St. Albert Leader Sept 5, 2013 by St. Albert Leader

Photo Illustration: glenn cook, St. Albert leader

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Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013

Lead the

Elson hopes hard work pays off GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

INDEX

Turner Elson is hoping to keep the fire burning as he heads into News . . . . . . . . . 3 rookie camp with the Calgary Opinion . . . . . . . . 8 Flames. Council Notes . . . . . 9 Despite not being chosen in Entertainment . . . . . 16 either his Western Hockey League bantam draft year or his National Health . . . . . . . 22 Hockey League draft year, the Fun & Games . . . . . 24 St. Albert native — who turns 21 Business . . . . . . 26 on Sept. 13 — has relied on his stalbertjobs.com . . . .27 hard work to earn chances at both levels. Those chances have parlayed into a good junior career where The newest exhibit at the Art he served as captain of the WHL’s Gallery of St. Albert certainly Red Deer Rebels for a season, and rings the bell of Red Deer now a free agent contract with the ceramic artist Alysse Bowd, Flames, whose roster he is hoping one of two artists whose work to crack out of camp. is included in the exhibit, “I’ve just got to go there with a which is entitled Tall Tales [good] attitude. I’ve got to make and opens tonight, running sure I want to make that team,” through the month of he said. “My goal is not making September. See story, P. 16. the [AHL], my goal is making the NHL this year; that’s what I want to do. But if I do end up in the [AHL], I want to make sure I play as good as I can to get back up Last week Habitat for Humanity handed over the last of the keys for there.” Aurora Place a 30-unit project here in St. Albert. Here are some of the families, the volunteers and the supplies involved the process. Having grown up in St.in Albert, Elson was an Edmonton Oilers fan, but he said he has no qualms 30 donning their provincial Families rivals’ sweater. “After the Oilers went out, I always 62 Kids 1,800 cheered for the Flames, Soon to be 63 That’s how many square when they went to Bundles of[especially] Shingles feet of linoleum were used in the Stanley Cup finals,” he said. the building of the 30 units in “I’ve always gone both ways, Aurora Place, the Habitat for 207I’m Windows and excited to be a part of Humanity development at 70 98 Bedrooms this organization. There’s a lot of Arlington Drive in St. Albert. opportunity there.” 570 Sheets The last 10 families to move into of Floor Sheeting Not being drafted wasn’t exactly the complex received their keys 21,000 Sq.Ft. on Thursday, Aug. 29. For more a shock for Elson, but he knew his 210 Tubes of of Carpet 39 stats on the development, see Adhesive hard work would pay off somehow. Construction Bathrooms page 10. 31,000 Sq.Ft. “I know I wasn’t a top-end player

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Turner Elson works out on Friday at Athletes Nations in Campbell Business Park. Elson is hoping his hard work turns into a spot on the Calgary Flames’ roster once their main training camp wraps up. in the WHL yet,” said Elson, who played with the midget triple-A St. Albert Raiders in 2008-2009. “I was just working hard; that’s all I could do. Getting that camp invite was a big boost for me, and I did everything I could at camp to get that contract.” Another big boost has been Elson’s offseason workouts at Athletes Nation in St. Albert, under the tutelage of trainer Dan Lajoie. “It makes sure I have the power and speed to be able to stand with the pros,” he said. “Dan’s a great trainer. He makes sure that you’re here every day, ready to work. He doesn’t let you have a day off.” At Athletes Nation, Elson lifts weights and does speed work three

days a week, and does cardio and core strength workouts the other two. Elson left Tuesday for Penticton, B.C., for the Young Stars Classic, an annual tournament featuring prospects from the Flames, Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets. From there, he will head to Calgary for their main training camp for the second year. Over the past couple of years, Elson has been called up to the Flames’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat, for three games, giving him a taste of the pro hockey lifestyle. “It’s a different game, a lot more structured than the WHL. It’s harder to get opportunities,” he

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said. “But I thought I played well, and it was a good stepping stone to my pro career, that’s for sure.” Elson’s younger brother Trace had 26 points in 55 games last season for the Whitecourt Wolverines of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, but was called up to play with the Rebels for five games in 2011-2012, something that was special for the whole family. “It’s always a battle between little brother and older brother. He wants to be better than I was, and I always want to be better. It’s always a good competition,” Elson said. “But I’m really happy for what he’s done. He’s a great player; he’s got more skills than me, but I think I work harder.”

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Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013

Preseason horse power Photo: TAYLOR MAH, Special to the Leader

St. Albert native and Swift Current Broncos goaltender Landon Bow makes a save on Brayden Brown of the Edmonton Oil Kings during the Oil Kings’ seventh annual Wester Hockey League preseason tournament, held at Servus Credit Union Place over the long weekend. The Broncos topped the Oil Kings 6-3 on Saturday night, but the Oil Kings rebounded to beat the Red Deer Rebels 2-1 on Sunday. Other teams participating in the tournament included the Prince George Cougars, Medicine Hat Tigers and Calgary Hitmen.

Realtor drops for Easter Seals “I really thought it would be [easier] — I thought, ‘I know how to do this,’ and how to go through the whole entire process — but [this Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s year] it was worse!” Knight said. “I slipped a little … a real estate agent? on the edge — you’re all hooked in, so you’re not Although it took her more than a single bound, going anywhere, but just the motion of slipping, St. Albert Century 21 realtor Cindi Knight I didn’t have my footing right. The hardest part rappelled down the side of one of downtown is just getting going, getting off the edge, getting Edmonton’s tallest buildings Friday decked out in comfortable and starting your descent.” a blue superhero suit and a red cape, all to raise This year was the 8th annual Drop Zone money for Easter Seals in their annual Drop Zone fundraiser in Edmonton for Easter Seals, which is fundraiser at the Sutton Place the national charity of choice for Hotel. Century 21 Real Estate. A total of “It’s an amazing feeling to be 107 people took the plunge this there, to realize you’re doing year, up from 68 in 2012. this,” Knight said. “To get to the “I’ve wanted to do it for a bottom and look up to the top while, but I decided to do it for of the building and go, ‘Wow, the first time last year. I put it Cindi Knight I just came down that,’ it’s a on a list of ‘50 Things to Do at Local realtor pretty incredible feeling. It’s not 50,’” Knight said. “I turned 50 something you do every day.” last April, and it was one of the This is the second year that Knight has things [on the list], only because I had planned participated in the fundraiser. This year, on doing it at some point, but never did it. So I she raised $3,650, placing her third among thought, ‘What a good way to finally do it.’” participants in money raised. That follows up Before they make their way down the building, a successful first go-round last year, when she though, Drop Zone participants have a three-hour raised more than $6,000 and was second overall in training course at Vertically Inclined Rock Gym fundraising. in southeast Edmonton. From 29 storeys up, rappelling down the side of “If you don’t take that training, you don’t the Sutton Place Hotel is a daunting task, and it drop,” Knight said. “But they are so wonderful, so doesn’t get any easier the second time around. patient. They’re like therapy sometimes.”

GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

“It’s not something you do every day.”

Photo courtesy Cindi Knight

Century 21 Real Estate agent Cindi Knight peers over her shoulder as she approaches the end of her rappel down the Sutton Place Hotel on Friday.

Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013

Music program expands into city GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

Thanks to a program that is expanding from Edmonton, students in St. Albert will have the chance to learn a musical instrument this school year with few “strings” attached. The Music Enrichment Program (MEP) — previously run by the Edmonton Public School Board, but recently taken over by parent volunteers with the Edmonton String Players Association (ESPA) after a round of budget cuts threatened it — is expanding into seven schools in St. Albert this year, giving kids and even their parents the chance to participate in group lessons for string instruments and four levels of orchestra at prices that are music to the ears. Carolyn Dagenais is a St. Albert resident and chair of the advertising and publicity committee for the MEP. She said that music programs like this one are essential because of the contributions they make in other areas of students’ lives. “It may seem like all they’re doing is learning an instrument that they may or may not want to pursue for their lives.

But what it actually does is teaches focus, teaches drive, and that really helps kids when they’re doing their academics, to get it together and be able to perform a lot better,” Dagenais said. The MEP is looking to hold classes at seven schools within the Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional District, including École Marie Poburan, École Secondaire Sainte Marguerite d’Youville, Neil M. Ross, Albert Lacombe, Vital Grandin, École Father Jan and Richard S. Fowler. “Vital Grandin is really excited, because they’re already trying to do an arts-based [program], so they’re hoping to make this a big part of their school,” Dagenais said. While the classes will be held in Catholic schools, students from any district can sign up to go to any class at any school. Prices start at only $320 for a year of beginner lessons. There are also special events for some of the groups, like a European tour for the senior orchestra sometime next year. “The whole mandate of the program is to bring affordable, quality group lessons so we can more people involved in string music,” Dagenais said. Registration has been slow so far,

Dagenais admitted, but she hopes it will pick up before classes start in the third week of September. “The schools only gave us the green light about a week and a half ago,” she said. “In a flurry of emails, I sent out posters to everybody and dropped off promotional materials, and now I’m just trying to get people aware that this is happening.” The ESPA took over the MEP in May, and since then, it has been a steep learning curve, Dagenais said. “It’s been going pretty well. It’s been a lot of effort getting all the transition stuff over, but in the future, it’s going to be great, because we’re free to expand to any school we want ... and we can also have our low fees for the whole area,” she said, noting that, prior to taking over the program from the EPSB, rates for students from outside Edmonton proper were almost triple the normal rate. But, she added, with the help of

Photo Supplied

Students from the Music Enrichment Program play at their WinterFest concert last year. community arts organizations like the Stollery Charitable Foundation, the Edmonton Community Foundation and the Edmonton Arts Council, they’re making a good go of it. “We’ve been very happy to see some of these community organizations coming onside and helping us out,” Dagenais said. “And we’re always looking for more interested sponsors to join us.” For more information about the MEP and their 2013-2014 class schedule, visit www. musicenrichment.org.

Motorcyclist dead after collision GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

A St. Albert woman is dead after a collision between a motorcycle and a pickup truck just northwest of the North Ridge subdivision last week. St. Albert RCMP were called to the scene of the collision at the intersection of Villeneuve

Road (Highway 633) and Range Road 260 at around 10:40 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 28. The motorcycle was traveling west on Villeneuve Road when it collided with the pickup truck, which was hauling a f latbed utility trailer, that was southbound on Range Road 260. The driver of the motorcycle,

a 42-year-old St. Albert woman, was declared dead at the scene. Next of kin have been notified, but police are not releasing the deceased’s name out of respect to her family. The driver of the pickup truck was not hurt in the collision. The investigation into the collision is ongoing, with RCMP collision analysts,

police dogs, traffic services and general duty members all having responded to the scene. Police do not believe road conditions, weather or alcohol played parts in the collision, but they have not ruled out speed as a contributing factor.

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Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013

OPINION

iStAlbert

Proceeding with caution

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

@arthritisAB_NWT

hen it comes to the proposed parkand-ride station on Campbell Road, south of St. Albert and south of Anthony Henday Drive, city council appears to be hitting the brakes. But in fact, they’re merely applying the brakes and driving defensively, making by Glenn Cook sure they don’t get involved in a head-on collision with other levels of government or with taxpayers. At their regular meeting Monday afternoon, councillors voted to keep moving ahead with the project, but not to hire a special projects manager for the park-and-ride project, leaving it up to existing City staff to get a handle on construction cost estimates, financing options and land lease negotiations. In the face of cost estimates surging from $30 million to $37 million over the past year, this is a sound decision that will, even in a small way, help bring costs under control. There are other places to cut, as City staff pointed out Monday, that could bring the bill back down to the $30-million range, like dropping the number of parking stalls from the initial plan of 1,600, or not paving the parking lot itself. These are smart ideas that ought not to detract from the project in the first few years, and if the City finds itself with a little surplus cash one year, then something extra can be added on. In the end, though, the Campbell Road park-and-ride station needs to be built. Money has already been committed from the province’s GreenTrip program. And, although the northwest leg of the City of Edmonton’s LRT project is a little way down the list of priorities, the park-and-ride is eventually where it will end up, and St. Albert has to be ready for it when it arrives. As well, the current park-and-ride situation on the south end of town — the Village Landing station, where transit riders have to jockey with each other and with St. Albert Inn and Suites patrons to find a parking spot — is woefully inadequate. But council should continue to be cautious as it travels down the long road to the project’s completion, rather than gunning the engine and winding up in the ditch.

@kristaosborne Anyone recommend a good plumber? #StAlbert

EDITORIAL

@SAIFSociety HUGE thanks to @DrKarenOsburn and team for the donation from initial health screenings so grateful for ongoing support #nonprofit #stalbert

@benofficer Had a nice backyard fire and roasted some marshmellows. Great way to end the long weekend. #StAlbert #Mmmm

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GETTING TO KNOW Doreen Slessor

Company Logo

Elder abuse complex, takes many forms Q Nickname? A Reenie for those who have known me a REALLY long

Q Favourite thing about St. Albert? A The city services with the small town atmosphere.

Q You would describe your sense of style as ... ? A “Modern Mom” with a splash of “Hipster”

Q Favourite pets or animals? A Dog-Lisa (a cock-a-poo), Cat-Rocky (our Ragdoll

A Being supported to get my CFRE (Certiﬁed Fundraising Executive).

Q Great moment you had through your organization?

Q What’s your goal for your organization over the next 12 months?

time, Dorinkitza to my family.

rescue cat)

Q What’s the one problem your organization deals with Q Vacation this year... you’re heading to? most often? A Falcon Lake, MB. We’ve gone for a few years now. Great A Of course, Family Violence. But how complex it can place to swim, ﬁsh, golf, horseback ride, there is something

E for everyone.

be when you include root causes, and how it connects to bullying, homelessness, poverty, addictions and the justice system. We usually collaborate with multiple agencies on each case.

