Red Deer Advocate, December 24, 2015

OUTSTANDING IN HIS FIELD Shane Chisholm recycles car parts into remarkably good instruments » PAGE 2

FRIDAY FORWARD

CHRISTMAS LIGHT TOUR PAGE C1

LANA MICHELIN CHATS WITH SHANE CHISHOLM WHO MAKES HIS OWN INSTRUMENTS FROM RECYCLED CAR PARTS

DEC.25, 2015, 2015 CENTRAL ALBERTA’S GUIDE TO DIVERSIONS AND DISTRACTIONS

TV PULLOUT

INSIDE

RON JAMES

IS IN FAST FORWARD MODE FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE SPECIAL THURSDAY ON CBC

INSERT

STAR WARS 10 ways that it GE 4 changed us » PAGE

Red Deer Advocate THURSDAY, DEC. 24, 2015

www.reddeeradvocate.com

Your trusted local news authority

y r r e M ! s a m t s i r Ch

Photo by ASHLI BARRETT/Advocate Staff

WEATHER 30% flurries. High -14.

Low -23

FORECAST ON A2 75% SOLD

INDEX Four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business . . . . . . . . . C6-7 Canada . . . . . . . . . . A5-7 Classified . . . . . . . . D1-2 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . D4 Entertainment . INSERT Sports . . . . . . . . . . . B1-5

Canada needs to just have fun at Juniors

No paper on Christmas Day

Former members of Canada’s World Junior hockey team have some advice for this year’s squad: just have fun.

The Advocate will not publish on Friday, Christmas Day, and all offices will be closed. Normal publishing resumes on Saturday and normal office hours resume on Monday.

Story on PAGE B1

PLEASE RECYCLE

1 WEEK LEFT

Kin Canada Red Deer Kinsmen Club

Call for tickets at 1-866-559-6759

on site 1-5pm every weekend @ 77 Lalor Drive, Red Deer, AB Final Draw Date December 31st, 2015 Home built by Larkaun Homes license # 411839 Online ticket purchase: www.reddeerkinsmen.com

A2 RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015

SHINNY HOCKEY

Man charged with second degree murder denied bail

BY MURRAY CRAWFORD ADVOCATE STAFF A man accused of murder hasn’t seen the Crown’s case against him, but that hasn’t stopped him from being denied bail.

Judge Jim Hunter called it “unacceptable,” for the accused to sit in custody before his disclosure had even been provided.

Defence counsel Maurice Collard raised the concerns on behalf of Daniel Boyd Sawyer, 31, of Red Deer and Sawyer’s counsel Dean Zuk of Calgary.

Sawyer is charged with second degree murder.

Sawyer turned himself into custody on Nov. 27 and has been held ever since. He was denied bail at the provincial court level.

Collard said Zuk had only received two pages of disclosure from the Crown and was frustrated because he knows he should have more.

Further frustrating the defence was an email from Crown Prosecutor Bruce Ritter saying that full disclosure would not be provided until February or March of 2016, unless there was a bail review.

The Crown Prosecutor read an email into the record saying the Major Crime Unit, who is investigating the murder, would not have disclosure until February, 2016.

Hunter called it unacceptable that an accused who turned himself in and has been denied bail would not have access to his disclosure.

The charge of second degree murder was adjourned to Jan. 11 and Hunter told the Crown he wanted either full disclosure to be provided or at what stage it was at and why it wasn’t complete yet.

Collard said it was Zuk’s intention to request a bail review in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench in the New Year.

Sawyer is charged with the stabbing death of Alan Beach, 31, of Red Deer. Beach was killed in the parking lot of Village Mall on Nov. 18.

Photo by ASHLI BARRETT/Advocate staff

Barrett Newfield, left, and his dad, Kit Newfield, battle for the puck during a game of shinny at the Bower Place outdoor rinks Wednesday afternoon. The sunny weather brought quite a few Red Deerians outside, and many could be seen on rinks throughout the city.

Habitat for Humanity faces uncertain future

BY MARY-ANN BARR ADVOCATE STAFF Family, warmth, heart and home — they all come together at Christmas.

And through the efforts of Habitat for Humanity, this time next year more Central Alberta families will be able to celebrate the season in their very own affordable homes.

Earlier this week, four Lacombe families learned they had been chosen for a Habitat home.

Unfortunately, the local nonprofit organization, which builds homes for low-income working families, is not so certain about what the future holds.

Brian Brake, executive director of the Habitat for Humanity Red Deer Region Society, said Wednesday that seven years of funding from the provincial government ended this year.

The Progressive Conservative government budget in early 2015 eliminated the Habitat funding, which amounted to about $10 million a year across the province.

It has not been reinstated by the new NDP government.

The funding was used to help with construction or to purchase land. The homes are built with a lot of skilled and unskilled volunteer labour. The home owners must commit to put in 500 hours of volunteer work into the construction or in the local community.

Across Alberta, about 700 Habitat homes (100 a year) have been built with the help of the provincial funding, Brake said.

Habitat for Humanity Red Deer has built 29 homes over the years: 22 in Red Deer, two in Delburne, one in Three Hills and now four in Lacombe.

Prior to the government funding, they managed to build only about one or two homes a year in Central Alberta, Brake said. In March they opened three new

LOTTERIES

WEDNESDAY Lotto 6/49: 05, 09, 17, 31, 38, 46 bonus: 10

Photo by ASHLI BARRETT/Advocate Staff

Brian Brake, executive director for Habitat for Humanity poses for a picture at the ReStore facility in north Red Deer Wednesday morning. units in Red Deer and have the four underway in Lacombe.

While the four families in Lacombe will get one of the units (two duplexes) now being built, there were another 17 families turned away. In Red Deer there’s a list of 160 families wanting Habitat housing, said Brake.

The Lacombe houses are unique in that the City of Lacombe partnered for the first time with Habitat, actually providing the funds through its housing strategy plan to purchase the lots — a value of

Western 6/49: N/a Extra: N/a Pick 3: N/a

$300,000.

Without that assistance, the homes could not have been built, said Brake. Construction began in October and they will be finished in June.

So far over 2,000 hours of volunteer labour have been contributed to the Lacombe houses.

The society will have used up all its own discretionary funding built up over years when the four homes are completed.

“I’m broke,” said Brake.

For every $100,000 the province committed to Habitat, it was able to giving back to the community a home that was worth about $280,000, he said.

The program for 2016 is essentially at a standstill until something changes.

But Brake is not giving up.

Along with other Habitat representatives, he has been in discussion with the Minister of Finance and with Central Alberta MLAs, asking the government to reinstate funding.

The response from the province has been positive, but still no funds have been committed to Habitat, he said.

“Because of the downturn in the economy, the demand is greater now than it’s ever been,” Brake said.

“There is no better way to leverage scarce money in hard times than to go through an organization like ours where we empower volunteers and local businesses to all come together,” Brake said.

“So for the $90,000 (the province) puts in, as long as the community’s got a need, and I can walk in with that $90,000 and a core of volunteers and donors, how better to spend your money in tough times?”

“The sky is the limit,” if Habitat gets provincial funding in the spring budget, said Brake.

If it doesn’t, he’ll be out “beating on doors and begging to put one or two houses together while we get the government engaged again.” barr@reddeeradvocate.com

Numbers are unofficial

Weather TONIGHT

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

HIGH -14

LOW -23

HIGH -16

HIGH -12

30% flurries

Clearing overnight.

Sunny. Low-22

Sunny. Low -14.

REGIONAL OUTLOOK Calgary: today, 30% flurries. High -11. Low -18.

Olds, Sundre: today, 30% flurries. High -13.

Low -25.

Rocky, Nordegg : today, 30% flurries.

High -15. Low -23.

Banff: today, 60% flurries. High -10. Low -23.

Jasper: today, mainly cloudy. High -12. Low

HIGH -6

Cloudy. Low -12

TONIGHT’S HIGHS/LOWS

-25.

Lethbridge: today, periods of snow. High -12. Low -16.

Edmonton: today, 30% flurries. High -16.

Low -21.

Grande Prairie: today, 30% flurries.

High -15. Low -21.

Fort McMurray: today, 30% flurries.

High -21. Low -25

WINDCHILL/SUNLIGHT

FORT MCMURRAY

-21/-25 GRANDE PRAIRIE

-15/-21

EDMONTON

-16/-21 JASPER

-12/-25

RED DEER

-14/-23 BANFF

-10/-23 Windchill/frostbite risk: low to moderate Low: Low risk Moderate: 30 minutes exposure High -5 to 10 minutes: High risk in 5 to 10 minutes High -2 to 5 minutes: High risk in 2 to 5 minutes Extreme: High risk in 2 minutes Sunset tonight: 4:26 p.m.

Sunrise Friday: 8:44 a.m.

7361935L21-26

LOCAL TODAY

CALGARY

-11/-18

LETHBRIDGE

-12/-16

3110 GAETZ AVE., RED DEER

LOCAL 403-347-3301 TOLL FREE 1-800-661-0995

www.pikewheaton.com

RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 A3

Local group shares MAXMILLIONS prize

BY SUSAN ZIELINSKI ADVOCATE STAFF

A group of 16 co-workers in Central Alberta are sharing a $1 million MAXMILLIONS prize.

The group, who played the lottery together for the last five years usually when jackpots are high, struck it rich in the Dec. 11 LOTTO MAX draw.

The lucky ticket was purchased by Dean Howard at the Co-op Gas Bar on Hwy 54 in Spruce View.

The prize will be shared by Howard and his co-workers Harold Nicolay, Joshua Barker, Stacy Sands, Jody Junk, Ed Szymanek, Brent Johner, Mark Workun, Mitchel Tarasiuk, Allan Gaetz, Tom Dezall, Glen Spearing, Blaine Mason, Jory Wright, Kenneth French and Johnathon Gress.

They won about $62,500 each. “I think a lot of people will be paying down their mortgages. I’m planning to take some money and going to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas next year,� said Howard in a press release from Western Lottery Corporation.

When he first scanned the ticket at the store, he knew they won but didn’t have his glasses on so wasn’t sure how much. “I just knew I saw a bunch of zeros.�

Howard checked the ticket again when he got home, this time with his glasses on. “I wanted to make sure I knew the amount before I told anyone else in the group. So I re-checked the numbers online,� Howard said. “We won $1,000,000! I couldn’t believe it.�

The group plans to continue buy lottery tickets together.

ALBERTA

BRIEFS Driver in stolen vehicle goes on rampage CALGARY — Five police cars and a couple of civilian vehicles were damaged after a driver in a stolen truck went on a rampage through northwest Calgary.

Police say they were notified about the truck at about 5:20 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

Investigators were able to find it by using a GPS unit installed inside the vehicle and monitoring the actions of the driver through the use of the police helicopter. The driver was seen driving at a high rate of speed with no care to public safety, even before ground vehicles attended the call — crashing over sidewalks, running red lights, driving through bike lanes, and into oncoming traffic at different occasions.

Police eventually were forced to stop the vehicle by pinning it against a light standard and a parked civilian vehicle.

Contributed photo

A group of 16 co-workers are sharing a $1 million MAXMILLIONS prize. The lucky ticket was purchased by Dean Howard at the Co-op Gas Bar on Hwy 54 in Spruce View.

BOXING DAY BLOWOUT! D3300 DSLR

with 18-55mm II VR, 55-200mm VR & Camera Bag Includes battery, charger, VKRXOGHU VWUDS FDPHUD EDJ SKRWRË‹QLVKLQJ FRXSRQ 2 Year Extended Warranty Only $60

28mm F1.8 AF-S G Lens SAVE $110. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $65995

579

$

SAVE 320! $

95

105mm F2.8 AF-S Micro Lens SAVE $200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $89995 24-70mm F2.8 AF-S Lens SAVE $300. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $179995

SAVE $580!

70-200mm F2.8 AF-S G Lens SAVE $400. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $229995

1599

95

SB-700 Speedlite SAVE $80 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $29995

$

SB-910 Speedlite SAVE $130 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $49995

D610 Body Only . . . SAVE $200!

Nikon D5300 DSLR with 18-55mm II VR, 55-200mm VR, Camera Bag & Remote!

799

$

60mm F1.8 AF-S Micro Lens SAVE $160 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $51995

with MB-D14 Grip & EL15 Battery

$

SAVE $450!

50mm f1.4 AF-S G Lens SAVE $100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $44995

85mm F1.8 AF-S G Lens SAVE $110 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $44995

D610 Body

Edmonton-area home invasion linked to Mac’s homicides Police have confirmed that a vehicle used in the shootings of two convenience store employees last week had been stolen during a home invasion five days earlier. “The Honda Element that was stolen from the residence here in Sherwood Park during the home invasion was then used ‌ for the homicides in Edmonton,â€? Const.

Chantelle Kelly of the RCMP in Sherwood Park, an Edmonton bedroom community, said Wednesday. Two Mac’s employees working alone were shot and killed at two separate stores during the early hours of Dec. 18. Three suspects — two men and a 13-year-old boy — are in custody and face first-degree murder charges. Kelly said police are investigating any connection between the home invasion, vehicle theft and homicides. “We’re still trying to determine whether the individuals involved in the homicide are the same individuals that are responsible for the home invasion.�

The home invasion victim, who was a guest and was alone at the time, has posted a YouTube video detailing her version of events. In the video she says two men pushed their way into the home after first offering to shovel the walk. The woman, who appears with a black eye, says she was beaten and tied up while the men searched the house for drugs, money and guns.

Lenses & Flashes

95

149995

Tripods, Bags, Filters, Camera Batteries & Memory Cards

Plus many more Nikon lenses on sale!

Nikon D7100 DSLR Body d SAVE $180 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $79995 Nikon D7100 DSLR with 18-55mm & 55-200mm VR Lens SAVE $580 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $99995

UP TO

40%

OFF!

Nikon on D750 DSLR B Body SAVE $450 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $199995 Nikon D750 DSLR with 24-120mm SAVE $550 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $264995

50mm F1.4 HSM ART Lens SAVE $300!

94995

$

24mm F1.4 HSM ART Lens SAVE $300!

84995

$

Nikon on D810 DSLR Bod Body SAVE $500. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $299995 Nikon D810 DSLR with 24-120mm SAVE $500. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $369995

70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS SAVE $250!

18-250mm DC OS Lens

134995

$

SAVE $120!

39995

$

Nikon Boxing Day sale prices run from Dec. 24th to January 7th, all other Boxing Day sale prices and discounts run from Dec. 26th to Dec. 31st.

5 Minute Passport Photos!

5129-48 St., Red Deer, AB Ph. 403-341-5885 www.mcbaincamera.com

Serving Alberta Since 1949

COMMENT

A4 Perfect storm about to hit Alberta

BY ROBERT MCGARVEY SPECIAL TO THE ADVOCATE

Albertans can be forgiven for feeling a little woozy this holiday season.

Eighteen months of economic turmoil have taken their toll on the economy — and more bad news is around the corner.

The perfect storm about to hit Alberta could make the past year feel like the good old days.

Strike one is the continuing collapse in oil prices. The benchmark price of West Texas Intermediate crude has fallen from over $100 a barrel in July 2014 to $34 a barrel. Goldman Sachs, one of the world’s leading investment banks, has gone from a 2009 prediction of $200 oil to now forecasting $20 per barrel.

When analysts as shrewd as Goldman Sachs can’t predict the price of the world’s most important commodity, who is going to put up the billions of dollars in long-term investments needed to build a stable and dependable energy system?

The answer can be found in Calgary’s vacant office towers and the many jobless Albertans. Statistics Canada says Alberta lost 15,000 highly-paid jobs in the last month alone and is

down almost 70,000 jobs year over year.

Strike two is the sea change that has resulted from the Paris climate change accord and rising environmental sensibilities. Alberta’s new NDP Premier Rachel Notley has introduced a carbon tax. And newly-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to meet with the provinces soon to hammer out significant carbon reduction targets and strategies.

The future of energy in Canada, then, is greener and far less reliant on fossil fuels. What this means for Alberta is anybody’s guess, but the transition to a greener economy will not be pretty for an industry and a province that bet its future on oil and coal.

The Federal Reserve Bank in the United States delivered the third strike last week. The 25 basis points rise in nominal rates is minor in itself, but it heralds the end of zero interest rate policy. That policy helped keep the global economy from sinking into depression after the 2008 financial crisis.

The U.S. economy is now just strong enough for central bankers to start to reverse course on rates. The Canadian economy is not.

Canada has its own central bank, of course, but eventually it will have no choice but to follow the Fed’s lead

THURSDAY, DEC. 24, 2015

and start raising rates. Capital will be more expensive and mortgage payments will ratchet up, putting additional pressure on already-stressed families.

While many of the environmental changes are long overdue, there’s no doubt that the extraordinary volatility in all commodity prices and the commitment to an entirely new energy infrastructure mark the end of an era.

The resulting perfect storm will broadside Alberta and could devastate its energy industry.

In order to manage this transition, national governments will have to be much more active in directing the economy. Ultimately, market forces will be displaced from their position directing the global economy.

Paradoxically, it might be just the tonic Canada and Alberta, in particular, need to save the energy industry from complete meltdown.

But Alberta’s importance in the Canadian economy and its present, and future, weakness will necessitate major intervention.

That intervention could take the form of a national energy policy. The new reality might create a national consensus for energy self-sufficiency. Favouring Canadian energy would help displace the millions of barrels

of imported oil consumed in Eastern Canada, while guaranteeing Alberta producers a reliable domestic market and global prices.

Undoubtedly this national policy will also set targets for transitioning from oil to more renewable sources of energy. But it would need do so in a way that maximizes the well-being of Canadians and considers the economic reality in all regions of the country.

More than 30 years ago, then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau’s government introduced the National Energy Program. It was designed to protect Canadian consumers from rapidly rising oil prices and limited supplies. Alberta, of course, was violently opposed.

Ultimately, oil prices cooled and the Conservative government that replaced Trudeau’s Liberals killed the program.

It would be an irony of galactic proportions if another prime minister named Trudeau implemented a national energy strategy that saved Alberta and its energy industry, while setting Canada on the road to a new era of national unity and prosperity.

Troy Media columnist Robert McGarvey is an economic historian and co-founder of the Genuine Wealth Institute.

Advocate letters policy The 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.

Unsure of which side is right in climate change arguments I have been hearing about climate change and the impending doom our world faces for some time now. Somewhere along the way, that impending doom of CO2 emissions became accepted as fact and the world has embarked on the most expensive experiment in the history of man.

I suspect most people are like me. We really don’t want to cause irreparable damage to the earth and are subconsciously half convinced that we are guilty of polluting it, so we don’t really question the “science” or “facts.”

I decided to do a little research. I spent most of a day on the internet looking for proof to support the facts we are hearing.

What I learned is that there are some very well educated scientists, climatologists and even the co-founder of Greenpeace who present some very compelling arguments that climate change has been happening on Earth for millions of years.

They also present some very compelling arguments that suggest that man made CO2 emissions are not going to contribute to global warming, rather the opposite, global cooling. Funny enough, they use the same data that the other side does, with very different conclusions. So, the question is, who is right? Is the science really fact, or still a theory?

I’m not going to pretend that a day on the internet

CENTRAL ALBERTA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER Published at 2950 Bremner Avenue, Red Deer, Alberta, T4R 1M9

by The Red Deer Advocate Ltd. Canadian Publications Agreement #336602 Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation Mary Kemmis Publisher mkemmis@reddeeradvocate.com Josh Aldrich jaldrich@reddeeradvocate.com Managing editor

makes me an expert or proves anything. What it did do is raise some doubt in my mind about what I’ve been told by the government, environmental groups who are not scientists, the media and the “experts” from the entertainment industry.

Hundreds of thousands of researchers and scientists rely on the “facts” of the dangers of C02 for their living. There are trillions of dollars at stake in the effort to curb C02 emissions and any time there is that kind of money involved, it might be reasonable to worry about the motivation of those who will benefit.

Our provincial and federal governments are about to take billions of dollars from Canadians in the form of a Carbon Tax. I think most of us are OK with that on the assumption we’ve been given the right “facts”. So, I challenge the government to prove to us that this is really necessary. Maybe a public debate between the two sides? If the government can’t convince the taxpayers that there truly is a problem, maybe we should politely refuse to pay?

Dale Russell Red Deer

Handling of both sides of Bill 6 debate have been terrible As a retired Grade 1 teacher, I read and watch the antics, protests and opposition to Bill 6. I have attempted to understand the issues from both sides.

Wendy Moore Advertising sales manager wmoore@reddeeradvocate.com Main switchboard 403-343-2400 News News tips 403-314-4333 Sports line 403-343-2244 News fax 403-341-6560 Email: editorial@reddeeradvocate. com Josh Aldrich, managing editor 403-314-4320 Greg Meachem, Sports editor 403-314-4363 Website: www.reddeeradvocate.com Advertising Main number: 403-314-4343 Fax: 403-342-4051 E-mail: advertising@reddeeradvo-

twitter.com/RedDeerAdvocate

cate.com Classified ads: 403-309-3300 Classified email: classifieds@reddeeradvocate.com 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

In my view, the government did a very poor job of explaining its agenda and intent and opponents used yelling and rhetoric as their arguments. This reminds me of settling arguments between six year olds. My job was to teach the children how to settle their disagreements with respect and listening. Neither of which have been done by either side of Bill 6.

Now we have taken the disagreement to the playground and are using bullying and threats. The Wildrose are standing on the sidelines, after ramping up the opponents, pretending to deescalate the fight.

They continue to use inflammatory language as a means of communication, taking the high ground is not an option.

I would never have allowed my students, or for that matter any student, to threaten, bully or suggest harming another. The playground rules are meant to establish a civil society beginning with the early years of schooling. Settling disagreements is not about threats or taking your ball and going home, it is about respect and discussion. These are absent in the protests of Bill 6.

As an Albertan, I am sickened by the threatening posts towards the Premier and her cabinet. These threats have no place in the Alberta I cherish and love. People on both sides of this argument need to stand up and oppose this type of language. It is not innocent or harmless instead it is hurtful and unkind, words I have used many times in my teaching career.

Barry Johns Sylvan Lake

of member newspapers. The Press Council’s address: PO Box 2576, Medicine Hat, AB, T1A 8G8. Phone 403-580-4104. Email: abpress@telus. net. Website: www.albertapresscouncil.ca.

Publisher’s notice The Publisher reserves the right to edit or reject any advertising copy; to omit or discontinue any advertisement. The advertiser agrees that the Publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of error in advertisements beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by that portion of the advertisement in which the error occurs.

Circulation (403-314-4300) Single copy prices (Monday to Thurs-

day): $1.05 (GST included).

Single copy (Friday and Saturday): $1.31 (GST included).

Home delivery (GST included): • One-month subscription (six days a week, delivered, plus online access): $25 Online access only: $15 •Three-month subscription (six days a week, delivered, plus online access): $65 Online access only: $65 •Six-month subscription (six days a week, delivered, plus online access): $108 Online access only: $108 • One-year subscription (six days a week, delivered, plus online access): $185 • Online access only: $185

facebook.com/RDAdvocate

CANADA

All five were denied bail and are scheduled to return to court Jan. 6.

They face various charges including armed robbery, conspiracy, kidnapping, possession of stolen goods and break and enter.

Police say each robbery was conducted by two or three of the five suspects who allegedly ambushed

BRIEFS

Fentanyl is suspected in three Vancouver deaths, 17 overdoses in recent days: police Vancouver police say they suspect the drug fentanyl has contributed to the deaths of four people and an outbreak of non-fatal overdoses in recent days.

Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more powerful than other opioids and must be carefully monitored to prevent overdose.

Police say three men and a woman in her 20s died from suspected overdoses between Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Seventeen overdoses, mostly on the Downtown Eastside, also occurred between Saturday and Tuesday morning.

Police say Health Canada will analyze drugs recovered from the scenes of the deaths but officers already suspect that fentanyl will be found.

Last last week, police issued a warning after fentanyl was stolen during the robbery of a local pharmacy.

RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 A5 guards as they were exiting banks with sacks of money.

Butt faces the most charges, with 39, as police allege he was present for all six heists and a seventh that failed.

SAVE

15%

Vancouver man accused of luring, sexual offences involving child of a co-worker

ON IN-STOCK WINTER TIRES!*

UNTIL JANUARY 23, 2016. SEE IN-STORE FOR DETAILS.

VANCOUVER — West Vancouver police have arrested a Vancouver man on allegations that he tried to sexually lure a co-worker’s child.

Police say their investigation was prompted after a mother took her child to a work event where she introduced the child to her colleagues.

Without the woman’s consent, police say a co-worker asked for the child’s cell phone number and the mother later found a text message on that phone from her co-worker.

She contacted police, who began a luring investigation with the help of the Vancouver Police Department’s Counter-Exploitation Unit.

William Kai King Lee has been charged with luring, invitation to sexual touching, agreement to commit a sexual offence against a child and making sexually explicit material available to a child.

Lee appeared in court on Dec. 17 and was released on numerous bail conditions.

PLUS!

Only dedicated winter tires are eligible. All-season and all-weather tires that are winter rated are not eligible. See in-store for complete details and selection. * Excludes Eagle Ultra Grip GW2, Eagle Ultra Grip GW3, Eagle Ultra Grip GW3 ROF.

WIN 50,000 Miles YOU COULD

when you swipe your AIR MILES® card on qualifying purchases! *Complete rules at www.airmiles.ca/goodyearcontest

MONTREAL -- The five men arrested in connection with a series of violent armoured-car robberies will be spending the holiday season in jail.

Walter Butt, 54, Paul Thomas Bryntwick, 64, David Stachula, 47, Serge Fournier, 64, and Gary Marsden, 63, appeared in a Montreal courtroom today, roughly 24 hours after their arrests.

Butt lives in Cumberland, Ont., Bryntwick resides in Mississauga, Ont., while the three others live in Quebec.

Police say the men broke into armoured cars or robbed the vehicles’ guards five times between 2011 and 2015 and once in 1999, all in the Montreal area.

6195-67A Street Red Deer

403-343-9422

8104 Edgar Industrial Drive Store Address Truck Centre, Red Deer 000.000.0000

fountaintire.com 403-347-6565

7357877L19-24

Suspects in Montreal-area armoured-car heists to spend holidays behind bars

Until January 23, 2016, save 15% on in-stock winter tires for your car, pickup, SUV or minivan. While inventory lasts. Inventory may vary by location. All applicable taxes (i.e.: GST, PST, HST and tire taxes) are extra. ®™ Trademarks of AIR MILES International Trading B.V. Used under license by LoyaltyOne Inc., and Goodyear Canada Inc. Fountain Tire is licensed by AMVIC in Alberta.

BOXING DAY

visions.ca

E STARTS L A S E R O T S IN M 6 AMTBER624:0- vi0siA ons.ca DECEMS STBARETR8PM2DE CE

NADIAN! ALLY 100% CA ENTHUSIASTIC

DOORS OPEN DECEMBER 26 AT 6:00 AM

ONLINE SALE

SAVE AV VE UP UP TO TO

Y A D 80% G N I X O B visions.ca

RED DEER 2119 50 AVE

THRO HROUG ROUGHO UG GHOU OUT UT ELOW COST! T B R O . ..

THE STORE R A E N . ..

T A S E PRIC ies!

uantit iteeallddaq uneslavim y ailabl

TED. RWISE INDICA UNLESS OTHE

WAY BEL

$

d Bar 34” Bluetooth Soun VcY 7ajZiddi] 9Zk^XZh

Get

19

ED LE L 1000

CHAINWIDE!

8dadjg :c]VcXZg *%% ZW 7gdlhZg L^YZ jY^d Djieji JC('?)

HbVgi =jW l^i] L > JH7 Dei^XVa 6 8dccZXiH]VgZ ' =9B

HOT BUY! $

6.2” Car Audio $ In-Dash DVD Receiver

298

LViih EZV` EdlZg $ cYh";gZZ 8Vaa^c\ )m -% 7K.(+)7 L^YZhXgZZc =V cejih dci VcY GZVg JH7 > 6JM! H9 8VgY! ;g

(403) 340-1750

reward miles

ND WHEN YOU SPE

cYgd^Y g IK! ^E]dcZ! ^EVY! 6 7I :Vh^an 8dccZXih id ndj GZbdiZ 8dcigda EH7(*% H7 Edgi >cXajYZh (#*bb >ceji J

88

®

AIR MILES

$500 OR MORE

CHECK YOUR FLYER AT HOME AND ONLINE FOR UP-TO-MINUTE PRICING. HUGE DISCOUNTS ON ALL YOUR FAVOURITE ELECTRONICS AND

40” 248

HDTVs

SAVE

STARTING FROM

170 128

$

ED LE L

NO DEALERS!

GS! HUGE SAVIN WAS 120

1 PER CUSTOMER!1500-FT NGE FT RAN

80%

(1) 2-WAY REM

$

olating 56 Series Noise-Is "%' In-Ear Headphones YZ H^a^XdcZ I^eh 6;*+&"%

24

OTE

2-Way

OFF!

$

ALARM/Starter $

SAVE

500

200 8 48 14

h Dei^dcVa ;ZVijgZ >cXajYZ/ @ZnaZhh :cign VcY Igjc` GZaZVhZ $

EACH

K>E:G*(%*

Y 8VWaZ =^\] <gV

6jY^dÅZm 7gV^YZ

CHAINWIDE!

$

aZZe I^bZg ^Zh je id &%-%E H \ =9 HdjgXZh GA9:9* 9^heaVn 8VeVW^a^i Zci >cejih [dg 8dccZXi^c =9B> VcY 8dbedc

%,-

348 !

INWIDE R 300 CHA DOORCRASHE

30

$

BONUS!

55” 498

LED TVs

$

600

550 448

Zg 9ncVb^X 7VaVcXZ &º ;VWg^X$Edanb gZY 6ggVn IlZZiZg 8VhXVYZ IVeZ dh^iZ ^cViZ 8dbe ;djg +#*º 7^"AVb g^kZgh BDC>IDG,* 9ncVb^X 7VaVcXZ 9

$

YWVg &*% L >=I.*%% *&% LVii Hjggdjc VeiM 7ajZiddi] ( %#*º H^a` IlZZiZgh * '#*º Ldd[Zgh

UHD

398

CONTROL APP S ANDROID/iO

$

4K UHD

5 9 57

AZch VcY <VY\Zi 7V\

/

KEYBOARD & K

65” $ 798

s LED TV

NG FROM STARTI

$

99

7” Android Tablet Case with Keyboard and

60% 38

SAVE

800 1498

J=9 JehXVa^c\ $

=9 9^bb^c\ jVY"8dgZ EgdXZhhdg J +(.% HbVgi =jW l^i] F JC+%?J ( =9B> ' JH7 HXgZZc B^ggdg^c\

$

)@ JehXVaZg +-%% ji^dc Ig^eaZ M9 :c\^cZ )@ JaigV =9 GZhda =9B> JH7 ).$**J; H HbVgi H]VgZ L^";^ 7j^ai"^c lZWD

UNLOCKED DUAL-SIM !

SMARTPHONE

URS DECE EXTENDED HO 6:00 AM

40 49 $

DG7>I((%<

AT ANY P

Y

SERVE YOU 32 STORES TO MBER 26

SAVE $

CE B

SE

Maxwest Orbit 330G l-SIM 150 ! Dua one Unlocked Smartph CHAINWIDE

prici mer All Boxing Day item per custo by limited quantity tities may vary per family. Quan ection and 15% Prot Price ion. ed locat not apply to limit Price Beat do s. quantity item

BE

Android

RI

RLY! OP EACU RY SH R HURLL -OUTS WILL OC

600 798 $ 55” 998 $

49”

PERSONALLY! SHOPPINGngON limited to 1

$

SAVE UP TO $

OFF!

H9 8VgY VcYVWaZ l^i] B^Xgd )<7 HidgV\Z :me @ GZXdcY^i^dcZY g *&'B7 GVb EAI,-&% &#'<=o EgdXZhhd

ED LE L

ED LE L

CE OF THE DIFFEREN

GUARANTEED

AOMKTS

WAS

398

$

IINCLUDES CASE

9((%%7JC9A:'%&*

THROUGHO U THE STORE T

LED TVs

STARTING FROM

a )@ JaigV &&* LViih eZg 8]VccZ V`Zg HZi Je GMK),. e NE6D 6jidbVi^X HeZ 6K 8dcigdaaZg 6e

AZch! **"'%% KG>>

HAG l^i] &-"**bb

>cXajYZh/ 9((%%

SAVE

150 399

WE WILL

Bundle 24 MP Digital SLR

SAVE

98 $200

iver Network A/V Rece ^i] =98E '#' HiFi Home Theatre =9 EVhh"I]gdj\] l

WHILE THEY LAST!

$

$

dg IgVkZa cY :Vh^an ;daYh [ EjgZ BdchiZg Hdj B=9C6D:86G77@ Cd^hZ >hdaVi^c\ h^hiVci 8dcigdaIVa` a Edgih IVc\aZ GZ Bjh^XH]VgZ 9jV

PAIR

$

395

$

270 178

REE TALK HANDS-F

SAVE

$

$

Receiver 5.1-Channel A/V

ting DNA Pro Noise Isola nes Over-Ear Headpho

0 VRII Lens mm DX Lens + 55-20 3.0” Screen | 18-55

RTER KIT! GREAT DSLR STA

80%

SAVE

IN-STORE ONLY

ejih JH7 >ceji g (9"GZVYn =9B> >c (,* LViih ;dj 9ZXdY^c\ Y 9IH"=9 BVhiZg 6jY^d 9daWn IgjZ=9 Vc ccZXi^k^in 6KG&*&% 9AC6 CZildg` 8d

Monitor Series Tower Loudspeakers

Premium r Wireless Subwoofe ^\^iVa SurroundBar with Wldd[Zg 9daWn 9 Vii L^gZaZhh -º Hj

M 55-200MM ZOO LENS AND NIKON GADGET BAG

SAVE UP TO

98

=99 7ajZiddi] dg '<7 GVb '*%<7 cY^i^dcZY " .% 9Vn LVggVcin &#++<=o EgdXZhh % GZXd Z EgZb^jb 9:AA'&' L^cYdlh , =db

SAVE

$

BONUS!

$

10.1” Latitude 2120 op Lapt Intel Atom N455

$

SAVE

$

WAY BELOW! COST

$

SAVE

150 748 $

$

SAVE

170 88

$

` C;8 EV^g^c\ de 7V\ dg 7VX`eVX Ha^eh ^cid V AVei c\Z 9g^kZgh 68 'm &º ;jaa GV 7ajZiddi] VeiM$6 ^bZ <><L Y^Vidgh &'"=djg EaVni 'm 'º EVhh^kZ GV

ED LE L

Eajh Z 8dadjg :c]VcXZg HXgZZc B^ggdg^c\ L^Y '%' 7j^ai"^c L^";^ JC*-=* dk^Z =9B> JH7 8dccZXiH]VgZ B

COLOUR BELT VALUE

GiG Portable Bluetooth Speaker

STARTING FROM

1080P HD Video |

BELOW COST!

UP TO

*

!

visions.ca

AT ANY P

C E BY

Financing Available OAC. OSP. See in-store for further information. Cellular Pricing only valid with sign up and retention of a new 2 year term activation. Cannot be combined with any other discount or offer. Bonus Gift Card offers are only applicable on non-credit cap activations. A one time activation fee may be charged by your cellular provider. Visions Electronics reserves the right to limit quantities. Visions will beat any advertised price by an authorized dealer at time of purchase and price protect purchase for 60 days (with the exception of 15 day price protection on home office, satellite and cellular purchase). In addition discontinued, demos, final clearance, one-of-a-kinds, time specials and limited quantity products do not apply. Money Back Extended Warranties are redeemed in the form of an in-store credit against your next purchase. Limited quantity items limited to 1 limited quantity item per customer per family. Quantities may vary by location. Price Protection and 15% Price Beat do not apply to limited quantity items. See in store for details. AIR MILES® reward miles earned based on one AIR MILE per $40 spent before taxes. Specified AIR MILES® bonus offers cannot be combined with any other AIR MILES® promotion, discount or offer. ®™ trademarks of AIR MILES® International Trading B.V. Used under license by LoyaltyOne, Inc. and Visions Electronics. Because this flyer is published for AB, BC, SK and MB, some items may not be available at all locations. Visions strives to produce error free flyers, in the event of an error, correction notices are posted in-store and/or in local papers.

BE

RI

STARTS AT

L

OM NG FR STARTI

$

500 CHAINWIDE

LE PRICE!!

INCREDIB OW COST!

s HDTV

WE WIL

pric

Boyce St.

