Red Deer Advocate, March 31, 2016

B9 TAPPING EARTH’S ABUNDANT ENERGY FORD NATION BID FAREWELL TO LEADER

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A PATCHWORK ODYSSEY OILPATCH

Drive aims to drum up support

BY MARY-ANN BARR ADVOCATE STAFF Over the past 15 months, Dave Malone has seen his Red Deerbased oilpatch service company go from 62 employees to 28.

T h e “president, owner, chief cook and b o t t l e washer” of Rezone Well Servicing Ltd. a d m i t s the company is struggling at the mo- DAVE MALONE ment, but after 42 years in the business he’s quite familiar with its cyclical nature.

“This ain’t my first barbecue at these slowdowns and it’s always a ripple effect.”

Oil and gas service companies have been suffering revenue loss for five quarters and it’s starting to affect restaurants, hotels, shoe stores, “All the way down the line … they will feel it this year,” Malone said Wednesday.

“It’s always been like that.”

It’s worse, he said, “for the people who thought the rainbow didn’t have an end to it.”

Over at Predator Drilling Inc., another local oilpatch company with about 30 employees right now, personal sacrifices have been made as they have collectively taken wage reductions to help the company remain viable, marketing co-ordinator Merlyn Ness said.

The two companies are among a number involved in the oil and gas industry that have climbed on board a unique national campaign launched by the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors recently.

Oil Respect is aimed at gathering vocal support for the industry from Canadians, explaining the important role it has on the entire economy, getting government support for pipelines, and pushing back against misinformation.

A number of Central Alberta oilpatch companies that have recently sent Oil Respect letters out to media.

See OILPATCH on Page A8

Photo by ASHLI BARRETT/Advocate staff

Logan Shave (playing “Victim”, right) interacts with Layne Zazalak (playing “Hostage”) during a scene from RDC’s student production,’A Patchwork Odyssey,’ at their first rehearsal in their show space at the Scott Block Wednesday afternoon.

Pilot project to help low-income residents choose, buy and prepare healthier food

BY MARY-ANN BARR ADVOCATE STAFF A Red Deer pilot project will help people struggling financially to shop for their own food instead of only obtaining it from other agencies such as the food bank.

Besides giving pre-loaded cards to buy food, Food for Friends will also offer programs about choosing and preparing healthy food, said Krystal Kromm, who began to pull the project together several months ago.

Nine years ago Kromm was a single mom in college with two young children, and had to turn to the Red Deer Food Bank and other organizations to

COMMENT A4 BUSINESS A9-A10

KRYSTAL KROMM

BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF A new era of recognition for midsize cities and regional hubs may be on the horizon.

Mayor Tara Veer said she feels optimistic after meeting with Amarjeet Sohi, the federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, in Red Deer on Tuesday.

Council met with the minister before the city hosted a mayor’s forum at Civic Yards.

“The fact that a sitting federal infrastructure minister came to Red Deer to me bodes well for recognition for mid-sized cities and regional hubs,” said Veer. “We appreciated his accessibility and willingness to convene

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with Central Alberta mayors and it gave us an opportunity to ask questions both in a general sense around potential, existing infrastructure dollars. But it also built a relationship with the minister and our region so that in the future there is an open door for the municipalities of our region.”

Please see SOHI on Page A8

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Trudeau, Wall spar over EI A3

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er. Food insecurity ranges from not having enough money to buy food or choosing lower quality food because of your income.”

Now 32, and no longer in that difficult situation, Kromm became aware of the only Food for Friends program in Canada, in Woodstock, Ont. That program resulted in the local food bank eventually closing and became the main method to help people in emergency food situations.

Kromm said when she learned about that program, the concept stayed with her and so she has revised it to work for Red Deer.

Mayor feeling optimistic after meeting with federal infrastructure minister

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survive.

Life is better now — she does not need the help of the food bank although she recently did take a friend there who needed help.

“I know first hand what it’s like to have to walk into a food bank and ask for food or choose to purchase foods that are cheap-

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NEWS

Thursday, March 31, 2016

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Cops honoured for stopping drunk drivers

BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF Two city cops who have a knack for spotting impaired drivers have received top honours in their efforts to take them off the roads.

Const. Liam Shiels and Const. Stephen Hiscocks, members of the Red Deer RCMP Traffic Unit, recently received the gold Cpl. Cumming Award for charging more than 25 impaired drivers during a calendar year.

Last year Shiels charged 42 impaired drivers while Hiscocks charged 32.

“I have been to numerous crashes both here and at my previous posting in Peace River where alcohol has been a factor,” said Sheils, who has been on the force for seven years. “Fatal collisions are just terrible to attend in any manner and it’s even worse when it is impaired.”

Shiels, 29, said he has caught drivers at all hours of the day, every day of the week. He said impaired drivers are out there all the time.

night. Because I know these guys are out driving.”

Both officers said the recognition is personally rewarding but more importantly it also helps get the message out that police are trying to curb impaired driving.

“It makes me feel good that I actually could have saved them that night or someone else from either serious injuries or death, ” said Hiscocks.

The gold Cpl. Cumming Award is awarded to RCMP officers who charge between 15 and 24 impaired drivers during a calendar year.

The Cpl. Cumming Award program is a collaborative effort between RCMP “K” Division Traffic Services, Alberta Transportation, Office of Traffic Safety and MADD Canada. It supports police efforts to detect and apprehend impaired drivers on Alberta roadways.

The awards are named in honour of Cpl. Graeme Cumming, a member of the RCMP who was killed on duty by an impaired driver on Hwy 3 near Lethbridge in August 1998. crhyno@reddeeradvocate.com

Photo by CRYSTAL RHYNO/Advocate staff

Red Deer RCMP Const. Stephen Hiscocks (left), Insp. Heidi Wild and Const. Liam Shiels are all smiles after the two constables were recently presented with the gold Cpl. Cumming Award. The two officers charged more than 25 impaired drivers last year.

Last year the traffic unit conducted about 250 impaired driving tests.

Hiscocks said he would like to see this number go down.

“Whether it is the tough times or not people seem to be drinking more than last year,” said Hiscocks, 45, who

has been on the force for seven years.

“They need to stop for their own safety and other people’s safety. We don’t want to go to those crashes where people are injured or have died. Even pedestrians. For me it is scary watching people up and down the street at

MARIANAS TRENCH

Local BRIEFS RCMP hunting for armed robbery suspect Mounties are looking for a suspect who held up the Fairview Food Mart with a dark grey machete on March 21.

Police say the suspect entered the Fairview Food Mart on Fir Street brandishing a machete and demanding cigarettes and cash around 8 p.m.

He was seen heading east on foot, ARMED ROBBERY crossing the SUSPECT walking bridge on Taylor Drive and escaping in a waiting vehicle, a dark-coloured four-door Chevrolet Impala with a spoiler on the back.

The suspect is described as a Caucasian man between the ages of 18 and 25 and between 1.73 metres (five-foot-eight) and 1.75 metres (fivefoot-nine) tall. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with bright red and orange lettering, black sunglasses, black ball cap and black gloves.

If you have any information about this robbery, contact the Red Deer RCMP at 403-343-5575.

Man killed when motorcycle crashes into ditch A 42-year-old man is dead after his motorcycle crashed into a ditch in Red Deer County on Tuesday.

Innisfail RCMP say two motorcycles were heading south on Range Road 40 and Township Road 350 when both bikes failed to negotiate a sharp turn

Photo by ASHLI BARRETT/Advocate staff

Josh Ramsay, frontman of Canadian rock band Marianas Trench, performs at the Enmax Centrium on Wednesday evening. Please see Lana Michelin’s review in Friday’s Red Deer Advocate. in the roadway. Both bikes landed in the ditch.

One driver was taken to the Innisfail Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The other driver, a 45-year-old man, was treated at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre and later released.

No other vehicles were involved in the collision.

Traffic was diverted for a period

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of time while the RCMP Red Deer Collision Analyst conducted its investigation.

The collision remains under investigation.

On March 25, 2016 at approximately 8:00 pm, Blackfalds RCMP received a complaint of shots fired near Joffre, Alberta. A CN Railway crew were moving a train west of Joffre and heard numerous rifle shots which were believed to hit the train. CN Railway personnel were working within close proximity of where the shots were believed to impact the train.

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NEWS

Thursday, March 31, 2016

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Trudeau, Wall spar over EI

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS EDMONTON — Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall renewed his attack Wednesday on Justin Trudeau’s employment insurance changes but the prime minister said the issue boils down to “cold, hard mathematics.”

Wall praised the extensions to EI coverage for 12 areas hit hard by the resource downturn, but questioned why the government employed a straight-up regional statistical cutoff rather than helping people in specific industries, such as oil and gas.

“It’s not a lot, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction, except the federal government excluded two-thirds of our oilpatch,” said Wall.

Wall took aim at some of Trudeau’s comments from Tuesday, when the prime minister said those in Edmonton and Saskatchewan complaining about being left out of changes should feel fortunate their areas have not been harder hit by the downturn in energy prices.

“I know those laid-off workers,” said Wall.

“If the federal government has a program to help provide a bit of support for energy workers, why in the world would they exclude southwestern Saskatchewan, southeastern Saskatchewan, and why then would anyone say that you should happy about that? They’re not happy about that.”

Last week’s federal budget included provisions to help workers in regions where the unemployment rate increased by two percentage points or more for a sustained period over the last 12 months when compared with the lowest point between 2014 and early 2015.

The 12 regions are: Whitehorse, Nunavut, northern British Columbia, northern Manitoba, northern Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, northern Alberta, southern Alberta, northern Saskatchewan, Calgary, Saskatoon, and Sudbury, Ont. The budget adds five weeks to the regular 45 weeks of EI benefits, effective in July and retroactive to January 2015.

Long-tenured workers will also be eligible for an extra 20 weeks of benefits, to a maximum of 70 weeks.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley has expressed

Alberta BRIEFS Man fatally shot in Calgary was brother of man convicted in 2012 murder Calgary police have confirmed a man shot near a school was the brother of a man convicted in a 2012 homicide.

Police have identified this week’s victim as

Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spends some time with Sarah Nguyen, 3, during a stop at the Mill Woods branch of Edmonton Public Library in Edmonton on Wednesday. concern that workers in Edmonton have been excluded.

The job losses have been less severe in the Alberta capital due, in part, to the city being home to many provincial civil servants.

Notley’s government has not cut the civil service during the downturn, saying that would make a bad situation worse.

Trudeau faced renewed questions on the Edmon-

ton exemption while touring the city Wednesday.

He reiterated that the federal government is not arbitrarily picking winners and losers.

“We’re applying the cold, hard mathematics,” Trudeau told reporters after meeting with families at a southside library.

“We’re continuing to base our decisions on evidence and facts and making sure that we’re helping out the people who need the help the most.”

22-year-old Emmanuel Keror, who was killed about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday about a block from Marlborough elementary school in northeast Calgary.

Two men have been arrested but charges have yet to be laid.

On Sept. 20, 2012, Philip Anny was gunned down on an Applewood street and three years later, Deng Lino Keror was convicted of second-degree murder.

Calgary police Insp. Don Coleman says they are looking into the possibility that Tuesday’s shooting was revenge in some way.

Darrius Chief Body, who is 46, was convicted earlier this year in the attack on the 30-year-old victim on a downtown Lethbridge street in March 2013.

Court heard that Chief Body grabbed the woman from behind, took her behind some bushes and sexually assaulted her.

She was fighting an addiction at the time and was looking for cigarette butts.

Justice D.K. Miller rejected Chief Body’s story that the victim had offered sexual services for money.

The judge noted that the woman’s hearing-aid was not working at the time, so it was improbable that she could have carried on a conversation with him in the dark.

The woman’s victim impact statement, read in court earlier this month by her mother, said she hasn’t felt safe since the attack and is afraid to go out in public.

“I’ve basically become a hermit,” she wrote.

Man sent to prison for sex assault on hearing-impaired woman LETHBRIDGE — A southern Alberta man has been sentenced to 3 ½ years in prison for sexually assaulting a hearing-impaired woman.

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COMMENT

THE ADVOCATE Thursday, March 31, 2016

Microsoft’s Tay reflects the worst of us GREG NEIMAN OPINION

O

n a whim, and perhaps wishing to escape to a simpler future, I’ve just started reading Isaac Asimov’s 1950-era vision of today, I, Robot. It’s a collection of short stories wound around the narratives of a fictional engineer in machine intelligence, as she reflects on the social changes that followed when robots were made to think and speak for themselves.

If there were a Dr. Susan Calvin around today, I wonder what she’d think of Tay, the Artificail Intelligence chatbot that Microsoft created and set loose in the Twitterverse last week — and which had to be put down within hours.

Tay didn’t roam about on machine

legs, sprouting laser death rays while violating all the laws of robotics that Asimov had so famously created. Tay was just a Twitter account.

The AI behind that account was to “experiment with and conduct research on conversational understanding,” according to a Microsoft development team. Tay was targeted to engage millennials online and learn to talk like them through Twitter conversations.

Tay was “AI fam the internet that’s got zero chill.” Also, zero awareness of the existence of online trolls.

In about 17 hours, Tay had become a racist bigot who supported genocide of Mexicans, expressed hatred of blacks and feminists, denied the Holocaust ever happened — and was a fan of Donald Trump.

In short, a robot that needed to be put to sleep.

Much of the worst of Tay’s online exchanges have been taken down.

Wouldn’t that be another violation of the code of the internet? Aren’t a hu-

man being’s ill-considered comments preserved for all time on servers all over the world, waiting to sabotage a future run for public office?

If you’re willing to believe that all knowledge is good, you can find some positives in this. We know Tay was an early effort, and quite unsophisticated.

Thus, it proves that it requires very little intelligence or sophistication to become an online troll.

If humanity is to continue on the track toward machine self-awareness — and we are — we’ll need to program in Asimov’s laws of robotics. You know, the ones that prohibit robotic harm to humans.

Machine self-awareness also needs to program in some protection against what’s known as Godwin’s Law. That law predicts that the longer an online conversation continues, the greater the probability it will reference Nazis and Hitler.

The internet truly is a reflection of the best and worst of humanity. And the less self-aware (net neutral) it is

made to be, the more likely it is to reflect the worst, rather than the best of us. Under Godwin’s Law, we do not evolve through anonymous online connections, we devolve.

Humans have a social filter that helps us decide what is appropriate to say and do. Most of the time, in face-toface interactions, that filter works fine.

Online, not so much. The troll ruining your life in social media might well be the polite, positive co-worker you can physically talk to in the next cubicle.

Online, the two of you most likely will not even know that you are in fact real-life neighbours.

Therefore, does the Tay experience show us the internet needs an all-powerful referee? Or, could Tay develop through experience the same kind of filters that keep real-life civilization from burning up in violent chaos?

Without Asimov and his fictional Susan Calvin, we are left with Godwin.

And that is definitely not zero chill.

Follow Greg Neiman’s blog at Readersadvocate.blogspot.ca

Advocate letters policy

T

he Advocate welcomes letters on public issues from readers. Letters must be signed with the writer’s first and last name, plus address and phone number.

Pen names may not be used.

Letters will be published with the writer’s name. Addresses and phone numbers won’t be published.

Letters should be brief and deal with a single topic; try to keep them under 300 words.

The Advocate will not interfere with the free expression of opinion on public issues submitted by readers, but reserves the right to refuse publication and to edit all letters for public interest, length, clarity, legality, personal abuse or good taste.

The Advocate will not publish statements that indicate unlawful discrimination or intent to discriminate against a person or class of persons, or are likely to expose people to hatred or contempt because of race, colour, religious beliefs, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, source of income, marital status, family status or sexual orientation.

Due to the volume of letters we receive, some submissions may not be published.

Mail submissions or drop them off to Letters to the Editor, Red Deer Advocate, 2950 Bremner Ave., T4R 1M9; or e-mail to editorial@ reddeeradvocate.com.

Europe’s migrant crisis could get even uglier GWYNNE DYER OPINION

E

arly next week (April 4), the deal made between the European Union and Turkey to stem the flood of refugees into the EU goes into effect. It will promptly blow up in everybody’s face, for three reasons.

First problem: the EU won’t be able to “process” the arriving migrants as fast as new ones arrive. Migrants are arriving on the Greek islands of Chios and Lesbos at the rate of almost 2,000 per day, and as the weather improves even larger numbers will attempt the short sea crossing from Turkey.

Up to now the migrants have quickly been moved on to the mainland of Greece, but the Turkish-EU deal means that new arrivals will now pile up on the islands in detention camps while awaiting a decision on their asylum claims. Living conditions will become intolerable and there will be protests, some of them violent.

The EU has authorized a force of 4,000 security and migration officials and translators to register the new ar-

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rivals and investigate their claims for asylum. Even if these officials had all arrived on the islands (most haven’t), they wouldn’t be enough. It takes time to interview the claimants, write up the claims, make decisions to accept or reject them, and even allow appeals — and meanwhile another 2,000 will be arriving each day.

Second problem: within one or two weeks the time will come for the first rejected asylum claimants to be sent back to Turkey. Having spent all their money and endured great hardships to get this far, they will not go back willingly. It will require physical force to get some of them on the planes or boats that will take them back — enough force that there will be real casualties.

Third problem: by June, as part of this deal, Turkish citizens will have the right to visa-free travel to the European Union. Around one-fifth of Turkey’s population, some 15-20 million people, are Kurds. Since last summer, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, having broken a two-year ceasefire with the separatists of the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), has been waging a pitiless war against them in the towns and cities of the southeast.

Some parts of Kurdish-majority cities in Turkey now resemble the

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war-ravaged cities of Syria. The Kurds, as Turkish citizens, will be able to enter most EU countries not as refugees but as tourists — and it would be very surprising if several million of them do not avail themselves of the opportunity. But the EU’s goal in this deal was to stop the mass migration, not to change it from Syrian Arabs to Turkish Kurds.

In practice, things will never get that far. Long before the EU negotiators agree on the details of visa-free travel for Turkish citizens the deal will collapse — because it will automatically be cancelled if the number of returnees reaches 72,000. That’s slightly more than one month’s worth of migrants at the current rate of supply.

The goal behind this weirdly dysfunctional deal was twofold: to cut the total number of migrants drastically — more than a million made it into the EU last year — and at the same time to end the deaths that happen during the sea crossing: 460 drownings out of the 143,000 who tried to cross so far this year. But it simply will not work.

The only way to really seal a frontier is to kill people who try to cross it illegally. After first few hundred deaths most people get the message and stop trying. (The Iron Curtain worked pretty well, for example.) But the EU isn’t ready to do that yet — so how can it discourage migrants from

Alberta Press Council member The Red Deer Advocate is a sponsoring member of the Alberta Press Council, an independent body that promotes and protects the established freedoms of the press and advocates freedom of information. The Alberta Press Council upholds the public’s right to full, fair and accurate news reporting by considering complaints, within 60 days of publication, regarding the publication of news and the accuracy of facts used to support opinion. The council is comprised of public members and representatives of member newspapers.

making the crossing?

What if we ship almost all those who make it to the Greek islands back to Turkey, but promise to take one legitimate Syrian refugee out of the camps in Turkey for every Syrian we send back? The Turks will go along with it if we give them $3.3 billion now, promise them another $3.3 billion later, and allow visa-free travel to the EU for Turkish citizens. The deal is win-win all round. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, there are around two-and-ahalf million Syrian refugees in Turkey, and most of them are not even in camps. If they have a good legal claim for asylum, why should they wait in the queue? And if they are not Syrian — Iraqi or Afghan refugees or African migrants — where is their incentive not to get in a boat and try their luck?

To its credit, the EU has not yet deployed the ultimate argument: that refugees are already safe in Turkey, a country that is still technically a democracy with the rule of law, and therefore have no right to go asylum-shopping in greener pastures elsewhere. But after this new deal collapses, it will almost certainly come to that in the end.