A To meet the increased demand for services without jeopardizing our ﬁnancial sustainability. Q Any advice you can give St. Albert residents, regarding your organization’s area of focus?

A Family violence knows no boundaries and affects all incomes, gender, race, and ages. Don’t be embarrassed or afraid to seek help. There are many people who have been there.

lder abuse is any action or inaction by someone Doreen in a position of trust, SLESSOR power, or responsibility for SAIF Society exec. dir. care, which causes harm to an My City aging adult. Elder abuse can take any or all of the following You may be asking yourself, forms: physical, emotional/ We Can Help what can I do to make a psychological, sexual, financial, Individual Counselling, Group Support, Violence Prevention Education, Family Support, Elder Abuse Support All our Services are FREE difference? As a citizen ,you can medication/prescription, For more information or to make a donation 780.460.2195 stopabuse.ca really impact a senior’s life. neglect, and spiritual/cultural. Keep an eye open for elderly The abuse and neglect neighbours or seniors that of older adults can occur you may encounter in your wherever seniors live, work, or work setting. It is important to play. Abusers can be relatives, notice when an elderly person non-relatives, spouses, siblings, who used to attend church or a children, neighbours, friends, social club faithfully for years home care workers — anyone stops abruptly, especially if with access to an aging adult. someone else starts “speaking” Abuse can occur within for them when you attempt to personal relationships that reach out. include dating, cohabitating, Invite a local resource person marital, and child-parent. into your club, church or Abuse can also occur within workplace to provide education business relationships, like and suggestions on how to door-to-door or phone sales. Q The weekend in St. Albert, what are you doing? A Winter: coordinating who’s taking which kid where and

when to what activity (I have 4 children!) Summer: my husband and I try to golf as much as we can

Q Favourite place to eat in St. Albert? A With kids: Hawali for lunch buffet

Without kids: Tractor Nachos at Original Joes!

Q Your singing out loud in your car, what are you singing?

A Some upbeat 80’s pop tune that makes my kids roll their eyes Q Best thing about your job?

A Knowing that every day I have made a difference in my community. Q Favourite movie?

A “A Christmas Story” all he wants is a Red Ryder bb gun! Q Favourite hobbies? A Golf, gardening, water colour painting

Q What sets your organization apart from others?

A We are unique in that ALL of our services are FREE. No sliding scale, or fee for service.

Q What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? A If you ever have a choice, always take the high road. Q What’s the best way you’ve found to keep a balance between your charitable work and your family life?

A I have worked for Non-proﬁts my whole career and my family don’t know anything different. They have always been involved in my work as volunteers, and because of this they have a strong sense of philanthropy and community service. I have had the luxury of being able to bring them to work. My youngest, Maggie, is well known in the Community as she has attended MANY meetings with me since she was a baby. Q If we’re heading on a coffee run, you’re having ... ? A Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks. Q How messy is your desk/workspace? A Not messy at all. I like a place for everything. Q What video game or phone app are you addicted to?

A Angry birds.

I play until I get three stars on EVERY level. I also love Twitter.

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If you are interested in marketing yourself and your business in the St. Albert Leader Q&A - Call 780-460-1035 for next available date

Publisher: Rob LeLacheur rob@stalbertleader.com

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watch out for seniors who may be at risk. Be proactive and educate yourself. In December 2009, the St. Albert Elder Abuse Protocol Committee developed our Elder Abuse Guidelines for Action. This group is a subcommittee of the St. Albert Strategic and Mobilization (SAM) Seniors Working Group. Using templates and best practices shared with us, we began a community education and awareness campaign. The goals of our protocol were to educate people to recognize abuse and improve their response, and to decrease the likelihood that victims of elder abuse remain at risk. This project provides intervention for any form of elder abuse. The number of reports have increased since we trained three levels

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.

of elder abuse responders in our community. In the fall of 2010, during the six months after training frontline staff to identify, assess and respond to reports of abuse, we had more than 40 reports, many more than in any previous period up to that point. The numbers continue to increase every year. Elder abuse is a complex social and public health issue, and has significant personal, social and economic effects. This includes the health and justice systems. In some cases, victims may experience declining physical and mental health including depression and even suicide. For more information on the St. Albert Elder Abuse protocol, contact the St. Albert 50+ Club at 780-459-0433 or the Stop Abuse in Families (SAIF) Society at 780-460-2195. Owned and operated by

RJ Lolly Media Inc. 13 Mission Ave. St. Albert, Alta. T8N 1H6

Phone: 780-460-1035

Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013

ISSUES

WHY IT MATTERS

THE VOTE

Campbell Rd. Transit Centre Update

Administration brought forward a report for council’s information Monday on the progress of the South Campbell Transit Centre Park-and-Ride, and council voted on retaining a Special Projects Manager to oversee the project.

CROUSE . . . . . . . . . . ✘ PARKER . . . . . . . . . . ✘ HERON . . . . . . . . . . . ✘ BRODHEAD . . . . . . ✔ LEMIEUX . . . . . . . . . ✘ BRACKO . . . . . . . . . ✔ MacKAY . . . . . . absent

Pickleball Courts

Coun. Len Bracko brought forth a motion Monday to spend $6,000 to construct two additional pickleball courts at the Lacombe Park tennis courts.

CROUSE . . . . . . . . . . ✘ PARKER . . . . . . . . . ✔ HERON . . . . . . . . . . ✔ BRODHEAD . . . . . . ✔ LEMIEUX . . . . . . . . ✔ BRACKO . . . . . . . . . ✔ MacKAY . . . . . . absent

“The players are really looking forward to it and have been asking me regularly when it’s going to happen, why it’s taking so long. It’ll be great to have it happen and have four courts ready.”

Offsite Levy Bylaw

COUNCIL NOTES • TUESDAY, SEPT. 3, 2013

Over the past year and a half, the City of St. Albert has been reviewing its offsite levy bylaw, through which it can collect money from land developers for new capital infrastructure projects as the community grows.

CROUSE . . . . . . . . . ✔ PARKER . . . . . . . . . ✔ HERON . . . . . . . . . . ✔ BRODHEAD . . . . . . ✔ LEMIEUX . . . . . . . . ✔ BRACKO . . . . . . . . . ✔ MacKAY . . . . . . absent

“Creation and implementation of this policy is very complex, labour intensive and, quite honestly, is going to require a lot of consultation with landowners, developers and council.” — Tracy Allen, director of engineering services

NOTABLE QUOTES “It’s important to move forward; otherwise the costs could greatly increase. There are some difficult negotiations going on, and we have to be there and make sure they’re resolved.”

— Len Bracko

“Until we’re 100 per cent sure we’re going to construct this park-and-ride — which I do want to construct ... I’m hesitant to hire a manager for a project that might not go ahead.” — Cathy Heron

— Len Bracko

WHAT’S NEXT Although the hiring of a Special Projects Manager was voted down, administration will report back to council with a project update — including construction cost estimates, financing options and the status of land lease negotiations — by the end of the first quarter of 2014.

