St. Albert Leader - March 22, 2012

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St. Albert Protestant Schools Junior High Schools Our junior high open houses are coming up soon!

Check out our ad in this issue for dates and times... and find out why so many St. Albert families are choosing our junior highs for their children!

District Administration Office • 60 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue 780-460-3712 • www.spschools.org MPSSCS4113338MPSE

2

Thursday, March 22, 2012

St. Albert Protestant Schools the

Grow

s erie

S

The

Join us for our

Human Garden

Junior High Open Houses

presented by

jamie durie horticulturalist, award‑winning landscape designer and host of The Outdoor Room on HGTV

St. Albert Protestant Schools will help your children make the most of their junior high years, opening the door to academic excellence and the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of activities within and outside of class. Your child will build a meaningful, well-rounded and memorable junior high experience at our schools.

To find out more, please join us for our junior high open houses: Elmer S. Gish School

William D. Cuts Junior High School

Principal: Duncan Knoll 75 Akins Drive Phone: 780-459-7766 www.esgjh.spschools.org

Principal: Mike Tod 149 Larose Drive Phone: 780-458-8585 www.wdcuts.ca

April 4, 6:00 pm

Saturday, March 31

1:00 to 4:00 p.m., the enjoy centre

Lorne Akins Junior High School

April 5, 7:00 pm

Principal: Loretta Manning 4 Fairview Boulevard Phone: 780-460-3728 www.lajh.spschools.org

Early bird tickets $25 plus GST or $30 plus GST at the door.

Ecole Sir George Simpson Junior High School

April 12, 7:00 pm

Principal: Pierre Rousseau 50 Grosvenor Boulevard Phone: 780-459-4456 www.sgsjh.spschools.org

District Administration Office 60 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue

Visit enjoycentre.ca for tickets or call 780 419 6800, option 3.

780-460-3712 www.spschools.org

101 Riel Drive, St. Albert text ‘enjoy’ to 77777 for directions MPSSCS4113463MPSE

April 4, 7:00 pm

MPSSCS4116856MPSE

3

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Lead the

Them’s the brakes

INDEX

Photo: glenn cook, St. Albert leader

News . . . . . . . . . 3 Opinion . . . . . . . . 8 Lifestyle . . . . . . . . 12 Health . . . . . . . 14 Homes . . . . . . . 15 Entertainment . . . . . 16 Business . . . . . . 18 stalbertjobs.com . . . . 19

A passerby documents the damage after the cab of a semi trailer was smashed in during a crash on St. Albert Trail Sunday afternoon. The semi lost its load and wound up on the wrong side of the road, and northbound lanes of the Trail were completely blocked as RCMP and fire crews cleaned up. Another car involved was towed from the scene.

COVER

Patrick, Patrick, Patrick!

After a five-month search, the City of St. Albert has hired Patrick Draper (centre) from Newmarket, Ont., to be the new city manager, starting on Monday, April 23. See story, page 3.

FUN WITH NUMBERS

$8 million

That’s how much a group of 22 Chinese authors are suing U.S. technology giant Apple Inc. for, according to Chinese state media. The authors are alleging that Apple’s App Store is selling unlicensed copies of their books.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY MARCH 22, 1894

The Stanley Cup is awarded for the very first time as the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association defeats the Ottawa Capitals 3-1, winning the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association tournament three games to two.

New city manager hired

glad the City took the time to make sure they got the right candidate.

“We put together criteria on The City of St. Albert’s fivewhat we were looking for, and he month search for a new city met every one of them,” the mayor manager has come to an end. said.

Mayor Nolan Crouse announced “We’re happy this is behind us, on Tuesday morning that Patrick but I’m most happy that I believe Draper, who currently hails from we’ve got the right candidate,” he Newmarket, Ont., will assume the added. position of city manager starting Draper — who will earn on Monday, April 23. $250,000 a year in base Draper said he salary and have a benefit started looking west for package in line with City opportunities after seeing policy — has an extensive some “warning signs mix of experience in both on the horizon” in the the public and private Ontario economy, and sectors, most recently is thrilled to land in St. serving as president and Albert.

CEO of the Toronto “The executive Region Research Alliance.

Patrick recruiting firm that was Over his 25-year career, he Draper retained by the City, I has also served as director New city manager think, did an excellent of economic strategy and job in profiling the tourism for the Regional community, the opportunity and Municipality of York, as deputy the type of individual that the minister of economic development, City of St. Albert was looking for,” trade and tourism for the Ontario Draper said. “And it seemed to be government, and held marketing a very close match in terms of my leadership positions with both interests, skills and experience.”

Nielsen Cadbury and Pepsi-Cola In fact, when visiting St. Albert, USA. he managed to find three people That experience, especially as a with connections to Newmarket deputy minister, is something he during a short period of time. hopes will serve him well as St. “To me, that suggested a little bit Albert focuses on more economic of fate involved here,” he said. development.

Former city manager Bill Holtby “I think there’s a very interesting was fired on Oct. 7, and the search opportunity to work with the for a new city manager began business community in St. Albert, almost immediately. The City to understand the type of business enlisted executive recruitment they are in and help them develop consultants Davies Park to help growth plans,” he said. “One of the with the search. best ways to create new jobs is to Crouse said it’s a relief to have work with your existing employers the position filled, but he is also in the city and help them expand.”

GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

One of the big challenges Draper can already see when looking at St. Albert is its longterm financial sustainability, with major contributions coming from the Alberta government and from residential taxpayers to keep the books balanced.

“Is that going to be an ongoing contribution [from the province], and what would happen in the event there was a change to that?” he asked.

“The tax base on residents is up there, at a higher level,” he added, “so diversifying [and getting] more revenue from the commercial side is an important solution to that kind of challenge.”

But Draper also sees many positives, including what has been touted to him as a “fabulous” staff and councillors who work very well together.

“They don’t necessarily agree on every point, but they work well together, and they know how to work well together,” he said. “They create a positive environment with staff, that’s supportive of staff, and that’s the kind of environment I want to be in.”

Draper graduated from the Faculty of Commerce at McGill University in Montreal, and will be moving to St. Albert with his wife Kristine and son Matthew, 13.

The family visited St. Albert recently to check out schools, and Draper said he was overwhelmed by the reception they received.

“We were so impressed with the reception. ... We came away [thinking] that this would be a really great place to live for our family,” he said.

Bunz inks Oilers deal GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

Goaltender Tyler Bunz looks to have locked up his hockey future with the Edmonton Oilers for the time being.

The Oilers announced Monday morning that they have signed the six-foot-one, 198-pound St. Albert native to a three-year entry level contract. Terms were not disclosed, but according to the National Hockey League’s website, 2010 draftees like Bunz may earn a maximum of $900,000 a year.

“Very special day for my family and I. Dream come true to sign a contract with the oilers. Very honored to be apart of the organization,” Bunz wrote on his Twitter account (@tylerbunz).

Bunz, 20, is a graduate of the Greater St. Albert Sports Academy and was drafted by the Oilers in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL Draft, 121st overall. He is currently playing with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League, where he racked up a record of 39-17-5, a 2.57 GAA and a .921 save percentage during the 2011-2012 regular season.

The Tigers, who finished fourth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, kick off their first-round WHL playoff series at home against the Saskatoon Blades on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Bunz was also invited to Hockey Canada’s selection camp for the 2012 World Junior Championship team late last year, but wound up being one of the final cuts.

4

Thursday, March 22, 2012

YOUr COUNCIL NEXT CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, April 2, 3:00 p.m.

Council Chambers St. Albert Place, 5 St. Anne Street

GrANTS

STAY CONNECTED!

/StA_Recreation /StARecreation

bASEMENT SUITE GrANT PrOGrAM w:

stalbert.ca/basement-suite-information p: 780-459-1642

• Like or follow Recreation and get updates on the City’s latest rec programs and activities including what’s happening at our facilities, parks and more. /StARecreation /StARecreation

FOUNTAIN PArK Grants of up to $15,000 are being provided rECrEATION CENTrE

Tuesday, April 3, 6:30 p.m.

East Boardroom, Third Floor St. Albert Place, 5 St. Anne Street

for the development of a new basement suite and up to $10,000 for the renovation of an existing basement suite. The City of St. Albert’s Basement Suite Grant Program is available through the Government of Alberta’s Affordable Housing Funding.

CrEATIvE FUN

PrOGrAMS & SErvICES

COMMUNITY SErvICES AdvISOrY bOArd

rEAdY SET GO

vISUAL ArTS SPrING brEAK CLASSES

CIvC vOLUNTEEr INCOME TAX SErvICE

Register today for the City of St. Albert’s Visual Arts Spring Break classes.

There’s something for every interest and age! Visit stalbert.ca/visualarts-classes for the list of courses available.

But hurry, space is limited!

p:

w:

stalbertcivc.com 780-459-6666

The Community Volunteer Income Tax Program helps people with low income, seniors and people with disabilities complete income tax forms at no charge.

