19 minute read
Residents learn about possible costly move to provincial police
By Murray Green
Camrose residents learned that the cost of policing in Alberta will hit more than $1 billion if the province switches from RCMP to a provincial police force, according to the National Police Federation.
Currently, the province pays $595 million for RCMP enforcement. If the government votes in favour of a provincial force, that price will be $734 million if Model A is selected, and $759 million if Model B is picked. Residents learned the numbers at a open discussion at the Camrose branch of the Royal Canadian Legion on February 15.
However, that does not include between $366 million and $371.5 million in transition costs, additional $10 million in real estate costs, $46 million in increased equipment costs, and $119 million more in human resources costs. Those totals do not include training costs for new officers.
“Over the past year, the NPF has met with over 100 municipal leaders, conducted three rounds of public opinion research across Alberta (October 2020, April 2021 and November 2021) and met with stakeholders and Albertans at various community events and meetings. Throughout all this, one thing is clear: Albertans do not support a transition away from the Alberta RCMP, despite the heavy politicization,” said Jeff McGowan, Alberta director for the National Police Federation.
More than 85 per cent of Albertans want to keep the RCMP for policing, indicated the survey. Municipalities in the province are about 99 per cent in favour of keeping the RCMP.
“The RCMP is proud to be the police service of choice in Alberta since 1932. Albertans receive a combination of the highest standard of policing and significant cost savings due to the federal government funding 30 per cent of the annual cost. If the province moves to a provincial police force, they lose the 30 per cent federal funding across Alberta,” added McGowan.
“Rural policing is complex and situations evolve quickly, requiring officers to be fully trained for any possible event or issue in large areas, with few neighbourhoods and backup. A transition to a new police service creates real risk to ongoing and safety improvements, including proven successful crime reduction strategies in rural and remote communities,” said McGowan, about safety concerns.
The Alberta RCMP is also able to provide a number of additional support services at significant cost savings to the province, as about 74 per cent is funded
by the federal government.
“The scope of the Transition Study was not to engage directly with municipalities, citizens, specific communities, or Indigenous Peoples. The study recommends that further consultation should be conducted, and that significant study and analysis be completed to validate the proposal’s assumptions on organizational structure, service delivery model, deployment model and to further refine the cost projections,” said McGowan.
Not only would the cost of policing increase with a provincial police force, but the number of officers planned would be 110 less than the current number of officers, according to the government proposal.
“In addition to the loss of the annual 30 per cent federal contribution ($188 million), the Transition Study proposes one-time police transition costs over five to six years. Model A adds an additional $366 million and Model B adds an additional $371.5 million that will have to be borne by Alberta taxpayers. However, these transition costs can balloon quickly if delays in the transition occur,” explained Kevin Halwa, a Prairies/ North Region director with the National Police Federation. “Have you ever known for a government contract to come in less than what was budgeted? The costs will only go higher.”
In 2019, a report to the City of Red Deer on a proposed transition estimated it would take over four years to complete a transition, just for a single municipality.
“The City of Surrey, British Columbia, started its own police transition in
2020. Today, the transition is nowhere near completion, and more than two years delayed due to unexpected and unplanned hurdles and requirements. In addition, the transition costs from the RCMP to a municipal detachment have significantly increased over three years from $19 million to over $81 million and still growing,” shared Halwa.
The Alberta government only expects 15 per cent of RCMP members to switch to provincial police if the move is made. The study does not factor in the costs of training new officers.
The proposed transition will cost Albertans more than $185 million per year in federal contributions, plus more than $366 million in transition costs.
Lori Larsen, Camrose Booster
Alberta RCMP provide police services in several municipalities throughout the province.
Murray Green, Camrose Booster
Kinette Club of Camrose treasurer Holly McLennan presented Bailey Theatre president Barb Stroh with a donation of $650 from the Chase the Ace charity draw.
Healthier twists on food
By Lori Larsen
Eating healthier, which is wise in theory, but in order to make it stick, variety may very well be the “spice of life”.
In an effort to encourage adults and children alike to stick to the plan of healthy eating, the following are a few suggestions for taking a new approach to some old classics.