The construction of the pickleball courts is scheduled to start next week. The initial two courts were approved earlier this year.

The new offsite levy bylaw will take effect immediately. It will be reviewed annually in the future.

FEEDBACK LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT COUNCIL ISSUES! TWEET US AT @stalbertleader

“It’s very clear, looking at the report, that there are some major financial issues facing the City of St. Albert in terms of front-ending these expenditures, and no one has got the answers.”

— RIchard Plain, resident

NEXT MEETING: Monday, Sept. 9, 2013 at 3 p.m. (Standing Committee on Finance followed by Council) • Agenda at stalbert.ca by 5 p.m. Friday

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Last 10 families get keys to Aurora Place strife and saw its fair share of backlash from concerned neighbours in Akinsdale when it was being planned three years ago, Nikolai The finishing touches were put on Habitat said seeing it come to fruition means a lot. for Humanity’s Aurora Place development in “In those beginning months, I [said], St. Albert on Thursday, Aug. 29. once we start building the homes, once they That’s when officials handed over the keys understand who our families are, there isn’t to the last 10 families to fill out the 30-unit going to be a problem. And obviously we were development at 70 Arlington Dr., giving those right,” Nikolai said. “We’re so proud of the 30 families the chance to achieve their dreams of families, and they’re proud to call St. Albert home ownership. home.” “We’re hard-working, Mayor Nolan Crouse we’re loving, we’re diligent agreed, saying he hasn’t and, most of all, we have heard any negative a common goal to better comments about the ourselves,” said Nathan development since the first Duperron, who will be families started moving in moving into one of the last year. Nathan Duperron units with his daughters “Every time somebody New homeowner Caeleigh, 13, and Teagan, says something, they 11. say, ‘Good job on that “We are taking a massive step forward as a development.’ And every time someone family,” he added. “The sky’s the limit from drives by, or you get the odd email or the here.” odd time someone says something, it’s really Meanwhile, Samantha Rowland and reinforcing that we made the right decision,” Emerson Ewart, two best friends from school, Crouse said. will now be neighbours, as they are moving Chantelle Shebib’s family was one of the into units just down from each other in first to move in last November with her Aurora Place. family, and so far, she loves living in Aurora “I am very excited to move into my new Place. home,” Ewart said. “Not only do I get to live “It’s been amazing,” Shebib said. “It’s [near] one of my best friends, but my mom, been such an opportunity to be part of the sister and I are finally getting our own house. community and the neighbourhood. My It will be nice to each have our own room kids have friends to play with, we have great with a place to call our own.” neighbours, and the house is new and it’s Eight families received their keys in beautiful. And we know that it’s ours.” November 2012, and another 12 received The design of eight of the 10 units dedicated theirs just five weeks later, just before Thursday is slightly different than the rest of Christmas. the development. They are still duplexes, but Habitat for Humanity Edmonton president the entrances are staggered, and one unit in and CEO Alfred Nikolai was thankful to each duplex is a wheelchair-accessible duplex. finally have warm weather for one of these “We don’t have families right now that ceremonies. need the wheelchair [ramps],” Nikolai said. “We have to do them when we get them “But when these families move out and we finished,” he said with a laugh. get a family with a wheelchair, then [the front While the project caused a lot of political stairs] can become a ramp.”

GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

“We are taking a massive step forward as a family.”

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Lee Mack and his daughter Josie, 22 months, celebrate receiving the key to their new Habitat for Humanity home in Aurora Place (70 Arlington Dr.) on Thursday, Aug. 29.

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Kidney walk hits home for local donor

GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

Stanley’s stopover Photo: gLENN cooK, St. Albert Leader

St. Albert native and Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Ryan Stanton drew quite the crowd to Meadowview Ball Diamonds on Wednesday, Aug. 28, when he brought the Stanley Cup to his men’s league slopitch game. Above: Stanton lets out a whoop as he arrives with the Cup. Below: the crowd gathers around hockey’s holy grail for photos and a closer look.

Raymark Dizon knows that it’s better to give than to receive. Dizon, 22, a former St. Albert Catholic High School basketball player, gave his father the gift of life earlier this year by donating one of his kidneys, and is hoping to help others with kidney problems at the Give the Gift of Life Fun Run and Walk coming up on Sunday at Lions Park in St. Albert. “It means a lot” to have that kind of support, said the recent University of Alberta graduate. “It makes us feel like a family — sharing stories and experiences. It makes people feel less afraid of the condition, of what’s to come. We’re thankful for the Kidney Foundation and the support, not only locally, but nationwide.” Dizon’s father Regie had been diagnosed with a rare condition called IgA nephropathy, in which proteins that help the body fight infections settle in the kidneys. After several years, the resulting deposits can cause blood and protein to leak into the urine. When he found out his father needed a kidney transplant and he was a match, Dizon didn’t hesitate at all. “I did it in a heartbeat, and I never looked back,” he said. The transplant took place on May 1, and today, Dizon said his father is feeling much better, and they plan to come out to Sunday’s fundraising walk to share their story. “He feels a lot better. He’s a lot more energetic. He’s back to his old self, honestly,” he said. Flavia Robles is the executive director of the northern Alberta branch of the Kidney

Foundation of Canada, and she said that, even though they were able to give $1 million to U of A researchers last year, there is still a lot of work to do when it comes to kidney disease. “Even when you get a transplant, that’s still a form of treatment — but obviously it’s the best one,” she said. This is the fourth year for the Give the Gift of Life Fun Run and Walk in St. Albert. Last year, the event drew about 75 people, but this year, they’re looking to up that to 100 and raise about $30,000. “It supports programs that help individuals living with kidney disease, like short-term emergency funding for things like medicine, groceries, gas, accommodations, taxi chits and supplies that they need,” Robles said. She added that, while some people travel from as far away as Fort McMurray to attend, holding an event in St. Albert and not lumping the city in with Edmonton is an important distinction. “The city of St. Albert is a thriving community, and there are so many business leaders and individuals that believe in supporting their own community,” Robles said. “We take care of Red Deer north, so every area is unique, and in St. Albert, we want people to understand ... our services extend to them.” But, no matter where the foundation is working, the ultimate goal stays the same. “At the end of the day, the goal is the same. We want to be able to improve the lives of those impacted by kidney disease, and hopefully find a cure for it,” Robles said. For more information on the Give the Gift of Life Fun Run and Walk or to register or download a pledge form, visit www.kidney.ca.

Pump those pedals Photo: JESSE KUSHNERYK, St. Albert Leader

St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse (206) participates in the Tour of Alberta Family Ride on Sunday in downtown Edmonton. The event helped kick off the Tour of Alberta, the province’s first-ever professional cycling race.

Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013

Photo: PeRRY MAH, Sun Media news Services

More data needed on distracted driving CATHERINE GRIWKOWSKY Sun Media News Services

On the second anniversary of Alberta’s distracted driving law, the province says long-term data is still needed. Alberta Justice calls the laws the broadest in the country. Drivers can’t use hand-held phones, text, email, use a computer, video game camera or video entertainment, portable audio player, GPS, read, write, print, sketch or groom themselves. Those caught driving without due care and attention get a $172 fine for the first offence. Numbers for violations have been consistent for both years. There were 22,146 convictions between Sept. 1 and Aug. 31 of the first year and 22,664 between Sept. 1 and Aug. 19 of the second year in the province. According to Alberta Justice, the province is collecting information about who gets ticketed, conducting surveys on cellphone use, tracking awareness studies and research from other jurisdictions. Until long-term data comes in, the province won’t make any changes — such as giving offending drivers demerit points. “We are always monitoring our traffic safety legislation in Alberta and make changes as we collect new data,” said Alberta Justice spokeswoman Donna Babchishin. “It’s early for this legislation and we will give it some time to evaluate its impact.” Injury lawyer Michael A. Lazaruk said the law hasn’t had much of a discernible impact on his practice, but every personal injury lawyer has clients who were injured as a result of distracted driving. “Most of us are guilty of peeking at our phones, or sneaking a bite to eat because we

don’t have the luxury of time to pull over or stop between life’s commitments, but distracted driving poses an obvious threat to safety on our roads and the law was enacted to bring awareness to this issue and be a deterrent to those tempted to multitask behind the wheel,” he said. With studies showing compliance drops off after a few months of a new law, the province created the “Crotches Kill” campaign, targeting drivers who try to hide their device in their lap. In a survey, 40 per cent of Albertans said they remember the billboards and one-third of drivers who texted behind the wheel said the campaign was likely to change their behaviour. That penalty isn’t stiff enough for Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht who put a call out for demerits added to the legislation at a traffic safety conference in April.

Wish comes true Photo: glenn cook, St. Albert leader

Halle Popowich plays on the playground named in her honour after it was officially opened at J.J. Nearing Catholic Elementary School on Deer Ridge Drive on Thursday, Aug. 29. The playground was Halle’s wish through the Children’s Wish Foundation as she was recovering from a rare form of leukemia that was diagnosed last year. The original goal was to raise $10,000 to $15,000 for one piece of equipment, but eventually $184,000 was raised for a full playground.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Photo: GLENN COOK, St. Albert Leader

Red Deer ceramic artist Alysse Bowd holds up one of the ceramic bells that makes up her contribution to the Art Gallery of St. Albert’s newest exhibit, Tall Tales, which runs through September at the gallery (19 Perron St.).

Getting happy at AGSA GLENN COOK St. Albert Leader

While art can be dark and moody at times, the newest exhibit at the Art Gallery of St. Albert is decidedly upbeat. Opening today (Thursday), Tall Tales features the ceramic work of Red Deer artist Alysse Bowd alongside the mixed media works of British Columbia’s Wanda Lock. For Bowd, the sunny disposition of her work is set out right in the artist’s statement on her website: “My work dearly loves to laugh,” it reads. “As an artist, even if we’re in a conversation, we do nothing but think about our work — how we can change it, how to improve it, what’s the next step,” Bowd said. “I couldn’t imagine thinking that that big a part of my day is dedicated to thinking about something dark, that’s a struggle. … I wanted to think about something that was going to make me laugh, make other people laugh.” Meanwhile, Lock’s works are inspired by conversations she has had with people in her community, in parking lots, coffee shops or other places. “They’re about the humour and sadness of human relationships,” she said. “The relationships between husband and wife, or children, whatever the relationship happens to be.” While Bowd works in ceramics, many of her pieces are rather fine and delicate, which adds to the

challenge of the medium that really keeps her motivated. “It’s slow work, but … I work a lot with creating my own templates, and keeping a clean surface. It’s very surgical sometimes,” she said. In her studio, Lock often has a number of oil and acrylic paintings on the go, but her paper works — like the ones on display at the AGSA — are a break from those.

“I’m hoping they’re really curious and they want to touch.” Alysse Bowd Ceramic artist “They’re about what happened that day, what I observed that particular day,” she said. “I’ll do them midday, to take a break from the painting. They’re quite quick. I have a stack of people — and the people I’m using right now are Dick and Jane images — and they become the metaphor for the people who I’m drawing about.” Bowd is fairly new to the world of professional art, having just earned her bachelor of fine arts degree from the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary in 2011. The year prior to that, however, was spent on an exchange program at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.

That time in Australia had a big effect on her work today. “Australia is a huge ceramic culture; they’re so like, ‘Power to the potters,’” she said. “If it wasn’t so much the technical part, it was … [seeing] these powerhouse women who made their living with their pots. There was something so superhero quality about that that was empowering to me.” By contrast, Bowd has been an artist for almost 20 years now, but she thinks her works will mesh very well with that of her younger counterpart. “I think it’ll be interesting what we bring to the table as far as our observations,” Lock said. “I don’t know [Bowd] personally; I’ll be meeting her for the first time at the opening … but what I’ve seen online is interesting, and we’ll see how it all comes together in the end.” And, in the end, both artists are hoping to spread a little bit of their happiness and humour to those who come out to see the exhibit. “I’m hoping, at first, people don’t read the title, and just look at the work,” Lock said. “Then, if they need a hint or they need to see if they’re on the right track, they read the title later.” “I’m hoping they’re really curious and they want to touch,” Bowd added. “... There will be whistles and balls, bells and bobs, things they feel the need to engage with. … If I can get them to giggle a little and drift off into their own worlds, even if it’s not mine, and remember to play a little bit.”

Going Boom! Photos: Sun Media News Services

Edmonton’s Northlands grounds came alive over the weekend with the sounds of modern rock during the two-day Sonic Boom festival. Above: Dallas Green of Saturday’s headliner City and Colour serenades the crowd. Below: Rivers Cuomo and Scott Shriner of Weezer rock out on Sunday evening.

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Boy band headed in the right Direction Zayne: “I see her a lot. And that’s something private between us, um, we did just get engaged and I’m very happy. And that’s about all I have to say about it..” Louis: “That’s not actually really true, about them (girlfriends) being edited out. When we had free time, when we were at home; we didn’t always have the cameras on us.”

LIZ BRAUN

Sun Media News Services

One Direction did their level best to answer all the questions thrown at them during a recent press conference. The boy band was promoting their new movie, This Is Us, which opened Friday. In answer to your question, “Are they utterly adorable?” the answer is “Yes!” Q: IS IT TRUE YOU ARE BIG PRANKSTERS? Niall: “We don’t prank each other — we prank everyone around us, though, our team. We like stealing stuff like golf carts, fork lifts ...” Harry: “You put us on the spot. If we say a prank, and no one laughs ... We pranked our musicians. I think it was in Madrid. We taped up their door so they couldn’t get into their dressing room. See? Nobody’s laughing.” Q: WHEN’S THE FIRST TIME YOU REALIZED YOU MIGHT GET FAMOUS? Harry: “I remember the first time I was recognized. I was on my way to the X Factor house and I stopped at a petrol station. A girl asked me if she could take my picture.” Niall: “First time I knew it was a little different than before was when we were on the Big Time Rush tour, and we left Radio City Music Hall, and there were hundreds of girls running after our car and banging on the windows and stuff. I thought, ‘I don’t think I’ve seen this before.’”

