The Community
Press
Babies of the Year winner Page 16
115 Years of Telling YOUR Story
Volume 115 Issue 34
www.thecommunitypress.com
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 s
Valley Ski Hill celebrates 75 years!
LESLIE CHOLOWSKY PHOTO
Roger and Betty Spady (facing the camera) and their extended family celebrated the Valley Ski Hillʼs 75 anniversary on Saturday, Feb. 25. In appreciation to the Spady family over the hillʼs long history, this year the board decided to rename the lodge to “Spadyʼs Day Lodge - est. 1947.” As one younger family member exclaimed Saturday, “Itʼs a great day to be a Spady,” and to celebrate the incredible facility that has endured through generations and challenges. See story P15.
New and updated driving rules in effect March 1 Leslie Cholowsky Editor
Many Alberta drivers were already aware that if an emergency vehicle with flashing lights was on their side of the highway, drivers were required to slow down to 60 km/hr while passing that vehicle. That’s not just police, either, it’s fire, ambulance, road maintenance workers, and tow trucks. If the lights are flashing, you need to slow to 60. Well, this rule is expanding, effective March 1, to those on both sides of the highway, if it is a single lane highway with traffic in both directions, like High-
way 13 or Highway 36. Effective today, drivers on both sides of the road need to slow down to 60 km/hr if they come across any emergency vehicles with flashing lights on a single lane highway such as those found throughout Flagstaff County. On multi-lane highways that are separated by a meridian or barrier, like the QEII or TransCanada Highways, all lanes travelling in the same direction now must slow down, where it used to be only the lane directly adjacent to the emergency vehicle. Both major tow companies operating in Flagstaff expressed concerns last summer that the region’s drivers did not
seem to be aware of the old regulations at all, and so both were pleased to hear that new regulations were coming into play to protect tow truck drivers and other emergency workers who have to respond to roadside incidents while they are parked with lights flashing. The Province responded to concerns expressed by all emergency vehicles and roadside workers and broadened the regulation even further this year. In addition, snowplows and highway maintenance vehicles stopped with lights flashing are now included in the legislation. Failing to slow to 60 km/hr can result in a ticket at double the regular fine.
If, on a 100 km/hr highway, you slow to just 75km/hr passing emergency vehicles, you could be fined between $163 and $252, and earn two demerit points. If you merely slow to 90 km/hr, your fine could be as much as $499. If you don’t slow at all, or speed past over 100 km/hr, you can expect to pay between $528 and $991 in fines.