Take the average banana, for example. When serving this healthy snack choice for children, why not make it a bit more fun. Slice a lengthwise slit in the peel, roughly halfway into the fruit, to make a banana boat. Stuff some healthy choices, such as homemade granola, peanut or nut butter, dark chocolate chips into the banana (which is still inside the peel). Once it is stuffed, wrap the whole banana in tin foil, then put it into the oven at 350°F for about 10 to 12 minutes or until gooey in the middle. Unwrap from the foil, let cool, then pass out the spoons and indulge in a naturally caramelized banana.
Bananas can also make a healthy twist on the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Slice a banana in rounds (not too thick), then place some peanut butter and a slice of strawberry on one, then cover with another slice of banana.
Banana pancakes anyone? This healthy version of pancakes requires only two ingredients–bananas and eggs–and if you want them a little fluffier, add some baking powder. Mix the eggs and bananas into a thin batter, then fry in lowfat oil. Add some nuts for some protein and top with a dabble of honey and cinnamon or pure maple syrup.
Break broccoli or cauliflower into florets and place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with some extra light olive oil and herbs or garlic, then roast at 375°F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Turn once to brown on both sides. For a little extra pizzazz, add some light parmesan or mozzarella cheese on top for the last five minutes.
Cauliflower is the new go-to substitute. Instead of buffalo wings, try your hand at buffalo cauliflower. Roast the cauliflower as above and then add some of your favourite hot sauce.
Call on cauliflower again with gluten-free cauliflower pizza crust, and to make your pizza treat night even healthier, use do-it-yourself toppings, choosing vegetables, lowfat cheeses and homemade pizza sauce.
Love pasta, but don’t want the extra carbs? Try substituting your pasta with spaghetti squash. Just cut it in half, remove the seeds, bake in a 350°F oven for 25 minutes or so, remove from oven and using oven gloves, shred the inside of the squash with a fork to form spaghetti-type noodles. Add your favourite sauce and enjoy. You will be surprised at the little extra flavour the squash adds to the dish.
Keep your honeys healthier by opting for honey as a substitute for sugar. A dab of honey on oatmeal or cereal, or a bit in tea or coffee is just as tasty, and because honey is generally sweeter than sugar, you will require less. Like anything else though, use honey in moderation.
Try switching out your normal fries with homemade sweet potato fries. Just clean then thinly slice a sweet potato, add some no-sodium herbs and spices (cajun is a great choice), sprinkle with light olive oil and bake on a baking sheet in a 380°F oven for about 25 minutes. Serve with homemade greek yogurt ranch dip.
Try shopping the gluten free aisle, too. There are dozens of great choices for gluten-free products from baked goods to crackers and snacks.
Eating healthy does not have to equate to bland or tasteless. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Try healthier twists on foods and add flavour with natural herbs and spices. You will not only be happy with the taste results, but also with the numbers on your bathroom scale.
Spotify, Rogan, Young
Iconic Canadian rocker Neil Young’s row with Spotify has been dominating the headlines, foregrounding yet again the issue of the regulation of information and misinformation during the COVID pandemic; but it has also raised the question of the relationship between rock musicians and scientific truth. Young demanded that Spotify remove his catalogue
Alexander Carpenter, in protest over Spotify also Music, hosting the popular podcast,
University of Alberta The Joe Rogan Experience.
Augustana Campus Young and a growing list of artists claim that Rogan’s show has featured guests who promulgated misinformation about COVID.
This story has notable layers of irony, which have largely been ignored in the journalistic responses to this issue. Examining these layers shows how they contribute to the nuance and context of this all too relevant and evolving saga of artistic integrity, celebrity hubris, politics, corporate interests, and freedom of speech in the time of pandemic.
First, it is ironic that Young–a left-wing, anti-corporate rebel rocker of such unimpeachable integrity that he does not license his music for commercial use–is in bed with Spotify in the first place. Spotify is not only the world’s largest media streaming platform, but it is also a monster corporation with some sketchy shareholders, including Tencent, a giant Chinese media company that has recently been riddled with cases of embezzlement and corruption, and Morgan Stanley, the global financial management company that has been investigated numerous times for fraud since 2020.