Q: HOW WILL ZAYNE PICK A BEST MAN WHEN HE HAS FOUR BEST FRIENDS? Zayne: “We’ve decided it’s going to be a fight to the death.” Louis: “Or rock, paper, scissors.” Zayne: “They’ll fight until there’s nobody left.”

Photo: Sun Media News Services

Members of the British boy band One Direction celebrate their MTV Movie Award win in Brooklyn last week. The group’s documentary This Is Us is currently in theatres. Q: EVER GET ANY GOOD CAREER ADVICE? Liam: “My mom said just do your best, that’s all you can do, and I do believe that.” Zayn: “Somebody actually did say something that is wise, they said, ‘The key to being successful in this job is to stop searching for anonymity and start searching for simplicity.’” Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR CAREER SO FAR? Niall: “The UK premiere on Leicester Square was ridiculous. When we were on X Factor, we went to a few premieres on the

square. We were at a Harry Potter premiere, the biggest thing in the last few years. Then we had our own premiere this week, and for us it was just amazing. There were 6,000 people on the square, and people watching all over the place. it was amazing.” Q: EVERYTHING ABOUT THE BAND IS SO POSITIVE! Harry: “All except my drug tests. They’re all negative.” Q: ZAYNE, WHY DON’T WE SEE YOUR FIANCÉE IN THE MOVIE? WHERE IS SHE?

Q: WHAT DO YOU DO ON YOUR OWN TIME? Harry: “Every time I go home, I just watch TV with my family and fall asleep on the sofa. It’s just nice to fall asleep and know you don’t have an alarm set.” Niall: “I like going to soccer matches. That’s what I used to do before all of this happened. And I like going to watch other people’s gigs. Like, last night we went to see John Mayer.” Q; DO YOUR FANS EVER DO THINGS THAT SCARE YOU? Liam: “I was a bit surprised once when I was sitting down having dinner, and a girl was suddenly right there, crying and shaking over my shoulder. The only time you get scared is in a big crowd and you see some little girl getting squashed at the front. That’s the scary part, more for their sake.”

Storage game not for the lazy, say Storage Wars Canada stars

BILL HARRIS Sun Media News Services

The world is getting lazier, there’s little question about that. But the storageauction game clearly is not for lazy people. “That makes 100 per cent sense, yes, that’s exactly how it is,” says Cindy Hayden, who along with her partner Paul Coffill form one of the bidding teams on the new series Storage Wars Canada, which debuted last week on OLN. “It’s a really growing industry now that it’s all out in the open. People have been doing storage auctions for many, many years, long before it came on TV (with the Storage Wars franchise). So now that it’s on TV, there are more people coming, the competition is bigger. “But we’ve been pickers and buyers and re-sellers for 17 years now. You’ll have a newbie walk up to a unit and go, ‘Yeah, two grand.’ And then after the auction is over, they’re coming up to Rick and I and saying, ‘So, uh, what do I do with this stuff now? How do I sell it?’

And we’re like, ‘Good luck.’” Storage Wars Canada is a Canadian version of the popular reality series, where real-life buyers bid against each other for real-life abandoned storage units. Besides Hayden and Coffill, who have their own established store and are nicknamed The Veterans, three other buyers are highlighted in the series: Ursula Stolf, The Knockout; Roy Dirnbeck, The Instigator; and the fatherson team of Paul and Bogart Kenny, The High Roller and The Kid. Hayden and Coffill figure their experience and discerning eyes are the keys to success. And generally speaking, they say that newcomers tend to under-value jewelry that might not be stamped gold or sterling, and over-value furniture. “Sometimes you’ll look in and you’ll see antique furniture, and somebody will go wild without really taking a close look to see that there’s a corner broken off, or there’s a gouge, or there’s a missing door,” Coffill says. “We notice because

we look for that sort of thing.” Adds Hayden, “We look for real wood, real leather, antiques, collectibles. Rick and I buy quality, right? No quality, zero dollars. “I always say, if you want the locker, buy it. But we see a lot of new people drop a lot of money. That actually makes Rick and I happy, because we always say, ‘They won’t be back.’ And 99.9 per cent of the time, they’re not back. “Everybody just thinks you stand in front of a unit and bid, but it’s not that way. There’s a lot of hard work in there, just with moving the stuff right after you buy it, and then getting it ready and trying to re-sell it. I think you hit it right on: If you’re kind of a lazy person, this isn’t the job for you.” And what if you are, in fact, a lazy person? Do you have a role to play in all this? “We actually cater to the lazy,” Coffill says with a chuckle. Who knew that Storage Wars Canada would be such a fitting modern representation of the circle of life?

Photo Sun Media News Services

Cindy Hayden and Rick Coffill are two cast members of Storage Wars Canada.

Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013

Gyllenhaal taking no Prisoners LIZ BRAUN Sun Media News Services

Two little girls disappear in Prisoners, a masterwork of suspense from Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. The crime thriller, which has its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this Friday, stars Hugh Jackman and Terrence Howard as the fathers of the children, Paul Dano as the prime suspect and Jake Gyllenhaal as the detective trying to solve the case. In Prisoners, one crime prompts another in the way of vigilante justice. “We’re often shown in stories that revenge will somehow resolve a situation that’s an internal struggle,” Gyllenhaal tells QMI Agency. “In a situation like this, revenge is your first inclination, but this movie shows that revenge