Gaetz Ave.

22nd St.

OF THE DIFFERENCE

GUARANTEED!

*

visions.ca

FOR ALL VISIONS LOCATIONS AND STORE HOURS VISIT VISIONS.CA RDR

A6 RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015

HAIRCUTS FOR THE NEEDY

NEW BRUNSWICK

Province will cover costly drug to treat boy with rare disease

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS FREDERICTON — A 10-year-old New Brunswick boy suffering from a rare and often fatal disease will receive an expensive treatment for his illness for one year, the province’s health minister said Wednesday, reversing a decision the government made earlier this year.

Victor Boudreau issued a brief statement saying the province will pay for up to 12 month’s worth of Vimizim to assess its effectiveness in treating Morgan Doucet, who has Morquio syndrome.

The boy’s mother, Carolle Mazerolle, was elated with the news.

“It really surprised me,” she said in an interview from her home in Baie-Sainte-Anne, N.B. “I don’t know what changed their decision and I don’t care.

I’m just glad we got it … It’s a great Christmas gift.”

She said Morgan is in declining health because the disease causes an enzyme deficiency that leads to many complications.

As a result, the boy always feels sick, has headaches and often vomits. He also has a hard time breathing, uses a walker to get around and has had several surgeries.

The drug costs about $200,000 annually.

Last week, Boudreau said he instructed health officials to find an independent specialist to offer a second opinion about the drug, made by BioMarin Pharmaceutical (Canada) Inc. Boudreau could not be reached for comment Wednesday. However, he issued a statement saying New Brunswick will work with other provinces to devise a national approach to reviewing expensive drugs for rare diseases.

The issue is expected to be part of high-level discussions next month when provincial health ministers meet with their new federal counterpart, Jane Philpott.

Durhane Wong-Rieger, CEO of the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders, said every province faces the same thorny questions when residents ask for help paying for pricey medications for rare ailments.

“Most rare-disease drugs don’t go on to anybody’s formulary,” she said, referring to the list of drugs each province is willing to routinely pay for. “Quite frankly, they should not go on a formulary because they are highly specialized drugs. They need a lot of monitoring.”

In the case of Vimizim, it was approved for use by Health Canada in July 2014, but before it could be added to any public drug plan it was submitted to the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health.

Through its Common Drug Review process, the agency recommended in March that the provinces should not add it to their formularies. However, Wong-Rieger says the criteria for that review process was never meant to deal with rare-disease drugs.

“It was never designed to look at the … cost-effectiveness of these highly specialized drugs,” she said in an interview.

“They’re not saying it doesn’t work. Health Canada has already said it works. What they’re saying is, ‘We don’t have enough evidence that it works well enough to be worth putting so much money into it.”’

Still, that hasn’t stopped other provinces from paying for this type of drug on a case-by-case basis.

Last month, the Saskatchewan government said it would pay for one year of Vimizim treatments for three siblings who have Morquio syndrome. Their family’s funding request was initially turned down at the end of September. Saskatchewan Health Minister Dustin Duncan has said the decision to cover the cost came after additional consultation, similar to what has happened in New Brunswick.

D

Photo by ASHLI BARRETT/Advocate staff

Nicole Alain trims Brian Carr’s hair, helping him to look his best for the holidays as the Academy of Professional Hair Design did free haircuts for the needy at Loaves and Fishes Wednesday morning. Over 40 people took advantage of the event, while late comers were given a free haircut card for future use.

Salvadoran dad weeps in relief on leaving church after 2 years in sanctuary

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS LANGLEY, B.C. — He first put one toe out the door, then backed up a few steps and finally Jose Figueroa lunged forward with both feet through the front entrance of the church that had protected him from deportation for the last two years.

The asylum seeker from El Salvador sobbed joyously in the embrace of his wife and then pumped his fists in victory outside Walnut Grove Lutheran Church in Langley, B.C. “Finally, finally I am free,” he exclaimed on Wednesday to cheers by dozens of supporters who wept along with the man before spontaneously launching into a round of Happy Birthday.

Figueroa left the church sanctuary on his 49th birthday after gaining an exemption on Monday to stay in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds from Immigration Minister John McCallum.

In July 2014, he won a judicial review from Federal Court that ordered his case be examined again by immigration officials. But it wasn’t until the new Liberal minister intervened this month that he was granted freedom.

Figueroa was declared inadmissible to Canada in May 2010, despite having lived in B.C. with his family since 1997. An arrest warrant was issued by the Canada Border Services Agency in October 2013, prompting him to take sanctuary.

Standing outside the church on Wednesday, Figueroa beamed and spun around to nod at the cross atop the building. He then addressed members of the congregation that have supported him throughout his ordeal.

“This is a big experience that needs to be shared, not only with you guys but with all of Canada,” said Figueroa, who was wearing a red T-shirt emblazoned with a large maple leaf.

“Canada has to recover the place that we always had. It’s a country that shows compassion and that compassion has to be shown to everyone, no matter

where they are coming from.”

He said his first plan upon leaving would be to pay a surprise visit to Rodney Watson, a former American soldier who took sanctuary in a Vancouver church six years ago.

Figueroa said he wanted to bring hope to Watson, who was ordered deported in 2009 and is facing military imprisonment for refusing a second deployment to Iraq as a war resister. He then gestured to a stoic mother and her two red-eyed teenage sons, who were standing just behind him inside the sliding door enclosure of the church. The Juhasz family from Hungary took refuge in the same church in December 2014 and have yet to resolve their status.

“Let’s everyone gather together and find a solution for them as well,” Figueroa implored.

Figueroa must now complete the process to get his permanent residency documents, a task his former lawyer Peter Edelmann expects to go smoothly.

He said the case was “absurd” from the beginning.

“Unfortunately what’s happened … is you have (immigration) officers who’ve been given a big hammer. They run around and everything starts to look like a nail. Jose go caught up in that,” he said in an interview.

“He was a student organizer for a broad-based civil rights movement in a country that was in the throes of a very, very brutal dictatorship.”

Figueroa, a father of three, plans to study for the LSAT law exam and hopes to gain expertise to help other refugees. His 18-year-old son, who has autism, said he hopes his dad will use his spare time to play video games with him. He also wants his dad to teach him how to drive.

“Life was hard when I didn’t have my dad to support me,” Jose Jr. said in an interview. “Deep down I just love him.

Figueroa and his wife escaped to Canada in 1997 after he received death threats in El Salvador. He had supported a popular resistance against a U.S.backed military regime that terrorized the people during a civil war in the 1980s.

o you hear e a h r ?

I t a h w Hear for the Holidays

We put 75 years of listening experience to work every day Enjoy all the special moments of the holidays and hear all the special sounds of the season.

Beltone Legend

TM

Hearing Instruments

A complete line-up of hearing instruments from the smallest (invisible) to the most powerful.

Ask your Beltone certified Hearing Instrument specialist about hearing aid options including the Beltone Legend shown here.

Better Hearing through Professional Care

Thank you Thank you Red Deer Calgary for your

overwhelming support ino2015, for fo orr yyour ur wishing you the ur best of the holiday and a successful 2016!

overwhelming ming m i ssupport upport rt in 2015

The Hearing Centre 4928 - 53 Avenue, Red Deer

Please call 403-347-4703 Out of town 1-800-661-4703 for your personal consultation.

beltonereddeer.ca

Experience Counts

403.279.2600 587-797-1504

www.granitetransformations.com/calgary www.granitetransformations.com/southalberta

RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 A7

McCallum wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t guarantee 10,000 Syrian refugees to arrive in Canada by year end

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA â&#x20AC;&#x201D; There is no guarantee the federal government will meet its promise to resettle 10,000 Syrians by year end, but the Liberals remain confident that resettling more than twice as many by the end of February is possible, Immigration Minister John McCallum said Wednesday.

There are too many factors beyond the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s control to say with certainty 10,000 people will arrive in the next eight days, McCallum said.

They include weather and the reality that some Syrians arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t prepared to leave as quickly as the government wants them too, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are moving heaven and earth to get them here as quickly as we can, but to do it in a way that is correct and appropriate and takes due concern for security, medical and other issues,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are sticking to our target of 10,000 by the end of the year, but there are challenges and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s less possible to guarantee that than it is the 25,000 target. But we are still committed to it, and we are still working very hard to achieve it.â&#x20AC;?

During the election, the Liberals promised to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees into Canada by the end of the year.

In November, the Liberals amended that promise saying the government would bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February with the first 10,000 to have landed by year end.

As of Dec. 21, 1,869 Syrians had arrived.

A further 298 were scheduled to arrive in Montreal Wednesday night. McCallum did not provide specific details on how the remainder could be brought to Canada by Dec. 31.

McCallum said the outpouring of supporting from Canadians, including millions donated by the private sector, suggest everyone is on side with the

totality of the effort and not anxious about the deadlines being changed.

But Opposition immigration critic Michelle Rempel said the Liberals absolutely need to be held accountable for the figure and deadline.

Their entire narrative during the election was about hammering the previous Conservative government over the smaller number of refugees it was bringing in, she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This was a campaign wedge issue the Liberals used during the election, one-upping everyone,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come forward saying you are going to lead without having a plan and from day one, they have not had a plan.â&#x20AC;?

McCallum denied Wednesday there were politics at play in the setting of targets and deadlines the Liberals have now been forced to change several times.

He said the historic nature of the program means immigration officials are learning as they go. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t automatically have a tried-and-tested model to do something that has never been done before, but they are doing it as quickly as possible and over the days, they are learning to do it smarter and more effectively,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So maybe one definition of real change is you do things youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never done before, and this is exactly what my department and others in the public service are doing today.â&#x20AC;?

Why the February target is still feasible is because of the amount of time between now and then, McCallum said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the 23rd of December, so we have eight days or nine days between now and the end of the year. So if thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bad weather, or if thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s people wanting to delay their flight for whatever reason, then itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much more difficult to deal with that over a period of eight days than over a period of 60 days,â&#x20AC;? he said.

What would it take for 10,000 Syrians to arrive in Canada by year-end?

OTTAWA â&#x20AC;&#x201D; In November, the Liberal government promised to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees by year end.

As of Dec. 21, 1,869 had arrived, but Immigration Minister John McCallum said Wednesday the year-end target has not changed.

When pushed to explain how it could be met, McCallum did not provide specifics. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you do the math, it does add up,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Here is a look at the figures: 1,869: Number of refugees who arrived in Canada between Nov. 4 and Dec. 21 298: Number expected to arrive Wednesday night in Montreal 7,833: Number required to arrive to meet year-end goal 979: Number of people per day that would need to arrive to meet that goal.

0: Number of flights arriving Thursday or Friday of this week.

4: Number of flights currently listed as scheduled to arrive between Saturday and Dec. 31.

242: People scheduled on one of those flights. (The government has not released passenger figures for the remaining three scheduled flights.)

1,305: number of people needed to arrive per day after Friday to meet the goal.

1,500: maximum number of Syrian refugees that McCallum said can arrive, per day, at the Toronto and Montreal airports combined.

5: maximum number of flights per day those two airports can accommodate.

SOURCE: Immigration Minister John McCallum, Immigration Department.

We are unable to offer the CHI limited edition professional ceramic hair styling iron at $99, select CHI professional shampoo and conditioner at $24.99 and BLOWPRO titanium blow dryer with blowout travel kit at $99 in store HUK VUSPUL HZ HK]LY[PZLK PU V\Y )6?05. +(@ Ă&#x2026;`LY -YPKH` December 25 to Thursday, December 31), page 10.

We apologize for any inconvenience this error may cause.

B.C. woman claiming to be beaten by officer acquitted of assaulting Mountie

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS

NEWS IN BRIEF

Health Canada says unauthorized drugs seized from retailers in Ontario and B.C. OTTAWA â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Health Canada says unauthorized drugs have been seized from retailers in Ontario and British Columbia.

The agency says the five unauthorized drugs may pose serious risks because they were labelled as containing prescription drugs or narcotics or were found to contain a prescription drug that was not listed on the label.

Health Canada says drugs that contain prescription drug ingredients should only be taken under the supervision of a health professional because they are used to treat specific diseases, and may cause serious side effects. Unauthorized drugs are those which havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been approved by Health Canada, meaning they have not been assessed for their safety, effectiveness and quality. Health Canada says Mega Powerwas seized from a Vancouver retailer, while Herba Pini Syrop was seized from stores in the Ontario communities of Mississauga and Barrie.

The new transit fare system that uses prepaid, reloadable cards has arrived!

A MyRide card is an electronic card, similar to a credit card, with a microchip. It can be used to pay your fare and can be loaded and reloaded with the many fare types that you use today (like monthly passes, 12 ride cards or even multiple months).

Get your MyRide card today at Transit Customer Service in Sorenson Station downtown.

Customer Service will offer limited extended hours to allow Transit users the opportunity to get their new cards before the end of the month.

Act now â&#x20AC;&#x201C; get your MyRide card before February 12, 2016 and we waive the $5 card fee!

CUSTOMER SERVICE HOURS FOR DECEMBER ARE: Wednesday, December 16 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Friday, December 18: 8 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, December 19: 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Tuesday, December 29 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Thursday, December 31: 8 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.

Regular hours other than stated above are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4:30 p.m.

Visit www.reddeer.ca/transit for more information.

7352790L15-24

PENTICTON, B.C. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; A British Columbia woman who claims she was attacked by a Mountie during a traffic stop was acquitted Wednesday in provincial court of assaulting the same officer.

The trial heard that Fiona Galt Munro, 34, was pulled over after driving away from a pub in Osoyoos, B.C., around 2 a.m. on Sept. 28, 2013.

Const. Ian MacNeil testified Munro was combative and tried to walk away from him, so he grabbed her arms and wrists to put her in handcuffs and during the struggle was punched, kicked and elbowed by her.

Munro testified that she distrusted MacNeil because of past dealings with him and his former partner. She claimed he pulled her by her ankles from her car, then dragged her across the pavement to his cruiser.

She said when she got to her feet the officer slammed her head against the hood of his car three times.

Photos entered as exhibits showed Munro with two black eyes and bruising on her arms, wrists and neck.

Judge Roy Dickey said in his reasons for judgment that the womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bruising and facial injuries show her story was more consistent with the evidence. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I do believe that much more occurred here than is acknowledged by the officer,â&#x20AC;? he said.

However, he dismissed Munroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s claim she was pulled from her vehicle by her ankles. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This simply makes no sense. For the officer to do this, he would have had to have placed himself at significant risk with Ms. Munro. I do not believe this occurred.â&#x20AC;?

Dickey noted that both Munro and another officer at the scene testified she had asked that night that video footage from MacNeilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cruiser be preserved as evidence, although there wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t actually a camera in the car.

The judge said her request demonstrated she â&#x20AC;&#x153;clearly believed this camera would assist her in what occurred that evening.â&#x20AC;?

Munro said she was relieved the ordeal was over. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel that justice has been served,â&#x20AC;? the emotional Munro told reporters outside the Penticton courthouse. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m just glad, because I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want this to happen to anybody else.â&#x20AC;?

MacNeil and his former partner, Const. Amit Goyal, were the subjects of numerous complaints several years ago that alleged they mistreated some members of the public. Munro was among those who complained.

She said she believes her recent court battle â&#x20AC;&#x153;has helped quite a bitâ&#x20AC;? to do away with what was a â&#x20AC;&#x153;cowboy cultureâ&#x20AC;? among some police in the South Okanagan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to be a lot more careful now how they deal with people,â&#x20AC;? said Munro.

Goyal has since been suspended and faces a code of conduct hearing in an unrelated matter, while MacNeil is still on the job in Osoyoos.

A8 RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015

Territorial premiers have asked Ottawa to reverse a surprise funding cut that could trim hundreds of millions of dollars from already-tight budgets.

“I’ve asked Canada to reconsider,” said Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloski.

“Getting this notification at this time when we’re already in the budgeting process is unacceptable.”

Earlier this month, the premiers of Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut learned that Statistics Canada had changed how it calculates territorial expenditures. The result was a two-per-cent cut to the base funding the federal government provides to the northern jurisdictions.

“The fiscal impact of the technical changes was not anticipated by the territories or the Government of Canada,” said Northwest Territories Premier Bob McLeod in a statement.

Yukon will lose about $23 million.

The N.W.T. will see $34 million less and the impact on Nunavut has been estimated at $50 million.

Worse, Pasloski said, those cuts are to annual grants, meaning they will go on affecting the North for years to come.

Yukon, in the second year of a fiveyear funding agreement, stands to lose about $100 million if the cuts aren’t reversed.

“For a jurisdiction with a small budget, it’s significant,” he said.

“This is part of our base funding. It affects health care, education, tourism, job creation.”

The premiers have met with federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau. Pasloski said the minister has promised to look into it and get back to them by mid-March with an answer.

That’s not soon enough to save this year’s budget, Pasloski said.

“We have to go forward at this assuming in our budgeting process that we have $23 million fewer dollars in our budget.”

The premiers say the affected grants were designed to the stable and predictable to allow the northern governments to plan. Allowing the cuts to stand would break that understanding, they say.

“This violates those principals,” Pasloski said.

A spokesman for Morneau’s office was not immediately available for comment.

BRIEFS

Two seriously injured in headon crash involving charter Two people are in hospital following a head-on collision involving a packed charter coach that temporarily shut down a bustling coastal highway in British Columbia. Squamish RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Jolaine Percival said both the operator of a Pacific Coach Lines bus and the driver of a Jeep were seriously injured when the vehicles collided along the Sea-to-Sky Highway, between Vancouver and Whistler, Wednesday morning.

The coach operator was airlifted to hospital, while the other driver was taken away in an ambulance.There were about 50 passengers on the bus at the time, none of whom were injured in the crash, said Percival.The bus came to rest atop a concrete barrier

Justice minister to review extradition case following ruling

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — The federal government announced Wednesday it has decided to review an extradition case involving a Canadian citizen facing abduction charges in the U.S. The woman at the centre of the case, who cannot be named due to a publication ban, maintains she retrieved her children after they ran away but she was charged after her exhusband reported their three children missing in Georgia in 2010.

At the time of the incident, the woman’s ex-husband had sole custody while she had no visitation rights.

In a statement, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said she decided to reconsider the case due to the considerable passage of time and the possibility new facts have emerged since the Conservative government ordered the woman to surrender for extradition to the U.S. “I believe it would be prudent to provide both parties with an opportunity to update the record for my reconsideration,” Wilson-Raybould

said in a statement.

“I want to acknowledge that this is a complex case — one that is clearly very difficult for the parties involved.”

In November 2012, then justice minister Rob Nicholson ordered the woman be surrendered to the United States, prompting her to seek a judicial review of the decision.

After much legal wrangling, the case eventually ended up being reviewed by the Supreme Court of Canada.

Earlier this month, the top court deemed the minister’s surrender order to be “unreasonable” and noted failures made by the previous government.

“At the end of the day, there is little demonstrable harm to the integrity of our extradition process in finding it to be unjust or oppressive to extradite the mother of young children she rescued, at their request, from their abusive father,” the court said.

“The harm, on the other hand, of depriving the children of their mother in these circumstances is profound and, with respect, demonstrably unfair.”

GARY MOE

Canadian man dies while serving sentence in Mexico The family of a Manitoba man says the 45-year-old has died in a Mexican prison while serving a sentence there.

They say Bruce Vigfusson died in hospital on Monday in the northwestern Mexican city of Hermosillo.

Vigfusson’s son says he only learned of his father’s death through a phone call from a prison inmate. He says the Canadian government isn’t providing enough assistance to his family as he tries to get his father’s body back to Canada.

Vigfusson’s son says his father has been behind bars since September 2012 after being charged with assault following a home invasion in which he allegedly attacked a thief.

Tiffany’s STEAK HOUSE S OUS & LOUNGE OU NG OUN New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day SPECIAL

Steak & Lobster

$29.99

Stuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu

$24.99 For Reservations: 403.341.3366 • 3515 Gaetz Avenue, Red Deer, AB

AMVIC LICENSED Locally Owned and Family Operated

7368259L24-31

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS

CANADA

7367941L24

Territories surprised by large funding cuts by feds

after colliding with the Jeep that appears to have crossed the centre line, said the Mounties in a statement. Collision analysts were called to the scene and, while it’s too early to determine the cause of the crash, police said road conditions are considered a factor.

SPORTS

B1 Canadian Juniors told to have fun

THURSDAY, DEC. 24, 2015

WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP VETERANS SAY CANADA NEEDS TO HAVE FUN TO SUCCEED

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO — Veterans of the world junior hockey championship say the keys to success are found off the ice: have fun, soak in the experience and try to avoid distractions online.

“The biggest thing is have fun, enjoy it,” said Brad Boyes, who won bronze and silver with Canada in 2001 and 2002 respectively. “It really does go fast. It’s been a long time since I’ve been there. The biggest thing is enjoy it, compete, win.

You might not have another chance to do it.

“You gotta have fun, that’s the biggest thing. Take it for what it is but give it everything. You don’t get a second chance sometimes.”

Mike Babcock, who guided Canada to gold in 1997, says that having fun is just as important for the coaches, if not more so, because it’s up to them to set the tone for the players, both at training camp and at the tournament itself.

“No. 1 is you’ve got to enjoy yourself,” said Babcock, who spoke with head coach Dave Lowry and his staff at Canada’s selection camp in Toronto. “You got to get the guys very prepared but you’ve got to enjoy it. It’s a grind and it’s hard to win but if you enjoy the process you have a better chance.

“The other thing is that preparation’s got to be equal to the opportunity, get really prepared and you’ve got a way better chance of getting lucky and guys playing well.”

This year’s championship will be played from Dec. 26 to Jan. 6 in Helsinki, Finland.

While the event has become a holiday tradition across Canada, tournament veterans say the weight of the nation’s expectations don’t hit the players until they’ve begun to play and messages from home start to pile up.

“Back then, Facebook was the thing to have and you’re getting in boxes and people

messaging you and it was pretty crazy,” said Shawn Matthias, who won gold for Canada in 2008. “I think nowadays with Twitter and Instagram it’s probably even more crazy.

But it was a great event being overseas with all the Canadian supporters it’s something I’ll always remember.”

Edmonton Oilers rookie sensation Connor McDavid, who won gold with Canada last year, suggested that the players on this year’s team should unplug from social media because even well-intentioned messages can build pressure. It’s a sentiment that has been echoed by Hockey Canada brass and some other veterans of the team.

This year’s team has responded by deleting all social network applications from their phones for the duration of the tournament.

Boyes says the level of scrutiny doesn’t really sink in until the on-ice action is underway.

“Emails were starting to come in when I was there so we were starting to get floods of emails and then you realize how important it is,” he said.

“Social media wasn’t as big so you didn’t really get a grasp of how big it was until you saw that, just saw all the support.

“You’d always hear people talking about it and you’d always follow it with your buddies and all that stuff but you really get to see the magnitude once people from all across the country can send a message to you, send their best wishes, whatever it is, stories.

That’s when you realize how big it is.”

Goaltender Garret Sparks, who won gold with the United States in 2013, had a different kind of advice.

Sparks, who watched the tournament from the stands as the third-string goalie for the Americans, said that Canadian netminders Mackenzie Blackwood, Mason McDonald and Samuel Montembeault should stay focused even if they find themselves scratched.

Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Canada’s Dylan Strome, centre, screens team Sweden’s goal guarded by Gabriel Carlsson and goalie Linus Soderstrom, right, during an exhibition game in Helsinki, Finland, Wednesday, prior the 2016 IIHF World Junior U20 Ice Hockey Championships tournament.

Canada holds off Sweden in wild final tune-up game before world junior tournament Canada 7 Sweden 6 HELSINKI — Mitch Marner scored with less than four minutes to go to cap the scoring in a wild third period, and Canada edged Sweden 7-6 Wednesday in its last exhibition match before the world junior hockey championship.

Canada led 5-1 heading into the third, before Sweden lit up Canada goaltender Mason McDonald with five goals over the final 20 minutes.

“We put ourselves in a very good position after two periods, and we just have to continue to play and have the ability to close out leads,” Canada coach Dave Lowry said.

Marcus Pettersson’s second goal of the

period at 15:26 tied the game at 6-6 before Marner’s goal salvaged the win for Canada.

McDonald recovered to make some big saves over the final minutes with Sweden pressing for the tying goal. He ended up stopping 26 of 32 shots.

“He gave us a chance,” Lowry said of his goaltender. “He made saves, and he made timely saves.”

Vancouver Canucks forward Jake Virtanen had two goals for the Canadians, with Dylan Strome, Mitchell Stephens, Haydn Fleury and Brendan Perlini also scoring.

Oskar Lindblom, Jacob Larsson, Axel Holmstrom and Adrian Kempe had Sweden’s other goals.

Linus Soderstrom gave up five goals on 20 shots before being replaced by Erik Kallgren, who stopped five of seven shots in relief.

Canada opens its defence of the world junior title Saturday against the rival United States.

A look back at the best sports stories from 2015

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS The year in Canadian sports was loaded with the usual surprises, heartbreak and stellar performances.

Here’s a look at 10 big stories from the last year.

DROUGHT OVER Baseball fever finally returned to Toronto in 2015 as the Blue Jays made the playoffs for the first time in 22 years.

General manager Alex Anthopoulos helped build a powerful lineup and then landed several big names at the trade deadline to help Toronto win the East Division title.

Led by American League most valuable player Josh Donaldson and a strong supporting cast, the Blue Jays came within two victories of the World Series.

Anthopoulos dropped a stunner a few days after his team was eliminated, announcing that he would not be signing a new contract with the Jays.

PRICE IS RIGHT It seems like the only trophy Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price didn’t win this year was the Stanley Cup. The veteran netminder won the Vezina Trophy as top netminder and the Hart Trophy as league MVP. Price also took the Ted Lindsay Award as most outstanding player as voted by the players and shared the William Jennings Trophy for the lowest team goals-against total.

Price led the NHL in wins (44), goals-against average (1.96) and save percentage (.933) in the 2014-15 season. The native of Anahim Lake, B.C., became the first goalie to top all three categories since Ed Belfour in 1990-91.

His success didn’t carry over into the playoffs as Montreal fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

GOLDEN BOY Connor McDavid started the year with a bang. He finished it on the shelf.

McDavid led Canada to gold at the world junior hockey championship in Toronto before completing a remarkable 120-point season with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League.

The 18-year-old forward from Newmarket, Ont., was selected first overall by the Edmonton Oilers at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and was averaging nearly a point a game until he broke

Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS

Connor McDavid started the year with a bang. He finished it on the shelf. He led Canada to gold at the world junior hockey championship in Canada, was drafted first overall by the Edmonton Oilers but was shelved with a broken collarbone in November. his collarbone on Nov. 3.

There is no firm timeline for his return, but McDavid is expected to miss most of the season.

TEENAGE DREAM At the start of the season, Brooke Henderson wanted to show she belonged on the LPGA Tour despite needing sponsor’s exemptions or qualification results to enter most tournaments.

A statement win at the Cambia Portland Classic in August left no doubt she was ready for the top level.

The former top-ranked amateur — still a month away from her 18th birthday at the time — won the tournament by eight shots and was granted immediate LPGA membership after the victory.

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., also became the first Canadian winner on the LPGA Tour since Lorie Kane in 2001.

ANDRE THE GIANT Sprinter Andre De Grasse offered a teaser at the Pan Am Games. He really showed what he could do at the world championships.

De Grasse, from Markham, Ont., won double gold in Toronto and raced to bronze a few weeks later in Beijing against one of the strongest 100-metre fields ever assembled.

Making those accomplishments even more impressive is that De

Greg Meachem, Sports Editor, 403-314-4363 E-mail gmeachem@reddeeradvocate.com

Grasse just turned 21 and is in his third year of running track.

He also swept the 100 and 200-metre finals at the NCAA championships earlier in the season.

SEASON TO FORGET Eugenie Bouchard couldn’t seem to shake a season-long slump. When she started to show signs of progress, a concussion derailed her campaign.

Bouchard, from Westmount, Que., broke through in 2014 and appeared to be on her way to tennis stardom.

However, first-round exits quickly became the norm in 2015 and Bouchard’s frustration grew while her confidence waned.

The 21-year-old looked like she was turning the corner at the U.S. Open but she fell and hit her head on a locker-room floor, essentially ending her season.

The former world No. 5 plummeted to No. 48 in the world rankings and her once-promising future now rests on shaky ground.

LEGEND RETIRES It’s hard to overstate the impact star guard Steve Nash has had on the game of basketball in his home country.

Not only did he win two NBA most valuable player awards over his 19-year career, he served as a mentor and role model for the many young Canadian stars now in the league.

The eight-time all-star led a dom-

>>>>

inant up-tempo offence in his prime years with the Phoenix Suns. Injuries slowed him down late in his career and he formally retired last March.

Nash, who grew up in Victoria, will remain involved in the sport as general manager of the senior men’s Canadian team.

GAMES, SET, MATCH It was tough to predict whether the Pan Am Games would catch on in Toronto, a city that has longed for the more glamorous Summer Olympics in the past.

A strong domestic lineup helped give the event a boost. The city quickly got on board and the rest of the country also paid attention.

Sprinter Andre De Grasse, gymnast Ellie Black and basketball player Kia Nurse emerged as stars as Canada finished second overall with 217 medals.

The Parapan Am Games were also a success as Canada was second with 168 medals.

DIGGIN’ WIGGINS The hype surrounding Andrew Wiggins was off the charts when he entered the NBA last year as an 18-yearold forward. He quickly showed that he was the real deal.

Wiggins was one of the few bright lights on a weak Minnesota Timberwolves team, starting all 82 games last season while averaging 16.9 points and 4.6 rebounds.

He was rewarded for his strong campaign by winning the league’s rookie of the year award.

Wiggins became the first Canadian player to win the honour.

SOCCER It was a strong year for soccer in Canada despite some early eliminations.

Canada’s three Major League Soccer franchises all made strides as Vancouver secured the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, Montreal took the No. 3 spot in the East while Toronto FC held the No. 6 position.

The Whitecaps skipped the knockout round of the playoffs but fell to Portland in the conference semifinals.

The Impact, meanwhile, dumped Toronto in the knockout round before falling to Columbus.

The Women’s World Cup was played in Canada for the first time with six cities handling hosting duties. Canada lost to England in the quarter-finals and the United States defeated Japan 5-2 in the final.

SEE MORE ONLINE AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM

B2 RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015

Canada prepares for Spengler Cup challenge Spengler Cup roster features plenty of NHL experience Canada will have three returning players this year as it chases its first Spengler Cup championship since 2012.

Goaltender Drew MacIntyre and forwards Alexandre Giroux and Chris DiDomenico were named to Canada’s roster Wednesday. They were part of Canada’s 2014 squad that lost in the tournament semifinal to eventual champion Geneve-Servette.

The roster features several players with NHL experience, including forwards Manny Malhotra, Derek Roy, Cory Conacher, Dan Paille and Matthew Lombardi and defencemen Keith Aulie and Alexandre Picard.

Canada opens the tournament against Russian side Avtomobilist Yekaterinberg on Saturday.

Canada: Goaltenders — Jeff Glass (Dinamo Minsk, KHL), Drew MacIntyre (Charlotte, AHL).

Defencemen — Keith Aulie (Springfield, AHL), Trevor Carrick (Charlotte, AHL), Mark Cundari (San Jose, AHL), Marc-Andre Bergeron (ZSC Lions, Switzerland), Aaron Johnson (Stockton, AHL), Alexandre Picard (HC Fribourg-Gotteron, Switzerland), and Daniel Vukovic (Geneve-Servette HC, Switzerland).

Forwards — Kris Foucault (ZSC Lions, Switzerland), Derek Roy (SC Bern, Switzerland), Kevin Clark (SCL Tigers, Switzerland), Chris DiDomenico (SCL Tigers, Switzerland), Alexandre Giroux (HC Ambri-Piotta, Switzerland), Dan Paille (Rockford, AHL), Matthew Lombardi (Geneve-Servette HC, Switzerland), Cory Conacher (Bern, Switzerland), Manny Malhotra (Lake Erie, AHL), Cory Emmerton (HC Ambri-Piotta, Switzerland), Tom Pyatt (Geneve-Servette HC, Switzerland), Matt D’Agostini (Geneve-Servette HC, Switzerland), Matt Ellison (Dinamo Minsk, KHL), and James Sheppard (Kloten Flyers, Switzerland).

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS Canada doesn’t enter many international hockey tournaments as an underdog, but Guy Boucher says that’s just the reality for Canadian teams competing at the Spengler Cup. The six-team event is a yearly showcase in Davos, Switzerland, that sees a group of Canadian professional players from outside the NHL come together in a short time frame for games against established clubs from Europe and Russia.

“Odds are against us,” said Boucher, who will coach Canada for a second consecutive year. “That’s where this tournament is different. We aren’t favourites.”

The Canadians will have a practice, a morning skate and a few meetings before hitting the ice at the Vaillant Arena against Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL on Saturday.

“Their fine-tuning is done by this time of the year and ours hasn’t begun,” said Boucher. “That’s where our fight-level, our commitment, our discipline has to be impeccable.

“You always look at the roles players are going to play, but experience tells me whatever I put on paper now will change 10 minutes into the first game.”

Canada, which hasn’t lifted the Spengler Cup since 2012 but has won the event 12

—GUY BOUCHER, CANADIAN COACH times, finished 1-1-0 with Boucher in charge last year.

“Our lineup is more complete and has more versatility,” Boucher said by phone from Switzerland. “Last year was a tougher year. A lot of guys had to turn it down.

There were injuries, but I thought our guys battled really hard.

“We want to see what we did well last year and what we want to improve. That’s exciting to be honest … getting a second shot at something.”

Where Boucher also wants a second shot is in the NHL. The 44-year-old from NotreDame-du-Lac, Que., took the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Eastern Conference final in 2011, but was fired midway through the 2013 season with the club languishing near the bottom of the standings.

Boucher decided Europe would be a good place to hone his skills and he coached parts of three seasons with Switzerland’s SC Bern before getting fired last month. Despite that setback, he said he’s grown behind the bench since leaving the North American ranks.

“I’m an offensive guy,” said Boucher.

ONLY FROM

DEC 4

TH

–

JAN 4

TH

WIN 1 30 VEHICLES OF

VALUED UP TO $35,000

OR

FROM

1,000 $10,000

PEOPLE ARE WINNING FROM COAST TO COAST TO COAST.

$

TO

IN CASH CREDITS

TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OR LEASE ON ANY 2015 OR 2016 CHEVROLET *

EVERYONE’S A WINNER! 2015 CRUZE LS 1SA PURCHASE FOR % FINANCING 0 84 MONTHS

^

TOTAL CASH CREDIT + $3,000 (INCLUDES $1,000 CONNECT & WIN BONUS ‡

AND $1,000 HOLIDAY BONUS ††)

MINIMUM

5,000

$

OR IN CASH CREDITS† (INCLUDES $1,000 CONNECT & WIN BONUS AND $1,000 HOLIDAY BONUS ††) LTZ SHOWN

2015 EQUINOX LS AWD

HIGHEST RANKED COMPACT SUV IN INITIAL QUALITY IN A TIE IN THE U.S.¥

PURCHASE % 0 FINANCING FOR 84 MONTHS

Stamps re-sign receiver CharbonneauCampeau

^

TOTAL CASH CREDIT + $3,000 (INCLUDES $1,000 CONNECT & WIN BONUS ‡

AND $1,000 HOLIDAY BONUS ††)

MINIMUM

6,200

THE CANADIAN PRESS CALGARY — The Calgary Stampeders have re-signed national receiver Simon Charbonneau-Campeau.

He recorded three catches for 34 yards in 2015 before suffering a broken leg in the third game of the season. He returned to play in the Western Final and recorded a catch for 39 yards.

“Simon has shown an ability to make big plays as a receiver and he is also a solid contributor on special teams,” said Stampeders general manager John Hufnagel in a release. “I look forward to seeing what Simon can do over a full and healthy season.”

He had his best season in 2014 when he registered 13 catches for 233 yards and a touchdown as well as seven special-teams tackles in 14 regular-season games.

He also played in the Western Final and recorded two catches for 74 yards including a 61-yard haul. He had one catch for 28 yards in the Grey Cup. The four-year CFL veteran has played the past two seasons in Calgary after beginning his career in Hamilton.

The Universite de Sherbrooke product was selected by the Tiger-Cats in the 2012 CFL Draft and was acquired by the Stampeders in a 2014, trade.

“There’s a few ways that (European) teams transition that I wouldn’t have dared do in the NHL before, but now seeing how they did it, there’s some of that I’m pretty sure I can incorporate.”

