Red Deer Advocate, January 08, 2016

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Lana Michelin talks with photographer Arto Djerdjerian in today’s FRIDAY FORWARD

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Red Deer Advocate FRIDAY, JAN. 8, 2016

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Caregiver burnout

OPERATING BUDGET

Number crunching trims tax hike to 3.15% BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF Operating budget talks began on an optimistic note as city administration worked overnight to bring down the proposed property tax hike on Wednesday. R o u g h l y $744,000 in savings were found after some juggling with numbers. That included adjusting the gas price to reflect new projections and factoring in the RCMP “soft” vacancies at the end of year. TARA VEER Those are the positions that are not filled because of various forms of leaves. The tweaks bring the proposed property tax hike to 3.15 per cent from 3.77 per cent. The budget was tabled at 3.78 per cent in December. So if there are no changes to the proposed rate an owner of a house assessed at $325,000 would pay $5.07 more each month. The tax bill would rise to $1,990.64 in 2016 compared to $1,929.85 in 2015. And that is where the recommended property hike stayed after four hours of debate despite attempts by council to bring it down further on the second day of operating budget talks. “We are very pleased that we are down to 3.15 per cent,” said Mayor Tara Veer. “Council is having some rigorous debate. I think ultimately it is reflect of where our community is at and recognizing that we are in a deeper recession then we were in 2008 and we need to recognize that.” Veer said the intent of council is to try to arrive at the lowest number possible recognizing that it is charged with being responsible for the financial decisions of the community. “But I think there is a recognition on council’s part that we don’t want to arrive at that number artificially,” said Veer. “Having engaged in deep service level or infrastructure cuts in the past, our community responds the other way saying that there are shortfalls and we need to adjust issues in the community. So I think we are trying to find the right balance to serve our citizens and honours the commitments that we made to our citizens and do it the most rigours financial way.” Council, however, successfully trimmed a total of $37,000 from two line items — stopping security checks on the old RCMP building ($12,000) and cutting the temporary procurement resources in half to $25,000. The item will be up for discussion again at mid-year budget review in August. Coun. Tanya Handley unsuccessfully argued to cut the one per cent growth revenue contribution of $1.2 million to the capital amenities fund in half to $600,000 in 2016. Last year council established the capital amenities fund, where one per cent of the growth revenue into a fund to pay for projects in the 10-year plan.

Please see BUDGET on Page A2

WEATHER 30% flurries. High-14. Low -20.

FORECAST ON A2

Photo by ASHLI BARRETT/Advocate staff

Lily Breland, 66, pictured here in her Parkvale home, has not received respite care for most of 2015 for her two adult sons with developmental disabilities.

A RED DEER MOTHER IS AT HER WIT’S END IN HER BATTLE FOR RESPITE CARE BY SUSAN ZIELINSKI ADVOCATE STAFF A Red Deer mother with two adult sons with developmental disabilities says she went without respite care for most of 2015 despite a government service contract with a community agency. Lily Breland, 66, said regular respite care ended last January even though 15 hours a week of respite care in her home is included in the service contract between Lacombe Action Group and the provincial government department Persons with Development Disabilities (PDD). For more than 10 years, a respite worker has regularly cared for her sons so she could have a few hours a week all to herself. She said the community agency did provide a respite worker in the summer, but only for about five weeks.

‘I’M KIND OF AT MY WIT’S END TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO. I DON’T HAVE THE MONEY TO SUE A GOVERNMENT AGENCY AND THAT’S KIND OF WHERE I FEEL I’M AT NOW. ALL I WANT IS MY 15 HOURS A WEEK. I NEED A BREAK.’ — LILY BRELAND Breland said she was told regular staffing was unavailable for a variety of reasons. “I’m kind of at my wits end trying to figure out what to do. I don’t have the money to sue a government agency and that’s kind of where I feel I’m at now. All I want is my 15 hours a week. I need a break,” Breland said. Her sons Ryan Breland, 42, and Daniel, 36, both have severe mental disabilities and autism, and respite care gives Breland dedicated time off. “I’m sure they do not look at this as a really imperative position to cover

(but) it means I’m on call 24 hours.” Action Group staff do take her sons out to community activities and venues seven hours each day, Monday to Friday. Breland said she is always on call regardless of whether her sons have community staff, and when those staff are sick or on vacation, she fills in. She said the agency told her to file an appeal with PDD, and PDD agreed she was owed many hours of respite care which sounds great, except she still can’t get any respite.

Please see RESPITE on Page xx

Potter’s Hands pastor to stand trial on sexual assault charge in July BY MURRAY CRAWFORD ADVOCATE STAFF A local pastor and operator of several affordable housing developments has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault. Stanley Richard Schalk, 57, of Red Deer County is the accused and had his first appearance in Red Deer provincial court on Thursday. The alleged offence occurred on June 15, 2015. The sexual assault charge was sworn earlier this week by

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investigators. In a phone interview Thursday, Schalk said he will be “vigorously defending my innocence,” and did not want to comment further. Defence counsel Tyler Nightingale appeared as an agent for Schalk’s lawyer Lorne Goddard before judge Bert Skinner. Schalk was not present, but a designation of counsel was filed by Nightingale on behalf of Goddard. Crown Prosecutor Blair Brandon elected to proceed summarily on the charges, which carries a lesser sen-

tence if the accused is convicted. Nightingale entered the not guilty plea and attempted to set the matter for a Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench trial by a judge and jury. However, because the Crown proceeding summarily the trial can only take place in provincial court. Brandon estimated the trial would take about half a day. A publication ban was ordered by Skinner, protecting the identity of the accused.

Please see SCHALK on Page A2

Long-time gym closes doors A Red Deer fitness club closed its doors unexpectedly at the end of last year, leaving some members out cash. Story on PAGE A6

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