St. Albert Leader - Jan. 12, 2012 by St. Albert Leader

Photo: ROB LeLACHeUR, St. Albert Leader

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

St. Albert Protestant Schools

kindergarten INFORMATION EVENINGS, OPEN HOUSES and SCHOOL TOURS Elmer S. Gish School 75 Akins Drive 780-459-7766

HALF AND FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN*

Kindergarten Information Evening/Open House/ Cogito and Global Programs: Jan. 30, 6:00–8:00 p.m. School Tours: Call school for an appointment.

Keenooshayo School 40 Woodlands Road 780-459-3114

HALF AND FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN*

Open House: Feb. 2, 6:30 p.m.; School Tours: Call school for an appointment.

Leo Nickerson Elementary School/École Elémentaire Leo Nickerson 10 Sycamore Avenue 780-459-4426

When you register your children with St. Albert Protestant Schools, you’ll start them on a path of adventure, learning and creativity that will last a lifetime. Opportunities in academics, sports, fine and performing arts, community service projects, extracurricular activities and more await your children at our schools.

English, French Immersion and Logos Christian programs available. Kindergarten Information Evening/ Open House: Feb. 8, 6:30–8:00 p.m.; School Tours: Call school for an appointment.

École Muriel Martin School 110 Deer Ridge Drive 780-458-0205

English and French Immersion programs available. Kindergarten Information Evening: Feb. 2, 7:00 p.m. Kindergarten Orientation/School Tours: Call school for an appointment.

Choose from our English, French Immersion, Logos Christian Education or Cogito programming for your children – each program prepares students for Grade 1 and provides the foundation for success.

Robert Rundle School 50A Grosvenor Boulevard 780-459-4475

We also offer a variety of scheduling options for Kindergarten programs – choose the one that best suits your family’s lifestyle!

Ronald Harvey School 15 Langley Avenue 780-459-5541

Please join us for our open houses and school tours, or call your neighbourhood school to arrange a visit any time.

HALF-DAY KINDERGARTEN

HALF AND FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN*

Parent Information Evening: Jan. 31, 6:30 p.m. School Tours: Call school for an appointment.

HALF AND FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN*

Kindergarten Parent Information Evening: Feb. 1, 7:00 p.m. School Tours: Call school for an appointment.

Sir Alexander Mackenzie School 61 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue 780-459-4467

Kindergarten Information Session: Feb. 1, 6:00–7:00 p.m. (Library) School Tours: Call school for an appointment.

Wild Rose School 58 Grenfell Avenue 780-460-3737

Kindergarten Information Evening/Open House: Feb. 1, 6:30–7:30 p.m. School Tours: Call school for an appointment. Please note: As Alberta Education funds only the regular program, families must pay extra for the full-day every-day option.

District Administration Office 60 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue

780-460-3712 www.spschools.org

HALF AND FULL-DAY ENGLISH, FRENCH IMMERSION & LOGOS KINDERGARTEN*

*pending sufficient registrations

HALF-DAY KINDERGARTEN

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

Lead the

INDEX News . . . . . . . . . 3 Opinion . . . . . . . . 10 Entertainment . . . . . 15 Health . . . . . . . 18 Lifestyle . . . . . . . 20 Homes . . . . . . . 23 Business . . . . . . 24 stalbertjobs.com . . . .27

COVER

The past and the present of St. Albert’s Little White School come together in this photo inspired by the blog Dear Photograph, and will again at the AHF’s second Heritage Dinner on Jan. 20. See story, page 15.

FUN WITH NUMBERS

30,000 That’s how many French women have been advised to have their PIP breast implants removed after an official report said they were more prone to rupturing than standard implants. See story, page 19.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY JAN. 12, 1995

Toronto-born rock superstar Neil Young is inducted into the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, alongside the Allman Brothers Band, Janis Joplin and Frank Zappa.

Hard work highlights mayor’s year GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

In a year that saw — among other things — the implementation of a new solid waste system, a vigorous debate over a coffee kiosk, the firing of a longtime city manager and the celebration of St. Albert’s 150th anniversary, what stands out the most in Mayor Nolan Crouse’s mind from 2011 has nothing to do with any of that. In an interview with the St. Albert Leader on Tuesday, the mayor said that, rather than any one specific event, his highlight from 2011 was the way councillors came together in their first year of working as a team. “It’s hard work in that first year,” he said, “and making sure you’ve got those priorities communicated in the community and within the corporation. It’s hard to call it a highlight, but it’s important to make sure that happens. It’s hard work, especially in the first six, seven, eight months as a mayor who to provide that leadership.” This is Crouse’s third term on city council and second as mayor, and while he raved about how well those councils have worked together in the past, he said the issues and discussions this council is dealing with are a bit different. “I felt this council had to be very cerebral and had to think and had to understand,” he said. “Some of the motions that were being introduced were very complicated ... This is going to have to be a thinking council.” One of those discussions was that around the firing of former city manager Bill Holtby, a decision that Crouse said he has no regrets and no second thoughts about. “The decision for Bill wasn’t necessarily one single moment; it was a one-year evaluation by council. Council made the

Photo: GLENN COOK, St. Albert Leader

While St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse was pleased with how the city’s 150th anniversary celebrations went in 2011, he is looking ahead to the new year. decision; you vote, you move on,” he said. “The organization expressed concern over that for a while, as did the community, but we quickly moved forward. I think what’s important is the forwardlooking; the backward-looking, in that situation, doesn’t have much value.” While the City of St. Albert is in the midst of hiring a new city manager, another key hire is underway for the position of general manager of the

new economic development department. Crouse said that, between the two positions, there are a few very specific things he’d like to see accomplished. “The toughest challenge the city manager and the economic development manager are going to face is the willing landowner list that is prepared to develop in the community,” he said. “If you don’t have a willing landowner, then you don’t have economic

development. That’s going to be number one. “The new city manager, if it’s an external [candidate], is going to have to build relationships in the community and within the corporation. If it’s an external manager coming in, that’s going to take the better part of the remainder of 2012.” “The city manager is going to have to learn what council’s priorities are and go forward on those five to 10 priorities,” Crouse added. And he, as mayor, is committed to doing whatever he can to further the economic development cause as well. “[I can] help create an environment where the landowner becomes willing because they’re in the right environment,” he said. “We have an obligation as mayor and council to make sure the environment is right for the PJSJs, the Melcors or the Beaverbrooks to be able to develop in the community knowing there is the political will to help them.” In 2011, when Crouse needed a little levity, there were plenty of distractions with the events surrounding the city’s 150th anniversary. He said that he was very pleased with how all the festivities played out. “I think what we tried to do was make sure we celebrated 150 years, as well as make sure youth got educated about our past ... we did lots of stuff, and I’m happy we did it,” he said. But he may be even more pleased that many of the events being taken over by community groups and carried forward into the future. “The soapbox derby, if it can grow, if the picnic can grow and Family Day can grow, that’s a good legacy. That’s a legacy of building the spirit of the community, so I’m happy about that,” Crouse said.

Celebrate the history and culture of St. Albert! For information, or for tickets please contact Arts & Heritage: p. 780.459.1194 e. oﬃce@artsheritage.ca www.museeheritage.com

Join us on Friday, January 20th for the 2nd annual

HERITAGE DINNER

The evening includes cocktails, a catered dinner and a glimpse into St. Albert’s past. Funds throughout the evening support the restoration of the Little White School.

Image of Little White School in 1949, Grey Nun’s Archives, Souers Grises de Montréal, L016-Y1-p23A.

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

CITY CITYlights www.stalbert.ca | 780-459-1500

YOUr COUNCIL

LIKE | FOLLOW | CONNECT

ST. ALBERT - PROUD HOST CITY

/cityofstalbert

WASTE COLLECTION

NEXT COUNCIL MEETING

Call for Nominations Community Recognition Program

CHrISTMAS TrEE COLLECTION

Agenda Highlights

Recognize outstanding achievements in the areas of Arts and Culture, Citizenship, Professional Achievement, Sports, and Business.

Until January 20th, place your Christmas tree on the curb on your regular waste collection day or bring the tree to the Compost Depot on Villeneuve Road during regular hours.

Monday, January 16 | 3 p.m. Council Chambers, St. Albert Place 5 St. Anne Street. • Hemingway Centre Usage Discussion/ Direction • Northwest LRT Functional Alignment Study – Grant Funding Application • Strategic Direction for LRT • Encroachments – Impacts on Public Property • Bylaw 37/2011 – Erin Ridge North Stage 5 Redistricting • Council Motions ○ Founder’s Day Policy ○ Amendment to Pineview II/Kingswood ASP ○ Fund Special Olympics Legacy Program from Public Art Reserve You can address Council on these or any other issues. Public appointments are heard at the beginning and end of each Council meeting. Call 780-459-1500 to register. Council meetings are televised on SHAW TV Channel 10 from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., webcast live and archived: www.stalbert.ca

www.stalbert2012.ca facebook.com/stalbert2012

FArE INCrEASE w:

stalbert.ca/transit p: 780-418-6060 Transit fares are increasing effective February 1, 2012. All February passes sold in January will be sold at the new price. For a list of new fares, visit www.ridestat.ca.

Nomination deadline: February 15, 2012 Details and nomination forms at: stalbert.ca/community-recognitionprogram or at Community and Protective Services, St. Albert Place, 5 St. Anne Street. Call Anna Royer at 780-459-1504.

rEADY SET GO /StA_Recreation /StARecreation

HAVE YOUr SAY!

FOUNTAIN PArK rECrEATION CENTrE

HANDIBUS rEVIEW PHASE 2

Tables, Tumbles and Tadpoles Pre-School Program Open House

St. Albert Transit’s Handibus Review is entering Phase 2. Attend the Open House to discuss potential changes to the current Handibus Program

stalbert.ca/fountain-parkrecreation-centre p: 780-459-1553

For children going into kindergarten in fall 2014.

StAT

Honour past and present residents who have enhanced the quality of life or the image of the community.

Learn more about the pre-school program at an open house, January 17 or 24 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Program offers: pre-school classroom activities, active play in Frolic’s Adventure Centre as well as fun time in the pool and swimming lessons.

red Cross Babysitting Course Saturday, January 21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Learn how to care for babies to school age children in a safe and positive environment. Register today.

stalbert.ca/handibus-consultation p: 780-418-6060

stalbert.ca/winterwaste

TAKE NOTICE SIDEWALK SAND AVAILABLE w: stalbert.ca/public-works p: 780-459-1557

Icy sidewalks? Sidewalk sand is available at the Recycle Depot on 7 Chevigny Street and in the parking lots at the following five rinks: Alpine, Willoughby, Gatewood, Flagstone and Larose.

seniors day presented by:

(3rd thursday of the month)

January 25, 2012 4 to 5:30 p.m. or 6:30 to 8 p.m. Progress Hall, Arden Theatre, 5 St. Anne Street (Use Arden Theatre doors) For more information, visit: stalbert.ca/handibus-consultation or to make travel arrangements, call Dawn Fedorvich at 780-418-6060.

Join us for a workout in the fitness centre, a walk on the track, or a class in the pool or fitness studio. Then come and enjoy snacks and refreshments on the second floor concourse from 10:30 am to noon.

January 19 Drop-in admission rates or membership fees apply. Please call 780-418-6088 for class times.

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

CITYlights www.stalbert.ca | 780-459-1500

LIKE | FOLLOW | CONNECT

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BYLAWS 1/2012, 2/2012 & 3/2012 MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012 – 5 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS, ST. ALBERT PLACE

Public Hearings have been scheduled for Bylaws 1/2012, 2/2012 and 3/2012.