Apart from tactics, Boucher said his biggest change overseas has come in his dealings with European players.

“I had some over the years in junior or the AHL or the NHL,” said Boucher.

“But until you come over here and you see where they come from and how they train and what their philosophy is about their offensive or their defensive game, I don’t think you can really grasp it until you live it.

“To come here and to understand their culture and their way of doing things certainly gives me a lot more tools.”

Not surprisingly, Boucher wouldn’t say if he was in contact with either the Columbus Blue Jackets or Pittsburgh Penguins after those teams fired coaches earlier this season. But he made it clear he’s ready to come back to the NHL. “I’m watching so many games it’s not even funny,” he said. “I watch more games now than when I was coaching Tampa. I watch the teams that are having success and the teams that are struggling.

“The only thing I can control right now is my preparation. The opportunity will come and when it comes one thing is for sure, I’ll be very ready.”

‘ODDS ARE AGAINST US. THAT’S WHERE THIS TOURNAMENT IS DIFFERENT. WE AREN’T FAVOURITES’

$ LT MODEL SHOWN

OR IN CASH CREDITS ON OTHER MODELS† (INCLUDES $1,000 CONNECT & WIN BONUS AND $1,000 HOLIDAY BONUS ††)

PLUS $1,000 HOLIDAY BONUS ON CRUZE AND EQUINOX †† 2015 SILVERADO

0% FINANCING

FOR

MINIMUM

12,000

$

84

MONTHS^

OR

TOTAL CASH CREDIT ON SELECT MODELS ON SILVERADO 2500HD/3500HD†

(INCLUDES $1,000 CONNECT & WIN BONUS) 2500HD HIGH COUNTRY SHOWN

ALBERTACHEVROLET.COM ALL 2015s AND 2016s COME WITH CHEVROLET COMPLETE CARE:

ENDS JAN 4 TH

2

YEARS/40,000 KM COMPLIMENTARY OIL CHANGES **

5

YEARS/160,000 KM ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE ^^

5

YEARS/160,000 KM POWERTRAIN WARRANTY ^^

ON NOW AT YOUR ALBERTA CHEVROLET DEALERS. AlbertaChevrolet.com 1-800-GM-DRIVE. Chevrolet is a brand of General Motors of Canada. Offers apply to the finance of a 2015 Cruze LS 1SA, Equinox LS AWD and Silverado 2500HD/3500HD WT 2WD with gas engines. License, insurance, registration, administration fees, dealer fees, PPSA and taxes not included. Dealers are free to set individual prices. Limited time offers which may not be combined with other offers, and are subject to change without notice. Offers apply to qualified retail customers in Alberta Chevrolet Dealer Marketing Association area only. Dealer trade may be required. * No purchase necessary. Open to Canadian residents with a valid driver’s license who have reached the age of majority in their province of residence. Contest closes January 4, 2016. Credit Awards up to $10,000 include applicable taxes and must be applied to the purchase or lease of a new 2015 or 2016 MY Chevrolet vehicle delivered on or before January 4, 2016. 30 Vehicle Awards available to be won, each consisting of winner’s choice of a vehicle with an MSRP of $35,000 CAD or less. The customer is responsible for any other taxes, license, insurance, registration, or other fees. Vehicle Awards are not transferable and no cash substitutes are permitted. Not all awards have the same odds of winning. For full rules and program details visit your GM dealer or gm.ca. Correct answer to mathematical skill-testing question required. See your GM dealer or gm.ca for full contest rules and program details. ^ Offer available to qualified retail customers in Canada for vehicles delivered between December 4, 2015 and January 4, 2016. 0% purchase financing offered on approved credit by TD Auto Finance Services, Scotiabank® or RBC Royal Bank for 84 months on all new or demonstrator 2015 Spark, Sonic, Cruze LS 1SA, Malibu (except LS), Volt, Impala, Camaro, Trax, Equinox LS AWD, Traverse, Colorado 2WD, Silverado 1500 Double Cab 2WD WT / Crew Cab 2WD WT and Silverado HD’s WT 2WD with gas engine. Participating lenders are subject to change. Rates from other lenders will vary. Down payment, trade and/or security deposit may be required. Monthly payment and cost of borrowing will vary depending on amount borrowed and down payment/trade. Example: $40,000 at 0% APR, the monthly payment is $476.19 for 84 months. Cost of borrowing is $0, total obligation is $40,000. Offer is unconditionally interest-free. Freight and air tax ($100, if applicable) included. License, insurance, registration, PPSA, applicable taxes and dealer fees not included. Dealers are free to set individual prices. Limited time offer which may not be combined with certain other offers. GM Canada may modify, extend or terminate offers in whole or in part at any time without notice. Conditions and limitations apply. See dealer for details. ®Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. ‡ $3,000 is a combined credit consisting of $1,000 Connect & Win Bonus (tax inclusive), $1,000 Holiday Bonus (tax inclusive) and $1,000 manufacturer to dealer finance cash (tax exclusive) for a 2015 Cruze/Equinox, which is available for finance offers only and cannot be combined with special lease rates and cash purchase. † $5,000/$6,200/$12,000 is a combined credit consisting of $1,000 Connect & Win Bonus (tax inclusive), $1,000/$1,000/$0 Holiday bonus (tax inclusive), and a $3,000/$4,200/$11,000 manufacturer to dealer cash credit (tax exclusive) for a 2015 Cruze/Equinox LS FWD/Silverado HD Double Cab with gas engine (except WT 2WD), which is available for cash purchases only and cannot be combined with special lease and finance rates. By selecting lease or finance offers, consumers are foregoing this $3,000/$4,200/$11,000 credit which will result in higher effective interest rates. Discounts vary by model. †† Offer available to retail customers in Canada only on new 2015 & 2016 Chevrolet Cruze, Equinox and Trax delivered between December 18, 2015 and January 4, 2016. $1,000 bonus cash includes HST/GST/QST/PST as applicable by province. Limited time offers, which may not be combined with certain other consumer incentives. GM Canada may modify, extend or terminate this offer, in whole or in part, at any time without notice. See dealer for details. ** The 2-Year Scheduled Lube-Oil-Filter Maintenance Program provides eligible customers in Canada, who have purchased or leased a new eligible 2015 MY Chevrolet (excluding Spark EV), with an ACDelco® oil and filter change, in accordance with the oil life monitoring system and the Owner’s Manual, for 2 years or 40,000 km, whichever occurs first, with a limit of four (4) Lube-Oil-Filter services in total, performed at participating GM dealers. Fluid top offs, inspections, tire rotations, wheel alignments and balancing, etc. are not covered. This offer may not be redeemed for cash and may not be combined with certain other consumer incentives available on GM vehicles. General Motors of Canada Company reserves the right to amend or terminate this offer, in whole or in part, at any time without prior notice. Additional conditions and limitations apply. See dealer for details. ^^ Whichever comes first. See dealer for details.

RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 B3

Pack of teams chasing Panthers in NFC

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TEMPE, Ariz. — The unbeaten Carolina Panthers are understandably hogging attention in the NFC, but the Arizona Cardinals have been just as successful over the past two months.

And the Seattle Seahawks are making their trademark late-season surge.

Don’t count out the Green Bay Packers, either. They know a thing or two about playoff football.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson doesn’t begrudge the Panthers their share of the limelight.

“They deserve all the attention,” he said.

“They’re undefeated in the National Football League, and they beat us.

That’s the honesty of it. It comes down to winning games, and they beat us in a tough environment (in Seattle).

So you’ve got to give them a lot of respect.”

That Carolina victory in Seattle came back on Oct. 18. The Seahawks (9-5) have won five straight since their home loss to Arizona and would hold the top wild-card spot if the playoffs were to begin today.

There’s a strong possibility Seattle could play at Carolina in the NFC’s divisional round. And the Seahawks, led

by Wilson’s near-flawless performances, are a long way from being the team that sputtered to a 2-4 start.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll uses the words “balance” and “harmony” to describe the reasons for his team’s change of fortune.

“It’s like tuning in on the radio dial,” he said. “You’ve got to get it right.

It’s a big challenge. It’s what everybody’s seeking as they go through these seasons. You can see it. Look what happened to Kansas City, look how they’ve turned it around and got going, and put together a great year

and a great run. It finally hits, and you try to hold on to it as long as you can.”

Oddsmakers certainly aren’t overwhelmed by Carolina.

VegasInsider.com rates the Panthers’ chance of winning the Super Bowl at 5 to 1, only slightly better than Arizona and Seattle at 6 to 1. The Packers are a longer shot at 12 to 1, which doesn’t’ bother Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers at all.

“I like where we’re at,” he said.

“People are talking about everybody else, which has always been a good position for us, and rightfully so. Arizona’s playing great. Carson’s (Palmer) having a hell of a year. Carolina’s undefeated. Seattle’s coming on. We’re just kind of hanging here at 10-4, knowing that we’re going to be a tough team in the playoffs.”

Green Bay plays at Arizona (12-2) on Sunday with plenty at stake for both teams. The Cardinals can clinch at least the No. 2 seed in the NFC and the first-round bye that goes with it.

A Green Bay win ensures the Packers will remain alone in first place in the NFC North and would leave them just a game behind Arizona for the NFC’s No. 2 seed heading into the final week of the schedule.

The Cardinals conclude their regular season with a home game against Seattle, while Green Bay hosts the Minnesota Vikings, who enter this week a game behind the Packers in the NFC North.

So a loss to Green Bay would put the Cardinals, currently flying high with an eight-game winning streak, in a precarious position to lose that precious first-round bye.

“They’ve been that way for a month,” Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said of this game’s importance. “There ain’t nothing different about this one.”

Any of those four matchups over the next two weeks could be a preview of

Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer and coach Bruce Arians talk prior to an NFL game against the Minnesota Vikings in Glendale, Ariz. The unbeaten Carolina Panthers are understandably hogging the attention in the NFC, but the Cardinals have been just as successful over the past two months and the Seattle Seahawks are making their trademark late-season surge. Green Bay plays at Arziona on Sunday. a playoff game. Arians said he hopes he sees the Packers or Seahawks again down the road.

“We’ve got to win so we do see them again, hopefully at our place,” he said.

The Cardinals aren’t sneaking up on anyone anymore. They have played on prime-time television five times in the

last eight weeks and have won all five games.

“That’s what we want as players.

We want to play in front of everybody and play in big games,” Palmer said.

“We’ve been fortunate to play well in prime-times games and we want to keep that going.”

Drone barely misses ski racer in Austria PROMPTS BAN AT ALL FUTURE RACES

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS VIENNA — The international ski federation is banning camera drones from its World Cup races after one of the flying objects crashed and nearly hit Austrian skier Marcel Hirscher during a slalom in Italy.

FIS will prohibit drones “as long as I am responsible … because they are a bad thing for safety,” men’s race director Markus Waldner told The Associated Press on Wednesday, a day after the night race in Madonna di Campiglio.

“It was huge luck that Marcel was not hurt,” Waldner said. “I am very angry.”

The drone carrying a TV camera came down and shattered on the icy slope just behind Hirscher, a few seconds after the Olympic silver medallist started his second run.

The company responsible for the drone, sports marketing agency Infront, said its initial investigation “indicates a malfunction of the drone.”

“The most likely reason is a strong and unforeseen interference on the operating frequency, leading to limited operability,” Infront said in a statement. “The pilot followed the official security procedure, purposely flying the drone as close as possible to the ground before releasing it. The aim

Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

In this image taken from video a camera drone crashes into the snow narrowly missing Austria’s Marcel Hirscher during an alpine ski, men’s World Cup slalom, in Madonna Di Campiglio, Italy, Tuesday. was to destroy the drone, in order to prevent it from losing control.”

Hirscher was unhurt and continued his run, finishing second behind Norwegian winner Henrik Kristoffersen.

“I didn’t know what it was, but I felt something,” the four-time overall World Cup champion said. “I thought it was a course worker behind me, or

a gate.”

Course workers slip through the gates shortly after each skier to smooth the snow surface for the next competitor.

“I am very relieved that nothing happened,” Hirscher said. “You don’t want to think about what could have happened when 10 kilograms (22

pounds) are coming down 20 metres (65 feet). That would have been a very serious, bad injury. There are a lot of cool things nowadays. But you have to guarantee the safety — and that was just insane.”

Infront said the drone and its pilot were provided by a third party, adding that an external independent expert will formally investigate the matter.

“We are extremely relieved that apparently none was hurt,” said Infront, a Switzerland-based agency that has been the long-term TV rights holder of the FIS Alpine skiing World Cup. According to Waldner, FIS had agreed on the use of the drone at Tuesday’s slalom but the pilot wasn’t allowed to fly the camera directly over the race course.

“He did not follow our instructions,” the race director said. “He had to fly outside of the race track and follow the racer from a 15-meter (50-foot) distance. Then there would have been a margin and nothing could have happened.”

Drones have been used many times before at ski races. The ski federation said the technology was aimed at enhancing the experience for TV viewers as it provides moving pictures from an overhead angle which regular cameras can’t shoot.

FIS said legal restrictions in Italy for the use of drones at events are not as tight as in many other countries, such as Austria and Switzerland, where flying over a crowd has been banned.

Rugby Canada looks to upgrade domestic talent ‘CERTAINLY THERE IS AN ENHANCED LEVEL OF SUPPORT FORTHCOMING TO HELP SUPPORT RUGBY CANADA WITH ITS AMBITIONS WITH RELATION TO THE RUGBY DEPARTMENT.’

TORONTO — Ask Canadian rugby coach Kieran Crowley when he expects to field his top team and the former All Black pauses.

“That’s a good question,” he responded.

“To answer your question, I’m not 100 per cent sure,” he said after a lengthy response.

Thanks to a new contract extension, the 54-year-old New Zealander has two more years at the Canadian helm along with a shopping list of improvements needed for the men’s program. Huge challenges remain for a Canadian team ranked 19th in the world that lost all four matches at the 2015 World Cup. Canada has its top players overseas.

And, following the lead of elite rugby nations, it has opted to separate the sevens and fifteens talent pools. With the Canadian men’s sevens team focused on the HSBC World Series and a June Olympic repechage qualifying tournament, that sevens talent is fully occupied. Own The Podium, which

— RUGBY CANADA GM JIM DIXON ON FINDING FUNDING FOR THE PROGRAM helps fund the sevens team, will also have a major say in the matter.

“There’s some real challenges around that. But those sort of things give other players opportunities,” Crowley told a media conference call Wednesday.

Canada will get its overseas players back in June and November international windows. In the meantime, Rugby Canada is looking to float the domestic rugby boat so homegrown talent can rise up.

Crowley’s new deal runs through the August 2017 qualifying for the next Rugby World Cup. His contract extension and program upgrades were endorsed by Rugby Canada’s board of directors after being recommended by the organization’s Rugby World Cup review committee World Rugby says despite its win-

Holiday Hours

Best Wishes BestWishes Wishes for Best for aa Happy Holiday HappyHoliday Holiday Season!

Happy Season!

Welook lookforward forwardtotoseeing seeingyou you inin the the New New Year!

We

We We look look forward forward to to seeing seeing you you in in the the New New Year!

Year!

Watch for our NEW Location Spring 2016!

Visit our

Facebook

Dec 24 to 12:00 Closed Dec 25

and

Instagram

Dec 31 to 4:00 Closed Jan 1

pages for in store promotions.

Great Selection of Vape, Pipes, Cigars, Tobacco Products and Accessories 7360564L18

From the Staff Fromall theStaff Staff From From allallallthe the Staff

less showing at the World Cup, Canada was one of the Tier 2 nations that made improvements on the field. Canada also won kudos for its attacking style of play. Still, the Canadians lost winnable games against Italy and Romania.

While many of Rugby Canada’s review committee conclusions are to be commended, they are hardly ground-breaking: greater communication with the provinces and a “robust, transparent” talent identification system, to name two.

Jim Dixon, Rugby Canada’s general manager of rugby operations and performance, says just because Canada has already been doing some of the things in the report, it doesn’t mean it can’t do them better.

Rugby Canada’s main goal is to provide improved competition for players along with a better training environ-

ment. That involves centralizing its top domestic fifteens players, as the sevens squad is. Finding the funding for that is an ongoing process.

“Certainly there is an enhanced level of support forthcoming to help support Rugby Canada with its ambitions with relation to the rugby department,” said Dixon.

Canada is not joining the proposed U.S. pro league — the Professional Rugby Organization — until 2017 at the earliest. Competition is slated to kick off in April 2016 with six teams in the U.S. northeast, Rocky Mountains and California.

Crowley says he would be open to staying on as Canadian coach once the two year-year extension is done.

“As I sit here now, that would be the aim if that eventuated,” he said. “You never know what’s round the corner, do you though?”

He believes he has more to offer.

“I know the Canadian rugby landscape,” said Crowley, who was named national team coach in 2008. “It’s a challenging one and completely different to a lot of other countries.”

LOCATED ACROSS FROM THE SHERATON ON GAETZ AVE.

5B, 3301 50th Ave., Red Deer • 403.358.6077 • cheapsmokescanada.com

7356423A14

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS

SCOREBOARD Local Sports • Midget AAA hockey: Calgary Macs tournament — Red Deer Optimist Chiefs vs. Tisdale Trojans, 12:45 p.m., Flames Community Arena Blue.

Sunday • Midget AAA hockey: Calgary Macs tournament — Red Deer Optimist Chiefs vs. Austrian U18 national team, 11:45 a.m., Max Bell Centre.

• Peewee AA hockey: Red Deer TBS at Central Alberta Selects, 3:45 p.m., Blackfalds.

• WHL: Edmonton Oil Kings at Red Deer Rebels, 5 p.m., Centrium.

Football PF 435 344 341 278

PA 269 272 336 361

PF 275 285 343 269

PA 301 372 380 359

PF 378 378 292 253

PA 243 287 360 387

PF 308 365 319 280

PA 259 257 356 348

NATIONAL CONFERENCE East W L T Pct PF Washington 7 7 0 .500 316 Philadelphia 6 8 0 .429 318 N.Y. Giants 6 8 0 .429 373 Dallas 4 10 0 .286 246 South W L T Pct PF y-Carolina 14 0 0 1.000 449 Atlanta 7 7 0 .500 302 Tampa Bay 6 8 0 .429 311 New Orleans 5 9 0 .357 350 North W L T Pct PF x-Green Bay 10 4 0 .714 347 Minnesota 9 5 0 .643 296 Detroit 5 9 0 .357 302 Chicago 5 9 0 .357 289 West W L T Pct PF y-Arizona 12 2 0 .857 445 x-Seattle 9 5 0 .643 370 St. Louis 6 8 0 .429 241 San Francisco 4 10 0 .286 202 x-clinched playoff spot; y-clinched division Thursday, Dec. 24 San Diego at Oakland, 8:25 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 26 Washington at Philadelphia, 8:25 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 27 Houston at Tennessee, 11 a.m.

Cleveland at Kansas City, 11 a.m.

New England at N.Y. Jets, 11 a.m.

Indianapolis at Miami, 11 a.m.

San Francisco at Detroit, 11 a.m.

Dallas at Buffalo, 11 a.m.

Chicago at Tampa Bay, 11 a.m.

Carolina at Atlanta, 11 a.m.

Pittsburgh at Baltimore, 11 a.m.

Jacksonville at New Orleans, 2:05 p.m.

St. Louis at Seattle, 2:25 p.m.

Green Bay at Arizona, 2:25 p.m.

N.Y. Giants at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 28 Cincinnati at Denver, 6:30 p.m.

2016 Pro Bowl Players Sunday, Jan. 31 At Aloha Stadium Honolulu Offence QUARTERBACKS Tom Brady, New England Cam Newton, Carolina Carson Palmer, Arizona Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Russell Wilson, Seattle WIDE RECEIVERS Odell Beckham, Jr., New York Giants Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona A.J. Green, Cincinnati DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Calvin Johnson, Detroit Julio Jones, Atlanta Brandon Marshall, New York Jets RUNNING BACKS Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Todd Gurley, St. Louis Doug Martin, Tampa Bay LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Jonathan Stewart, Carolina FULLBACKS Marcel Reece, Oakland Mike Tolbert, Carolina TIGHT ENDS Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Rob Gronkowski, New England Travis Kelce, Kansas City Greg Olsen, Carolina TACKLES Jason Peters, Philadelphia Tyron Smith, Dallas Joe Staley, San Francisco Joe Thomas, Cleveland Andrew Whitworth, Cincinnati Trent Williams, Washington GUARDS David DeCastro, Pittsburgh Mike Iupati, Arizona Zack Martin, Dallas Josh Sitton, Green Bay Trai Turner, Carolina Marshal Yanda, Baltimore CENTERS Travis Frederick, Dallas Ryan Kalil, Carolina Alex Mack, Cleveland Mike Pouncey, Miami Defence DEFENSIVE ENDS Ezekiel Ansah, Detroit Michael Bennett, Seattle Chandler Jones, New England Khalil Mack, Oakland J.J. Watt, Houston Muhammad Wilkerson, New York Jets INSIDE/MIDDLE LINEBACKERS NaVorro Bowman, San Francisco Luke Kuechly, Carolina Clay Matthews, Green Bay Bobby Wagner, Seattle CORNERBACKS Malcolm Butler, New England Chris Harris, Jr., Denver Josh Norman, Carolina Marcus Peters, Kansas City Patrick Peterson, Arizona Darrelle Revis, New York Jets Richard Sherman, Seattle Aqib Talib, Denver INTERIOR LINEMEN Geno Atkins, Cincinnati Calais Campbell, Arizona Fletcher Cox, Philadelphia Aaron Donald, St. Louis Gerald McCoy, Tampa Bay Kawann Short, Carolina FREE SAFETIES Tyrann Mathieu, Arizona Reggie Nelson, Cincinnati Earl Thomas, Seattle OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS Jamie Collins, New England Thomas Davis, Carolina Tamba Hali, Kansas City Justin Houston, Kansas City Von Miller, Denver DeMarcus Ware, Denver STRONG SAFETIES Eric Berry, Kansas City Kam Chancellor, Seattle SPECIALISTS PUNTERS Sam Koch, Baltimore Johnny Hekker, St. Louis RETURN SPECIALISTS Tyler Lockett, Seattle Darren Sproles, Philadelphia PLACEKICKERS Dan Bailey, Dallas Stephen Gostkowski, New England

THURSDAY, DEC. 24, 2015

Hockey

Saturday

National Football League AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L T Pct y-New England 12 2 0 .857 N.Y. Jets 9 5 0 .643 Buffalo 6 8 0 .429 Miami 5 9 0 .357 South W L T Pct Houston 7 7 0 .500 Indianapolis 6 8 0 .429 Jacksonville 5 9 0 .357 Tennessee 3 11 0 .214 North W L T Pct x-Cincinnati 11 3 0 .786 Pittsburgh 9 5 0 .643 Baltimore 4 10 0 .286 Cleveland 3 11 0 .214 West W L T Pct Denver 10 4 0 .714 Kansas City 9 5 0 .643 Oakland 6 8 0 .429 San Diego 4 10 0 .286

B4

PA 332 362 358 324 PA 278 312 353 432 PA 265 272 363 352 PA 269 248 294 339

WHL EASTERN CONFERENCE EAST DIVISION GP W L OTLSOLGF Brandon 35 21 11 1 2 131 Prince Albert 34 20 11 2 1 108 Moose Jaw 34 17 12 4 1 117 Regina 35 15 15 3 2 107 Saskatoon 33 13 17 3 0 102 Swift Current 34 10 20 3 1 78

GA 99 102 107 121 138 109

Pt 45 43 39 35 29 24

CENTRAL DIVISION GP W L OTLSOLGF 35 24 11 0 0 148 35 23 12 0 0 127 37 22 13 1 1 123 36 14 19 3 0 99 34 12 19 2 1 108 36 6 28 2 0 70

GA 105 104 115 118 134 154

Pt 48 46 46 31 27 14

Lethbridge Red Deer Calgary Edmonton Medicine Hat Kootenay

WESTERN CONFERENCE B.C. DIVISION GP W L OTLSOLGF Kelowna 35 25 9 1 0 133 Prince George 34 21 11 1 1 118 Victoria 35 21 12 1 1 117 Kamloops 32 17 11 3 1 117 Vancouver 36 12 19 3 2 102

GA 101 95 85 101 127

Pt 51 44 44 38 29

U.S. DIVISION GP W L OTLSOLGF 33 19 11 3 0 113 32 19 11 0 2 89 34 17 13 3 1 114 33 16 16 1 0 113 34 14 19 1 0 105

GA 99 70 117 108 130

Pt 41 40 38 33 29

Seattle Everett Spokane Portland Tri-City

Sunday, December 27 Everett at Vancouver, 3 p.m.

Regina at Brandon, 3 p.m.

Moose Jaw at Swift Current, 3 p.m.

Calgary at Kootenay, 4 p.m.

Edmonton at Red Deer, 5 p.m.

Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 6 p.m.

Saskatoon at Prince Albert, 6 p.m.

Tri-City at Portland, 6 p.m.

Seattle at Spokane, 6:05 p.m.

Kelowna at Kamloops, 7 p.m.

Prince George at Victoria, 8:05 p.m.

WHL Scoring Leaders Tyson Baillie, Kel Brayden Burke, Let Adam Brooks, Reg Devante Stephens, Spo Reid Gardiner, P.A. Parker Bowles, TC Dryden Hunt, MJ Egor Babenko, Let Ivan Nikolishin, RD Brayden Point, MJ Alex Forsberg, Vic Mathew Barzal, Sea Radel Fazleev, CAL CollinShirley, Kam Justin Gutierrez, Let Nolan Patrick, Bra Jonathon Martin, SC Tyler Wong, Let Keegan Kolesar, Sea Giorgio Estephan, Let Cameron Hebig, Sas Brett Pollock, Edm Jesse Gabrielle, PG Matthew Phillips, Vic Dominic Turgeon, Por Ethan Bear, Sea Andrew Nielsen, Let Remi Laurencelle, Eve

G 23 9 17 14 20 19 20 19 19 18 12 9 14 21 17 10 23 22 16 14 16 13 20 18 17 11 9 19

A 35 41 31 34 26 27 25 25 24 25 31 34 28 19 23 30 16 17 23 25 22 24 16 18 19 25 27 16

Pts 58 50 48 48 46 46 45 44 43 43 43 43 42 40 40 40 39 39 39 39 38 37 36 36 36 36 36 35

2016 IIHF World Junior Championship schedule At Helsinki, Finland PRELIMINARY ROUND Group A Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and United States Group B Belarus, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Slovakia Saturday, Dec. 26 Russia vs. Czech Republic, 5 a.m.

Sweden vs. Switzerland,. 7 a.m.

Belarus vs. Finland, 9 a.m.

Canada vs. United States, noon Sunday, Dec. 27 Slovakia vs. Belarus, 9 a.m.

Switzerland vs. Denmark, 11 a.m.

Monday, Dec. 28 Czech Republic vs. Slovakia, 5 a.m.

New Jersey 4 Detroit 3 Florida 2 Ottawa 1 (SO) Minnesota 2 Montreal 1 Dallas 4 Chicago 0 Arizona 3 Toronto 2 Calgary 4 Winnipeg 1 San Jose 5 Los Angeles 3

Semifinal Winners, 4 a.m.

United States vs. Sweden, 7 a.m.

Finland vs. Russia, 9 a.m.

Denmark vs. Canada, 11:30 a.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 29 Russia VS. Belarus, 9 a.m.

Canada vs. Switzerland, 11 a.m.

How Canada Fared at the World Junior Hockey Championship (year, finish, coach and parent club in parentheses): 2015 — Gold (Benoit Groulx, Gatineau, QMJHL) 2014 — Fourth (Brent Sutter, Hockey Canada) 2013 — Fourth (Steve Spott, Kitchener, OHL) 2012 — Bronze (Don Hay, Kamloops, WHL) 2011 — Silver (Dave Cameron, Mississauga St. Michael’s, OHL) 2010 — Silver (Willie Desjardins, Medicine Hat, WHL) 2009 — Gold (Pat Quinn, Hockey Canada) 2008 — Gold (Craig Hartsburg, Sault Ste. Marie, OHL) 2007 — Gold (Craig Hartsburg, Sault Ste. Marie, OHL) 2006 — Gold (Brent Sutter, Red Deer, WHL) 2005 — Gold (Brent Sutter, Red Deer, WHL) 2004 — Silver (Mario Durocher, Sherbrooke, QMJHL) 2003 — Silver (Marc Habscheid, Kelowna, WHL 2002 — Silver (Stan Butler, Brampton, OHL) 2001 — Bronze (Stan Butler, Brampton, OHL) 2000 — Bronze (Claude Julien, Hull, QMJHL) 1999 — Silver (Tom Renney, Hockey Canada) 1998 — Eighth (Real Paiement, QMJHL) 1997 — Gold (Mike Babcock, Spokane, WHL) 1996 — Gold (Marcel Comeau, Kelowna, WHL) 1995 — Gold (Don Hay, Kamloops, WHL) 1994 — Gold (Joe Canale, Beauport, QMJHL) 1993 — Gold (Perry Pearn, Northern Alta. Institute of Technology, CCAA) 1992 — Sixth (Rick Cornacchia, Oshawa, OHL) 1991 — Gold (Dick Todd, Peterborough, OHL) 1990 — Gold (Guy Charron, Hockey Canada) 1989 — Fourth (Tom Webster, Windsor, OHL) 1988 — Gold (Dave Chambers, York Univ., CIAU) 1987 — Disqualified (Bert Templeton, North Bay, OHL) 1986 — Silver (Terry Simpson, Prince Albert, WHL) 1985 — Gold (Terry Simpson, Prince Albert, WHL) 1984 — Fourth (Brian Kilrea, Ottawa, OHL) 1983 — Bronze (Dave King, Univ. of Saskatchewan, CIAU) 1982 — Gold (Dave King, Univ. of Saskatchewan, CIAU) 1981 — Seventh (Bob Kilger, Cornwall, QMJHL) 1980 — Fifth (Mike Keenan, Peterborough, OHL) 1979 — Fifth (Ernie McLean, New Westminster, WHL) 1978 — Bronze (Ernie McLean, New Westminster, WHL) 1977 — Silver (Bert Templeton, St. Catharines, OHL) 1976 — Silver (Ghislain Delage, Sherbrooke, QMJHL) 1975 — Silver (Jackie McLeod, Saskatoon, WHL) 1974 — Bronze (Roger Neilson, Peterborough, OHL)

Spengler Cup champions 2014 — HC Geneve-Servette (Switzerland) 2013 — HC Geneve-Servette (Switzerland) 2012 — Canada 2011 — HC Davos (Switzerland) 2010 — SKA St. Petersburg (Russia) 2009 — HC Dynamo Minsk (Belarus) 2008 — HC Dynamo Moscow (Russia) 2007 — Canada 2006 — HC Davos (Switzerland) 2005 — HC Metallurg Magnitogorsk (Russia) 2004 — HC Davos (Switzerland) 2003 — Canada 2002 — Canada 2001 — HC Davos (Switzerland) 2000 — HC Davos (Switzerland) 1999 — Kolner Haie (Germany) 1998 — Canada 1997 — Canada 1996 — Canada 1995 — Canada 1994 — Farjestad Karlstad (Sweden) 1993 — Farjestad Karlstad (Sweden) 1992 — Canada 1991 — CSKA Moscow (Russia) 1990 — Spartak Moscow (USSR) 1989 — Spartak Moscow (USSR) 1988 — U.S.A. Selects (U.S.) 1987 — Canada 1986 — Canada 1985 — Spartak Moscow (USSR) 1984 — Canada 1983 — Dynamo Moscow (USSR) 1982 — Dukla Jihlava (Czechoslovakia) 1981 — Spartak Moscow (USSR) 1980 — Spartak Moscow (USSR)

Sunday, December 27 Boston at Ottawa, 3 p.m.

Toronto at NY Islanders, 4 p.m.

Columbus at Florida, 4 p.m.

St. Louis at Dallas, 4 p.m.

Carolina at Chicago, 5 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Winnipeg, 6 p.m.

Philadelphia at Anaheim, 6 p.m.

Arizona at Colorado, 6 p.m.

Edmonton at Calgary, 7 p.m.

Monday, December 28 Washington at Buffalo, 5 p.m.

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

Detroit at Minnesota, 6 p.m.

NY Rangers at Nashville, 6 p.m.

Los Angeles at Vancouver, 8 p.m.

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

NHL Scoring Leaders

Montreal Boston Florida

Washington NY Rangers NY Islanders

NHL Eastern Conference Atlantic Division GP W L OL GF 36 20 13 3 105 33 19 10 4 104 35 19 12 4 95

GA 89 85 81

Pt 43 42 42

Metropolitan Division GP W L OL GF 33 25 6 2 105 36 20 12 4 104 35 19 11 5 96

GA 71 93 82

Pt 52 44 43

GF GA 89 89 105 104 83 87 74 92 87 82 76 84 79 89 86 93 80 101 88 112

Pt 41 40 39 37 37 35 32 31 31 29

WILD CARD W L OL 17 10 7 17 12 6 17 13 5 15 12 7 17 15 3 16 14 3 14 16 4 12 14 7 13 16 5 13 20 3

Detroit Ottawa New Jersey Philadelphia Tampa Bay Pittsburgh Buffalo Toronto Carolina Columbus

GP 34 35 35 34 35 33 34 33 34 36

Dallas St. Louis Chicago

Western Conference Central Division GP W L OL GF 35 26 7 2 124 36 21 11 4 92 36 20 12 4 96

Los Angeles San Jose Vancouver

Pacific Division GP W L OL 33 20 11 2 34 17 15 2 36 13 14 9

2015 Spengler Cup schedule At Davos, Switzerland Preliminary Round Pool A Automobilist Yekaterinbergs (Russia), Canada, HC Davos (host) Pool B Adler Mannheim (Germany), HC Lugano (Switzerland), Jokerit Helsinki (Finland) Saturday, Dec. 26 Adler Mannheim vs. HC Lugano, 7 a.m.

Canada vs. Automobilist Yekaterinberg, 12:15 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 27 Jokerit Helsinki vs. Mannheim/Lugano Loser, 7 a.m.

HC Davos vs. Canada/Yekaterinbergs Loser, 12:15 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 28 Jokerit Helsinki vs. Mannheim/Lugano Winner, 7 a.m. .

HC Davos vs. Canada/Yekaterinbergs Winner, 12:15 p.m.

End of Preliminary Round Tuesday, Dec. 29 Quarter-finals QF1 — Second B vs. Third A, 7 a.m.

QF2 — Second A vs. Third B, 12:15 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 30 Semifinals First A vs. QF1 Winner, 7 a.m.

First B vs. QF2 Winner, 12:15 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 31 Championship

Saturday’s games Montreal at Washington, 5 p.m.

Columbus at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m.

Buffalo at Boston, 5 p.m.

New Jersey at Carolina, 5 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Minnesota, 6 p.m.

Detroit at Nashville, 6 p.m.

Dallas at St. Louis, 6 p.m.

Los Angeles at Arizona, 7 p.m.

Edmonton at Vancouver, 8 p.m.

