Red Deer Advocate, January 12, 2016

Page 1

MUSICAL HERO MOURNED David Bowie, the star who transformed the look and sound of rock, has died.

JA 8THTHE W ESTERNE • 403-34

R

6-5577 •

PAGE A10

Red Deer Advocate TUESDAY, JAN. 12, 2016

www.reddeeradvocate.com

Your trusted local news authority DAY AT THE RINK

OPERATING BUDGET

RCMP adding six police officers BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF

Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff

Windyboy Yellowbird skates in front of his uncle Kai Yellowbird as he takes the puck away from him on the hockey rink in Westpark on Monday afternoon. The two were joined by Windyboy’s brothers, Craig and Tristen, and several other players as they enjoyed the perfect ice conditions.

Lacombe gets behind plan to sponsor Syrian refugees ‘EVERYONE IS VERY ANXIOUS TO HELP AND WE HAVE LOTS OF SUPPORT. IT SNOWBALLED.’

BY MARY-ANN BARR ADVOCATE STAFF The community of Lacombe has gone from thinking about sponsoring Syrian refugees about a month ago to now in full preparation mode before a family of seven arrives. Betty Cruickshank, a member of the recently formed Lacombe Community Refugee Effort, said Monday that the family, now in Lebanon, includes young parents with five children between the ages of one and 10. The youngest was born in Lebanon. Cruickshank said the idea to privately sponsor Syrian refugees started out small with a couple of churches before Christmas but has grown to include many other people and organi-

— BETTY CRUICKSHANK, LACOMBE COMMUNITY REFUGEE EFFORT zations in the community that want to help. They already have a house that will be rented for the family, and a work bee has been slated to spruce it up. High school students have offered to paint it. A fundraising concert has been scheduled. Cash donations are being accepted at the Mary C. Moore Public Library, and donated households items and clothing are being gathered elsewhere.

The private sponsorship involves the raising of about $25,000, some of which will come from a national body that helps sponsor refugees. Sponsorships involve a one-year commitment to a refugee family. “Everyone is very anxious to help and we have lots of support,” said Cruickshank. “It snowballed.” It is not known when the family will arrive. They just found out last week about the family, she said. These Syrians do not speak English and are not professionals. “They are going to need us for awhile. And I think that makes it really worthwhile,” Cruickshank said.

Please see REFUGEES on Page A2

Reinforcements are on the way. Red Deer RCMP will add six new police officers and three municipal employees to its ranks. The new hires will bring the force’s tally of men and women in uniform to 155 from 149. Council approved $1.1 million for the new recruits over two years on the fourth day of the 2016 operating budget talks on Monday. Half of money affects this year’s budget and the rest will be slated for 2017. Following the meeting, RCMP Supt. Scott Tod said the new officers may work in a number of the units, including community safety, traffic, fraud or other front-line policing. He said the new recruits will definitely not be working in administrative roles. Police officers in Red Deer typically handle 179 cases per officer compared to the provincial average of 95 cases per officer working in other municipally-funded RCMP detachments. “Realistically six more members does not lower the case burden significantly,” said Tod. “However it is a really good start. It is a great indication of the support of council and the importance of policing in the community.” Six additional officers will reduce the load to 172. “It’s definitely a move in the right direction,” said Tod. Tod told council the case per load affects the amount of time the officer has to do proactive policing. “It affects their work and life balance,” said Tod. “It also affects our ability to attract members to work in this community. Members shop around. They look at the case burden per member . . . but it also puts us in a position where we are deploying our resources. Sometimes I have to make decisions to re-deploy resources out of specialized and support units which are not popular but have to be done in order to support front-line policing.” The case load burden per officer went up slightly in 2015. No specific numbers were given but Tod has the downtown in the economy on his radar for possible spikes in property and domestic abuse crimes.

Please see BUDGET on Page A2

Beef industry producing more with less greenhouse gas emissions: study BY THE CANADIAN PRESS

File photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff

Cattle graze in a pasture east of Red Deer.

WEATHER Clearing. High -3. Low -10.

FORECAST ON A2

INDEX Two sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business . . . . . . . A6-A7 Canada . . . . . . . . A5, A9 Classified . . . . . . B6-B7 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . A8 Entertainment . . . . .A10 Sports . . . . . . . . . B3-B5

EDMONTON — Canada’s cattle industry is producing more beef with less greenhouse gas emissions, says a new study. Researchers at the University of Manitoba and Agriculture Canada found a 15 per cent reduction in methane emissions on a production basis between 1981 and 2011, and a 16 per cent cut in nitrous dioxide from manure. The results were achieved partly by feeding cattle grain instead of grass and other forage when they are being fattened before slaughter, says the study published in the journal Animal Production Science.

“A lot of our efficiencies in Canada have to due with the use of grain in feedlot diets,” Tim McAllister, a research scientist with Agriculture Canada said Monday. “They get more energy from it and with less digestive problems.” Changes in management practices have allowed cattle to be sent for slaughter at a younger age, around 18 months, rather than 24 months in the past. The study compared the cattle herd, the amount of land required for beef production and the change in greenhouse gas emissions in the production of Canadian beef.

Please see BEEF on Page A2

Taliban frees Canadian man after five years Colin Rutherford, a Canadian man captured by the Taliban in 2010, has been freed. Story on PAGE A5

PLEASE RECYCLE


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Red Deer Advocate, January 12, 2016 by Black Press Media Group - Issuu