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Wednesday, January 29, 2025 Vol. 48, No. 04
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HRA student injured in bus accident Blowing snow and icy roads cause Holden Rural Academy vehicle to hit the ditch Kari Janzen Staff Reporter
Icy, windy, and snowy conditions caused a Holden Rural Academy (HRA) bus to end up in the ditch on Friday, Jan. 24. Alberta RCMP reported that Vegreville RCMP were on the scene of a single vehicle bus roll over in the early afternoon. The accident caused serious injury to one student who went to the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton. The other student on board and the bus driver sustained minor injuries. HRA Transportation Director Hank Janzen said both students were back at school the following Monday. The bus, one of HRA’s little busses able to transport up to 20 students, lost control at Highway 16 and Highway 857 near Vegreville. “This was due to very slippery road conditions combined with wind. The bus went into the ditch backwards and then tipped on the side, at about 1:15 p.m.,” Janzen said. Janzen said there can be up to nine students on Continued on Page 6
Viking to control ‘inappropriate’ public behaviour with new code of conduct policy Patricia Harcourt Editor
The Town of Viking has put in place a new code of conduct policy to keep employees safe by curtailing “inappropriate” behaviour by “customers.” The Public Customer Code of Conduct Policy was passed by town council Jan. 20. “This policy ensures that, if inappropriate behaviour occurs, the town has a comprehensive plan to take appropriate action so that a respectful workplace can be maintained,” stated the report to council by Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Doug Lefsrud. He said the town is committed “to the highest ethical, professional, and operational standards, and applies these standards when serving the community.
“The new policy aims to ensure that our community is served in alignment with these standards while also ensuring that the town employees are provided with a safe work environment with procedures in place to respond to inappropriate behaviour,” he explained in the report to council. The policy statement adds that, “while employees are expected to treat all members of the public with respect and dignity, regardless of the member of the public’s behaviour, they are (to be) provided with a safe work environment with procedures in place to respond to inappropriate behaviour.” The policy itself outlines a list of what is considered inappropriate, including entering restricted areas or loitering in unauthorized areas; causing damage to town property or theft of same; using town facilities or equipment for personal use; not adhering to established procedures; and behaviour
that creates a hostile environment with verbal abuse and physical altercations. Plus, unreasonable conduct included being abusive or intimidating to staff while they investigate a complaint; using excessive or multiple lines of enquiry of staff or departments for a single issue; or refusing to accept the results of an investigation based on a complaint. The policy states that the town’s approach to managing inappropriate behaviour by members of the public is a four stage process. This includes giving the person an official warning; then the “single point of contact” would be the CAO to deal with the person; then there would be restricted contact; and finally, there would be a ban on that person from interacting with the town’s facilities, programs or conducting business with the town.