Bylaw 1/2012, being a bylaw to establish the Timberlea Area Structure Plan (ASP), will, upon enactment, repeal existing Bylaw 26/2005, and will guide development of the lands in the Timberlea neighbourhood. Since adoption of the original ASP in 2005 a number of policy and land base changes have occurred in the Timberlea neighbourhood, including: • Adoption of the Designated Flood Line as Schedule G of Land Use Bylaw 9/2005 • Registration of lands located below the Designated Flood Line as Environmental Reserve • Designation and registration of the Grey Nuns White Spruce Park • Completion of Ray Gibbon Drive and associated arterial, collector and local road changes, realignments and closures • Changes to the City boundary due to the 2007 Annexation • Updating of road names including Ray Gibbon Drive from West Regional Road • Clarification of Municipal and Environmental Reserve • Completion of the St. Albert Heritage Site Functional Plan (2010) • Completion of Guidelines for the Protection of Natural Areas in the Timberlea Neighbourhood (2007)

Bylaw 2/2012 is a bylaw to amend Timberlea Area Structure Plan Bylaw 1/2012. The applicant is requesting an amendment to the ASP to accommodate changes to land uses, servicing concepts and the relocation of a stormwater management facility within those lands in the Timberlea Neighbourhood owned by Reid Worldwide Corporation, as shown in the sketch on this page.

Bylaw 3/2012, being Amendment 84 to Land Use Bylaw 9/2005, is a bylaw to redistrict River Lot 21; Plan St Alber (or St. Albert Settlement Plan); River Lot 22; Plan St Alber (or St. Albert Settlement Plan), and RLY; 9201S, municipally known as 23 Genstar Annex; 24 Genstar Annex and 100 Meadowview Drive respectively, from multiple land use districts to Low Density Residential (R1); Medium Density Residential (R3A), and Public Park (P) Land Use Districts, as shown in the sketch on this page, to accommodate the redesign of the residential neighbourhood and relocation of the stormwater management facility.

A copy of this notice has been provided to the assessed property owner and property owners within a 100m radius of all lands as described above.

Details of the proposals may be obtained by phoning the Planning Department at 780-459-1642. A copy of the proposed Bylaws may be examined between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. weekdays at the Legislative Services Department (3rd Floor), St. Albert Place, St. Albert.

Speaking to City Council If you wish to speak to City Council, please phone Legislative Services (780-459-1500) before 12:00 noon on Monday, January 23, 2012. You may also be heard by City Council by responding when the Chair of the Hearings calls upon any person present to speak in favour of or in opposition to the proposed bylaws. Written Submissions If you prefer to write to City Council, send your written comments to the Legislative Officer, City of St. Albert, 5 St. Anne Street, St. Albert, Alberta, T8N 3Z9, or e-mail hearings@st-albert.net before 12:00 noon, Tuesday, January 17, 2012. All written submissions received before the deadline will be available for public viewing at the Public Hearings and at the Legislative Services Office. Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act If you submit comments on these bylaws, either orally or in writing, the information you provide may be recorded in the minutes of the Public Hearings, or otherwise made public, subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. DATES OF PUBLIC NOTICE:

January 5 and 12, 2012 – St. Albert Leader January 7 and 14, 2012 – St. Albert Gazette

/cityofstalbert

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

Bunz facing DUI Outside funding in for overhaul

GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

He’s more used to protecting the net, but Tyler Bunz will now have to protect his reputation against impaired driving charges. The St. Albert native, who is the starting goalie for the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers and a draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers, is facing a pair of drunk driving charges in his hometown stemming from an incident in May, according to the Medicine Hat News. Bunz has entered a not guilty plea and has a trial scheduled for Monday, March 5, in St. Albert provincial court. Tigers general manager Bob McEwen told the News that the club would not comment on the matter.

the policy. “What has been added is a consultation process with the Community Services Advisory Board. They’re not The way outside agencies come to ask going to be recommending dollar figures; for money from St. Albert city council they’re just going to be giving a stamp of could change drastically come next year’s approval on whether this agency requires budget deliberations. support or not.” Councillors got their first official Each outside agency request for new look at a draft policy funding would have to on funding outside be submitted to the city agencies at their manager by Sept. 1 in Standing Committee the form of a business on Finance (SCF) case, just as City of St. meeting Monday Albert departments afternoon, referring submit each year, with Chris Jardine the document to the defined program and Acting city manager Community Services financial information. Advisory Board “The objective [of (CSAB) to get feedback by March 1. submitting a business case] is that it’s well Under the proposed policy, the city thought out, and they can demonstrate manager would establish a “funding a capacity to actually undertake the allowance” in each year’s budget, out of project,” acting city manager Chris which both pre-committed funds and new Jardine said. “It puts them through a little requests may be drawn. bit of a wringer so they actually provide Council followed a similar process that information.” during 2012 budget deliberations, and The business cases would then be many councillors felt it worked well. reviewed by the CSAB based on criteria “The slush fund worked, so I think contained in the policy — examples that’s been incorporated into this include evidence of fundraising, merit, [policy],” said Coun. Cathy Heron, priority and existing support — and the SCF chair and the main proponent of board would make a recommendation to

GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

“It puts them through a little bit of a wringer.”

council by Nov. 1. The proposed policy includes neither the St. Albert Public Library nor the Arts and Heritage Foundation, as both are considered arm’s-length operations of the City itself. Their funding requests would be handled by council directly. “The approach we took was that the AHF and the library are basically extended arms of the City,” Jardine said. “We have the ability to apply some influence over that. ... All the other organizations that come and ask for funds, they’re not even arm’s-length. They’re completely [separate].” Currently, the City does not have a policy on the process or criteria for the funding of outside agencies. Some of these agencies have their requests included in the base budget each year, while others must come before council during budget deliberations each year to make their case. In the 2012 budget, agencies receiving funding either directly from the City or through the Family and Community Support Services department included the St. Albert Youth and Community Centre, the Community Information and Volunteer Centre, the Stop Abuse in Families (SAIF) Society, StArts Fest and Spirit of St. Albert.

Did you know that you can pay for your annual membership in 12 monthly installments? Call 780.418.6088 or go to servusplace.ca for more information.

like us: facebook.com/StaServusPlace

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012 ADVERTISEMENT

LOCAL EDMONTON AREA DEALER AGREES TO SELL OFF SURPLUS FLEET VEHICLES FOR THE MANUFACTURER “ALBERTA REGIONAL FLEET SURPLUS CLEARING HOUSE”

Feel the good vibes

Photo: andrew Macleod, Special to the leader

Janice Eglinski gets a helping hand from instructor Erik Hanzen during a free Akhanda Yoga class as part of the Water Garden Spa’s open house Saturday at the Enjoy Centre.

Council eyes more webcasting GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

With regular council meetings now being streamed over the Internet, the City of St. Albert may look to take another technological leap in the near future. During a Standing Committee on Finance meeting Monday afternoon, councillors received a report from City staff on the possibility of streaming meetings of that committee and outfitting the East Boardroom on the third floor of St. Albert Place for that purpose. “Right now we are in the process of getting quotes for running cables from here to [the production suite in St. Albert Place], and we are also in the process of getting quotes for equipment,” said Maya Pungur-Buick, director of corporate communications. There is $25,000 in the 2012 municipal operating budget set aside to cover the cost of outfitting the boardroom for web streaming. Pungur-Buick said that the project would likely involve the installation of two cameras and an interface to allow the broadcast of presentations on the projector. A central microphone — rather than individual microphones at each seat — was also proposed. However, some councillors wondered aloud about the usefulness of such a microphone, noting that the acoustics in the East Boardroom are not ideal and that they’ve had complaints from members of the public who have attended meetings that some speakers are inaudible. “If we’re not going to improve the quality of sound in this room through this

project, then I wonder if we’re missing an opportunity,” said Coun. Wes Brodhead. Guy Boston, general manager of planning and engineering, said the architecture of the boardroom is part of the problem. “There’s this big bulkhead that breaks up the sound and bounces it around the room,” he said. “The other [problem] is the mechanical noise, the light noise.” Pungur-Buick said that fixed microphones would not be feasible, as the East Boardroom is a multipurpose room, but speakers could be added to the room to improve the acoustics, and her staff would look at whether that could be done under the existing budget. The project would involve running cables from the boardroom to the production suite currently located next to council chambers, which is used both for streaming council meetings and for broadcasting them on Shaw TV. Coun. Cam MacKay questioned why Standing Committee on Finance meetings are not held in council chambers, where the web streaming hardware is already set up. “Standing Committee on Finance, the protocol around it is a little softer, and in council chambers, there’s a perception of a higher level of procedure,” said acting city manager Chris Jardine. “The desire was that we didn’t want to lose what we had in terms of those Committee of the Whole type of discussions.” Other councillors felt that the equipment could be used by other committees to stream their public meetings. Once the parameters for web streaming are set out, it would be another three to four months before committee meetings can be seen online.

Edmonton, AB – St. Albert Dodge, an Alberta licensed new car auto dealer, located in St. Albert AB, will be selling off 237 brand new Chrysler Factory Vehicles regardless of loss or profit. “We have accepted truck loads of new factory Chrysler, Dodge & Jeep vehicles and we will be disposing of them immediately. These vehicles will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Management is asking us to dispose of this excess inventory by any means possible and that means we are going to be selling these vehicles at drastically reduced prices. Savings will be as high as $16,000 off the MSRP,” says Manager Keith Guilbault of St. Albert Dodge. St. Albert Dodge will be the “Alberta Clearing House” for these brand new factory vehicles. Many of these vehicles are white, but there is still some limited colour selection available. All of these vehicles will be available with tremendous savings that are being supported by special rebate and discount programs that Chrysler Canada has authorized St. Albert Dodge to offer in order to sell off those excess units. Consumers will be offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to save thousands of dollars on a new vehicle that was originally intended for fleet use. INDUSTRY SHATTERING SAVINGS This unprecedented event to give the public access to such a large amount of brand new leftover new vehicle inventory should result in these vehicles being sold in a matter of days. This is a bargain hunter’s dream come true! LIBERAL CREDIT TERMS Over 5 million dollars in automotive finance credit will be available through several different financial institutions. Finance representatives will be on site to make immediate loan decisions. All credit applications will be accepted for this factory leftover vehicle sell-off. HIGH TRADE-IN VALUES Top dollar will be paid for any trade during this factory vehicle sell-off. Customers are urged to bring in their current payment or lease book if available, title and valid driver’s license and St. Albert Dodge will pay off any trade no matter how much is owed, OAC. Purchase one of these factory leftover vehicles and you will take advantage of low APR factory financing that will enable you to overcome a negative equity position in your trade. This is a perfect opportunity for somebody to come in and drive home a brand new Chrysler/Dodge/ Jeep vehicle that is covered by the original factory warranty with a 5 year/100,000km Powertrain warranty. AVAILABLE SURPLUS MODELS: Grand Caravan • 300 • Dakota • Ram Trucks • Liberty • Grand Cherokee • Journey • Nitro • Charger • Wranglers A special toll free hotline has been set up to accept calls for this one time only event. CALL FOR BEST SELECTION & AREA DIRECTIONS:

1.877.570.8784

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

Rathgeber hears biz concerns loud and clear of viewpoints. “I think he heard all sides of what we needed, from small businesses to larger Edmonton-St. Albert Conservative MP businesses,” Zoltenko said. “What happens Brent Rathgeber was all ears on Friday in Alberta affects the whole Canadian morning. economy, and I think sometimes the rest That’s when Rathgeber met with of Canadians don’t understand the impact members of the St. Albert Chamber of what goes on in Alberta.” of Commerce as part of pre-budget One major point that came up was consultations that could help shape the support for the Northern Gateway federal government’s pipeline, a project fiscal plan for 2012. being undertaken This was the third by Enbridge to ship year Rathgeber had 525,000 barrels of held such a meeting oil per day from with the local business Bruderheim, Alta., to community, and he Kitimat, B.C. Charlene Zoltenko said it’s very important “It keeps people Chamber chair to hear what they have employed in Alberta,” to say. Zoltenko said. “And “The reality is that the business if people are employed in Alberta, they community, the private sector, the spend money and they stay where they entrepreneurs — businesses small, are.” medium and large — don’t [often] come Rathgeber said that point was a bit of a into contact with my office,” he said. surprise to hear come up. About a dozen local businesspeople “There’s a perception that some of our joined Rathgeber for the meeting, markets in the U.S. may be closing either including those representing retail, real for political reasons or economic reasons,” estate development and the Northern he said. “If their economy recesses and Alberta Business Incubator. they can’t afford to buy our oil, there Chamber chair Charlene Zoltenko said seems to be some feeling — in this room, it was a “great” meeting with a wide range anyway — that it’s important we open up

GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

“[It’s] hearing the voice of the average business in Alberta.”