GA 88 85 87

Pt 54 46 44

GF GA 84 76 93 94 91 103

Pt 42 36 35

WILD CARD GP W L OL GF GA Pt Minnesota 33 18 9 6 91 80 42 Nashville 34 17 11 6 90 86 40 Colorado 35 17 17 1 99 97 35 Arizona 33 16 15 2 90 104 34 Calgary 34 16 16 2 91 113 34 Winnipeg 34 15 17 2 92 104 32 Edmonton 35 15 18 2 91 106 32 Anaheim 33 12 15 6 62 85 30 Note: a team winning in overtime or shootout is credited with two points and a victory in the W column the team losing in overtime or shootout receives one point which is registered in the OTL or SOL columns. d — automatically qualifies for playoffs w — qualifies for playoffs through wild card Tuesday’s results NY Rangers 3 Anaheim 2 (OT) St. Louis 2 Boston 0 Vancouver 2 Tampa Bay 1

Patrick Kane, Chi Jamie Benn, Dal Tyler Seguin, Dal Taylor Hall, Edm Vladimir Tarasenko, StL Erik Karlsson, Ott Johnny Gaudreau, Cgy Joe Pavelski, SJ Daniel Sedin, Vcr Blake Wheeler, Wpg Mike Hoffman, Ott Michael Cammalleri, NJ Bobby Ryan, Ott Alex Steen, StL Patrice Bergeron, Bos Henrik Sedin, Vcr John Klingberg, Dal Brent Burns, SJ Nicklas Backstrom, Wash Artemi Panarin, Chi David Krejci, Bos Alex Ovechkin, Wash Evgeni Malkin, Pgh Mats Zuccarello, NYR Evgeny Kuznetsov, Wash Leon Draisaitl, Edm Ryan O’Reilly, Buf Nathan MacKinnon, Col Mikko Koivu, Minn Mark Stone, Ott Matt Duchene, Col Loui Eriksson, Bos Bryan Little, Wpg Derick Brassard, NYR Jeff Carter, LA Claude Giroux, Pha Max Pacioretty, Mtl Kyle Palmieri, NJ Justin Faulk, Car Patrick Sharp, Dal Tomas Plekanec, Mtl John Carlson, Wash Henrik Zetterberg, Det Scott Hartnell, Clb Kyle Turris, Ott Sean Monahan, Cgy Roman Josi, Nash Gabriel Landeskog, Col Kyle Okposo, NYI Lee Stempniak, NJ Steven Stamkos, TB Patrick Marleau, SJ John Tavares, NYI Jason Spezza, Dal Max Domi, Ariz Jaromir Jagr, Fla Shea Weber, Nash Mathieu Perreault, Wpg

G 21 22 19 15 22 9 15 18 16 10 17 12 11 11 11 9 5 14 10 10 9 17 17 15 10 9 12 10 8 8 16 13 13 13 11 11 14 14 12 12 7 6 6 13 13 12 9 8 8 8 14 13 13 13 10 10 10 4

A 29 24 27 24 16 29 22 18 20 25 15 20 21 21 21 23 27 17 21 21 22 13 13 15 20 21 17 19 21 21 12 15 15 15 17 17 13 13 15 15 20 21 21 13 13 14 17 18 18 18 11 12 12 12 15 15 15 21

Pts 50 46 46 39 38 38 37 36 36 35 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 31 31 31 31 30 30 30 30 30 29 29 29 29 28 28 28 28 28 28 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25

Basketball Cleveland Chicago Indiana Detroit Milwaukee

National Basketball Association EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Pct GB Toronto 18 12 .600 — Boston 16 13 .552 1 New York 14 16 .467 Brooklyn 8 21 .276 9 Philadelphia 1 30 .032 17 Southeast Division W L Pct GB Atlanta 19 12 .613 — Miami 16 11 .593 1 Orlando 17 12 .586 1 Charlotte 15 13 .536 2 Washington 13 14 .481 4 Central Division W L Pct GB

1/2 4 1/2 1/2

1/2

19 15 16 17 12

7 11 12 13 18

.731 .577 .571 .567 .400

Minnesota Portland

— 4 4 4 9

WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division W L Pct GB San Antonio 25 5 .833 — Dallas 16 13 .552 8 Memphis 16 15 .516 9 Houston 15 15 .500 10 New Orleans 9 19 .321 15 Northwest Division W L Pct GB Oklahoma City 19 9 .679 Utah 12 14 .462 6 Denver 12 17 .414 7

Golden State L.A. Clippers Sacramento Phoenix L.A. Lakers 1/2 1/2

— 1/2

11 18 .379 11 20 .355 Pacific Division W L Pct 26 1 .963 16 13 .552 12 17 .414 12 19 .387 5 23 .179

8 9

1/2 1/2

GB — 11 15 16 21

1/2

Tuesday’s Games Memphis 104, Philadelphia 90 Toronto 103, Dallas 99 Detroit 93, Miami 92 L.A. Lakers 111, Denver 107 Wednesday’s Games Cleveland 91, New York 84 Sacramento 108, Indiana 106

Orlando 104, Houston 101 Washington 100, Memphis 91 Boston 102, Charlotte 89 Dallas 119, Brooklyn 118, OT San Antonio 108, Minnesota 83 New Orleans 115, Portland 89 Milwaukee 113, Philadelphia 100 Atlanta 107, Detroit 100 Denver 104, Phoenix 96 Utah at Golden State, late Oklahoma City at L.A. Lakers, late Friday’s Games New Orleans at Miami, 10 a.m.

Chicago at Oklahoma City, 12:30 p.m.

Cleveland at Golden State, 3 p.m.

San Antonio at Houston, 6 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at L.A. Lakers, 8:30 p.m.

Baseball Major League Baseball Free Agents Signings NEW YORK — The 59 free agents who have signed, with name, position, former club if different, and contract. The contract information was obtained

by The Associated Press from player and management source. For players with minor league contracts, letter agreements for major league contracts are in parentheses: AMERICAN LEAGUE BALTIMORE (2) — Matt Wieters, c, accepted $15.8 million qualifying offer re-signed Darren O’Day, rhp, to a $31 million, four-year contract.

BOSTON (2) — Signed Chris Young, of, to a $13 million, two-year contract signed David Price, lhp, Toronto, to a $217 million, seven-year contract.

CHICAGO (2) — Signed Alex Avila, c, Detroit, to a $2.5 million, one-year contract signed Dioner Navarro, c, Toronto, to a $4 million, one-year contract.

CLEVELAND (4) — Signed Rajai Davis, of, Detroit, to a one-year contract signed Tom Gorzelanny, lhp, Detroit, to a minor league contract signed Joe Thatcher, lhp, Houston, to a minor league contract signed Ross Detwiler, lhp, Atlanta, to a minor league contract.

DETROIT (5) — Signed Jordan Zimmermann, rhp, Washington, to a $110 million, five-year contract signed Mike Pelfrey, rhp, Minnesota, to a $16 million, two-year contract signed Jarrod Saltalamacchia, c, Arizona, to a $507,500, one-year contract signed Mark Lowe, rhp, Toronto, to an $11 million, two-year contract signed Mike Aviles, inf-of, Cleveland, to a $2 million, one-year contract.

HOUSTON (2) — Colby Ramus, of, accepted $15.8 million qualifying offer re-signed Tony Sipp, lhp, to an $18 million, three-year contract.

KANSAS CITY (2) — Re-signed Chris Young, rhp, to an $11.5 million, two-year contract signed Joakim Soria, rhp, Pittsburgh, to a $25 million, three-year contract.

LOS ANGELES (2) — Signed Cliff Pennington, ss, Toronto, to a $3.75 million, two-year contract signed Geovany Soto, c, Chicago White Sox, to a $2.8 million, one-year contract.

OAKLAND (2) — Signed Rich Hill, rhp, Boston, to

a $6 million, one-year contract signed Ryan Madson, rhp, Kansas City, to a $22 million, three-year contract.

SEATTLE (4) — Re-signed Franklin Gutierrez, of, to a $1.5 million, one-year contract signed Chris Ianetta, c, Los Angeles Angeles, to a $4.25 million, oneyear contract signed Nori Aoki, of, San Francisco, to a $5.5 million, one-year contract re-signed Hisashi Iwakuma, rhp, to a $12 million, one-year contract.

TORONTO (2) — Re-signed Marco Estrada, rhp, to a $26 million, two-year contract signed J.A. Happ, lhp, Pittsburgh, to a $36 million, three-year contract.

NATIONAL LEAGUE ARIZONA (1) — Signed Zack Greinke, rhp, Los Angeles Dodgers, to a $206.5 million, six-year contract.

ATLANTA (3) — Re-signed A.J. Pierzynski, c, to a $3 million, two-year contract signed Bud Norris, rhp, San Diego, to a $2.5 million, one-year contract signed Gordon Beckham, 3b, Chicago White Sox, to a $1.25 million, one-year contract.

CHICAGO (4) — Signed John Lackey, rhp, St. Louis, to a $32 million, two-year contract signed Ben Zobrist, inf, Kansas City, to a $56 million, four-year contract re-signed Trevor Cahill, rhp, to a $4.25 million, one-year contract signed Jason Heyward, of, St. Louis, to a $184 million, eight-year contract.

COLORADO (3) — Signed Jason Motte, rhp, Chicago Cubs, to a $10 million, two-year contract signed Chad Qualls, rhp, Houston, to a $6 million, two-year contract. Signed Mark Reynolds, 1b-3b, St. Louis, to a $2.6 million, one-year contract.

LOS ANGELES (2) — Brett Anderson, lhp, accepted $15.8 million qualifying offer re-signed Chase Utley, 2b, to a $7 million, one-year contract.

MIAMI (1) — Re-signed Jeff Mathis, c, to a $1.5 million, one-year contract.

NEW YORK (4) — Signed Asdrubal Cabrera, ss, Tampa Bay, to an $18.5 million, two-year contract re-signed Jerry Blevins, lhp, to a $4 million, oneyear contract re-signed Bartolo Colon, rhp, to a $7.25 million, one-year contract signed Alejandro De Aza, of, San Francisco, to a $5.75 million, oneyear contract.

PHILADELPHIA (2) — Signed David Hernandez,

rhp, Arizona, to a $3.9 million, one-year contract signed Edward Mujica, rhp, Oakland, to a minor league contract ($2.5 million).

PITTSBURGH (3) — Re-signed Sean Rodriguez, inf-of, to a $2.5 million, one-year contract signed Ryan Vogelsong, rhp, San Francisco, to a $2 million, one-year contract signed John Jaso, 1b-c, Tampa Bay, to a $8 million, two-year contract.

ST. LOUIS (3) — Signed Brayan Pena, c, Cincinnati, to a $5 million, two-year contract re-signed Jonathan Broxton, rhp, to a $7.5 million, two-year contract signed Mike Leake, rhp, San Francisco, to an $80 million, five-year contract.

SAN FRANCISCO (2) — Signed Jeff Samardzija, rhp, Chicago White Sox, to a $90 million, five-year contract signed Johnny Cueto, rhp, Kansas City, to a $130 million, six-year contract.

WASHINGTON (2) — Signed Shawn Kelley, rhp, San Diego, to a $15 million, three-year contract signed Oliver Perez, lhp, Houston, to a $7 million, two-year contract.

OF Alejandro De Aza on a one-year contract.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES — Agreed to terms with 1B/OF John Jaso on a two-year contract. Claimed RHP Yoervis Medina off waivers from the Chicago Cubs.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Agreed to terms with C Jhonatan Solano on a minor league contract.

Can-Am League NEW JERSEY JACKALS — Signed RHP Danny Moskovits.

BASKETBALL National Basketball Association WASHINGTON WIZARDS — Waived C Ryan Hollins. Signed G/F Jarell Eddie.

FOOTBALL National Football League NFL — Fined Carolina CB Josh Norman $26,044 for his actions during last week’s game.

ATLANTA FALCONS — Signed G Collin Rahrig to the practice squad.

BUFFALO BILLS — Signed S Jonathan Dowling to the practice squad.

CLEVELAND BROWNS — Placed WR Andrew Hawkins on injured reserve. Signed LB Jayson DiManche from the practice squad and OL Conor Boffeli to the practice squad.

DALLAS COWBOYS — Signed LB Derek Akunne and CB Buddy Jackson to the practice squad.

DENVER BRONCOS — Placed S David Bruton on injured reserve. Signed DB Shaun Prater.

HOUSTON TEXANS — Placed LB Tony Washington Jr. on the practice squad-injured list. Signed LB Jordan Dewalt-Ondijo to the practice squad.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — Signed LB Edwin Jack-

son to the practice squad.

MIAMI DOLPHINS — Signed RB Jahwan Edwards to the practice squad.

NEW YORK GIANTS — Placed FB Nikita Whitlock on injured reserve. Re-signed S Brandon Meriweather OAKLAND RAIDERS — Placed DE Mario Edwards Jr. on injured reserve. Signed LB John Lotulelei from the practice squad.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS — Placed RB Melvin Gordon on injured reserve. Signed RB Dreamius Smith from the practice squad and P Kasey Redfern to the practice squad.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS — Waived RB Travaris Cadet. Signed RB DuJuan Harris from the practice squad.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS — Released DT Justin Hamilton from the practice squad. Signed WRs Deshon Foxx and Antwan Goodley to the practice squad.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS — Signed WR Evan Spencer from the practice squad and WR Andre Davis to the practice squad.

TENNESSEE TITANS — Released WR Rico Richardson and QB Mike Kafka from the practice squad.

Signed WR Gavin Lutman and QB Bryn Renner to the practice squad.

Arena Football League ORLANDO PREDATORS — Agreed to terms with DE Donte Paige-Moss.

HOCKEY National Hockey League ARIZONA COYOTES — Signed RW Conor Garland to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Remaining Free Agents NEW YORK — The 104 remaining free agents (q-did not accept qualifying offer): AMERICAN LEAGUE BALTMORE (4) — q-Wei-Yin Chen, lhp q-Chris Davis, 1b Gerardo Parra, of Steve Pearce, of.

BOSTON (1) — Craig Breslow, lhp.

CHICAGO (2) — Matt Albers, rhp Alexei Ramirez, ss.

CLEVELAND (3) — Gavin Floyd, rhp Ryan Raburn, dh Ryan Webb, rhp.

DETROIT (3) — Joe Nathan, rhp Alfredo Simon, rhp Randy Wolf, lhp.

HOUSTON (1) — Scott Kazmir, lhp.

KANSAS CITY (5) — Jonny Gomes, of q-Alex Gordon, of Jeremy Guthrie, rhp Franklin Morales, lhp Alex Rios, of.

LOS ANGELES (7) — David DeJesus, of David Freese, 3b Matt Joyce, of Mat Latos, rhp David Murphy, of Shane Victorino, of Wesley Wright, lhp.

MINNESOTA (4) — Blaine Boyer, rhp Neal Cotts, lhp Brian Duensing, lhp Torii Hunter, of.

NEW YORK (2) — Chris Capuano, lhp Stephen

Drew, 2b.

OAKLAND (1) — Barry Zito, lhp.

SEATTLE (1) — Joe Beimel, lhp.

TAMPA BAY (1) — Grady Sizemore, of.

TEXAS (6) — q-Yovani Gallardo, rhp Colby Lewis, rhp Mike Napoli, 1b Ross Ohlendorf, rhp Drew Stubbs, of Will Venable, of.

TORONTO (5) — Mark Buehrle, lhp Jeff Francis, lhp Maicer Izturis, 2b LaTroy Hawkins, rhp Munenori Kawasaki, inf.

NATIONAL LEAGUE ATLANTA (2) — Edwin Jackson, rhp Peter Moylan, rhp.

CHICAGO (6) — Chris Denorfia, of q-Dexter Fowler, of Dan Haren, rhp Tommy Hunter, rhp Austin Jackson, of Fernando Rodney, rhp.

CINCINNATI (4) — Burke Badenhop, rhp Sean Marshall, lhp Manny Parra, lhp Skip Schumaker, inf-of.

COLORADO (2) — Kyle Kendrick, rhp Justin Morneau, 1b.

LOS ANGELES (5) — Bronson Arroyo, rhp q-Howie Kendrick, 2b Joel Peralta, rhp Jimmy Rollins, ss.

MIAMI (2) — Don Kelly, 3b Casey McGehee, 3b.

MILWAUKEE (1) — Kyle Lohse, rhp.

NEW YORK (7) — Yoenis Cespedes, of Tyler Clippard, rhp Kelly Johnson, of q-Daniel Murphy, 2b Eric O’Flaherty, lhp Bobby Parnell, rhp Juan Uribe, 3b.

PHILADELPHIA (5) — Chad Billingsley, rhp Jeff Francoeur, of Aaron Harang, rhp Cliff Lee, lhp Jerome Williams, rhp.

PITTSBURGH (5) — Antonio Bastardo, lhp Joe Blanton, rhp A.J. Burnett, rhp Corey Hart, 1b Aramis Ramirez, 3b.

ST. LOUIS (3) — Matt Belisle, rhp Randy Choate, lhp Carlos Villanueva, rhp.

SAN DIEGO (5) — Clint Barmes, ss Josh Johnson, rhp q-Ian Kennedy, rhp Brandon Morrow, rhp q-Justin Upton, of.

SAN FRANCISCO (5) — Jeremy Affeldt, lhp Marlon Byrd, of Tim Hudson, rhp Tim Lincecum, rhp Marco Scutaro, 2b.

WASHINGTON (7) — q-Ian Desmond, ss Doug Fister, rhp Casey Janssen, rhp Nate McLouth, of Denard Span, of Matt Thornton, lhp Dan Uggla, 2b.

Transactions Wednesday’s Sports Transactions BASEBALL COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE — Suspended Pittsburgh RHP Clario Perez 80 games (Altoona-EL), Minnesota C Kerby Camacho (GCL Twins) and N.Y. Mets SS Jose Martinez (GCL Mets) 60 games and Baltimore LHP Will Dennis 50 games for violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

American League BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Agreed to terms with OF Hyun Soo Kim on a two-year contract.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Claimed OF Jerry Sands off waivers from Cleveland.

DETROIT TIGERS — Agreed to terms with INF Alberto Gonzalez, OF Nate Schierholtz, INF/OF Jordany Valdespin and RHPs Logan Kensing, Melvin Mercedes and Dustin Molleken on minor league contracts.

HOUSTON ASTROS — Claimed RHP Danny Reynolds off waivers from the L.A. Dodgers.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS — Claimed LHP Rob Rasmussen off waivers from Seattle.

SEATTLE MARINERS — Assigned OF Dan Robertson outright to Tacoma (PCL).

National League CHICAGO CUBS — Released INF Brendan Ryan.

Claimed LHP Edgar Olmos off waivers from Baltimore.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS — Claimed OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis off waivers from the N.Y. Mets and 1B Andy Wilkins from Texas.

NEW YORK METS — Assigned C Johnny Monell outright to Las Vegas (PCL). Agreed to terms with

DETROIT RED WINGS — Assigned D Xavier Ouellet to Grand Rapids (AHL).

FLORIDA PANTHERS — Assigned D Josh Brown from Portland (AHL) to Manchester (ECHL).

MINNESOTA WILD — Assigned D Guillaume Gelinas from Iowa (AHL) to Quad City (ECHL).

NEW YORK RANGERS — Assigned G Magnus Hellberg and D Chris Summers to Hartford (AHL).

ST. LOUIS BLUES — Assigned F Jordan Caron to Chicago (AHL).

American Hockey League AHL — Suspended Hershey LW Liam O’Brien and Rockford RW Ryan Hartman three games.

IOWA WILD — Returned D Austin Coldwell to Quad City (ECHL).

LAKE ERIE MONSTERS — Returned F Joe Devin to South Carolina (ECHL).

SAN DIEGO GULLS — Recalled D Eric Knodel from Utah (ECHL).

ECHL ALLEN AMERICANS — Signed D Nolan Descoteaux. Released G Nolan Bowker as emergency backup.

TULSA OILERS — Signed D/F Justin Mansfield.

UTAH GRIZZLIES — Signed G Mark Owuya.

SOCCER U.S. SOCCER — Named John Hackworth U-17 men’s national team coach.

Major League Soccer NEW YORK RED BULLS — Signed Ms Chris Thorsheim and Mael Corboz and M/D Scott Thomsen.

North American Soccer League MIAMI FC — Signed G David Sierra.

RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 B5

Anthopoulos content with decision to leave Jays

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO — A two-month break from the grind of the baseball off-season has been good for former Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos.

It has given him a chance to introduce some balance in his life and spend more time with friends and family. He’s also mulling over potential work options and expects to return to the sport he loves next month.

Anthopoulos, looking relaxed and content during an interview with The Canadian Press at a mid-town cafe, has enjoyed his time at home since turning down a contract offer to stay with the Blue Jays.

“I get to give my wife a break,” he said. “I’d say I’m learning what it’s like to live a normal life again, which is kind of nice. You kind of forget what you miss — and I’m not complaining by any stretch. But you know, going into a Halloween party and not having to have my phone glued to my hand. I can leave it there.

“I went out to a Halloween party on a Saturday afternoon. Normally I’d be going to the office. You feel like, ‘Hey if you’re not working, you’re getting beat.’ So just little things like that.”

Anthopoulos stunned fans and baseball observers by turning down a long-term deal a few days after his team was eliminated by the Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship Series. He was eventually replaced by Ross Atkins, a former Cleveland Indians executive who had worked with new Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro.

The decision ended Anthopoulos’s 12-year run with the team. He first joined the club as a scouting co-ordi-

Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS

A two-month break from the grind of the baseball off-season has been good for former Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos. It has given him a chance to introduce some balance in his life and spend more time with friends and family. He’s also mulling over potential work options and expects to return to the sport he loves next month. nator in 2003 and had served as GM since 2009.

The Blue Jays were consistently mediocre during his tenure until last season, when a series of trade-deadline moves helped send the team on a second-half surge. Toronto won the East Division title and returned to the post-season for the first time in 22 years.

Anthopoulos went out with his stock at a high. He was named Major League Baseball executive of the year by the Sporting News on the same day he announced that he wouldn’t be returning.

Don’t expect him to be out of work for much longer.

“I’m getting there and come next

Y! 31 L ON 26YS ER A D B 6 EM C DE up

0

to an extra

% FINANCING FOR UP TO

ĭ

MONTHS

DON’T PAY + for 90 days

†

ON FINANCING OFFERS

OR

7, 000

$

750

UP TO

BOXING WEEK

BONUS

IN DISCOUNTS

6 models**

15/201

ON SELECT 20

month, come January, I’ll work again,” Anthopoulos said.

“Most likely for a team but it’s not 100 per cent. There were some media opportunities that came up that were interesting just from a quality of life standpoint. I think I might enjoy that and I had some really interesting discussions with some people just to educate myself. I think it would be challenging and I think it would be fun. Also the ability to have that kind of balance and be around my five-yearold and my three-year-old and be more of a Dad. I didn’t think I would even consider (a media job) but I kind of did.

“But then the more I thought about

it, it’s most likely I’ll stay in baseball.

Just because I’ve done it so long and I’m still young in my baseball career.

I don’t think I’m prepared to walk away.”

At 38, his resume is loaded thanks to his GM and assistant GM experience along with a solid scouting background.

“I understand that I may not be a general manager again and I’m OK with that,” he said. “Now again, that’s what my perspective is today. And obviously deciding not to sign an extension, I had to be prepared for that. I just think that all of the decisions I’ve made in my life, I never chased the money. You try to do what ultimately you feel is going to satisfy you and fulfil you. As simple as it sounds — and maybe this is naive — but normally success will follow.

“You like what you do, you enjoy it, you’re happy, you’re probably going to put in more hours than you need to because you enjoy it. In turn, you’re going to be really motivated and driven and you’re probably going to do a pretty good job. Then all that other stuff — money, positions — that takes care of itself.”

Anthopoulos used his downtime to finally go on a proper family vacation with his wife and two kids. He would try to get away for a day or two in the past, but found it hard to truly relax because there were always baseball things on the go.

“This was probably the first time where we went for five nights and I actually legitimately was able to enjoy it,” he said.

The team he helped build is expected to be a contender again in 2016. The team’s offence should be strong and while the pitching staff is not as deep, there is a solid foundation in place.

ĭ

ON SELECT MODELS

CE TO

PLUS A CHAN

WIN A TRIP

§

EAXINCGHWEEDK AONYLY! BO

2015 OPTIMA LX AT LEASE FROM

119

$

BI-WEEKLY $1,950 DOWN AT

0

FINAL CLEAROUT!

%

APR FOR & 36 MONTHS

Optima SX AT Turbo shown‡

INCLUDES $2,000 CREDIT &

2016 AWD SPORTAGE

5-Star Safety Ratings

THE NEW

2016 SPORTAGE

0

%

OR

84

More Stars. Safer Cars.

2016 FORTE SEDAN LX MT

Sportage SX Luxury shown‡

FINANCING FOR

5-Star Safety Ratings

THE NEW

More Stars. Safer Cars.

LEASE FROM

MONTHS Φ

69

$

BI-WEEKLY $600 DOWN AT

Forte SX AT shown‡

0

INCLUDES $1,300 CREDIT

AVAILABLE NO CHARGE

% APR FOR 60 MONTHS

&

&

ON OTHER 2016 SPORTAGE ALL-WHEEL DRIVE MODELS. CASH PURCHASE ONLY. °

CHANCE TO

WIN A TRIP EACH DAY BOXING

WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED *5-year/100,000 km worry-free comprehensive warranty. §

§

WEEK ONLY!

See kia.ca for more

Brought to you by your Alberta Kia dealers

7360512L24

PLUS A

No purchase required. Open to Canadian residents age of majority, 18 years of age or older, who purchase any new 2015/2016 Kia vehicle at a Canadian Kia dealership from December 26 to 31, 2015. Certain dealerships will be closed on December 27. For a chance to win a prize of a $3,000 itravel2000 voucher each day (6 prizes in total) from December 26 to 31. Go to kia.ca for complete details (including no purchase entry). Offer(s) available on select new 2015/2016 models through participating dealers to qualified retail customers who take delivery from December 26 to 31, 2015. Dealers may sell or lease for less. Some conditions apply. See dealer for complete details. Vehicles shown may include optional accessories and upgrades available at extra cost. All offers are subject to change without notice. All pricing includes delivery and destination fees up to $1,715, $22 AMVIC, $100 A/C charge (where applicable). Excludes taxes, licensing, PPSA, registration, insurance, variable dealer administration fees, fuel-fill charges up to $100, and down payment (if applicable and unless otherwise specified). Other lease and financing options also available. ĭ0% financing for up to 84 months or up to $7,000 discount available on other select 2015 models. Discount is deducted from the negotiated purchase/lease price before taxes. Maximum $7,000 discount ($6,000 cash discount and $1,000 ECO-Credit) is offered on 2015 Optima Hybrid LX (OP74AF) only. Certain conditions apply. See your dealer for complete details. Representative Financing Example: Financing offer available on approved credit (OAC), on a new 2016 Sportage LX MT FWD (SP551G) with a selling price of $24,832 is based on monthly payments of $284 for 84 months at 0% with a $0 down payment and first monthly payment due at finance inception. Offer also includes $1,000 cash discount. Other taxes, registration, insurance and licensing fees are excluded. Cash Purchase Price for the new 2015 Optima Hybrid LX (OP74AF) is $24,752 and includes a cash discount of $7,000 including $6,000 cash discount and $1,000 ECO-Credit. Dealer may sell for less. Other taxes, registration, insurance and licensing fees are excluded. Cash discounts vary by model and trim and are deducted from the negotiated selling price before taxes. † “Don’t Pay For 90 Days” on all models (90-day payment deferral) applies to purchase financing offers on all new 2015/2016 models on approved credit. No interest will accrue during the first 60 days of the finance contract. After this period, interest starts to accrue and the purchaser will repay the principal interest monthly over the term of the contract. Offer ends January 4, 2016. &Representative Leasing Example: Lease offer available on approved credit (OAC), on 2016 Forte Sedan LX MT (FO541G)/2015 Optima LX AT (OP742F) with a selling price of $17,552/$26,452 is based on a total number of 130/78 bi-weekly payments of $69/$119 for 60/36 months at 0% with $0 security deposit, $1,300/$2,000 discount (lease credit), $600/$1,950 down payment and first monthly payment due at lease inception. Total lease obligation $8,991/$9,287 with the option to purchase at the end of the term for $6,661/$13,215. Lease has 16,000 km/yr allowance (other packages available and $0.12/km for excess kilometres). ° No charge AWD applicable on cash purchase of 2016 Sportage LX AT AWD (SP753G)/2016 Sportage EX AT AWD (SP755G)/2016 Sorento LX 2.4L AWD (SR75BG)/2016 Sorento LX + Turbo AWD (SR75DG) with an approx. value of $2,300/$2,400/$3,000 ($2,000 AWD credit and $1,000 in discounts)/$2,000 respectively. Some conditions apply. See dealer for details. ** $500/$750 Boxing Week Bonus amounts are offered on 2016 Forte (Sedan, Koup and 5-door), 2015 Soul, 2016 Soul/2015 Optima, 2016 Sportage models and are deducted from the negotiated cash purchase, finance or lease price before taxes. Offer available from December 26 to 31, 2015 only while supplies last. Certain conditions apply. ‡Model shown Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price for Optima SX AT Turbo (OP748F)/2016 Forte SX AT (FO748G)/2016 Sportage SX Luxury (SP759F) is $34,895/$26,695/$38,495. The 2015 Optima was awarded the 2015 Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for model year 2015. U.S. models tested. Visit www.iihs.org for full details. Government 5-Star Safety Ratings are part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA's) New Car Assessment Program (www.SaferCar.gov). Information in this advertisement is believed to be accurate at the time of printing. For more information on our 5-year warranty coverage, visit kia.ca or call us at 1-877-542-2886. Kia is a trademark of Kia Motors Corporation.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

B6

THURSDAY, DEC. 24, 2015

Fax 403-341-6560 editorial@reddeeradvocate.com

DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW

FILE Photo by ASHLI BARRETT/Advocate staff

Charla Bradley took advantage of one of Kerry Wood Nature Centre’s Random Snowshoeing events earlier this year. The nature centre will host Random Snowshoeing on Saturday, Dec. 26 from 1 - 4 p.m. Admission is by suggested donation of $3 per person, or $10 per family.

CALENDAR

REGISTRATIONS

THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS

LOCAL EVENTS AND ORGANIZATIONS

FRIDAY, DEC. 25 MERRY CHRISTMAS! SATURDAY, DEC. 26 BOXING DAY ● Random Snowshoeing at Kerry Wood Nature Centre is available on Dec. 26 from 1 to 4 p.m. Drop in and give it a try, weather and snow-levels permitting. No high heels, please. Admission by suggested donation of $3 per person or $10 per family. Call 403-346-2010.

MONDAY, DEC. 28 ● Habitat for Humanity ReStore Year End Customer Appreciation Sale will be held Dec. 28 to 30. Save 20 per cent on merchandise. ReStore welcomes reusable building materials, furniture, appliances and much more an is open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 4732 78A St. Close. Phone 403309-6080. ● Bower Community Association is sponsoring a free family dance on Dec. 28 at the neighbourhood community centre on Boyce St. Doors open at 6 p.m. with dance lessons at 6:30 p.m. followed by dance at 7 pm. For information and to register, contact newbowerevents@gmail.com, or Jesse at 403-877-1436.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 30 ● Red Deer Legion Old Time Dance with Rural Roots is on Dec. 28 at 7 p.m.

Cost is $7, or $13.95 with buffet starting at 5 p.m. Phone 403-342-0035.

THURSDAY, DEC. 31 NEW YEAR’S EVE ● Gingerbread cookie campaign in support of Habitat for Humanity will be offered at Good Earth Coffeehouse and Bakery in Collicutt Centre until Dec. 31. Purchase a gingerbread cookie family for $6.75 with $1 going to Habitat in Red Deer.

● Behaviour Intervention Training for Parents (Testing Limits and Talking Back) workshop will be offered by Aspire Special Needs Resource Centre for parents of children ages six to 12 years. Sessions will be held Jan. 6 to Feb. 10 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for a cost of $120 at Aspire Special Needs building. A second parent is encouraged to attend at no charge. See aspirespecialneeds. ca, or call 403-340-2606. ● Philippine Canadian Association of Red Deer and District New Year’s Ball will take place on Dec. 31 at Sheraton Hotel Red Deer. Cocktails at 6 p.m. Dinner at 7 p.m. followed by dance. Semi formal attire. Admission is $60 for adults, $20 for children ages six to 12 years, and free for children under six. Tickets available from Tess at 403-8776334, or Jess at 403-350-8179, and also include party favours and Filipino midnight snacks. ● Canadian Blood Services has appointments available to donate blood Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesdays, 3 to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with holiday hours on Dec. 24 and 26, and 31 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.. Visit www.blood.ca or call 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283) to make an appointment, or for eligibility information. ● New Year’s Dance will be celebrated on Dec. 31 at Moose Hall in Ponoka with live rock music by Jukebox Rock Band.

Dance from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Late dinner included. Limited tickets cost $45 each. Contact Fred or Jean at 403-783-8587, or pick up tickets from Walrus and Carpenter or Raspberry Patch. ● Christmas Safe Walk will be offered on Dec. 22 to 24 to escort workers to their vehicles from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., free of charge in city of Red Deer and Gasoline Alley. Individuals will be able to contact the walk sponsor — Tri-West Security — by phoning 403896-5768, or on Facebook. Any donations received will be presented to local charities or a needy family in Jan. Tri-West will be submitting nightly reports to City of Red Deer RCMP for any incidents and report any suspicious activity. ● Double Tree Village Museum is decorated and the Belgium teams are ready to take individuals, families, or groups for sleigh rides over the Christmas season. The fire pit and picnic are is available for wiener roasting and a place to enjoy hot chocolate after a sleigh ride. Located 45 minutes from Red

Deer, in the Spruce View area. See doubletreevillage.com, or for information or reservations phone 403-728-3875. ● Coldest Night of the Year National Charity Walk will be held in Red Deer on Feb. 20, starting at 4 p.m. from Loaves and Fishes. Walk two, five or 10 km and raise funds and awareness for homelessness, and poverty. Teams, individuals and volunteers are needed. To sign up and find out information see coldestnightoftheyear.org. Youth who raise $75 and adults who raise $150 will receive an official CNOY tuque and scarf. ● Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School choir — Take Note — presents Sing, Sing, Sing!, 7 p.m. on Jan. 8 at Red Deer College Arts Centre, Mainstage.

Enjoy the choir’s work on classical jazz, accompanied by their own rhythm section made up of Thurber students, past and present, as well as special guests, a cappella sensation HOJA, and more. Tickets are $15 with proceeds towards spring tour costs. Contact Lisa Friesen, choral instructor, 403-347-1171, ext.

1709. ● Life Hack Workshop offers tips to tweak your lifestyle towards a greener, more cost-effective, sustainable future on Jan. 3 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Kerry Wood Nature Centre. Cost is $15 plus GST for Friends of Kerry Wood Nature Centre members, and $17 plus GST for non-members. Pre-registration required by Jan. 1. Phone 403-346-2010. ● Cover 2 Cover Book Club will meet on Jan. 18 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Dawe Branch of Red Deer Public Library. The theme will a book that made you a reader. Visit www.rdpl. org/programs/book-clubs/cover2cover. New members always welcome. Phone 403-3413822. ● Youth Winter Survival/Leave No Trace Workshop is a hands-on workshop for kids ages 11 to 15 years offered at Kerry Wood Nature Centre on Jan. 9, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Explore survival skills, practice leaving no trace, and discover a new confidence in being outdoors. Dress for the weather.

Please bring a bag lunch. Cost is $45 per youth. Find out more and pre-register at 403346-2010. ● Annual Freeze the House Charity Bonspiel presented by Fas Gas Plus in support of Ronald McDonald House Central Alberta on Feb. 19 to 21 at Pidherney Curling Centre. To register as a participant contact RMHCentralAlberta.org or call 403-340-2007, or to volunteer contact amy@rmhcentralal-

berta.org, or call the above phone number.

Volunteer positions include Freeze the House Charity Bonspiel Ambassadors and others.

Curling celebrities John Morris — Curling Olympic Gold Medalist, and Carter Rycroft — World champion and Olympic Silver Medalist will be in attendance. ● Habitat for Humanity Red Deer Region Society has a variety of volunteer needs. Requests include volunteer coordinator intern, website design consultant, events, marketing, and administration volunteers, ReStore customer service, ReStore general labour, group volunteer days, and construction volunteers. To help out, contact Megan at megan.oshust@habitatreddeer.ca, or 403309-6080. ● Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre is seeking a volunteer Pediatric Kindergarten Tour Facilitator. Time commitment is two and a half hours once per week in the morning or afternoon on Monday or Tuesday, in Feb., March, April and May. Tours are designed to teach Kindergarten students about hospitals in an effort to help alleviate fears and anxiety. Contact Darci at 403-343-4715, darci.shave@ahs.ca. ● Canadian Red Cross is requesting volunteers to fill positions for human resources, youth committee, mobile clinics, “Speaking Up to Save Lives” program, in-community volunteer, donor ambassador and more. Visit www.blood.ca to find out more, or contact amanda.deboer@redcross.ca, 403-346-1241, ext. 1108. ● Alberta Sports Hall of Fame needs a new hockey collection volunteer. For more information visit ashfm.ca, or contact debbie@ ashfm.ca, 403-341-8614. ● Alberta Health Services offers QuitCore free stop smoking program at Red Deer College for six consecutive Tuesdays from noon to 1 p.m. starting Jan. 5, or Wednesdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Addiction Services Office located in the Provincial Building.

Phone toll-free 1-866-710-QUIT (7848) to register. See www.albertaquits.ca.

Listings open to cultural/non-profit groups. Fax: 341-6560; phone: 314-4325; e-mail: editorial@reddeeradvocate.com by noon Tuesday for insertion following Thursday.

RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 B7

Where does Santa come from?