just brings upon people more revenge — and the was how fast, how hard and how hopefully superhuman I would be, if anything even journey is that this can be a prison.” close ever happened to the children that I love Gyllenhaal’s character in Prisoners is in my life,” says Gyllenhaal. “So that was an somewhat unreadable, and one of several in the entree of sorts. I don’t even know if I would story who will intrigue you. He’s a cop, but he say inspiration, because that’s the wrong word. has the tattoos and the mannerisms to suggest Because the idea is not inspiring. But it was a he might just as easily have wound up on the fire, and it was visceral.” other side of the law. There are good guys and Both Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal are bad guys in Prisoners, but tragedy makes it Academy Award-nominated actors. Their harder to discern just exactly who’s who. parents are filmmaker Stephen Gyllenhaal and “There are a lot of mysteries to him,” says screenwriter/producer Naomi Foner, so they Gyllenhaal of his detective character, “and to grew up around the entertainment business; Jake me, that’s what the movie is all about — how made his film debut, aged 11, in City Slickers and we’re imprisoned in a way by our pasts, by our tendencies, by our judgements and assumptions, Maggie in Waterland, one of her father’s movies, at 15. by our ability to listen or our Given the family inability to listen. Sometimes background, were those things are right in front of us acting careers inevitable? and we have no idea that they “There’s no inevitability are. The clues happen to be in the acting profession,” directly in front of a certain says Gyllenhaal, laughing, character, or really, in front of Jake Gyllenhaal “no matter how much you’re the audience, and we have no Actor driven.” It’s interesting work, idea they’re there until we get to he adds, and movies have the end.” always inspired him, but no — it’s not acting that He adds, “I liked the mystery of knowing was inevitable. about him, a guy nobody really knows.” It’s the storytelling. Gyllenhaal has worked with Villeneuve before “More and more as I get older, I search out (on the film Enemy, which is also at TIFF) and he and the director agreed that, “We’ll both have people who can tell stories well ... It’s in the way we grew up. I remember there always being a lot of fun knowing who this guy is and all his conversation about story, and books — and, this secrets, when nobody else will know.” is going to sound a little unbelievable, but it’s Perhaps the character’s name, then — similar to the way people talk about growing Detective Loki — is a little joke between the two up with professors in your house. Because there of them, as the Norse god is such an ambiguous were always books, and discussions of stories, figure. Sometimes Loki is an ally of the other and conversations about literature and source gods. And sometimes he isn’t. material and stories that were inspiring. So I Gyllenhaal’s character is an outsider in the grew up in a household like that. I think that story, caught between his need to understand was, and always continues to be, what was the criminal mind and his sympathy for the interesting.” wounded families. In a roundabout way, the The business side, or the glamour of the actor’s affection for the children in his real life — business, says Gyllenhaal, “is not the world we he has called his sister Maggie’s two daughters, grew up in. We grew up with a magical sense of “The best thing that happened to my family, storytelling. My parents were really devoted, and probably ever” — helped him connect with the my dad is a great storyteller who’s always telling character. us crazy stories and making things up. “In every scene where there was a sort of fire “Our imaginations were always at work, and underneath him, and particularly a couple of encouraged to be so.” them toward the end, all I was thinking about

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HEALTH

Stewart in game shape after finding allergy CARY CASTAGNA Sun Media News Services

Chris Stewart couldn’t figure out why he was gaining weight. The six-foot-two power forward with the St. Louis Blues entered training camp prior to the 2011-2012 season weighing around 235 pounds. “But come the end of the year, I was 245, 247, somewhere around there. And I never knew why,” he tells Sun Media in a phone interview. “I worked out. I tried to eat properly regularly.” Stewart’s concern grew with his increasing girth. He was coming off back-to-back 28-goal campaigns and expectations were running high for his fourth NHL season. But the extra weight he was carrying left him feeling sluggish and his on-ice performance suffered. As a result, his ice time was slashed. Stewart finished the regular season with 15 goals. “It was probably the worst year of my career in the NHL,” he admits, noting he was determined to rectify the problem that summer. But first he had to find out what the problem was. The Toronto native enlisted the help of Matt Nichol, a respected strength and conditioning coach who worked for the Maple Leafs between 2002 and 2009. “Matty thought there was something up when I explained the situation to him,” he recalls. “He got a blood test for me and we found out the results.” Stewart, as it turned out, is allergic to rice. Rice had been a dietary staple for Stewart — who is of Jamaican descent — since he was a kid. He immediately eliminated rice from his diet, replacing it with other rich carbohydrate sources such as sweet potatoes and quinoa. And along with some less-drastic adjustments to his eating habits, Stewart managed to drop 20 pounds “right away.” Stewart also “totally bought into” Nichol’s training

Photo: Sun Media News Services

St. Louis Blues forward Chris Stewart is back in game shape after finding out he was allergic to rice.

program, and last August, he ended up attending the weeklong BioSteel pro hockey camp run by Nichol and former NHLer Gary Roberts. Stewart never felt better. Unfortunately, the NHL lockout loomed. “I didn’t want to sit around for three months and not be ready. I worked so hard during the summer, I wanted to put it to my advantage,” he explains. “I knew there

was only one way to get into game shape and that was to actually go play games.” Stewart went overseas for 10 weeks, playing in Germany and the Czech Republic, before returning to St. Louis to begin the lockout-shortened 2012-2013 campaign. “That definitely benefited me,” he says. “I was ready after the lockout and I had the best year of my career.” Stewart — weighing a much leaner 228 pounds — led the Blues in scoring, tallying 18 goals and 18 assists in 48 games last season. This month, he was back at the BioSteel camp, which drew more than 40 NHL players and prospective NHLers. “They make it really easy. It’s a one-stop shop,” he explains. “You come in, you train, you get your ice, you get your treatment, you rehab — everything you need is under one roof and that’s been beneficial.” Of course, the focus of the camp — organized by burgeoning Toronto-based sports supplement company BioSteel — is conditioning. “We’re out there running on the track, pulling sleds, working with a medicine ball for the core,” Stewart notes. “One day we did some deadlifts, pull-ups and some bench presses for our strength. … That’s never been my problem. I’ve always been one of the stronger guys, I’d like to say. Come August, I like to maintain my strength and just work on my conditioning as much as possible.” The Blues’ training camp opens Sept. 11. Stewart expects to return to St. Louis sometime around Sept. 2 to get in a full week of skating. The 25-year-old right-winger is confident his nutrition and training regimen will serve him well in the upcoming season. “Once you embrace this way of life, it makes it a lot easier,” he adds, noting it shouldn’t be optional. “The way I look at it, we’re high-paid professional athletes, and if you’re not willing to take a percentage of that and invest in your body, then I don’t think you deserve to be in the NHL.”

Stress can hamper kids’ brains, says U.S. researcher CATHERINE GRIWKOWSKY Sun Media News Services

Days before youngsters headed back to school, 650 people who work with kids got a lesson on brain development. Presenter Judy Cameron, a neuroscientist from the University of Pittsburgh, explained to a conference last week at the Victoria School in Edmonton how experiences in early childhood shape the brain and impact physical and mental health for the rest of the life. “Experience has an effect and it has an effect early,” she said. Teachers have a chance to shape children’s brains while they’re in a period of “plasticity” she said. Making it rewarding for children to read, verbalize, reason, answer questions,

recognizing others’ emotions are key elements for caretakers to do to help development. Because different parts of the brain develop on their own timelines, stresses on children can impact different functions depending on when the stress occurs. Some connections between brain cells are “pruned.” A 14-year-old has fewer connections than a three-year-old and experiences determine which stay and which go. Circuits used more often stay — children encouraged to read develop optimal circuits for reading. Children who are plunked in front of the TV instead of reading form different connections. “Does this mean they can’t read the rest of their lives? No. It means they have to

bring into play other neural circuits that are not optimized for reading,” she said. “It will be more difficult for them. It will always be more difficult.” Cameron broke down three types of stress: positive stress, tolerable stress and toxic stress. Positives stresses — like taking a test — help children learn to deal with real life. Tolerable and toxic stresses are the same, but they differ in how the child is supported during it. Neglect is the most common stress in the United States, Cameron said. Other stresses can include abuse, dysfunctional homes and societal upheaval. Her research found 100 per cent of children who were exposed to seven forms of stress had physical, mental and social developmental delays.