Photo: GLENN COOK, St. Albert Leader

Edmonton-St. Albert MP Brent Rathgeber talks with members of the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce Friday.

Asian markets, and the Gateway pipeline will create jobs in northern Alberta.” Overall, the MP felt the consensus among the group was that the federal government needs to get its financial house in order — although he conceded that sentiment might be different in Eastern Canada, where the economy may be lagging behind somewhat. “If you talk to a business group in Alberta versus a business group in Atlantic Canada, the message to reduce government spending is going to invariably be heard stronger in this [province],” he said. The results of the meeting with the Chamber will be included in a memo to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty that is due by the end of January. “The finance minister invites and the prime minister’s office strongly encourages us to have these types of roundtables,” Rathgeber said. Meanwhile, even if no specific points brought up Friday make it into the Conservatives’ budget, Zoltenko was just grateful the Chamber had a chance to make its voice heard. “[It’s] just hearing the viewpoints of the average business in Alberta, not just big business, and getting them across to government in general,” she said.

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2012 BMW X1 xDrive28i shown.

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Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

OPINION

iStAlbert

Risk, reward on pipeline

Here’s what people are saying about #StAlbert on Twitter:

@SAIFSociety thank you to St. Albert FCSS for funding our youth education prevention programs for 2012 #stalbert, #nonprofit

ithout risk, it is often said, there is no reward. And there are plenty of risks associated with the Northern Gateway pipeline being proposed by Enbridge. Could it be, though, that the possible rewards are worth those risks? The Northern Gateway project by Glenn Cook is a proposed 1,177-kilometre pipeline from Bruderheim, Alta., just northeast of Edmonton, to Kitimat, B.C. An estimated 525,000 barrels of oil would travel west through the pipe each day, while 193,000 barrels of condensate — a material used to thin petroleum products for pipeline transport — would flow in the opposite direction. With hearings beginning this week and the process already having been extended by a year to ensure all of the 4,000-plus people who have applied to make an oral statement can be heard, it’s safe to say we’ll be hearing a lot about the risks of this project in the next while. Those risks include the opposition of many First Nations communities along the route; the potential for the pipe to fail and cause dangerous spills; and even the hazards of shipping oil by sea. Some have even questioned the selection of Kitimat as a port, given the navigational risks of even docking a boat there. Despite those risks, business leaders are supportive of the pipeline, including those right here in St. Albert. When Edmonton-St. Albert Conservative MP Brent Rathgeber met with the local Chamber of Commerce last week in advance of the upcoming federal budget, the importance of the Northern Gateway pipeline was one thing he heard loud and clear. The main reason businesspeople cite is the number of jobs it will create here in Alberta. Whether they are in the actual extraction of the oil or the refinement, more jobs for Albertans are always a good thing. They also talk of opening up the lucrative Asian market for our oil, making us less reliant on the sometimesfickle United States. It’s too bad that, for the most part, environmentalism and economics are always at odds with each other. In this case, though, it will be up to Enbridge and the hearing panel to strike a balance between the two, as well as between risk and reward.

@craigpilgrim To the #stalbert teens passing the Mary Jane in the No. 32 Caddy, plate HXA ___: if I can smell it as I drive behind, your folks will too!

EDITORIAL

@edmsymphony This Sunday we perform in #stalbert at @theardentheatre for the first time in 27 years!

@SirThinks @GrandinBakery Instead of taking away my kids’ peanut putter, tell your allergic kids not to eat it. #yeg #stalbert

Compiled by Swift Media Group swiftmedia.ca • @Swift_Media

New year brings new federal challenges

anada enters 2012 in a truly advantageous position. With a strong economy, comparatively low debt and unemployment rates, Canada is the envy of the industrialized world. However, challenges remain, and if Canada is to retain its economic advantage and quality of life, certain significant challenges must be addressed quickly. Firstly, Ottawa must get its spending and debt under control. 2011 saw the end of the $2-per-vote political subsidy and the near-end of the ineffective Long Gun Registry. Eliminating unnecessary programs and services is relatively easy. But, if we are to find our way back to balanced budgets, we must seriously examine the cost of providing necessary services. Inevitably,

Brent

RATHGEBER Conservative MP My City that examination will focus on the federal government’s own human resources. Canada can simply not sustain a public sector whose growth outpaces every other financial category in size and compensation. From 1999 to 2009, the Canadian population grew by 11 per cent, but the federal government’s civilian workforce bloated by 35 per cent. More troubling, public sector compensation grew by 59 per cent compared to 30 per cent in the private sector. The International Monetary Fund is warning Canada to reduce government expenditures from

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43 to 38 per cent of GDP within a decade in order to avoid unsustainable debt levels. In addition to reducing the overall size of government, Canada must also address the unacceptable situation that is facing many of our First Nations. Attawapiskat joins Davis Inlet and other tragedies as compelling proof that the Indian Act has outlived its purpose. Sadly, the paternalistic strategy has resulted in generations of victimization and abject poverty while many aboriginal leaders enjoy wealth. We cannot continue to dump billions of dollars into a system with little accountability and disastrous results. I am not certain what the solution is, but the status quo is not an option. Similarly, Canadians must seriously look at many of their social safety net mechanisms

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given their increased cost and ultimate unaffordability. No program is more troubling than our system of Employment Insurance. In Western Canada, employers cannot fill tens of thousands of high-paying jobs and are often forced to seek expensive Temporary Foreign Workers. Elsewhere, thousands collect Employment Insurance, many for parts of every year. Canadians must abandon these cultures of victimhood and entitlement and opt for empowerment, self-sufficiency and independence if we are to truly reach our potential as individuals and as a nation. Although most political attention will be focused on a spring election in Alberta and a fall election in the U.S., this year will also prove eventful federally. Owned and operated by

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Auxiliary honours

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Staff Sgt. Terry Kohlhauser (left), acting detachment commander of the St. Albert RCMP, presents Auxiliary Const. Andy Simmons with a plaque commemorating 15 years of service. Simmons has logged nearly 4,000 hours of volunteer service since 1996.

RCMP kept busy over holidays GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

It seems the holiday season wasn’t so festive for some St. Albert residents as they dealt with incidents of vandalism, break-ins and theft. The first, according to St. Albert RCMP, occurred sometime between 10 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15, and 8 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 16, when someone broke into a detached residential garage on Sturgeon Road by prying open the side door. Once inside, the culprits rummaged through a freezer, a vehicle and a garage. They made off with about $500 worth of frozen food and $1,000 of Christmas gifts, including electronics and clothing, that were being stored in the garage. Then, at about 3:40 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 23, the Mac’s convenience store at 35 Giroux Rd. was robbed by a group of men wielding a baseball bat. According to RCMP, the clerk in the store at the time was confronted by five male suspects all dressed in hoodies — two

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red, two white and one black with letters across the back — sunglasses and masks. One of them carried the bat, which was used to threaten the clerk and break a store window. The suspects made off with an undisclosed amount of cash and cigarettes, as well as several bags of chips and snacks from the store aisles. They left the store on foot, heading west down Giroux Road. Although RCMP called in a police dog, they were unsuccessful in tracking any of the suspects down. The last incident occurred sometime between Saturday, Dec. 31, and the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 3, when three reels of copper wire were stolen from CEC Technologies in Riel Business Park. RCMP say the perpetrators cut through the fence to gain access to the yard, located on Rayborn Crescent, and took the wire, worth approximately $19,000. Anyone with information on any of these crimes is asked to call the St. Albert RCMP detachment at 780-458-7700 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

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World Jrs. turn hefty profit

BILL KAUFMANN Sun Media News Services

Photo: CODIE McLACHLAN, Sun Media News Services

A teacher who showed an inappropriate video to W.D. Cuts Junior High students is back in class.

Cuts teacher returns

ALLISON SALZ Sun Media News Services

It’s back to class for a St. Albert teacher who showed an inappropriate YouTube video to his students, spawning outrage for one parent. The instructor found himself in hot water after showing a vulgar and adult-rated internet video about sexual discrimination to Grade 7 students at W.D. Cuts Junior High School in December. Steve Claussen’s daughter was in class that day, and told her dad she was disturbed by the language and images in the video. He yanked his 11-year-old daughter out of class Monday, and says he will move her to another school. “I certainly don’t want this teacher (instructing) my daughter,” he said. “I don’t like removing my daughter and disrupting her education. But she doesn’t feel comfortable walking down the hall and seeing him.” The St. Albert Protestant School Board investigated the YouTube video incident and officials say the teacher was reprimanded. “We cannot discuss any disciplinary action,” said district superintendent Barry Wowk. “We did review the situation, and the teacher’s conduct, and made our decisions.”

Wowk said the instructor, who was just halfway through his first year of teaching at the school at the time of the incident, resumed his post Monday. “He is in school and we are focusing on student learning,” said Wowk. “We are looking forward to a good school year with him.” While one parent is up in arms over the teacher’s return, others said the situation was blown out of proportion. Warren Matthew’s son is taught by the suspended teacher, and said he welcomed the teacher back to school. “He is a wonderful teacher; my son is doing really well in his class. We have no concerns about him,” he said. “He’s a decent man, he’s got children of his own and he’s a good member of the community.” And while Claussen was unhappy with how the school board handled the situation, Matthews says the teacher has been disciplined and it’s time to move on. “Was it appropriate? No, it probably wasn’t appropriate to show that to Grade 7 students,” said Matthews. “But people make mistakes, and people forgive them.” Claussen is now meeting with a lawyer to pursue legal action against the teacher and the school. He has also filed a complaint with the Alberta Teachers’ Association. —With files from Angelique Rodrigues

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The World Junior Hockey Championship was a potent power play for local business and the sport in Alberta, say those impacted by the tournament. Hockey Canada says the 31-game event held in Calgary and Edmonton could well mean $20 million in profit for the national agency with $85 million in economic spinoffs within Alberta. Two years ago, the event raised $13.5 million when held in Saskatchewan. If that’s the case, it would pump up to $1.4 million into the coffers of Hockey Alberta, which would use it to bolster its

recruitment, retention, development and the funding of a provincial training centre for Red Deer, said general manager Rob Litwinski. “It was obviously a fabulous tournament ... any influx of dollars from the World Juniors will either achieve those goals more quickly or improve what we’re doing,” he said. “It certainly benefits the game.” But Litwinski said just as important was the moral impetus the games had on the entire province, given the many events held in centres other than Edmonton and Calgary. And that was even though Canada’s squad had to settle for bronze, he said.