NORDIC COUNTRIES IN ANNUAL TUSSLE TO CLAIM HIS HOME

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HELSINKI — Most kids learn that Santa Claus comes from the North Pole, but children in Scandinavia are taught he lives a bit further south.

Where exactly is a matter of much debate, with businesses in Finland, Sweden and Norway competing to cash in on the cachet that comes with claiming Santa’s hometown.

Finnish children know his home to be in the mythological Korvatunturi (Ear mountain) in the northern wilderness of the Finnish part of Lapland while Swedes say he hails from the small town of Mora.

Norwegians claim he was born hundreds of years ago under a stone in Drobak on the Oslo fjord.

Danes, who enjoy milder and mostly snowless winters, teach their children that Santa’s home is on the distant Arctic island of Greenland, a sparsely populated semiautonomous Danish territory.

In the battle to beat their Scandinavian neighbours, Finland’s public broadcaster YLE every year sends out a video of a red-cloaked Santa leaving his log cabin on a sleigh drawn by a white reindeer in the frozen snowy landscape that reaches millions of viewers worldwide.

A regular feature for the past 30 years, it was first broadcast in 1960.

The biggest town in Finnish Lapland, Rovaniemi, has been dubbed the official hometown of Santa Claus and depends on the myth for a large part of its yearly tourism turnover of some 210 million euros ($230 million).

Situated just south of the Arctic Circle, it attracts more than 300,000 visitors annually — five times the town’s population.

“Santa Claus is a very important and known person globally … and that’s a good basis for us to build up this kind of business,” Mayor Esko Lotvonen said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

The origins of Santa Claus — widely known elsewhere in Europe also as St. Nicholas — are shrouded in the mists of mythology, but the benevolent figure is believed to be based on St. Nicholas of Myra, a 4th century Greek Christian bishop who lived in a province of the Byzantine Empire that now is Turkey.

Danes, Swedes and Norwegians base their Santa on a mythological figure — a gnome known as a “tomte” or “nisse” in the Scandinavian languages — whereas Finns, who are ethnically and linguistically a different people, know Santa as “joulupukki,” a Christmas buck or goat, derived from old pagan Norse mythology.

In the Nordic region, Santa doesn’t clamber down chimneys but visits homes on Dec. 24, meeting the children, or if he’s too busy leaving behind a bag or basket of presents.

Mora in central Sweden has claimed itself as Santa’s home since 1984, with some 50,000 visiting Santaworld annually.

Nicklas Lind, director of Santaworld, which includes Santa’s house, a troll safari, moose park and restaurants, says the town, known for its knives and an annual 90-kilometre cross-country skiing race, welcomes the extra money brought in by Santa but was unable to give figures.

“It’s very important for the region and the town, for hotels and skiing,” he said. “We get some millions that’s all I can say.”

The message that Santa’s home is somewhere in the Nordic region has

Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Karson Ehrig, 21 months, of Jackson, Mich., gets his photo taken with Santa Claus at Briarwood Mall in Ann Arbor, Mich. spread far and wide. Santaworld’s post office has received 400,000 letters this year addressed to Santa, his post office in Rovaniemi claims more than 500,000 letters with 100,000 more expected before the year-end.

The Norwegian Santa in Drobak is too busy to talk as Christmas approaches.

Instead, his cousin Tom picks up the phone but doesn’t want to discuss business.

“It’s time for Christmas cheer not for competition, but we can’t be angry if our good colleagues in Sweden, Fin-

land and Greenland think otherwise,” he says. “All Norwegian children know the real Santa lives here.”

A group of schoolboys enjoying their Christmas break at a shopping mall in Helsinki are just as confident Santa is from Finland.

Six-year-old Matias, who doesn’t want to give his family name, looks puzzled when asked the question, before blurting out: “He lives in Korvatunturi (Ear mountain), of course.”

“And he’s coming to see us again, he did last year,” Matias says.

NORAD prepares to track Santa’s fabled sleigh ride with hundreds of volunteers NORTH AMERICAN AEROSPACE DEFENCE COMMAND WORKING FOR WEEKS FOR ONE-DAY MISSION

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Peterson Air Force base is getting ready for its annual holiday mission — tracking Santa’s storybook sleigh ride around the world.

The North American Aerospace Defence Command has been working for weeks to tackle the one-day mission.

Miles of wire, dozens of computers and 157 telephone lines will greet hundreds of volunteers Thursday, The (Colorado Springs) Gazette reported.

Volunteers will be answering calls from an estimated 125,000 children around the globe looking for Santa’s whereabouts.

“We keep adding stuff every year,” said Staff Sgt. Kyle Kelly after he and a team of airmen taped down phone wires in the call centre Monday.

The call centre in a training building will be staffed for 23 hours and Christmas Eve. Volunteers will also share Santa’s location on Facebook and Twitter.

Last year, Santa got 1.6 million Facebook likes.

“We start in November,” Kelly said.

“We have to test every phone before we bring it in here.”

NORAD’s 60th year of tracking Santa involves more than the military.

The program is underwritten by contractors who pay for the phones, the computers and the website.

First lady Michelle Obama is expected to volunteer, with calls forwarded to her on Christmas Eve. Volunteers will field a growing number of calls from curious kids from outside the United States.

“We get a lot of calls from Europe,

“WE START IN NOVEMBER. WE HAVE TO TEST EVERY PHONE BEFORE WE BRING IT IN HERE.”

File photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Volunteer Patty Shook takes a phone call from a child asking where Santa is and when he will deliver presents to her home, inside a phone-in center during the annual NORAD Tracks Santa Operation, at the North American Aerospace Defense Command, at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo

— STAFF SGT. KYLE KELLY Australia and New Zealand,” said NORAD’s Stacey Knott, who has organized the Santa tracking for three years.

Bilingual volunteers handle the foreign-language inquiries.

On the bilingual front, NORAD, a partnership between the U.S. and Canada, has a distinct advantage.

“The great thing about having Canadian forces here is they can speak in French,” Canadian Maj. Jennifer Stadnyk said.

NORAD is responsible for defending the skies and monitoring the sea approaches for both nations.

Its control room was originally inside Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs in a shelter designed to withstand a nuclear attack.

The control room is now at Peterson Air Force Base, also in Colorado Springs.

——— Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazette.com

ONE OF THE TOP 10 CULTURAL RESTAURANTS IN ALBERTA VISIT US AT BOULEVARDRESTAURANT.CA

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

This is the life I have created.

from

Bowmont Denture Clinic

“Best of the season to all of our past, present and future customers!”

2015 /16

SEASON Experience our students creativity come to life.

Theatre rdc.ab.ca/showtime PRESENTING SPONSOR

FOLLOW US!

Film

Music

Visual Art Trudy, Graham, Shelby

#5, 4929 Ross Street 403-346-5845

(in the Towne Centre Mall) just east of Royal Bank on Ross Street

B8 RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015

Happy Holidays Package

Switch and save over

Get the gift that keeps on entertaining:

$

\ 1%! #$ % ! ÂŞ # %# . $ " ' 2 ÂŞ ! $" ÂŞ# \ $ ! $ Â&#x161;Â&#x2014; " $ %! & 6 \ !' # ! ! Â&#x161;Â&#x2014; '# $ $ ! $ %#**

550

! $ !#$ # ( $ #**

Visit shaw.ca/holidaydeal or call 1-866-806-0031 for more details Â&#x201D; % ! ! ! % ! ÂŞ = $ ! $ Â&#x161;Â&#x2014;, ;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x161;Â&#x161; ! $ $ % ! " ! * 1 ! & ! ¨ & ! Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2014;, Â&#x2122;Â&#x2014;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x153; u 4 % !' Â?, Â&#x2122;Â&#x2014;Â&#x2DC;Â?* / $ # '* ÂŞ # $ # "* ! $ #* Â&#x201D;Â&#x201D; % ! ! $ # ' $ ! ! $ ! * 1 ! & $ " $ ! $ ! & # #% # ! !# $ # !& $ % $* /%#$ !# " $ Â&#x161; ! ! % ! ! $ ;Â&#x;*  Â&#x2013; $ %# $ ( $ ! $ $! ! *

LOCAL

C1

THURSDAY, DEC. 24, 2015

Christmas light tour STORY AND PHOTOS BY ASHLI BARRETT/ADVOCATE STAFF With Christmas just one sleep away, Red Deer is aglow with holiday spirit.

And lots and lots of Christmas lights.

In every corner and neighbourhood of the city, residents have added twinkling bulbs and sparkling laser shows to the front of their homes. Fairytale, telivision and movie characters adorn their front yards, while teddy bears hide in trees.

Some took their creativity to a new level, adding moving elements to their displays, including a Christmas-themed ferris wheels, and a conveyor belt of Christmas presents being stolen by the Grinch.

While these are far from all the displays in the city, they are a sample of the most spectacular and biggest ones in the city.

For a full list of houses to check out over the holidays, see A2 of Wednesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edition of the Red Deer Advocate.

ABOVE: A view of just part of the massive Christmas light display on Barrett Drive. The display, which features characters from Rudolph, penguins, the Grinch and more, is one of the best in the city.

BELOW: This display on Niven St. in Normandeau has a number of inflatables, including a singing Christmas tree.

ABOVE: The Grinch works at stealing presents at a Christmas light display on Barrett Drive.

BELOW: Santa makes his way up to the chimney at a Christmas light display

TOP: This display is one of two on Cornett Drive and features a dancing Santa and a Christmas-themed ferris wheel and merry-go-round. There is also a place to drop of donations for the Red Deer and District Food Bank.

RIGHT: A view of a Christmas light display on Ireland Crescent in Inglewood.

Fax 403-341-6560 E-mail editorial@reddeeradvocate.com

WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM

C2 RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015

CRUISER STUFFED

COURT

Thief admits it’s ‘about time I grew up’ RED DEER WOMAN PLEADS GUILTY TO POSSESSION OF STOLEN PROPERTY

BY MURRAY CRAWFORD ADVOCATE STAFF Photo by ASHLI BARRETT/Advocate Staff

Cst. Liam Shiels loads up an RCMP Tahoe with donations during the wrap up of the Stuff a Cruiser campaign for the Red Deer Food Bank Wednesday morning at the downtown RCMP detachment.

Approximately $100 worth of toys, as well as $180 in cash donations, $40 in gift card donations and a large number of food items were collected since the campaign began on Dec. 15.

Stabbing suspect on the run

BY ADVOCATE STAFF

ECKVILLE

Sylvan Lake RCMP are searching for an “armed and danagerous” suspect in a stabbing that left a man severely injured near Eckville on Monday night.

Police say they found the victim with multiple stab wounds on the side of a rural road around 7:45 p.m.

STARS Air Ambulance transported the “severely” injured man to an Edmonton hospital.

Police have determined that the victim was allegedly attacked

by Edward Dwayne Heywood, 45, of no fixed address. Police say do not approach Heywood but to call 911 because he is considered armed and dangerous. A warrant has been issued for his arrest with a charge of attempted murder.

Heywood is described as a Caucasian man with brown hair which may have been coloured to red recently. He is 1.89 metres (six-foot-two) weighing 100 kg (220 pounds) with brown eyes.

He has tattoos on his right fore-

arm of fire and dragon and fish, octopus and skulls and on his left forearm. His right upper arm has a tiger tattoo.

Heywood was last known to be driving a black 2013 Dodge Ram pickup truck with an Alberta licence plate BPB 0593.

Heywood has ties to Central Alberta and is known to frequent Red Deer, Penhold, Rocky Mountain House and Olds. He often stays in hotels and motels.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the Sylvan Lake RCMP detachment at 403-858-7200.

Take it Off program on again ICE HUT OWNERS MUST REGISTER HUTS

at www.sylvanlake.ca/take-it-off.

Once a hut is registered, owners are asked to keep a record of the number.

Owners of huts left on the lake after March 31 will be contacted to remind them it’s time to pack up. Registering huts also helps authorities contact owners if huts have been looted or damaged.

Take if Off is supported by municipalities around the lake, the province, RCMP and Sylvan Lake Fish and Game Association.

SYLVAN LAKE the lake until the ice was dangerously thin, none were abandoned this past spring.

To register, fishers must fill out a form identifying the contents of their huts, users and contact information. Forms are available at Sylvan Lake’s Municipal Building, Lacombe County’s offices and the Sylvan Lake RCMP detachment.

Fishers can also register online

BY ADVOCATE STAFF Ice fishing season is underway on Sylvan Lake and the public are asked to register their huts.

Several years ago, the “Take it Off” program was introduced and it has been a big success. Where two dozen huts were once left on

A Red Deer woman will be out of prison in time for Christmas, after pleading guilty to stolen property offences.

Crystal Rose Simpkins, 34, was arrested near the Big Gold Pawn Shop in Red Deer as one of three people attempting to sell stolen items.

On Wednesday, in Red Deer provincial court she pleaded guilty to one count of possession of stolen property over $5,000, possession of stolen property under $5,000 and failing to comply with a probation order.

On Dec. 8, a man who had his truck stolen, along with items from his garage, went to local pawn shops to see if the items stolen from him were showing up.

At Big Gold Pawn Shop he saw his stolen truck.

He parked across the street and kept the vehicle in his sights as he contacted police.

At 3:15 p.m., Red Deer RCMP arrived on scene and arrested three individuals. Simpkins admitted that she was the driver for a period of time and police found items in the box of the truck that were stolen from a garage earlier that day.

Containers of prescription pills were found on Simpkins, but the Crown withdrew the second failure to comply charge in relation to the pills. Simpkins admitted in court that the pill containers didn’t have her name on them.

The Crown left the sentence length in the hands of the court “in the spirit of Christmas.

Defence counsel Kevin Schollie said his client was almost done with probation when she had wound up back in the local drug scene. He said Simpkins has a history of mental health issues and self medicated with drugs over the years.

Simpkins told judge Jim Hunter that she had 42 days straight of sobriety before she slipped up this time.

Simpkins apologized to the court for being a nuisance.

“It’s about time I grew up,” she said.

Simpkins has been in custody since her arrest on Dec. 8. She was sentenced to time served and 18 months probation for the offences by Hunter. mcrawford@reddeeradvocate.com

One cleared in fire arm ring, four remain and drugs charges in connection with an Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team investigation.

Four other people still face drug and gun charges stemming from the Jan. 23 search of a downtown Red Deer home.

Police said they found 16 firearms, more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, 28 grams of crystal meth and a variety of stolen property.

Joseph Daniel Swain, 31; Stephanie Dawn Hughes, 32; Angie Faye Deneff, 34; and Amanda Dawn Fox, 32, are all scheduled for a preliminary hearing starting

Charges laid against one man in a stolen firearms ring were withdrawn, with four others scheduled for a preliminary hearing early in the New Year.

On Wednesday, in Red Deer provincial court the Crown Prosecutor withdrew charges that were previously laid against Joseph Russell Sinclair, 27, of Red Deer.

Sinclair appeared via closed-circuit television from the Red Deer Remand Centre.

He had faced numerous guns

DRIVE AWAY

TODAY!

on Jan. 4 in Red Deer provincial court.

The hearings are held to test the strength of the Crown’s case before heading to trial.

Hughes, Deneff and Fox were arrested at the residence, which is in close proximity to two schools. Swain was arrested at a vehicle stop in north Red Deer.

Police said they found a handgun stashed in the driver’s side door panel, and a second firearm wedged between the driver’s seat and the centre console. Fifty rounds of ammunition were located in the centre console.

7359305L24

BY ADVOCATE STAFF

Got Bad Credit?

WE CAN HELP!

THree Courses Holiday Cheer

✔BANKRUPTCY? 2015 JEEP COMPASS 4X4: LEATHER, SUNROOF ST#JC1513 ✔BAD

of

CREDIT?

✔LOW

FINANCE OPTIONS

✔NEW TO

THE COUNTRY?

WE PUT YOU FIRST! UP TO

10000

$

2804 GAETZ AVE., RED DEER | 403.346.5577 www.southsidedodgechrysler.com |www.southsidereddeer.com

*

2015 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN

LOADED.

SXT MODEL, DVD, LOADED

ST#WR15147 SALE PRICE

34,697

$

ST#CA1591

OR

$265/BW*

SALE PRICE

29,715

$

OR

$226/BW*

2015 RAM 1500 CREWCAB 4X4

2015 DODGE DART SE SEDAN

5.7 HEMI, LOADED.

SPORT SEATS, 6SPD MANUAL

ST#W15614 SALE PRICE

33,900

$

ST#DD1524 OR

$239/BW*

2015 JEEP GRAND CHEROKE 4X4 LOTS OF OPTIONS

ST#GC1557

SALE PRICE

RED DEER’S

42,485

$

$317/BW*

18,195

$

OR

$132/BW*

Buy a $25 gift card and get a $5 bonus certificate

2015 DODGE JURNEY SXT DVD, SUNROOF.

ST#JY1599

OR

NO PROBLEM NO HASSLE CERTIFIED DEALER

SALE PRICE

Traditional house-made turkey dinner with all the trimmings, includes a starter salad and a piece of pumpkin pie.

$229/BW

2015 JEEP WRANGLER 4X4 SAHARA,

CASH BACK

AVAILABLE

29,871

OR

SALE PRICE

29,9955

$

OR

$215/BW*

EMAIL US AT

spfinance@southsidereddeer.com

OR TEXT US AT

403-877-4624

*EXAMPLE: ST# DD1524: SALE PRICE $18,195 PLUS $399.50 ADMIN FEE, $100 AIR TAX, $20 TIRE TAX, $6.25 AMVIC FEE PLUS GST. TOTAL PRICE $19,706.00. FINANCE CHARGES $3766 BASED ON 4.99 & 84 MONTHS. TOTAL OBLIGATION $23,472 OAC

7358549L16-24

✔EASY

SALE PRICE

$

7351505

FINANCE RATES

RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 C3

Police search for shooting suspects

BY ADVOCATE STAFF

RCMP

Police are looking for three suspects that may be connected to a shooting incident at the Motel 6 (5001 19 St.) on Dec. 17.

RCMP started the investigation into the incident the next day after a hotel guest heard a loud noise around 8 p.m.

on Dec. 17.

Several hours later, a guest discovered a hole in the wall of his room and shotgun pellets on a bed.

The witness and the occupants of the room where the shotgun had been

LIKE us facebook.com/thecityofreddeer

discharged had already left when police arrived.

RCMP have identified the woman who booked the room.

They are not releasing her name at this time but are looking for her in order to interview her about the events of that night.

Police are asking for public assistance to identify another woman and

FOLLOW us @CityofRedDeer

two men who were also in the motel room.

The investigation is ongoing.

RCMP ask anyone with information regarding this incident to contact the Red Deer RCMP at 403-343-5575. If you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or report it online at www.tipsubmit.com.

www.reddeer.ca

Municipal Planning Commission Decisions On December 16, 2015, the Municipal Planning Commission issued the following decisions for development permit applications.

Discretionary Use Approval: Mountview Christopher Bargen - development of a Discretionary Use Secondary Suite with two bedrooms within an existing Detached Dwelling, to be located at 3337 43 Avenue.

www.reddeerevents.ca

You may appeal discretionary approvals and denials to the Red Deer Subdivision & Development Appeal Board, Legislative Services, City Hall, prior to 4:30 p.m. on January 8, 2016. You may not appeal a permitted use unless it involves a relaxation, variation or misinterpretation of the Land Use Bylaw.

Appeal forms (outlining appeal fees) are available at Legislative Services. For further information, please phone 403-342-8

Development Officer Approvals On December 22, 2015, the Development Officer issued approvals for the following applications:

Permitted Use Deer Park Village 1. A. Bardouniotis – a 0.24 m variance to the minimum side yard, to an existing detached garage, located at 195 Davison Drive.

Gaetz Commercial South 2. Quest Signs – a 2.93 m2 variance to the maximum area, for a proposed fascia sign, to be located 195, 2004 50 Avenue.

Laredo 3. Bella Rosa Developments – a 1.43 m variance to the minimum rear yard, a 0.28 m variance to the minimum rear yard to a deck, and a 4.42 m2 variance to the maximum site coverage, for a proposed detached dwelling and uncovered deck, to be located at 18 Lindman Avenue.

Discretionary Use Johnstone Park 4. Amor Health and Wellness Clinic. – an approval of use for a home-based health and wellness business, to be located at 14 Jarvis Close.

You may appeal Discretionary approvals to the Red Deer Subdivision & Development Appeal Board, Legislative Services, City Hall, prior to 4:30 p.m. on January 8, 2016. You may not appeal a Permitted Use unless it involves a relaxation, variation or misinterpretation of the Land Use Bylaw.

Appeal forms (outlining appeal fees) are available at Legislative Services. For further information, please phone 403-342-8190.

City of Red Deer New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day Holiday Hours of Operation City of Red Deer administration offices will be closed on: Friday, January 1, 2016 RED DEER TRANSIT Thursday, December 31, 2015 Regular weekday transit service hours. Last departure from the terminal is 11:15 PM. Friday, January 1, 2016 NO TRANSIT SERVICE. Transit Customer Service and Phone lines are closed.

Action Bus Phone lines will be closed and NO Action Bus service will be provided.

City of Red Deer Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Holiday Hours of Operation City of Red Deer administration offices will be closed on: Friday, December 25, 2015 And Monday, December 28, 2015 RED DEER TRANSIT Thursday, December 24, 2015 Transit Customer Service, Transit Administration and phone lines are open 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

RECREATION FACILITIES

All regular routes (1 – 11) with a 5:45 PM departure leaving City Centre will complete the full route back into City Centre, then go out of service. There are no transfer connections at 6:45 PM. Route 12A will make the last trip from Bower Mall at 5:00 PM and return to Bower Mall for any transfers to Route 1 at 5:55 PM.

Collicutt Centre Thursday, December 31, 2015 – OPEN 5:30 am to 3:00 pm Friday, January 1, 2016 – OPEN 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

All regular routes (1 – 11) with a 6:15 PM departure leaving City Centre will complete the full route back into City Centre, then go out of service. There are no transfer connections at 7:15 PM.

GH Dawe Community Centre Thursday, December 31, 2015 – OPEN 6:30 am to 3:00 pm Friday, January 1, 2016 – OPEN 11:00 to 5:00 pm

Action Bus Phone lines regular hours 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Action Bus Service regular hours.

Saturday, January 2, 2016 Regular Saturday transit service hours. Last departure from the terminal is 11:15 PM.

Michener Aquatic Centre Thursday, December 31, 2015 CLOSED Friday, January 1, 2016 - CLOSED Recreation Centre Thursday, December 31, 2015 OPEN 5:30 am to 1:00 pm Friday, January 1, 2016 - CLOSED Riverbend Golf and Recreation Area Thursday, December 31, 2015 – OPENED 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Friday, January 1, 2016 – CLOSED

CITY OF RED DEER CAPITAL PROJECTS Borrowing Bylaws Red Deer City Council proposes to pass the following bylaws to provide for debenture borrowing in the amount of $45,470,000 to finance development and construction of capital projects listed below. The public may inspect the proposed bylaws at Legislative Services, 2nd Floor of City Hall during regular office hours.

Friday, December 25, 2015 NO TRANSIT SERVICE. Transit Customer Service and Phone lines are closed.

Action Bus Phone lines will be closed and limited pre-booked service will be provided.

No County Action Bus Service.

Saturday, December 26, 2015 Transit service will operate on Sunday / Holiday hours.

First departure from the terminal is at 8:45 AM and last departure at 6:45 PM. No service on Routes 6, 12 / 12A or BOLT Routes 100 / 101.

No County Action Bus Service.

Transit Customer Service and Phone lines are closed.

Action Bus Phone lines will be closed and limited pre-booked service will be provided.

Monday, December 28, 2015 Regular weekday transit service hours Last departure from the terminal is 11:15 PM. Transit Administration and Customer Service Closed.

Action Bus Phone lines and service operate regular weekday hours.

RECREATION FACILITIES

Capital Project

Borrowing Amount

Bylaw 3557/2015 67 Street Corridor Improvement Project

• Improvement of 67 Street Corridor

$7,655,000

Bylaw 3559/2015 2016 Recreation Projects

• Centennial Plaza Park Site Redevelopment

$3,943,000

• Memorial Centre Preservation

Bylaw 3560/2015 • Expansion of parking River Bend Recreation Area • Revitalization of Discovery Canyon Enhancement Project • Enhancements of beach and picnic areas

$3,510,000

Bylaw 3561/2015 Central Park Servicing (Water) Project

• Central Park Servicing (Water) Project

$1,222,000

Bylaw 3562/2015 Snow Storage Site Project

• Acquisition and construction of a third snow storage $5,318,000 site

Bylaw 3563/2015 Storm Offsite Projects

• • • • •

Bylaw 3564/2015 Road Offsite Projects

• West QEII Business Park – Phase 2 • 67 Street from Quarter Line to 20 Ave – 2 Lanes • Ross St (Rideout Ave to 20 Ave) – 4 Lanes

$8,899,000

Bylaw 3565/2015 Water Offsite Projects

• Delburne Road – Bower to 40 Ave Trunk • Central Park Water Trunk

$4,377,000

Queens Business Park (SE36) – Pond I4 $10,646,000 EHN – (SE 27) Pond H3 EHN – N of 67 St (SW27) – Pond H7 + Trunk (76-84) EHN – (NE 26) Pond H4 EHN – (SW 26) 71 St – Pond H1

The electors may submit a separate petition with respect to each advertised bylaw amendment calling for a vote of the electors to determine whether the proposed bylaw amendment should be passed.The petition must meet the formal requirements of Sections 221-226 of the Municipal Government Act and be filed with the Manager, Legislative Services within 15 days after the last date the proposed bylaw amendments are advertised. The last date of advertisement for these bylaws and amendments is December 31, 2015. Any petition will be public information. If you have any questions regarding the petition process or the use of the petition please contact the Manager, Legislative Services at 403-342-8132.

Collicutt Centre Thursday, December 24, 2015 – OPEN 5:30 am to 3:00 pm Friday, December 25, 2015 – CLOSED Saturday, December 26, 2015 – OPEN 11:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday, December 28, 2015 – OPEN 5:30 am to 3:00 pm GH Dawe Community Centre Thursday, December 24, 2015 – OPEN 6:30 am to 3:00 pm Friday, December 25, 2015 – CLOSED Saturday, December 26, 2015 – OPEN 11:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday, December 28, 2015 – OPEN 6:30 am – 10:00 pm Michener Aquatic Centre Thursday, December 24, 2015 CLOSED Friday, December 25, 2015 – CLOSED Saturday, December 26, 2015 - CLOSED Monday, December 28, 2015 – OPEN 6:00 am to 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm Recreation Centre Thursday, December 24, 2015 – CLOSED Friday, December 25, 2015 – CLOSED Saturday, December 26, 2015 – CLOSED Monday, December 28, 2015 – OPEN 5:30 am to 10:00 pm Riverbend Golf and Recreation Area Thursday, December 24, 2015 - OPEN 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Friday, December 25, 2015 – CLOSED Saturday, December 26, 2015 – OPEN 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday, December 28, 2015 – OPEN 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

7367050L24

BYLAW Number/Name

OUTDOORS

RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 C5

C4 Giving thanks at Christmas time

Well into the 49th year of these weekly outdoors columns and for the last column day of 2015, it seems appropriate to remember the people who help, make it possible now that I am no longer able to get out there and participate and recreate.

First there is the most amazing, helpful and participating readership any column has enjoyed. “You are more than just readers,” I said to one of them, my friend Gino Prospero, who made a great suggestion. So, to all my Field Associates, including Gino.

That’s a big family; there are others: to Wayne Lowery, BOB president, and every one of SCAMMELL the 27,000 members of the Alberta Fish and Game AssociaOUTDOORS tion; to all the members of the Alberta Wilderness Association, and especially founding members Dr. Richard and Vivian Pharis, now tending their grapes in New Zealand.

To my personal small family for all their help and support, and especially to my beloved Herself, for everything and even more as time goes on.

Doctors? To Drs. Bailey, Bozdech, and Williams who keep this hulk afloat and seeing the screen. To Dr. John Dugan who kept all my dogs up to snuff and sniffing. To other kinds of doctors who help with the facts: Dr. Valerius Geist on the Island for help with animal behavior, and to Dr. Margo Pybus, our expert on animal diseases, particularly Chronic Wasting disease, (not a Dr., but to Darrel Rowledge, formidably informed CWD activist and game ranching opponent, to “fishdoc,” Dr. Darryl Smith, the AFGA’s awesome fish committee chairman, and Dr. David Swan, Alberta’s lonely Liberal leader, our only politician who understands our public lands messes.

To our auditor - general, Merwan Saher, who got the sordid facts right, but set the amount low on Cowboy Welfare, and for his belief that personal financial benefit should not derive from public assets, and to the dozens of Field Associates who give me the facts on Cowboy Welfare on condition of anonymity because they “have to live out there.”

To the southern bureau of Field Associates in Pincher Creek, sister in law Caroline Johnson, Wayne Norstrom and Don Hayden, who, at 80, or almost, still hunts geese and meese at High Level.

Then there’s the crew in the West Country, including Stump Ranch neighbours: Gordon and Laurel Koples, Ken and Grace Qually, and Brian Burrington.

Especially to Dwight Rodka who works hard at keeping public land open to us all and against private bounty systems and provincial poisoning and aerial strafing for wolves.

From Red Deer and vicinity, to long – time outdoors buddies Mac Johnston and John Horn.

In Rocky Mountain House, to perennial curmudgeon in training, Don Anderson for his keen interest

THURSDAY, DEC. 24, 2015

Fairy gardens are a respite from winter Merry Christmas The fairy gardens that have sprung up in yards in the summer can easily be carried over to winter inside the house.

One just needs a large shallow container, potting soil, slow growing tropical plants and some ornamentation.

While adult gardeners have embraced this LINDA activity it is TOMLINSON one that can GARDENING easily be enjoyed with children over the age of three. Most children enjoy playing in soil, planting especially with the championship of adults.

It up to the adult if they want to make sure all the materials are at hand or to go shopping with the children for items needed.

Choose a shallow container with drainage holes. If the drainage holes are large enough for soil to escape, cover them with a fine mesh screen.

The soil should contain peat moss,

vermiculite or perlite and some soil or compost. The ideal soil will soak up some moisture while draining the excess away. If the soil holds too much moisture the roots of plants tend to rot.

All plants in the container are going to have the same growing environment so choose plants accordingly. Do not mix plants that need full sun with ones that prefer filtered light. Likewise check to see if the plants like to be wet, moist or have dry periods. Optimum conditions for all plants will result in a great dish garden.

Many garden centers will have plants labelled for Fairy gardens. Varieties will vary between establishments but don’t limit the garden to only these plants as others will also work well.

Look for plants that are either small, slow growing or easily contained by pinching back new growth.

Varieties of the Genus Pilea and Peperpmia are used for smaller indoor gardens. Poka Dot Plant and Babies Tears are two more easy to find and easy to grow tropicals. The latter two will need to be pinched or cut back regularly.

Small succulents and cacti also work well as they come in many shapes, colors, textures and grow slowly. It is best not to mix succulents and

or cacti with tropical plants due to the different climatic needs.

Note that most cacti and succulents thrive on neglect and die if they receive too much moisture, especially during the winter months.

As with any garden, choose plants of a variety of shape, size and color as it will add interest to the garden.

Knowing how many plants to place in a container can always be an issue.

Too many plants will result in it looking overgrown after a few months. Too few will leave it bare. An eight inch round container will hold two to three plants depending on how much ornamentation is being added.

Start building the fairy garden by filling the container with moist soil. It is much easier to start with moist soil as opposed to trying to wet it once it is in the container.

Place the plants on top of the soil along with ornamentation to get an idea of how many will fit and the design. If desired, mold the soil to form small hills and valleys Once satisfied, dig the holes for the plants. Take the plants, one at a time out of the pot and examine the roots.

If the root ball is completely white, cut an X across the bottom of the roots to encourage it to spread outwards into surrounding soil. Roots balls with less

root showing can be placed immediately into the hole and covered with soil. Press the soil down around the plant to eliminate extra air pockets that can dry out the roots.

Once planted, add ornamentation.

Size of the container, imagination and pocket book are limiting factors.

Twigs, rocks and sand, plain or colored can be used to define paths and streams.

Gift shops, dollar stores, garden centers, florists and craft stores have a multitude of miniature items that will fit into the Fairy Garden.

It’s best to pick one theme and choose items with that in mind. The ornaments can change as often as desired.

Indoor Fairy gardens are cared for the same as all houseplants. Check the moisture level in a couple of spots before watering. Fertilize regularly when the plants are actively growing, less during the winter season. If one plant becomes unsightly, remove it and replace it with another.

Fairy or dish gardens are a nice respite from winter.

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

She can be reached at your_garden@hotmail.com

Planting for posterity: taking the first step IF YOU WANT A FUTURE GIANT, START WITH A SMALL NURSERY TREE

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Photo by BOB SCAMMELL/freelance

…And a pa’tridge in a poplar tree and activism in our fish and fisheries, even though time and tide shorten his personal fishing.

To all the retired survivors of our destroyed fish and wildlife division who are effective advocates for our fish and wildlife resources: Carl Hunt, Jim Stelfox, Lorne Fitch, et al. To Ric Martin who is flunking retirement as the Partners in Habitat Development Progra and steward of the Eastern Irrigation District’s 550,000 acres of grazing lands.

To Jim Wiseman, well outfitted hand loader and his niece, Julie, and to the hand loading famiy and the growing number of fine female hunters.

To the families who lost fishing’s fiends and friends, Mike Lamb and Barry Mitchell in 2015.

To Red Deer lawyer Gary Wanless who arrived in the nick of time to buy a book and uphold its authour. To all Red Deer’s lawyers, partners, associates, students, family for me for 37 years.

To Garry Pierce and Connie, Dwayne Schafers, honorary Mongolian, and Marcie and other fishing guides who help so much.

To Hizzoner Morris and Lady Hazel who generously share the bounty of their foraging, as do the Short bros., Robert and Ken and many more of the

Field Associates. And to Rene Michalak, Red Deer’s garlic guru.

To the Honorable Judge Don Norheim who emails a shot of the boys of spring, bad news bearisters, who were my Peace River bear hunting family for years and who are now mostly judges.

To Duane and Adrienne Radford, Don Meredith, and T.J. Schwanky and all members of the Outdoor Writers of Canada, another of my families, since 1968. To all at The Red Deer Advocate who have helped so much from the first, May 6, 1966, to now, including retired editor of the column, and friend, Rick Zemanek, and Annette who has been handling my “stuff” there from back when I could still get up the stairs to deliver it to her at the front desk; To Jamie and Jon Nesbitt and all at The Brooks Bulletin, to Rob Miskosky and all connected with Canada’s top outdoors magazine, Alberta Outdoorsman’ To one to all, and to anyone forgotten: MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR (even compliments of the season, if you insist) Bob Scammell is an award-winning columnist who lives in Red Deer. He can be reached at bscam@telusplanet.net.

MEMBERS GET IT. DEALS AT

+ MORE

Nothing like some strong winter winds to remind one of mortality — tree mortality.

No tree lives forever.

Nothing does.

But we humans sometimes don’t appreciate trees’ mortality, especially trees that are already large when we first meet them.

They seem like they were here forever and will be here long after we’re gone.

So when one of these oldsters topples, its wood hauled away and its stump chipped to oblivion, too often no thought is given to getting another venerable giant started. Or perhaps the void is filled with a small, fashionable crabapple or weeping cherry.

Instead, consider replacing a fallen giant with another giant-to-be. You may not be around to experience the tree you plant in all its glory, but someone will.

SMALL IS GOOD For best results, plant a small nursery tree. More money and effort could be spent putting a larger tree into the ground, but larger trees take longer to establish themselves than do smaller trees.

The root spread of a tree is more than two times the spread of its branches, so you can imagine the

root loss a large tree experiences when it is dug with even a relatively large root ball.

Contrast the root loss of a 20-foot-high nursery tree with that of a 5-foot-high nursery tree the smaller tree can replace its lost roots within a season.

Transplanting checks the growth of trees until roots re-establish themselves, which explains why small nursery trees usually overtake their gargantuan counterparts after a few years.

gious watering for years, and probably will have to be staked for a couple of years.

ENCOURAGE A SEEDLING Another source for a majestic tree for posterity are those seedlings (“volunteer” plants) that pop up here and there. Consider letting one of them just grow in place.

The tree chose its own home, so it probably likes it there.

Without transplant shock, a seedling tree will grow more quickly than would a transplanted one.

Do make sure, however, that you want a tree in that spot, and that you want that particular tree. A large tree needs a lot of space to spread its branches, so try to imagine that spread when considering proximity to your home.

