu season arrives in province BY SUSAN ZIELINSKI ADVOCATE STAFF
the influenza vaccine did not protect against the most common strain in circulation. The trouble was caused by one of the three strains in the vaccine — influenza A strain H3N2 — known for its ability to Influenza has arrived in Alberta ahead of the an- mutate quickly and striking the elderly the hardest. nual influenza immunization campaign that starts on Last season, 1,874 Albertans were admitted to hosTuesday. pital and there were 103 flu-related deaths. On Thursday, Alberta In Alberta Health Serhealth officials said the vices Central Zone, 179 ‘THE STRAIN THAT IS CURRENTLY CIRCUfirst outbreak of the seapeople ended up in hosson occurred at a facili- LATING IS SOMEWHAT OF A GOOD MATCH — pital. A total of 11 people ty in Edmonton this past NOT A PERFECT MATCH — SOMEWHAT OF A died in the zone — six in week. hospital and five in the “In B.C. they have re- GOOD MATCH WITH THE VACCINE WE HAVE.’ community. ported a few outbreaks in During the 2013-14 sealong-term care facilities. son, Central Zone had on— DR. MARTIN LAVOIE We’ve seen one in AlDEPUTY CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH ly four flu-related deaths. berta so far and we have Lavoie said the inseen a few isolated cases fluenza A H3 type is the here and there. So it’s probably just starting,” said strain circulating so far and it’s a too early to say if Dr. Martin Lavoie, Alberta’s deputy chief medical the vaccine is going to be a good match. officer of health at a press conference held in Ed“The strain that is currently circulating is somemonton for the province’s influenza immunization what of a good match — not a perfect match — somecampaign. what of a good match with the vaccine we have.” Immunization is available free of charge to all Albertans six months of age and older. Alberta had a deadly flu season in 2014-15 when Please see FLU on Page A2
Canada loses a true hero Ken Taylor, whose role in the 1979 ‘Canadian Caper’ made him a hero on both sides of the border, has died. Story on PAGE A5
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