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Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

PM pledges $150K for military transitions TANARA McLEAN Sun Media News Services

Transitioning back to civilian life just got easier for Canadian soldiers. Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the Helmets to Hardhats program in Edmonton Friday, pledging $150,000 for initial startup costs to help veterans, Canadian Armed Forces members and reservists with access to a range of job opportunities in the construction industry, apprenticeships and building trades. “Our government continues to provide new opportunities for all Canadians,” Harper said at the Boilermakers Training Centre. “Our government will continue taking action to protect Canadians, to create jobs and to lay the foundations for long-term growth.” The feds are teaming with Canada’s Building Trades Unions in hopes the program will fill jobs in the building

trades by helping some 5,200 veterans use their combat training to acquire civilian jobs. Bureau of Labour Statistics numbers reveal veteran unemployment rose 5.1 points to 12.4 per cent between 2008 and 2011. The new program is mirrored after an eight-year-old U.S. program — also named Helmets to Hardhats — that serves the more than 250,000 American veterans discharged from service each year. The program and a supporting website are expected to be launched in the spring. The Canadian government first mentioned the plan last March after including provisions for the initiative in the federal budget. At the time, Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn said the program was “very well received,” and would offer a “win-win” to help staff the labour shortages in the skilledlabour trades. The announcement comes on the heels of mixed December

labour stats showing an overall 17,500 job gain despite the Canadian unemployment rate rising to 7.5 per cent. All provinces managed to increase jobs last month except Quebec. Harper said the federal government will continue to forge ahead with the economic action plan, and he gave the initiative credit for pumping 600,000 jobs back into the Canadian economy since the recession hit in 2008. “There’s more to be done — we remain concerned about the number of Canadians that are still out of work, and we need to keep protecting and promoting our advantage in the struggling global economy,” Harper said. “We’re keeping taxes low, we’re investing in training and we’re expanding Canada’s trade in the world’s fastest-growing markets and we will continue to make the decisions necessary to ensure this country’s economy will continue to keep growing over the long term.”

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Photo: IAN KUCERAK, Sun Media News Services

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces the Helmets to Hardhats program for Canadian Forces veterans Friday morning in Edmonton.

New tools in drunk driving fight More details about the new technology and when the province will roll them out will be released in about a month, he said. To aid in the fight against impaired It’s the latest in a series of measures the driving, Alberta’s top cop revealed the province has enacted to step up its fight province is replacing old roadside screening against impaired driving. devices with more precise ones. In December, Alberta passed new Solicitor General Jonathan Denis said legislation allowing for license suspensions this year his department will switch out and vehicle seizures for motorists driving old roadside devices with a .05 per cent bloodthroughout the province alcohol level, in line with with newer models that similar legislation already have better technology. enacted in B.C. “The old ones were “We are moving fullaccurate — these are just steam ahead,” Denis said. more accurate,” he said. An avid supporter of Jonathan Denis “It’s new technology to the stronger penalties, Solicitor general ensure greater accuracy.” Denis said it was He said the aim is upsetting to hear two to give confidence to people that the real more people were killed Sunday morning offenders are being targeted. in a crash on Shaganappi Tr. and Country “It gives greater certainty we are catching Hills Blvd. N.W. in Calgary, the first deaths the right people,” he said. “I want the public police have linked to drunk driving this to have confidence we are going after the year in that city. right people. “One is too many,” he said. “The message “I think the more accurate you can get is the same — we want people to plan the better.” ahead.”

KATIE SCHNEIDER Sun Media News Services

“One is too many ... we want people to plan ahead.”

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Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

ENT

ENTERTAINMENT

The Edmonton Sun n Sunday, January 8, 2012

Television Life’s a Beach

TONIGHT

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

15 11

SAT

4 Dinner History on menu at AHF Heritage Arctic Air (CBC)

GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

One of the most important pieces of St. Albert’s history will be on the menu next week. The Arts and Heritage Foundation of St. Albert is hosting their second Heritage Dinner on Friday, Jan. 20, at the St. Albert Curling Club, which will celebrate the Little White School located on Madonna Drive. “We have lots of events that we do that focus on the [Art Gallery of St. Albert] Beach an actor’s The 39-year-old Beach, who and art.Adam But the real has reason for creating eye but a poet’s heart. grew up in Manitoba, has been a the Heritage to bring some We’veDinner noticedwas it previously, well-known actor since the midfocushaving to some of the historic buildings in interviewed Beach on a 1990s. But he credits the 2007-08 few occasions through thewe’re years.doing our community and the work season he spent on Law & Order: But the recent occurrence SVU for “helping change the Photo: NativeGLENN COOK, St. Albert Leader to restore andmost make them accessible,” said whendirector Beach was discussing perspective in television and is film. Arts andTelevision Heritage Foundation executive director Paul Moulton all smiles in advance of the AHF came executive Paul Moulton. his new TV series Arctic Air, which In one year did what wouldon the Little White School. organization’s Heritage Dinner on Friday, Jan. they 20, which willitfocus Thedebuts schoolTuesday, has beenJan. undergoing 10, on CBC. centre of the show. have taken me 10 years to do.” renovations a year now, so themakers guest of speaker as he didn’t want to “give The schoolhouse Arcticfor Airabout is set in Yellowknife, Beach plays Bobby, a also sees many students Beach said the we asked what’s main young man who each year Arctic were looking including workBeach, to make the the entire building charismatic away the farm.” come through its doors to getAir a initially thing about the Canadian North grewglimpse up in Yellowknife buteducation mayfor an “Adam Beach type.just ” Why wheelchair-accessible. “Let’s say we have a guest speaker, and of what an have that the rest of Canada gets wrong? left to pursue his fortune. not just go for the real thing? “We did a lot of the work we wanted to it’s in a humourous vein,” he said. “Rather looked like in the past. Those educational “Everybody thinks the North “(Bobby) went to business school “Because I come with get done on the Little began. White School in 2011 and he with the sort of serious after-dinner programs down some withanthe is empty, ” Beach works forslowed a big company, expense andthan a tag,go you because“But Founders’ Walk your was opened, speaker, renovation but”Moulton they are if you empty mind of and he’s making a lot work, of money, Beach said know?” Beach said with we thought we’d do something fun what we believe is realon — Founders’ when it explained. “He’s already a part a laugh. “And they we wanted it to look great anddidn’t entertaining.” back running at full capacity. comes to television, when comes Arctic Air.toBut there’sknowknow not. that catering would be provided Walk,” Moulton said. “Most ofitour focus in owner of Heoradded “We want letthen the world that if I was a diva to videogames, driving our car this big land deal about digging for “But when I met them, 2011 was on making sure the exterior was by the Westin Edmonton, who “bring a very programs are back up there and in a much to work, the cellphone, the spas, diamonds, and one of Bobby’s old I said, ‘You guys have brought back, and that’s all been done. Now high standard to the food,” and there would better building,” he said. the things that distract us — if we friends happens to own the land. found something I’ve we’re can focusing some interior beI’m a few items up for auction throughout the Plans for the dinner program are stilllooking for. emptyon that and of fillthe it up by the issues, “That’s the start of Bobby’s been the sunset, aurora journey back homeout, to Yellowknife. willing do whatever most enjoyment specificallyofbarrier-free access.” evening. being ironed and Moulton was mumtoon

Actor waxes poetic about Yellowknife setting of his new series Arctic Air bill

harris

borealis, the wind, the walk, that’s He quickly realizes there’s more to to be the guy.’ ” the beauty we don’t get to see. deal with, a past he left behind.” If Adam Beach has a “So there’s a misconception that Arctic Air also stars Pascale Hutton say in the matter, by deed (the North) is nothing, when it has as Krista, a pilot and potential or by word, Arctic Air will everything we need to balance love interest for Bobby, and Kevin come together like poetry. our inner Because McNulty its as Mel, the main ownerpianist Kemal Gekic as After an reality. absence of 27one trip celebrating 60th to Yellowknife, in one day, calms of the airline and Krista’s dad. years, thenoArden Theatre anniversary year, willto havethey present works from you like spa can calm you.is ” Mel, by this the way, seems getting to welcome back the stage in St.demeanour Albert composersbill.harris@sunmedia.ca like Hector Wowset ... kinda makes you want takeadopted his crusty thetoEdmonton Symphony on Sunday at 2 the p.m. go to Yellowknife, huh? directly from dad on another Berlioz, Gioacchino Rossini, @billharris_tv Arctic Air notweekend. only is the CBC show,Bill Republic of Doyle. Franz Liszt Orchestra this Conductor Eddins and Richard name of the show, but also the Does CBC think there’s only The ESO, which is (right) will be joined by Strauss. Bill Harris name of the small airline at the one type of dad out there?

The first Heritage Dinner was held in late 2010 at the Apex Casino, and its focus was on Chevigny House, one of the oldest farmsteads still intact in the area. The Adam Beach plays turnout was great, buta other festivities man who returns meant the second edition had to be pushed to his hometown of back a bit. Yellowknife initially a business deal,we “Because of all the for activities in 2011, butthe winds upthing dealing were close to pushing same into with his past in the the fall of 2011, so we decided to move new CBC seriesit to early 2012, just to get away from [all Air. that],” Arctic Moulton said, referring to the city’s 150th anniversary celebrations. Having a facility like the Curling Club that can host an event like the Heritage Dinner fairly close to downtown St. Albert and to other historic landmarks of the city is a thrill for Moulton. “It’s really fantastic for us,” he said. “In this marketplace, it’s finding those midsized venues that’s very hard. There are lots of places that are too small, and a few that are way too big. So this is just fantastic for us.” Tickets for the Heritage Dinner are $100 each, $90 each for AHF members, or $750 for a table of eight. They are available through the AHF office at #200, 20 Perron St. or the Musée Héritage Museum at 5 St. Anne St.

Arden welcomes back ESO after 27 years Tickets for the show are $40 each and are available through Ticketmaster or through the Arden Theatre box office. — GLENN COOK

THE WEEK’S BEST LATE-NIGHT LAUGHS Late Show

Tonight Show

Conan

Late Night

Late Late Show

What happened to the sidewalk Santas? I’ll tell you what they’re doing now. They went back to selling crack.

2012 is supposed to be the year the world ends. Have you seen the national debt? If the world doesn’t end, we are so screwed.

There’s a plan for the Pentagon to cut almost half a trillion dollars from the military. The Pentagon plans to pay for future wars by divorcing Kobe Bryant.

This is our first show of 2012. Or as my Mayan friends are calling it, “One of our last shows ever!”

I hope you all had a good holiday. I was in Scotland. I enjoy going back to the country where I was born. That must be what it feels like when Barack Obama visits Kenya.

David Letterman

Jay Leno

nnn

They say the Iowa caucuses are very important because they are predictors of the academy awards. nnn

Forty percent of the people of Iowa are undecided about who to select as a republican candidate for president. Thank goodness we have three dozen debates.

Jimmy Fallon

Conan O’Brien

nnn

Police have detained a suspect in a huge string of arson attacks. This guy was going around Los angeles setting dozens of cars on fire. and he was setting the cars on fire the old-fashioned way: Without a Lakers championship. nnn

The car owners whose cars were burned were really upset, except for the people that owned Kias. They were thrilled.

nnn

Political analysts are saying that Mitt romney is having trouble generating enthusiasm among Iowa voters. now, ladies and gentlemen, you know you have a problem when people in Iowa find you dull. nnn

Iowa is a state in the Midwest that manufactures pigs, corn and old people.

