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- Your onlY locallY owned newspaper • serving the cnp since 1930 • deceMBer 12, 2018 ~ vol. 88 no. 51 - $1.00
Mountain Spirit Festival
Anna Kroupina photo Anna Kroupina photo
Jayden, 5 years old, holds up a mountain sculpture he made at school for the Mountain Spirit Festival art contest. The exhibit, hosted at the Crowsnest Community Library, shows artwork created by over 200 students in Crowsnest Pass with the theme “Mountains Matter” to celebrate the United Nations’ International Mountain Day. Jayden’s love for the mountains lies in hiking. In fact, he had just finished a hike with his mom before coming down to the library to see the display. Natalie, a student in grade 4 whose artwork won a prize in the contest, painted an alpine lodge and sled dogs because she loves skiing and sledding. The exhibit is ongoing until December 15 at the library. See page 5 for another photo from the art contest.
RiveRsdale
shoP local
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Pages 8 & 9
BeaRsmaRt Page 13
Christmas magic comes to life at
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2 – cRowsnest PAss HeRALD – Wednesday, December 12, 2018
~ Riversdale update ~
Employee Theft in Alberta
Regulatory, Current Activities, Golf Course, Future Exporation, EDC Officer
How big of an issue is employee theft? According to a study done by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the average business loses 5% of its revenue to occupational fraud every year and small businesses are particularly vulnerable with the largest losses due to fewer anti-fraud controls. In June 2018, a Red Deer woman was charged with stealing over $1 million from her employer ATB Financial and in August 2018, an Edmonton woman was charged with stealing $2 million worth of Percocet tablets from the pharmacy where she was employed. Other cases in Alberta include a charity treasurer stealing over $200,000 and an office administrator taking more than $100,000 from his non-profit employer. Responding to this story, the Retail Council of Canada reports that employees steal about $2500 in cash or goods before being caught, compared to the $175 average a customer might steal. In all, the Retail Council found that employee theft costs Canadian businesses about $1.4 billion annually. Clearly, this is a serious risk and problem. Even as our tools to spot fraud become more advanced, employees have developed more sophisticated ways to defraud their employers and customers. But a business insurance policy that covers fraud and associated damages can help protect your business and mitigate the damage caused by employee theft.
ANNA KrOuPiNA Pass Herald Reporter
What is employee theft?
Employee theft can be as simple as a cashier dipping their hands into the till or pocketing merchandise off the shelves, but it also can be a complex scheme resulting in the business or customer being out dollars or products. It can be nearly impossible to detect. Fraud is a broad term in a legal sense and it comes in many forms. It can include the misappropriation of confidential information belonging to the employer, using the company’s brand identity to defraud third parties, or receiving bribes or kickbacks from a business’s suppliers or customers. Specific examples of dishonest activity within a small business include: • Property theft • Theft of cash, cheques, business equipment, or client property • Data theft or cyber-related embezzlement • Forgery
Megan Cartwright Insurance Broker
How to Stop Employee Theft
There are several steps an employer can take to limit the chances of their business becoming a victim of employee theft: • Thorough employee screening: Conduct exhaustive background checks that look at a candidate’s personal, financial and criminal background. • Install security measures: Cameras, alarms, biometric identification systems – all of these are effective tools to stop employee theft. Also, restrict access to data and office areas on a need-to-use basis. • Employ checks and balances: Restrict access to unauthorized areas and data. Require more than one signature on transactions of a certain amount. Always have refunds and voids approved by a manager. Put in place strict confidentiality policies regarding accessing, transferring, and handling company information. • Always prosecute: Should you discover that an employee has stolen from the company, file a police report and have the thief prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. Settling for restitution and a private apology doesn’t deter future theft. You must set an example that your other employees respect and understand. An Alberta Court of Appeal decision in 2013 made it clear that an employee owes fiduciary obligations to their employer. That decision makes it easier for businesses to recover assets stolen, converted or misappropriated by dishonest employees through the courts. Having said that, if the employee doesn’t have the financial means to cover your business’s losses, how will you recover your lost revenue and assets? That’s where business insurance can help.