This service is provided in partnership with Canada Revenue Agency to eligible St. Albert residents.

w:

stalbert.ca/fountain-parkrecreation-centre p: 780-459-1553 become an Aquatics Instructor Take the plunge. The Swim for Life and Lifesaving Instructor certification allows you to teach and evaluate Swim for Life program levels (Parent and Tot, Pre-School, Swimmer, Adult Swimmer and Fitness Swimmer), and the three Canadian Swim Patrol awards, as well as the Bronze levels and Lifesaving CPR. The next course begins April 14. Register today.

SAVE

MONEY AND WATER.

• Follow Events and stay connected on the various events and activities occurring throughout St. Albert. /StAEvents

LIKE | FOLLOW | CONNECT

facebook.com/cityofstalbert | twitter.com/cityofstalbert

50 ANd $75

$

REBATES FOR LOW-FLUSH/DUAL-FLUSH TOILETS

For information: visit www.stalbert.ca/toiletrebate

TOILET ENErGY EFFICIENCY rEbATE PrOGrAM

ONLINE | APRIL 2-27 www.stalbert.ca/census

The City of St. Albert’s 2012 Census begins on April 2, 2012.

Participate by completing the census online – it is easy, convenient, secure and confidential.

Census data is valuable for planning community programs and services, and ensures that St. Albert receives maximum government funding.

MPSSCS4113473MPSE

Watch for your letter containing your Unique Access Code which you need to access the online census questionnaire. Households that do not complete the census online will be visited by an enumerator starting May 7.

5

Thursday, March 22, 2012

NW LRT study gets funding GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

Light rail transit (LRT) may have chugged one stop closer to St. Albert’s doorstep with the announcement of a provincial grant last week.

The Alberta government announced on Tuesday, March 13, that the City of St. Albert was successful in its application for a $250,000 grant through the Municipal Affairs department that will help pay for an alignment study for an eventual LRT connection from NAIT to a park-and-ride transit centre just south of St. Albert.

“It’s a huge benefit for St. Albert for the LRT to come to our park-and-ride. ... Edmonton’s a very good regional partner with us, and we want to continue to demonstrate that it’s not just a one-way thing here,” said Guy Boston, general manager of planning and engineering with the City.

City of Edmonton transportation services general manager Bob Boutilier said that he is glad to have St. Albert as a partner in the study.

“We’ve talked about LRT as being a regional component. ... The LRT is that big transit connection to the entire region,” Boutilier said. “This is the first time you have two of the major regional partners working together on a transit plan that sees the LRT going to a location that’s important to St. Albert.”

The study will cost $1.1 million and should be complete by the end of 2012. The City of Edmonton is footing $800,000 of the bill, with St. Albert chipping in $50,000 to top it off after the $250,000 provincial grant.

“If we had to fund it ourselves, we were going to move [on it]. But the City of St. Albert came in a year or so ago and

agreed to contribute $50,000 towards it, and it meant they were also at the table,” Boutilier said. “This kind of shot in the arm is great.”

The City of St. Albert had originally committed up to $122,750 from its LRT reserve fund for the study. The other $72,750 will go back into that account.

The City of Edmonton was unable to apply for the grant, as the city was too large to meet the criteria.

Currently, the City of Edmonton is planning for the northwest leg of the LRT to go north from NAIT up 113A Street, then west along 153 Avenue before terminating at the park-and-ride centre, located in the Transportation Utility Corridor south of Anthony Henday Drive.

The south park-and-ride station was included in the City of St. Albert’s 2012 capital budget, with costs estimated at $34.8 million — although two-thirds of that may be reimbursed through provincial GreenTRIP funding — and a completion date of fall 2013.

The funding and the study means the planning for the northwest leg of the LRT will go right to the park-and-ride station, but Boston said it’s not 100 per cent certain if that means trains will reach it faster.

“Will the LRT line go there in Phase 2 or 3 or 4 of the northwest LRT being built in Edmonton? I guess that remains to be seen,” he said. “But it definitely bodes very well for us now.”

Building the extension to NAIT is Edmonton’s first priority, but the northwest leg is part of the Capital Region Board’s 30-year transit plan.

Boutilier said the study will help shore up pricing on the project, give people who live along the route a better idea of

Map courtesy City of Edmonton

what to expect, and finalize exactly where the park-and-ride station will be located.

“It’ll answer a lot of the questions people have about how exactly this line is going to operate,” he said.

There will also be plenty of public meetings held before the study is finished, and Boston hopes at least one of those will be in St. Albert.

The next open house on the northwest LRT is scheduled for Tuesday, April 10, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Calder Hall (12721 120 St., Edmonton).

Stretch your way to a healthier you.

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6

Thursday, March 22, 2012

O Lever as 70 ed %

Photo: GLENN COOK, St. Albert Leader

Amanda Magyar (right) hands off the Rick Hansen Medal to Katie Fitzgererald on March 14.

Rick Hansen Relay rolls through city

GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

WED. WE D. GAZ OCT 12, 19, 26/ 6/11 11 – 3x 3x18 182 18 2 {p {pro roce ro cess ce ss}} ss

Twenty-five years ago, it was one Man in Motion. But on Wednesday, March 14, it was Many in Motion who helped carry on Rick Hansen’s legacy in St. Albert.

The Rick Hansen Relay, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Man in Motion World Tour, rolled through St. Albert that afternoon, with several local “difference makers” carrying a special medal as they recreated the Canadian leg of Hansen’s original tour.

“We’re no longer the Man in Motion; we’re Many in Motion,” said relay director Jamie Levchuk. “It’s 7,000 [medal bearers], and it’s our hope that these 7,000 Canadians can do what Rick did 25 years and inspire a nation.”

The medal itself is made of sterling silver, and features a laser engraving of the palm of an actual cycling glove used by Hansen during his journey.

Like the original Man in Motion tour, the relay is designed to raise awareness of challenges those with mobility issues face, as well as money for research into spinal cord injuries.

“We as St. Albertans and we as Canadians need to ensure that, whether it’s the sidewalks we walk on or the schools we go into, they all have different mobility challenges,” Mayor Nolan Crouse told a crowd assembled to welcome the relay at St. Albert Place.

While Hansen was not along for the trip through St. Albert, medal bearer Amanda Magyar was fortunate enough to meet him a couple of times during the week prior as celebrations continued throughout the Capital Region, and he had some

inspirational words for her “Just follow your dreams, and you can do anything you put your mind to,” she said.

Magyar, a student at Grant MacEwan University, was selected to run the relay due to her volunteer work with Girl Guides of Canada, and she was the driving force behind the Birthday Bags for Kids program at the St. Albert Food Bank last year, which gave less fortunate kids cake and party favours they otherwise might not get on their birthdays.

“It’s really exciting and really inspirational,” Magyar said.

In urban areas, most of the medal bearers took legs of the relay that were only about 250 metres in length. The rest of the way, though, several endurance athletes took over, like Hervé Lord.

A five-time Paralympian and a 19-year member of the Canadian national sledge hockey team, Lord was selected to take the athletes’ oath on behalf of all competitors at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver. The stretch from Edmonton to Prince George would be his third endurance leg of the relay, after carrying the medal from Quebec City to Ottawa and from Toronto to Fort Erie, Ont. “I’ve always wanted to do something extraordinary,” Lord said. “Rick was one of my inspirations when I had my accident 28 years ago, and Terry Fox as well, when I saw them doing what they did. Then I got an email asking if I wanted to be an endurance athlete, to be part of the 25th anniversary, and I said, ‘Sign me up.’”

The relay began Aug. 24 in Cape Spear, N.L., and is expected to wrap up 273 days and 600 communities later in Vancouver on May 22.

7

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Rumours of Steel sale ‘absolutely false’ GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

It seems the rumours of the St. Albert Steel’s demise have been greatly exaggerated — for now.

On Sunday afternoon, the Internet was abuzz with rumours that the Alberta Junior Hockey League team had been sold to a group in Whitecourt, about 175 kilometres northwest of St. Albert, and would begin playing there next season.

However, Steel head coach, general manager and owner Greg Parks told the St. Albert Leader via telephone Sunday that those rumours are “absolutely false.”

“It’s not true. [The club is] not for sale,” he said.

Most of the rumours originated on the social media site Twitter, where a number of people posted about the supposed sale.

Team 1260 radio personality Jason Gregor also posted in a blog entry on OilersNation.com that “[i]t looks like the St. Albert

Steel of the AJHL have been sold to a group in Whitecourt.

Nothing official from the league yet, but look for the Steel to move to Whitecourt for next season.”

But Parks shot those rumours down, as did AJHL president Craig T. Cripps, who emailed the following to the Leader Monday morning: “AJHL Bylaws and Regulations require a vote by the Board for both a transfer of ownership or relocation.