Second, it is ironic that Young’s enduring popularity is predicated on his long-standing identity as a paragon of dissent, as a counter-culture icon minted in the gloriously liberal 1960s. In his dispute with Spotify and Rogan, however, Young seems to be serving as a mouthpiece for government and the edifice of science, as he understands and arbitrates it. Could one imagine a more ridiculous situation? Young–a product of the hippie, anti-authoritarian counter-culture movement–is not only assuring us that, as an aging rock musician, he fully recognizes and understands what constitutes legitimate science, but is also railing against people who disagree with the government, Big Pharma and Big Tech, and is demanding that Spotify limit the ability for people to air any such disagreements.
I am not arguing in support of what guests of Rogan’s podcast may have said about the COVID-19 vaccines, or about COVID-related policies and treatments. I am simply suggesting that it’s a strange new world in which we live, when we find Young not only proscribing who gets to speak, and about what, in the public square, but also asking us to look to him as the arbiter of scientific truth.
A final irony is that Young’s skirmish with Spotify spilled over into the realm of audio fidelity. Not only is Spotify spreading misinformation, said Young, but the audio quality is also poor. Spotify’s sound is “degraded and neutered,” grumbled the rocker, insisting that “if you support Spotify, you are destroying an art form.” Now, Young’s music is mostly grungy, clangorous and sloppily played. It is clearly not produced and recorded with an ear finely tuned to pristine audio fidelity–indeed, the rawness of the sound contributes to its putative authenticity. To accuse Spotify of “degrading” his recordings is pretty disingenuous. Musician, heal thyself.
As recently as 2017, Young was still advocating for a kind of rugged American individualism and celebrating the spirit of dissent in his music, singing, “Stand up for what you believe/Resist the powers that be.” What, then, should we make of the current nerdy, moralizing stance of rockers like Young and his cohorts, who now seem to maintain that rock no longer needs to give voice to individuals and noisily shake a fist at authority, but rather needs to be fussily streamed on acoustically pristine platforms, and must also somehow be carefully aligned with correct information?
Ultimately, this squabble touches on something much bigger: the question of how to balance freedom of expression and the public good in the time of a pandemic, and who is responsible for striking and maintaining this balance. Todd Luey
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MLA supports ending restrictions
By Jackie Lovely, MLA Camrose Constituency
During the week of February 21, the 87 MLAs who make up the legislature will be back in Edmonton. I’m looking forward to session as we will be able to continue fulfilling the campaign promises our United Conservative government was elected on.
Our first day back, which is February 22, starts with the throne speech and the budget will be tabled two days later.
However, there is some great news I want to share in our return to a pre-pandemic normal. The government plans to relax restrictions in a phased approach because there is still significant pressure on the healthcare system. It’s very important for us to make sure a hospital bed is available for anyone who needs one. In Step One, it was announced that the Restrictions Exemption Program is being eliminated. As Premier Jason Kenney said, it served its purpose, but is no longer useful. However, in this step, restrictions on closing times, alcohol service, table capacity in restaurants, and interactive activities remain in force. Also, facilities with capacity between 500 and 1,000 will be limited to 500, and facilities with capacity of 1,000 or more are limited to 50 per cent. Children age 12 and under no longer need to wear masks in any setting and face coverings are no longer required for children in schools. We all know how divisive an issue this has been for the entire world. If there is one message I would like to share, it is to be kind to each other. Everyone will move at a pace comfortable for them and their family, and that is just fine. Let’s be supportive of one another.
I was also glad to hold a virtual roundtable on the shortage of large animal rural veterinarians and how to address it going forward. This is especially a big issue in many Alberta rural communities. I was joined by University of Calgary students enrolled in its veterinarian medicine program, elected officials from our constituency, as well as a representative for the Labour and Immigration minister Tyler Shandro. I thought it was important for the attendees to have the ear of minister Shandro’s senior staff.
Here are some facts I learned when I brought forward Motion 524 in the legislature last year. There are approximately 864 vacant professional veterinary positions in Alberta with most of the shortage in rural Alberta. The vacancy rate for veterinarians is around 17 per cent, which is shockingly high when compared to the provincial vacancy rate of 2.6 per cent. The determinantal effect this has on existing vets is leading to increased cases of burnout.
One major issue is that the U of C’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine only accepts 50 new students each year. That is simply not enough, especially when we are experiencing such a shortage. Students will come from BC, for example, with the intention of working in their home provinces upon graduation. I will continue to work with students, veterinarians and our government to find meaningful solutions to this problem.