Business Insurance Covering Employee Theft
Coverage varies by insurance company, so be sure to contact your A-WIN Insurance Broker, Megan Cartwright, to discuss what is currently covered when it comes to employee theft and fraud. Often, your commercial property or liability insurance covers actions by outside third parties but it doesn’t cover crimerelated losses from employees. You'll want a policy or endorsement that covers your business in the event that you suffer losses due to: • Employee dishonesty • Forgery or alteration • Theft of money and securities • Computer fraud Your local A-WIN Insurance broker, Megan Cartwright is happy to discuss business insurance options that protects not only your company money, but securities and business property as well. Please stop by the office at 12931 20th Ave. in Blairmore, call us at 403-526-2191 or email megan.c@awinins.ca.
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Alisdair Gibbons, general manager of the Grassy Mountain Coal Project, provided a progress update on the status in the approval process of the proposed mine at a Special Council Meeting on Dec. 5. Regulatory There is just over one month remaining for the public to provide comment on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for Grassy Mountain. The public comment period, announced on November 5, 2018, closes on January 21, 2019, at which time the three-member Joint Review Panel, which was established on August 16, 2018, will evaluate the completeness of the EIA and if necessary, will request further information from Riversdale Resources. This exchange can occur several times until the joint panel deems the EIA sufficient. Once deemed sufficient, a public hearing will be held, which Gibbons anticipates to be held in summer 2019. This is the final opportunity for public input before the panel prepares a report for the federal and provincial governments, which could take several more months, likely at the end of 2019. On the provincial side, the panelists will be submitting a decision whether to grant a permit to the Grassy Mountain Coal Project. On the federal side, the panelist will submit a recommendation and the final decision will be made by the Federal Minister for Environment. Once a permit is issued and construction begins, Riversdale anticipates approximately 22 months of construction and operations would really ramp up in 2024 or 2025. A resource docu-
ment to assist participants in the preparation of their submissions is available on the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency website. Current Activities Since October, Riversdale has been responding to Supplemental Information Requests (SIRs) from the federal and provincial environmental agencies. This was the third round of SIRs from CEAA (federal) and the second from the Alberta Energy Regulator (provincial). Riversdale is in the process of conducting a quality drilling program to extract 8 tonnes of coal from boreholes and ship them overseas to prospective clients to test. The program, running for six to seven weeks, is expected to be completed before Christmas. On the infrastructure side, design and engineering work is being done for road and rail crossings, access roads, water management and the design and configuration of the coal handling processing plant. Golf course All work has been completed on the field of play of the Crowsnest Pass Golf & Country Club. With this year ’s late spring, sodding did not get underway as early as expected and still requires several months of growing time over the 2019 spring and summer. For this reason, while most of the course will be ready for teeing this coming golf season, the final configuration won’t be playable in 2019. Construction of the club house and maintenance facilities are underway and should be complete in mid- to end2019, as should the access road leading up to the golf course.
The entire course and all facilities are projected to open in 2020. Future exploration A member of the gallery questioned what plans Riversdale has for future coal mine exploration. According to Gibbons, there are parcels in the Bellevue and Adanac areas that may warrant future exploration but Riversdale has no plans to pursue them at this time. Should Riversdale decide to mine those areas, they would be subject to a complete Environmental Impact Assessment and regulatory review from start to finish, the same requirements that have been ongoing over the past several years for Grassy Mountain. Economic Development Officer A member of the gallery questioned Council on whether they see a conflict of interest of Riversdale funding a municipal Economic Development Officer (EDO) position. Mayor Blair Painter said that he feels there is no conflict of interest and is a representative of Riversdale being a good corporate citizen. He also noted that it is normal practice for companies to support municipalities, pointing to funding that Pincher Creek receives from Shell or that the Elk Valley receives from Teck. According to Councillor Lisa Sygutek, the EDO would be employed by the municipality and report to municipal Administration; Riversdale would have no influence in their professional activities. For more information on the Grassy Mountain Coal Project, please visit the Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry, reference number 80101.