As of today, the League office has received no such correspondence asking for either.”

St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse said that he knew the rumour mill would churn while a new deal is hashed out,

so Sunday’s rumblings didn’t surprise him.

“There have been a lot of rumours over the weeks; people just have rumours,” he said.

“If there’s a basis for them, it’s not coming out of the City of St. Albert,” he added.

The Steel gave notice to the City of St. Albert at the end of February that they intended to renegotiate their contract to stay at Servus Credit Union Place.

The main sticking point has been revenue from advertising in the Performance Arena, of which the Steel receive 60 per cent and the City receives 40 per cent.

The Steel are pushing to take in 100 per cent of that revenue.

When asked how negotiations

Nolan Crouse St. Albert Mayor are going so far, Parks succinctly responded: “Not very well.”

Crouse said the two sides met on Thursday, March 15, and are scheduled to sit down again on Tuesday, March 27.

“This week, the ball’s in their court,” he said. “We’ve basically transferred the ball to their court on a few things.”

At a special city council meeting on Monday, March 12, councillors Malcolm Parker and Roger Lemieux, along with Crouse and any necessary City staff, were authorized to negotiate a new agreement and report back by April 2.

The Steel are holding their Spring Prospect Camp at Servus Place this weekend.

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8

Thursday, March 22, 2012

OPINION

iStAlbert

Search over, work begins

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

@GelNailBar Is the #StAlbert Tennis Club on twitter? I’ve been dreaming about playingliterally! Def joining this year...who’s with me?!

T

he arduous, five-month search for a new city manager is over. But, for the successful candidate, the hard work may just be starting.

The City of St. Albert announced bright and early on Tuesday morning that the newest city manager would be Patrick Draper,

by Glenn Cook a transplant from Newmarket, Ont., with a gleaming record filled with both public and private sector experience.

Looking at his resumé, Draper looks like a godsend, a person whose expertise fits the problems St. Albert is facing like a glove.

But theory and practice are two very different things, and Draper may find it a tougher road to hoe than he may have first thought. Having staff members and councillors say there is the political will to make the tough changes necessary to achieve St. Albert’s economic goals is one thing; actually persuading them to put their money where their mouths are and see those changes through to completion is quite another.

Another area where Draper will have to be careful is in dealing with the public. The last city manager, Bill Holtby, became something of a lightning rod for angry residents, many of whom somehow came to the conclusion that he was pulling council’s strings and had to be let go. One hopes Draper has the demeanour and aplomb to avoid winding up in the same situation.

It should be noted as well that, in the five months between the firing of Holtby and Draper’s hiring, members of the City’s senior leadership team — Chris Jardine, Guy Boston and Jennifer Jennax among them — have filled in admirably, not letting any major issues slip through the cracks during the transition and even tackling a number of them head-on, like offsite levies and master plans.

But council has now put their faith in Draper to lead St. Albert into the future, and hopefully into an era of prosperity, economic growth and more balanced taxes.

It won’t be an easy task, though, and it won’t happen overnight. His every move will be also under the microscope.

We here at the Leader wish Draper the best of luck; he very well may need it.

@stalbertmayor Patrick Draper from Newmarket, Ontario: new City Manager #stalbert April 23 – welcome Patrick, Kristine, Matthew to Alberta & St. Albert

EDITORIAL

@sheldcust I have to ask where was the #anthonyhenday when I was in High School? #firstworldproblems #yeg to #stalbert commute

@Dorinkitza Yay! @GrandinTheatre has a 1201 am showing of #hungergames we got our tickets! #stalbert #squee!

Compiled by Swift Media Group swiftmedia.ca • @Swift_Media

Follow us at @stalbertleader

One last hurrah for this outspoken MLA

F

irstly, I’d like to express my thanks to the St. Albert Leader for the opportunity to speak to St. Albertans through this medium. I’d also like to thank all members of the community for their thoughtful responses to my sometimes off-the-wall thoughts on current issues.

Surprisingly, as I wind down, these have been a busy few weeks for me in the Legislature.

Last Monday, my Private Members Bill came before the Assembly for second reading and was passed unanimously.

Bill 204, the Land Statutes (Abolition of Adverse Possession) Amendment Act, is a proposal that I brought forward to abolish adverse possession, which is commonly known as “squatters’ rights.”

Adverse possession essentially allows a trespasser

Publisher: Rob LeLacheur rob@stalbertleader.com

Editor: Glenn Cook

glenn@stalbertleader.com

Ken

ALLRED St. Albert MLA My City to claim land from the rightful owner after a period of continuous occupation for a period of 10 years.

Adverse possession came to us from England when Rupert’s Land was purchased by Canada in 1870. Our land tenure system is, however, totally different than that of England, since all of Western Canada was surveyed before homesteaders came west and filed for grants from the Crown. England, on the other hand, was settled years ago and boundaries are determined by physical features such as ditches, fences and hedges. Unfortunately, the early

courts did not consider the differences in our land tenure system when they adopted adverse possession in Alberta.

Hopefully, the next government will adopt the principles set out in Bill 204 and bring it in as a government bill next session.

Last week also saw debate on Bill 4, the St. Albert and Sturgeon Valley School Districts Establishment Act. This bill changes the designations of St. Albert Protestant Schools and the Greater St. Albert Catholic School District, so that the Protestant board becomes a public board and the Catholic board becomes the separate board.

On the face of it, this bill probably makes abundant sense; however, I was concerned with the process, in that the

Delivery concerns? Email us at delivery@stalbertleader.com All claims of errors in advertisements must be received in writing by the publisher within 5 days after the first publication. Liability for errors or failure to publish is limited to the amount paid for the space occupied. The opinions expressed within publication are not necessarily those of the St. Albert Leader or RJ Lolly Media. Material published may not be copied or reproduced without the express written consent of the publisher.

Protestant Board was not part of the problem in Morinville and they felt betrayed when they came to the table to help resolve the GSACRD problem in Morinville but in doing so they lost their constitutional rights which they expressly insisted on having guaranteed.

I also took exception to a number of legalities in the process, such that I feel Bill 4 is not only unconstitutional but illegal. My third concern was that it is time to rethink the concept of separate school boards in view of our everevolving population. Why should one religion get special rights when society is becoming more multicultural?

This may have been somewhat controversial, but I felt like I usually do: that I had to speak out. Maybe I’m just too outspoken!

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9

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Levy principles OK’d or extending the City’s basement suite grant program.

GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

As part of the City of St. Albert’s ongoing review of the offsite levy fees charged to developers, city council approved Monday a set of guiding principles, which the City has worked with the Urban Development Institute on and says will set the frame work to examine the issues surrounding the levies.

The most contentious of the 11 principles on Monday was one that originally proposed no charges to developers for water infrastructure. Eventually, though, council voted to change the wording so that developers would pay a proportional charge.

“The bottom line is the competitivenees of our community,” said Coun. Wes Brodhead, noting that Sherwood Park, Leduc and Edmonton all do not charge developers for water infrastructure.

HOUSING FUNDS Also on Monday, council approved the reallocation of $257,000 of provincial affordable housing funding to Habitat for Humanity for their Aurora Place development in Akinsdale.

The money was originally to be used by the Sturgeon Foundation for a 42-unit expansion at North Ridge Place, but that proposal was turned down by the Alberta government.

Other options before council included supporting the St. Albert Housing Society’s Home Connection program, starting a City-run first-time homeowners program,

BUSINESS BYLAWS Council also got started Monday on changes to the City’s business license and tobacco retail bylaws that would make it tougher for drug paraphernalia shops to do business in St. Albert.

However, unanimous consent for third reading was blocked by Coun. Cathy Heron, who was concerned that council had not heard from the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce or other potentially affected businesses on the changes.

The changes to the business license bylaw spell out a range of “restricted products,” from grinders to digital weigh scales to detoxifying products, and would not allow a business to sell more than three such products in their store.

The amendment to the tobacco bylaw adds devices meant to facilitate smoking activity to the definition of “tobacco products.”

NON-UNION RAISE In an in camera session Monday, council approved a pay raise for non-union City employees effective April 1.

Permanent non-union employees will see raises ranging from one to four per cent, while non-permanent non-union staff will get a pay hike of 2.73 per cent.

A cost of living adjustment of 2.5 per cent was also approved, to come into effect on April 1, 2013.

Ring it up Photo: glenn cook, St. Albert leader

Heather Wyllie of the Fort McMurray Crash (left) fires a shot past Airdrie Sting defender Ashley Schamp during the gold medal game of the Ringette Alberta U14B provincial championships Sunday afternoon at Servus Credit Union Place. The Crash would take the provincial title with a 10-5 victory.

Allred stands up for Protestant board during Bill 4 debate

GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

St. Albert Progressive Conservative MLA Ken Allred stood up for St. Albert Protestant Schools — and against one of his own party’s bills — in the Alberta Legislature as debate continued on Bill 4 last week.