Some trees — Norway maple and tree-of-heaven, for example — are essentially weeds, and you don’t want to let them get a foothold.

Even under the best conditions, decades will pass before a transplanted or volunteer tree becomes a venerable giant.

No matter, though. The Chinese have a saying that “the longest journey begins with the first step,” and watching growth of a tree brings its own pleasures.

MORE CHOICES, LESS CARE Another advantage of smaller trees is that they are usually available in greater variety. And they’re easy to ship. You’d have to look hard to find a hackberry, black tupelo or Kentucky coffeetree offered for sale within driving distance, let alone exotics such as Korean evodia, Japanese pagodatree, Asplenifolia European beech (whose leaves are fernlike) or European hornbeam. But somewhere, some mail-order nursery has one of these trees for sale, and if the tree is small it can be shipped almost anywhere.

Smaller trees also take up less of your time.

They go into the ground quickly because only a small hole is needed, and then maintenance is minimal.

Dramatic root loss at digging means that a large transplanted tree is going to need careful and prodi-

0

$ $

with a 2-year agreement + GET A BONUS GIFT*

50/mo. GOLD PLAN GETS YOU:

• UNLIMITED Weekends & Evenings from 5pm • UNLIMITED Worldwide Text Messaging from Canada • UNLIMITED Picture Messaging to Canada & US • 300 Canada-Wide Minutes • 300 MB of Data • Voicemail & Call Display

virginmobile.ca

*$4.99

SIM CARD NOT INCLUDED.

Order online at virginmobile.ca, call 1.855.BE.VM.VIP or stop by to say hi.

Limited time offer. Services available with compatible devices. *Available with new activation on a 2-year agreement. $4.99 SIM Card not included. Bonus gift will be awarded as either an in-store credit or a Visa Gift Card, see store for details. Monthly 911 fees apply in: AB (44¢), NB (53¢), NL (75¢), NS (43¢), PEI (70¢), SK (62¢) and QC (40¢). Taxes extra. Other conditions apply. Conditions and restrictions apply for Member Benefits; see virginmobile.ca/benefits for details. Offer and Member Benefits subject to change/cancellation at any time without notice. If you cancel your Commitment Period early, an Early Exit Charge will apply. See your Agreement for details.

Unlimited Text and Picture Messaging is only valid when message is sent from Canada. Text messages sent within the U.S. or internationally, premium text messages, text alerts, messages sent with an instant messaging application and dial-up messages are not included in any plan and cost extra. Canada-Wide Calling applies to calls made from Canada to a Canadian number or calls received from any number while you are inside Canada. Additional minutes are 50¢/min. Long distance charges on calls to the U.S. are 50¢/min in addition to your local per minute rate. Additional data is $5/100 MB. Screen image simulated. Phones and some colours may not be available at all retailers. Other restrictions apply; see virginmobile.ca for details. © 2015 Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc. All rights reserved. Samsung and Samsung Galaxy A5 are trademarks of Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc., and/or its related entities, used with permission. The VIRGIN trademark and family of associated marks are owned

by Virgin Enterprises Limited and used under license. All other trademarks are trademarks of Virgin Mobile Canada or trademarks and property of the respective owners. © 2015 Virgin Mobile.

BUSINESS

C6

THURSDAY, DEC. 24, 2015

Repo firms working flat out LOW PRICE OF OIL MEANS MORE BAD DEBTS

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS CALGARY — While the crash in oil prices idles drilling rigs and empties out downtown Calgary offices, Steven Low’s company can barely keep up with the deluge of work.

Low is CEO of Consolidated Recovery Group, an agency in Western Canada that works with lenders and the courts to recover bad debts — by repossessing a car or carrying out an eviction, for example.

It’s been a busy year for the company and the work has only picked up as the crude doldrums linger, squeezing the finances of the many Albertans who rely on oil and gas to make a living — either directly, or through its economic spinoffs.

Low says bailiffs at his firm are working around the clock and he’s even had to hire more staff to get all the work done.

According to the Alberta Sheriff’s Office, civil enforcement industry activity grew by more than a quarter between April and October of this year.

Low says even though his industry is booming right now, he and his staff don’t relish profiting off of people’s misfortunes.

“We don’t gloat or feel terribly excited about the economic conditions right now. We approach every single repo and seizure as an opportunity to help respect the dignity of the debtor,” he said.

FILE photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS

The downtown core is seen from the air in Calgary. While the crash in oil prices idles drilling rigs and empties out downtown Calgary offices, Steven Low’s company can barely keep up with the deluge of work. Low is CEO of Consolidated Recovery Group, an agency in Western Canada that works with lenders and the courts to recover bad debts -- by repossessing a car or carrying out an eviction, for example.

“We’ll even go out of our way to seize a vehicle around the corner or allow the person to bring it out of their place of work so that co-workers don’t see their vehicle being towed away.

Anything we can do to help a debtor,

who’s co-operative of course, to save face is something that we seek to do.”

John Shortridge, who runs Allied Shortridge Civil Enforcement, figures he’s twice as busy now as in the spring.

Shortridge is a veteran of the busi-

ness — first with the Alberta Sheriff’s Office and then on his own after civil enforcement functions were privatized in the province in 1996.

He already has the sense this oil price bust is going to be worse than the one brought on by the Great Recession in 2008 and 2009, which was followed by a relatively speedy recovery.

“This reminds me more of ‘82 and ‘83. It was bad and it was long… My view is this is going to be a long haul,” Shortridge said.

“In some ways, every recession is the same in that the first thing that goes are the toys — so the motorcycles, the fifth-wheel trailer, the campers, the cottage,” he said.

“All the extras go first. And then people work their way down to more basic things — the house and the car being the last two payments that they would default on.”

Shortridge said he doesn’t think the full impact has hit yet, as many laid off employees are still able to make ends meet thanks to severance packages.

Once those run out, he expects to be even busier.

Shortridge said he looks to hire bailiffs who have a mixture of “thick skin and compassion” to conduct tasks that are often emotionally fraught.

“When the bailiff goes to the door, you can’t yell at the economy, but here’s somebody you can yell at,” he said.

Trudeau faces looming ‘stranded assets’ debate tive subject for Canadians who spent the past decade being told the country was on the path to becoming a global OTTAWA — When star NDP can- energy super power. didate Linda McQuaig mused during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in a the opening days of the federal elec- year-end interview with The Canadian tion campaign that some of Alberta’s Press, sounded the requisite progresoil wealth would have to “stay in the sive notes when asked about the imground” in order to meet Canada’s cli- pact of the Paris climate agreement on mate change targets, the remark was Canada’s resource sector. treated as a scandalous revelation by “We know, and with Paris it’s very her political opponents. clear, where the world is going,” said Yet McQuaig, known for her some- Trudeau, whose Liberals won power times polarizing and provocative in October promising to make Canada views, arguably was simply stating a responsible player on the interna2015’s middle-of-the-road orthodoxy. tional climate front after 10 years of From the governor of the Bank of Conservative ambivalence.

England, to the U.S. president and the “We’re going towards a zero carbon investment arms of the planet’s biggest economy. The question is, does Canabanks, 2015 was the year that “strand- da want to drag its feet on it or do we ed assets” stopped being some mythi- want to be part of it?” cal bedtime story told by tree huggers But Trudeau also maintains new oil to spook oil workers and landed in the pipelines to spur oil sands developmainstream. ment are compatible with this low-carMark Carney, the Canadian head bon future. He argues the transition of the Bank of England, attracted in- requires investment and innovation, ternational attention with a Sept. 29 which is dependent on a robust econspeech at venerable Lloyd’s of London omy. It sounds a bit like having your cautioning against the grave risks to cake and eating it too not so different the financial system posed by a chang- from the Conservative government’s ing climate. mantra of balancing the environment Carney cited estimates by the In- and the economy. Trudeau pushed tergovernmental Panel on Climate back hard at the analogy.

Change that only between a fifth and “You square that by making sure a third of proven oil reserves can be that Albertans, who have been innovaburned if humanity is to avoid cata- tive in the energy sector for decades, strophic climate impacts. are part of that disruption, are part of “If that estimate is even approxi- moving beyond the fossil fuel resourcmately correct it would render the vast es we have,” he said. “Leverage the majority of reserves ‘stranded’ — oil, fossil fuel resources we have now — gas and coal that will and are needed now be literally unburn— into solutions for to“ALL YOU HAVE TO DO morrow.” able without expensive carbon capture For Canadian polIS TALK TO CEOS OF technology, which iticy makers, that’s a MAJOR CORPORATIONS very tricky needle to self alters fossil fuel economics,” said the Former prime AND THEY’LL TELL YOU, thread. central bank governor. minister Stephen President Barack BILLIONS AND BILLIONS Harper agreed last Obama, making the to a G7 goal to OF DOLLARS HAVE LEFT April case for his rejecdecarbonize the econtion of the Keystone omy by the end of the ALBERTA AND WILL XL pipeline barely century, a timeline NEVER COME BACK.” a month later, made long enough to delay much the same point. hard choices in the — INTERIM CONSERVATIVE LEADER RONA AMBROSE short term. But under “Ultimately, if we’re going to prevent large the new Liberal govparts of this Earth ernment, Canada was from becoming not onamong those at COP21 ly inhospitable but uninhabitable in who helped push for a goal of limiting our lifetimes, we’re going to have to global warming to around 1.5 degrees keep some fossil fuels in the ground Celsius above pre-industrial levels, an rather than burn them and release ambitious target that demands swift more dangerous pollution into the policy action. sky,” he said.

Interim Conservative Leader Rona Investment houses are also issuing Ambrose says Canada needs policies cautions. Last April, HSBC Global Re- to deal with the fall-out of stranded search reported that: “Fossil fuel com- assets. panies, or some of their assets, may “All you have to do is talk to CEOs become non-viable or ‘unburnable,”’ of major corporations and they’ll tell under conditions of increased climate you, billions and billions of dollars regulation and depressed prices. have left Alberta and will never come And following this month’s UN back,” Ambrose said in an interview.

COP21 climate agreement in Paris, “So if the Liberal government is Citigroup Research Equities Australia talking about going even farther than was warning investors that, “whatever the targets that we had already prothe fine print, high emissions indus- posed to go to Paris with as a Consertries will face substantial change in vative government, they need to look coming decades.” very closely at what the implementaIt remains, however, a highly sensi- tion of that looks like.”

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS

Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Amazon Prime employees push carts with bags loaded with goods for delivery to customers at the company’s urban fulfillment facility, Tuesday.

Netflix and Amazon are 2015’s biggest gainers ENERGY COMPANIES CROWD LIST OF BIGGEST LOSERS

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK — In a flat year overall for stocks, there was still plenty of excitement to be enjoyed — or endured — by 2015’s biggest winners and losers.

It was a year to make old guard companies shudder.

New media companies like Netflix, which rose 140 per cent to notch the biggest gain in the S&P 500, overtook established media companies like CBS. Amazon eviscerated traditional retailers like Macy’s and Walmart. And energy and materials companies were flattened by weak demand at a time of abundant supplies. The biggest loser was Chesapeake Energy, down almost 80 per cent in 2015.

The Dow Jones industrial average, dominated by long-established companies in traditional industries, is down 2 per cent for the year through midday Wednesday. The Nasdaq composite, with its heavy concentration of technology companies, is up a respectable 6 per cent.

Here are the stories behind some of the stock markets biggest winners and losers for 2015.

ANOTHER STAR TURN FOR NETFLIX Netflix has enjoyed top billing before: it was the biggest gainer in the S&P 500 in 2010 and 2013, and it more than tripled in value both years.

But another big year in 2015 pushed the company’s value past established media rivals like CBS and made it about the same size as Time Warner.

The streaming entertainment service had 69 million subscribers at the end of the third quarter, and almost a quarter of those signed up in the last year. Netflix also continued to win fans for shows like Orange is the New Black and Narcos. The company says its

S&P / TSX 13,284.91 +202.05

▲

TSX:V 511.43 +9.39

service will be available in 200 countries by the end of the year.

AMAZONIAN PROPORTIONS E-commerce giant Amazon celebrated its 20th anniversary with results that sent investors into a buying frenzy. Amazon was the second biggest gainer in the S&P 500 for the year, up 112 per cent through Wednesday. The company is on track to report more than $100 billion in revenue in 2015 and it has started to turn higher profits more frequently despite a loss in the first quarter.

Its stock surge pushed the company’s market value past that of longtime competitor Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart stock fell 29 per cent in 2015, which made this Wal-Mart’s worst year since 1974, when it had fewer than 100 stores. WalMart was the Dow’s biggest loser.

“This year seemed to mark an inflection point for Amazon,” wrote Christine Short, an analyst at Estimize, who said Amazon was “almost solely responsible for the downfall of big box giant Wal-Mart.”

Macy’s and Staples also were among the 20 biggest losers as fewer shoppers trekked to stores and bought more goods online instead.

Amazon is now in a battle with the other high-flying stock of 2015: Amazon and Netflix are now rivals in creating original entertainment for subscribers. This year the two snagged almost 50 Primetime Emmy nominations between them. Netflix shows received far more nominations but Amazon’s shows won five Emmys to Netflix’s four.

WARCRAFT GETS A CANDY CRUSH The third biggest gainer in the S&P 500 was Activision Blizzard, the video game maker behind “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft.”

Please see WINNERS on Page C7

▲

NASDAQ 5,045.93 +44.82

▲

DOW JONES 17,602.61 +185.35

▲

NYMEX CRUDE $37.50US +1.36

▲

NYMEX NGAS $2.00US +0.11

▲

CANADIAN DOLLAR ¢72.17US +0.42

▲

RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 C7

MARKETS COMPANIES

D I L B E R T

OF LOCAL INTEREST Diversified and Industrials Agrium Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 128.96 ATCO Ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . 35.84 BCE Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54.19 BlackBerry . . . . . . . . . . . 12.64 Bombardier . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.32 Brookfield . . . . . . . . . . . . 44.18 Cdn. National Railway . . 78.69 Cdn. Pacific Railway. . . 177.96 Cdn. Utilities . . . . . . . . . . 32.24 Capital Power Corp . . . . 17.82 Cervus Equipment Corp 13.11 Dow Chemical . . . . . . . . 52.53 Enbridge Inc. . . . . . . . . . 46.41 Finning Intl. Inc. . . . . . . . 18.98 Fortis Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.86 General Motors Co. . . . . 34.78 Parkland Fuel Corp. . . . . 23.49 Sirius XM . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.29 SNC Lavalin Group. . . . . 42.39 Stantec Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 34.90 Telus Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . 38.95 Transalta Corp.. . . . . . . . . 4.86 Transcanada. . . . . . . . . . 46.92 Consumer Canadian Tire . . . . . . . . 118.93 Gamehost . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.80 Leon’s Furniture . . . . . . . 14.13 Loblaw Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . 65.69 DOLLAR MARKETS TORONTO — Energy and mining stocks helped the Toronto stock market soar more than 200 points on the final full trading day before Christmas, as copper and oil prices both rebounded.

Toronto’s S&P/TSX composite index climbed 202.05 points to close at 13,284.91 on Wednesday, with all sectors closing higher as Canada’s main equities market rallied for a third consecutive day heading into the holidays.

The metals and mining sector of the TSX was the biggest gainer, rising nearly nine per cent, while base metals rose 6.6 per cent.

New York markets also extended their rally for a third day, with the Dow Jones average of 30 stocks up 185.34 points at 17,602.61, while the S&P 500 added 25.32 points to 2,064.29 and the Nasdaq shot up 44.82 points to 5,045.93.

On commodity markets, the contract for February benchmark crude oil was up $1.36 at US$37.50 a barrel, while January natural gas added 10 cents to US$1.98 per mmBtu, sending the TSX energy sector up nearly six per cent.

February gold declined $5.80 to US$1,068.30 an ounce, but March copper added two cents to US$2.13 a pound.

Scott Vali, vice-president of equities at CIBC Asset Management, said the crude price rally followed a U.S. report showing oil inventories have slightly decreased.

However, Vali noted that the rally may be short-lived.

“I would caution that, at this time of year, a lot of the refiners will look to bring down the oil that’s in storage as they go into year-end reporting so they don’t show big working capital drags on their balance sheet,” he said.

“So you get a lot of one-off things happening around this

Maple Leaf Foods. . . . . . 23.45 Rona Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.33 Wal-Mart . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61.09 WestJet Airlines . . . . . . . 20.40 Mining Barrick Gold . . . . . . . . . . 10.64 Cameco Corp. . . . . . . . . 17.34 First Quantum Minerals . . 6.00 Goldcorp Inc. . . . . . . . . . 16.39 Hudbay Minerals. . . . . . . . 5.70 Kinross Gold Corp. . . . . . . 2.64 Labrador. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.52 Potash Corp.. . . . . . . . . . 25.42 Sherritt Intl. . . . . . . . . . . . 0.740 Teck Resources . . . . . . . . 5.53 Energy Arc Resources . . . . . . . . 17.41 Badger Daylighting Ltd. . 24.58 Baker Hughes. . . . . . . . . 47.63 Bonavista . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.99 Bonterra Energy . . . . . . . 18.08 Cdn. Nat. Res. . . . . . . . . 31.13 Cdn. Oil Sands Ltd. . . . . . 8.81 Canyon Services Group. . 4.00 Cenovous Energy Inc. . . 18.03 CWC Well Services . . . 0.1200 Encana Corp. . . . . . . . . . . 7.07 Essential Energy. . . . . . . 0.550 time. In a fairly illiquid market, that can lead to these rallies, which aren’t necessarily sustainable in the longer term.”

The commodity-sensitive Canadian dollar also traded higher, despite a report from Statistics Canada showing the economy stalled in October. The loonie rose 0.42 of a U.S. cent to 72.17 cents US. In its report, Statistics Canada said gross domestic product was unchanged month-overmonth in October as gains in the resource sector helped offset declines in factory production and consumer spending.

In other economic news, the U.S. Commerce Department said factory orders for long-lasting goods such as autos, airplanes and electronics were flat in November, as the impact of a strong dollar and struggling global economy weigh on U.S. manufacturers. Orders for capital goods not including aircraft, a key proxy for business investment, fell 0.4 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Commerce department reported an “inadvertent release” late Tuesday of some data pertaining to consumer spending in November.

The prematurely released data showed that consumer spending for November increased 0.3 per cent, in line with analysts’ forecasts.

The department released a more comprehensive November report on spending, along with data on income growth and inflation, at the regularly scheduled time Wednesday morning.

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

Stocks: S&P/TSX Composite Index — 13,284.91, up 202.05 points Dow — 17,602.61, up 185.34 points S&P 500 — 2,064.29, up

Exxon Mobil . . . . . . . . . . 80.19 Halliburton Co. . . . . . . . . 35.45 High Arctic . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.41 Husky Energy . . . . . . . . . 14.91 Imperial Oil . . . . . . . . . . . 45.47 Pengrowth Energy . . . . . . 1.10 Penn West Energy . . . . . 1.330 Precision Drilling Corp . . . 5.80 Suncor Energy . . . . . . . . 37.19 Trican Ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . 0.590 Trinidad Energy . . . . . . . . 2.20 Vermilion Energy . . . . . . 39.28 Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.0850 Financials Bank of Montreal . . . . . . 78.27 Bank of N.S. . . . . . . . . . . 57.48 CIBC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92.70 Cdn. Western . . . . . . . . . 23.70 Great West Life. . . . . . . . 34.81 IGM Financial . . . . . . . . . 36.01 Intact Financial Corp. . . . 88.00 Manulife Corp. . . . . . . . . 21.28 National Bank . . . . . . . . . 40.71 Rifco Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.32 Royal Bank . . . . . . . . . . . 75.00 Sun Life Fin. Inc.. . . . . . . 43.89 TD Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54.87 25.32 points Nasdaq — 5,045.93, up 44.82 points Currencies: Cdn — 72.17 cents US, up 0.42 of a cent Pound — C$2.0616, down 0.31 of a cent Euro — C$1.5137, down 1.25 cents Euro — US$1.0924, down 0.27 of a cent Oil futures: US$37.50 per barrel, up $1.36 (February contract) Gold futures: US$1,068.30 per oz., down $5.80 (February contract) Canadian Fine Silver Handy and Harman: Closed for holidays Dec. 17: $19.728 oz., down 60.1 cents $634.26 kg., down $19.32 ICE FUTURES CANADA WINNIPEG — ICE Futures Canada closing prices: Canola: Jan. ‘16 $3.90 higher $478.80 March ‘16 $3.60 higher $487.70 May ‘16 $2.60 higher $492.90 July ‘16 $1.30 higher $494.90 Nov. ‘16 $3.00 higher $489.80 Jan. ‘17 $3.50 higher $493.80 March ‘17 $3.50 higher $493.80 May ‘17 $3.50 higher $493.80 July ‘17 $3.50 higher $493.80 Nov. ‘17 $3.50 higher $493.80 Jan. ‘18 $3.50 higher $493.80.

Barley (Western): March ‘16 unchanged $184.00 May ‘16 unchanged $190.00 July ‘16 unchanged $192.00 Oct. ‘16 unchanged $192.00 Dec. ‘16 unchanged $192.00 March ‘17 unchanged $192.00 May ‘17 unchanged $192.00 July ‘17 unchanged $192.00 Oct. ‘17 unchanged $192.00 Dec. ‘17 unchanged $192.00 March ‘18 unchanged $192.00.

Wednesday’s estimated volume of trade: 434,000 tonnes of canola 0 tonnes of barley (Western Barley). Total: 434,000.

Railroad rejects Canadian Pacific’s latest offer as inadequate, risky Canadian Pacific has already reached out to shareholders of Norfolk Southern.

Canadian Pacific’s CEO HuntBY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS er Harrison has said this deal would create a more efficient railroad that OMAHA, Neb. — Norfolk Southern would link major ports, and should still isn’t interested in Canadian Pa- produce roughly $1.8 billion in cost cific’s sweetened offer of roughly $31 savings annually. Most of those savings, however, would be realized at billion to buy the railroad.

Norfolk Southern’s board unan- Norfolk Southern.

While Canadian Pacific insists imously rejected the latest offer Wednesday, calling the bid “grossly in- the deal would be approved, Norfolk adequate” and unlikely to pass muster Southern points out that no major railroad mergers have been completwith regulators.

Norfolk Southern said if Canadian ed since federal regulators imposed Pacific is serious about the offer, it tougher restrictions in 2001.

Mergers and acquisitions are being should ask regulators for preliminary approval of the deal’s proposed struc- attempted this year at an unprecedented pace. The toture. Canadian tal combined valPacific reject“YOU CONTINUE TO PUBLICLY ue of all pending ed that request mergers in 2015 last week, sayDECLARE THAT WE ARE NOT is $1.86 trillion, ing that it was ‘ENGAGING’ OR ‘MEETING’ WITH more than douunnecessary. ble the amount “You continYOU. THERE IS NO BASIS TO last year, accordue to publicly ing to Dealogic.

MEET UNTIL YOU BOTH MAKE A declare that we Canadian are not ‘engag- COMPELLING OFFER AND ADDRESS Pacific has esing’ or ‘meeting’ timated that its THE REGULATORY ISSUES.” with you. There cash and stock is no basis to offer could be — NORFOLK SOUTHERN STATEMENT meet until you worth as much as both make a roughly $40 bilcompelling oflion to $45 billion.

But much of that is fer and address the regulatory issues,” Norfolk Southern’s board said in a based on the projected value of stock in a new company that would own both written response.

Canadian Pacific said in a state- railroads.

The latest offer also includes a payment that it was disappointed with the ment that would vary based on the rejection and that Norfolk Southern won’t negotiate, so it will evaluate its stock price of the new company and could add as much as $3.4 billion if strategic alternatives.

Canadian Pacific said Norfolk shares of the combined company were Southern’s board isn’t acting in the worth $150 in October 2017. But if the best interests of that railroad’s share- shares are worth more than $175, the payment would be reduced to zero. holders.

Norfolk Southern has estimatIndustry analysts expect Canadian Pacific’s takeover offer to morph into ed that the cash and stock Canadian a proxy fight ahead of Norfolk South- Pacific is offering was worth roughly ern’s annual meeting, which is usually $27.4 billion based on current share prices. held in May.

NORFOLK SOUTHERN

October’s no-growth GDP may spur BoC rate cut

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS Canada’s economy didn’t grow in October, and that has analysts wondering if the central bank could be eyeing another cut to its key lending rate.

Statistics Canada data released Wednesday showed Canada’s economy was stable overall in October as gains in the resource sector helped offset declines in factory production and consumer spending.

CIBC Capital Markets economist Nick Exarhos said Brian DePratto the weak results undercut expectations that the Canadian economy had rebounded in October after shrinking in September.

Without the increase in the mining sector, the country would have seen another economic contraction after September’s 0.5 per cent annualized decline, Exarhos said in a brief commentary.

He said the new GDP figures put the country on track for zero growth in the fourth quarter and could signal another interest rate cut from the Bank of Canada if things don’t improve.

In its most recent monetary policy report, in October, the central bank had predicted growth of 1.5 per cent in the last three months of the year.

Statistics Canada said Canada’s gross domestic product — a broad measure of the economy — was flat overall in October.

Commodity-based industries including mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction posted slight gains after major declines in September, and the public sector grew slightly.

That was offset by declines in manufacturing, retail trade and utilities.

STORY FROM PAGE C6

WINNERS: Mix of companies It rose 92 per cent as it moved to expand into the sweeter side of games. In November the company agreed to buy King Entertainment, the maker of the smartphone game “Candy Crush Saga,” to strengthen its mobile games business. It is also working on a “World of Warcraft” movie and a TV show adapted from its kid-focused “Skylanders” game.

The rest of the top ten winners in the index were a mix of companies representing several industries, including the video graphics chip maker NVIDIA, the payments processor Total System Services, the website domain name company VeriSign, and Spam maker Hormel Foods. FirstSolar also made the top 10, getting a major boost when Congress extended tax breaks for solar installations in December.

THE BIGGEST LOSERS Six of the 10 biggest losers in the S&P 500 were energy companies, led

by Chesapeake Energy, Southwestern Energy and Consol Energy. All three are dependent on the price of natural

Spending on natural gas and electricity also fell as much of the country experienced mild weather in the weeks before Halloween.

TD economist Brian DePratto wrote in a research note that the Canadian economy should rebound towards modest growth in 2016, but that projection rests on rising demand for Canadian exports — and that growth in demand is currently nowhere to be found.

“As a result, the risks are skewed to the downside and we cannot rule out further easing should we see continued material disappointment in Canadian economic growth,” he said.

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction rebounded in October, rising 0.7 per cent after falling 4.7 per cent in September. The use of non-conventional sources of oil, such as the Alberta oilsands, rose 4.5 per cent after a 10.6 per cent decrease in the previous month.

The finance and insurance sector declined for a third consecutive month, falling 0.1 per cent despite a gains in financial investment services.

Statistics Canada also released data showing retail sales posted a small increase of 0.1 per cent in October, although sales actually fell by 0.3 per cent in terms of volume.

Ontario and Quebec posted higher sales in the month, while retail receipts in British Columbia, Alberta and Nova Scotia declined. Alberta, which has been hit hard by the plummeting price of oil, saw its retail sales fall for the third month in a row.

BMO chief economist Douglas Porter said retail sales were a wet blanket, and provided the latest evidence that 2015 was a bad year for the Canadian economy.

In a research note, Porter described Canada’s 12 months of economic challenges to the tune of “The 12 Days of Christmas,” including the five straight months of negative GDP, three fiscal updates, two surprise rate cuts and a loonie in a swan dive. gas and all fell between 75 per cent and 80 per cent this year. Nine energy companies in the index lost at least half their value. A big reason: Mother Nature. An extraordinarily warm fall and early winter in the U.S. is slashing demand for heating, and half the nation uses natural gas to heat their homes. Natural gas supplies were already high coming into the winter. That combined with low demand pushed natural gas prices to their lowest levels since 1999 in mid-December, not adjusted for inflation. The rout in crude oil prices that began in mid-2014 deepened in 2015, pulling down the value of oil company shares and the performance of the overall stock market. All this pain for energy companies is good for consumers, who are now enjoying low prices for gasoline and shrinking heating bills.

There were four non-energy losers in the S&P’s bottom 10.

— Mining company Freeport-McMoRan fell 69 per cent, hurt by slowing economic growth in China that reduced demand for raw materials.

— Watchmaker Fossil Group lost about two-thirds of its value as fitness trackers grew more popular and the Apple Watch was launched.

— Chipmaker Micron Technology fell 60 per cent as consumers continued to turn away from personal computers.

Powered Powe ered by

Central Alberta’s career site of choice.

Parkland C.L.A.S.S. has grown over five decades to become one of the largest disability based service providers in Alberta. Parkland C.L.A.S.S. exists to improve the quality of life of children & adults with developmental disabilities through individual choice, dignity and rights. We strive to empower the people we serve, measuring our success against the goals they set for themselves.

CHILDREN & ADULT PROPRIETORS NEEDED!

Apply now to provide value in the Human Services Industry We are continuously seeking specialized Proprietors for children and adults with developmental disabilities. Individuals or couples willing to open up their home have the opportunity to make an incredible difference in the life of an individual. As a Full Time Proprietor you will provide a caring, safe and structured environment with fun activities and dependable routines. Respite (part time) Proprietors offer support and care, working one to two 48 hours weekends per month. This commitment involves the inclusion of the child/ adult in your regular family life. PCLASS has a licensed basement suite where Respite can be provided if applicants are not able to provide Respite within their own home.

Proprietors will provide a very individualized service that is based on the needs of the individual. Experience with young children, youth and/or adults with developmental disabilities would be ideal. Knowledge of First Nations culture and some related postsecondary education would be an asset. Individual must have a private room and be in a non-smoking environment. Driver’s license and transportation are required.

Full time Proprietors receive a (tax free) monthly remuneration and Relief Proprietors are paid $125.00 per days worked. Parkland CLASS provides extensive training which all Proprietors are required to take.

Please send a cover letter & resume confirming you are interested in either children or adult Proprietorship to: HR Fax: (403) 986-2404R or e-mail: hr@pclass.org If you would like to inquire more information please contact Roxanne Rose, HR Coordinator at 403-986-2400

7364709L26

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

HEALTH

C8

THURSDAY, DEC. 24, 2015

Go spicy to beat holiday weight gain Ho! Ho! Oh! No! Winter warmer: Skinny hot tle rubbed sage and a couple of dried Health bonus: Ginger delivers inflam‘Tis the season … cocoa with cinnamon and nut- cranberries over chicken slices, let- mation-calming compounds. for packing on extra meg. Stir cocoa into skim milk, tuce and chopped basil on whole-grain Comforting breakfast: Hot cereal weight. Research add a pinch of sugar and a sprin- bread. Avoid dryness by adding avoca- with dried cherries and warm spices. suggests that holkle of cinnamon and nutmeg. do or balsamic vinegar. Health bonus: Say “no, thanks” to pastries and “yes, iday weight gain, Health bonus: Skim milk pro- Sage helps cool inflammation and fu- please” to your favorite hot, 100 peryear after year, can vides bone-friendly calcium and els your body’s cell-protecting antioxi- cent whole-grain cereal, topped with be a big reason the muscle-building protein. Stud- dant system. dried fruit, a couple of walnuts and number on your ies show that cinnamon helps Spicy dinner upgrade: Ginger top- warm spices like cinnamon and nutbathroom scale concontrol blood sugar, and nutmeg ping. Fresh ginger gives vegetables meg. Health bonus: You’ll feel full and tinues to go up, up, may discourage inflammation. and main-dish proteins an exotic lift. satisfied for hours — a treat worth celup. Most people put And you know just how good co- Its flavor kick makes a spicy substitute ebrating. on a pound or two DR. MICHAEL ROIZEN coa is for you; it’s heart-friendly for marshmallow topping on yams or a The YOU Docs, Mehmet Oz, host of The (or three) this time and mood-enhancing. creamy sauce for salmon. Use a grater Dr. Oz Show and Mike Roizen of CleveAND DR. MEHMET OZ of year, and rareA merrier bagged lunch: to add as much as you want to sauteed land Clinic, are authors of YOU: LosYOU DOCS ly do they take off Chicken sandwich with hol- or steamed vegetables, baked sweet ing Weight. For more information, go to any of that holiday iday trimmings. Sprinkle a lit- potatoes, grilled salmon or poultry. www.RealAge.com. weight gain. Do the math: It adds up to an extra 10 to 30 pounds per decade. (On average, Americans gain 1.25 pounds a year after age 30, so these yearly holiday pounds are a major cause of the obesity criEXCEPT EDMONTON SOUTHGATE, WEST EDMONTON AND CALGARY SOUTHCENTRE OPEN AT 7 A.M. sis.)

CHECK THEBAY.COM FOR STORE HOURS. Other research suggests that if you’re already overweight, you could exit the holidays carrying five extra pounds. That really adds up.

Sure, food deserves its important place at the center of the celebrations. We think enjoying your holiday favorites is a great way to reconnect with family traditions and start some new ones, too.

Trouble is, high-calorie holiday foods and overthe-top portions spill over, changing the way you eat every single day between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Those cookies your co-workers leave in the coffee room? Those calories add up, perhaps more than you think. So what’s a festive elf to do?

Our Weight Control Strategy: Go Spicy For the holidays, you need a unique weight-control strategy, one that lets you celebrate without downsides. So indulge in flavorful favorites like peppermint and chocolate (yes!), citrus, cinnamon and cranberries. They’ll put you in healthy holiday spirits, and help you avoid all those mega-calorie holiday drinks and the candies, pastries and other seasonal fare that turn every pantry, fridge and table into a high-calorie minefield. Here’s how: Shopping pick-me up: Mint plus citrus. Oranges, tangerines and grapefruit were classic stocking stuffers in the 1930s and ’40s. Bring back the tradition by carrying a piece or two of in-season citrus WOMEN’S FASHION, FOOTWEAR, DRESSES, SWIMWEAR, LINGERIE, SLEEPWEAR, ROBES, with you. Pair with a cup of mint tea for a delicious HOSIERY, SLIPPERS, HANDBAGS, WALLETS; STERLING SILVER AND FASHION JEWELLERY; break from shopping, or a AND THE OFFICIAL CANADIAN OLYMPIC TEAM COLLECTION snack anytime. Health bonus: You’ll get a booster shot of immune-strengthening vitamin C and compounds in mint that carry MEN’S CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR; KIDS’ AND BABIES’ CLOTHING; AND LUGGAGE antiviral and antibacterial benefits, too.

Office snack: Dried cranberries, dark-chocFor the above offers, see below for details. olate chips and walnuts.

Pack a zipper-lock snack bag with a mix of these treasures. Keep the overall portion to about ¼ cup in order to control calories. Health bonus: 70 Women’s Women’s fashion Men’s and percent cocoa dark choccold-weather women’s

by DESIGN LAB, Women’s rain and olate — keep a serving to accessories sleepwear DEX, I.N.C winter boots by less than two-thirds of an In our accessories and robes INTERNATIONAL LONDON FOG, department. ounce — lowers the risk of In our sleepwear CONCEPTS, COUGAR, PAJAR See below departments. heart disease, according for exclusions. and more CALVIN KLEIN See below to several recent studies. for exclusions.

Sportswear, 15% OFF Walnuts deliver satisfying women’s LORD & TAYLOR fiber and good fats, while UGG AUSTRALIA and more footwear. cranberries contain inSee below Offer ends Monday, for exclusions. flammation-soothing polyDecember 28, 2015. phenols.

For the above offers

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26 AND SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2015 STORES OPEN AT 8 A.M. ON BOXING DAY

TWO-DAY BOXING DAY SALE SHOP EARLY FRIDAY ,

% OFF

DEC. 2 5 AT THEBA Y.COM

7O UP TO

CLEARANCE

when you take an extra 40% off our last ticketed prices

when you take an extra 30% off our last ticketed prices

60% OFF

60% OFF

50% OFF

UP TO

50% OFF

see below for exclusions.

TORONTO — The Canadian Medical Association has asked the Supreme Court of Canada to hear its oral submissions in support of Ottawa’s request for a delay in implementing physician-assisted dying.

The ban against assisted suicide is slated to lift in February, but the federal government has asked the court for a six-month extension to consider a response to its right-to-die ruling.

CMA spokesman Dr. Jeff Blackmer says the doctors group is “acutely sensitive” to concerns that an extension could be seen as prolonging the suffering of some patients.