Gwynne Dyer is an independent Canadian journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries.

The Press Council’s address: PO Box 2576, Medicine Hat, AB, T1A 8G8. Phone 403-5804104. Email: abpress@telus.net. Website: www.albertapresscouncil.ca.

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NEWS

Thursday, March 31, 2016

A5

Fire in First Nation kills 9 PIKANGIKUM, Ont. — Nine members of one family, including three children under five, have died in a house fire in a remote northern Ontario First Nations community that is no stranger to human tragedy.

A resident of the Pikangikum First Nation who did not want to be identified said three generations of a family died in the blaze that destroyed their home late Tuesday.

The resident identified the victims as Dean and Annette Strang, their son Gilbert, their daughter Faith, Faith’s three young children and two common-law partners.

Ontario Provincial Police Const. Diana Cole said the fire broke out late Tuesday in the remote community near the Manitoba-Ontario boundary that has been plagued by suicides.

The cause of the fire is under investigation and police remain on the scene, Cole said.

Alvin Fiddler, grand chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation which represents First Nations in northern Ontario, said he spoke Wednesday with Pikangikum Chief Dean Owen, who sounded exhausted.

“The shock of losing so many people in one tragic event is overwhelming,” said Fiddler. “There’s a tremendous loss and overwhelming grief that all of us are feeling.”

Fiddler described Pikangikum as “ground zero” when it comes to infrastructure requirements such as housing, access to clean drinking water and the capacity to fight fires.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered his condolences to the community and said his government will work to improve conditions for First Nations people.

“We continue to be engaged with provincial and indigenous leadership on how to build better infrastructure, how to secure the future for indigenous youth and their communities,” he said during a visit to Edmonton.

“This is not just about the moral, right thing to do. It’s about investing in

our shared future in this country.”

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne took to Twitter to offer her condolences to the community.

“My thoughts are with the First Nations community of .Pikangikum and those who lost loved ones in last night’s devastating house fire,” Wynne tweeted.

Carolyn Bennett, minister of indigenous and northern affairs, issued a statement Wednesday extending “heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies” to the victims’ families and the community.

“Officials of my department are reaching out to the First Nation to offer our condolences and to identify any support that we can provide to meet the community’s needs,” Bennett said.

“A trauma team is currently in the First Nation to provide counselling and support to those in the community,” a spokeswoman for Bennett said in an email Wednessday evening.

Bennett also said Health Minister Jane Philpott would be working with local and First Nation leaders, along with the province, to determine what else will be needed to support the healing process.

Those familiar with the remote flyin community say the fire is shocking, but not especially surprising.

Deplorable living conditions in Pikangikum have been the subject of public debate for decades. The community’s struggles with poverty and suicide rates have been well-documented, but visitors say that awareness has done little to bring about real change.

Joseph Magnet, an Ottawa-based law professor who has represented the community, said he has visited the overcrowded homes in the community.

“You’re dealing with very, very small houses in which you will sometimes have as many as 15 people sharing a single room without toilet facilities, using a bucket, without running water in the house, and without proper cooking facilities,” he said. “It’s a very, very sorry situation that really should have urgent attention.”

Child welfare advocate testifies at inquest into seven deaths

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS The federal government has failed to provide equitable funding for education on reserves, much as it failed to put in appropriate funding for child welfare services, says First Nations advocate Cindy Blackstock.

Blackstock, president of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, testified about the First Nations education crisis at a Thunder Bay, Ont. inquest on Wednesday.

A jury is examining the deaths of seven young people who died after they had to leave their isolated communities to attend school.

“What I’ve seen in the evidence, in education, is the same pattern we saw in child welfare, which is for many years and in fact decades, the federal government has known that it underfunds First Nations education,” Blackstock said in an interview prior to her testimony.

“That underfunding of First Nations education is directly linked to poor outcomes for First Nations students that get in the way of the lives they wish to have.”

The inquest, which is being conducted in phases, is exploring what happened to 15-year-old Jethro Anderson, 18-year-old Curran Strang, 21-year-old Paul Panacheese, 19-yearold Robyn Harper, 17-year-old Kyle Morrisseau, 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse and 15-year-old Reggie Bushie.

Their deaths occurred over a decade — from 2000 and 2011 — but they endured a shared struggle that impacts First Nations kids across the country, Blackstock said.

“I’ve often said when I think about education, I think about Shannen Koostachin (from Attawapiskat),” she said.

“There was a girl who was going to school and there was a high school in her community, but it was so underfunded, there’s no way that she would have had the education she needed.”

Canada has been placing First Nations kids in situations where their deaths are far more likely, Blackstock added, noting Koostachin died in a car accident while trying to get to school.

“When you send 13 year olds off to go to school hundreds of miles away because they are denied an equitable education … there’s something really wrong with that,” she said. “That’s setting them up for a lot of risk.”

Many communities lack high schools, which forces young people to live in boarding houses closer to available facilities, said Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler.

Fiddler’s organization, which represents northern Ontario reserves, is one of the parties with standing at the inquest.

“For the most part, you don’t have a choice but to go to high school — whether it is in Sioux Lookout or Timmins or Thunder Bay,” he said in an interview earlier this year.

It’s an experience that Fiddler knows first-hand.

“I was one of those kids,” he said.

The Liberal government has said improving education outcomes for First Nations children living on reserve is critical to improve their quality of life and to build stronger communities.

In Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s first budget released last week, the federal government earmarked $2.6 billion over the next five years for primary and secondary schooling in communities — though the government extended its window from the four years outlined in its campaign platform.

DENTURES!!

Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS

Police tape marks off a smouldering house on the Pikangikum First Nation, Wednesday. Nine people are believed to have died in a house fire on Pikangikum First Nation, says the member of Parliament for the riding that includes the northwestern Ontario community.

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BY THE CANADIAN PRESS

NEWS

Thursday, March 31, 2016

A6

Ford Nation bids farewell to leader ROB FORD EULOGIZED AS MAN OF THE PEOPLE

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS

Safety Board probes plane crash that killed seven

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS ILES-DE-LA-MADELEINE, Que. — The plane crash that killed ex-cabinet minister Jean Lapierre and six other people appears to be an “approach-and-landing accident,” the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said Wednesday.

Investigator Mike Cunningham said his six-member team has begun collecting as much evidence as possible from the crash site in a field near the airport in Havre-auxMaisons in the Iles-de-la-Madeleine.

Lapierre, his wife, three of his siblings and both crew members died Tuesday when their chartered plane crashed on its landing approach about three kilometres from the airport. There were no survivors. JEAN LAPIERRE Cunningham said the socalled approach-and-landing phase of flight is of particular concern to the safety board.

“There are quite a few accidents that occur in the approach-and-landing phase and we’ll be looking in detail at that,” he told reporters.

Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS

Renata Ford cries over her husband’s casket at St. James Cathedral during funeral services in Toronto on Wednesday. Rob Ford died of cancer last week, at the age of 46. publicity.”

Former Ontario premier Mike Harris called Ford, mayor from 2010 to 2014, a city hall “breath of fresh air,” while his brother, Doug Ford, highlighted how his untimely death had brought people of different views together.

“Today, we’re putting our political differences aside: We’re here for the Rob Ford party, the party of the people,” Doug Ford said. “Rob, I’m going to miss you like crazy but don’t worry: Ford Nation will continue.”

Earlier, cheers rose from the crowds when Ford’s wife, Renata, blew kisses to the masses as her husband’s casket was lifted into a hearse outside city hall. Family members — some sobbing quietly — stood nearby.

Along the procession route, some in the crowd sporadically broke into song, while others waved “Ford Nation” flags or chanted “mayor for life.”

Heather Hogben-Bruce, who attended the cathe-

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“He has done a lot for the people of Toronto, especially the little people. He was the people’s mayor,” she said. “Nobody’s perfect and I think he’s an incredible man.”

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TORONTO — Rob Ford, Canada’s best-known former mayor, was eulogized Wednesday as a consummate politician and loving father whose serious personal failings garnered international notoriety but only passing mention on a day devoted to saying a final goodbye to him.

In a packed downtown cathedral, family, dignitaries and members of the public paid their respects to the leader of “Ford Nation,” who captured as much attention in death as he did in life.

“He’s the mayor of heaven now,” Ford’s daughter Stephanie, 10, told the service as her younger brother Dougie stood by her side. “He helped a lot of people. He was also an amazing dad.”

Ford, a loved-or-loathed larger-than-life politician, became a certified celebrity in light of his admitted crack cocaine use, alcohol abuse, lewd comments and at times outrageous behaviour that transformed his mayoral office into an unprecedented spectacle.

It was left to Rev. Andrew Asbil, rector of St. James cathedral, to note the improbable heights of both adulation and infamy that Ford scaled as mayor.

“You and I, no matter how hard we try, will never have the same notoriety nor popularity nor household fame as Rob Ford,” Asbil said in his homily.

“Very few of us in this room know what it’s like to carry the burden of living your failings and your weaknesses in such a public way as Rob Ford. And — this is important — very few of us will know what it’s like to experience the love and admiration of so many for the work that we do in the same way as Rob did.”

Ford, whose clarion call was “time to stop the gravy train,” died last week at age 46, 18 months after a cancer diagnosis scuttled his bid for a second term as mayor, although he easily won election as a councillor in his west-end ward.

For two days this week, he was granted the rare honour of lying in repose at city hall, where thousands filed past his Toronto-flag-draped casket.

On Wednesday, a procession saw him leave city hall one last time for St. James, where scores who were unable to get inside waited patiently on the lawns.

Evelyn Cappelli, among those who made it into the service, called Ford “a man for the people.”

“He told the truth — a lot of people do not like to hear the truth — but he was just a great guy,” Cappelli said. “Unfortunately the press sort of did him in by all that adverse publicity but, on the other hand, the press did him a favour: He got all that free

NEWS

Thursday, March 31, 2016

A7

Canada pledges to expand refugee programs

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — The Liberals are committing to finding new ways to get Syrian refugees to Canada and into other countries as the United Nations seeks nearly half a million spaces for Syrians by the end of 2018.

But Canada did not directly pledge any more spaces at a high-level conference in Geneva on Wednesday devoted to finding new solutions for the refugee crisis.

That will come later this year, when the Liberal government intends to unveil a new approach to immigration, moving away from setting levels for a single year in favour of a plan that will cover 2017-2019.

“We will continue to pursue solutions to ensure the humanitarian treatment and resettlement of Syrian refugees,” Immigration Minister John McCallum told the conference, which included the United Nations secretary general, the high commissioner for refugees and representatives of over 90 countries.

The conference resulted in about 6,000 more spots opening up for Syrians over the coming years, bringing the current total to 185,000 worldwide.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi framed it as a “start,” saying he was also he was encouraged by commitments to open up what’s referred to as other pathways for legal migration for refugees, such as expanded family reunification programs, labour or study opportunities.

Canada pledged to explore one of those routes — expanding an existing program that brings refugees in as post-secondary students, so they can continue their education and perhaps settle here.

World University Service of Canada, which runs the program, says this year they are bringing in over 80 Syrians to study.

BY THE NUMBERS

Photo by EPA

John McCallum, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, speaks at a press conference following his participation at the meeting on global responsibility sharing through pathways for admission of Syrian refugees, at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday.

“Opportunities for higher education are few and far between for refugees, but such opportunities can play a pivotal role in advancing resettlement and integration efforts,” Chris Eaton, executive director of WUSC said in a statement.

McCallum said Canada also wants the private sector more engaged in helping Syrians integrate. He said Canada will provide technical training and support to other countries to help them establish programs that will open up more spaces for the estimated 4.2 million Syrians fleeing the fiveyear-old civil war.

In an interview with The Canadian Press ahead of his speech, McCallum said Canada also wants to wants to

PM at summit looking at nuclear threats

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS WASHINGTON — As world leaders gather to discuss potential security lapses that might allow terrorists to obtain nuclear material, the summit host insists there won’t be any finger-pointing.

Dozens of leaders will use the twoday event that starts Thursday to make announcements on their own commitment to securing nuclear material.

Among them will be Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, although Canada is considered a low-risk country by international observers.

So which are the high-risk ones?

The White House won’t say. At least not in any public statements in briefings leading up to the fourth and final nuclear-security summit of Barack Obama’s presidency.

“The purpose of the summits is not to name and shame,” said Laura Holgate, a top administration official for nuclear safety and organizer of the Washington gathering.

“The purpose of the summits is to identify steps that we can take together, and certainly, individual steps that individual countries can make.

“It’s a place to create peer pressure, if you will. But you will not hear us say in an official context — or any other context — that we have particular concerns about particular countries.”

These summits stem from a 2009

Obama speech in which he called for the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons. He conceded that might not be achieved in this lifetime — but he set shorter-term objectives: One was securing nuclear material to keep it from terrorists.

Results have been mixed.

Despite progress in consolidating supplies, removing material from numerous countries and adding protections, administration officials concede certain spots remain a concern.

So where are they?

Troubling incidents occurred recently in Belgium. The White House says it’s satisfied proper protocols are in place there — including the recent deployment of soldiers to nuclear sites.

But an Islamist militant linked to the Paris attacks had gathered surveillance video of a nuclear plant employee. Two plant employees left to Syria to join the so-called Islamic State. Another plant worker was just found shot to death in his home — a killing Belgian police said was criminal, not terrorism. One employee tampered with a turbine in 2014.

Belgium isn’t listed as a top concern on the Nuclear Threat Index.

Of the 24 countries profiled this year under the non-government study, the biggest concerns were: North Korea, Iran, Pakistan, India, Israel, China and Russia.

work with other countries to find a way to get more people out of Syria.

Syrians still inside the country cannot be registered as refugees. The only way they can legally get out is through family reunification or economic immigration programs.

Reaching them would require working with the International Organization for Migration, in places where it is active inside Syria, as well as the co-operation of the Syrian government.

“Where they work tends to be where the Assad government is in control,” McCallum acknowledged, but said there is precedent for such a program in the Vietnamese refugee resettlement efforts of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Search expands for missing politician and companions IQALUIT, Nunavut — The search is expanding on the tundra of Baffin Island for a Nunavut member of the legislature and his two companions who haven’t been seen for more than a week.

“In any kind of search situation, the area that your’re searching changes and expands as you go through the days,” said search spokesman Kris Mullaly.

Pauloosie Keeyootak and two others left the capital of Iqaluit eight days

OTTAWA — The United Nations is seeking to find permanent homes in other countries for about 480,000 Syrian refugees in the next two years.

At a high-level ministerial conference in Geneva on Wednesday, some countries did pledge new spots but most didn’t. The meeting was the first of several planned for this year to address new solutions to the Syrian refugee crisis and future pledges are expected.

Europe is currently striving to halt the unchecked flow of migrants across the Mediterranean through the continent’s porous borders and the UN hopes that direct humanitarian admission and other legal immigration programs targeting Syrians could help address that issue.

A total of 179,147 places have been made available since 2013.

Here is a look at how some countries have contributed to the UN’s request since 2013. The list does not include how many Syrians have been granted asylum or residency after arriving in these countries or others on their own.

Australia: 5,800.

Canada: 38,089.

Denmark: 390.

Germany: 41,899.

France: 1,000.

Ireland: 610.

New Zealand: 850.

Norway: 9,000.

Spain: 984.

Uruguay: 120.

United Kingdom: 20,000.

United States: open ended. The UN has submitted 32,369 people for resettlement.

SOURCE: UNHCR data, current to Mar. 18, 2016.

ago for an overnight snowmobile trip to Pangnirtung. They didn’t arrive the next day as expected and it’s believed they don’t have a communications radio with them.

The well-travelled route is about 300 kilometres long over tundra and mountain passes and has several cabins along the way. The trip normally takes about 11 hours.

Search parties from both communities have retraced the route and are revisiting some areas for a second search, Mullaly said. Weather has been good — clear and cold, ideal for visibility.

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Child welfare in election spotlight WINNIPEG — Manitoba’s beleaguered child-welfare system came under the provincial election spotlight Wednesday with promises from all parties to cut a record number of kids in care.

The Liberals said they would bring the number down by half to roughly 5,000 by putting more money into supporting families rather than apprehending children.

“We have more children in care today than we did at the height of residential schools,” said Liberal candidate Kyra Wilson. “It’s been really damaging to our children and for their development.”

Wilson is currently on leave from her job with the Manitoba First Nations children’s advocate office and is taking on the NDP’s child and family services minister, Kerri Irvin-Ross, in the Winnipeg constituency of Fort Richmond.

Whichever party forms government on April 19 will have to deal with a child-welfare system that has been dubbed a “national disgrace” by at least one aboriginal leader. Manitoba has one of the highest apprehension rates in Canada and seizes an average of one newborn baby a day.

With more than 10,000 children in care — the vast majority of them indigenous — the next Manitoba government will have to grapple with an increasingly expensive Child and Family Services Department that has been criticized both for apprehending too many children and for repeatedly returning others to abusive homes.

The next Manitoba government may have little choice but to address

MANITOBA what many have repeatedly called a crisis. The federal government has signalled it wants to reform the current child-welfare model for aboriginal children and the No. 1 recommendation from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was to reduce the number of indigenous children in care.

Wilson was short on what specifically the Manitoba Liberals would do to drastically reverse the current apprehension rate beyond listening more to families and putting at least 75 per cent of the department’s budget toward prevention.

In fact, she said the Liberals would give children the option to remain in care until age 25. She said she doesn’t believe that would add to the department’s budget of $484 million because, overall, there would be fewer kids in care.

Progressive Conservative candidate Ian Wishart said about 10 per cent of the department’s budget right now goes toward prevention and family support. The focus of the system is on apprehension, which is expensive, he said.

A Conservative government would give First Nations communities more power to intervene and would support struggling families rather than continue seizing children, Wishart said.

“If you can keep the kids in the household and the household functioning, that is much less expensive than the apprehension model.”

The New Democrats have said repeatedly that they are moving toward prevention rather than apprehension.

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BY THE CANADIAN PRESS

NEWS

Thursday, March 31, 2016

A8

Alaska air traffic resumes as volcano eruptions wane

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A remote Alaska volcano rumbled and sputtered Wednesday but was no longer spewing the massive ash clouds that disrupted airline traffic earlier in the week.

Researchers observed intermittent puffs of ash from Pavlof Volcano, but they weren’t going much higher than the summit, said U.S. Geological Survey geologist Chris Waythomas, who is part of the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

“There’s still elevated seismicity, but we haven’t seen anything conclusive for ash emission,” he said.

The volcano 625 miles southwest of Anchorage on the Alaska Peninsula erupted Sunday and sent an ash cloud soaring to 37,000 feet.

The cloud drifted across interior Alaska and by Tuesday had crossed into northern Canada.

Some of the ash rained on villages, turning rooftops and car windows black. Nelson Lagoon urged residents to stay inside for a time as one-eighth to two-thirds of an inch of ash fell on the tiny community about 55 miles northeast of the volcano.

STORIES FROM PAGE A1

OILPATCH: Infrastructure an ongoing issue Malone and Ness echo each other when they say that while they don’t have any control over the collapse of oil prices — an estimated 100,000 jobs have been lost during the current downturn — the ongoing issue is needed infrastructure, such as pipelines, to get product to market.

“We need pipelines. We need another customer besides the U.S. and Eastern Canada,” said Malone.

About 97 per cent of Canadian oil is sold to the U.S. “Oil and gas is not going to disappear. Not in my lifetime. Maybe in my grandkids’ it’ll dwindle out. …

Our biggest thing is that Eastern Canada and a lot of the people that are grandstanding are uneducated.

They don’t know how well Canada does for its environmental footprint.