As always, if you have any concerns or comments, my office and I are always here for you.
You can contact Jackie Lovely, Camrose MLA, at Constituency Office, 104, 4870-51 Street, Camrose, AB T4V 1S1. Tel: 780-672-0000, camrose@assembly.ab.ca or at Legislature Office, 6th Floor, 9820-107 Street, Edmonton, AB T5K 1E7.
By Lori Larsen
During the February 7 City of Camrose Committee of Whole meeting, City deputy manager Kim Isaak presented a report to council regarding Camrose Fire Department’s (CFD) response to assist Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
According to the report, in 2021, CFD responded to 47 calls to assist EMS. The majority (33) of these were Code Red calls, which means that there was no ambulance available to immediately respond to the incident, and that an ambulance would be typically 25 minutes away.
Other calls for service consisted of eight resulting from patient lifts, and six for cardiac arrests.
Isaak reported that the average time for these calls was approximately 1 to 1.5 hours per call, and the costs in labour for these calls in 2021 was $9,771.
The total hours spent on these calls was 62, with an average of six firefighters per call, for a total of 375 paid hours.
Issak said that despite CFD experiencing an increase in calls to assist EMS, it has had minimal impact on the service relative to the amount of calls that other Municipal Fire Departments are being called out to assist.
Isaak added that the increase in response by fire departments to assist EMS is a growing concern across the Province to the point that Alberta Health Services (AHS) recently announced a comprehensive 10-point plan to address the concerns and to create capacity within the EMS system to ensure availability and safety for all Albertans.
A letter from the Senior EMS Leadership explained the plan and the 10 points, including the following. 1. EMS Hours of Work project which addresses fatigue management. 2. Transferring some non-emergency or low priority calls to other agencies such as the Poison and Drug Information Service (PADIS) (and are working to include Health Link 811) when appropriate, and in consultation with
EMS OLMC (Online Medical Control) physicians in dispatch. 3. EMS will no longer automatically send an ambulance to a motor vehicle collision where there are no injuries reported. 4. AHS EMS will continue hiring paramedics and will meet with training institutions to potentially expand training capacity. 5. Managing Non-Emergency Inter-Facility Transfers: Two pilot projects are underway in Calgary and the North
Zone where patients who do not need urgent medical care are transported from hospitals to appointments, or back to care homes and residences by means other than ambulances. 6. Creating a Calgary Integrated Operations Centre that will mirror Edmon-
ton’s IOC, which brings together paramedic leads, zone and hospital staff for improved integration between EMS and the hospital system to improve overall flow. 7. EMS will be implementing additional dispatching processes provincially (EMS Response Prioritization System and the Metro Response Plan), including prioritization to determine if an ambulance from out of area, though it may be closest to a 911 call, is most appropriate to respond. This will include adding an additional level of 911 call assessment to assist in sending EMS resources to the most urgent call which changes the way ambulances are assigned primarily in the Metro and Urban environments, and will assist with keeping resources in Suburban and Rural communities. This also includes delaying responses to low acuity or truly non-emergency calls when safe and appropriate to do so, in conjunction with OLMC physician advice and oversight. This will allow focus on prioritizing ambulances for those who have the greatest and most urgent medical need. 8. Preempting and diverting workflow which allows ambulances to be thoughtfully and safely preempted from assignments which are not critical and diverted to more urgent calls, instead of being automatically dispatched.
9. Developing a Provincial Service Plan at the request of Alberta Health, EMS is looking at all current services and will create a 5-10 year plan. 10.Creating an Inter-Facility Transfers pilot project that will assist in managing the volume of low acuity Inter-
Facility Transfers in one geographical area with dedicated transfer units, freeing up ambulances to handle primarily emergency calls.
City of Camrose Council noted that while the impact on the local fire service may not be as substantial to those in larger municipalities, there is still an impact on taxpayers and volunteers within the service. Council agreed that a letter be sent to the Alberta Municipalities that outlines the City’s data on this to assist them with their advocacy efforts to address the current state of Alberta’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
Isaak said, based on the information provided by CFD regarding the impact calls for emergency medical assistance and the AHS’s comprehensive plan to address concerns, City of Camrose administration also recommends continual monitoring of the situation.
Lori Larsen, Camrose Booster