$

1999

Y.A.S. SPORT activewear

Reg. $39

60% OFF women’s activewear

by CALVIN KLEIN PERFORMANCE

30% OFF women’s activewear

by ADIDAS and select NIKE styles.

See store for details.

60% OFF

Casual outerwear for men; outerwear for kids and babies See below for exclusions.

UP TO

70% OFF

LORD & TAYLOR Holiday Colour Sets

Reg. $1174.99

50% OFF

34999

$

ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS Passion 10-piece stainless steel cookware set with bonus DOUBLE BONUS STAUB 10" round cast iron grill pan and 4-piece contemporary steak knife set.

A $299.98 value.

Store Hours Christmas Eve Thur 9am-6pm Closed Christmas Day, Boxing day 8am – 9pm

7365711L24

MD group backs request that Supreme Court extend assisted dying deadline

Savings for all offers are off our regular prices, unless otherwise specified. Women’s clearance fashion: Includes dresses and swimwear in our dress and swimwear departments; Excludes items in our suit and outerwear departments, The Room, Topshop, Pink Tartan, Toni Plus, Reiss, Women’s Armani Jeans, The Kooples, Sandro/Maje, BCBGMAXAZRIA, Rudsak, Evans, NYDJ, Diesel and Nygard Slims. Women’s clearance footwear excludes Dept 146 Designer collections, Dept 875 White Space, Athletic Dept 276, Women’s rain and winter boots Dept 837 and 839, Cole Haan, Frye and UGG Australia. Women’s clearance handbags and wallets exclude Coach, Marc By Marc Jacobs and Kate Spade New York. Clearance sterling silver and fashion jewellery excludes Coach.

Men’s clearance clothing and footwear excludes West End Shop, Boutique Le President and Topman. Women’s fashion: Selection varies by store; Excludes New Spring Arrivals; Select styles available in Petite and Plus Sizes. Dex excludes suits in our suit department. Design Lab, I.N.C International Concepts, I.N.C International Concepts Plus Size, Calvin Klein Sportswear and Calvin Klein Sportswear Plus Size exclude items with 99¢ price endings. Lord & Taylor fashion excludes Cashmere, Sweaters Reg. $79 to $80, Plus Size Sweaters Reg. $89 and items with 99¢ price endings. Men’s sleepwear and robes exclude Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss and items with 99¢ price endings. Women’s sleepwear and robes exclude New Spring Arrivals, Lord & Taylor Cashmere Robe VPN#F15-172-507, Lord & Taylor Spa Terry Robe VPN#F15-170-720 and items with 99¢ price endings. Women’s cold-weather accessories exclude Adrienne Landau, Burberry, Coach, Diane Von Furstenberg, Kate Spade New York, Linda Richards, Lord & Taylor Cashmere, Marc By Marc Jacobs, Michael Michael Kors, Pajar, UGG Australia and items with 99¢ price endings.

Women’s rain and winter boots exclude Cougar styles Cheyenne and 39068 Original. Women’s UGG Australia footwear excludes clearance items.Men’s casual outerwear in our men’s outerwear department excludes Helly Hansen, Tahari, Under Armour, Vince Camuto, Michael Kors, Selected, Gyde, Reebok, Adidas, Comstock & Co. and items with 99¢ price endings.

Kids’ and babies’ outerwear excludes Nautica, Under Armour, K-Way, Moose Knuckles, ADD, Ralph Lauren Childrenswear and items with 99¢ price endings.

Office/Phone Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Mon - Fri Fax: 403-341-4772

CLASSIFIEDS

2950 Bremner Ave. Red Deer, AB T4R 1M9 Circulation 403-314-4300 DEADLINE IS 5 P.M. FOR NEXT DAY’S PAPER

Red Deer Advocate

wegotjobs

CLASSIFICATIONS 700-920

wegotrentals CLASSIFICATIONS 3000-3390

Obituaries

CLASSIFICATIONS 1000-1430

CLASSIFICATIONS 1500-1940

wegothomes

wegotwheels

CLASSIFICATIONS 4000-4310 Truckers/ Drivers

WHAT’S HAPPENING

CLASSIFICATIONS 50-70

56

Found

MEN’S Bifocal prescription sunglasses in case. Found near St. Elizabeth Seton School. Owner can claim by identifying case.

Message at 403-392-5842

860

ROLL-OFF DRIVERS Required immediately for the Olds Mountain View Area. Email resume with a min. of 2 references to: canpak@xplornet.ca You can sell your guitar for a song... or put it in CLASSIFIEDS and we’ll sell it for you!

Coming Events

52

Business Opportunities

CLASSIFICATIONS 5000-5240

870

Employment Training

HURLEY Ross Walter Ross Walter Hurley passed away December 22, 2015 at the age of 84. Loving husband of Marie and loving father of Bev Weaver (Scott) and Cheryl Hurley.

Cherished and much loved grandfather of Howard (Su-An), James, Logan, Michaela, Hannah, and Ben; greatgrandfather of Kennedy. He is survived by his dear sister Joan. A memorial service will be held at 11am on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 at Eventide Funeral Chapel, 4820 45th Street, Red Deer, Alberta. For those who wish to pay their respects, a public visitation will be held at 10am, prior to the service. Condolences may be forwarded to the family by visiting www.eventidefuneralchapels.com.

Arrangements entrusted to EVENTIDE FUNERAL CHAPEL 4820 - 45 Street, Red Deer.

Phone (403) 347-2222

SAFETY

OILFIELD TICKETS

Industries #1 Choice!

“Low Cost” Quality Training

403.341.4544

COCAINE ANONYMOUS 403-396-8298 OVEREATERS Anonymous Contact Phyl @ 347-4188

CLASSIFIEDS Christmas & New Years Hours & Deadlines

wegot

Office & Phones CLOSED Friday, December 25, 2015 Friday, January 1, 2016

jobs

Office Hours Thursday, December 24, 2015 8:30 - 2 pm Monday, December 28, 2015 8:30 - 2 pm

CLASSIFICATIONS 700-920

780

Legal

Tuesday & Wednesday December 29 & 30 Regular Office Hours, 8:30 - 5

NOTICE

Thursday, December 31, 2015 8:30 - 2 pm

Notice to JOHN THOMPSON who worked for IPSCO INC and/or EVRAZ NA from July 2004 to February 2010.

Please contact Helen Brock @ 403 346-7717 or at Box 593 Red Deer, AB. T4N 5G6 before January 15, 2016.

Restaurant/ Hotel

RED DEER ADVOCATE Publication Dates: Saturday, December 26, 2015 Monday, December 28 , 2015 Deadline is: Thursday Dec. 24, 2015 @ 12 noon Publication Date: Tuesday, December 29, 2014 Deadline is: Monday, December 28, 2015 @ 12 noon

820

Carl’s Jr. Red Deer is opening Jan 2016 and needs team members!

75 years of big juicy burgers! Full time, or part time positions available with opportunities to advance! Join Carl’s Jr. today, email resume to jedenterprises2015@ hotmail.com

In Memoriam

Trades

Publication Dates: Saturday, January 2, 2016 Monday, January 4, 2016 Deadline is: Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015 @ 12 noon

24 Hours Toll Free 1.888.533.4544

R H2S Alive (ENFORM) R First Aid/CPR R Confined Space R WHMIS & TDG R Ground Disturbance R (ENFORM) D&C B.O.P. R D&C (LEL) #204, 7819 - 50 Ave. (across from Totem) (across from Rona North)

wegot

stuff CLASSIFICATIONS 1500-1990

Clothing

850

Publication Date: Thursday December 24, 2015 Deadline is: Friday, December 18 @ 5 pm Publication Date: Thursday December 31, 2015 Deadline is: Thursday, December 24, 2015 12 noon

Requires

SLOPED ROOFERS LABOURERS & FLAT ROOFERS

CALL CLASSIFIEDS 403-309-3300 classifieds@reddeeradvocate.com

Valid Driver’s Licence preferred. Fax or email info@goodmenroofing.ca or (403)341-6722 NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE!

1590

LADIES London Fog, reg.

10 size, cranberry pea coat Length $50. 403-227-2976 LADIES size 4 1/2 Italian chocolate leather knee high boots, soft fits like a glove, $200 403-227-2976

EquipmentHeavy

1630

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

Classifieds Your place to SELL Your place to BUY

CENTRAL ALBERTA LIFE

GOODMEN ROOFING LTD.

Misc.

Help

900

TRAINING CENTRE

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS 403-347-8650

BROUWER George George (Gerrit) Brouwer died on the evening of December 19, 2015 in his sleep in the home he shared with his wife of 68 years, Edyth. He was 96 years old. Born on November 11, 1919 in Andijk, North Holland, George was the eldest son of Jan and Anje Brouwer. After immigrating to Alberta at the age of 16, he was recalled to the Dutch army at the start of World War II where he and his brother Klaas were enlisted in the Prinses Irene Brigade.

Before shipping out, George met and fell in love with a Canadian girl named Edyth Johnston in Stratford, Ontario, where his battalion trained.

They married in April of 1947 and settled in the Woody Nook area, west of Blackfalds, where they started a farm and family, both with great success.

George was hardworking, caring, and kind to everyone, making him a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and a friend to many. He leaves his wife Edyth, sons Barry (Carol), David (Laurel), daughters Miriam (Russ), Ann (Stephan), and Elaine (Bob).

He is also survived by his ten grandchildren, Christiane, Kevin, Lily, Jasmine, David, Alanna, Elliott, Arona, Megan and Nicholas. He was also a grandpa to Michael Yachney and great grandpa to Joshua, Kaitlin and Matthew. A man of strong character, sharp wit and pure heart, we will remember him with love. In his own words, we were told to remember that whatever happened to him, he had enjoyed a wonderful life. In turn, he gave his family one as well. “The greatest thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.” A Celebration of Life will be held from the Woody Nook Christian Reformed Church on Tuesday, December 29, 2015 at 10:00 AM. Expressions of sympathy may be made by visiting www.wilsonsfuneralchapel.ca WILSON’S FUNERAL CHAPEL & CREMATORIUM of Lacombe and Rimbey in charge of the arrangements.

403-782-3366, 403-843-3388 “A Caring Family, Caring For Families”

880

Misc.

Help

FURNACE duct cleaning Blue Grass Sod Farms Ltd. business. Selling due to Box 11, site 2, RR1 family illness. Includes Red Deer, AB 2003 1 ton van and vacu- Req’s Farm labourers for um compressor, etc. Paid 2016 season (April-Nov) $25,000 2 yrs. ago, asking In Red Deer. Duties $10,000. Equipment in include sod farming and great shape. Great oppor- tree nursery. Tree Nursery tunity. 403-350-8977 will involve pruning, planting and digging trees.

We change daily Will train/exp an asset. to serve you better.

Wage $11.20 hr 48 hrs weekly. Email resume to s.richardson@bg-rd.com

60

Personals

wegotads.ca

wegotstuff

wegotservices

announcements

Obituaries

D1

Firewood

1660

AFFORDABLE

Homestead Firewood

Spruce, Pine, Aspen - Split.

Avail. 7 days/wk. 403-304-6472 B.C. Birch, Aspen, Spruce/Pine. Delivery avail.

PH. Lyle 403-783-2275

FIREWOOD. Pine, Spruce, Can deliver 1-4 cords. 403-844-0227 FIREWOOD: Spruce & Pine - Split. 403-346-7178

880

Cherished wife, mother, grandmother and friend.

CARPET CLEANING TECHNICIAN

Funeral Directors & Services

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

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

7323387L3-29

Drop off or mail resume + driver’s abstract to MancusoCleaning #8-7428-49 Ave Red Deer, T4P 1M2 www.mancusocleaning.com

Welcome Wagon

ADULT or YOUTH CARRIERS NEEDED 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 Sandra at 403-314-4306

CARRIERS NEEDED

Salary and Benefits based on skill set and experience

ARE YOU EXPECTING A BABY SOON?

Call Prodie at 403-314-4301

Call Joanne at 403- 314-4308

Learn under the personal direction of one of North America’s experts in restorative cleaning!

Births

For delivery of Flyers, Wednesday and Friday ONLY 2 DAYS A WEEK CLEARVIEW RIDGE CLEARVIEW TIMBERSTONE LANCASTER VANIER WOODLEA/ WASKASOO DEER PARK GRANDVIEW EASTVIEW MICHENER MOUNTVIEW ROSEDALE GARDEN HEIGHTS MORRISROE

For early morning delivery by 6:30 am Mon. - Sat. VANIER CLEARVIEW

Become a sought-after professional in the art and science of carpet & upholstery and all-surface cleaning! Work Monday to Friday during the day, with some evenings and Saturdays.

We’re looking for someone with: • A commitment to excellence • Good communication skills • Good physical fitness • Mechanical aptitude • Good hand/eye coordination

~Forever loved, and never forgotten.

David and family

ADULT or YOUTH CARRIERS NEEDED

ADULT CARRIERS NEEDED

GROW WITH US Excellent Salary with Benefits

FINNIGAN - Esther Dec. 23, 2010

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

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

7119052tfn

403-309-3300 classifieds@reddeeradvocate.com

Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015

278950A5

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

D2 RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015

Storms sweep across U.S., kill one FORECASTERS WARN OF TORNADOES DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ATLANTA — Storms packing strong winds and heavy rain slammed the U.S. mid-section on Wednesday, and officials worried about Christmas yard decorations becoming projectiles.

Tornadoes touched down in Mississippi and Indiana, the National Weather Service said. The spring-like storms damaged buildings and knocked down trees, and thousands of people were without power in Indiana and Arkansas.

A tree blew over onto a house in Arkansas, killing an 18-year-old woman and trapping her 1-year-old child inside, authorities said. Rescuers pulled the toddler safely from the home.

A tornado touched down in northwest Mississippi, said Jim Belles, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Memphis, Tennessee.

“We’re tracking a very large tornado,” Belles said. “We’re hearing reports of some damage in parts of Coahoma County and reports of injuries, but we can’t confirm any injuries.”

Television images showed the tornado appeared to be on the ground for more than 10 minutes. Interstate 55 was closed in both directions as the tornado approached, the Mississippi Highway Patrol said.

After an EF-1 tornado struck the south Indianapolis suburb of Greenwood, television stations showed pictures of damage including a portion of a roof blown off a veterinary office.

The biggest threat for tornadoes was in a region of 3.7 million people in Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas and parts of Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky, according to the national Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma.

Twisters were possible from midday Wednesday through the evening.

Elsewhere, the Northeast enjoyed spring-like temperatures as people rushed to finish last-minute shopping.

In a reversal of a typical Christmas, forecasters expected New York to be in the mid-60s Fahrenheit (about 18 degrees Celsius) on Christmas Eve —

about the same temperatures as Los Angeles. Only about half of the U.S. should expect the possibility of a white Christmas.

“I try not to think about it too much because it’s very bizarre and it’s unusual for this time of year for it to be so warm and for such a long time,” said Marla Wojacksyk, 48, who was taking her excited 4-year-old daughter to see Santa Claus at Macy’s department store in Manhattan.

“But I have a little girl and she’s enjoying the Christmas spirit,” Wojacczyk added, as her daughter Zoe jumped up and down with glee, pulling her mother toward the store’s entrance.

In Alabama, heavy rains overnight left some downtown Mobile streets flooded during the morning rush hour.

Across Mobile Bay in the small town of Loxley, Mandy Wilson watched the angry grey sky and told drivers to be careful as she worked a cash register at Love’s Travel Stop.

“It’s very ugly it’s very scary,” Wilson said. “There’s water standing really bad. It’s a really interesting way to spend Christmas Eve eve.”

The threat of severe weather just before Christmas is unusual, but not unprecedented, said Greg Carbin, a meteorologist at the national Storm Prediction Center. On Christmas Day in 2012, a storm system spawned several tornadoes, damaging homes from Texas to Alabama.

In Tennessee, emergency officials worried that powerful winds could turn holiday yard decorations into projectiles, the same way gusts can fling patio furniture in springtime storms, said Marty Clements, director of the Madison County Emergency Management Agency in the city of Jackson.

“If you go through these neighbourhoods, there are a lot of people very proud of what they’ve put out and they’ve got stuff everywhere - all these ornaments and deer and everything else,” Clements said. “They’re not manufactured to withstand that kind of wind speed, so they become almost like little missiles.”

Accusations growing against Russia over civilian killings

Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

This photo provided by the Pope County Sheriff’s Department shows a storm damaged home outside of Atkins, Ark., on Wednesday. High winds and heavy rain caused a large tree to become uprooted and fall on the house resulting in the death of an 18-year-old woman and trapping her 1-year-old child inside, authorities said. Rescuers pulled the toddler safely from the home.

Palestinian stabbers kill Israeli in Jerusalem, assailants shot dead

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BEIRUT — The three missiles fired on a public market in the northern Syrian town of Ariha took the morning shoppers by surprise. In a few moments, the main street, packed with people buying and selling fruit and vegetables, turned into a scene of carnage with burning cars and the wounded screaming in terror.

At least 34 civilians were killed in the Nov. 29 attack — one in a growing number of suspected Russian attacks that Syrian opposition and rights activists say have killed civilians and caused massive destruction to residential areas across the country since Moscow formally joined the conflict nearly three months ago.

Russian officials have repeatedly rejected the accusations while residents and most opposition activists inside Syria acknowledge they have no way of categorically distinguishing whether planes that carry out a specific attack are operated by Russians or Syrians. But human rights group say the pattern of attacks suggests Russia is flouting international humanitarian law and that it may even amount to war crimes.

In a new report released Wednes-

1660

Firewood

Household Furnishings

1720

day, Amnesty International says it has also documented evidence suggesting Russia used cluster munitions and unguided bombs in populated residential areas. The London-based watchdog denounced Moscow’s “shameful failure” to acknowledge civilian killings.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov rejected Amnesty’s claims as “cliches and fakes,” accusing the group of relying on activists’ claims that could not be checked or proven. He particularly criticized the group’s claim that the Russian strikes targeted areas where there were no militants, saying Amnesty had no way of knowing that.

“Jihadis in Syria operate in highly mobile units, using Toyota pickup trucks with high-calibre weapons mounted on them,” he said. “Each of those vehicles is considered a tactical unit and represents a legitimate military target.”

Amnesty’s report focuses on six attacks in Homs, Idlib and Aleppo provinces between September and November which it says killed at least 200 civilians. It also said the group has gathered evidence, including photos and video, suggesting the Russians have used unguided bombs in densely populated civilian areas, as well as internationally banned cluster munitions.

Stereos TV's, VCRs

1730

LOGS HIDE A BED exc. cond. 40 “ + TOSHIBA color tv; Semi loads of pine, spruce, $380 403-346-3086 and older tv to give away tamarack, poplar, birch.

587-273-3377 Price depends on location WANTED of delivery. Lil Mule Start your career!

Antiques, furniture and Logging 403-318-4346 See Help Wanted estates. 342-2514

wegot CLASSIFICATIONS 1000-1430 To Advertise Your Business or Service Here

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

1010

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

Carpentry

1062

Custom Carpentry Projects serving Red Deer & area.

Call/text 403-740-4854

Contractors

1100

BRIDGER CONST. LTD. We do it all! 403-302-8550

1160

Entertainment

DANCE DJ SERVICES 587-679-8606 Buying or Selling your home?

Check out Homes for Sale in Classifieds

Handyman Services

1200

BOOK NOW! For help on your home projects such as bathroom, main Áoor, and bsmt. renovations. Also painting and Áooring.

Call James 403-341-0617 Start your career!

See Help Wanted

COUNTERTOP replacement.

Kitchen reno’s.

Wes 403-302-1648

MULTI-SKILLED HANDYMAN For Hire Call Derek 403-848-3266

DALE’S Home Reno’s Free estimates for all your reno needs. 403-506-4301

TOO MUCH STUFF? Let Classifieds help you sell it.

Massage Therapy

1760

100 VHS movies, $75.

For All 403-885-5020 2 NEW folding alum. saw horses $20/ea, new in box 30 pc. wall mounted storage bins $35, new elec. rotisserie and BBQ oven $35, Stringer wet/dry vacumn cleaner $20, Skil 3/8 variable speed drill $12, B & D jig saw $12 403-358-5568

wegot

rentals CLASSIFICATIONS

FOR RENT • 3000-3200 WANTED • 3250-3390

Houses/ Duplexes

3020

SYLVAN Lake, fully furn. rental, inclds. all utils, $1200 Details 403-880-0210 Looking for a place to live?

MAKEUP, from New York, red hot crocodile bag, 12 Take a tour through the CLASSIFIEDS eye shadows, 2 blush, 1 nail polish, 1 lip gloss.

NEW!! Valued at $195.

Asking $50. 403-227-2976 Condos/ LP RECORDS, 117 in mint cond. $100 for all or $1. each. 403-346-6539

services

Accounting

Misc. for Sale

JERUSALEM — Two Palestinian assailants on Wednesday carried out a stabbing attack outside Jerusalem’s Old City, killing one Israeli, before they were shot and killed, Israeli police said. A second Israeli died after apparently being shot mistakenly by police in the confusion.

The attack was the latest in a continuing wave of violence that has gripped the region for three months.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the attack happened outside the city’s Jaffa Gate, a popular spot for tourists visiting the Old City, home to Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy sites.

She said police shot both assailants, who were later identified as Palestinians in their early 20s from the West Bank. One died at the scene and the second later in a hospital.

Three people were seriously wounded in the attack, two of whom later died. A 45-year-old Israel man died from multiple stab wounds, while a 40-year-old man died from gunshot wounds, hospital officials said. Samri had said earlier that one of the wounded may have been shot by police officers who were firing at the Palestinian assailants.

Since mid-September, near-daily Palestinian stabbing, shooting and car

1280

FANTASY SPA

PICTURE framing supplies.

587-447-3641 for info POLAR bar fridge $50, 2 Canadian Club (Texas Mickey) 133 1/3 oz. whiskey bottles w/pumps, $50 ea. 403-358-5568 WATER cooler $50.

403-885-5020

Townhouses

3030

New Blackfalds Condo. 2 Bdrm/2 Bath. Main Áoor & 2nd Áoor options avail. 2 powered parking stalls.

Rent $1,400. Pets negotiable. Ask about rent incentives. 403-396-1688.

SEIBEL PROPERTY

4 Plexes/ 6 Plexes

3050

LIMITED TIME OFFER:

Services

1290

Suites

3060

ADULT 2 BDRM. spacious suites 3 appls., heat/water incld., ADULT ONLY BLDG, no pets, Oriole Park. 403-986-6889 AVAIL. IMMED. large 2 bdrm. in clean quiet adult building, near downtown Co-Op, no pets, 403-348-7445

CITY VIEW APTS.

Clean, quiet, newly reno’d adult building. Rent $925 S.D. $800. Avail. immed. and Jan. 1. Near hospital.

No pets.403-318-3679

5* JUNK REMOVAL

1800

Sporting Goods

1860

Property clean up 505-4777 PROFORM 400S treadmill, never been out of box GARAGE Doors Serviced $800 587-447-3641 50% off. 403-358-1614

Seniors’ Services

1372

HELPING HANDS Home Supports for Seniors.

Cooking, cleaning, companionship. At home or facility. 403-346-7777

Travel Packages

1900

TRAVEL ALBERTA Alberta offers SOMETHING for everyone.

Make your travel plans now.

4 Plexes/ 6 Plexes

3050

ACROSS from park, 2 bdrm. 4-plex, 1 1/2 bath, 4 appls. Rent $925/mo. d.d. $650. Avail. now or Jan. 1. 403-304-5337

Rooms For Rent

3090

Mobile Lot

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 Classifieds...costs so little Saves you so much!

wegot

homes CLASSIFICATIONS Realtors & Services

4010

1 & 2 bdrm. adult building, N/S. No pets.

403-596-2444

RISER HOMES BLACKFALDS NEW YEAR SPECIAL 1 ONLY! This is a three bdrm. two bath modiÀed bi level walk out, backing onto green area and alley, great for trailer. Many upgrades. $417,000 includes GST, legal fee, front sod. Tree.

LLOYD FIDDLER 403-391-9294 www.riserhoes.com

Condos/ Townhouses

4040

Need to Downsize? Brand New Valley Crossing Condos in Blackfalds. Main Áoor is 1,119 SQ FT 2 Bdrm/2Bath. Imm. Poss.

Start at $219,900. Call 403-396-1688.

wegot

wheels CLASSIFICATIONS 5000-5300

1 & 2 bdrm., Adult bldg. only, N/S, No pets. 403-596-2444

THE NORDIC

4020

4000-4190

MORRISROE MANOR

NEW Glendale reno’d 1 & 2 bdrm. apartments, 1st month free, no pets, 100 Gilchrist Crescent, avail. immed, rent starting @ $775. 403-596-6000

Houses For Sale

2 ROOMS $500./mo. each DD $200 each. 403-352-7417 Tired of Standing?

Find something to sit on in Classifieds

One free year of Telus internet & cable AND 50% off Àrst month’s rent! 1 & 2 Bedroom suites available.

Renovated suites in central BLACKFALDS rooms for location. Cat friendly. rent $600 fully furnished, leasing@rentmidwest.com all included 403-358-1614 1(888) 784-9274

6 locations in Red Deer, CELEBRATIONS well-maintained townOffice HAPPEN EVERY DAY houses, lrg, 3 bdrm, Supplies IN CLASSIFIEDS 11/2 bath, 4 + 5 appls.

Elite Retreat, Finest Westpark, Kentwood, in VIP Treatment. 2 DRAWER metal Àling Highland Green, Riverside LARGE, 1 & 2 BDRM. 10 - 2am Private back entry cabinet $10 403-885-5020 Meadows. Rent starting at SUITES. 25+, adults only n/s, no pets 403-346-7111 $1100. For more info, 403-341-4445 Something for Everyone phone 403-304-7576 or Everyday in Classifieds 403-347-7545 Misc.

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

ramming attacks have killed 20 Israelis and an American student. At least 120 Palestinians have died by Israeli fire in the same period, including 82 said

by Israel to be attackers. The rest have been killed in clashes with Israeli security forces.

Israel says the violence is a result of a Palestinian campaign of lies and incitement. Palestinians say it stems from frustration at nearly five decades of Israeli military rule.

The Palestinians have pointed to a deadly arson attack, believed to have been carried out by Jewish extremists in the West Bank last summer, as a key source of frustration. The firebombing killed a Palestinian couple and their 18-month-old son. Israel has not yet pressed charges in the attack, though it is holding three suspects.

On Wednesday night, Israel’s Channel 10 TV broadcast footage of what it said was a wedding attended by Jewish extremists last week, where revelers stabbed pictures of the dead toddler, danced with rifles belonging to the Israeli military and in one case, held a mock firebomb in the air. It said the people were friends of the suspects in the arson.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the video “horrifying,” saying it showed “the real face of a group that represents a danger to Israeli society and Israeli security.”

Cars HERE TO HELP & HERE TO SERVE Call GORD ING at RE/MAX real estate central alberta 403-341-9995 gord.ing@remax.net Celebrate your life with a Classified ANNOUNCEMENT

5030

2008 COBALT $1500 obo 587-377-5034

Red Deer ADVOCATE CLASSIFIEDS 403-309-3300 CALL NOW TO FIND OUT MORE

TECHNOLOGY New tech uses radio signals to track people through walls THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CAMBRIDGE, Mass.

— X-ray vision, a comic book fantasy for decades, is becoming a reality in a lab at MIT. A group of researchers led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Dina Katabi has developed software that uses variations in radio signals to recognize human silhouettes through walls and track their movements.

Researchers say the technology will be able to help health care providers and families keep closer tabs on toddlers and the elderly, and it could be a new strategic tool for law enforcement and the military.

“Think of it just like cameras, except that it’s not a camera,” said Fadel Adib, a researcher on the MIT team developing the device.

“It’s a sensor that can monitor people and allow you to control devices just by pointing at them,” he said.

Work began in 2012 to determine how wireless signals could be used to “see” what’s happening in another room, said Katabi, who directs the MIT Wireless Center.

“At first we were just interested … can you at all use wireless signals to detect what’s happening in occluded spaces, behind a wall, couch, something like that,” Katabi said.

“It turned out that we were able to detect that.

And when we figured out we could detect that, we started asking more advanced questions: Could we use it to detect exactly how people are moving in a space if they are behind a wall?”

The device displays the signal on a screen, where the person’s movements can be tracked in real time. It depicts the target as a red dot moving around the room, occupying a chair and speeding up or slowing down.

The wireless signals used to track a person’s motions also can measure the individual’s breathing and heart rate — and potentially identify the person based on the shape of his or her skeleton, said researcher Zach Kabelac.

“The person won’t be wearing anything on them, and the person it’s tracking doesn’t even need to know the device is there,” Kabelac said.

“If something unfortunate happens to them, like a fall, the device will contact the caregiver that they chose to alert” by generating a text message or an email, he added.

That makes health care applications especially interesting, Katabi said.

But she also sees military and law enforcement possibilities — particularly in hostage situations.

“You don’t want to send the police inside without knowing where the people are standing or where the hostages are,” she said. “If there is someone with a gun, where they are standing?”

A company set up to market the technology, now dubbed Emerald, will spin out of the MIT lab next year, with a goal of marketing the device early in 2017, and it’s expected to sell for $250 to $300, Adib said.

The team is working to make the device smaller and to develop an interface that will let users configure it through a smartphone app, Katabi added.

D3

THURSDAY, DEC. 24, 2015

Wild and wacky gifts for the technology lover

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK — Whether you’re shopping for a Trekkie, a tech-savvy fisherman or a paranoid chef, gadget gifts abound this year.

They may be weird or wacky, but they are sure to be memorable as last-minute gifts for the geek who has everything.

FOODSNIFFER ‘Tis the season for overeating, leftovers and food poisoning. Got friends who like to shove meat to the back of the fridge only to find it a little past its “use by” date?

The Foodsniffer may be the gift you’re looking for. The device will “sniff” your slightly funky chicken, beef, pork or fish. It senses certain volatile organic compounds that are emitted when food starts to decompose. Through a smartphone app, you see whether the meal is fresh, starting to spoil or spoiled.

The device won’t detect the presence of gastroenteritis from bacteria such as salmonella or e. coli, so make sure you cook your food sufficiently, even if it’s deemed fresh.

HAN SOLO FRIDGE Nothing says chill like Han Solo frozen in carbonite. This mini fridge’s front door features a 3-D rendering of a frosty Han and holds 18 canned beverages.

The fridge can switch between cold and warm modes, but sadly a dreamy 1980s Harrison Ford doesn’t collapse at your feet when you switch the heat on. The fridge door does, however, give off the same eerie red glow that appeared when Princess Leia

The Foodsniffer thawed him out in “Return of the Jedi.”

Want something more contemporary?

ThinkGeek also sells a tiny $70 mini fridge that holds just a six-pack. It looks like the BB-8 droid from the new “Star Wars” movie.

“STAR TREK” PHASER UNIVERSAL REMOTE REPLICA “Star Wars” is all the rage now, with hundreds of products tied to the new movie. But Trekkies need their toys, too.

For the Captain Kirk in your life, this universal remote has been recreated with 3-D scans of Star Trek props.

You operate this remote using motion rather than buttons. It combines the small mini phaser and the larger pistol-shaped phaser models used as weapons on “Star Trek.” The smaller one can be used separately or inserted into the larger phaser, which has a pistol-grip base.

Beam strengths can be customized, and the remote makes a variety of phaser firing sounds. A metal stand with a hidden magnet is included, making the phaser easy to grab if your home is overrun by Tribbles, or

WHEN YOU CAN GET UP TO

0 AS LOW AS

750

$

you just need to change the channel.

IBOBBER ($100) Hooking Moby Dick is easier when you’ve got portable sonar on your side.

The iBobber fish finder attaches to your fishing line and floats on the surface of the water. Once you cast it, the iBobber can show you where fish are and how big they are. It also maps the floor of the waterbed, letting you know how deep the water is and pointing out obstacles, as far down as 135 feet, whether you fishing from shore, boat or dock.

The device syncs with your phone via Bluetooth and displays the images on your screen. It’s not video, but more like a cartoon graphical representation of what’s below you.

The app keeps a log of your excursions.

Favorite fishing spots can be tagged with GPS in case you need to come back later to catch the big one that got away.

MISTLETOE DRONE ($70) What’s a gift guide for geeks without some kind of drone? Even better, this drone can act as a remote-controlled wingman for those looking for a holiday smooch.

The mistletoe drone hovers with a pair of counter-rotating rotors. An infrared remote provides throttle and directional control. For a big party, up to 20 of these drones can be flown independently without radio interference problems.

The drone’s rechargeable battery provides up to five minutes of flight and takes 30 minutes to charge through its remote.

When controlling it, just make sure the drone ends up over the right person. A mistake can be disastrous.

%*

¥

APR

PLUS

BONUS CASH

PURCHASE FINANCING

TOWARDS MOST NEW 2015 AND 2016 MODELS (EXCLUDING FOCUS MODELS) FROM DEC 11 TH –JAN 4 TH

ON SELECT NEW MODELS

(&', ESCAPE

0

GET

%

FOR UP TO

*

APR

72

PURCHASE FINANCING MONTHS ON ALL NEW 2016 ESCAPE MODELS

OR CHOOSE

0

%^

FOR UP TO

APR

48

LEASE FINANCING MONTHS ON ALL NEW 2016 ESCAPE MODELS

7?H 9ED:?J?ED?D= ;7IO <K;B 97FB;II <K;B <?BB;H H;CEJ; A;OB;II ;DJHO IOIJ;C 7D: CEH;

(&'+ FOCUS

0

GET

%

FOR UP TO

*

APR

84

PURCHASE FINANCING MONTHS ON MOST NEW 2015 FOCUS MODELS

PLUS GET

750

$

**

IN YEAR-END CLEAROUT CASH

IOD9® LE?9;#79J?L7J;: 9ECCKD?97J?EDI 7D: ;DJ;HJ7?DC;DJ IOIJ;C 79J?L; =H?BB I>KJJ;HI FEM;H :EEH BE9AI 7D: CEH;

(&'+ F-150

0

GET

%

FOR UP TO

*

APR

72

PURCHASE FINANCING MONTHS ON SELECT F-SERIES

‡

2015 F-150 AWARDED CANADIAN TRUCK OF THE YEAR

7:L7D9;JH79®† M?J> HEBB IJ78?B?JO 9EDJHEB I;9KH?BE9A® F7II?L; 7DJ?#J>;<J IOIJ;C H;CEL78B; 7D: BE9A78B; J7?B=7J; 7D: CK9> CK9> CEH;$

AND

ELIGIBLE COSTCO MEMBERS RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL

$

1,000

≠

ON MOST NEW 2015 AND 2016 FORD MODELS

VISIT ALBERTAFORD.CA OR YOUR ALBERTA FORD STORE TO GET THE DEAL YOU WANT AND THE VEHICLE YOU WANT TODAY.