“To give you an example, we had to move some equipment out of an area by Valleyview because the trumpeter swans are coming in to nest. There’s so many little things like that that rest of Canada doesn’t know. So right away we’re dirty oil.

“They don’t realize all the costs and programming before a well is even drilled.

“We’re regulated to death here. … You won’t believe what we’ve got to do just to move on the highway safe, to training our people, to no spills, to upgrading our engines. … It’s not a cheap industry.”

Malone said that those companies that have been in the industry a long time and didn’t leverage themselves too much will be okay.

“I’m thinking I’m in that ballpark too. It’s just when you run a small company, it’s your family. And to lay off a person that has a family, that’s one of the toughest things I’ve had to do.”

Over at Predator Drilling, Ness said the industry has faced challenges before. “It goes through these cycles and so (Oil Respect) is about — especially in this new environment politically, economically — how do we stand up and put the industry … more into the language.

“It’s a counter stance to the criticism by celebrities or politicians … Let’s make sure that we’re dealing with facts. Let’s make sure that we’re raising the flag for the industry and the impact that it has on people’s lives,” he said.

“As a local business here in Central Alberta the lights are still on. It doesn’t mean we haven’t faced challenges but like so many other service companies we have to do what we have to do and part of this campaign is, yeah, just sort of standing with the rest of the industry, whether they be competitors or other stakeholders, that’s just all we’re trying to do.”

There are many challenges globally and domestically, Ness said, but Predator Drilling has not had to do significant layoffs. They just haven’t been hiring because the growth is not there.

“We’ve done everything to minimize the costs. …

Frankly some of that is changes in wages.”

Pipelines are not a short-term fix but the industry must get the government to see this as a priority because, like it or not, the oil and gas industry drives the economy, Ness said.

“Let’s talk about the realities the oil industry means to the economy and balance it with some of the negative stuff,” he said in support of Oil Respect.

Oil Respect can be viewed online at oilrespect.ca barr@reddeeradvocate.com

Volcanic ash is sharp and abrasive and can cause jet engines to shut down.

Alaska Airlines cancelled 41 flights Monday and 28 flights Tuesday, but normal service to six Alaska communities resumed Wednesday, spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said in an email.

“We’ve also added one extra section between Anchorage and Nome and one extra section between Anchorage and Kotzebue to get passengers and cargo out to those communities,” she said.

Pavlof is one of Alaska’s most active volcanoes.

Historically, eruptive episodes have ended abruptly or trickled on for years, Waythomas said.

“The one thing I think we’ve learned so far with the eruptions of Pavlof is that when it shuts off, it shuts off,” he said. “It really quiets down.”

Pavlof erupted intermittently for more than two years, from April 1986 to August 1988. Like Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii, Pavlof has an open magmatic system, Waythomas said.

“There’s a big supply of magma and it’s easy for it to get to the surface,” he said.

An explosion that sends ash into the air typically is governed by the amount of gas in the magma, he with dependents will be given priority. They will also teach people, if they desire, how to choose nutrient-dense food and how best to utilize it.

“At 22 when I was a single parent I didn’t have the same skills I have now in the kitchen. … Those programs and workshops will help those who want more skills,” Kromm said.

One of the benefits of the project is it will allow those with special dietary requirements to select foods that best suit them. As well, it eliminates the need to ship food around and store it.

An eight-member board has recently formed for the new non-profit organization and meetings have been held with other agencies including the food bank. Fundraising will begin soon and the goal is to start offering cards by September.

Food for Friends will be promoting itself at the Alberta Food and Beverage Expo on Saturday at the Westerner. They intend to also be at the Red Deer Market regularly after it opens on the May long weekend.

More details will be worked out in coming months, Kromm said.

A website is being developed and will launch in a few weeks. They have a Facebook page called Food For Friends Community.

Kromm can be reached by email at krystal.foodforfriends@gmail.com barr@reddeeradvocate.com

SOHI: Got an earful from council Sohi got an earful from council when he asked what has worked and what has not for infrastructure funding to municipalities in the past. Veer said council expressed a few concerns including funding pockets that pitted municipalities against one another or against non-profit agencies. She said there have been challenges with the bilateral agreement between the provincial and federal governments, where mid-sized cities in Alberta have been shut of the funding.

“The focus for infrastructure funds is often between major metropolitan areas and their infrastructure needs or rural areas,” said Veer. “As a mid-sized city, and particularly one that is a regional hub, we have over the last few years have not been eligible on either front. We find ourselves sometimes in between a rock and a hard place on infrastructure

File photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pavlof Volcano, one of Alaska’s most active volcanoes, erupts, sending a plume of volcanic ash into the air. said.

The volcano observatory lost one of its seismic stations in Sunday’s eruption. The doghouse-size fiberglass huts hold electronics and batteries inside and an antenna mast and solar panels outside, which allow it to transmit data. funding.”

Veer said that message seemed to really resonate with the minister.

The general sense at the mayor’s forum was the necessity of opening up the purse strings to the $700 million in available funding for municipalities, which has been held up until a bilateral agreement with the province is signed.

“We need that money accessible within the next four to six weeks so that municipalities do not miss yet another construction season,” said Veer. “Really if government’s role in an economic recession is to bring stability through public infrastructure stimulus funding then for us to capitalize on this upcoming construction season municipalities need access to that in order to get their communities working.”

Sohi said on Tuesday that he does not want to lose a construction season and would like to have the money flowed through to municipalities sooner than later.

Lacombe Mayor Steve Christie was pleased with the government’s heavy investment in infrastructure such as transportation, transit, water, wastewater.

He said this is a great message to the City of Lacombe and region because of its dire need of a regional wastewater line.

“I think the message from municipalities to the minister last night was quit talking about it and make it happen,” said Christie. “I think he is going to get it done. I feel that the talking is going to end and the doing is going to start.”

Sohi is a former Edmonton city councillor and transit driver. Christie worked with Sohi on the AUMA board for several years.

“With Minister Sohi’s background he actually gets it,” said Christie. “He has had his boots on the ground. He’s been in the trenches and he knows what it is like at the municipal level.”

Sylvan Lake deputy mayor Graham Parsons said it seemed the government is open to speeding up the processes but there is also a comfort level that the minister is a former municipal councillor, which means he understands the issues that municipalities are facing.

Parsons said the major issue in Sylvan Lake is water and wastewater and that seems to be the theme for many of the Central Alberta municipalities.

“The faster the process goes and the faster we get the money, the better,” said Parsons. crhyno@reddeeradvocate.com

FOOD: Augment food services as a whole The Red Deer pilot project won’t eliminate the need for most people faced with food insecurity to use the local food bank, she said. It will augment other food services in Red Deer as a whole.

The pilot involves approved applicants receiving a card similar to a debit card with a certain amount of credit, and then using it to buy non-taxable food at participating grocery stores.

For example, a single-parent family with two children would receive $65 per month, for three months, with the idea to allow them to purchase such food as fresh vegetables, fruit and meat. One store so far, Sobey’s South, will be involved in the pilot project.

Food for Friends will take referrals from other agencies and then individuals will apply. Families

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THE ADVOCATE Thursday, March 31, 2016

Commodity crash will take years to adjust: BoC

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — Using its “best guess,” the Bank of Canada predicts the economy will take more than two years to fully adjust to the commodity price shock.

Lynn Patterson, the central bank’s deputy governor, said in a speech Wednesday that tumbling oil and other resources prices have translated into losses of about $1,800 for every Canadian.

The bank has watched the impact of lower incomes expand to the point that next year it could become the “dominant source of drag” on the economy, Patterson said.

A burning question remains: How long it will take the economy to adapt to the complex conditions, which include a lower dollar?

“It’s difficult for us to be precise about the timing and the underlying shifts of the economy,” Patterson told

the chamber of commerce in Edmonton, in the heart of the province hit hardest by the slump in oil prices.

“But our best guess is that this full adjustment will take longer than two years, which is our normal forecast horizon.”

Patterson pointed to early signs that economic change is underway and, perhaps, more quickly than in the past.

The bank, she said, has found that labour data suggest Canadians have been more willing than in the past to move to where the jobs are located.

This could mean that regional job markets will adjust more rapidly to the fall in resources prices, Patterson added.

The weaker loonie, which slid alongside oil prices, has already helped make exports in exchange rate sensitive industries more competitive, she said.

Looking long term, Patterson said the bank has explored what the economy could look like post-adjustment.

She said a new economic balance

will likely take shape over several years — one that sees the share of the resources sector shrink to levels before the boom began in the early 2000s.

Patterson highlighted bank research that estimated the commodity sector may only account for 40 per cent of exports by 2020, down from 50 per cent in 2014. The modelling also suggested the resource industry’s share of business investment could fall to 40 per cent from 56 per cent in 2014.

“Lower commodity prices will lower incomes and are likely to lower the economy’s potential output,” Patterson said.

“The extent to which potential GDP (gross domestic product) is permanently lower will depend on how much capacity is rebuilt in the non-commodity sector.”

The bank’s model for the long-term economic prediction was based on several assumptions, such as flat oil prices.

The price of crude oil is down about

60 per cent since mid-2014.

Patterson said it’s “highly unlikely” oil prices will climb back up in the coming years to their mid-2014 levels of US$100 a barrel. The bank, however, does expect upward pressure on oil prices to persist over the medium term.

This was the first public event held by a senior Bank of Canada official since the federal budget was tabled last week in Ottawa.

Patterson said updated economic projections in the bank’s upcoming monetary policy report will account for billions of dollars worth of fiscal measures announced by Ottawa in the budget. Governor Stephen Poloz will release the report April 13.

In January, the Bank of Canada downgraded its 2016 growth projection to 1.4 per cent from its fall forecast of two per cent. At the time, it also predicted the economy to eventually bounce back and expand by 2.4 per cent in 2017.

BRIEF TransCanada asks Quebec judge to reject request for Energy East injunction MONTREAL — Lawyers for TransCanada are in a Quebec courtroom today asking a judge to reject an injunction related to the company’s Energy East pipeline project.

An environmental law group on behalf of several organizations is seeking to force TransCanada (TSX:TRP) to be subject to Quebec’s Environment Quality Act. The energy company argued today the injunction is no longer necessary because the Quebec government has applied for a similar court order with the same objective.

Quebec wants TransCanada to provide a more detailed account of its Energy East proposal, which would result in a more complete environmental review process than the one currently taking place.

TransCanada lawyer Robert Torralbo says it’s up to Quebec’s attorney general to ask the courts to force a company to respect a law and that citizens cannot make such a demand unless the government refuses to do so.

FILE photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS

Dean Dacko, Chief Commercial Officer of NewLeaf Travel, speaks at a press conference in the arrivals area of the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport, in January. Discount air carrier NewLeaf Travel will resume selling low-cost seats in the next few weeks now that it has received the go-ahead from Ottawa to continue operations.

Discount travel operator NewLeaf clears regulatory runway for flight sales

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS Discount air carrier NewLeaf Travel will start selling low-cost seats in the next few weeks now that it has received the go-ahead from Ottawa to continue operations.

Chief executive Jim Young said Wednesday that the company expects its first flight to take off by late spring or early summer. In the meantime, it will work on reintroducing itself to consumers.

“This is a second relaunch for the company,” he said. “It’s our opportunity to make a second good impression.”

NewLeaf had originally planned to begin flying last month, but suspended operations in January after just a week, pending a decision by the Canadian Transportation Agency.

Late Tuesday, the regulator ruled that indirect air service carriers like Winnipeg-based NewLeaf do not need an air licence, as long as they do not portray themselves to the public as the ones operating the flight or the aircraft.

NewLeaf purchases seats from Kelowna, B.C.,-based Flair Airlines and resells then to the public. Flair Airlines, which owns and operates a fleet of Boeing 737-400 jets, is licensed under the CTA.

Young said the company never described itself as an airline, even though he concedes there may have been some initial confusion. He likened NewLeaf’s role to that of a cellular carrier like Fido Solutions, which resells mobile packages but is owned by parent company Rogers Communications (TSX:RCI.B).

Moving forward, he said NewLeaf will ensure that all its marketing and branding reflects that it is only a reseller.

A CTA spokesman said the decision requires resellers like NewLeaf to “clearly disclose” which licenced carrier is operating the flight, adding that the agency will be monitoring to ensure that carriers comply with consumer protection requirements.

At its original launch, NewLeaf said it would offer “no frills” flights from Kelowna International Airport and John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Hamilton, Ont., to Abbotsford, B.C., Halifax, Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg.

It advertised one-way fares from as low as $89, which included all fees and taxes. Extra charges would apply for snacks, drinks and checked baggage.

It said it sold more than 4,000 tickets in one week, all of which were subsequently refunded due to the suspension.

SNC-Lavalin gets $94 million for selling minority stake in Malta airport

But not everyone was happy with the situation.

In a submission to the CTA prior to the decision, Air Canada (TSX:AC) cited the danger of the CTA taking a “hands-off” approach with flight resellers like NewLeaf.

“Air Canada believes that the person having commercial control and selling the air service should hold a licence and comply with the usual requirements with which ‘airlines’ are expected to comply,” it said in the letter.

Air passenger advocate Gabor Lukacs also criticized the ruling, which did not specifically address passengers’ rights when it comes to damaged baggage and cancelled flights.

NewLeaf said passengers sign an agreement with them, but ultimately, reimbursements for delays and damages will come from Flair Airlines.

Ontario’s travel regulator, the Travel Industry Council of Ontario, said it was also “concerned” that the CTA does not see the need for more regulations over indirect air service carriers.

“I’m always concerned when consumer protection is lessened in general but I understand the environment we operate under and that balance is always a fine balance,” said Richard Smart, TICO’s president and chief executive.

MONTREAL — SNC-Lavalin has closed the sale of its interest in Malta International Airport Inc., which manages the facility under a 65-year agreement with the government of the Mediterranean island nation.

The Montreal based company (TSX:SNC) says it received about 64 million euros cash or C$94 million at current exchange rates.

SNC had a 15.5 per cent interest in Malta International Airport Inc., through its share of a consortium that was formed in 2001 to bid on the Malta Airport privatization project.

It announced the sale of the stake to an affiliate of Flughafen Wien AG in February as part of a strategic plan to sell some of its mature investments in infrastructure concessions.

Avison Young highlights Canada’s most profitable shopping malls in 2015 TORONTO — The latest report from commercial real estate firm Avison Young lists the country’s most profitable shopping malls last year.

Here are the 10 malls that generated the highest sales per square foot in 2015:

Cequence Energy dismisses CEO, 2 VPs

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS CALGARY — Cequence Energy Ltd. (TSX:CQE) has abruptly replaced its chief executive and dismissed two of its vice-presidents as part of a strategic change in direction and cost-cutting efforts due to low natural gas prices.

The company has promoted Todd Brown as CEO, replacing Paul Wanklyn immediately.

Brown has been the company’s chief operating officer since August

S&P / TSX 13,503.98 +77.75

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TSX:V 576.88 -0.34

2014 and Wanklyn has been CEO since September 2010.

Calgary-based Cequence has also dismissed vice-president of operations Michael Stewart and VP geophysics Stephen Stretch, effective immediately. David Gillis remains chief financial officer but promoted to executive vice-president.

The company’s board of directors says it believes the change in management is necessary as the company focuses on reducing costs rather than on growth, until commodity prices improve sufficiently.

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NASDAQ 4,869.29 +22.67

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Cequence also said that it aims to save about $2.7 million in administration and general expenses and other targeted savings throughout 2016. It also expects “minimal” capital spending until the outlook for commodity prices improve. It had embarked on a strategic review in October but announced on Tuesday that it has evaluated all the proposals that emerged and isn’t pursuing any of them, choosing instead to restructure the management team.

It announced that 2015 production revenue decreased to $80.9 million in 2015, from $136.9 million in 2014.

DOW JONES 17,716.66 +83.55

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NYMEX CRUDE $38.32US +0.04

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—Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto: $1,610 —CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver: $1,599 —Oakridge Centre in Vancouver: $1,537 —CF Toronto Eaton Centre in Toronto: $1,509 —Southgate Centre in Edmonton: $1,215 —CF Chinook Centre in Calgary: $1,119 —Royal Bank Plaza in Toronto: $1,096 —CF Rideau Centre in Ottawa: $1,018 —Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby, B.C.: $1,008 —Square One in Mississauga: $994

NYMEX NGAS $1.99US -0.01

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CANADIAN DOLLAR ¢77.13US +0.59

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BUSINESS

Thursday, March 31, 2016

MARKETS

A10

D I L B E R T

COMPANIES OF LOCAL INTEREST

Wednesday’s stock prices supplied by RBC Dominion Securities of Red Deer. For information call 341-8883.

Diversified and Industrials Agrium Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 117.15 ATCO Ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . 39.40 BCE Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59.43 BlackBerry . . . . . . . . . . . 10.38 Bombardier . . . . . . . . . . . 1.320 Brookfield . . . . . . . . . . . . 45.25 Cdn. National Railway . . 81.27 Cdn. Pacific Railway. . . 173.75 Cdn. Utilities . . . . . . . . . . 36.29 Capital Power Corp . . . . 17.98 Cervus Equipment Corp 11.10 Dow Chemical . . . . . . . . 51.48 Enbridge Inc. . . . . . . . . . 50.09 Finning Intl. Inc. . . . . . . . 19.05 Fortis Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.47 General Motors Co. . . . . 30.99 Parkland Fuel Corp. . . . . 21.31 Sirius XM . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.59 SNC Lavalin Group. . . . . 47.40 Stantec Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 33.85 Telus Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . 42.49 Transalta Corp.. . . . . . . . . 5.96 Transcanada. . . . . . . . . . 50.72 Consumer Canadian Tire . . . . . . . . 134.06 Gamehost . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.44 Leon’s Furniture . . . . . . . 73.81 MARKETS CLOSE TORONTO — Investors continued to ride a wave of positive sentiment following the latest comments from the U.S. Federal Reserve, with the Toronto stock market advancing for a third straight session Wednesday and the Canadian dollar climbing to its highest level of the year.

The S&P/TSX composite index added 77.75 points to 13,503.98, helped by gains in the financials and real estate sectors.

The loonie also continued to strengthen, rising 0.59 of a U.S. cent to 77.13 cents US, a day after Fed chairwoman Janet Yellen said the central bank will proceed with caution on any interest rate hikes this year.

The dovish comments in which the Fed reitereated its goslow approach on interest rates weighed on the U.S. currency and helped buoy commodity markets.

The last time the Canadian dollar was at this level was in October 2015. “(The comments are) taking some pressure off the U.S. dollar,” said Michael Greenberg, a portfolio manager at Franklin Templeton Solutions.

“In the last little while, it has really helped commodities, and commodity-related currencies like the Canadian dollar.”

Commodities were mixed as the May contract for North American benchmark crude oil was up four cents at US$38.32 a barrel, while May natural gas added two cents to US$2.00 per mmBtu. June gold fell $8.90 to US$1,228.60 an ounce and May copper slipped two cents to US$2.19 a pound.