Allred delivered a speech in the Legislature the evening of Tuesday, March 13, calling the bill — which proposes to solve the secular education problem in Morinville by extending Sturgeon School District’s jurisdiction into that town, making Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools a separate Roman Catholic school division and turning St. Albert Protestant Schools into a public board — a “clear breach of trust” as it would not guarantee the Protestant division the same rights it enjoyed as a minority faith-based district.

“To solve the problem, Bill 4 proposes to take away the constitutional rights of the St. Albert Protestant separate school board, which is not even involved in the dispute in question. I ask you: is that fair and just?

St. Albert Protestant is being punished, and Greater St. Albert Catholic is being rewarded,” Allred said in the Legislature.

“For the honourable minister of education to come in and arbitrarily propose a new process for the establishment and dissolution of a school district without a public consultation process is without precedent and very heavy-handed, to say the least,” Allred added, also noting that legislation regarding schools has no provision for a minority board to lose its rights should it become a majority.

While he expected resistance to changing the bill from Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk and most of the Tory caucus, two

Wildrose Party MLAs also spoke Tuesday in favour of leaving Bill 4 as is, which surprised Allred.

“I don’t really know where the Wildrose was coming from; they indicated they appreciated the speech, but didn’t support it,” he said, also noting that he had discussed the matter with Alberta Liberal Party education critic Kent Hehr, who also seemed disinterested Ken in supporting Allred any changes.

St. Albert MLA “I would have thought [changes] might be something they would support. ... Really, they’re not affected by it the way we are in St. Albert, so they don’t realize the emotional issue on it.”

Alberta New Democratic Party leader Brian Mason asked

a question during Tuesday’s debate, but Allred said he had no indication which way that party was leaning on the matter.

Human Services Minister Dave Hancock, who served as education minister when the situation in Morinville first came to the forefront, also spoke in the Legislature on Tuesday evening, calling Bill 4 the “only logical solution.”

“It’s not something that everyone agrees with, but it is in the best interests of the children in that area, which is what this is ultimately all about,” he said.

Hancock also noted that the Protestant board does not currently exercise any of the rights afforded it as a minority faith-based board, but Allred said he’s fighting for future rights, and not necessarily the present.

“The right to exist as a school district just within the city of St. Albert — they don’t want to become part of a greater

Sturgeon Valley school district that goes all the way to Redwater or anything,” he said. “That’s not going to happen tomorrow, but down the road, they might look at regionalizing a whole bunch of school districts, and then St. Albert has no protection.”

It was suggested during the debate by one of Allred’s colleagues that he bring forward an amendment to Bill 4, outlining the rights the Protestant board would like to keep, prior to third reading, which was expected on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week.

But Allred said he couldn’t really see any point in doing so.

“It would have to be a very complicated amendment to accomplish what I want to do ... and I know it’s just going to delay things; that’s all it’s going to do,” he said. “I made my point, and I know there’s not going to be any movement on it by the government.”

10

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Chamber News www.stalbertchamber.com | 780-458-2833

/stalbertchamber

Chamber of Commerce Chair -- Darel Baker Darel is a 4th generation Albertan who grew up on a farm in central Alberta. In 1993, Darel co-founded Keldar Leadership Solutions with his wife Kelly. He specializes in meeting with owners, partners and senior leaders of organizations in order to help identify solutions that will overcome challenges and help take them to the next level. Keldar Leadership Solutions is focused on aligning the actions of individuals and teams with the organization’s overall objectives.

Prior to starting his business, Darel held leadership positions in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Over the years, he has had the opportunity to work with and lead high performing management teams for several companies and organizations, all with a diverse range of personalities and talents. Together, they overcame challenges and maximized their strengths to create success.

Effective recruiting, hiring and development of team members have been the keys to Darel’s success throughout his career.

Darel and his family have lived in St. Albert since 2001 and love what the city has to offer for both a growing family and a growing business. Darel is actively involved on the Executive Committee of the Rotary Club of Edmonton and is the Chamber of Commerce’s Chair for 2012.

April 20th--22nd

OUR VISION: Our community has a thriving business environment.

OUR MISSION: The St. Albert Chamber of Commerce is a champion of ideas; leading, inspiring and advocating for our community, facilitating change and growth while creating a fertile environment for businesses, partnerships, and residents.

OUR VALUES: Integrity Creativity Passion Collaboration Professionalism Advocacy

St. Albert & District Chamber of Commerce proudly presents the “Lifestyle Expo & Sale” taking place April 20-22, 2012 at Servus Credit Union Place located at 400 Campbell Road in St. Albert. This is a long-running annual tradition in the city, allowing you the opportunity to see an amazing showcase of products and services offered by the businesses of St. Albert and capital region.

Your entrance into the Expo entitles you to enter into the Door Prize for a Cruise for Two donated by Expedia CruiseShipCenters and fine art donated by Art Beat Gallery & Frame.

Participate in the Stamp Around for kids and adults – adults will have a chance to win a gift certificate donated by Gemport and the kids will have a chance to win an assortment of prizes.

Returning crowd favorites are an area devoted exclusively to “Pure Horticulture” with educational workshops and a Potting Zoo sponsored by Arts & Heritage St. Albert & St. Albert Botanic Park. Other popular attractions include a Petting Zoo, Inflatable Bouncers, St. Albert Idol, Baby Crawl, Future Shop 3D Gaming Centre, plus live entertainment sponsored by Visionary College, and a Pet Fashion Show sponsored by Paradise Pets.

We act ethically with honesty and transparency We explore better ways We are enthusiastic about what we are considering We have an approach that is open and inclusive We value courtesy, respect, and dignity in the conduct of our affairs We champion the cause of others to the greater benefit of all

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors...

Platinum: Apex Casino, Expedia CruiseShipCenters, Visionary College

Gold: ATB Financial, Christenson Communities, City Ford Sales, City of St. Albert, Future Shop, Gemport, Mar Orthodontics

Silver: Alberta Irrigation Supply Ltd., Art Beat Gallery & Frame, Colliers International, Cottswood Interiors, Inflatable Fun, St. Albert Gazette, St. Albert Leader, St. Albert RONA

Bronze: Discover Hearing, Quantz Law Group Keep up with all the latest Lifestyle Expo news by checking the Twitter hashtag: #lifex2012 Or check out our Expo Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/stalbertexpo

11

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Fountain at Botanic Park vandalized beyond repair GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

The St. Albert Botanic Park is down one of its most recognizable landmarks thanks to vandals.

The park’s water fountain, a central fixture on its grounds just off Sturgeon Road, was vandalized beyond repair sometime between Saturday, March 3, and Wednesday, March 7, a blow that past president Margaret Plain said would be tough to recover from.

“My thinking on it is that they stood on the lower bowl and pushed, and then the top part fell on the lower parts, and when they hit the frozen ground, they smashed. That’s my guess,” Plain said.

“All it takes is a couple of hefty males that would be able to push that over.”

The fountain has been targeted by vandals twice before, but this latest incident certainly did the most damage.

“The last couple of times, we were able to repair it by buying some parts that had been broken beyond repair, and some of it we glued together so it would still work,” Plain said.

The fountain was purchased in 2006 and cost $18,000 at the time, the majority of the cost being covered by fundraising efforts.

Plain said the organization is weighing its options, including whether or not the fountain was covered by insurance, but they plan to replace it nonetheless.

“We have insurance for our buildings; we’re just checking to see whether or not that covers the fountain,” she said.

“It’s a very prominent feature in the park,” she added. “It’s in all our brochures and stuff like that. People

Photo courtesy St. Albert RCMP

The damage after vandals struck a water fountain at the St. Albert Botanic Park.

coming to the park for weddings, they like the thought of the fountain there.”

Plain added that the organization plans to build a gazebo on their grounds in the near future, and as they extend electricity that far out, they may also apply for grants from the City of St. Albert to add surveillance equipment to deter further vandalism.

“We would have an opportunity to perhaps use cameras or something; we’re not sure yet,” she said. “But we want to find something that’s not harmful to somebody that we could use.”

Anyone with any information on this crime is asked to call the St. Albert RCMP detachment at 780-458-7700 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Pair of debts retired

GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

There was no mortgage-burning party to mark the occasion, but the City of St. Albert quietly retired the debt on two major capital projects this week.

First, on Thursday, March 15, the City retired $500,000 worth of debt used to complete an energy savings capital project that was initiated in 2006. The next day, though, was an even bigger milestone, as the debt used to construct the Campbell Arenas was paid off.

Although those arenas — named after St. Albert National Hockey League players Mark Messier and Troy Murray — are now integrated along with the Performance Arena into Servus Credit Union Place, Mayor Nolan Crouse said it was a great example of the long-term vision that previous city councils had.

“It reinforces the need for long-term planning. If you think of St. Albert without Servus Place today, what would we have?” he said. “We wouldn’t have those three arenas, so 20 years ago when council and staff put together a vision and a plan ... we’re lucky they borrowed the money and lucky they built the arenas.”