Craig Ferguson

nnn

The u.S. government is selling $30 billion worth of fighter jets to Saudi arabia. yeah, it’s part of a new initiative called, “Operation regret This In Five years.” nnn

President Obama’s campaign has released a highlight reel of his top moments from 2011. The video’s a little weird. Halfway through, it’s taped over by Joe Biden’s recording of Yo Gabba Gabba.

nnn

The new ruler of north Korea is Kim Jong-il’s son. That’s an amazing coincidence. The elections must have gone very quickly. nnn

It’s a great day for this show. It’s the seventh anniversary. The show’s age has finally reached the age of the audience’s maturity level.

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

Van Halen rock Rexall on May 11 DARRYL STERDAN Sun Media News Services

Here they come — full blast and top down. Ending months of speculation, reunited rockers Van Halen finally confirmed they’re about to release a new album with original singer David Lee Roth. Even better: They’re heading out on a tour that includes several Canadian stops. The California quartet, rounded out by guitarist Eddie Van Halen, his brother Alex on drums and son Wolfgang in place of ousted original bassist Michael Anthony, will hit seven Canadian cities this spring, starting with three March shows in Eastern Canada and four more in the West in May, inlcuding Rexall Place in Edmonton on May 11. Prices and onsale dates for the Western shows are still to be announced. It will be the band’s first tour with Roth since a well-received reunion trek in 2007 and ’08. But this time they’ll be armed with new material. A Different Kind of Truth, the group’s first disc with Diamond Dave since 1984 — the album and the year — will be released Feb. 7.

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Up late at the library GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

The St. Albert Public Library is getting set to stay up late for a pair of accomplished area authors. The library is hosting its first-ever Authors After Hours event on Friday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. — an hour after the facility normally closes on a Friday evening — with Edmonton authors Marina Endicott and Lynn Coady. Library director Peter Bailey doesn’t expect things to get a little blue in the late show, although there will be wine and refreshments served. “People feel a little more loosey-goosey and free to speak their mind” at events like this, Bailey said. “It becomes more of a conversation. People aren’t so shy to bring up something in conversation. It’s more of a friendly, informal evening.” He added that the inspiration for the After Hours event came from another visit last March from Angie Abdou, author of The Bone Cage and The Canterbury Trail. “We said, ‘Let’s try it Friday night when we’re closed’ — it just worked out that way — ‘and let’s try to make it something beyond the usual author reading,’ which can be a little dry and intellectual from time to time,” Bailey said. Endicott said she enjoys making the trip out to St. Albert, and the relaxed atmosphere should make for an enjoyable evening. “Lynn Coady and I are not very good at the uptight author visit thing,” said the author with a laugh. “We’re really good friends and we’ve been doing this for a long time together, so it’s usually like a visit in our kitchen, and people can come listen to us chat.” Both Endicott and Coady have been finalists for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, Canada’s most prestigious award for English language fiction — Endicott for 2008’s Good to a Fault and Coady in 2011 for The Antagonist. Endicott is currently promoting her latest book, The Little Shadows, which was released in September. Having such high-calibre

7 Canadians to receive tech Oscars JOHN KRYK Sun Media News Services

Photo Supplied

Marina Endicott is part of Authors After Hours at the St. Albert Public Library on Jan. 20.

authors on their doorstep and being able to bring them to St. Albert is a thrill for Bailey. “It’s so great to have such high-profile authors right next door,” he said, noting that both have visited the library before separately, but this is the first time they’ve appeared together. And, he said, readings and author visits like this always get a great response from St. Albertans. “We tried to bring a little bit of that After Hours feel into STARFest, the St. Albert Readers’ Festival, that we had in the fall, with refreshments and a couple of them after hours as well,” he said. “The response was huge for those. We sold right out for Will Ferguson and had 80-something for Charlotte Gray. “There seems to be an appetite in town for author readings — if they’re done well, if they’re done right. And we think we’ve come up with a formula everybody seems to enjoy.” Authors After Hours takes place on Friday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. in Forsyth Hall at the St. Albert Public Library. Admission is free, but those interested in attending are asked to register in advance by calling 780-459-1682.

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Seven Canadians are receiving Academy Awards recognition this year for scientific and technical achievements. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday announced eight group-achievement awards for 2012, two of which go to teams comprising only Canadians. Unlike the Oscar trophies given out during the lavish TV ceremony for acting, directing and the like for 2011 movies alone, these sci-tech awards honour achievements that “demonstrate a proven record of contributing significant value to the process of making motion pictures.” Andrew Clinton and Mark Elendt, of Toronto’s Side Effects Software, won the lone Technical Achievement Award, for “the invention and integration of micro-voxels in the Mantra software.” According to the Academy, “this work allowed, for the first time, unified and efficient rendering of volumetric effects such as smoke and clouds, together with other computer graphics objects, in a micro-polygon imaging pipeline.” Raigo Alas and Greg Marsden of Burlington, Ont., and Michael Lewis and Michael Vellekoop of Hamilton, Ont., won one of six Scientific and Engineering Awards, for their concept, design and implementation of the Pictorvision Eclipse — an electronically stabilized aerial camera platform. The Academy says this system “allows cinematographers to capture aerial footage at faster flying speeds with aggressive platform maneuvering.” Ian Caven of Burnaby, B.C., is chief scientist for Lowry Digital, and part of its five-man team honoured for the development of a “unique and efficient system for the reduction of noise and other artifacts, thereby providing highquality images required by the filmmaking process.” This “Lowry Process” was used to make Avatar, U2 3D and Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D. These seven Canadians will be among the 28 individual honorees at the Academy’s annual Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation on Feb. 11 in Beverly Hills, two weeks before the rest of the Oscars are handed out.

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

Best bang for your gaming buck on iTunes STEVE TILLEY

Mobile game spells L-O-V-E

Sun Media News Services

So you were a very good boy or girl last year, and someone — be it your spouse, your mom or a fat guy in a red suit — got you an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad for the holidays. Welcome to the iParty. While your new device is certainly great for music, Web browsing, taking photos and a plethora of other useful tasks, it’s also a pretty amazing mobile gaming platform. In fact, there are more than 72,000 games available for download from the iTunes App Store. Start exercising those fingers. If you’re new to the iGaming craze, here are 10 titles from my own collection that I wholeheartedly recommend as an introduction to gaming on Apple’s wunderdevices. Best of all, you can get all 10 of these for less than $25 total. Beware, though: These games may destroy your productivity and ruin your relationships. Which could put a serious damper on any gift-getting next year. • Where’s My Water? (99¢) Don’t be fooled by the cutesy Disney trappings: This isn’t for the wee ones, unless they’re mini-Einsteins. In order to help Swampy the alligator take a bath, you must guide a stream of water to his shower nozzle. Increasingly complex obstacles and realistic fluid physics make for some deliciously challenging puzzles.

takes itself very seriously indeed. • Groove Coaster (99¢) The concept is simple: Just tap your finger along to the beat of these trippy Japanese techno tracks. But the zigzagging, looping paths that the notes follow make the game gleefully challenging, and earning upgrades as you progress is the carrot at the end of this euphoric disco stick. • Scribblenauts Remix (99¢ for a limited time) This popular Nintendo DS game was pared down somewhat for its iOS

• Infinity Blade II ($6.99) Easily the best-looking game on the iOS devices, this hybrid of an action game and a fantasy role-playing saga (you use finger swipes on the screen to direct your sword attacks) demands multiple playthroughs in order to complete it. Gorgeous and fun, though it

Paul Bettner, VP and general manager of developer Zynga told Yahoo!. “I think that’s an awesome story.” Jasperse even relocated to Chicago to make the relationship work. Lawless did admit, however, that she has had a hard time explaining to her 75-year-old father how the couple met. — GLENN COOK

release, but it’s still well worth checking out. You can summon virtually any object into the game world to help the heroic Maxwell reach the precious Starites spread across the game’s 50 levels. Adorable and imaginative.

navigate these otherworldly courses and come in well under par.

• Jelly Defense ($2.99) The so-called tower defence genre of strategy games is well represented on the iOS devices, but this game combines very solid game mechanics with a supremely whimsical presentation and an awesome musical score. Man cannot live on Fieldrunners alone. • Words With Friends ($2.99) I have no fewer than half a dozen Words With Friends games going on my iPhone at any given time, and the beauty of this Scrabble clone is you can switch back and forth between your iOS devices and the Facebook version of the game to find players or continue games in progress. • Super Stickman Golf (99¢) While this golf game won’t appeal to purists of the sport, it will certainly find fans among lovers of puzzle games, since it’s basically a physics-based puzzle-platformer masquerading as a golf game. A keen eye and sharp mind are required to

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Words With Friends turned into Words with Spouses for one couple half a world apart. Yahoo! News reported last week that Megan Lawless of Chicago and Jasper Jasperse, who lived in the Netherlands, were married last July after meeting each other through a random game on the hugely popular mobile phone app in 2009. “This is the first [marriage] we know of,”

• Amazing Breaker (99¢) When you get tired of throwing explosive birds at green pigs, try flinging explosive bombs at delicate ice sculptures. The idea is to blow up at least 90 per cent of each sculpture with the bombs available, and that’s easy enough. But wiping out 100 per cent of each is a true challenge. It took me weeks to finally beat this game. • Bike Baron (99¢) If you’ve played Joe Danger on the PS3 and Trials HD on the consoles or PC, you’ll recognize Bike Baron as a mishmash of the two. This wild motorcycle stunt game has got cartoony charm in spades, but the deeper you get into it, the tougher the physics-defying courses get. Still, very slick and tons of fun. • Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP ($4.99) This lo-fi, made-in-Toronto take on the fantasy adventure game is arty without being pretentious, poetic without being inaccessible and a love letter to the look of video games of yesteryear. It also has one of the best musical scores of any game released in 2011. A true gem.

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Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

HEALTH

More curves ahead: Hefty can be healthy MARILYN LINTON Sun Media News Services

Photo: Sun Media News Services

Some experts say that trying and failing to lose weight may be more detrimental than just staying at an elevated body weight.