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Wednesday, December 12, 2018 - Crowsnest PAss herAlD - 3
In the lIne of fIre Between December 3 and 7, Crowsnest Pass RCMP responded to a total of 28 calls for service including the following reported incidents. One (1) fraud/forgery, three (3) threats/harassment, one (1) theft of motor vehicle, two (2) thefts, two (2) other provincial statutes, two (2) driving complaints, four (4) motor vehicle collisions, two (2) assistance to general public, five (5) suspicious occurrences, two (2) lost/found, two (2) assistance to other agencies and two (2) municipal bylaws. Lost ring On December 3, a woman’s ring with a blue topaz was reported lost in the Crowsnest Pass area. Gas station robbery On December 3 at ap-
proximately 1:30 a.m., a robbery was reported at a gas station in Blairmore. A 23-year-old male from Lethbridge was located with the assistance of Pincher Creek and Piikani RCMP. He was arrested and charged with robbery and two counts of breach of conditions. He also had outstanding charges in Lethbridge and was escorted to Lethbridge where a Justice Hearing was held. He was remanded in custody until his next court date.
~ rCMP news ~
card was reported. The card was used in Quebec on two occasions in the amount over $5,000. The bank was notified of suspicious activity.
turned in to the municipality. An iPhone/camera was found. A Dodge key was found in Blairmore.
Tailgating On December 6, a driving complaint was reported about a semi trailer tailgating a vehicle. The suspect vehicle was stopped and warned of his driving actions.
Scams Reminder to residents of computer scams, credit cards scams, Grandparent scams, Revenue Canada scams asking for money or cash cards and saying warrants out for arrest. Do not give out personal information to persons you don't know. Do not open emails if you are suspicious of their origin.
Stolen vehicles On December 5, a truck and trailer were reported stolen from 18 Avenue in Blairmore. Police contacted the Municipal Peace Officer, who advised that the vehicles were towed.
Crime mapping Crime mapping is available online to residents who are interested in viewing property crimes that occurred within the past two weeks in our area. For more information on crime mapping, see the October 3 issue of the Pass Herald.
Credit card fraud On December 5, fraudulent use of a credit
Lost/found items Bikes have
The Simple Raven’s Post by Avner Perl
Magic for Christmas? I don’t know how it works for most families but in mine, people make Christmas lists. It is common to hear each of us saying to others, what do you want for Christmas and surprise, on Christmas they open a gift, or gifts and say, oh wow just what I wanted, thank you. When I was a kid, there was no Christmas in the country where Christ walked and preached. Mom got us some modest gifts but didn’t say why. Kids who received Christmas gifts were considered aliens in Israel. I remember my first Christmas in full detail, something that most of you probably don’t. It was 1967, centennial year, and I was a newcomer in Canada. A co-worker of my dad’s had two daughters about my age, and invited me to go with them to a place they called “The Mall.” It was the Chinook Mall that still exists in Calgary but now is much bigger. I had never been to a “Mall” before. I was wearing some of the clothes that came with me, in a suitcase on the plane. It was my warmest but not adequate for the cold weather that year, nor did it look Canadian. Most passers-by took a look at me, stopped and looked again. I acted tough, didn’t shiver and looked back with defiance. A lot has changed since 1967, but a lot is still the same. The mall which used to be much smaller then compared to now was gigantic in my eyes. There were lights and music, moving stairs, Santa with Elves and a huge amount of merchandise piled or hung in very attractive ways. Blinking decorations and to my surprise, a lot of artificial greenery mimicking the outdoors rather unconvincingly. I came here from the land of the birth of “our Lord” but had never seen a decorated Christmass tree and here were dozens of them with so many gifts, wrapped and unwrapped waiting to be sold for cash. The credit card was not yet invented, as far as I knew. Most striking were the people who seemed to be moving fast, unimpressed with the displays or even with some live entertainment here and there, shopping. I didn’t yet know the word “shopping” and didn’t associate it with an activity that is necessary for living. What became obvious to me on that trip was that we were in the land of plenty, but most things were not for us. It was there, easy to touch but when I looked at the price tag, I realized that it was for a different class of people who for some reason had a lot more money. It took me years to understand why so few had so much while others had much less and many more had close to nothing. Most of the poor
been
Anyone with information regarding any crime is urged to contact the Crowsnest Pass RCMP Detachment at 403-562-2867, or Crimestoppers to remain anonymous at 1-800-422TIPS.