At a meeting of the City’s Standing Committee on Finance on Monday, March

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12, City finance staff gave council a report on corporate financial indicators for 2010, which found that St. Albert is using only 35 per cent of its debt limit and 25 per cent of its debt servicing limit — lower totals than other comparable mid-sized cities in the province.

“We’ll always be very critical of going into debt; we all do it. We don’t like to borrow money for a car or a house,” he said. “You have to pick and choose when you go into debt, and don’t get yourself in over your head. The data shows we’re very well-positioned.”

Currently, the outstanding debt the City has is related to the public works building in Campbell Park — which is set to be paid off in May 2013 — to Servus Place and to Ray Gibbon Drive.

Although more borrowing will be required for Stage 3 of Ray Gibbon Drive, Crouse said council isn’t looking to add any more to their credit card balance beyond that, even though the economic conditions may be right to borrow.

“We don’t have anything that’s emerging in the short term,” he said. “We don’t think we’re going to have to borrow for an RCMP building; we think we’ve got some options on reserves. There might be an appetite for a community centre, which we don’t have funded.”

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Thursday, March 22, 2012

LIFESTYLE

Dog-friendly destinations gain popularity JOANNE RICHARD Sun Media News Services

Are you living in a petocracy?

Does Rover rule the roost?

Well, join the pack if you’re dogged by utter devotion to your dog. Putting your pet on a pedestal is an increasingly common practice as owners pamper furry family members more than ever. From luxuries to lessons, including organic food, spa treatments, daycare and extracurricular activities, nothing’s too good for Fluffy.

Days are planned around pets’ needs, and so too holidays as more owners navigate trips around pet-friendly travel to include that special furry family member. And that includes March Break, which is now underway in B.C., and

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Actually, 78 per cent of dog owners consider their dog an “equal member” of their family, reports Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Kristina Kreber and husband Justin Peck are passionate pooch owners who are heading to the Caribbean — a dog-friendly beach is a must because Button is going along for some sun, run and sand.

“We won’t travel anywhere without our dog. He’s been on at least 15 or 20 cross-country flights already and several shorter ones,” says Kreber, adding Big Sur in California is an outstanding dogfriendly destination. “Everything is more fun with him — he’s sweet, funny and fun.”

Their 10-pound pal also joins them on most daily outings; they even sneak him into restaurants inside a secret pooch pouch.

Button is allowed up on the bed, couch and pretty well everywhere else he pleases but the fouryear-old mutt is extremely well behaved. “Button is like our child… He makes our house a home and completes our family,” says the Vancouver native, adding that respecting Button’s “dogginess” is key to a balanced, healthy relationship.

Lucky for Kreber it works, but too much pampering and most dogs will push the boundaries, say the experts. Pet love can cause the fur to fly in some households but for many owners it’s not a bone of contention.

“Our house has gone to the

Photo: Sun Media News Services

dogs,” says Elinor Robin, who admits her two pooches are not the best behaved but they fill her empty nest. “They walk all over me the same way my children do, so clearly I created this dynamic.

I take full responsibility for this,” says Robin, who doesn’t travel without her dogs. Stella and Roscoe are also barkers, “but that’s their job. They are protecting us from birds, squirrels, and other wildlife as well as burglars,” says the 57-year-old Florida divorce mediator.

And, yes, her dogs are allowed up on the bed. Nowhere is the petocracy more evident than in the bedroom. Stats reveal more than 50 per cent of dogs and cats are invited to snuggle up at night.

Not a problem if you have control and respect, but you might want to rethink the bedroom hierarchy

if you’re being asked to sleep in another room because your snoring is keeping Princess awake.

According to experts, investing all this time and energy isn’t leading to better behaved pets.

And when household rules don’t apply to our furry friends, this can lead to a few doggie dictators.

“The petocracy is endangering people and creating unhappy, anxious and often times aggressive dogs,” says Brian Kilcommons, Conn., dog trainer to the stars, including Harrison Ford, Diane Sawyer and Diana Ross.

Bad behaviour is rationalized and excused by the people who love them, says Kilcommons.

“Dogs are allowed to behave in ways where humans would be arrested,” including greeting people at the door by humping their leg, nose bumping their

crotch, and assertive jumping and licking. Reconsider indulging them with “unending attention, affection and treats just for breathing or being cute,” says Kilcommons, of greatpets.com.

Institute structure: “Some owners are creating emotional cripples. Many dogs are emotional hostages for the needs of the owners only, without consideration of what the dog needs.”

A clear concept of love and authority is crucial, just like successful child-rearing, says dog behaviourist John Wade, pet columnist for Sun Media.

Women make great trainers but they are often misguidedly “treat their dogs like their grandkids, instead they should treat them like their husband,” adds Wade, of johnwade.ca.

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Thursday, March 22, 2012

Locally Owned & Operated

“Hockey is over for the year....probably time to get a job” Photo: Metro Creative Services

Living life on the e-list DAHLIA KURTZ Sun Media News Services

Who knew a serious car accident could literally throw you off-course and figuratively put you back on it?

It was about two years ago. I remember thinking “I’m too young to die” as a woman in an SUV ran a red and barrelled into my compact, totalling it. My car flung about 50 metres — and into the intersection of offline and online.

Once the trauma waned, things became clear: this was more than an important enough reason to live life big. While recovering, an innocent Google search of blog platforms led me to accidentally create my website. I started writing again and the rest is Web history.

No stranger to the e-list, like millions of others now — but millions fewer back then — it began with online dating, where I met my husband. Now all the cool kids are doing it (well, not meeting my husband).

Internet dating was the gateway social medium.

It has been dubbed Generation C: constantly connected, communicating and clicking. But forget Gen-X and the Me Generation; let’s call this the iGeneration.

Last year, eMarketer found Canada had the most social networking users in the world per capita, while Ipsos.ca reports 50 per cent of Canadians have a social network profile. With a third logging in daily, the frequency of use keeps increasing dramatically.

Do you ever find yourself saying, “That’s a status?” Or, “That’s a tweet?” Do you ever find your lady or your guy saying, “Hello, I’m right here; you don’t have to tweet me.”

(But how much funnier are you when you say it in cyberspace? Jokes weigh more there.)

Over time, social networks have become

more than distractions; they’ve become attractions. Unexpectedly, my Facebook profile created on a boring Saturday night and a once-feigned interest in tweeting have become integral parts of my everyday, every-minute life.

A Nielsen study says Americans spend triple the time on social media than on email and about a quarter of the time online at social networking sites — Facebook, Blogger, Tumblr, Twitter, LinkedIn being the most popular. And with one of five minutes spent online, Nielsen notes the rapid adoption and measurable reach of social media is staggering.

Offline is online. Online is offline. They intersect all the time.

Pop culture is not even pop culture anymore if it’s not online first. #Winning is a case in point.

Not only the planet’s 411, social media is its 911. Chris Strouth tweeted, “Sh*t I need a kidney” then got one. And no longer is it just “stop bullying,” now it’s trending a #StopBullying campaign with millions more engaged in the subject just last week.

Society has become more active, interactive and proactive.

Without a mainstream media company, social media has amplified my voice, giving me a way to write loud. As I got more connected, more people connected with my stories. I helped raise awareness for a friend who was dying of cancer and later, helped to keep his legacy alive, I can find stories, network, stay in touch with friends and family, resolve my consumer issues, shop, and yes, waste time too.

Nothing has made life more unproductive than social media, but nothing has made life more productive than social media.

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Thursday, March 22, 2012

HEALTH

Eating disorders a struggle for whole family MARILYN LINTON Sun Media News Services

Parents are the “priceless resource” needed to help a child recover from an eating disorder. So stress two Ontario eating disorder specialists who say “a more specialized or better hospital” is not always the answer for this devastating illness.

“It is you helping your child to eat that will make the difference,” say Dr. Ahmed Boachie and Dr. Karin Jasper, whose comprehensive new book, A Parent’s Guide to Defeating Eating Disorders, offers guidance to parents who are stymied and scared by their child’s refusal to eat.

Unlike books that focus on preventing eating disorders, Boachie and Jasper’s book is about how parents can “defeat” the illness that attacks like a stealth bomber to rob their child from them. Where they work at the Eating Disorder Program at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ont., 80 per cent of their patients are in outpatient programs but parents are partners in the treatment with their children.

“The relationship that parents have with their children is the most important relationship children have,” Boachie said in an interview. “It is like the air we breathe — and without it we would

not have life.”

To help rather than hinder a child’s progress requires a mindshift in a household. For example, parents, many of whom blame themselves for their child’s illness, can be especially confused as to how to manage mealtimes — the foundation of recovery. Should they cajole their child into eating by offering and withholding rewards, or should they shift the focus entirely off food?

There are countless other issues, too: To argue against or comply with a child’s wishes? To offer different foods or a strict meal plan?

