The Community
Press Volume 113, Issue 33
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
$1 Including GST
Shout out to Flagstaff’s Health Care Workers
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ‘PRESS Province announces one-time payment for critical services workers Page 10 RCMP make arrests in copper wire thefts Page 19 COVID scams on the rise with false vaccination offers Page 3 MLA writes letter in support of Hardisty Hospital Emergency Room Page 8
LESLIE CHOLOWSKY PHOTO
FFCS staff, Killam RCMP, and MLA Jackie Lovely saluted Health Care workers in a frigid mini-parade in Killam. On Thursday, Feb. 11, FFCS staff, Lynne Jenkinson, Sue Freadrich, Brooke Grove, Karen Bovencamp Manning, and Jody Bergseth, along with RCMP Constables Jake Rains and Kirk Rafuse, joined Camrose MLA Jackie Lovely in an impromptu thanks to health care workers in the region, just one day after the province announced a one-time payment for critical workers.
AND MUCH MORE!
Flagstaff County Council considering changes to residential dust suppressant policy Leslie Cholowsky Editor
Flagstaff County Council made some changes to its dust suppressant policy in the 2021-2023 Business Plan and Budget, and recently discussed adopting new options for residents looking for dust suppressant application. The budget, approved on Jan. 27, will see residential dust controls applied at a 100 per cent cost-recovery basis. Councillor Erik Skoberg made a motion during Council’s Wednesday, Feb. 10, regular meeting to conduct a trial period, of one year, privatizing residential dust suppressant application, similar to a current Camrose County policy. “We don’t know if this would be a viable option because we haven’t done it. One of the pros for this might be an economic spinoff for local private operators. “I can’t understand why we haven’t or wouldn’t try this.” Skoberg said the Camrose County policy could be used as a basis for a new
policy, with Flagstaff County specific tweaks applied. Administration, via CAO Shelly Armstrong, said that a new policy could be worked on with Public Works input and brought back to Council. Skoberg said, “If you refer to our pricing; I don’t know what private application will cost. If it’s cheaper, that’s a good thing, if it’s more expensive, same. “I would like us to be progressive and try something new as an option.” Councillor Jeff Eckstrand said, “I think there’s an opportunity here to get some free testing, too.” Eckstrand elaborated on that, saying, “If people pay to have other products applied, for instance the Camrose County list has four, then we can see how it works, but don’t have to pay for it.” Councillor Jeanette Herle added, “As long as the product is approved, and not degrading roads, I don’t know why we wouldn’t do this.” Council discussion turned to road
preparation required for some products to be effective. It was noted that the Camrose County policy did not address road condition. Eckstrand said, “We need to make people aware that the cost of prepping the road is not included in the contract. It may be that a landowner has to pay $160/hour for a grader.” Reeve Don Kroetch added, “The policy would state that we would do the preparation at cost to the ratepayer. We don’t want private contractors working on our roads.” Skoberg said, “I agree. Maybe it’s a matter of timing. If the County blades a road on a Tuesday, for example, the application could be coordinated. “We are doing road maintenance on a time basis, not a need basis, so there are options to mitigate some of these concerns.” Kroetch asked, “Where does this policy come in to play in the pecking order of work being done?” Skoberg said, “That would be an issue
up to the ratepayer, they would be fully responsible. But it would be in their best interest to work with the County’s schedule.” Eckstrand added, “I think the maintenance grader would look after this type of work, because when the truck is here [for application] they are going to do every road they can while they can do it.” Administration prepared information on the pros and cons on the County administering dust suppressant versus having the resident responsible for booking through a third party. One concern noted was citizens and third-party contractors working within County right-of-ways, resulting in noncompliance with the County’s safety program and OH & S regulations regarding traffic control. Skoberg questioned the OH & S issue, asking why it would not be compliant. Armstrong said, “Because the contractor is working directly with a ratepayer, not See DUST SUPPRESSANT P10
Page 2 - The Community Press, Wednesday, February 17, 2021
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The Community Press, Wednesday, February 17, 2021 - Page 3
New scam targetting those eager to be vaccinated against COVID-19 Anti-fraud Centre warns: “Do not buy vaccines online or from unauthorized sources” Leslie Cholowsky Editor
Alberta Health Services sent out a province-wide warning last Wednesday, Feb. 4, warning Albertans of a new scam involving COVID-19 vaccinations. In this scam, which targets elderly Albertans, some people are receiving phone calls telling them they can make an appointment to be vaccinated, if they pay for it. “AHS will never ask for payment for COVID-19 immunization,” AHS says. The organization says if you receive such a call, hang up and report the call to the Canadian AntiFraud Centre, at 1-888-4958501. No Albertan who wants to receive a vaccination will need to pay for it, and there is no preferential vaccination available to those who think they can get vaccinated sooner if they are willing to pay. RCMP have reported a number of new scams popping up throughout Canada that are COVID-19 related. If you receive an unsolicited email about COVID-19 or the vaccine, do not open it. A number of these have malicious attachments designed to grab personal information. Some people report getting phone calls from scammers claiming to work for a company who produces vaccines, offering to send a ‘vaccine system’ for a mere $250, to be self-administered on arrival. Northwest Territories RCMP Financial Crimes Division’s Cst. Landon King says, “We are concerned the current environment surrounding COVID-19 and the release of the vaccine has created a situation where some of our residents may be more vulnerable to these frauds and scams. “Please protect yourself and your loved ones and be very careful of any COVID-19-related messages or calls.
“Please authenticate the information.” There are also scams involving fraudulent treatments or cures, and also those who offer fast testing kits for sale. There are even scams where the scammer offers to sell a list of names of people currently infected with COVID-19 near you. If you receive an email from any source offering to help you access federal or provincial relief program applications out of the blue, it’s a good bet that it is another scammer looking to collect your personal information. If you didn’t contact anyone for assistance, be wary of any unsolicited offers to do so. There are others who are trying to scam people into making donations to fraudulent “charities” researching COVID-19. In some cases, scam emails may appear to come from a familiar email
address or text message. Always follow up with the sender if something appears suspicious. Just last week, we at The ‘Press receiving an officiallooking email from the Town of Killam with a link, that when followed, was asking for an email address, and email password. On second look, the sender’s actual email was not related to the town at all, even though the email bore the town logo and appeared to otherwise be legitimate. We reported the email to the Town, and they promptly issued a warning
to others via social media. When you get an email from any government authority, if that’s not your normal form of communication with them, and especially if you don’t recall ever sharing your email with them, exercise caution. As the Town advises, “The Town of Killam will never ask you to sign in to read an email.” The Canadian AntiFraud Centre has received 11,502 Canadian reports of COVID-19 fraud, with 9,797 victims reporting $7,000,000 lost to fraudsters and scams.
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