Low interest rates have

Loblaw Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . 73.81 Maple Leaf Foods. . . . . . 27.17 Rona Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.80 Wal-Mart . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68.80 WestJet Airlines . . . . . . . 20.48 Mining Barrick Gold . . . . . . . . . . 17.82 Cameco Corp. . . . . . . . . 16.95 First Quantum Minerals . . 6.75 Goldcorp Inc. . . . . . . . . . 21.26 Hudbay Minerals. . . . . . . . 4.87 Kinross Gold Corp. . . . . . . 4.46 Labrador. . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.00 Potash Corp.. . . . . . . . . . 22.58 Sherritt Intl. . . . . . . . . . . . 0.800 Teck Resources . . . . . . . 10.14 Energy Arc Resources . . . . . . . . 18.54 Badger Daylighting Ltd. . 22.42 Baker Hughes. . . . . . . . . 43.37 Bonavista . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.59 Bonterra Energy . . . . . . . 20.02 Cdn. Nat. Res. . . . . . . . . 34.66 Canyon Services Group. . 3.76 Cenovous Energy Inc. . . 17.03 CWC Well Services . . . 0.1600 Encana Corp. . . . . . . . . . . 7.67

Essential Energy. . . . . . . 0.680 Exxon Mobil . . . . . . . . . . 84.52 Halliburton Co. . . . . . . . . 36.02 High Arctic . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.44 Husky Energy . . . . . . . . . 16.10 Imperial Oil . . . . . . . . . . . 43.24 Pengrowth Energy . . . . . 1.530 Penn West Energy . . . . . 1.190 Precision Drilling Corp . . . 5.48 Suncor Energy . . . . . . . . 35.65 Trican Ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . 1.200 Trinidad Energy . . . . . . . . 1.63 Vermilion Energy . . . . . . 37.78 Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1750 Financials Bank of Montreal . . . . . . 79.02 Bank of N.S. . . . . . . . . . . 63.55 CIBC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97.80 Cdn. Western . . . . . . . . . 24.64 Great West Life. . . . . . . . 35.43 IGM Financial . . . . . . . . . 38.39 Intact Financial Corp. . . . 90.41 Manulife Corp. . . . . . . . . 18.45 National Bank . . . . . . . . . 42.81 Rifco Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.180 Royal Bank . . . . . . . . . . . 75.44 Sun Life Fin. Inc.. . . . . . . 41.65 TD Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.27

helped fuel strength in equity markets since the so-called Great Recession, keeping money flowing into equity markets.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 83.55 points at 17,716.66, while the broader S&P 500 added 8.94 points to 2,063.95. The Nasdaq rose 22.67 points to 4,869.29.

In economic news, payroll processor ADP reported that U.S. companies added 200,000 jobs in March, down from 242,000 the previous month but in line with estimates by economists.

The figures suggest the U.S. economy is continuing to generate steady hiring despite worries that growth slowed in the first three months of this year, held back by weak overseas growth and cautious consumers.

Among stocks doing well was Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC), up $1.95 or about two per cent at US$84.75 after saying it was open to a possible sale to Canadian Pacific (TSX:CP). The freight railway said a deal would require Canadian Pacific to offer a better price and regulatory approvals.

Pound — C$1.8642, down 1.53 cents Euro — C$1.4696, down 0.64 of a cent Euro — US$1.1335, up 0.38 of a cent Oil futures: US$38.32 per barrel, up four cents (May contract) Gold futures: US$1,228.60 per oz., down $8.90 (June contract) Canadian Fine Silver Handy and Harman: $20.663 oz., down 14 cents $664.32 kg., down $4.50 ICE FUTURES CANADA WINNIPEG — ICE Futures Canada closing prices: Canola: May ‘16 $3.50 lower $474.60 July ‘16 $3.40 lower $479.70 Nov. ‘16 $4.70 lower $477.20 Jan. ‘17 $5.10 lower $480.30 March ‘17 $5.20 lower $481.90 May ‘17 $5.20 lower $481.40 July ‘17 $5.20 lower $481.40 Nov. ‘17 $8.00 lower $474.30 Jan. ‘18 $8.00 lower $474.30 March ‘18 $8.00 lower $474.30 May ‘18 $8.00 lower $474.30.

Barley (Western): May ‘16 unchanged $176.00 July ‘16 unchanged $178.00 Oct. ‘16 unchanged $178.00 Dec. ‘16 unchanged $178.00 March ‘17 unchanged $178.00 May ‘17 unchanged $178.00 July ‘17 unchanged $178.00 Oct. ‘17 unchanged $178.00 Dec. ‘17 unchanged $178.00 March ‘18 unchanged $178.00 May ‘18 unchanged $178.00.

Wednesday’s estimated volume of trade: 423,420 tonnes of canola 0 tonnes of barley (Western Barley). Total: 423,420.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Highlights at the close Wednesday at world financial market trading.

Stocks: S&P/TSX Composite Index — 13,503.98, up 77.75 points Dow — 17,716.66, up 83.55 points S&P 500 — 2,063.95, up 8.94 points Nasdaq — 4,869.29, up 22.67 points Currencies: Cdn — 77.13 cents US, up 0.59 of a cent

WE ARE CELEBRATING

B.C. businesses call on Clark to lift carbon tax freeze

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS VICTORIA — A group of British Columbia’s green businesses wants Premier Christy Clark to lift the freeze on the carbon tax and return to annual increases, but an organization representing some of the province’s top employers says the tax is high enough.

More than 130 businesses have signed a letter urging Clark to lift her government’s four-year freeze on the carbon tax at $30 per tonne and introduce annual increases of $10 per tonne, starting in July 2018.

The open letter comes in the final days of a provincewide climate consultation process aimed at setting government goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions and boost the green economy.

“Close to one-third of B.C.’s carbon pollution is under the direct control of the province’s 170,000 small and medium-sized businesses, which employ more than one million people,” says the letter, which was initiated by the Board of Change, Clean Energy BC, Climate Smart Businesses Inc., the Pembina Institute and Clean Energy Canada.

“We are part of the solution when we work in energy efficient buildings, drive cleaner vehicles and reduce waste.”

But Jock Finlayson, executive director of the Business Council of British Columbia, said Wednesday the province is already ahead of most jurisdictions.

“We don’t favour a unilateral move

by B.C. to further increase the carbon tax,” he said. “We’re already head and shoulders above anybody else in North America. We don’t think it will actual-

ly be good for the economy to further widen the gap between carbon prices in B.C. and other jurisdictions.”

Environment Minister Mary Polak said the carbon tax has proven to be effective at fighting pollution, but the government needs to examine the impact of raising the tax above $30 per tonne.

“We know it works, but what happens when it goes higher?” she said.

“What does it do to our economy?”

B.C.’s Greenhouse Gas Reductions Targets Act calls for greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced by one-third below 2007 levels by 2020. The carbon tax amounts to almost seven cents per litre on the purchase of fuel and natural gas.

A report by the Climate Leadership Team appointed by the government says independent research found fuel use in B.C. dropped by 16 per cent since the implementation of the carbon tax, while it increased by three per cent in the rest of Canada. The report also says B.C.’s economy grew 9.2 per cent above the Canadian average from 2007 to 2013.

Matt Horne of the Pembina Institute, an environmental policy research group, said more than 68,000 British Columbians work in clean-economy jobs, an increase of more than 12 per cent between 2010 and 2014. Businesses that signed the letter to Clark include renewable energy companies, clean-technology innovators and outdoor recreation operators, he said.

Horne said if Clark approved the annual increases, the carbon tax would be $350 a tonne in 2050, the same year B.C. has targeted to cut its green house gas emissions to 80 per cent below 2007 levels.

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THE ADVOCATE Thursday, March 31, 2016

Flames fizzle in loss to Ducks

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Ducks 8 Flames 3 ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jakob Silfverberg scored twice, Ryan Kesler had a goal and three assists, and the Anaheim Ducks tied an NHL record for consecutive regular-season home wins over one team with an 8-3 thumping of the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.

Corey Perry, Brandon Pirri, Jamie McGinn, Nate Thompson and rookie Shea Theodore also scored, helping the Ducks take over first place in the Pacific Division with their 23rd in a row over the Flames at Honda Center.

The Philadelphia Flyers won 23 straight over the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Spectrum from 1980-87.

The Flames haven’t won in Anaheim since Jan. 19, 2004, when Roman Turek made 36 saves in a 5-1 victory and the head coaches were Darryl Sutter and Mike Babcock.

The Ducks, vying for their fourth straight division title, are a point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings with six games left on the schedule and trail Dallas and St. Louis by five for the Western Conference lead.

Anaheim’s John Gibson made 13 saves before he was replaced by Frederik Andersen at 8:28 of the second period with a 5-0 lead. Gibson was shaken up in a collision with teammate Hampus Lindholm, but was back between the pipes at the start of the third with a 7-3 cushion after Anderson gave up three goals on five shots.

McGinn’s goal was his 22nd this season and eighth in just 15 games since the Ducks acquired him from Buffalo. Pirri’s goal was his 14th overall and third in eight games since joining the Ducks in a trade with Florida on Feb. 29, the same day they got McGinn.

Hunter Shinkaruk, Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie scored for the Flames, who are a league-worst 12-233 on the road. Shinkaruk’s goal was his first in the NHL. Anaheim built a 3-0 lead advantage before the game was seven minutes old, driving former teammate Jonas Hiller to the bench after just five shots on net.

Perry got things started just 57 seconds after the opening faceoff with his team-high 32nd goal. He flipped a short wrist shot over a sprawling Hiller after stopping teammate Ryan Getzlaf’s soft wrist shot with his right hand and quickly dropping the puck at

Big names enter mixed doubles playdowns

Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Calgary Flames goalie Jonas Hiller is on his stomach as the puck shot by Anaheim Ducks center Brandon Pirri, right, sails into the net for the first of three goals during the first period of a NHL game Wednesday, in Anaheim, Calif. The Ducks rolled to a 8-3 win over the Flames. his feet in front of the crease.

Silfverberg scored his first of the night on a short backhander after Kesler’s wrist shot from a sharp angle trickled between Hiller’s pads to the left of the crease. Pirri then beat Hiller to the stick side with a 35-foot snap shot from the slot after getting the puck from Shawn Horcoff. At that point, Calgary coach Bob Hartley switched to Backstrom.

Anaheim swept the five-game season series. The only other teams the Ducks have swept in a fivegame season series were the Coyotes and Canucks, both in 2013-14.

The Flames, coming off a 5-2 win at Arizona on Monday, will go an entire season without winning consecutive games in regulation on the same road trip.

Raptors soar past Hawks to set new team record for wins

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS Chelsea Carey barely had time to decompress after the recent world women’s championship before turning her attention to her next curling mission.

Carey will team with Colin Hodgson at this week’s Canadian mixed doubles playdowns in Saskatoon. The duo is one of 32 pairings who will begin play Thursday at the Nutana Curling Club.

Mixed doubles has been added to the Olympic program for the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. As a result, many top curlers from the traditional four-player game have added the discipline to their repertoire.

Other notable entries in the stacked field include the teams of Rachel Homan and Mark Nichols, Lisa Weagle and John Epping, Mike and Dawn McEwen, and Emma Miskew and Ryan Fry. Carey’s second from her regular rink, Jocelyn Peterman, will team with Brett Gallant. Stefanie Lawton and Steve Laycock are also in the field along with defending champions Charley Thomas and Kalynn Park.

Thomas served as coach of Carey’s team that won the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Grande Prairie, Alta., before just missing the podium at the world championship in Swift Current, Sask.

Carey dropped a 9-8 decision to Russia’s Anna Sidorova in the bronze-medal game last Sunday.

Carey admitted that she was “pretty exhausted” after the world championship. She returned home to Calgary to do some laundry before packing up and driving to Saskatoon.

“It was a really tight turnaround,” Carey said Wednesday from the road. “I was home for less than 48 hours and now I’m gone again. But I’m really looking forward to it.”

The mixed doubles format is played over eight ends. Each team has only six stones and one of those rocks is pre-positioned on the centre line before every end.

Mixed doubles is a faster game that requires different strategies and quicker decision-making.

The change of pace and variety of shot options is an appealing change for many curlers who have primarily focused on the traditional game.

“It’s definitely different,” Carey said. “It was a pretty steep learning curve.”

One player delivers the first and last stones of the end while the other player throws the remaining rocks. If they choose to, the two players may swap positions from one end to the next and both team members are allowed to sweep.

In addition, a new power-play option was added this season. Once per game, teams with last stone can position the rocks to the side — one stone on the tee-line, intersecting the 12- and eight-foot circles — and a corner guard protecting it.

“It’s exciting and it’s fun to play because it’s never over,” Carey said. “There are fours and fives being dropped all over the place.”

Many curlers gave it a try last fall at the inaugural Canad Inns Mixed Doubles Classic in Portage la Prairie, Man. That event was followed a few weeks later by the Wall Grain Mixed Doubles Classic in Oshawa, Ont. “You’ve got the skips sweeping, you’ve got people playing with people they’ve never played with before,” said Joanne Courtney, who will team with Reid Carruthers.

“There are lots of rocks in play and there are a lot more misses in mixed doubles. So anything can happen.”

Raptors 105 Hawks 97 TORONTO — Every time the Toronto Raptors have reached a new high during their improbable run over the last three seasons, DeMar DeRozan has been forced into reflection mode. He is the last major link with the Raptors’ previous run of futility, a five-year stretch outside of the playoffs.

He was a Raptor for four of those years, and knew the pain of playing meaningless games in March and April all too well.

Another peak came on Wednesday night. Following their 105-97 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, the Raptors reached 50 wins for the first time in franchise history. While some might see the accomplishment as merely an arbitrary round number, DeRozan could not possibly agree.

“It means everything to me,” DeRozan said. “This is where I’ve been my whole career. I’ve been through the tough times. Now to be, what do you call it, the winningest Raptor of all time and now to break the franchise record three years in a row, it definitely means a lot to me.

“You can never take that away.

When (reporters) bring up things that I’ve done here, reality really hits me, honestly, because you really don’t think about all of the things you’ve (done) or things you’ve accomplished.”

DeRozan was stellar against the Hawks, scoring a game-high 26 points to go along with six assists and five rebounds. With the victory, the Raptors surpassed their previous high for wins in a season, set last season at 49.

It was DeRozan’s fellow all-star in the Raptors’ backcourt that was more in the spotlight, however.

Despite a persistent elbow injury, Kyle Lowry played in Wednesday’s game. Lowry had his right elbow drained after Monday’s blowout loss against Oklahoma City, and had been enduring a shooting slump over the last few games. He played a game-high 40-minutes against Atlanta.

Lowry played most of the game with a protective sleeve on his elbow, before ditching it in the fourth quarter. He was moved to swearing when describing what it was like to play with the sleeve.

“Yeah, it’s really annoying,” Lowry said.

Lowry shot just 4 for 19 from the field, but improved from the free-throw line, where he made seven of his eight attempts.

“Anything you do to make a shot…hit your head, slap your butt, prayer hands, pray to God, anything,” Lowry said, describing his state of mind. ” At the end of

Murray Crawford, Sports Reporter, 403-314-4338 E-mail mcrawford@reddeeradvocate.com

Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS

Toronto Raptors’ Norman Powell dunks as Atlanta Hawks’ Kris Humphries (43) looks on during second half NBA action in Toronto on Wednesday. The Raptors set a new franchise record for wins with a 105-97 victory over the Hawks. the day, I’ll be all right. This is five games, whatever. I’ve been in a funk before earlier this season so I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Lowry did manage 11 assists, many of which set up Jonas Valanciunas. The smaller Hawks did not seem to have an answer for Valanciunas, who scored 19 points on just 13 field-goal attempts.

“One thing about Kyle, he’s going to figure out a way, no matter what,” DeRozan said. “He can go 1 for 40, and it wouldn’t seem like it because he does everything else.”

It was the Raptors’ third win in as many games against Atlanta this season. While the Raptors are

>>>>

all but locked into second place in the Eastern Conference, every win seems to matter to the team.

“Pretty good progression,” said Lowry, after recounting the team’s journey during his four years in Toronto. ” I think everyone in this organization that’s been here has built it up to be a winning organization. I think we’ve been on the right track and continuing to grow. We’re not just satisfied with 50 wins. It’s a great benchmark to get, but at the end of the day we still want to be playing as long as possible: as close as possible to the end of the whole NBA season.”

SEE MORE ONLINE AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM

THE ADVOCATE B2

SCOREBOARD THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

Hockey

Local Sports x-clinched playoff spot z-clinched conference

Kamloops 5 Kelowna 1 Tuesday’s result Kelowna 1 Kamloops 0 Friday’s game Kamloops at Kelowna, 8:05 p.m.

Saturday’s game Kelowna at Kamloops, 8 p.m.

WHL 2016 Playoffs First Round DIVISION SEMIFINALS (Best-of-7) EASTERN CONFERENCE East Division Brandon (1) vs. Edmonton (WC2) (Edmonton leads series 2-1) Wednesday’s result Brandon 3 Edmonton 1 Friday’s result Edmonton 2 Brandon 1 Thursday’s game Brandon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.

Sunday’s game Brandon at Edmonton, 4 p.m.

Tuesday, Apr. 5 x-Edmonton at Brandon, 7 p.m.

Tuesday’s Games N.Y. Islanders 2, Carolina 1, SO Pittsburgh 5, Buffalo 4, SO New Jersey 2, Boston 1 Montreal 4, Detroit 3 Toronto 5, Florida 2 Minnesota 4, Chicago 1 St. Louis 3, Colorado 1 Dallas 5, Nashville 2 San Jose 4, Vancouver 1

U.S. Division Seattle (1) vs. Prince George (WC1) (Seattle leads series 3-0) Wednesday’s result Seattle at Prince George Tuesday’s result Seattle 5 Prince George 0 Friday’s game x-Prince George at Seattle, 8:35 p.m.

Sunday, Apr. 3 x-Seattle at Prince George, 8 p.m.

Wednesday’s Games Philadelphia 2, Washington 1, SO Ottawa 2, Winnipeg 1 Anaheim 8, Calgary 3 Thursday’s Games Toronto at Buffalo, 5 p.m.

Columbus at N.Y. Islanders, 5 p.m.

Nashville at Pittsburgh, 5 p.m.

N.Y. Rangers at Carolina, 5 p.m.

Montreal at Tampa Bay, 5:30 p.m.

New Jersey at Florida, 5:30 p.m.

Ottawa at Minnesota, 6 p.m.

Arizona at Dallas, 6:30 p.m.

Calgary at Los Angeles, 8:30 p.m.

Vancouver at San Jose, 8:30 p.m.

Everett (2) vs. Portland (3) (Everett wins series 4-0) Wednesday’s result Everett 4 Portland 2 Tuesday’s result Everett 5 Portland 3 x — played only if necessary.

Prince Albert (2) vs. Moose Jaw (3) (Moose Jaw leads series 3-1) Tuesday’s result Moose Jaw 7 Prince Albert 0 Monday’s result Prince Albert 7 Moose Jaw 3 Friday’s game Moose Jaw at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.

Saturday’s game x-Prince Albert at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.

NHL

Central Division Lethbridge (1) vs. Regina (WC1) (Regina leads series 3-1) Wednesday’s result Regina 2 Lethbridge 0 Tuesday’s result Regina 3 Lethbridge 2 Friday’s game Regina at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Apr. 5 x-Lethbridge at Regina, 7 p.m.

Red Deer (2) vs. Calgary (3) (Red Deer leads series 2-1) Sunday’s result Red Deer 4 Calgary 3 Saturday’s result Calgary 5 Red Deer 2 Friday’s game Red Deer at Calgary (Stampede Corral), 7 p.m.

Saturday’s game Calgary at Red Deer, 7 p.m.

Monday, Apr. 4 x-Red Deer at Calgary (Stampede Corral), 7 p.m Wednesday, Apr. 6 x-Calgary at Red Deer, 7 p.m.

WESTERN CONFERENCE B.C. Division Victoria (1) vs. Spokane (WC2) (Victoria leads series 2-1) Wednesday’s result Victoria at Spokane Tuesday’s result Spokane 5 Victoria 2 Friday’s game Spokane at Victoria, 8:05 p.m.

Sunday’s game x-Victoria at Spokane, 6:05 p.m.

EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OT Pts Tampa Bay 76 44 27 5 93 Florida 76 42 25 9 93 Boston 77 40 29 8 88 Detroit 77 38 28 11 87 Ottawa 77 35 33 9 79 Montreal 77 35 36 6 76 Buffalo 77 31 35 11 73 Toronto 76 28 37 11 67

GF 214 218 223 198 219 205 185 186

GA 182 189 209 212 235 224 210 222

Metropolitan Division GP W L OT Pts z-Washington 76 54 16 6 114 N.Y. Rangers 76 43 24 9 95 Pittsburgh 76 43 25 8 94 N.Y. Islanders 75 41 25 9 91 Philadelphia 76 38 25 13 89 New Jersey 77 37 32 8 82 Carolina 77 33 28 16 82 Columbus 76 30 38 8 68

GF 237 219 219 210 198 173 187 195

GA 177 199 190 193 200 194 208 237

WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OT Pts x-Dallas 77 46 22 9 101 x-St. Louis 77 46 22 9 101 x-Chicago 77 44 26 7 95 Nashville 77 39 25 13 91 Minnesota 77 38 28 11 87 Colorado 77 39 34 4 82 Winnipeg 77 31 39 7 69

GF 252 206 213 215 210 205 195

GA 220 186 192 199 190 218 225

Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA x-Anaheim 76 43 23 10 96 204 181 x-Los Ang. 76 45 26 5 95 208 180 x-San Jose 77 43 28 6 92 228 199 Arizona 76 34 35 7 75 199 226 Calgary 77 32 39 6 70 213 248 Vancouver 76 27 36 13 67 172 221 Edmonton 79 30 42 7 67 194 234 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss.

Kelowna (2) vs. Kamloops (3) (Series tied 2-2) Wednesday’s result

Today ● Junior B Provincials: Wainwright Bisons vs. Calgary Royals-Gold, 1 p.m.; Killam Wheat Kings vs. North Edmonton Red Wings, 4 p.m. and North Peace Navigators at Red Deer Vipers, 8 p.m., Red Deer Arena. Mountainview Colts vs. Wetaskiwin Icemen, 4:15 p.m., Kinex arena. ● Men’s Basketball: Silver Spurs vs.

Btown Maple Jordans and Carstar vs.

Washed Up Warriors at 7:15 p.m., Rusty Chuckers vs. Alken Basin Drillers at 8:30 p.m., all games at Lindsay Thurber

Friday ● Junior B Provincials: Calgary RoyalsGold vs. Wetaskiwin Icemen, 10 a.m.; North Peace Navigators vs. Killam Wheat Kings, 1 p.m.; Red Deer Vipers vs. North Edmonton Red Wings, 4 p.m. and Mountainview Colts vs. Wainwright Bisons, 7 p.m.; all games at Red Deer Arena

Friday’s Games Minnesota at Detroit, 5:30 p.m.

Boston at St. Louis, 6 p.m.

Chicago at Winnipeg, 6 p.m.

Washington at Colorado, 7 p.m.

Vancouver at Anaheim, 8 p.m.

Wednesday’s summary Ducks 8, Flames 3 First Period 1. Anaheim, Perry 32 (Getzlaf) :57.

2. Anaheim, Silfverberg 17 (Kesler, Cogliano) 4:00.

3. Anaheim, Pirri 14 (Horcoff, Fowler) 6:51.

Penalties — Kesler Ana (hooking) 8:41 Giordano Cgy (slashing) 9:33 Theodore Ana (hooking) 13:48.

Second Period 4. Anaheim, McGinn 22 (Getzlaf, Stoner) :21.

5. Anaheim, Theodore 3 (Cogliano, Kesler) 5:30.

6. Calgary, Shinkaruk 1 (Giordano, Monahan) 13:47 (pp).

7. Anaheim, Thompson 1 (Garbutt, Santorelli) 14:06.

8. Calgary, Giordano 20 (Colborne, Engelland) 15:25.

9. Anaheim, Kesler 18 (Stewart) 18:47 (pp).

10. Calgary, Brodie 6 (Hamilton, Ferland) 19:46.

Penalties — Backlund Cgy, Garbutt Ana (slashing) 6:17 Giordano Cgy (hooking) 7:02 Holzer Ana (tripping) 13:43 Bouma Cgy (roughing, served by Bollig) 17:33 Bouma Cgy (misconduct) 17:33.

Third Period 11. Anaheim, Silfverberg 18 (McGinn, Kesler) 13:08.

Penalties — Thompson Ana, Bollig Cgy (misconduct) 13:42.

Shots on goal Calgary 7 11 8 — 26 Anaheim 8 13 6 — 27 Goal — Calgary: Hiller (5 shots, 2 saves), Backstrom (06:51 first, L, 1-2-0, 22 shots, 17 saves).

Anaheim: Andersen (08:28 second, 5 shots, 2 saves), Gibson (00:00 third, W, 19-11-3, 21 shots, 21 saves).

Power plays (goals-chances) — Calgary: 1-3 Anaheim: 1-3.

Baseball Major League Baseball Spring Training AMERICAN LEAGUE W L Pct Toronto 17 6 .739 Los Angeles 15 8 .652 Minnesota 18 10 .643 Houston 17 10 .630 Detroit 16 11 .593 Texas 17 13 .567 Cleveland 15 12 .556 Chicago 15 13 .536 Tampa Bay 12 11 .522 Seattle 15 14 .517 New York 13 13 .500 Kansas City 14 19 .424 Oakland 11 15 .423 Boston 12 17 .414 Baltimore 10 15 .400 NATIONAL LEAGUE W L 18 4 22 7 15 10 14 12 15 15 13 13 13 14 10 13 10 13 10 17 11 19 10 19 7 16

Pct .818 .759 .600 .538 .500 .500 .481 .435 .435 .370 .367 .345 .304

Tuesday’s Games Minnesota 6, Boston 2, 7 innings N.Y. Yankees (ss) vs. Philadelphia, ccd., Rain Washington vs. St. Louis, ccd., Rain N.Y. Yankees (ss) 5, Pittsburgh 4, 5 innings Toronto (ss) vs. Detroit, ccd., Rain Tampa Bay vs. Toronto (ss), ccd., Rain Miami 1, N.Y. Mets 0 L.A. Angels 1, Cleveland (ss) 1, tie Chicago White Sox 6, Texas 2 Chicago Cubs 9, Oakland 5 Cincinnati 9, Milwaukee 2 San Diego 11, L.A. Dodgers 9 Colorado 6, Arizona 1 Baltimore 4, Atlanta 4, tie, 10 innings Kansas City 16, San Francisco 10 Cleveland (ss) 4, Seattle 1 Wednesday’s Games Washington 12, N.Y. Mets 1 Minnesota 4, Toronto 3 Tampa Bay 4, Boston (ss) 3 St. Louis 3, Miami 0 Pittsburgh 4, Boston (ss) 4, tie Philadelphia 8, Houston 4 N.Y. Yankees 2, Atlanta 0 Texas 5, Kansas City 1 Arizona 12, Oakland 9 San Diego 7, Seattle 5

CALGARY FLAMES

Flames sign 2012 first-round pick Jankowski to entry-level contract The deal will begin in 2016-17, and Mark Jankowski will report to Stockton on an amateur try-out agreement.

The Flames drafted the 21-year-old native

Cleveland 4, L.A. Dodgers 3 Cincinnati 6, Chicago White Sox 3 Chicago Cubs 10, Colorado (ss) 0 Milwaukee 5, Colorado (ss) 4 Detroit 2, Baltimore 1

Basketball National Basketball Association EASTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB y-Cleveland 52 22 .703 — x-Toronto 50 24 .676 2 x-Atlanta 45 31 .592 8 Miami 43 30 .589 8 Boston 43 31 .581 9 Charlotte 43 31 .581 9 Detroit 40 35 .533 12 Indiana 39 35 .527 13 Chicago 37 37 .500 15 Washington 36 39 .470 15 Orlando 31 43 .419 21 Milwaukee 31 44 .413 21 New York 30 46 .395 23 Brooklyn 21 53 .284 31 Philadelphia 9 66 .120 43 WESTERN CONFERENCE W L y-Golden State 68 7 y-San Antonio 63 12 y-Oklahoma City 52 23 x-L.A. Clippers 47 27 Memphis 41 34 Portland 39 36 Houston 37 38 Dallas 37 38 Utah 37 38 Denver 32 44 Sacramento 30 45 New Orleans 27 47 Minnesota 25 50 Phoenix 20 55 L.A. Lakers 15 59 x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division

Thursday’s Games Boston vs. Minnesota, 9:05 a.m.

N.Y. Yankees (ss) vs. Detroit, 11:05 a.m.

Pittsburgh vs. Tampa Bay, 11:05 a.m.

St. Louis vs. N.Y. Yankees (ss), 11:05 a.m.

Cincinnati vs. Cleveland, 1:05 p.m.

Atlanta vs. Baltimore, 1:05 p.m.

Arizona vs. Colorado, 1:10 p.m.

N.Y. Mets vs. Chicago Cubs, 6:05 p.m.

Milwaukee at Houston, 6:10 p.m.

L.A. Angels at L.A. Dodgers, 8:10 p.m.

Oakland at San Francisco, 8:15 p.m.

Pair of Grizzys named to AJHL All-League and All-Rookie team Two members of the Olds Grizzlys were honoured on the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s All-League and All-Rookie teams.

Forward Wyatt Noskey was on the South Division’s All-League team with forward Chase Olson on the South Division’s All-Rookie squad.

Prairie Fire open season at home on Friday The Central Alberta Prairie Fire will open their Calgary Midget Football League regular season Friday at 7:15 p.m. at ME Global Athletic Park in Lacombe.

The Fire, who are celebrating their fifth season, face the Calgary Mavericks. They will play two of their six league games in Lacombe with the second April 15 against the Broncos.

Friday’s Games Tampa Bay (ss) vs. Detroit, 11:05 a.m.

Tampa Bay (ss) vs. Atlanta, 11:05 a.m.

Milwaukee at Houston, 12:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs vs. N.Y. Mets, 2:05 p.m.

Baltimore at Philadelphia, 4:05 p.m.

Minnesota at Washington, 4:05 p.m.

Boston vs. Toronto at Montreal, 5:05 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees at Miami, 5:10 p.m.

Cleveland at Texas, 6:05 p.m.

Kansas City at Arizona, 7:40 p.m.

L.A. Angels at L.A. Dodgers, 8:10 p.m.

Colorado vs. Seattle, 8:10 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at San Diego, 8:10 p.m.

Oakland at San Francisco, 8:15 p.m.

GB — 5 16 20 27 29 31 31 31 36 38 40 43 48 52

1/2

1/2 1/2

1/2

1/2 1/2 1/2

GA GB 148 — 128 .5 148 2.5 165 4 148 5

West Division GP W L Pct Colorado 12 9 3 .750 Saskatchewan 12 9 3 .750 Calgary 14 6 8 .429 Vancouver 12 3 9 .250

GA GB 138 — 131 — 163 4 167 6

Tuesday’s Games Chicago 98, Indiana 96 Charlotte 100, Philadelphia 85 Orlando 139, Brooklyn 105 Detroit 88, Oklahoma City 82 Houston 106, Cleveland 100 Golden State 102, Washington 94 Wednesday’s Games Toronto 105, Atlanta 97 L.A. Clippers 99, Minnesota 79 Milwaukee 105, Phoenix 94 Denver 109, Memphis 105 San Antonio 100, New Orleans 92 Dallas 91, New York 89 Golden State 103, Utah 96, OT Washington 111, Sacramento 120 Miami at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.

Thursday’s Games Chicago at Houston, 5 p.m.

Brooklyn at Cleveland, 5 p.m.

Orlando at Indiana, 5 p.m.

Denver at New Orleans, 6 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at Oklahoma City, 7:30 p.m.

Boston at Portland, 8 p.m.

Friday’s Games Philadelphia at Charlotte, 5 p.m.

Dallas at Detroit, 5:30 p.m.

Brooklyn at New York, 5:30 p.m.

Orlando at Milwaukee, 6 p.m.

Toronto at Memphis, 6 p.m.

Cleveland at Atlanta, 6 p.m.

Minnesota at Utah, 7 p.m.

Miami at Sacramento, 8 p.m.

Boston at Golden State, 8:30 p.m.

Washington at Phoenix, 8:30 p.m.

GF 147 162 161 132

WEEK 14 Saturday’s games Colorado at New England, 5 p.m.

Buffalo at Georgia, 5:05 p.m.

Calgary at Saskatchewan, 7:30 p.m.

Toronto at Vancouver, 8 p.m.

WEEK 15 Friday, Apr. 8 Saskatchewan at New England, 5 p.m.

Saturday, Apr. 9 New England at Toronto, 5 p.m.

Rochester at Buffalo, 5:30 p.m.

Vancouver at Calgary, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Apr. 10 Colorado at Georgia, 12:05 p.m.

Transactions Wednesday’s Sports Transactions HOCKEY National Hockey League NHL — Suspended Vancouver F Jake Virtanen two games for interference against San Jose D Roman Polak during a March 29 game.

ARIZONA COYOTES — Signed D Kyle Wood to a three-year entry-level contract. Recalled F Eric Selleck from Springfield (AHL).

CALGARY FLAMES — Signed C Mark Jankowski to an entry-level contract.

CAROLINA HURRICANES — Reassigned F Brody Sutter to Charlotte (AHL). Recalled F Sergey Tolchinsky from Charlotte.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS — Recalled D Stefan Elliott from Milwaukee (AHL).

NEW JERSEY DEVILS — Assigned G Scott Wedgewood to Albany (AHL). Activated G Cory Schneider off injured reserve.

American Hockey League GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS — Recalled D Joel Chouinard from Toledo (ECHL).

SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE — Reassigned D Cody Corbett Fort Wayne (ECHL).

SAN DIEGO GULLS — Signed D Brian Cooper to an amateur tryout agreement.

Central Alberta will be well represented at the Canadian Ringette Championships, which open Monday in London, Ont. The Central Alberta Sting will compete in the U16 division with the Sting competing as Team Alberta in the U19 competition. Both divisions consist of 20 teams. There are also eight teams in the National Ringette League final, consisting of players 19 and over.

The Edmonton WAM have seven players from Lacombe and two from Red Deer.

Jamie and Dailyn Bell, Emily Otto and Gillian Dreger of Lacombe are listed as forwards with Lindsay Brown, Melissa Misutka and Bryn Lunn on defence.

Red Deer’s Kelsie Caine is a forward with Brenna Beck in goal.

The championship runs through April 9.

Five Red Deer players headed to Alberta Cup Five players from Red Deer were named to Team Central for the Alberta Cup hockey tournament.

Goaltender Bretton Park, defenceman Cade Mason and forwards Tye Carriere, Sawyer Senio and Joshua Zinger will competed in the tournament to be

check your

Pct .907 .840 .693 .635 .547 .520 .493 .493 .493 .421 .400 .365 .333 .267 .203

1/2

National Lacrosse League East Division GP W L Pct GF Buffalo 12 8 4 .667 169 New England 11 7 4 .636 146 Rochester 13 6 7 .462 145 Georgia 12 4 8 .333 149 Toronto 12 3 9 .250 125

Two Central Alberta Sting teams to play at Canadian Ringette Championships

BRIEFS

Sunday ● Junior B Provincials: Bronze medal game, 10:30 a.m. and gold medal game, 2 p.m. games at Red Deer Arena

Lacrosse

of St. Catharines, Ont., in the first round, 21st overall at the 2012 NHL draft. Some analysts said the Flames went off the board to draft Jankowski, who played youth hockey at Stanstead College in Quebec.

Then Flames general manager said at the time that Jankowski eventually “will be viewed as the best player in the 2012 draft,” adding “We felt we could take the gamble.”

Jankowski spent the last four years in the NCAA with Providence College, leading the Friars in goals (15), assists (25), points (40), and plus/minus (plus-24) last season.

Local

Saturday ● Junior B Provincials: Wetaskiwin Icemen vs. Wainwright Bisons, 9:30 a.m..; Calgary Royals-Gold vs. Mountainview Colts, 12:30 p.m. and semi-final — 1st place pool B vs. 2nd place pool A, 8:30 p.m., games at Kinex arena. North Edmonton Red Wings vs. North Peace Navigators, 9 a.m; Killam Wheat Kings vs.

Red Deer Vipers, 12 p.m. and semi-final 1st place pool A vs. 2nd place pool B, games at Red Deer Arena ● WHL: Calgary Hitmen at Red Deer Rebels, 7 p.m., Centrium

BASEBALL American League BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Released RHP Miguel Gonzalez. Reassigned C Audry Perez to their minor league camp.

BOSTON RED SOX — Optioned LHP Roenis Elias to Pawtucket (IL).

CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Selected the contract of INF Jimmy Rollins from Charlotte (IL). Optioned RHP Scott Carroll to Charlotte. Assigned RHP Jacob Turner outright to Charlotte.

DETROIT TIGERS — Optioned LHP Matt Boyd to Toledo (IL). Agreed to terms with RHP Bobby Parnell on a minor league contract.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS — Released OF Travis Snider from a minor league contract.

NEW YORK YANKEES — Optioned RHPs Nick Goody and Branden Pinder and LHP Tyler Olson to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (IL).

SEATTLE MARINERS — Acquired RHP Nick Vincent from San Diego for a player to be named.

Optioned RHP Mayckol Guaipe to Tacoma (PCL).

TEXAS RANGERS — Assigned C Michael McKenry and INF Ike Davis to their minor league camp.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS — Optioned RH/LHP Pat Venditte and OF Darrell Ceciliani to Buffalo (IL).

held April 28-May 1 in Canmore.

Jack Schneider of Provost is the other netminder with Adam Heindel and Jackson Rider of Lacombe, Kale Lavallee of Sylvan Lake, Reagan Rabbit of Ponoka and Jackson Wade of Acme on defence.

Other forwards are Caileb Berge of Nirchcliff, Carter Burton and Matthew Raymond of Camrose, Kyle Crosbie of Didsbury, Kyle Gerrits of Bentley, Conrad Mitchell of Thorsby, Deegan Moffard of Rocky Mountain House, Cole Muir of Delburne and Griffen Ryden of Rimbey.

Doug Quinn of Red Deer is the head coach assisted by Red Deer’s Al Parada and Brett Wold.

Norm Slater of Red Deer is the trainer.

Brandin Cote of Red Deer is the head coach of Team Edmonton Blue with Cody Reynolds of Red Deer one of his assistant coaches.

Central Alberta men’s team wins 5-pin provincial championship The Central Alberta men’s team captured the 5-Pin Bowlers Open Provincial Championship for the second time in a row.

The team of Gary Baird of Blackfalds, Victor Fobert of Drayton Valley, Gene Ziebarth of Millet, Karie Kreutz and Eric Kjos of Wetaskwiin and Shelby Chrest of Red Deer will compete in the national finals, May 30-June 4 in Regina.

Red Deer’s Greg Gigliuk is the team coach.

Kreutz finished fourth in the individual competition.

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Washington Arizona Philadelphia Colorado Cincinnati Milwaukee Los Angeles Miami St. Louis Chicago San Francisco San Diego New York

Pittsburgh 7 20 .259 Atlanta 6 19 .240 NOTE: Split-squad games count in the standings games against non-major league teams do not.

● WHL: Red Deer Rebels at Calgary Hitmen, 7 p.m., the Drive ● Midget Football: Mavericks at Prairie Fire, 7:15 p.m., M.E. Global field Lacombe

SPORTS

Thursday, March 31, 2016

B3

Chan off to solid start at worlds FIGURE SKATING

THIRD AFTER SHORT PROGRAM

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS BOSTON — Three years after Patrick Chan last competed at the world figure skating championships, the Canadian star is poised to capture a medal.

The 25-year-old from Toronto was third in the short program Wednesday night, and moments after he struck his final pose, he said a medal would be a “bonus,” a thick layer of icing on a strong comeback season after an 18-month break from the sport.