Fat is the new normal as surely as the Pope is Catholic. It’s sad, but it’s true. We’re chubbier whether we like it or not. According to Statistics Canada, the rate of obese Canadians almost doubled between 1978 and 2005. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculated the mean average weight as 194.7 pounds for men and 164.7 pounds for women. Last summer, a Britishbased obesity research group projected that, in 2030, there will be 64 million more obese adults in the U.S. and 11 million more in Britain. Even if we’ve lost the war on obesity, I am weary of the constant stories, studies and reports that bombard us with the “obesity is bad” message. Don’t get me wrong: Carrying too many extra pounds is a definite risk factor for a host of ills which include diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers. I am hoping that in 2012 the thinking might change when it comes to what’s acceptable weight and body-wise. With one out of every two people projected as overweight in the not too distant future, the battle of the bulge will be with us for years. And while we have never been more inundated than we are now with messages about the dangers of obesity, studies are also showing that most of us are adjusting our perceptions about how much we’d like to weigh as opposed to what we should. For example, economic researchers from Florida State

University and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston found that the weight of the average woman rose by 9.2 kilograms between 1976 and 2000, but that their so-called “ideal” weight also edged up. In 1994, the average woman weighed 147 pounds but said her goal was to weight 132; less than a decade later, she weighed 153 but said her desired weight was 135. Living in an overweight society changes how we see ourselves: People who are mildly overweight consider themselves slim when comparing themselves to those who are obese. Normalizing being overweight won’t fight obesity, but maybe it will take the stress off of yo-yo dieting and encourage people who have excess weight to at least become fit. Remember that being overweight used to be a sign of living well and good health while the skinny among us suffered from incurable diseases, poverty and hunger. Today, it’s almost a reverse discrimination with fat people viewed as lacking in discipline and self-esteem. If we’re going to be heftier, let’s find an approach that saves us from becoming dangerously obese while encouraging us to eat healthy and become fit despite those extra pounds. One study, published last year in the Lancet medical journal, was encouraging to anyone who has previously shunned exercise because they can’t fit in an hour a day: It showed that even 15 minutes of exercise per day reduces total mortality, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Its message: Don’t give up if

iPhone app charges for skipping workouts SUN MEDIA NEWS SERVICES – A new app aims to help people keep their New Year’s resolution to get fit by bribing them to go to the gym. GymPact for the iPhone, which started as a project for a Harvard University behavioural economics class, will pay you to keep up with your workout schedule and charge you when you skip out. “GymPact’s concept centres around time-inconsistent preferences, a situation in which something you want in the future (having gone to the gym) conflicts with

something you want right now (staying home to watch TV),” wrote the creators on the company’s site. “We realized that if people had a way to commit to exercise with real stakes and easy, fool-proof check-ins at gyms, they could actually push themselves to make the most of their gym memberships.” When you sign up, you fill out your parameters, telling the app how often you want to go to the gym and how much money you’re willing to lose when you don’t. There’s a minimum of once-per-week

gym sessions and $5 per day missed. The money docked from the slackers will be used to reimburse those who meet their fitness obligations. And you can’t cheat, because the app requires you to sign in at the gym and uses GPS to verify your location. There are 40,000 gyms and fitness centres in GymPact’s database, but users can add new ones. “We’ll approve any valid fitness centre, other than a home or office gym,” the company says on its website.

you fail to do 30 or more. Instead of beating up on people who are overweight, I’d welcome a change of message that says we can be hefty yet healthy. To help get us there, maybe health care providers could adopt a strategy used by the Swedes: There, Physical Activity on Prescription — also known as a “green” prescription in Norway — has shown success for promoting exercise in patients who need to do more. Nobody disputes the fact that losing weight and maintaining healthy weight is a job unto itself. But fat is not all bad: A York University study published last year found that obese people who are otherwise healthy live just as long as their slim counterparts – and are actually less likely to die of cardiovascular causes. “Our findings challenge the idea that all obese individuals need to lose weight,” said lead author Jennifer Kuk, assistant professor in York’s School of Kinesiology and Health Science. “Moreover, it’s possible that trying, and failing, to lose weight may be more detrimental than simply staying at an elevated body weight and engaging in a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise and a balanced diet.” The bottom line? Eating too much isn’t only about food: Battling the bulge requires emotional and psychological support — not just the “right” diet.

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

O Lever as 70 ed %

Photo: Sun Media News Services

A nurse displays a cleaned defective silicone gel breast implant, manufactured by French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), after being removed from a patient in Nice, France.

Implant comments spark ire approved homemade silicone to some SUN MEDIA NEWS SERVICES – A police 300,000 women around the world before document showing that the boss of French French health inspectors pulled the breast implant maker PIP admitted to prostheses off the market in March 2010, willfully lying about their poor quality, and said women filing complaints were just sending PIP into bankruptcy. No charges have been filed in the case seeking money, sparked a furious response but a court in the southern city of Marseille in France on Friday. is likely to announce fraud charges this The document, leaked in the French year, legal sources have told Reuters. An media and obtained by Reuters, records involuntary homicide investigation was flippant comments by Jean-Claude Mas, recently opened after the 2010 death of a the founder and chief executive of Poly French woman from Implant Prothese, whose cancer who had PIP rupture-prone implants implants. have sparked a worldwide The scandal ballooned health scare. after the French “I knew the gel was government issued a not standard but I did it warning in December consciously because the Jean-Claude Mas and said it would pay PIP gel was cheaper. This PIP founder & CEO for all women in France formula is perfect, it is fitted with the implants better than the one used to have them removed. to make standard gel,” Mas is quoted as The government has stressed that saying in a transcript of an interview with there is no proven link to cancer, and police in late 2010. nobody is known to have died from Asked about women filing complaints complications from them, but surgeons say about their PIP implants, Mas said: “These the PIP implants, made using non-medical are fragile people or people who are doing components supplied from a German it for money.” chemicals manufacturer, are more prone to Lawyers for some of those women deformations and splitting than standard slammed the remarks, and Mas’s own ones. lawyer, Yves Haddad, said they were Mas, who is at home in southern France, “clumsy”, but were not of a criminal nature. issued a statement on Thursday, Jan. 5, “Jean-Claude Mas is showing complete saying he would not speak to the media cynicism with regard to the victims,” said about any aspect of the case. PIP’s premises lawyer Laurent Gaudon, whose clients near the port town of Toulon are shut. accuse PIP and surgeons who used the Philippe Courtois, another lawyer who firm’s implants of fraud. represents a group of 1,300 PIP implant A member of an association of women carriers, said Mas was treating all the fitted with PIP breast implants wrote on victims with disdain and had “not an ounce an online forum that she was disgusted by of humanity”. the remarks from Mas, who she called an “It’s shameful to say he will not express egomaniac. himself out of respect for the victims when More than 2,000 women in France he said such things, and he was talkative have filed complaints against Mas, whose with the police admitting the facts easily.” firm supplied implants made from non-

“These are fragile people ... who are doing it for money.”

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Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

LIFESTYLE

Couples: Resolve to get closer this year SUN MEDIA NEWS SERVICES – Some of the more popular New Year’s resolutions tend to focus on improving our bodies (losing weight, eating right) and improving our minds (taking night courses, learning a new language), but what about resolving to improve our relationships? We polled a number of relationship experts to get their advice on what committed couples could and should be doing in the new year in order to foster better communication and forge closer bonds with their partner. “Commit to Date Talk,” says Andrea Syrtash (www.andreasyrtash.com), author of Cheat On Your Husband (With Your Husband). “One study showed that the average couple with kids speaks uninterrupted for about 15 minutes a day!” You probably have longer conversations with your boss. Or bank teller. Or mail carrier. Syrtash advises couples to resolve to set aside some time everyday to talk, avoiding negotiations about household chores, complaints about the in-laws or financial worries. Remember when you talked about your interests and current events —things that weren’t the kids or your mortgage? “Stay curious about each other and you’ll stay connected,” Syrtash says. A huge part of staying connected is

having a healthy and satisfying sex life. “There are never enough hours in the day,” says Linda M. Zuzanski, president of Love Nest (www.lovenestonline.com) in Winnipeg. “But maybe it’s time to invest in some rose petals and bubble bath at your local love boutique and make this a year of wonderful surprises for your partner.” Zuzanski says that 40 per cent of North American couples polled reported that they sometimes use a vibrator during lovemaking. “They must be doing so for a reason,” says Zuzanski, who says that today’s love boutiques are mostly bright, friendly and staffed by courteous and knowledgeable staff. Visiting such a shop in your city could make for a fun field trip for you and your partner, and might just give you some great ideas for the year ahead. “Indulge your partner,” says Josey Vogels (www.joseyvogels.com), sex and relationships columnist, blogger and author of the upcoming book Better Sex in No Time: How to have more sex in your relationship. “Do something that they’re into more than you are, either in the bedroom or out of it. Not only does indulging your partner make them feel special and loved, you may surprise yourself and discover things you never knew you’d get into. And bonus, your partner will be more likely to indulge you

Photo : Sun Media News Services

Make 2012 the year you remember why you fell in love in the first place. place. right back.” “Rewind,” says writer and blogger Jowita And when it comes to communicating Bydlowska. “Whether you’re through with your partner, being less on the looking at old photos or videos or talking defensive and actually listening to them is a skill that we can all stand to brush up on. about the time you’ve met and fell in love, it’s your history and you should make it “Stop worrying about being right fresh all the time. Remember what made and really listen to what your partner is your shiver at the thought of your loved saying,” says Vogels. “Imagine there is a one … and ask yourself everytime you are bouncing ball — like in the cartoons — about to get short: Would I say/do this to over your partner’s words. Then follow her/him when I was still chasing him/her? the ball to ensure you’re really focusing “Nothing is permanent. Romance least on what he or she is saying and not simply of all. You need to rewind and review it.” busy formulating a rebuttal.” In 2012, make new memories, but don’t And finally, make this the year that you forget how you came to be here together. remember why you fell in love in the first

Divorce rates see sharp spike in January JOANNE RICHARD Sun Media News Services

Photo: Sun Media News Services

If you’ve put your spouse out to the curb along with the Christmas tree, you’re not alone. January is the peak time for divorce.

Out with the old, in with the new. If you’ve put your spouse out to the curb along with the Christmas tree, you’re not alone. January is the peak time for divorce. Breaking up may be hard to do but fulfilling a New Year’s resolution of decluttering personal relationships may be fueling a major realization. Warring couples manage to just hang on over the holidays; once the celebrations end, they move on to the lawyer’s office come the first few weeks of January. The trigger is often bad communication, although infidelity and finances can make it a struggle for couples to thrive, and instead throw in the towel. Actually, infidelity led to the demise of a 77-year-old marriage — a 99-year-old Italian man recently filed for divorce from his wife over an affair she

had in the 1940s. Forgiving and forgetting are impossibilities for some, and although divorces are expensive and finances are tight, plans are put into motion. Many divorce professionals report an increase in divorce initiations at the start of the New Year. “People try to just get through the holidays, thinking that they will have a great holiday as a family and everything will then be different — a Christmas miracle,” says post-divorce coach Lee Block, of leeblock.com. Some don’t want to ruin the holidays for their children, so they wait until the season is over. Also, it is the start of a new tax year, which always makes it easier to split everything when it comes to divorce, adds Block. According to Marion Korn, family lawyer and mediator and co-founder of Mutual Solutions, “the decision to wait until after the holidays to start the divorce

process relates to good parenting and real concerns about kids.” Maria M. is vowing a new life in 2012. She’s looking to self-improve on a number of fronts: “I’m planning to lose a lot of baggage — a husband who’s never around and 25 pounds that’s been hanging around way too long.” She’s failed at resolutions for the past three years, but she’s determined to succeed this year. Her 10-year-old child doesn’t know yet, nor her extended family. “I barely got through the holidays. It was tough putting on a happy face but I did it for my son. I’m putting off telling him as long as I can.” Maria has made an appointment with a lawyer to end her 16-year marriage. The Vanier Institute of the Family reports the average length of a marriage in Canada is 14.5 years. Statistics Canada states that 40 per cent of all marriages end in divorce.

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

St. Albert Protestant Schools

Kindergarten Fair Do you have a child who will be starting Kindergarten in the fall?

Photo: Sun Media News Services

Beyond celebrity names, another popular trend for 2012 is choosing names derived from nature, plants and even animals.