Vehicle(s) may be shown with optional equipment. Dealer may sell or lease for less. Limited time offers. Offers only valid at participating dealers. Retail offers may be cancelled or changed at any time without notice. See your Ford Dealer for complete details or call the Ford Customer Relationship Centre at 1-800-565-3673. For factory orders, a customer may either take advantage of eligible raincheckable Ford retail customer promotional incentives/offers available at the time of vehicle factory order or time of vehicle delivery, but not both or combinations thereof. Retail offers not combinable with any CPA/GPC or Daily Rental incentives, the Commercial Upfit Program or the Commercial Fleet Incentive Program (CFIP). ¥Offer valid between December 11, 2015 and January 4, 2016 (the “Offer Period”) to Canadian residents. Receive $500 (on 2016 model years) or $750 (on 2015 model years) towards the purchase or lease of a new Ford Fusion, Mustang (excluding 50th Anniversary Edition and Shelby), Taurus, Flex, Escape, Expedition, Transit Connect, E-Series Cutaway, Transit Van/Wagon, Transit Cutaway/Chassis Cab, F-150, F250 to F-550, (all F-150 Raptor models excluded) (each an “Eligible Vehicle”). 2015 models may be in limited supply. Only one (1) bonus offer may be applied towards the purchase or lease of one (1) Eligible Vehicle. Taxes payable before offer amount is deducted. Offer is not raincheckable.*Until January 4, 2016, receive 0% annual percentage rate (APR) purchase financing on new 2015: Focus BEV, C-MAX, Mustang (excl. Shelby and 50th Anniversary), Transit Connect, F-150 Super Cab XL (except in Quebec, where F-150 SuperCab XL receives 0% APR purchase financing up to 36 months) and 2016: Escape, F-250 Gas Engine models for up to 72 months, or 2015: Focus (excluding BEV) and 2016: Fusion models for up to 84 months to qualified retail customers, on approved credit (OAC) from Ford Credit Canada Limited. Not all buyers will qualify for the lowest interest rate. Example: $25,000 purchase financed at 0% APR for 48/ 60/ 72/ 84 months, monthly payment is $520.84/ $416.67/ $347.22/ $297.62, cost of borrowing is $0 or APR of 0% and total to be repaid is $25,000. Down payment on purchase financing offers may be required based on approved credit from Ford Credit Canada Limited.**Until January 4, 2016, receive $500/$750/ $1,000/ $1,500/ $2,000/ $2,500/ $2,750/ $3,500/ $3,750/ $4,250/ $4,500/ $4,750/ $6,000/ $10,000/ $11,500 in “Year-End Clearout Cash” (Delivery Allowances) with the purchase or lease of a new 2016: Explorer/2015 and 2016: Focus, C-MAX; 2016: Fiesta, Fusion/ 2015: Edge, Flex; 2016: Edge, Expedition/ 2015: Transit Connect; 2016: E-Series Cutaway, Transit, F-250 Gas Engine, F-350 to F-450 (excluding Chassis Cabs) Gas Engine/2015: Taurus (excluding SE); 2016: Transit Connect, F-350 to F-550 Chassis Cabs/ 2015: E-Series Cutaway, Transit/ 2015: F-150 Regular Cab (excluding XL 4x2) 5.0L; 2016: F-150 Regular Cab (excluding XL 4x2)/ 2016: F-250 Diesel Engine, F-350 to F-450 (excluding Chassis Cabs) Diesel Engine/ 2015: F-150 SuperCrew 4x4; 2016: F-150 SuperCab and SuperCrew / 2015: Fiesta, Fusion, Explorer, Escape/ 2015: F-350 to F-550 Chassis Cabs / 2015: F-150 SuperCab/ 2015: Expedition / 2015: F-250 Gas Engine, F-350 to F-450 (excluding Chassis Cabs) Gas Engine/ 2015: F-250 Diesel Engine, F-350 to F-450 (excluding Chassis Cabs) Diesel Engine -- all stripped chassis, F-150 Raptor, Medium Truck, Mustang Shelby and 50th Anniversary excluded. Delivery allowances are not combinable with any fleet consumer incentives.^Until January 4, 2016, lease a new 2016: Fusion for up to 36 months, or a 2016: Escape for up to 48 months, and get 0% APR lease financing on approved credit (OAC) from Ford Credit Canada Limited. Not all buyers will qualify for the lowest APR payment. Lease a model with a value of $30,000 at 0% APR for up to 36/48 months with an optional buyout of $13,200/ $10,800 and $0 down or equivalent trade in, monthly payment is $466.67/ $400.00, total lease obligation is $16,800.12/$19.200.00, interest cost of leasing is $0 or 0%APR. Additional payments required for PPSA (RDPRM for Quebec), registration, security deposit, NSF fees (where applicable), excess wear and tear, and late fees. Some conditions and mileage restrictions apply. Excess kilometrage charges are 12¢per km for Fiesta, Focus, C-MAX, Fusion and Escape; 16¢per km for E-Series, Mustang, Taurus, Taurus-X, Edge, Flex, Explorer, F-Series, MKS, MKX, MKZ, MKT and Transit Connect; 20¢per km for Expedition and Navigator, plus applicable taxes. Excess kilometrage charges subject to change, see your local dealer for details.≠ Offer only valid from November 3, 2015 to January 4, 2016 (the “Offer Period”) to resident Canadians with an eligible Costco membership on or before October 31, 2015. Receive $1,000 towards the purchase or lease of a new 2015/2016 Ford (excluding Fiesta, Focus, C-MAX, GT350, GT500, F-150 Raptor, 50th Anniversary Edition Mustang, Mustang Shelby 350/350R and Medium Truck) model (each an “Eligible Vehicle”). Limit one (1) offer per each Eligible Vehicle purchase or lease, up to a maximum of two (2) separate Eligible Vehicle sales per Costco Membership Number. Offer is transferable to persons domiciled with an eligible Costco member. Applicable taxes calculated before CAD$1,000 offer is deducted. ®: Registered trademark of Price Costco International, Inc. used under license. † Remember that even advanced technology cannot overcome the laws of physics. It’s always possible to lose control of a vehicle due to inappropriate driver input for the conditions. ‡F-Series is the best-selling pickup truck in Canada for 49 years in a row based on Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association statistical sales report up to 2014 year end. ©2015 Sirius Canada Inc. “SiriusXM”, the SiriusXM logo, channel names and logos are trademarks of SiriusXM Radio Inc. and are used under licence.©2015 Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. All rights reserved.

Available in most new Ford vehicles with 6-month pre-paid subscription

D4 RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE

HI & LOIS

PEANUTS

BLONDIE

HAGAR

BETTY

PICKLES

GARFIELD

LUANN

Dec. 24 2003 ³ &DQDGD·V 'HSDUWPHQW RI $JULFXOWXUH SODFHV D SDUWLDO EDQ RQ LPSRUWHG EHHI IURP WKH 86 GXH WR D VLQJOH FDVH RI PDG FRZ GLVHDVH %6( LQ D &DQDGLDQ ERUQ +ROVWHLQ FRZ VODXJKWHUHG LQ :DVKLQJWRQ VWDWH 1989 ³ +RXVH RI &RPPRQV DSSURYHV 1RUWK $PHULFDQ )UHH 7UDGH $JUHHPHQW 1$)7$

DIWHU ELWWHU WZR ZHHN GHEDWH DQG FORVXUH 1948 ³ &DQDGD IRUPDOO\ UHFRJQL]HV WKH

VWDWH RI ,VUDHO 1906 ³ &DQDGLDQ SK\VLFLVW DQG LQYHQWRU 5HJLQDOG )HVVHQGHQ PDNHV WKH ZRUOG·V ILUVW SXEOLF UDGLR EURDGFDVW DQG WKH ILUVW EURDGFDVW RI PXVLF IURP KLV VWDWLRQ QHDU %RVWRQ RQ &KULVWPDV (YH 1866 ³ %1$ GHOHJDWHV DGRSW /RQGRQ 5HVROXWLRQV FKRRVH QDPH 'RPLQLRQ RI &DQDGD IRU QHZ FRXQWU\ 1814³ 7UHDW\ RI *KHQW (QGV WKH :DU RI QHZV UHDFKHV 1RUWK $PHULFD )HE

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.

6+(50$1·6 /$*221

Solution

RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 D5

What’s new on Netflix Canada, Shomi, CraveTV STREAMING SERVICES

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS A monthly look at what’s scheduled to be added to the catalogues of streaming services Netflix Canada, Shomi and CraveTV: TOP PICKS: — On Jan. 8, Shomi will have the debut season of one of the top-rated shows of 2015, the USA Network series Mr. Robot. Christian Slater stars in the cyberpunk thriller as the head of a shadowy team of hacktivists known as “fsociety,” which is bent on going after greedy multinational corporations. The show is up for several Golden Globe awards including best TV drama, best actor for Rami Malek and best supporting actor for Slater.

— On Jan. 17, CraveTV will launch the star-studded Showtime series Billions. Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis, Maggie Siff and Swedish-Canadian actress Malin Akerman star in the financial drama based on the book Too Big to Fail, written by New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin. CraveTV will stream the show the same day new episodes are shown Sunday nights in the U.S. — On Jan. 23, Chelsea Handler’s new documentary series kicks off on Netflix. The comedian’s Chelsea Does four-part series explores “questions that we all have, but are too afraid to ask” with topics including marriage, racism and drugs.

Here are the lists of movies and TV shows that are expected in January:

NETFLIX

Jan. 1 “About Time” “Angry Birds Toons” (season 1) “Big Fish” “Blood Cells” “Far From The Madding Crowd” “The Fifth Estate” “Gangsters: Faces Of The Underworld” (season 1 and 2) “I’ll See You In My Dreams” “Inshallah Football” “Jesus Camp” “Life’s Too Short” (series 1) “Pac-man And The Ghostly Adventures” (season 2) “Ripper Street” (series 3) “Run” (season 1) “True Story” “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” Jan. 6 “Tomorrowland” Jan. 8 “Dragons: Race To The Edge” (season 2) “Tom Segura: Mostly Stories” “The Wolfpack” Jan. 13 “Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments” Jan. 15 “Being Ginger” Jan. 17 “Z Nation” (season 2) Jan. 20 “Drone” Jan. 23 “Chelsea Does” Jan. 26 “Inside Out” Jan. 28 “Suits” (season 4) Jan. 29 “Ever After High: Dragon Games” (season 4)

File photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

In this film publicity image released by Paramount Pictures, Hailee Steinfeld, left, and Barry Pepper are shown in a scene from, “True Grit,” which is available on SHOMI in January.

“Racing Stripes” “Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster” “Shutter Island” “Small Soldiers” “Top Gun” “True Grit” (2010) “Vanilla Sky” “Wayward Pines” (season 1) Jan. 3 “Chicago PD” (season 2) Jan. 6 “Twisted” (season 1b) Jan. 8 “Blades of Glory” “Bringing Out The Dead” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” “Hot Rod” “Mission: Impossible” “Mission: Impossible II” “Mr. Robot” (season 1) “Saving Private Ryan” “Tropic Thunder” Jan. 10 “Dora & Friends” (season 1) “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” (season 10) Jan. 13 “Royal Pains” (season 6) Jan. 15 “The Americans” (season 3) “Cloverfield” “Collateral” “Covert Affairs” (season 5) “Gladiator” “The Italian Job” (2003) “Narc” “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” “Roads to Perdition” “Up In Smoke” “War of the Worlds” (2005) “Zodiac” Jan. 17 “Helix” (season 2) Jan. 20 “Sanjay & Craig” (season 1) Jan. 22 “An Inconvenient Truth”

SHOMI

Jan. 1 “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” “Archer” (season 2) “Charlotte’s Web” “The Dictator” “The Foot Fist Way” “Galaxy Quest” “The Hunt for Red October” “The Monster Squad” “Pinky & the Brain” (seasons 1 to 4)

Publicist: Nicolas Cage was unwitting buyer of dinosaur skull looted from Mongolia

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK — Nicolas Cage has agreed to give back a national treasure from Mongolia.

A publicist for the star of the National Treasure adventure films confirmed Tuesday that Cage was the unwitting buyer of a dinosaur skull that federal prosecutors in New York say was stolen. Prosecutors announced last week that they were seeking court approval to take custody of the 32-inch fossil so it could be returned to the Asian nation, but they did not name the buyer. Cage purchased the skull at auction from Los Angeles-based I.M. Chait gallery and auction house and received a certificate of authenticity, publicist Alex Schack said in an email. After being notified last year that authorities suspected the item was stolen, the actor “fully co-operated with the investigation, including arranging an inspection of the fossil by agents,” and later agreed to forfeit it, Schack said. According to court papers, investigators believe the skull was looted from the Gobi Desert in

Mongolia and shipped through Japan to Gainesville, Florida, in June 2006 bearing a false customs label.

The piece was auctioned in Manhattan on March 25, 2007, selling for $230,000 plus a commission that raised the total paid by the then-anonymous buyer to $276,000, the papers said. It had been marketed as an “extremely rare” Tyrannosaurus skull from the late Cretaceous period, which ended about 65 million years ago.

“The battery of huge, knife-like, serrated teeth are quite impressive and are in excellent condition,” court papers quoted the auction catalogue as saying of a skull that was 65 per cent complete. “Overall, this remarkable specimen is scientifically accurate and important.”

It was unclear whether the skull has ties to Eric Prokopi, a former fossils dealer who pleaded guilty to charges he smuggled multiple shipments of dinosaur bones between 2010 and 2012 that had been stolen from the Gobi Desert. Court papers say Prokopi had sold stolen fossils to I.M. Chait, which has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

“Childhood’s End” (season 1) “Conviction” “Cujo” “The Dead Zone” “Friday the 13th” “Friday the 13th - Part II” “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life” “Paranormal Activity” “Pet Cemetery” (1989) “The Ring” “There Will Be Blood” Jan. 27 “Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn” (season 1) Jan. 29 “Beauty and the Beast” (season 3) “State of Affairs” (season 1) Jan. 30 “Rabbids Invasion” (season 1) Jan. 31 “Stalker” (season 1)

CRAVETV Jan. 1 “Workaholics” (season 5) Jan. 8 “The Following” (season 3) Jan. 15 “Bitten” (season 2) “Listen To Me Marlon” “Tosh.0” (season 7b) Jan. 17 “Billions” (season 1, episode 1) Jan. 22 “Broad City” (season 2) Jan. 29 “Dynamite: The Rise Of James Brown” “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!”

GALAXY CINEMAS RED DEER 357-37400 HWY 2, RED DEER COUNTY 403-348-2357

SHOWTIMES FOR FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2015 TO THURSDAY DECEMBER 31, 2015 THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART 2 (PG) (FRIGHTENING SCENES, VIOLENCE) CLOSED CAPTIONED FRI-THURS 6:30, 9:35 ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP (G) CLOSED CAPTIONED, NO PASSES FRI 5:00, 7:40, 9:55; SAT-THURS 11:50, 2:30, 5:00, 7:40, 9:55 STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (PG) (VIOLENCE) CLOSED CAPTIONED, NO PASSES FRI 4:40, 8:00; SAT,WED 1:20, 3:20, 4:40, 8:00; SUN,TUE,THURS 1:20, 4:40, 8:00; MON 1:20, 4:40, 8:00, 10:00 STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS 3D (PG) (VIOLENCE) CLOSED CAPTIONED, NO PASSES FRI 6:40, 10:00; SAT,WED 12:00, 6:40, 10:00; SUN,TUE,THURS 12:00, 3:20, 6:40, 10:00; MON 12:00, 3:20, 6:40 STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS 3D (PG) (VIOLENCE) NO PASSES FRI 6:10, 9:30; SAT-THURS 11:30, 2:50, 6:10, 9:30 STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS 3D (PG) (VIOLENCE) ULTRAAVX, NO PASSES FRI 4:00, 7:10, 10:30; SAT-WED 12:30, 3:50, 7:10, 10:30; THURS 12:30, 4:00, 7:10, 10:30

NEW YEAR’S EVE FAMILY CELEBRATION

Have you renewed your 2016 Membership?

ROLL IN THE NEW YEARR AT

Heritage Lanes Food and Beverage Specials

Still time to do so!

Join the Red Deer Legion today!

Only

$69.00 ne

per la

SUPE R DEAL !

Per lane price includes ONE HOUR BOWLING for up to 6 people, free use of bowling shoes!

FAMILY CELEBRATION from 4 pm to 1 am INCLUDES ... up to 6 people • One Hour Glow Bowling, shoes • One Pizza and Wings (18) • Great Music • Glow in the Dark Party Favors • Noise Makers & Hats

You Don’t have to be a Veteran to join and show your support.

Reserve Your Favorite Lanes for Your Group Today!

403-342-0035

7354967L14-30

Heritage Lanes #8 6200 67A Street Red Deer, Alberta www.heritagelanes.com

403-309-6387

7325509L30

Red Deer 2810 Bremner Ave.

SISTERS (14A) (COARSE LANGUAGE, SUBSTANCE ABUSE) CLOSED CAPTIONED, NO PASSES FRI 4:30, 7:30, 10:25; SAT-THURS 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, 10:25 POINT BREAK 3D (PG) (VIOLENCE) CLOSED CAPTIONED, NO PASSES FRI 4:50, 7:20, 10:05; SAT-THURS 2:00, 4:50, 7:20, 10:05 JOY (PG) CLOSED CAPTIONED, NO PASSES FRI 4:05, 7:00, 10:10; SATSUN, TUE-THURS 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:10; MON 1:10, 4:00, 7:10, 10:10 THE GOOD DINOSAUR (G) CLOSED CAPTIONED SAT-THURS 3:40 THE GOOD DINOSAUR 3D (G) CLOSED CAPTIONED SAT-THURS 1:10 CONCUSSION (PG) (MATURE SUBJECT MATTER, COARSE LANGUAGE) CLOSED CAPTIONED, NO PASSES FRI 6:50, 9:45; SATTHURS 12:20, 3:30, 6:50, 9:45 DADDY’S HOME (PG) (COARSE LANGUAGE) CLOSED CAPTIONED, NO PASSES FRI 5:20, 7:50, 10:15; SAT-THURS 12:10, 2:40, 5:20, 7:50, 10:15 DOCTOR WHO CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2015 (PG) MON 11:00

LIFESTYLE

D6

THURSDAY, DEC. 24, 2015

Adopted daughter cuts ties Dear Annie: My husband and I adopted our daughter from foster care when she was 12.

We were told by the social worker that she had mental health issues, but we already loved her and went through with the adoption.

The 10 years since have not KATHY MITCHELL been easy, but AND MARCY SUGAR we thought she ANNIE’S MAILBOX had grown to love us.

She is a smart, beautiful girl, and we never regretted adopting her. She was the light of our lives.

She is now in college in another town.

Last week, she called and said she is never coming back to our house and no longer wants to have anything to do

with us.

We have tried to talk to her, but she either doesn’t answer the phone or hangs up when we press for answers about what is wrong.

She is dating a young man who has expressed his dislike of us.

We have learned through other people that they are getting married and his family is paying for the whole thing.

We don’t know what to do.

When she learned that we knew about the wedding, she did call and say we could come if we wanted, but it seemed a half-hearted invitation.

I suspect if we had not been told by someone else about the wedding, she never would have told us herself.

Should we go to the wedding or not?

We do not know what kind of lies she may have told his family and are concerned it may be a problem.

We love her and want to see her get married. What should we do? — Brokenhearted Mother in Georgia Dear Georgia: Please go to the wedding.

Don’t worry what the groom’s par-

ents think.

Prove them wrong.

You need to be supportive of your daughter on her big day and let her see that you still love her enough to do this.

Don’t cry or become angry or try to get her to tell you what’s wrong. Simply be happy for her as best you can. And we always worry about relationships where the husband or wife prevents the spouse from seeing family members.

It could lead to an abusive situation.

Please keep your eyes open and make sure your daughter knows you will always be there for her.

Dear Annie: In a recent column, you mentioned people not feeling comfortable visiting a friend or relative in a nursing home.

I have been a patient in a nursing home while recovering from surgery and I also worked in one where I had dealings with visitors.

Most residents in these facilities like to have visitors no matter how long they stay — even if it is only a few minutes.

Any diversion from the regular routine is so welcome.

Just talking a bit does a world of good.

Other residents may join in, as they like to see a new face, too.

I know folks feel uneasy because they have a problem seeing friends or relatives in a poor medical state, but it can be dealt with.

Your visit can be the best medicine.

— Canaan, Connecticut Dear Canaan: Thanks so much for reminding readers how much short visit means to people in nursing homes. It can be a boost and a breath of fresh air, and your kindness means more than you will ever know.

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.

More sites give gift offerings a personal touch

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ATLANTA — There’s an emphasis on craftiness this holiday. But there’s no need to slave away with knitting needles or the glue gun. It’s easier than ever to give crafty gifts without lifting a finger — except for a few clicks of the mouse.

The $30 billion crafting market has been heating up since craft-selling site Etsy debuted as a public company in April. Etsy, Amazon, eBay and others are all stepping up their homemade offerings just in time for Christmas.

Shoppers say they like being able to give personalized gifts even if they don’t have the time — or talent — to invest making something themselves.

Here’s a look at what the sites have to offer.

ETSY Founded in 2005, Brooklyn-based Etsy sells everything from an $110,000 antique desk from the 1800s to a $20 handmade antler pendant, and everything in between. In 10 years it’s grown from a scrappy startup offering craftspeople a way to sell necklaces and needlepoint online to a marketplace of 54 million members that generated $1.93 billion in sales in 2014.

It allows some vendors to use pre-approved manufacturers, but generally things are handmade or small batch on the site. For the holidays this year, Etsy has a curated holiday gift guide on its site which highlights trends. And this year its working with delivery app

HOROSCOPES Thursday, Dec. 24 When in doubt, just keep calm and carry CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DATE: on!

Carmen Moore, 43; Ricky Martin, 43; StepheLIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Librans love nie Meyer, 41 the festive season because it combines your THOUGHT OF THE DAY: The stars fa- two passions — shopping and socializing. vour a fun and flexible approach to festive So it’s the perfect time to finalize last minute preparations. purchases and party to the max!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: ReSCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): sponsible and organized, you If you spend more than you can thrive on getting things done. comfortably afford this ChristFrom now until September 2016 mas, you’ll just end up with a is the time to study and/or travel. heap of New Year debt.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You don’t have to go overWhen it comes to Xmas prepaboard in order to have a good rations, everyone wants to be in time. charge so you’ll have to let othSAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22ers take over — for a change. If Dec. 21): Have you left most of you are working today, put your your Christmas shopping to the energy into completing projects. last minute — again?

TAURUS (April 20-May If you make a list and pace 20): A strategic, streamlined apyourself, then you’ll get the gifts JOANNE MADELINE proach is the key to successyou need without too many SagMOORE ful Christmas preparations. If ittarian dramas. you plan carefully and prioritize, CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. SUN SIGNS then you’ll get everything done 19): When choosing last-minute without too much unnecessary Christmas presents, look for gifts stress. that involve travel or adventure.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In typical It’s also a good idea to get as much of the fashion, have you still got a heap of Christ- food prep done as you can before tomorrow. mas shopping to do? It’s time for gung-ho AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Spend Geminis to look for gorgeous last-minute gifts some quiet time on your own today Aquarius, that are clever and creative. before the Christmas Day madness begins. If CANCER (June 21-July 22): Crabs are in you’re still busy buying presents, look for gifts the mood for some fabulous festive fun. You that stimulate the imagination. are also the keeper of the family flame, so be PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): With the proactive about gathering loved ones togeth- Moon in your domestic zone, you’ll feel right er over the next few days. at home on this festive Christmas Eve. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You love the fesWhen it comes to last minute gift shoptive shenanigans of Christmas celebrations. ping, look for presents that are fun and fesBut — if you are too extravagant when buying tive. presents for loved ones — then you’ll pay the price in the New Year.

Friday, Dec. 25 VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Avoid getting CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DATE: too serious and stressed Virgo.

Annie Lennox, 60; Justin Trudeau, 43; Sissy A cool and methodical approach is the Spacek, 65 best way to handle the ongoing Christmas THOUGHT OF THE DAY: There’s an celebrations. emotionally-charged Full Moon so try to keep

Losing TAKE THIS TEST: your dentures... your Are R Loose?

R In your pocket?

R Cracked or worn? teeth? grip? R Over 5 years old? RR Missing Sore gums?

Denture Specialist

David Fedechko DD

Gaetz Ave. Denture Clinic 403-358-5558 North of Value Village

Please Call Today For Your FREE Consultation.

7308198K20-L24

#140, 2325 - 50th Avenue Red Deer, AB T4R 1M7

Postmates for same-day delivery in New York. Etsy says so far this holiday season popular items include oversized knit throws and blanket scarves, as well as personalized gifts like monogrammed jewelry.

HANDMADE AT AMAZON Amazon in October debuted Handmade at Amazon, a site that highlights handmade crafts for sale to Amazon. com’s 285 million shoppers. The site includes about 10,000 sellers from more than 60 countries offering 200,000 items. All items sold on the site must be “factory-free” and not made by manufacturers. The Seattle-based retailer’s site carries everything from $30 walnut cufflinks from Australia to $325 handmade quilts from Wisconsin. The site also features a gift guide of gifts

under $100.

EBAY’S ARTISAN COLLECTIVE EBay in November launched a microsite that highlights handcrafted goods for sale on eBay. The site includes home decor, jewelry and fashion, health and beauty and other categories. It features about 20 small businesses like Milk and Honey luxuries, a Richmond, Va.-based company that makes hand-stamped silverware and other goods.

Over the Black Friday holiday shopping weekend, top sellers included an $18.99 set of four coasters made from nautical rope by Mystic Knotwork, a small Connecticut company that sells nautical knot-related goods a $28 knitted pom-pom hat and a $22 placemat and napkin set.

your cool.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: You are a restless soul and need constant challenges to keep you motivated and interested. Strive to be more settled mentally and physically in 2016.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your impulsive, impetuous side is activated by the Full Moon, as you step in and take charge of proceedings.

Perhaps it would be smarter to slow down and compromise this Christmas?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Choose your words wisely over Xmas dinner, as the Full Moon fires up your communication zone. If you’re not careful you’ll blurt out the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time!

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gregarious Geminis love the social side of Yuletide celebrations. Just make sure you’re pulling your weight — with preparations and cleaning up — otherwise you’ll be in the bad books tomorrow.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): There’s no getting away from intense family relationships, as the Full Moon stimulates your partnership zone. And don’t labour under the delusion that you can handle everything on your own.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Lively Lions are likely to overdo the Christmas cheer, especially eating and drinking. If you pace yourself, then you — and your digestive system — will enjoy the celebrations even more.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): If you expect others to be practical and punctual today, you’ll be sadly disappointed. There’s unpredictable Full Moon energy about, so drop the

strict schedule and take things as they come.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Tune into what a family member is thinking today Libra. With the Full Moon highlighting your home zone, you’re in the mood to have some major festive fun. But expect the unexpected!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You’ll need to be extra diplomatic if you want to avoid a fraction too much friction with relatives. Under the glare of the Full Moon, everyone ís patience is wearing thin, so tread carefully.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You’re in a terrifically festive mood, as you let your hair down and enjoy the Yuletide celebrations. But, if you eat and drink too much, you’ll be a grumpy Sagittarian tomorrow morning!

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Keep things in perspective this Christmas, Capricorn. As birthday great Quentin Crisp declared “Treat all disasters as if they were trivialities, but never treat a triviality as if it were a disaster.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Avoid being a reckless Aquarian this Christmas Day. The Full Moon increases your unpredictable side, so try to relax and calm down or you’ll be worn out before dinner is on the table!

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The Cancer Full Moon heightens intuition, creativity and compassion this Christmas Day. But it also encourages mega-emotional meltdowns so proceed with plenty of caution Pisces.

Joanne Madeline Moore is an internationally syndicated astrologer and columnist. Her column appears daily in the Advocate.

SCIENCE

D7

THURSDAY, DEC. 24, 2015

New uses for old technologies Canadians are ingenious, innovative if you will. rable energy to fossil fuels, and with new technology, Largely, we are subdued in our proclamations of any can be burned without producing CO2. As a further breakthroughs our research scientists, engineers, or bonus, the residue of combustion is “a nontoxic and entrepreneurs have discerned or develstable solid oxide” and is recyclable. Iron oped. Our lack of chest beating aside, aluminum, zirconium, and boron / alumiwe continually make strides in coming num are all candidates for this metal burnup with a new tack on old problems, new ing process. uses for old technologies.

The energy of ignition of these metals Case in point: a technology that was would be harnessed by external combusinvented in the Orient in the 12th cention engines as opposed to the familiar tury, one we enjoy watching in the night internal combustion engine in vehicles. sky on July 1 each year and some of us Memorable external combustion engines on other occasions, like New Year’s, is are the locomotives of old, like those that fireworks. Fireworks light the skies and ply the tracks at Heritage Park, or between entertain us, and this metal burning Stettler and Big Valley. power has been harnessed, most famousAn external combustion engine harvests ly in the solid fuel rocket boosters, found the heat, as in the case of a steam engine, LORNE on the American space shuttle. But what by the use of water which when turned to if this power could be harnessed for steam can drive turbines to generate elecOJA more mundane applications? tricity. Other avenues are also available for ENERGY Researchers at McGill University in exploiting this heat for useful work, would Montreal and the European Space Agenbe heat engines, using the, Stirling, Ericson cy are delving in to the development of or Brayton cycle. burning metal as a source of energy. The beauty of The selected metal powder would be stored in a using small metal particles with the consistency of tank and air directed though a venturi would pick “icing sugar or fine flour” is they burn with a compa- up the “fuel” at a controlled rate, for injection into

the combustor. This method is already used in many bulk facilities like those that handle cement, flour, or bentonite.

Once the metal is ignited, a fluid jacket would collect the heat for delivery to the turbine or heat engine. The clean nitrogen exhaust and the particulate residue are separated using cyclone technology for recycle.

Iron powder would likely form the most common type of metal fuel as it is already in widespread production around the world for chemical, electronic and metallurgical manufacturing. Wide spread use of the combustible material also gives us sustainability, as we have become very good at recycling scrap metals.

Someday we may be delivered from the issues with fossil fuels; someday we may have at our disposal numerous means of eco-friendly energy production that do not rely on limited resources. Now, if we could just control our population growth.

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.

Recent snow could save endangered Manitoba butterfly

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS WINNIPEG — Scientists are hoping Manitoba’s recent heavy snowfall could hold off what they feared might be the final blow to one of Canada’s most endangered animals.

Last week’s dump that left 19 centimetres of white stuff on the southern grasslands may have provided enough of a fluffy blanket for the poweshiek skipperling butterfly to get through the winter.

“That definitely alleviates some of the stress,” said Cary Hamel of the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

“That snow is one of the major reasons they can survive over our very harsh winters. Without it, we’re nervous.”

Skipperlings — an unassuming, orange-and-brown butterfly the size of a loonie — once fluttered widely over the tallgrass prairie of southern Manitoba and the central United States. It was so common that surveyors wouldn’t bother to count it as they tracked the fate of other butterflies.

Then, something happened.

“Since 2001, it’s just been blinking out at site after site after site,” said Hamel.

“Five, six, seven years later they still haven’t seen it. And in some of the sites where they’re hanging on, they’re only seeing one or two or three or 10.”

A survey this year found only about three dozen adult skipperlings in Manitoba, and not so very many more in the U.S.

What’s going on?

“We don’t know,” Hamel said.

“Lots of people are working on the sites where they’re still hanging on, trying to figure out what the commonalities are and what’s going on with the sites where they’ve disappeared.”

Despite its former abundance, little is known about the skipperling.

“We know that it only exists in high-quality native tallgrass prairie,” Hamel said. “We know it really likes black-eyed Susans.”

Scientists do know that skipperlings spend the winter as caterpillars, huddled among grass stems and leaf trash on the prairie floor. Snow is thought to be their only protection against cold temperatures and dry winds.

Hamel acknowledges experts may be wrong about the skipperling’s need for a blanket of white. But given how many other bugs survive the winter that way, it seems likely.

Until a few days ago, that blanket was thin and patchy. The lucky snowfall is a reminder of how precarious is the skipperling’s hold on life.

Skipperlings have been around a long time and have seen dry winters before. But Hamel said their low numbers and the distance between their sites have made them so vulnerable that one catastrophic event could wipe them out.

“If none make it through the winter, that’s it.

They’re gone from the site.

“Every one of these caterpillars counts now. And we need them all.”

Photo by ADVOCATE NEWS SERVICES

Scientists are hoping Manitoba’s recent heavy snowfall could hold off what they feared might be the final blow to one of Canada’s most endangered animals, the poweshiek skipperling butterfly.

Skipperlings aren’t the most dramatic or showy of butterfly species. They’re only around for a few weeks in the summer.

“From a distance, they don’t look like much. But when you do get close, they have some interesting white stripes on the outside of their wings. And they’re kind of fuzzy and almost a little bit cute.”

In addition to their other roles in the ecosystem, they’re important pollinators for prairie plants.

“They’re really amazing creatures that we’re just starting to understand,” Hamel said.

From Everyone at the

W

ishing you es peace, n o d e v lo r u o y and osperity r p d n a s s e in p health, hap ew Year in the coming N

y r r e M stmas i r Ch

UP TO

Wise customers read the fine print: *, 9, †, *, ◆, §, 5 The Be Your Own Santa Sales Event offers are limited time offers which apply to retail deliveries of selected new and unused models purchased from participating dealers on or after December 21, 2015. Offers subject to change and may be extended without notice. All pricing includes freight ($1,745) and excludes licence, insurance, registration, any dealer administration fees, other dealer charges and other applicable fees and taxes. Dealer order/trade may be necessary. Dealer may sell for less. *Consumer Cash Discounts are offered on select 2016 vehicles and are deducted from the negotiated price before taxes. 9Holiday Bonus Cash of up to $750 is available from December 21 - December 31, 2015, on most new 2016 Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and FIAT models excluding the following: 2016 Chrysler 200, Dodge Grand Caravan CVP, Journey CVP/SE Plus, Durango, Charger SRT Hellcat, Challenger SRT Hellcat, Viper and Jeep Grand Cherokee models. Bonus Cash will be deducted from the negotiated price after taxes. See your dealer for complete details. †0% purchase financing available on select new 2016 models to qualified customers on approved credit through RBC, Scotiabank and TD Auto Finance. Dealer order/trade may be necessary. Example: 2016 Jeep Cherokee Sport with a Purchase Price of $26,298 with a $0 down payment, financed at 0% for 60 months equals 130 bi-weekly payments of $202 with a cost of borrowing of $0 and a total obligation of $26,298. *3.99% purchase financing for up to 96 months available on the new 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan Canada Value Package/2016 Chrysler 200 LX (28A)/2016 Dodge Journey Canada Value Package models through RBC, Scotiabank and TD Auto Finance. Examples: 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan Canada Value Package/2016 Chrysler 200 LX (28A)/2016 Dodge Journey Canada Value Package with a Purchase Price of $21,998/$22,998/$19,998 (including applicable Consumer Cash Discounts) financed at 3.99% over 96 months with $0 down payment equals 208 bi-weekly payments of $124/$129/$112 with a cost of borrowing of $3,714/$3,883/$3,376 and a total obligation of $25,712/$26,881/$23,374. ◆3.49% purchase financing for up to 96 months available on select new 2016 models to qualified customers on approved credit through RBC, Scotiabank and TD Auto Finance. Dealer order/trade may be necessary. Example: 2016 Jeep Cherokee Sport with a Purchase Price of $26,298 with a $0 down payment, financed at 3.49% for 96 months equals 208 bi-weekly payments of $145 with a cost of borrowing of $3,859 and a total obligation of $30,157. §Starting from prices for vehicles shown include Consumer Cash Discounts and do not include upgrades (e.g. paint). Upgrades available for additional cost. 5Sub-prime financing available on approved credit. Finance example: 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan Canada Value Package with a purchase price of $21,998 financed at 6.99% over 60 months, equals 130 bi-weekly payments of $201 for a total obligation of $26,095. Some conditions apply. Down payment is required. See your dealer for complete details. TMThe SiriusXM logo is a registered trademark of SiriusXM Satellite Radio Inc. ®Jeep is a registered trademark of FCA US LLC used under licence by FCA Canada Inc.

D8 RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015

%

0 ON SELECT MODELS

+

HOLIDAY

BONUS

$

26,298

$

145

$

112

BI-WEEKLY≥

@

BI-WEEKLY◆

$

19,998

@

FOR 96 MONTHS WITH $0 DOWN

FINANCING

$

BI-WEEKLY≥

†

$

7,100

UP TO

IN TOTAL DISCOUNTS*

THAT’S AN EXTRA $250

ON MOST MODELS

SALES EVENT. CASH 9-DAY IT ALL ENDS DECEMBER 31!

DURING THE BE YOUR OWN SANTA

◊

2016 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN CANADA VALUE PACKAGE

$

21,998

$

124 @

BI-WEEKLY≥

$

22,998

129

@ PURCHASE PRICE INCLUDES $7,100 CONSUMER CASH* AND FREIGHT.

FINANCE FOR

%

3.99

FOR 96 MONTHS WITH $0 DOWN

Starting from price for 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT Plus shown: $30,940.§

2016 JEEP CHEROKEE SPORT

PURCHASE PRICE INCLUDES $500 HOLIDAY BONUS CASH◊ AND FREIGHT.

FINANCE FOR

3.49

%

FOR 96 MONTHS WITH $0 DOWN

Starting from price for 2016 Jeep Cherokee Limited shown: $34,540.§

2016 CHRYSLER 200 LX

PURCHASE PRICE INCLUDES $2,500 CONSUMER CASH* AND FREIGHT.

FINANCE FOR

3.99

%

FOR 96 MONTHS WITH $0 DOWN

Starting from price for 2016 Chrysler 200 C shown: $30,140.§

2016 DODGE JOURNEY CANADA VALUE PACKAGE

PURCHASE PRICE INCLUDES $2,000 CONSUMER CASH* AND FREIGHT.

FINANCE FOR

3.99

%

Starting from price for 2016 Dodge Journey Crossroad shown: $32,140.§

REBUILDING YOUR CREDIT? SUB-PRIME RATES FROM ONLY 6.99% OAC

chryslercanada.ca/offers ≈