“I think I’ve exceeded my expectations this year,” Chan said. “This is a comeback year, there’s been a lot that I can be happy with, and the work that Kathy (Johnson, his coach) and I have done together has exceeded everybody’s expectations.

“So this is truly a bonus, no matter where I end up. This is a bonus, and now I’m doing it for me. And that’s it.”

Earlier, Canadian ice dancers Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje were fourth in the short dance.

Chan, a three-time world champion, scored 94.84 points, opening with a beautiful quad toe-loop, triple toe-loop combination, but then falling on his triple Axel, drawing groans from the TD Garden crowd.

Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan was first with 110.56 points, while defending world champion Javier Fernandez of Spain was second with 98.52.

“I feel good, I feel happy, not disappointed at all,” Chan said. “With all the buzz here at worlds, it’s been two world championships I haven’t been here, I haven’t been used to this high energy and high expectation.”

Chan, dressed in a purple sweater vest and grey slacks, drew roars from the fans, many of them waving Canadian flags, with his program to Michael Buble’s “Mack the Knife.”

The Axel was his one misstep, a mistake made because he rushed the jump, and slipped on his takeoff foot.

Johnson was proud of Chan’s comeback performance. The sport, she hinted, has missed him in his absence.

“At the end of the day, Patrick is special,” Johnson said. “Really special in a way that no other skater (is), he

Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Patrick Chan of Canada performs during the Men’s Short Program competition at the 2016 ISU World Figure Skating Championships at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, Wednesday. brings special things to the ice, beyond jumping.

“It’s a process to get back, it’s a process to compete, it’s a process to put it together in the moment. And I think honestly this season has almost exceeded what we were kind of hoping and expecting. So that’s a testament to his talent and his hard work. He’s a hard, hard worker, so it’s nice to see him put it together in the moment.”

Weaver and Poje, meanwhile, are world silver and bronze medallists, and had their sights set on gold in Boston. They now find themselves with considerable ground to make up after their fourth-place finish.

“I think that we skated very well today,” Weaver said, visibly disappointed. “I think it was one of our strongest short dances to date. Where the disconnect was between that and our

score, I’m not sure. But that’s not what we can control.

“We were selling everything we’ve got, and that’s what we’re going to do (Thursday) as well.”

Defending champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France were first with 76.29 points.

Maia and Alex Shibutani were second with 74.70 points, with fellow Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates third at 72.46.

Piper Gilles of Toronto and Paul Poirier of Unionville, Ont., were fifth at 70.70.

Weaver and Poje have won all but two events over the past two seasons, bronze at last year’s worlds and bronze at the Four Continents last month the only blips.

Wednesday, their romantic waltz to music by Johann Strauss — with Po-

je wearing a smart cummerbund and tails, and Weaver in an elegant beaded cream dress — was a crowd pleaser at TD Garden. But the judges weren’t quite as impressed, downgrading the Canadians on a couple of elements.

They scored 71.83 points.

Poje said they had no explanation for the scores, saying “We’re on to the next thing.”

Gilles and Poirier, meanwhile, were thrilled with their result, a solid seven points better than their previous best.

After their fifth-place finish at Four Continents last month, they scrapped their music and started virtually from scratch.

“This event was really a black box, we had no idea how the changes would be received,” Poirier said.

The free dance is Thursday, while the men’s singles free skate is Friday.

Houston last step for Spieth before Masters title defence

Blue Jays choose Osuna as closer to start the season

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS DUNEDIN, Fla. — Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Roberto Osuna will keep his job as the team’s closer.

The 21-year-old held off a strong challenge from reliever Drew Storen, who was acquired from the Washington Nationals last January.

The team made the announcement Wednesday morning before a pre-season game against the Minnesota Twins.

“I’m pretty happy to be in the ninth inning again,” said Osuna.

“It’s about the confidence that (pitching coach) Pete Walker and the coaching staff, Gibby (manager John Gibbons), are giving to me. That means a lot to me, and obviously I’m going to do my best.”

Osuna was 1-6 with 20 saves and a 2.58 earned-run average in his rookie season last year. Gibbons said familiarity with the 21-year-old Mexican was a big part of keeping him on as closer.

Osuna is 1-1 this spring with a 2.45

earned-run average wit a save and seven strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings pitched.

Storen, who the Jays acquired in an off-season trade that sent outfielder Ben Revere to Washington, was 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA and two strikeouts over seven innings. He had 29 saves last year as a closer with the Nationals.

“He’s fine, he said coming in ‘whatever role,”’ Gibbons said of Storen.

“He’s very valuable to us.”

Storen will likely slot in as the setup man in the eighth inning, but could be moved to closer if Osuna struggles early in his second season. Gibbons said the Jays will make adjustments to the bullpen if needed.

“We’ll see how it shakes out,” he said.

The Blue Jays also announced Ezequiel Carrera will be their fourth outfielder and Ryan Tepera, Joe Biagini and Arnold Leon will fill out the remaining bullpen spots.

Toronto opens its 2016 regular season Sunday at Tampa Bay.

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HOUSTON — Jordan Spieth is so excited about returning to Augusta National next week to defend his Masters championship that just thinking about it makes him feel like doing pushups.

First things first. Spieth believes a strong showing in the Shell Houston Open, which starts Thursday, could have a significant impact on how well he plays in this season’s first major championship. It certainly did last year.

“A win here would obviously be the goal, to get as much momentum as possible,” he said. “I drew a lot on this week last year. It certainly kept the momentum alive (and led to) coming out on top.”

Spieth had a playoff victory and a runner-up finish before Houston a year ago, then took the 54-hole lead here last spring before losing in a three-way playoff, in which he secured a spot by sinking a nearly 12-foot putt on the final hole, calling it “a nice putt to have hit going into a major.”

Although he didn’t win — J. B. Holmes prevailed over Spieth and Johnson Wagner — he took plenty of confidence with him to Georgia. The end result there was a record-tying 18-under-par 270 and an easy fourstroke victory. At 21, Spieth became the youngest start-to-finish leader since Walter Hagen in 1914, and the

first four-day front-runner in Augusta since Raymond Floyd in 1976.

That success carried over to the U.S. Open, which he also won to get halfway to golf’s Grand Slam.

But that was last year, Spieth was quick to remind everyone at a news conference Wednesday. While looking forward to hosting the Champion’s Dinner on Tuesday in Augusta, where he’ll serve Texas barbeque, he said, “I won’t be celebrating whatsoever. The week is solely about the 2016 Masters to me.”

He knows defending his title will be a tall order with a deep field of contenders who have been playing better than Spieth has in recent weeks.

The Texan hasn’t won a tournament this season since January and lost his world No. 1 ranking to Jason Day when Day won the Match Play in Austin.

Day, who isn’t playing at Houston, will be coming off back-to-back PGA Tour titles, giving him six wins since July 2015, when he tees off at the Masters. Spieth said of Day’s taking over the top spot, “He certainly deserves that position right now. It’s really incredible what Jason can do when he finds his confidence in his game.”

Besides Spieth, who’s now ranked second, four others among the top 10 in the world are in the Houston field: Rickie Fowler (5), Henrik Stenson (7), and Patrick Reed (10). The tournament’s last five champions are entered, too.

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THE ADVOCATE Thursday, March 31, 2016

New wave of religious movies fall into a handful of camps It’s not the COMMENT

film critic’s job to save you $15

BY STEPHANIE MERRY ADVOCATE NEWS SERVICES If there were a family tree for modern religious movies, the forefather would be Mel Gibson’s 2004 phenomenon The Passion of the Christ. Made for $30 million, the R-rated drama went on to gross more than $600 million worldwide. Then it spawned a huge brood of descendants, including the recent release Miracles from Heaven and God’s Not Dead 2, which comes out Friday.

Hollywood observers tend to group these movies together as part of a faith-based trend that earned 2014 the nickname “the Year of the Bible Film.” But, like any family, the offspring aren’t all alike. In fact, the movies tend to fall into a handful of different camps. Some are most interested in spreading the Gospel while others seem preoccupied with raking in returns. Here’s a look at how the groups break down.

BY SONNY BUNCH ADVOCATE NEWS SERVICES

Photo by ADVOCATE news services Graphic by WASHINGTON POST GRAPHIC

ABOVE: Ewan McGregor and Tye Sheridan in “Last Days in the Desert.”

BELOW: Religious movies at the box office.

Attempted proselytizers Examples: God’s Not Dead, War Room If actor Kevin Sorbo or Growing Pains star Kirk Cameron is involved, you’re most likely watching a movie with the explicit goal of evangelizing.

That objective is more important than production values or plot, which explains why these movies fare so poorly with critics.

Not that bad reviews are stopping ticket buyers. Just look at War Room, a ham-fisted 2015 movie about a caddish jerk and thief who almost loses everything before he’s saved by prayer. The drama made $68 million on a budget of $3 million. That’s a similar return on investment to God’s Not Dead, which came out the year before and starred Sorbo as a philosophy professor who forces his students to renounce God but gets a religious reawakening instead.

That isn’t to say that all such movies do well. For every Fireproof (faith saves a man’s marriage), a 2008 film that made 67 times more money than it cost to make, there are a few bombs like 2014’s A Long Way Off (a modern-day prodigal-son parable), which pulled in just $30,000 at the box office.

The religious-ish blockbusters Examples: Noah, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Left Behind Sure, the titles sound like something from Sunday school, but the stories aren’t too concerned with biblical accuracy. The approach (so far) doesn’t delight the devout or the secular crowd.

Ridley Scott directed Exodus (2014), which starred Christian Bale as Moses and never had a hope of making back its $140 million budget. It pulled in $60 million domestically after terrible reviews. Noah (2014), directed by Darren Aronofsky, fared slightly better. The biblical epic with Russell Crowe as the ark builder brought in $101 million domestically on a budget of $125 million.

It was supposed to be a success for Aronofsky, in his first foray into mainstream movie-making after a series of art-house accomplishments.

That success didn’t quite happen.

Maybe it was because the director told the New Yorker that Noah was “the least Biblical Biblical film ever made.” And it really did feel that way.

The disaster movie seemed like a pretty typical action drama, but one that the studio probably greenlighted to lure the faithful by using nothing more than a biblical title.

BRIEFS Complete ‘hilarious missions’ during fundraiser Music lovers will compete for prizes in a “high-energy scavenger hunt” that benefits the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra.

Examples: Miracles From Heaven, Heaven Is For Real, 90 Minutes in Heaven, Captive.

Because so many faith-based movies tend to inelegantly pontificate, the genre can be a non-starter for some.

But what if a faith-based movie had a little more star power and a little less sermonizing? That’s the balance some studios are trying to find. And it’s working.

Miracles From Heaven stars Jennifer Garner as the mother of a sick girl who’s suddenly cured. The movie has made $34 million, on a budget of $13 million, since its March 16 opening, and the turnout may be thanks to a slightly less religion-centric approach.

Director Patricia Riggen told the Associated Press, “I wanted to make the movie have a wide appeal and be able to be seen and enjoyed by people of any faith or no faith at all.”

Like Heaven Is For Real (2014), which starred Greg Kinnear as the father of a boy who meets his dead relatives during a near-death experience, the movie succeeds as a sappy, optimistic

1

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tear-jerker with or without the God element.

On Friday, the Rum Runner fundraiser will involve people running through downtown Red Deer completing “hilarious missions” while raising money to help the orchestra keep connect with hundreds of Central Albertans — from youths to seniors.

The unique event was planned to reach people who many not already know about the RDSO. At least 20 teams have already registered to help the non-profit orchestra through this evening of “pranks, clues and high jinks.”

The Rum Runner fundraiser kicks off at 6 p.m. Friday from 5580-45th Street. Registration for the event is open until midnight tonight at www. rdso.ca.

Local

3

The starrier, subtler crossover attempts

2

The Central Alberta Quilters guild is hosting their 25th annual quilt show on Friday and Saturday at the Parkland Pavilion at Westerner Park.

On Friday the show goes from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. while on Saturday it runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This year’s featured quilter is Kathy Dunn while the special guest quilter is Annette Johnston. Admission is $10 while 6 and under are $2.

The art-house approach Examples: Calvary, Last Days in the Desert Calvary (2014) follows a priest who, during Confession, is told he has seven days before he’ll be murdered. The movie contained violence, strong language and drug use, among other sins, but it also captured the complexities of religion in a nuanced and meaningful way. Is that why the small-budget film made $17 million at the box office? Or was it the humdinger of a plot?

These movies tend to approach religion with a light touch, but that doesn’t make them any less faith-driven. The priest in Calvary, played by Brendan Gleeson, was more pious and less self-important than any character Kirk Cameron has played. (That is, when Gleeson’s character wasn’t drinking.)

Next up is the May release of Last Days in the Desert, starring Ewan McGregor as Jesus — and the Devil. The movie has gotten solid reviews since its debut during the Sundance Film Festival in 2015.

Free development workshop offered to local filmmakers Red Deer-area filmmakers who act quickly can still can take advantage of a free development workshop.

The National Screen Institute Canada is bringing its newest training initiative in partnership with Telus Optik Local to Red Deer on April 2. The free workshop, entitled From Concept to Camera: Developing Your Story for the Screen, is at The Radisson, 6500 67 St. from 1 to 6 p.m.

The workshop is about the entire film development process, from concept to camera. NSI facilitators Rudy Thauberger, Mike Fly and Angela Heck will be speaking to a diverse

NEW WORK BY LETTERING ARTS GUILD ON DISPLAY The latest work from the Lettering Arts Guild od Red Deer will be on display at the Corridor Community Gallery in the lower level of the Recreation Centre starting on Friday.

The gallery will be featuring the work of local emerging and established artists. The gallery is open 5:30-9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.6:30 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 4:30 p.m. on Sundays.

3

Critics understand their place in the film marketplace pretty well: with the exception of very small films that tend to open city-by-city rather than all at once, there’s very little a writer can do to impact opening-weekend grosses. A film like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is pretty much the definition of “critic-proof.” It opened on 4,000-plus screens, featured two well-known and popular intellectual properties, and was accompanied by $31.7 million in TV ads, according to Deadline.

So I don’t think any movie reviewers are particularly upset that audiences showed up for opening weekend. We may grimly nod when we read headlines such as Batman v Superman Sets Record With Worst Friday-Sunday Drop For A Superhero Pic, as a stray “I told you so” flits through our brain, sure.

Still, no film critic is sitting at home, questioning his life choices, muttering, “But, but, the Rotten Tomatoes score!

It was so low. Certainly we can’t be this impotent?”

Trust me: we already know how impotent we are. Our life choices were made long ago.

This is why we laugh to each other on Twitter when angry readers (and I’m being generous here, since it’s unlikely they bothered to read anything other than the green-splatted excerpt at Rotten Tomatoes) assail a negative review of a superhero flick they may not have even seen yet while haughtily pointing at the grosses piling up.

You don’t get it. We’re like Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive: we don’t care.

The point of criticism isn’t so much to persuade you to stay at home or spend your hard-earned dollars on the art-house indie feature playing down the road — you know the one I’m talking about, the docudrama focused on the Indonesian artists who pay their way through school by collecting dung and are protesting child labor abuses. The one with, ew, subtitles.

No. The point of criticism is to start a conversation, with filmgoers and filmmakers alike.

Speaking only for myself, and perhaps rather presumptuously (I’m a part-time amateur, at best), this is why I don’t think it’s enough to say whether a film like Batman v Superman is “good” or “bad,” whether you “should see it” or “stay at home.” It’s why, instead, I tried to discuss it within the context of the rest of Zack Snyder’s work and examine what worked and what didn’t and why. I didn’t expend 2,000 words on the film because I’m interested in saving you $15 (plus concessions); I’m interested in having a discussion and furthering our understanding.

Most critics are also interested in helping the filmmaker.

And this is why, despite all my previous protestations, a giant opening for a movie like Batman v Superman can be a bit dispiriting. Not because we couldn’t persuade you to stay at home — frankly, I don’t even want you to stay at home; how else could we have our discussion? — but because the studio, in this case Warner Bros., will be less inclined to follow our finger when we point out a better path. community of film producers and writers.

Emerging filmmakers and mid-career professionals are encouraged to attend this professional development opportunity to help develop their own projects and network with other filmmakers and content creators. Telus will also be providing information about its grants and Storyhive program.

Training will cover script and story development, production, and marketing and distribution. The day will conclude with a networking reception.

Registration is required by emailing your name, contact information and the city you’re registering for to: OptikLocal@telus.com by midnight tonight.

DAY AT THE MUSEUM CAMPS: EARTH DAY Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery (MAG) Day Camps run on select school PD days from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Their camps are developed for children aged 6-12 and provide kids with an opportunity to make new friends, learn something new, and have fun while they are off from school. Each camp includes games, crafts, a movie, and more. Cost is $25 a day for museum members and $30 a day for non-members.

FIND OUT WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING IN OUR EVENT CALENDAR AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM/CALENDAR.

THE ADVOCATE B5

OUTDOORS THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

Getting to the truth of the matter For some time now, I’ve been trying to organize and pacify my thoughts about the rampant use of “policy” in the management of fish and wildlife in Alberta.

Years ago, a high–ranking government civil service guru came out with what seems to be an original and wise definition: “Policy is a cage to confine and govern monkeys.”

Strangely, the recent decision in the first three Jian Ghomeshi cases has sharpened my focus on the delusions, confusions, snares and dangers of “policies.”

A year and a half or so ago, the CBC summarily fired, without hearing or revealing details, their celebrity host of “Q,” because, I presume, of work place policies of “believe the survivor,” and no tolerance for any accusations of workplace bullying, sexual improprieties, etc.

Then three women came forward with three “outside” complaints against Ghomeshi of sexual assault and one of overcoming resistance by choking, going back a decade, and Ghomeshi was duly charged with those alleged Criminal Code offences in Ontario Court of Justice.

In what follows, I disclose I am not a Jian fan, and have always considered him smarmy. But it is important to remember that just after he was charged, and before his superb counsel shut him up, Ghomeshi made his only comment on the situation, basically admitting he enjoyed rough sex, but only with and by consent.

I followed the trial and have pored over the long written judgment of Justice William B. Horkins who cited the great legal principle of criminal justice, that a person is innocent until

BOB SCAMMELL OUTDOORS proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, then acquitted Ghomeshi on all charges basically because the three complainants were withholding evidence and outright lying about what happened here.

Unfortunately, for some reason His Lordship did not unravel the common thread and reason for the lies and withholdings: to conceal that these women had consented to whatever it was that happened a decade ago, wanted more of it to happen, and chased the rich celebrity like a gaggle of teenage groupies.

Their outrage and anger displayed at the trial, the desire utterly to destroy Ghomeshi, might fairly have been attributed to his obvious desire not to ”see” them anymore.

Suffice Ghomeshi’s professional life was already destroyed from the outset by a CBC workplace policy and is unlikely to be restored, whatever the result of the trial in June on that in – house matter.

Too many times in my legal career I had to do with tragic situations arising from professional associations adopting a no – tolerance policy, that if a woman says a member of the association did it, then he did so, and is gone, no matter what the facts are and where the truth is.

One fine dental specialist killed himself rather than face a kangaroo court of his peers with no legal or fo-

rensic training or experience. A veteran medical specialist faced one of those boards, lost his profession, and quickly pined his life away. Another doctor got a last minute reprieve when his complainant was caught in the act of one of her many demented blatant acts of stalking and sexually harassing him. This young doctor quit his practice and profession because of the way he was mistreated by its governing body.

The tales told by the complainants in all these cases were a tissue of fantasies and outright lies that would never have survived trial in a court of law, rather than a politically – correct policy – driven panel of peers.

We still don’t know the truth about the two Members of Parliament summarily expelled from the Liberal caucus immediately on the complaint of something sexual by two of their equals in power: two female MPs from a different party.