Movie star monikers top parent lists in ’12 CAROLYN McTIGHE Sun Media News Services

When it comes to the trendiest baby names for 2012, a look to the world of celebrities will be as far as you’ll need to go to find that perfect moniker. From Marilyn Monroe to Pippa Middleton, celebrity baby names are popping up everywhere and the influence of global celebritydom can be heard in nurseries across the country. For soon-to-be parents Chris and Beth Maki of Vancouver, choosing a name for their baby, who will be born next month, was one of the hardest decisions they had to make. Though the pair finally chose a traditional name that had family significance, they admit a few celebrity names did creep into their early brainstorming sessions. “When we first started thinking of names for our baby there were a couple that we liked that definitely came from some well-known celebs,” said Beth Maki. “I’ve always liked the name Kate, which was great because of the new Duchess, but as her fame grew, we decided that we didn’t want our daughter to have an overly popular name.” Though most names came from Tinseltown, Maki said that a few homegrown names also ranked up there among their favourites including the name of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s wife. “I really like the name Laureen,” said Maki. “It’s just different enough to make it uncommon, but my husband vetoed it because he’s an NDP supporter. He just couldn’t get over the politics of the name.” According to Pamela Redmond Satran, creator of the popular online baby name site Nameberry.com, celebrity-inspired

names are making a huge comeback this year, fuelled in large part by big-name movies and even bigger celebrity births. “Celebrities have a huge baby-name influence and it’s getting bigger all the time,” said Satran. “Celebrities influence via their own names, such as Angelina and Jude; their children’s names, such as Pax (Brangelina) and Violet (Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck); and even the characters they play — Atticus (Finch), Gatsby (the Great), and Twilight characters from Bella and Edward to Jacob and Jasper are all rising in popularity.” Another popular trend for 2012, and one that celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin made popular back in 2004 when they named their first daughter Apple, is choosing names derived from nature, plants and even animals. “We see people reaching further for individual or so-called unique names, either by spelling a familiar name in a new way or turning a word or a place or nature or animal name into a first name,” noted Satran. “Bay, Maple, Bear, True, West or North — these are all fair game as names today.” Vowel driven names are also making an unexpected surge, though Satran suggests staying away from a few overly used examples of this trend. “Names that start with vowels continue to be big, with lots of new A-starting names coming up like Asher, Asa, Arianna, Adelaide and Abraham,” she said. “The only A names that aren’t fashionable are those we heard too much of in the recent past, such as Anne, Andrea and Allen.” For a more detailed list of the most popular baby names for 2012 visit Nameberry.com

Please join us for the St. Albert Protestant Schools Kindergarten Fair, where you can find out more about our programs, full and half-day Kindergarten, yellow busing, school boundaries, speech and occupational therapy, and much more! Free admission and free parking!

Bellerose Composite High School 49 Giroux Road

Sat., Jan. 21, 2012 9:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Who should attend? Families of children entering Kindergarten in the fall of 2012

9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. – Glenys Edwards: Introduction to St. Albert Protestant Schools 10:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. – the following sessions will run concurrently every 40 minutes: • Preparing your child for Kindergarten • English Kindergarten Program • Logos Kindergarten Program • French Immersion Kindergarten Program • Cogito Kindergarten Program *Children must be five years old before the end of February 2013 to enrol in Kindergarten for 2012-2013.

Kindergarten registration is already underway! Don’t miss this chance to find out more about the opportunities available to your child and to have your questions about Kindergarten answered.

District Administration Office 60 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue

780-460-3712 www.spschools.org

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

HOMES

The long and short of picking a mortgage DARREN SHARKO Sun Media News Services

Choosing the length of your amortization period, which means the number of years you will need to pay the full balance of your mortgage, is an important decision that can affect how much interest you pay over the life of your mortgage. Why choose a shorter amortization period?: The main reason to opt for a shorter than standard amortization period is that you become mortgage-free sooner. And since you are agreeing to pay off your mortgage in a shorter period of time, the interest you pay over the life of the mortgage is therefore greatly reduced. You also have the advantage of building home equity sooner. Equity is the difference between any outstanding mortgage on your home and its market value. It represents the amount of money you can claim as your asset. If you choose, your equity can be used to

secure lower interest cost financing for things such as home renovations, your children’s education or for second property investments, just to name a few. While there are many good reasons to opt for a shorter amortization period, there are a couple of other factors to consider. Because you are reducing the actual number of mortgage payments you make to pay off your mortgage, your regular payments will be higher.

So if your income is irregular, or if you’re buying a home for the first time and will be carrying a large mortgage, a shorter amortization period that increases your regular payment amount and ties up your cash flow may not be the best option for you. But, if you can comfortably afford the higher payments, are looking to save money on your mortgage, or maybe you just don’t like the idea of carrying debt over

a long period of time, perhaps you should consider a shorter amortization period. Why choose a longer amortization period?: Choosing a longer amortization period can get you into your dream home sooner than if you chose a standard or shorter period. As a shorter amortization period results in higher regular payments, a longer amortization period reduces the amount of your regular principal and interest payment by spreading your payments over a longer period of time. So you could qualify for a higher mortgage amount than you originally anticipated. Or you could qualify for your mortgage sooner than you had planned. Either way, you end up in your dream home sooner than you thought possible. Again, this option is not for everyone. While a longer amortization period will appeal to many people because the regular mortgage payments can be comparable or even

Tangerine Tango 2012’s hot colour ELISSA SCOTT Sun Media News Services

Are you wondering what the hottest trends are around the bend for 2012? The Pantone institute has named this year’s colour Tangerine Tango as the hot colour of the year (www. pantone. com). This energy boosting, spirited orange with a hint of red will bring zing to the home. Throw in some toss cushions, drapery panels and a few accessories like glassware and flowers, and voila— a neutral palette has been updated. Add this accent to gray, beige, white or chocolate colour schemes for a friendly little adrenaline pep. If you’d like to paint a wall in this citrusy hue, go off the beaten path of painting the obvious wall. Zone with a strip of this paint then, add a bench or armoire and interesting wall lights for an area of interest. Daffodil yellow is another hot colour for

the coming year, especially for spring. In the kitchen, hang some yellow tea towels, and then bring in a bowl of fresh lemons and a bouquet of buds in this bursting hue. For summer, make turquoise a central colour theme to decorate around. To me, this poseur is charming and outgoing, reminiscent of tropical waters of happy travels where life is less hectic, more hedonistic, kicking back in luxury five-star temples. If vivid hues aren’t your scene, sample out the new dimmed down regal purple with a more vintage nickel periwinkle. Retro rose and dusty pinks are also being seen more on walls for a modern feminine look. Metallics are still popular, but rather than the common bronze, gold and silver, choose coloured metallics for more interest. Wallpaper has been steady and strong the past few years, expected to be seen on at least one wall in the home. Go for something

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fanciful with whimsical graphics, angular geometrics, velvety flocking and extreme scale for impact. Hand painting freestyle images directly on the wall also bring a quirky and playful decorative element. For more of a commitment, vertical wall tiles in unexpected areas are high-style in the latest bubbles, dots, lines and metallics. For a quick and theatrical design fix for a tired space this New Year, install a novel light fixture. Think asymmetrical and in groupings or create your own by embellishing an existing light with your own imagination. Make 2012 the year of trendsetting by transcending the predictable. Elissa Scott has transformed homes and businesses worldwide, specializing in design, colour consultations, and custom art creations. 780-970-8860 or visit www. gruuvyroomz.com.

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Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

BUSINESS

Wine bill would get rid of bygone trade barrier

RAY SPITERI Sun Media News Services

He can ship a case of his popular Niagara-on-the-Lake wine to a consumer in Japan, but he can’t to a fellow Canadian in British Columbia. But if a private member’s bill to amend a Prohibition-era federal liquor law restricting cross-province wine shipments gets the green light, Paul Bosc Jr., president of Chateau des Charmes, will have less “comical” conversations with some of his dedicated customers across the country, and get a lot more business. The Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act of 1928 makes it illegal to ship alcohol across provincial boundaries without going through the receiving province’s liquor board. B.C. Conservative MP Dan Albas introduced a private member’s bill in October, which has gone through two readings and is now headed for committee review. It proposes an exemption that would allow Canadians to purchase wine while visiting another province and then bring that wine back home into their own province. The bill would also amend the act to allow for domestic wineries to market and sell their products directly to consumers from other regions of the country. Albas calls the 83-year-old law an

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interprovincial trade barrier. “Many small Canadian wineries can access markets outside our borders more easily than they can inside our own great country,” he said. “Imagine if cars built in Ontario could not be sold in British Columbia. What if prized Nova Scotia lobster could not be sent directly to all households across Canada? This is the reality for many of the small Canadian wine producers.” The exemption would be for personal use and not for commercial purposes. The personal exemption quantity limit would be established individually by each province. “It’ll remove a major irritant that not only wineries have been living with, but Canadian wine lovers as well,” Bosc said. “It would allow us to consummate a transaction that started in our tasting room in Niagara-on-the-Lake.” Bosc, who is also chairman of the Canadian Vintners Association, said wine tourists buy “very good volumes.” “These are when you tend to make good-sized transactions. People want to mix and match. They say, ‘I don’t want to just buy a bottle, I want to buy a case or two.’ But a case of wine weighs 18 kilos, so physically it’s hard to transport back. We can overcome that logistical impediment by arranging a shipment back to where they’re from, resulting in a lot more business.” Bosc said the No. 1 reason people visit wine country is because they’re looking for wines they can’t find back home. “They want to explore and discover wines that they never had before. If this happens to people in Ontario, imagine the sense of discovery for people outside of this province.”

DOLLAR

Down 0.39¢

98.43¢ US S&P/TSX

Up 62.23

12,270.66 NASDAQ Photo: Sun Media News Services

Shares in Lululemon Athletica jumped 15 per cent on Tuesday on the news that the yoga clothing retailer expects profits and sales over the holidays to exceed forecasts.

Lululemon shares up SUN MEDIA NEWS SERVICES – Lululemon Athletica expects profit and sales in the current quarter to top earlier forecasts after holiday shoppers flocked to its shops to snap up the trendy yoga wear that have made the company a runaway retail success story. Shares of the Vancouver-based retailer jumped 15 per cent on Tuesday after the fresh forecast, which validated the optimism of observers who had thought the company’s earlier sales forecast was too conservative. Sales at established stores, a key measure for retailers, are now expected to rise more than 20 per cent in its fiscal fourth quarter ending Jan. 29. That’s further evidence the company has addressed the problem of inadequate inventories at its 165 stores in North America and Australia. Lululemon has twice forecast that same-store sales growth would slow to the low to mid-teens in percentage terms, raising fears that the company’s meteoric rise could start to peter out.

“Lululemon did not get sucked into the vortex that was the excessive discounting within the specialty apparel sector,” independent retail analyst Brian Sozzi said. “They had a lot of people pouring through their doors, like Macy’s did ... but I think they drove a higher quality customer to the store, and were able to maintain that price point.” The company’s clothing and gear, which is increasingly targeted at runners as well as yogis, is ubiquitous in Canada and, increasingly, in the United States. It inspires fierce brand loyalty, with bloggers breathlessly documenting every product launch. It has also been a market darling, with the shares rising 39 per cent last year despite a second-half slump. “Two things really set (Lululemon) apart and support its long term success: the maniacal product focus and the fact that the company is creating a market that didn’t really exist before,” wrote Macquarie analyst Liz Dunn in a research note.

Up 53.78

2,702.50 DOW

Up 65.09

12,462.47 GOLD

Up $26.20

$1,633.00 US OIL

Down $1.28

$101.71 US Figures as of closing Tuesday, compared to one week prior. For information purposes only.

Call us today for all your St. Albert Real Estate Needs �Office Spaces �Administrative Services �Business Education �Coaching & Mentoring

780-459-7786 www.bermontrealty.com Pierre Hebert

Guy Hebert

www.nabi.ca 780.460.1000

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

Prices soar along with loonie

JESSICA MURPHY Sun Media News Services

Photo: Sun Media News Services

Kodak film sits on a store shelf in New York. The company may file for bankruptcy very soon.

Kodak going bankrupt?

As share prices continue to slide — closing at just $0.37 US on Jan. 6 — it is widely speculated that the company will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the next few weeks. Here’s a timeline of the company’s history: 1800s 1880: George Eastman begins commercial production of dry plates for photography in Rochester, N.Y. 1883: Eastman announces the invention of photographic film in rolls. 1888: The first Kodak camera is marketed. Kodak’s advertising slogan: “You press the button, we do the rest.”

