The Community
Press Lest We Forget
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Volume 112, Issue 19
$1 Including GST
Assault charges after fight at local business Leslie Cholowsky Editor with files from Cpl. Trent Cleveland - Acting CO Killam RCMP Detachment
Countertenor Terry Barber started off the DaysArts 2019-2020 Concert Series with a tribute to the music of Andrew Lloyd Weber showing off his incredible vocal range. He was accompanied by the incredibly talented Michelle Foster on piano and vocally to start the series off with a bang! LESLIE CHOLOWSKY PHOTO
Regional governance report presented at Flagstaff Region fall forum for councillors Leslie Cholowsky Editor
The 2019 fall forum for regional municipal councillors saw elected officials from throughout the Flagstaff region attend a meeting in Hardisty on the evening of Monday, Nov. 4, at the Elks Hall. FIP Chairperson Bob Coutts started the meeting, introducing County Reeve and Emergency Services Committee Chair Don Kroetch to provide an update on the Regional Fire Services planning. “We started as a region to identify shared chal-
lenges in providing fire services to our municipalities,” Kroetch said. “It was time to think outside the box; the common theme to a number of studies we were looking at was regionalization.” Kroetch explained that after much work and consultation from a large focus group, a smaller group of five, “with broad and varied experiences and views,” worked to bring forward a master agreement for fire services. The group was Lougheed Mayor Deb Smith, Hardisty CAO Sandy Otto, and Killam CAO Kim Borgel, Don
Rosland from the Alberta Fire Commissioner’s Office, and Regional Emergency Services Coordinator Kim Cannady. “We have a strong and diverse group,” Kroetch said after the region’s municipalities passed a proposed operating budget for a regional service in principal, work began in earnest to create a master agreement. “This is the third review we’ve made of the master agreement with our lawyers; we’ve simplified and strengthened it, we feel.” Kroetch says a new re-
gional fire service would be structured similarly to Flagstaff Waste Management’s governance model. He stressed more than once that the entire process of working on a regional plan has been extremely consultative, and that all the people who have had a hand in the agreement, “We left our hats at the door, and worked hard to create a document that reflects what we heard from everyone.” He emphasized that the document represents what was heard from all, not from See FORUM P9
Killam RCMP members dealt with 33 calls for service from Oct. 25 to 31. A complaint of an abandoned motor vehicle had the owner making arrangements to move the unit. RCMP dealt with an animal complaint of loose horses on the highway near Heisler, where the owner rounded the animals up and re-penned them. Members were called to a Killam business establishment with a complaint of two employees fighting. A 53-year-old male was charged with Assault on a 23-year-old male, both from Killam. Killam RCMP assisted Camrose Police Services with a next-of-kin notification for a sudden death. Members here investigated the sudden death of a 54-year-old male in the rural area. After an extensive examination, police determined no foul play had occurred. Three failure to comply with conditions complaints were all deemed to be unfounded. Police are aware of the individuals involved and the conditions. Charges are pending in one case of two instances of fleeing from police during traffic stops, both remain under investigation. This is a criminal code violation. Police received a complaint of fraud under $5,000 involving an item being sold on Kijiji. Cpl. Cleveland encourages po-
tential buyers and sellers to be aware of how electronic money transfers work. Members investigated a complaint from a farmer regarding a potentially odd death of livestock. Killam members followed up and seized items after a report of found items was made to police. RCMP received two calls under the Mental Health Act, and two individuals were taken to the nearest designated facility for evaluation and treatment. “We need to push to get a designated facility closer to us,” says Cleveland, noting that calls such as this can take one or two members out of the region for hours. Three complaints of mischief were made to police, all in the rural area. One was an attempt to steal fuel, one dealt with damage to rural property, and the other was a neighbourhood dispute. Members are following up on a suspicion of possession of stolen property under $5,000. The suspects, from Killam, are known to police. Three suspicious vehicles reports were made to police, all from the Galahad area. Members report that the complaint of theft of two motor vehicles ended up being a civil matter. Five collisions were reported to the police, four with wildlife and one due to road conditions, none with serious injuries reported, but with damages over $2,000. Killam members were asked to perform two wellbeing checks, both individuals were found and in good health.