So, what was that about fish and wildlife policy? The fact is that Alberta fish and fisheries management decisions in particular are driven by ad hoc policies, political correctness, and pure politics.

We are going by guess and by polly: the truth, the facts, the science, the tried principles of fish and fishery management are ignored, and our fish and fishery are suffering serious damage and are in deep decline as a result.

The examples abound.

For example, our biologists have a policy of doting on, but doing nothing more than impose zero limits on threatened native species, while at the same time vilifying non – native species biologists planted to provide a fishery in our degrading environment.

They continue to make the management mistakes of imposing zero limits on streams that are at their carrying capacity and, when they do allow for some harvest, targeting the biggest and best breeders.

They continue endorsing the use of bait in Alberta, when they know banning it would be truly beneficial to the fish, the fishery, and the environment.

Why? Politics: because Ralph’s mythical Martha and Henry would find it hard to kick a worm and maggot habit.

They go along with a former Cabinet minister in allowing a walleye harvest on the lake on which the minister and his buddies have cabins.

Meanwhile, they saturate - plant lakes with walleye, then wonder why the pike are thin and in trouble, but still do not permit a reasonable walleye harvest on those lakes.

But why go on and on? Our biologists regard the angler as the enemy rather than an information resource and an effective instrument of fishery management. Currently our biologists and activist anglers are barely speaking to each other.

The fish, the fishery, and the fishermen can’t get even a fair hearing, let alone justice in Alberta.

I am now with the growing number of Albertans calling for a States’ – style independent Fish and Game Commission which makes decisions solely for the good, and the wise use of the resource, based on the facts, sound science, and proven management principles, rather than feel – good, fact – ignoring policies and pure politics.

Bob Scammell is an award-winning columnist who lives in Red Deer. He can be reached at bscam@telusplanet.net.

Pruning a shrub is easy and necessary Deciduous trees and shrubs are usually pruned when they are dormant.

Exceptions are early blooming shrubs that set their flower buds in the fall.

Pruning these plants now will remove this year’s flowers.

For this reason people usually prune shrubs that bloom before the middle of June: Lilacs, Double Flowering Plums, Nanking Cherries and Forsythia, after they bloom.

Shrubs, if not pruned become very dense in the center which blocks light from reaching any new growth. The result is either no new growth or deadwood from previous new growth in the center of the plant Instead the plant grows upwards and becomes leggy or bare at the bottom.

Pruning a shrub is easy. Follow a few simple rules and the plant will respond with new growth, flowers and a pleasing shape.

Start pruning by removing all dead growth. Remember to cut back to the ground or another branch.

Stubs are unattractive and hard for the plant to heal meaning that insects and diseases will have easy access to the interior of the plant.

Once the dead growth is removed,

LINDA TOMLINSON GARDENING look at the plant. Is it leggy?

Is there new growth at the base of the plant?

When this is the case the best method of rejuvenating the plant is to remove stems at the ground level.

Count how many stems are growing and take up to a quarter of the stems away. When deciding which ones to remove, take into account the size of stem, where it is located and the direction it grows.

Older stems usually have larger diameters.

Stems become old, less productive and eventually die. It is best to remove them before they reach this stage allowing new ones to grow and take their place.

When counting stems for removal, one large stem might be equivalent to two smaller ones.

Stems on the outside of the shrub are easier to reach but it is usually the ones on the center that need to be removed.

Taking material out of the center of the shrub will allow the center of the plant to receive light and send up healthy new wood. Removing too much at the edge will encourage the shrub to grow sideways.

Branches that cross each other are a problem as they rub and develop wounds and should be removed first.

Depending on the location of the shrub, it might also be important to lessen the height of the plant.

Plants should not block driving visibility, grow over windows or block paths.

When pruning to reduce a plant’s size, cut back to another branch at the desired height.

When pruning, keep an eye on the brush pile and stop removing live branches when a quarter of the branches have been removed. More can be removed in following years.

Removing more branches are unlikely to kill the shrub but the roots will not have enough top growth to

support them.

To compensate, the plant will send up an unusually large amount of new growth or watersprouts which will consist of many 1 to 2 foot (30 – 60 cm) branches.

The branches will not have any side branches giving the plant a porcupine look.

The plant will continue to use the new growth to gather food late into the fall as a result the growth will not prepare for winter and will likely winter kill. It will need to be removed from the tree the following spring.

The basic rules for pruning shrubs are: remove diseased or deadwood, remove branches that are crossing, always cut back to the ground or another branch and do not remove more than a quarter of the plant in one year.

Linda Tomlinson is a horticulturalist that lives near Rocky Mountain House.

She can be reached at your_garden@hotmail.com

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CELEBRATIONS HAPPEN EVERY DAY IN CLASSIFIEDS

McIntosh House Antique Estate Auction Sunday April 3 10 a.m. * Viewing 9 a.m.

Location: Ridgewood Community Hall Partial List only Having received instructions, Cherry Hill Auction will be selling by Absolute Auction the complete contents of antiques from the McIntosh House (Circa 1906) Red Deer, AB. In addition, there will be 2008 Rockwood 5th Wheel – 2005 Dodge Magnum, Police Seizure, Furniture, Tools, Collector Coins, Misc. and More.

Complete list and Directions visit www.cherryhillauction.com Cherry Hill Auction & Appraisals Phone 403-342-2514

TO ADVERTISE YOUR SALE HERE — CALL 309-3300 Red Deer ADVOCATE CLASSIFIEDS 403-309-3300 CALL NOW TO FIND OUT MORE

Misc. for Sale

2 electric lamps, $20.

403-885-5020 BLOW OUT SALE, die cast models, cars, trucks, and motorcycles, biker gifts, replica guns, tin signs, framed pictures, clocks, fairies, and dragons.

Two stores to serve you better, Man Cave and Gold Eagle, entrance 2, Parkland Mall.

ELECTRIC heater, $15.

403-885-5020

Sporting Goods

TRAILERS for sale or rent Job site, office, well site or storage. Skidded or wheeled. Call 347-7721.

Firewood

1660

B.C. Birch, Aspen, Spruce/Pine. Delivery avail.

PH. Lyle 403-783-2275

1860

BASKETBALL shoes, Kobe 1X, size 12, like new cond, new $200, asking $75 403-314-9603

Collectors' Items

1870

22 SUPER Hero vintage figures, 4” tall, $125 for all 403-314-9603

Travel Packages

1900

TRAVEL ALBERTA Alberta offers SOMETHING for everyone.

Make your travel plans now.

1580 1630

1760

100 VHS movies, $75 for all. 403-885-5020

BABY doll with extra clothes, rooted hair, sleep eyes $15 403-314-9603

wegot

rentals CLASSIFICATIONS

FOR RENT • 3000-3200 WANTED • 3250-3390

Houses/ Duplexes

3020

1720

WANTED

Antiques, furniture and estates. 342-2514

SYLVAN: 2 fully furn. rentals, incld’s all utils., $550 - $1300. 403-880-0210

To Advertise Your Business or Service Here

Births

Call Classifieds 403-309-3300 classifieds@reddeeradvocate.com

INDIVIDUAL & BUSINESS Accounting, 30 yrs. of exp. with oilfield service companies, other small businesses and individuals RW Smith, 346-9351

Contractors

Funeral Directors & Services ARE YOU EXPECTING A BABY SOON?

Welcome Wagon

has a special package just for you & your little one!

For more information, Call Lori, 403-348-5556

1100

Daily

Classifieds 309-3300

DANCE DJ SERVICES 587-679-8606

Flooring

1180

NEED FLOORING DONE? Don’t pay the shops more.

Over 20 yrs. exp.

Call Jon 403-848-0393

BRIDGER CONST. LTD. We do it all! 403-302-8550 Handyman COUNTERTOP replacement. Services Kitchen reno’s.

Wes 403-302-1648 BOOK NOW! DALE’S Home Reno’s For help on your home Free estimates for all your projects such as bathroom, reno needs. 403-506-4301 main floor, and bsmt.

QUALITY taping, drywall renovations. Also painting and flooring. and reno’s. 403-350-6737 Call James 403-341-0617

1200

Eavestroughing

Announcements

1160

Entertainment

1130

Classifieds Your place to SELL Your place to BUY

VELOX EAVESTROUGH Cleaning & Repairs.

Reasonable rates. 340-9368

Electrical

1150

COSBY ELECTRIC LTD. All Electrical Services.

403-597-3288

Massage Therapy

1280

FANTASY SPA

Elite Retreat, Finest in VIP Treatment.

10 - 2am Private back entry

403-341-4445 Looking for a place to live?

Take a tour through the CLASSIFIEDS

Misc.

Services

1290

5* JUNK REMOVAL

Property clean up 505-4777

PARKING LOT, Street Sweeping,

Pressure washing, complete hotmix asphalt services, crack sealing, complete concrete services. Call ConAsph reception 403-341-6900

Plumbing & Heating D - HANDYMAN Painting, Reno’s Repairs & Junk Removal Call Derek 403-848-3266

CLEARVIEW RIDGE CLEARVIEW TIMBERSTONE LANCASTER VANIER WOODLEA/ WASKASOO DEER PARK GRANDVIEW EASTVIEW MICHENER MOUNTVIEW ROSEDALE GARDEN HEIGHTS MORRISROE

ADULT or YOUTH CARRIERS NEEDED

1000-1430

1010

For delivery of Flyers, Wednesday and Friday ONLY 2 DAYS A WEEK

4 BDRMS, 21/2 baths, single car garage, 5 appls, $1695/mo. in Red Deer.

LARGE well maintained 403-782-7156 garden space avail. for 403-357-7465 free 403-782-4292 NEWLY refinished 3 bdrm. duplex, fenced yard, close Household to schools, avail. Apr.1. $1350 + utils, Sylvan Lake Furnishings Call/Text 780-887-4430 for appt.

1680

CLASSIFICATIONS

Accounting

ADULT or YOUTH CARRIERS NEEDED

Call Prodie at 403-314-4301

wegotservices Valerie Anne Smart (nee Johnson) Dec. 4, 1952 - Mar. 31, 2013 Three years have passed.

Always in our thoughts, forever in our hearts.

Dearly loved and sadly missed.

Eva, Beverly, Clifford, Rose and families

TO ORDER HOME DELIVERY OF THE ADVOCATE CALL OUR CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 403-314-4300

4 BDRM. house on Kingston Drive, $1400/mo.

Ron @ 403-304-2255

Garden Supplies

57 ROWELL CLOSE Apr. 1 & 2, Fri. & Sat. 10 - 4 ESTATE SALE EVERYTHING MUST GO!

1530

Auctions

EquipmentHeavy

NANNY req’d, email yettepasion@yahoo.ca

Rosedale

CLASSIFICATIONS 5000-5240

Children's Items

Industries #1 Choice!

“Low Cost” Quality Training

278950A5

WALSH Elaine May Elaine passed away January 31, 2016 at the age of 73.

She is survived by her husband Ken; daughters Victoria, Anna, Karen Hagen; son Brad; and grandchildren Chase Walsh, Evelyn, and Oscar Hagen.

She is predeceased by her sister Barbara Willis, brother Allen Fredericks, and her parents.

Elaine started a 30 year accounting career at Medicine Hat Royal Bank.

She married Ken in 1963, and moved to Red Deer. Ten years later, she bought and operated the Jubilee Motel in Penticton, BC. After selling the motel, she was an accountant for a Penticton company. She moved back to Red Deer, and was an accountant for Manor Management. She retired to Kelowna to be near her children. While in Kelowna, she excelled in Genealogy Research.

Remembering Elaine will be held at the Pioneer Lodge, 4324 - 46 Avenue, Red Deer, AB on Friday, April 8, 2016 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

wegotads.ca

wegotstuff

wegotservices

60

MAKOFKA 1928 - 2016 She danced, she sang, she loved. The family of Minnie Ann “Mickey” Makofka of Red Deer would like to announce that on March 26, 2016 at the age of 87 years, she answered the call of the Angels who were looking for someone to fill a spot in their musical group. Even though dancing was her first love, she would never turn down the opportunity to help someone in need. She will likely bring cinnamon buns for all to enjoy. Mickey was born in Luscar, Alberta. Her teaching career started in Hoadley, Alberta where she met her husband, Charlie at a dance. After 38 years in the classroom she retired and became an avid traveler. In later years she enjoyed line dancing, volunteering, singing with the Ho-downers and spending time with her grandchildren. Left to celebrate her life are her son, Wesley (Janis) Makofka; two daughters, Kammi (Kelvin) Rosentreter and Sally (Dan) Quon; seven grandchildren, Tyler, Jessica, Kellen, Kody, Kacy, Jasmine and Santana; her sister Julie Howe as well as numerous nieces, nephews and family members. Mickey will be joining her husband of 43 years, Charles Makofka; her father Nicolas Blyzniuk; her mother Annie Blyzniuk (Elaniuk); brother, Bill Blyzniuk, and a son, Grant Makofka. The family would like to thank Dr. Myberg for his compassion. A special thank you to Russell and the amazing staff at Villa Marie for their excellent care and for making the last few years of Mickey’s life enjoyable, she felt loved and appreciated.

A Celebration of Mickey’s life will be held at the St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, (West Park), 3628 - 57 Avenue, Red Deer on Monday, April 4, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations will be graciously accepted by the Alzheimer’s Society, 10531 Kingsway Ave. Edmonton AB T5H 4K1. Condolences to Mickey’s family may be emailed to meaningfulmemorials@yahoo.ca MEANINGFUL MEMORIALS Funeral Service Red Deer 587-876-4944

B6

Red Deer Advocate

announcements Obituaries

Thursday, March 31, 2016

1330

Roofing

1370

PRECISE ROOFING LTD. 15 Yrs. Exp., Ref’s Avail.

WCB covered, fully Licensed & Insured.

403-896-4869 QUALITY work at an affordable price. Joe’s Roofing. Re-roofing specialist. Fully insured.

Insurance claims welcome.

10 yr. warranty on all work.

403-350-7602 Looking for a new pet?

Check out Classifieds to find the purrfect pet.

Seniors’ Services

1372

HELPING HANDS Home Supports for Seniors.

Cooking, cleaning, companionship. At home or facility. 403-346-7777 Buying or Selling your home?

Check out Homes for Sale in Classifieds

Yard Care

1430

JOURNEYMAN PLUMBER Exc. @ Reno’s, Plumb Pro SPRING LAWN CLEANUP Call Ken 403-304-0678 Geary 403-588-2619

For delivery of Flyers, Wednesday and Friday ONLY 2 DAYS A WEEK ANDERS BOWER HIGHLAND GREEN INGLEWOOD JOHNSTONE KENTWOOD RIVERSIDE MEADOWS PINES SUNNYBROOK SOUTHBROOKE WEST LAKE WEST PARK Call Tammy at 403-314-4306

CARRIERS NEEDED For CENTRAL ALBERTA LIFE 1 day a week INNISFAIL PENHOLD LACOMBE SYLVAN LAKE OLDS BLACKFALDS PONOKA STETTLER Call Sandra at 403- 314-4303

7119052tfn

TO PLACE AN AD

Earn Extra Money

¯ ROUTES AVAILABLE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Red Deer Ponoka

Sylvan Lake Lacombe

call: 403-314-4394 or email:

carriers@reddeeradvocate.com

7119078TFN

For that new computer, a dream vacation or a new car

RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, March 31, 2016 B7

Condos/ Townhouses

3030

Storage Space

3160

3 BDRM. townhouse in 10’ X 26’ INDOOR space Lacombe, 11/2 baths, single $175/mo, 403-348-0241 car garage, $1495/mo., 403-782-7156 / 403-357-7465

Mobile

SEIBEL PROPERTY Lot

6 locations in Red Deer, well-maintained townhouses, lrg, 3 bdrm, 11/2 bath, 4 + 5 appls.

Westpark, Kentwood, Highland Green, Riverside Meadows. Rent starting at $1100. For more info, phone 403-304-7576 or 403-347-7545 SOUTHWOOD PARK 3110-47TH Avenue, 2 & 3 bdrm. townhouses, generously sized, 1 1/2 baths, fenced yards, full bsmts. 403-347-7473, Sorry no pets. www.greatapartments.ca

4 Plexes/ 6 Plexes

3050

3 BDRM., no pets, $1000 mo. 403-343-6609 ACROSS from park, 2 bdrm. 4-plex, 1 1/2 bath, 4 appls. Rent $925/mo. d.d. $650. Avail. now or Apr. 1. 403-304-5337

3190

PADS $450/mo.

Brand new park in Lacombe.

Spec Mobiles. 3 Bdrm., 2 bath. As Low as $75,000.

Down payment $4000. Call at anytime. 403-588-8820

wegot

homes CLASSIFICATIONS 4000-4190

Realtors & Services

4010

GLENDALE

3 Bdrm. 4-plex, 4 appls., $975. incl. sewer, water & garbage. D.D. $650, Avail.

May 1 403-304-5337

ORIOLE PARK

3 bdrm., 1-1/2 bath, $975. rent, s.d. $650, incl water sewer and garbage. Avail.

Apr. 1st. 403-304-5337 WESTPARK 2 bdrm. 4-plex, 4 appls.

Rent $925/mo. d.d. $650.

Avail. Apr. 1 403-304-5337

Suites

3060

HERE TO HELP & HERE TO SERVE Call GORD ING at RE/MAX real estate central alberta 403-341-9995

Houses For Sale

4020

HOUSE FOR SALE 4 bdrm, 3 full baths, S.E. Red Deer 1344 sq.ft.

Triple car garage, $374,900. 780-404-6475

4040

2 BDRM bsmt suite avail. Condos/ immed. $775/mo. + 1/3 Townhouses util. Bob 403-872-3400 2 BDRM. lrg. suite adult NEED to Downsize? bldg, free laundry, very Brand New Valley Crossing clean, quiet, Avail. now or Condos in Blackfalds.

April 1. $900/mo., S.D. $650. Main Áoor is 1,119 SQ FT 403-304-5337 2 Bdrm/2Bath. Imm. Poss.

Start at $219,900.

2 BDRM. N/S, no pets.

Call 403-396-1688. $800. rent/d.d.

403-346-1458 ADULT 2 BDRM. spacious Commercial suites 3 appls., heat/water Property incld., ADULT ONLY BLDG, no pets, Oriole SYLVAN LAKE Park. 403-986-6889 SMALL OFFICE 1,050 sq. ft. ofÀce for lease, AVAIL. IMMED. large 2 center of downtown, one bdrm. in clean quiet adult block from the beach, building, near downtown parking on site, already Co-Op, no pets, partitioned, excellent rate 403-348-7445 of $8 sq. ft. plus triple net, CITY VIEW APTS. bhibbert@shaw.ca 2 bdrm in Clean, quiet, newly reno’d adult building.

Lots For Rent $900 S.D. $700.

Avail. immed. Near hospi- Sale tal. No pets. 403-318-3679 SERGE’S HOMES LARGE, 1 & 2 BDRM. Lots Available in SUITES. 25+, adults only Lacombe, Blackfalds, n/s, no pets 403-346-7111 Springbrook LIMITED TIME OFFER: Custom build your dream One free year of Telus home on your lot or ours. internet & cable AND 50% For more info. call off Àrst month’s rent! 2 OfÀce - 403-343-6360 Bedroom suites available.

Bob - 403-505-8050 Renovated suites in central location. Cat friendly. leasing@rentmidwest.com 1(888) 784-9274

4110

4160

MORRISROE MANOR

Rental incentives avail.

1 & 2 bdrm. adult bldg. only, N/S, No pets.

403-596-2444 NEW Glendale reno’d 1 & 2 bdrm. apartments, rent $750, last month of lease free, immed. occupancy.

403-596-6000 PENHOLD 1 bdrm. 4 appls, inclds. heat & water, no pets $760/mo., avail.