Consult another doctor or treatment facility?

Family treatment is what works, says Boachie, who urges parents to “ally with the treatment rather than the eating disorder.”

“If parents take some food away, the child will calm down and appear happier,”

Jasper explains, adding that by minimizing their expectations of what the child should eat, parents inadvertently ally with their child’s fear around food.

“However, her body needs enough food to provide for the development of her heart, brain, bones and other organs. So although she will be calmer (with less food), she will also become sicker and eventually medically

A SLIPPERY SLOPE Eating disorders start with weight preoccupation and dieting, which are normative in our society, says Dr. Karin Jasper. But the moment at which dieting becomes a disorder can go unnoticed: A child may wear loose clothes, complain of flu or stomach aches, lie about when and what they ate, claim fatigue due to schoolwork, or over-exercise in the name of health. Early stages of an eating disorder can mimic other diseases and be difficult to diagnose. compromised.”

Once parents appreciate that the illness can kill their child or make them chronically ill, they can sit with their child and help them face the food they need in order to survive.

Family therapy requires bravery on the part

of parents. It demands that parents — not doctors — take charge of nutrition and weight restoration by managing a child’s meals and disrupting their food restriction, purging or over-exercising.

Parents learn that the illness has “overtaken” their child and that their child is not being stubborn or disobedient by refusing food.

Granted, it can’t be easy, particularly when many wonder why kids with eating disorders simply don’t eat their way back to health. But there are serious physical complications that arise with re-feeding someone who is starving.

And telling someone with an eating disorder to “just eat” is “like telling someone who is afraid of heights to jump out of an airplane,” says Dr. Jasper. “They are terrified and facing a meal, they feel that everything they have worked hard at to keep themselves acceptable, likeable, attractive and good is about to be ripped away from them.”

A wandering mind can be a good thing, say researchers

SUN MEDIA NEWS SERVICES – It may sound like a contradiction, but new research suggests that people whose minds wander often have more “working memory,” which can help them stay focused.

Published online in the journal Psychological Science, the study, by Daniel Levinson and Richard Davidson at the University of WisconsinMadison and Jonathan Smallwood at Switzerland’s Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science, says that a person’s working memory capacity relates to the tendency of their mind to wander during a routine assignment.

They describe working memory as a mental workspace that allows us to juggle multiple thoughts simultaneously.

For the study, volunteers were asked to perform one of two simple tasks — either pressing a button in response to the appearance of a certain letter on a screen, or simply tapping in time with one’s breath — and compared their propensity to drift off.

“We intentionally use tasks that will never use all of their attention,” Smallwood said. “And then we ask, how do people use their idle resources?”

Throughout the tasks, the researchers checked in periodically with the participants to ask if their minds were

on task or wandering. At the end, they measured each participant’s working memory capacity, scored by their ability to remember a series of letters given to them interspersed with easy math questions.

In both tasks, there was a clear correlation.

“People with higher working memory capacity reported more mind wandering during these simple tasks,” says Levinson, though their performance on the test was not compromised.

They say the study seems to suggest that when circumstances for a task aren’t very difficult, people who have additional working memory resources

deploy them to think about things other than what they’re doing.

The team says working memory can help us stay focused, but if our minds start to wander, those resources get misdirected and we can lose track of our goal.

The researchers added that it doesn’t mean that people with high working memory capacity are doomed to a straying mind.

“The bottom line is that working memory is a resource and it’s all about how you use it,” Levinson says. “If your priority is to keep attention on task, you can use working memory to do that, too.”

15

Thursday, March 22, 2012

HOMES

Toilet rebates offered GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

The City of St. Albert is hoping to help residents stop flushing money down the toilet with a new rebate program.

The City announced on Monday that it would be offering residents rebates to replace old, inefficient toilets with new low-flush or dual flush models starting immediately.

City environmental manager Leah Jackson said that water conservation is not a critical issue for St. Albert just yet, but they also don’t want it to be one in the future.

“The whole point is, if we get people to reduce their water consumption, we can delay that time to get a new reservoir or to have to build new lines to reach higher demands,” she said. “The more we can get people to reduce, the longer we can put off building needing new facilities or needing some upgrades. That’s important, because new reservoirs, new water lines are very expensive items.

“The more we can do on the soft side, and have people reduce their water consumption, the City benefits, people’s taxes benefits, and of course your household bill benefits.”

The rebate program is offered in partnership with C3, an Alberta-based non-profit society that encourages energy efficiency and the small-scale use of alternative energy sources throughout the province.

Residents can apply for a maximum of one rebate per household, and receive $50 for a low-

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GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

They were nominated for 16 awards, and Daytona Homes walked away with the one that mattered most.

Daytona Homes Master Builder was honoured Saturday night with the Large Volume Builder of the Year award at the 2012 Canadian Home Builder’s Association Awards of Excellence in Housing Gala, held at the Shaw Conference Centre in downtown Edmonton.

While headquartered in Edmonton’s west end, Daytona president Tally Hutchinson is a St. Albert resident, and the company has built many homes here in St. Albert, as well as in the rest of the Capital Region, Lethbridge, Grande Prairie and Regina since 1993.

“Daytona Homes would like to congratulate its customers, staff, suppliers, and all business partners as these awards are reflective of the hard work, dedication, and success of everyone,” Hutchinson said in a press release. “These awards represent the industry’s finest and celebrate the creative design and craftsmanship of Edmonton Region builders and renovators, and recognize excellence and professionalism in the field of sales and marketing within the home building industry.”

Aside from the big award, though, Daytona also took home several other awards from the gala. Three Daytona sales associates were recognized for their outstanding achievements, including: • Dave English, Platinum Level Sales Volume;

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Daytona also won an award for its Grand Prix model in the Single Family Without Attached Garage - Under $230,000 category.

Several homes built in St. Albert were also up for awards at the Awards of Excellence in Housing Gala.

Look Homes Master Builder Inc. was nominated in the Best Single Family Bungalow/Bi-level under $250,000 for their Clarke model in North Ridge, but that award went to Coventry Homes instead for their Tamarack Mapleridge project.

Also in North Ridge was Daytona Homes’ Benz model, which earned a nomination in the Best Single Family TwoStorey/Split Level with Attached Garage $270,000-$300,000 category. However, that category was won by Celebration Homes Inc. Daytona also had two nominations in Erin Ridge with their Benz II C model (Best Single Family Two-Storey/Split Level with Attached Garage $300,000-$330,000) and their Explorer III A model (Best Single Family Two-Storey/Split Level with Attached Garage $330,000$370,000).

Unfortunately, they came away with neither award, as they went to Homes by Avi and Bedrock Homes respectively.

Bedrock Homes also earned a nod in the Best Single Family Two-Storey/Split Level with Attached Garage $300,000$330,000 category for their Carlton C model in Erin Ridge.

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flush toilet or $75 for a dual flush model. The new toilet must be WaterSense labelled and be a replacement; units installed in new homes or add-on bathrooms are not eligible.

“I think we’re the last municipality in the Capital Region that has actually offered [a rebate],” Jackson said, “but it’s actually one of the most frequent phone calls we get from people in relation to water conservation — do we have a rebate program?”

The rebates are retroactive to Jan. 1, 2012, and will be offered until the $30,000 set aside in the 2012 civic budget runs out. But, if the response is strong enough, Jackson said it may be renewed in the 2013 budget.

“There’s definitely a lot of interest for it. I don’t think the money is going to last more than a couple of months,” she said. “I think there’s going to be a lot of uptake right away.”

According to the City, about 30 per cent of indoor water use is dedicated to flushing toilets.

Toilets manufactured before the early 1990s can use more than 20 litres of water per flush — possibly equalling a bathtub full of water per person per day — while today’s low-flush and dual flush units use as little as six litres per flush.

“That’s 50 per cent or more you’re saving each more you flush the toilet,” Jackson said. “It’s a significant difference, especially if you have an older house and you know you have three or four toilets in your home.”

For more information on the rebate program and eligibility requirements, visit www.stalbert. ca/toiletrebate.

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16

Thursday, March 22, 2012

ENTERTAINMENT

Lawrence proves her Hunger in new trilogy

“I think she’s peerless in her generation, honest to God,” says Hunger Games director Gary Ross. “I Sun Media News Services think you see this once every 10 years, someone “They’ve found us,” comes the voice of a studio who comes along with this kind of talent, these staffer over a walkie talkie. kind of chops, control over what she’s doing. I don’t “Creeeepy,” a talent wrangler responds from a even understand it. At times I would say to her, suite inside.

‘Where do you come from?’”

The object of their concern is a group of eight Donald Sutherland, who plays the villainous young people outside the Four Seasons hotel with President Snow, is similarly effusive. books and Hunger Games paraphernalia to sign.