people worked very hard and very long hours. The people I was with were working people and quickly headed to the cheaper stores like Woolworth and K Mart where decorations were not as nice and the place looked somewhat messier, and merchandise was not of best quality. At that time the cheapest was stuff made in Japan. Mostly we were forced to use our hard earned cash on things that broke easy and fast. People often looked at their handwritten notes since there were no cell phones to type Christmas lists in and compare prices on the internet. This brings me back to my Christmas list this year which I don’t even have to write. I have been here now over fifty years and I have all the material things that I want. I don’t know what to write on my Christmas wish list. It is a long time since the days when all of my material possessions were in one suitcase, and there was no money in my pocket. I watch people who spent the same years in the country I came from and see that they have more or less the same. Wow, I whisper to myself, I could have stayed there and theoretically lived just about the same. The main difference is, here we lived in peace. If I must come up with a gift that I would truly enjoy, I decide, let's ask for something really magical. I will not get it, but I will have a chance to explain why I want it. I would like an “Indestructible Truth Wand” for Christmas. It could be any little stick, but when aimed at someone it will force them to tell the truth. The truth can be hurtful at times but would it ever make a difference. I could point it at some kid, and he or she would say to me, you are an ugly old fool, and I would have to smile and say, thanks, I know. Just imagine how much you could change the world if people knew that you have a Truth Wand and people must tell the truth if it’s pointed at them. First, you would find that news reporters would set camp around you and people would offer you trips to go places and force the truth out of political leaders, industry moguls and even little kids would request that you will make their moms and dads say what they truly think. You could take the wand to a jail and free half of the inmates and later go to the stock market exchange and get new inmates to fill up the jail to over capacity. You could go to parliaments, major churches, and some media outlets and make some good catches. The wand wouldn’t give you any solutions, only make people honest, regardless of their intentions, good or bad. If a Truth Wand made its way into my hands, I would use it first to make life bearable for all existing people which would immediately slow down human birth rates and slow down the danger of us destroying our planet. What do you think Santa, can I have one? Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/ Feel free to check other articles and comment. 36667751-old-wizard-in-snowy-forest-fantasyand-fairy-tale[1]
DiD you know?
When lightning strikes it can reach up to 30,000 degrees celsius (54,000 degrees fahrenheit).
HWY #3, Frank • 562-8043
Missing You
Joe & Rose Newton Arie & Betsie Vander Linden Gone yet not forgotten, Although we are apart, Your spirit lives within us, Forever in our hearts. Love Dane, Betty, Brett and Dillon and families
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MuniCiPALiTY oF CRoWsnEsT PAss noTiCE oF DEVELoPMEnT PERMiT LAnD usE BYLAW no. 868-2013 The Development Authority of the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass recently approved the following development application(s): 1. DP2018-091: Lot 1, Block 28, Plan 1429LK; 22801 – 9 Avenue, Hillcrest Mines Discretionary Use: Covered Access Ramp; Secondary Front Yard Setback Variance 2. DP2018-092: Lot 30, Block 20, Plan 9310156; 8510 – 19 Avenue, Coleman Discretionary Use: Brew Pub 3. DP2018-090: SE4-8-4 W5M; 1822 York Creek Drive, Blairmore Discretionary Use: Selective Logging Any persons claiming to be adversely affected by the above development may file an appeal in writing by December 27, 2018, to the MUNICIPALITY OF CROWSNEST PASS, SUBDIVISION AND DEVELOPMENT APPEAL BOARD, BOX 600, CROWSNEST PASS, ALBERTA T0K 0E0. A fee of $400.00 must be included with the appeal. Lisa Kinnear Development officer 403-563-2218 lisa.kinnear@crowsnestpass.com