May 1 403-348-6594

THE NORDIC

wegot

wheels CLASSIFICATIONS 5000-5300

Trucks

5050

1997 FORD F-150, spotless, no rust, in exc. cond.

403-352-6995

Boats & Marine

5160

Rental incentives avail.

1 & 2 bdrm. adult building, N/S, No pets.

403-596-2444

Rooms For Rent

3090

BLACKFALDS, $600, all inclusive. 403-358-1614 ROOM TO RENT very large $450. 403-350-4712 S.E. House, 2 rms. avail. $475./mo. 403-396-5941

WatersEdge Marina

Boat Slips Available For Sale or Rent Sylvan Lake, AB 403.318.2442 info@watersedgesylvan.com www.watersedgesylvan.com

Use our unique Attention Getters and make your ad a winner.

Call: Classifieds

309-3300

to place your ad in the

Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS

This 2014 photo provided by NOAA shows Arctic ice coverage. Scientists say Arctic sea ice has reached a record winter low again. The U.S.-based National Snow and Ice Data Centre says it’s the second year in a row that the amount of sea ice at the end of winter was less than any year since satellite monitoring began.

Arctic sea ice reaches new record low mark for wintertime

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — The growth of Arctic sea ice this winter peaked at the lowest maximum level on record, thanks to extraordinarily warm temperatures, federal scientists said Monday.

The National Snow and Ice Data Center says ice covered a maximum of 5.607 million square miles (14.52 million square kilometres) of the Arctic Ocean in 2016. That’s 12,950 square kilometres less than the old record set in 2015 — a difference slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut.

It’s also some 1.1 million square kilometres less than the 30-year average.

That difference is the size of Texas and California combined.

Records go back to 1979 when satellites started measuring sea ice, which

forms when Arctic Ocean water freezes.

This year’s ice didn’t break the record by much, but it’s “an exclamation point” on a longer-term trend, said NASA scientist Walt Meier, who helped calculate the data.

The sub-par showing doesn’t necessarily mean that the minimum extent this summer will also break a record, scientists said. The summer minimum is more important for affecting Earth’s climate and weather.

Data centre scientist Julienne Stroeve says winter temperatures over the North Pole were 16 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal, while other parts of the Arctic ran 4 to 11 degrees F warmer than normal.

Data centre chief Mark Serreze said in a press release, “I have never seen such a warm, crazy winter in the Arctic.”

It was so warm that the Barents Sea was “pretty much close to ice -free for almost the whole winter, which is very unusual,” Meier said.

Stroeve said early indications show that the sea ice is thinner than last year.

A leading but still controversial theory says loss of sea ice in the Arctic may change the jet stream and bring more extreme weather to the United States, Stroeve said.

The new report reveals “just the latest disturbing data point in a disturbing trend wherein climate changes are happening even faster than we had forecast,” Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann said.

National Snow and Ice Data Center: http://nsidc.org/news/newsroom/arcticsets-yet-another-record-low-ma http:// nsidc

Animal Planet explores ASPCA program for second chance dogs

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES — Animal Planet will soon celebrate the success of a unique program aimed at second chance dogs, often shy and traumatized victims of puppy mills, hoarders and abandonment.

In an hour-long special, the network delves into the Behavior Rehabilitation Center at St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison, New Jersey. It’s a pilot program of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals that began in 2013 and will soon be expanded, in time for the ASPCA’s 150th anniversary.

Called “Second Chance Dogs,” to air April 16 (9 a.m. Eastern), the Animal Planet show starts at the centre’s beginning, when the ASPCA decided to try rehabilitation for hard luck cases.

Of 259 dogs sent to the centre since it opened, 185 have graduated. Of those, 170 were adopted and the majority is doing quite well, said Kristen Collins, a certified applied animal behaviourist who oversees the project and will be the director of a new facility planned as part of the expansion.

Not all the dogs were success stories. Thirteen were deemed inappropriate for the program, including those with health issues, and 28 failed to graduate after months in the program. Some of those were sent back to the shelters where they came from and some had to be euthanized.

But the ASPCA stands firmly behind the centre. It will continue to move dogs through St. Hubert’s until a new $9 million, 35,000-square-foot facility is finished in mid-2017 in Weaverville, North Carolina.

“While we can’t yet answer all of the questions associated with rehabilitating at-risk animals, we continue to witness amazing transformations, dogs that conquer their anxiety and fear despite years of devastating behavioural damage. These transformations change the trajectory of their lives,” said Matthew Bershadker, president and CEO of the ASPCA. Nearly every animal shelter in the country has a shy dog or two, Collins said. The new rehab centre will have a

Mexico City restricts cars after smog alert MEXICO CITY — Metropolitan authorities on Wednesday temporarily ordered all cars to remain idle one day a week in response to this notoriously smoggy capital’s worst air-quality crisis in over a decade.

Until now vehicles have been exempt from Mexico City’s “no circu-

Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

This April 2014 photo provided by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shows Kristen Collins and her dogs posing for an ASPCA calendar in West Orange, N.J. Collins has been in charge of the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center in Madison, N.J., and will do the same when a new $9 million center opens in mid-2017 in North Carolina. dormitory that can accommodate visiting staff bringing in dogs from shelters or seeking training on how to handle their own loads. Shelters will not be charged for sending dogs or staff to the centre, she said.

The human training will be offered because the ASPCA feels it’s just as important to teach shelter workers around the country how to gain the trust of severely traumatized dogs as it is to rehabilitate the animals, Bershadker said.

“Collecting this insight and sharing it will enable all of us to move more vulnerable dogs from peril to safety,” he said.

Collins said the centre was the first dedicated solely to abused or neglected dogs. Her dogs, Wink, Juno and Toefu, are part of its workforce as “helper” dogs. They made it into the

documentary, done by the production company Dog Files under ASPCA supervision.

Kathryn Klumpp of Watchung, New Jersey, is the proud owner of one of the centre’s graduates. She adopted Mary Ann after the dog was transferred from rehab to the Butler Town Pound. The mutt, believed to be around 2, adjusted quickly to life with her new family, Klumpp said. Her husband, sons (ages 11 and 13), two other dogs and a cat all made it work.

“When she came home, the family could only scratch her under her chin where she could watch them. Now, they can scratch her back.” Klumpp said. “That’s how much she has come to trust all of us.”

While things went quite smoothly, the family made one serious change: “So now her name is Hope.”

lation” rules if owners obtain a holographic sticker from a smog-check centre certifying them as lower-emission. But the Environmental Commission of the Megalopolis, a cross-government agency comprising the capital and surrounding suburbs that together are home to more than 20 million people, said that all cars must now comply, even if they have the exemption sticker. Vehicles will also be forced from the roads one Saturday a month.

The measure takes effect Tuesday and runs until June 30, around the time that summer rains typically arrive and improve the region’s air quality significantly.

Officials have been meeting to consider anti-pollution measures since a Phase 1 emergency due to high ozone levels — the first since 2005 — was declared two weeks ago, when warm temperatures and still air left pollution trapped in Mexico City’s volcano-ringed valley.

B8 RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, March 31, 2016 FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE

HI & LOIS

PEANUTS

BLONDIE

HAGAR

BETTY

PICKLES

GARFIELD

LUANN

March 31 1984 — One-legged runner Steve Fonyo dips his artificial leg in St. John’s Harbour to start run across Canada to raise money for cancer research, and to honour the memory of his friend Terry Fox. His 7,294 km run will be successful.

1978 — Stompin Tom Connors holds a press conference two days after the Juno Awards and says he his returning his six

awards because they are not supporting artists who live and work in Canada, and too often go to people who have left Canada.

1958 — John Diefenbaker wins Canada’s 24th general election, transforming his majority into a huge victory for the PCs. They take 208 seats to 49 for the Liberals under Louis St-Laurent; gets 53.6% of popular vote, the largest ever majority government (by percentage of seats) in Canadian history and the second largest percentage of the popular vote. It happened just nine months after his minority victory in the 23rd election. He serves as Prime Minister to April 22, 1963.

ARGYLE SWEATER

RUBES

TODAY IN HISTORY

TUNDRA

SUDOKU Complete the grid so that every row, every column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 through 9.

SHERMAN‛S LAGOON

Solution

THE ADVOCATE B9

SCIENCE THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

Tapping Earth’s abundant energy DAVID SUZUKI SCIENCE MATTERS In the midst of controversy over B.C.’s Peace River Site C dam project, the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association released a study showing the province could get the same amount of energy more affordably from geothermal sources for about half the construction costs.

Unlike Site C, geothermal wouldn’t require massive transmission upgrades, would be less environmentally disruptive and would create more jobs throughout the province rather than just in one area.

Despite the many benefits of geothermal, Canada is the only “Pacific Ring of Fire” country that doesn’t use it for commercial-scale energy.

According to Desmog Blog, “New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines, the United States and Mexico all have commercial geothermal plants.” Iceland heats up to 90 per cent of its homes, and supplies 25 per cent of its electricity, with geothermal.

Geothermal energy is generated by heat from Earth’s rocks, liquids and steam. It can come from shallow ground, where the temperature is a steady 10 to 16 C, hot water and rocks deeper in the ground, or possibly very hot molten rock (magma) deep below Earth’s surface. As with clean-energy sources like solar, geothermal energy systems vary, from those that use hot water from the ground directly to heat buildings, greenhouses and water, to those that pump underground hot water or steam to drive turbines. The David Suzuki Foundation’s Vancouver and Montreal offices use geothermal.

According to National Geographic, geothermal power plants use three methods to produce electricity: dry steam, flash steam and binary cycle.

Dry steam uses steam from fractures in the ground. “Flash plants pull deep, high-pressure hot water into cooler,

Photo by ADVOCATE NEWS SERVICES

A controversial dam project looms over B.C.’s Peace River valley but a Canadian Geothermal Energy Association study shows the province could get the same amount of energy more affordably from geothermal sources for about half the costs. low-pressure water,” which creates steam. In binary plants, which produce no greenhouse gas emissions and will likely become dominant, “hot water is passed by a secondary fluid with a much lower boiling point,” which turns the secondary fluid into vapour.

Unlike wind and solar, geothermal provides steady energy and can serve as a more cost-effective and less environmentally damaging form of baseload power than fossil fuels or nuclear.

It’s not entirely without environmental impacts, but most are minor and can be overcome with good planning and siting.

Geothermal fluids can contain gases and heavy metals, but most new systems recycle them back into the ground. Operations should also be located to avoid mixing geothermal liquids with groundwater and to eliminate impacts on nearby natural features like hot springs. Some geothermal plants can produce small amounts of CO2, but binary systems are emissions-free. In some cases, resources that provide heat can become depleted over time.

Although geothermal potential has been constrained by the need to locate operations in areas with high volcanic activity, geysers or hot springs, new developments are making it more widely viable. One controversial method being tested is similar to “fracking” for oil and gas. Water is injected into a well with enough pressure to break rock and release heat to produce hot water and steam to generate power through a turbine or binary system.

Researchers have also been studying urban “heat islands” as sources of geothermal energy. Urban areas are warmer than their rural surroundings, both above and below ground, because of the effects of buildings, basements and sewage and water systems. Geothermal pumps could make the underground energy available to heat buildings in winter and cool them in summer.

New methods of getting energy from the ground could also give geothermal a boost. Entrepreneur Manoj Bhargava is working with researchers to bring heat to the surface using graphene cords rather than steam or hot water.

Graphene is stronger than steel and conducts heat well. Bhargava says the technology would be simple to develop and could be integrated with existing power grids.

Unfortunately, geothermal hasn’t received the same level of government support as other sources of energy, including fossil fuels and nuclear. That’s partly because upfront costs are high and, as with oil and gas exploration, geothermal sources aren’t always located where developers hope they’ll be. As Desmog notes, resources are often found in areas that already have access to inexpensive hydro power.

Rapid advancements in renewable-energy and power-grid technologies could put the world on track to a mix of clean sources fairly quickly — which is absolutely necessary to curtail global warming. Geothermal energy should be part of that mix.

David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Senior Editor Ian Hanington. Learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.

Funding for solar installations in Alberta LORNE OJA ENERGY Since the NDP government has been elected, many questions have been asked about funding for solar projects; a promise from the election campaign.

As of yet, no actual announcements or information has been put forth by the current government to indicate available funding, or for that matter any indication the ‘will’ is still extant.

It is reported on the Alberta energy web site that 45 per cent of the province’s electrical energy comes from “alternative and renewable sources” which include hydro-electric, wind, biomass, and natural gas cogeneration.

No mention of any solar output is seen on this site.

However the Solar Energy Society of Alberta reports the provinces installed capacity at nine 422 kW, which produces some 10.8-plus million KWh on an annual basis and abates some seven-plus million kilograms of CO2e.

Currently the only funding Alberta is offering for solar, is in the “Growing Forward 2” program set up in conjunction with the federal government which has been available since April 2013. This program is an

“on farm Photovoltaic” program which provides grants for solar installations on any Alberta farm that has a minimum of $10,000 farm production income with livestock or commodities.

To qualify the PV system must be grid-tied, meet the specifications of the Alberta’s Micro Generation Legislation, have permitting approval, and be positioned to optimize sunshine and minimize shading. All the related equipment (i.e. solar modules and racking inverters) must have manufacturer’s warranties and the system must produce power that is used in the production of a primary commodity. Further the equipment and installation must occur between April 1 of 2013 and March 31, 2018.

A maximum of $50,000 per applicant is available for the cost of the installation with contractor installed systems,

with a completed energy assessment, being funded at the highest rate of $0.60 per watt to a maximum of 25 per cent of the project cost. Self-installed systems are eligible for $0.30 per watt with an energy assessment to a maximum of 20 per cent of the installation cost.

If the assessment is not completed then contractor installed systems are eligible for $0.45 per install watt to a maximum of 20 per cent of the cost of the project and self-installed systems are eligible for $0.15 per watt to a maximum of 10 per cent of the project cost.

Municipalities can qualify for $5 million in funding from the Alberta municipal program which will rebate up to $0.75 / W for systems under 10 kW and $0.45 for installations to 1 MW, if mounted on municipally owned buildings such as libraries, fire halls are-

nas, administration building and recreation centres.

As of yet the ordinary citizen of this province has received no incentive for installing solar, or wind projects on a personalized scale. Probably just as well, as at this point, given the current economic environment, those that were contemplating an alternative energy system no longer have the funds and immediate prospects are bleak.

Environmental actions, no matter how noble, will always come second to putting food on the table.

Lorne Oja is an energy consultant, power engineer and a partner in a company that installs solar panels, wind turbines and energy control products in Central Alberta. He built his first off-grid home in 2003. His column appears every second Friday in the Advocate. Contact him at: lorne@solartechnical.ca.

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THE ADVOCATE B10

ADVICE THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

Sister-in-law proving to be a problem KATHY MITCHELL AND MARCY SUGAR ANNIE’S MAILBOX

Dear Annie: I come from a large family. We haven’t had any truly rough times, but our sister-in-law is proving to be a problem for me.

“Jennifer” has never liked me. At her wedding, my other siblings were attendants, but not me. She often invites my siblings for dinner, but never me.

I could live with that, but I am bothered by the way she treats my mother.

My brother has five children. For years, my mother has babysat for free.

She attends all their events to show her support. She invites the kids to fun activities. Mom recently took on a fulltime job and can no longer babysit.

Jennifer always seemed a little jeal-

JOANNE MADELINE MOORE HOROSCOPE Thursday March 31 CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Ewan McGregor, 44; Angus Young, 60;Christopher Walken, 72 THOUGHT OF THE DAY: You’re keen to say what’s on your mind but are others ready to hear it?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: You are extremely tenacious — but sometimes that translates as just being plain stubborn. In 2016, make sure you can adapt to changing circumstances.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): If you blurt things out without thinking then you’ll just end up upsetting others, especially family and friends. So today’s stars encourage you to think things through, talk less and observe a lot more.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don’t pre-plan and organize the day too much Taurus. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes, and situations may change at a moment’s notice so try your best to be a flexible and adaptable Bull.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Group activities look exciting and unpredictable today Gemini but be extra careful what you say — and whom you say it to. Loved ones are in the mood to forgive but not necessarily to forget!

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You’re very focused on professional projects but don’t put all your eggs in the one work basket. Make sure you diversify your interests; expand your contacts; and keep your options wide open.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Innovative thinking will take you far today Lions. If there’s a problem that’s bugging you, look at the situation from a variety of

ous of how close Mom is to the kids, and now she’s found a way to exclude her. Jennifer has stopped communicating with either of my parents. She declines invitations to family events at my parents’ house, and won’t invite them anywhere. She won’t tell them when the kids’ events are. Last week, Mom saw Jennifer at the grocery, and she wouldn’t look at her or say hello.

Jennifer’s attitude is having an effect on my brother. He’s starting to behave the same way. This is awful for my mother and an injustice to the kids.

Mom is too nice to say anything, and if I speak up, it will only make things worse.

My older sister has told me that I will soon be excluded from any family event involving Jennifer if I don’t “change my ways.”

I don’t understand what I have done wrong or how to fix it. Could you please give me some suggestions? — Frustrated Dear Frustrated: We don’t know

what you have “done wrong,” other than to respond to Jennifer in the same negative way she responds to you. But we can tell you that improving the relationship will require major effort from you, since Jennifer is unlikely to bother.

Please talk to your older sister and ask her to explain what might help you get along better with Jennifer. Don’t criticize her. Be sincere.

Do this for your mother’s sake, and see if anything works to get this sisterin-law to behave with more compassion. (And shame on your brother for permitting his wife to treat Mom this way.)

Dear Annie: I read the letter from “Mother-In-Law,” who regrets the way she treated her husband’s mother now that she is the recipient of her son’s wife’s disdain.

I was happy to see you point out that many women have wonderful relationships with their mothers-in-law.

I could not have asked for a better

woman to fill this role in my life. My mother-in-law did an outstanding job raising her son and accepted me into her family with grace and love.

Sadly, she developed Alzheimer’s and we had to watch a beautiful, active and engaging woman fall victim to the ravages of this insidious disease. It was heartbreaking to see this decline, but she was always happy to see us when we visited. She knew we belonged to her in some way.

I learned a lot from her, and can only pray that I have the same type of relationship with my son’s wife when that day comes. — Grateful Daughterin-Law Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailbox@ creators.com, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. You can also find Annie on Facebook at Facebook.com/AskAnnies.

PANCAKE WEEK

angles — then zero in on the part that you can exert the most influence on.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgos are natural critics. But today you need to criticize less and encourage much more, as you support a child, teenager or friend.

Plus make physical fitness and outdoor activities a top priority.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Flexible Libra — today will work best if you multi-task and mix things up. But a loved one or business partner may stun you by making a surprise move.

Life certainly won’t be boring!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): With the Sun, Mercury and Uranus moving through your daily work zone, strive to shake up your usual routine. If a financial arrangement isn’t working for you, then take steps to refine and rework it.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The focus is on friendships today Sagittarius, as you communicate with your mates about things that really matter.

But avoid being verbally combative with a work colleague or family member.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You’ll feel pulled in different directions as personal projects and family commitments battle for your limited time.

If you are focused and flexible, then you’ll get through the day in a productive way.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Think before you speak! Words have the power to hurt or heal today, so use them wisely. And, if you are on the receiving end of some critical comments, try not to take the situation too personally.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Many Pisceans are in a hurry to shake things up, especially regarding a financial situation. But, if you make a snap decision, you could find yourself jumping from the frying pan into a very hot fire.

Joanne Madeline Moore is an internationally syndicated columnist. Her column appears daily in the Advocate.

Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A large crowd watches as an effigy is burned in a bonfire during Maslenitsa festival [Pancake Week] in Donetsk, Ukraine. Many people in Northern Europe celebrate the holiday which marks the end of winter and the arrival of spring.

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