“Jennifer Lawrence is as good an actress as you’re Still, considering the extreme measures to which going to find anywhere,” he says. “She’s playing secrecy reigns over the movie The Hunger Games a character who’s a genius, in the Shavian sense — signed embargoes and subtle threats over leaked that Joan of Arc was a genius. And she does it with tidbits — they are clearly surprised word got out such clarity. It’s incredible to see how clearly that that the objects of fans’ obsession were behind the character develops.” hotel walls.

With fanboys, young and old, inside and outside Depending on who’s counting, some 30 million the hotel, Lawrence seems decidedly unaffected and mostly young people have read some or all of candid.

Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger She talks about the physical Games trilogy, about a postregimen she undertook to apocalyptic America that forces participate in the ultimate game teens from each of 12 districts to of Survivor in the hot Blue Ridge fight to the death for the televised Mountains, N.C., shooting site amusement of the masses.

— “running and free running The hero, Katniss Everdeen, — which is agility training — Jennifer Lawrence is a 16-year-old master archer climbing, combat, archery and Actress from coal-mining country who yoga. I did as many stunts as I becomes a veritable Joan of Arc. could, although the studio isn’t Inside, a designer-jean-clad Jennifer Lawrence big on having their lead actress at the beginning of admits that, after fighting like Katniss to get this a franchise do anything insane. I had wonderful iconic role, she’s begun to appreciate the old saying, stunt girls who fell out of trees and rolled down “Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.” mountains.”

“I haven’t really thought about how this job But no diet. “I’d been on a protein diet for would affect me, except in the negative sense,” another movie and it just made me huge, just admits the tall, chipmunk-cheeked indie/critics’ bulked me up. I built muscle like a man.” darling who burst onto the scene last year with an Lawrence admits to being initially reluctant Oscar nomination for the movie Winter’s Bone. about the project. “The first time I heard about the “I mean, the positive is that I get to be this movie, I was incredibly skeptical. I didn’t jump up amazing iconic character. When I drive by the and down and go, ‘Oh joy!’ I went, ‘Great, they’re billboards, I laugh sometimes. But every so often I going to ruin another book series.’ And then I met get the goosebumps.” with Gary and realized quickly I could not have Is it too fast a transition from unknown to been more wrong.” franchise figure? “I think about this all the time.

A starry-eyed Kentucky girl who convinced her But when you get a promotion at your job, you don’t mother to move her to New York at 14, she didn’t go, ‘That was too fast, can I stay in the mailroom really think much about her roots until recently. a while longer?’ You take it,” she says, matter-ofIronically, she and co-star Josh Hutcherson (who factly. plays fellow combatant Peeta Mellark) are both “I hope I can get to do movies and I’m not Kentucky-born, although “I call him a redneck, Katniss anymore. People can watch me and not say, because he’s a bigger hick than me. That’s a fact.

‘Oh look, Katniss is doing a period drama.’ I hope “But I was just having a conversation with a that when I’m doing these movies I can be the best friend who grew up in California, and I was like Katniss I can be, and when I’m doing something ‘You mean you never had any woods? You never, else I can be somebody else.” like, dug a hole or saw a snake or climbed a tree?’

As opposed to the Zac Efrons, Robert Pattinsons She’d be, like, ‘I mean I had a beach?’ and Kristen Stewarts of Hollywood (who may “For a long time I’d been saying no, that my indeed be trapped by teen franchise-itis), Lawrence Kentucky upbringing had nothing to do with my is coming in with something extra — acting cred, roles. But after talking to her I was, like, ‘Well, I over and above her Oscar nomination (albeit in guess probably.’ Growing up and riding horses and movies few have seen, such as Jodie Foster’s The being outside in the woods definitely prepared me Beaver, and Like Crazy with Anton Yelchin). more for this role than, say, growing up in New People get overheated when they talk about her.

Jersey.”

JIM SLOTEK

“When I drive by the billboards, I laugh sometimes.”

Photo: Sun Media News Services

Though she was nominated for an Oscar last year, Jennifer Lawrence has a real breakout role in The Hunger Games, which opens today (Thursday).

TALE OF THE TAPE As has been said many times, anything that gets young people reading is a good thing. So move over, Twilight. Here comes The Hunger Games, the much-anticipated movie of which opens Thursday.

You’d think a book trilogy about a post-Apocalyptic society that forces teens to fight to the death would be more popular with people who actually have to live with teenagers. But you’d be wrong.

As a franchise, The Hunger Games is most often compared to the Twilight series. So why stop now?

TWILIGHT

HUNGER GAMES

4 BOOks 3 120 million BOOks sOLd 11 million since 2005 since 2008 Pubescent and AudIence Teenage girls and young teen girls almost as many boys Sleepy town of seTTInG War-torn America Forks, Washington called Panem Bella Swan; can resist HeROIne Katniss Everdeen; vampire mind control expert archer Kristen Stewart AcTRess Jennifer Lawrence Vampires, dAnGeRs Trackerjackers, Nightlock werewolves berries, other ‘tributes’

17

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Reid hoping to catch fire with new album JANE STEVENSON Sun Media News Services

When it came to the artwork for his latest CD, Fire It Up, you might say that ScottishCanadian country-soul crooner Johnny Reid came out guns — or in this case a diesel hose — a-blazin.’

Reid, 37, is pictured on the album cover and liner notes in front of an inferno. Turns out he was responsible for actually starting it on his farm in Franklin, Tenn.

“On the back of the property I had seven and a half thousand linear feet of fence that I wanted to remove,” Reid says with a devilish chuckle while chatting up Fire It Up, which was released this week. “So (the label) phoned and said, ‘Hey, we want to do this photo shoot for Fire It Up. We’re going to bring you into Toronto, we’re going to put you in front of a green screen.’ I said, ‘I’ve got a better idea.’ “ Reid wound up with a backpack full of diesel and a hose in his hands in front of a massive pile of lumber.

“There were 85-foot flames. It was so hot and this woman that was doing the hair and the makeup said to me, ‘Do you want some hairspray?’ I go, ‘Hairspray? Have you seen the fire out there? If you put some hairspray on my hair, I’m going to go up in flames! ... My buddy phoned me and goes, ‘Man, Photoshop’s amazing.’ I’m like, ‘That’s not Photoshop!’”

Reid reveals he was motivated to make the up-tempo Fire It Up — which includes duets with Canadian soul singer Serena Ryder and country star Carolyn Dawn Johnson — because of the positive feedback while on tour for his 2010 double-platinum release, A Place Called Love.

“It was almost foreign for me to go in and record anything but that,” said Reid, a married father of four — Justin, 10, Tyler, 9, Dylan, 5, and Ava, 2.

Reid also felt there were anthemic, dramatic songs missing from his set list.

“By the end of the tour, I think a lot of people expected me to be tired but I was rejuvenated. And I knew if I was going to take the next step into some of these arenas, I knew the music that I had to write in order to fill up the rooms musically. I wanted to lift the roof off some of these places.”

In addition to a cross-Canada small arena tour (5,000 to 10,000 seaters) that begins in April, Reid will help kick off Canadian Music Week March 21 and attend the Junos in Ottawa on April 1, where his song, “Let’s Go Higher,” is up for best single.

Reid, who has won two Junos and 22 Canadian Country Music Awards in the last six years alone, was surprised to be in the running in a top category.

“Absolutely, I’m in between albums,” he said.

“I wasn’t expecting to be invited.”

JOHNNY REID’S CANADIAN TOUR DATES:

Photo: Sun Media News Services

Country singer Johnny Reid is hitting the road to promote his latest album, Fire It Up.

April 10: Victoria, BC April 12: Kamloops, BC April 13: Kelowna, BC April 14: Vancouver, BC April 16: Prince George, BC April 17: Dawson Creek, BC; or Grande Prairie, AB April 19: Edmonton, AB April 20: Cranbrook, BC April 21: Lethbridge, AB April 23: Saskatoon, SK April 24: Regina, SK April 26: Brandon, MB April 27: Winnipeg, MB April 29: Thunder Bay, ON April 30: Sault Ste Marie, ON May 1: Sudbury, ON May 2: Barrie, ON May 4: Windsor, ON May 5: Hamilton, ON May 7: Kitchener, ON May 8: London, ON May 10: Oshawa, ON May 11: Kingston, ON May 12: Ottawa, ON May 14: Moncton, NB May 15: Saint John, NB May 16: Halifax, NS May 18: Cornerbrook, NFLD May 19: St John’s, NFLD

Cowboy Junkies end Nomad Series with mix of relief, regret

DARRYL STERDAN St. Albert Leader

After two years of nomadic life, Cowboy Junkies are coming home.

No, Canada’s beloved altcountry brooders aren’t wrapping a massive tour. They’re putting the finishing touches on the most ambitious musical endeavor of their career — releasing four divergent albums in a little over 18 months under the banner of The Nomad Series. And like all journeys, it ends with a mixture of relief and regret.

