FLAMES IGNITE FOR 2-1 WIN OVER FLYERS
Lana Michelin talks with the Red Deer musician Bruce Jacobson in today’s FRIDAY FORWARD
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Red Deer Advocate FRIDAY, NOV. 6, 2015
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Rona takes the reins EDMONTON MP CHOSEN AS INTERIM CONSERVATIVE LEADER BY MARY-ANN BARR ADVOCATE STAFF Fresh out of a caucus meeting that first heard from former prime minister Stephen Harper, followed by the selection of interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose, Red Deer -Mountain View MP Earl Dreeshen said Thursday he wants to work with the new government to help his constituents. While Dreeshen did not provide details of the federal Conservative caucus meeting, he did say Harper encouraged the MPs to “just continue to work hard as we have done in the past.” “We do have the greatest respect for (Stephen Harper). The world knows how significant he has been and the leadership that he has shown. Now it’ll be up to us as Opposition to let people realize the significance of the
EARL DREESHEN
‘I HAVE THE GREATEST RESPECT FOR RONA. SHE’S A BRIGHT EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR AND SHE’S PASSIONATE ABOUT OUR COUNTRY. SO I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH HER IN THE WEEKS AND MONTHS TO COME . . . .’
mark that Conservatives have made, and prime minister Harper had made for Canada.” While the Conservatives lost the election to Justin Trudeau’s Liberals on Oct. 19, local Conservatives Dreesh-
RONA AMBROSE
en and Blaine Calkins (Red Deer-Lacombe) were elected. Dreeshen said Harper did have a chance to express his feelings and concerns “and we as always appreciated his comments and insight.”
Lest we forget
BY MURRAY CRAWFORD ADVOCATE STAFF
was seen by tens of thousands of Canadians marching to the front. Legend had it that when the statue fell the war would end. The curtain hung for decades on the stage of the Women’s Institute Penhold Memorial Hall that was built in 1919 to remember all those who served in the Great War. In modern times, the crowds who line the Highway of Heroes, those who have supported injured soldiers in sporting events, and initiatives to help soldiers cope with post-traumatic stress disorders through canine and equine therapy all show Canadians stepping up to help their soldiers. “The drop curtain and the cenotaph is another example of local organizations coming together and creating something for their community.”
A decision on sentence for a hitand-run crash that left a teenager dead in a rural ditch has been delayed, but Crown and defence said the sentence should be in the range of six to eight months in custody. Jessica Lyn Masyk, 26, pleaded guilty to three charges on Aug. 19 including driving while unauthorized, failing to remain at the scene of a collision and public mischief for filing a false police report. At about 10:30 p.m. on May 20, 2014, driving in her Dodge Durango with her two children inside, Masyk struck and killed Trystan Sorensen, 18, on Hwy 592 west of Penhold. A month prior Masyk’s driver’s licence was suspended for traffic safety act violations. Trystan was riding on a longboard on one side of the highway at the time and was sent flying into the ditch. He suffered severe injuries and though EMS attempted to perform CPR, Trystan died at the scene. Appearing in Red Deer provincial court on Thursday, Crown Prosecutor Ed Ring and defence counsel Kaitlyn Perrin, of Calgary, gave judge John Holmes their recommendation on a sentence for Masyk. Both agreed the sentence should be in the range of six to eight months in custody. Further suggested punishments included a two-year driving prohibition, a fine of $1,000 to $1,500 and Ring also asked for an order for Masyk to provide a sample of her DNA. Ring said the sentence was warranted, citing case law and said Masyk knew that bodily harm had been caused to another person and was reckless as to whether the death of the other person resulted from that bodily harm. Masyk did exit her vehicle and look around. She phoned a friend in a panic. The friend told her to leave the scene and she followed that advice. A witness said she was outside of her vehicle for no longer than one minute. A pre-sentence report was developed for the sentencing hearing. Perrin drew issue with a conclusion it reached that Masyk was unwilling to vebalize her remorse.
Please see MEMORIAL on Page A2
Please see MASYK on Page A2
Photo by ASHLI BARRETT/Advocate staff
Penhold — A cenotaph and a restored First World War memorial stage curtain were unveiled here Thursday to honour Canadian soldiers’ sacrifices. Speaking to our modern generation, for whom world wars are almost unimaginable, keynote speaker retired Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie reminded his audience how lucky Canadians are. Two weeks before returning to Canada, after serving as commander of Sector Sarajevo in the former Yugoslavia, he saw a group of teenagers being given food by the Canadians killed or horribly mangled in front of his eyes by a mortar shell explosion. On returning to Ottawa, the big news of the day was the GST and the Grey Cup weather forecast.
WEATHER Sun and cloud. High 3. Low 0.
FORECAST ON A2
“What a God-given blessing we have to be able to sweat the small stuff,” said MacKenzie, who is one of Canada’s best-known soldiers and the first to receive two Meritorious Services Crosses for his leadership in a 36-year military career. “It’s just unbelievable how much we take for granted.” MacKenzie was joined by Alberta Lt.-Gov. Lois Mitchell and many other provincial and municipal dignitaries at the memorial event in Penhold Regional Multiplex. They were piped into the gymnasium along with a colour party. Nobody was taking peace for granted in 1920, when the Penhold stage curtain was commissioned and painted with a view of an iconic image of the gilded statue of the Virgin Mary atop a basilica in Albert, France. Damaged by shellfire and hanging precariously at an angle, the statue
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Masyk sentencing delayed
The flags are presented before the unveiling of the Cenotaph during the Penhold War Memorial Dedication at the Penhold Regional Multiplex Thursday evening. The function featured the unveiling of the Cenotaph and the Penhold Memorial Hall Stage Curtain. BY PAUL COWLEY ADVOCATE STAFF
Asked if it was an emotional meeting, Dreeshen said: “Really what we were looking at, it was a business meeting … and so we went about doing the things that we need to do in order to become a strong and effective opposition.” “That was what we felt we were going to do when we went in and that’s what we felt we had accomplished.” “And so we now have a new interim leader, Rona Ambrose, and I have the greatest respect for Rona. She’s a bright effective communicator and she’s passionate about our country. So I’m looking forward to working with her in the weeks and months to come until we finally have a leadership convention that will give our party someone for the future.” No date has been set yet for the leadership convention.
Don’t judge a runner by her sneakers Diana Hurley ran her first marathon in Kelowna last month, a feat she never thought would be possible in her lifetime. Story on PAGE B6
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