1900s

There’s a new reason to shop south of the border when the loonie’s flying high — as our dollar rises, so do the prices we pay for goods compared to U.S. shoppers. The numbers were pulled by Statistics Canada, which released two studies last week probing the mystery of why Canadians consumers have been paying more for goods and services. According to the research, the Canada-U.S. exchange rate has a direct impact on the relative price of goods and services in both countries. The number crunchers found when the Canadian dollar falls below parity, American shoppers pay more for goods than their Canuck counterparts. The opposite is true when the loonie rises above parity — as it has in recent years, said John Baldwin, director of the StatsCan research branch that did the studies. “Instead of paying lower prices, we now pay higher prices, and in some cases, quite substantially higher,” he said. In 1999, when the Canadian dollar was at 67 cents compared to its U.S. equivalent,

BIZ BYTES

1900: The Brownie camera is introduced. 1932: George Eastman commits suicide. 1935: Kodachrome, the first commercially successful amateur colour film, is unveiled. 1951: The Brownie 8mm movie camera is introduced. 1952: The Brownie movie projector is unveiled. 1962: Sales top $1 billion. 1963: Kodak introduces its line of easy-to-use Instamatic cameras. 1972: Kodak introduces the Pocket Instamatic series.

2000s 2000: Daniel Carp takes over as CEO. 2003: Kodak shifts to digital devices and services. 2004: Kodak announces a 20 per cent cut to its workforce. 2010: 18,800 people are employed at Kodak, down from 86,000 in 1998. 2011: (Sept.) Kodak has $862 million in cash, down from $1.4 billion a year earlier. 2011: (Nov.) Kodak may not survive 2012 if it is unable to secure $500 million in new debt or sell its patents.

• Lingnan Express to open One of the Capital Region’s best known Chinese restaurants is branching out into St. Albert. The Lingnan — located in downtown Edmonton — announced via Twitter last week that they plan to open a take-out and delivery store called Lingnan Express in St. Albert. They did not elaborate, however, on exactly where the store would open up. The restaurant’s owner, the Quon family, are the subjects of the Citytv reality show The Quon Dynasty.

• Royal Pizza re-opens

Also on the local food front, the Royal Pizza location in Sturgeon Plaza has re-opened. The local franchise of the regional chain sat dormant for several months until the doors were re-opened very recently at #101, 1 Hebert Rd.

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Canadian consumers paid seven per cent less for goods compared to Americans. Shopping for everything from cars to guitars, Americans would cross the border to save a few bucks. But by 2010, with the loonie at $1.03 US, Canadians were paying a whopping 24 per cent more on average for goods and services. It’s even higher for alcohol and tobacco — up to 32 per cent higher in some cases. But Baldwin maintains there’s little that can be done to change the phenomenon. The limited ability for retailers to drop prices while still turning a profit, combined with strict regulations in each country on products like alcohol, along with tariffs and separate consumer standards are all roadblocks in streamlining prices. “The process becomes very complex,” said Baldwin. The StatsCan studies were completed for the Senate Finance committee, which spent last fall looking into the price gap between consumers goods in the United States and Canada. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty asked the senate committee to probe the issue after consumers began to grumble.

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Where are they?!? Call Matt today to talk about GPS Fleet tracking solutions

20 Muir Drive 780-459-8444 www.globalcell.ca

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

PRICE OF OIL (as of Dec. 31, 2012): __________________________________________ (was_$99.75_US_per_barrel_on_Dec._31,_2011)

MAKE YOUR PREDICTIONS AND

YOU COULd WIN! • $25 gift card from Ric’s Grill in downtown St. Albert

• $25 gift card from St. Albert Source for Sports Looking back on the year that just passed? That’s easy; anyone can do that. We here at the St. Albert Leader want to challenge you a little more and get you to look ahead and tell us what you see happening in 2012. Take a look at the entry form on the right, then head to our website and tell us what you think will happen in these areas in 2012. We’ll even entice you with some prizes — four random drawings from all entries received at the end of this January, plus another prize (a photo of you as the prediction champion and full bragging rights in a January 2013) to whoever has the most correct predictions at the end of the year.

ENTER ONLINE aT STaLBERTLEadER.COm

PRICE OF NATURAL GAS (as of Dec. 31, 2012): _____________________________ (was_$3.145_US_per_gigajoule_on_Dec._31,_2011)

PRICE OF GOLD (as of Dec. 31, 2012): _______________________________________ (was_$1,567.00_US_per_ounce_on_Dec._31,_2011)

TORONTO STOCK EXCHANGE (as of Dec. 31, 2012): ________________________ (was_12,135.90_on_Dec._31,_2011)

2012 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS: __________________________________________ (2011_Finals:_Boston_Bruins_defeated_Vancouver_Canucks_in_seven_games)

2012 SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS: ___________________________________________ (2011_Super_Bowl:_Green_Bay_Packers_defeated_Pittsburgh_Steelers_31-25)

2012 GREY CUP CHAMPIONS: ______________________________________________ (2011_Grey_Cup:_B.C._Lions_defeated_Winnipeg_Blue_Bombers_34-23)

2012 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS: _ _______________________________________ (2011_World_Series:_St._Louis_Cardinals_defeated_Texas_Rangers_in_seven_games)

2012 NBA CHAMPIONS: __________________________________________ (2011_NBA_Finals:_Dallas_Mavericks_defeated_Miami_Heat_in_six_games)

One_entry_per_person._Winners_will_be_notified_by_phone/email. Deadline_for_entries:_11:59_p.m._on_Jan._31,_2011._Ties_broken_by_random_draw.

CANADIAN MEDALS AT 2012 SUMMER OLYMPICS IN LONDON: _ Gold:_________Silver:_________Bronze_______ (2008_Beijing_Games:_3_gold,_9_silver,_6_bronze)

GOLD (as of Dec. 31, 2011):

$1,567.00 US/oz

2011 GREY CUP CHAMPS:

B.C. LIONS

2011 STANLEY CUP CHAMPS:

BOSTON BRUINS

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

STALBERTJOBS.COM

Alberta leads the way in job creation Labour critics are cautioning Alberta against complacency in spite of latest numbers. Gil McGowan, president of Alberta Federation of Close to half of all the jobs created in Canada were Labour, said the figures are optimistic for Alberta but in Alberta and the province also maintained the lowest the province must make sure the growth continues into unemployment rate, according to the future. numbers released Friday. McGowan said the job growth is About 98,800 positions were created attributable to increased investment in in Alberta, which is about 50 per the oilsands, but warns the “rosy” path cent of all the jobs gained across the could end if the trend of sending raw country at 199,200, accounting for a bitumen outside the country continues. 1.2 per cent employment rate increase “Our concern is that the story Gil McGowan nationally. may change down the road if our Alta. Federation of Labour StatsCan reported Alberta’s jobless government continues to focus on rate in December dipped to 4.9 per cent extraction-only oilsands projects as from five per cent the previous month. opposed to value-added projects dealing with refining While job creation appears to be on the upswing and and upgrading,” said McGowan. the number of unemployed is going down in Alberta, “If we’re not building upgraders and refineries, then the same isn’t true nationally with jobless rate average pegged at 7.5 per cent last month, which spiked a tad from 7.4 per cent in November.

RENATO GANDIA Sun Media News Services

“The rosy employment picture ... simply won’t last.”

EMPLOYMENT GROWTH (December 2010 to December 2011)

Canada British Columbia Alberta Saskatchewan Manitoba Ontario Quebec New Brunswick Nova Scotia P.E.I. Nfld./Labrador

No. of Jobs 199,000 32,300 98,900 3,700 5,800 91,300 -51,000 0 10,500 3,500 4,300

INcrease 1.2% 1.4% 4.9% 0.7% 0.9% 1.4% -1.3% 0.0% 2.3% 5.0% 1.9%

OppOrtunity AwAits yOu.

ADULT CARRIERS WEEKLY DELIVERIES

The St. Albert Leader is currently looking for adult carriers to deliver newspapers and flyers packs door to door once a week. Deliveries are flexible on Thursdays prior to 7pm. Earn over $400 per month only working a flexible 4-5 hours, every Thursday delivering the St. Albert Leader. If you are interested please email: operations@edmontonexaminer.com or call 780.468.0384

we won’t be creating long-term jobs for the future.” McGowan said the trend of shipping bitumen out of the province instead of processing it locally could end the good employment scenario in a few years. “I’m afraid that the rosy employment picture that we’re enjoying today simply won’t last,” he said. Darrell Winwood, a spokesman with Alberta Human Services, said the increases in jobs in the province is a sign of a strong economy and growth. Winwood also pointed out the latest figure showed the fourth month unemployment rate has been dropping. While unemployment numbers are going down in the province, the rate in the Calgary area has increased from 5.4 per cent in November to 5.5 per cent in December. In December 2010, Calgary region had an unemployment rate of six per cent while the provincial average was 5.5 per cent.

Are you looking for a unique opportunity to grow your career in a place where people care? Our employees take pride in providing more than 60,000 residents with high-quality programs and services. A wide array of opportunities are available to suit your passion and experience. You can cultivate your career in a place where staff not only care about the work they do but also the people they work alongside. We have the following employment opportunities available: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Chief Administrative Officer/City Manager General Manager, Economic Development Chief Financial Officer Aquatic Services Coordinator Compensation Manager Emergency Communications Operator Emergency Services Personnel Fitness Instructors Night Shift Caretakers Pilates Instructors Purchasing Coordinator Senior Project Manager Temporary Payroll Support Utility Engineer

For information on these and other current opportunities available at the City of St. Albert please visit our website at www.stalbert.ca/employment or drop by our Human Resources department.

ADMINISTRATION POSITION: Active Warehousing Inc. is seeking a full time office person to work in our warehouse shipping office, duties include but are not limited to customer service, data entry, filing, producing bills of lading and shipping documents, and basic office functions. This position will require someone whom can work in a shipping office warehouse setting, work with trucking companies and warehouse staff on a daily basis. You must have computer experience and an understanding of the industry would be a benefit. You will be required to work Monday - Friday on a day shift with some weekend work involved however weekends are not regularly required. You will be required to keep you work area clean and organized. Rate of pay is $16.00 per hour and time and a half for overtime as required. We offer a comprehensive benefit package after 3 months.

Please reply to this ad by emailing info@activewarehousing.com, by fax at 780-482-5151 or you can drop off your resume at 12900-148th street to the attention of Marcy.

Warehouse position: Active Warehousing Inc. a leader in 3PL warehousing and distribution is seeking 3 full time warehouse personal to work in our West end warehouses.We work Monday - Friday day/afternoon shifts with daily overtime and weekend work available periodically.

Human Resources The City of St. Albert 216, 7 St. Anne Street St. Albert, Alberta T8N 2X4 Fax: (780) 459-1729

Applicants must be able to meet the following criteria: Team Player Forklift experience a must Van and Deck loading experience Able to work overtime as required Ability to work independently Railcar loading/unloading experience an asset

Online applications: www.stalbert.ca/employment

We offer a starting wage of $17.00 per hour with a generous benefit package after 3 months and overtime after 8 hours, an excellent work atmosphere and the ability to be part of team that is second to none in the industry.

We wish to express our appreciation to all applicants for their interest and effort in applying for this position but only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.

please reply to this ad by emailing info@activewarehousing.com, by fax at 780-482-5151 or you can drop off your resume at 12900-148th street to the attention of Marcy.

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

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