“Yeah, there’s a little of both,” confirms 52-year-old guitarist and chief songwriter Michael Timmins from his Toronto home. “There’s relief that we got it done and that we’re happy with the results ...

Only now I think, ‘Oh God, what do we do next?’ “ Fair enough. Taken together, the albums leave no stone unturned.

Vol. 1: Renmin Park grew out of Timmins’ trip to China to adopt a child. Vol. 2: Demons was a tribute to late singer-songwriter and friend Vic Chesnutt. Vol. 3: Sing in My Meadow spotlit the band’s

Photo: Sun Media News Services

Canadian alt-country stalwarts the Cowboy Junkies are putting the finishing touches on a series of four albums in just over 18 months, which they dubbed The Nomad Series. psychedelic side. And Vol. 4: The Wilderness (out March 27) is a return to the band’s slow-burning folk shimmer.

While he pondered his next move, Timmins — who has shared the stage for 26 years with singing sister Margo, drumming brother Peter and bassist Alan Anton — looked back on the series. Some highlights:

Q: Did the music come before the concept or vice versa?

A: It was a combination. We’d begun to work on songs for what would have been our next release. Then I went off to China for three months and came back full of inspirations and ideas and thoughts. It seemed kind of impossible to encapsulate it all in one album, so we were talking

about doing a double or a triple album. And then we realized, we didn’t have to approach this like we’ve approached every record for 20 years. We don’t have any obligations to record companies.

We have a website.

Q: Did you plan everything out and write it all up front?

A: We definitely thought the first album would revolve around

China. And we knew the fourth would be those new songs, but with a folkier, older Junkies vibe. But the second and third record, we had no idea what they would be. And very soon after we announced the project, Vic Chesnutt died. So that became obvious ... And for the third record, we thought we’d cheat a little and do a live record.

Q: With all that songwriting, you never found the well running dry?

A: No. And I didn’t think I’d be able to write three albums.

I thought I could do two, but the third one came pretty fast.

I just started writing, and when I gathered the material up into packages, that’s when I realized how many songs we had. I was kind of shocked and surprised.

Q: Are you going to take a breather now, or are you already working on the next one?

A: No, the next one is a ways off. But there’s no rest; we’re in the music industry. So we’re still going to be touring this for a good year and a bit. Basically, we have to go out and sell the thing.

18

Thursday, March 22, 2012

BUSINESS

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SUN MEDIA NEWS SERVICES – Bell Canada’s parent has agreed to buy Astral Media, its largest content provider, in a $3-billion deal to lock up more of the programming carried over its media platforms and expand its presence in French-speaking Quebec.

Complementing BCE Inc’s C$1.3billion acquisition of CTV last year, the deal announced on Friday highlights the company’s drive to control the costs of the content distributed through its cable, internet and telecom properties.

Astral Media radio stations in Edmonton include Virgin Radio 104.9 FM, The Bear 100.3 FM and Team 1260.

BCE’s strategy is part of a global trend — the growing popularity of tablet computers and smartphones as Photo: Sun Media News Services platforms to view content has blurred BCE president and CEO George Cope (left) and Ian Greenberg, president and CEO of the lines separating telecom carriers, Astral Media Inc., speak at a news conference in Montreal on Friday. media and cable companies. That has combination of cash and its common with Quebecor — has a strong presence forced providers to venture outside their equity, with BCE retaining the right to in Quebec, Canada’s francophone traditional domains to boost revenues replace shares with cash at closing. heartland. Its assets will enable BCE to and win a competitive edge.

BCE will also acquire all Class B raise its profile in one of Canada’s biggest “All telephone companies are trying subordinate voting shares for C$54.83 media markets and broaden out its to reinvent themselves,” said Macquarie per share, or about C$151 million, and national footprint. analyst Greg MacDonald. “Carriers, all special shares for C$50 million.

“Bell’s acquisition of Astral firmly cable and telephone companies are Including the assumption of debt, the buying content providers, and even going establishes our company as Quebec’s deal values Astral at about C$3.38 billion. media leader,” said BCE chief executive so far as to buy the content itself.”

Bell said the earnings multiple it George Cope. “The acquisition also BCE, already Canada’s largest telecom represents content cost certainty for Bell, is paying for Astral is in line with its provider, will acquire more than 20 valuation for the CTV deal, which closed as Astral represents television services last year. Astral will immediately boost Bell’s single largest operated by Astral, content cost in our TV Bell’s earnings and free cash flow, the including HBO company said. business today.”

Canada, the Movie “The acquisition is consistent with our Astral also owns Network, Canal Vie capital markets strategy of supporting digital media assets and Disney Junior. dividend growth, while maintaining our and nearly 10,000 In radio, the deal George Cope credit ratings,” said Cope. outdoor advertising gives BCE 80 stations, BCE chief executive The company will integrate Astral into signage locations including Virgin the Bell Media unit, created in April 2011 spread across Quebec, Radio, EZ Rock and following the CTV acquisition. Astral’s Ontario and British Columbia. It Boom. contribution will boost Bell Media’s employs about 2,800 people across In an important aspect of the deal, annual earnings before interest, taxes, Canada, with about half of them located Astral positions BCE to compete more depreciation and amortization to more in Quebec. effectively against Quebecor Inc, which than C$850 million.

BCE is buying all of Astral’s Class A owns a rich array of French-language Astral’s board of directors has non-voting shares for C$50 per share, a content and rival telecom company nearly 40 per cent premium to Thursday’s unanimously approved the transaction Videotron that operates in the province and advised Astral shareholders to vote close on the Toronto Stock Exchange. of Quebec. in favor of the deal.

BCE will fund the deal through a Astral — based in Montreal along

“[This] establishes [Bell] as Quebec’s media leader.”

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19

Thursday, March 22, 2012

STALBERTJOBS.COM

What are your references saying about you?

CAROLYN McTIGHE Sun Media News Services

You can never be too careful when it comes to choosing the right references to list on your resumé. Though many of us carefully select people to vouch for us who we trust and have a good rapport with, perceived friendships do not always guarantee good recommendations.

Trina Perri, a freelance photographer from Calgary, knows exactly what it’s like to get a bad reference from someone she thought she could rely on and the toll it can take on your ability to land a good job.

“A few years ago, I found that I was having a really hard time getting hired,” says Perri.

“I kept applying for jobs and I would get as far as the interview, but would never get hired.

“There was even one job I applied for that the employer told me I was shoe-in for. When I ended up not getting it I actually contacted the person and they told me I had been given a bad reference from one of my former employers. I was shocked to say the least.”

Through a process of elimination, Perri was able to figure out exactly which former employer it was and confronted them. After speaking with the woman, Perri learned that, despite agreeing to be a reference, her old boss was still holding a grudge over Perri’s decision to leave her last job and move on.

“It turned out the she was angry that I had left and she felt I had abandoned her,” says Perri. “The funny thing was that I honestly thought this person was a friend and I could trust her. I began to question if I could trust my other references. Thankfully, since taking her off my resumé, I’ve had no trouble

getting hired.”

Though it’s not always possible to know in advance which references will help or hinder your future employment opportunities, Louise Fox, director of Toronto’s Protocol Solutions, an etiquette and customer service teaching company, says that it is best to go with your gut. If you suspect someone might be holding a grudge or you and a former employer parted ways acrimoniously, leave them off your list.

“You don’t need to list all your former employers as references,” says Fox. “Don’t put anyone on your reference list without asking permission from them and, if in doubt, ask them if they are ‘comfortable’ giving a positive reference. If there has been a problem in your past relationship, you should say that you’ll understand if they would prefer not to, but always ask and don’t

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assume anything.”

If, however, you do choose to leave references off your resumé, especially those from recent employers, Fox suggests you prepare to be questioned about it.

Holding back information from future bosses or being negative about your former boss to shine a more favourable light on yourself is something you should avoid no matter how uncomfortable the truth may be.

“The fact is you may have been very competent in your former job but just not a good fit in the position or with the company, so if questioned, you might explain that fact rather than telling them your boss didn’t like you or that you didn’t get along,” Fox says.

“I’m not advocating lying, because the fact is your boss may not have liked you, but when it comes to anything negative ,you should really avoid it and also avoid lying.”

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 highquality 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: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

General Manager, Economic Development Boot Camp Instructor Database Support Analyst Divisional Controller Engineering Summer Students (May-August) Fitness Instructors Front of the House Coordinator Municipal Enforcement Officer (Community Peace Officer 1) Night Shift Caretakers Pilates Instructors Purchasing Coordinator Recreation Leader 1 Senior Business Analyst Senior Long Range Planner Senior Planner Starbucks Baristas & Shift Supervisors Team Lead, Utility Representative Utility Project Coordinator Zumbatomic Instructor

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.

Human Resources The City of St. Albert 216, 7 St. Anne Street St. Albert, Alberta T8N 2X4 Fax: (780) 459-1729 Online applications: www.stalbert.ca/employment 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.

20

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