Stress hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine are higher in children from poorer income families. Adverse experiences in childhood accumulates and leads to increased risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood — three times as likely for those with seven forms of adverse experiences compared with those who had none. “The brain controls the heart and over a lifetime that builds up and has an affect on health,” she said. Sandra Woicas of the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation said the conference about brain architecture will help people who work with children to realize the importance of building a strong foundation for kids. “We’ve gathered the best research brains internationally,” she said.

Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013

Boost your brain power with these 10 foods

JOANNE RICHARD Sun Media News Services

Summer’s likely been a big brain drain. Don’t deny you’ve been overloading on empty calories in grab-and-go foods that are low on nutrients for the noggin. Well, time to get back into the game and boost your brainpower with snacks that matter to your grey matter. With summer setting and September’s must-dos piling up, fuel up with foods to maximize overall mind health. “A healthy mid-day snack is key to boosting energy and nourishing the brain for better concentration and improved thinking power,” says Erin MacGregor (howtoeat. ca), professional home economist and dietitian at Sunnybrook Hospital. Fabulous brain fuel comes from high-fibre carbohydrates and fruits, says B.C.-based nutrition consultant and dietitian Natalie Brown, (whiterockdietitian.com) along with antioxidants, vitamin C and Omega-3 from fish. “The brain requires good

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nutrition just as much as the rest of the physical body does,” says Brown. Refined sugar, fat and salt are sure to drain your brain, says Brown, so put down those “potato chips, cookies and other sweets and treats.” Use your brain and take MacGregor’s snack suggestions: 1. Go nuts! Walnuts, a source of Omega-3 fatty acids, are essential in the normal development of the brain during childhood, and appear to boost memory function, says MacGregor. 2. Plant a seed of creativity. Pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of zinc, known to improve memory and cognition. Sprinkle them over yogurt or use them in a homemade granola bar recipe (howtoeat.ca/homemade-granolabars/). 3. Nothing blue about blueberries. Polyphenols found in blueberries fight against the accumulation of toxic proteins, which are found in greater quantities in diseases of the brain such as Alzheimer’s, according to an new study at Tufts University

and University of Maryland Baltimore County. So grab a handful or add them to a healthy fruit smoothie or homemade fruit/ yogurt popsicle. 4. Tuck into those tomatoes. “Lycopene, an anti-oxidant found in tomatoes, is known to reduce free radical damage which occurs in the development of dementia,” MacGregor says. Cherry tomatoes are a perfect snack option. 5. Go for the whole grains. “Carbohydrates in whole grains convert to glucose which is the brain’s primary source of energy,” MacGregor says. Whole grains also deliver added benefits including fibre, brain-boosting B vitamins and essential fatty acids, much of which is removed in processing. “Whole grain bread, crackers, whole oat granola or a sprinkling of wheat germ in yogurt can all work as great snack options.” 6. Get cracking! Eggs are a natural source of choline, essential for the normal function of brain and nerve cells. Have hard-cooked eggs ready in the fridge for a quick and portable snack, suggests

MacGregor. 7. An apple a day… “A leading source of the antioxidant quercetin, apples — specifically their skins — can defend your delicate brain cells from damage which may lead to cognitive decline.” 8. Avocado gets an A+. “Containing a bevy of brain boosters, avocado is a superstar,” says MacGregor. They are a natural source of folate, vitamin E and Omega-3 fatty acids, all shown to prevent the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. 9. Get your greens on! “Studies have shown that woman who eat more vegetables,

specifically leafy greens, show slower rates of cognitive decline,” she says. Give kale chips a try, preferably the homemade kind. 10. Chocolate fix: The antioxidant-rich, dark variety can improve blood flow to the brain and improve memory. “Look for natural cocoa powder or minimally processed dark chocolate to ensure the flavonol content remains high,” says MacGregor, who recommends combining avocado and cocoa powder in a brain boosting mousse (howtoeat.ca/how-torecipe-makeover-chocolateavocado-mousse/).

Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013

FUN & GAMES

KNOW?

Arab terrorists take Israeli hostages at the Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany.

SEPT. 6, 1915

44 48

50 54

Rapper Tupac Shakur is killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.

SEPT. 8, 1998

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire breaks Roger Maris’s single-season home run record when he hits his 62nd home run.

65 Microwave sound 66 Thespian's quest 67 Prepare to propose DOWN 1 Winter wear 2 Short film role 3 Open, as a cage 4 "Giselle", for one 5 Distilling apparatus of old 6 Book and movie, "The _______ Tourist" 7 Genetic double 8 Ayn of fiction 9 Greek vowel 10 Traveler's mailing 11 Without further ___.... 12 Playfully shy 13 MLB stat 22 Deep sleep 24 Prospector's find

26 27 28 30

Part of ACLU Postal device Guiding principle Produce anew, as tissue 31 Downhill ski run 32 Embellish 33 Well-built 35 Sun shade? 37 Retro light source 41 Rouse to anger 42 Idle chatter 43 Grazing ground

44 Comic book soldier of old 48 "I am the Walrus" singer 50 Old Scratch 51 Nary a soul 52 Avenger maker 53 Quite a bargain 55 Singer of the 1999 pop hit "Thank You" 57 Little bit 58 Polished off 59 Stocking stuffer?

SEPT. 9, 1976

Mao Zedong, who led the Chinese people through a long revolution and then ruled the nation’s communist government since it was formed in 1949, dies.

Answer to Last Week's Crossword O V E R

F I N E

F L E A

W I S H

I D L E

L E A N

S A L S A

T R U C E

A T T A R

A L M S

L S L A W A Y E M O N A B F O R D F O W L A S O U Y E R R N A D I U R N D R T U P S D I S E I N T R S T A Y T O R

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A G I L E L O D E S T O N E

M E E G R O E C L D E Y O N E T R R O I T A C O N R I B M A U T S H

L A B O R

A T O L L

N E E D Y

H A S H

O G L E

S E E D

U N T O

T I E R

E A R N

The little lump of flesh just forward of your ear canal is called a tragus. It also aids in capturing sounds that come from behind you. (didyouknow.org)

SEPT. 10, 1897

George Smith, 25, a taxi driver in London, England, becomes the first person ever arrested for drunk driving after crashing his cab into a building. He pled guilty and was fined 25 shillings.

SEPT. 11, 1921

Silent film star Fatty Arbuckle is arrested for the rape and murder of an aspiring actress in San Francisco. He was later acquitted, but his career never recovered.

Edited by Margie E. Burke

Difficulty : Easy

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HOW TO SOLVE:        Answer to Last Week's Sudoku

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SEPT. 7, 1996

The first tank — nicknamed Little Willie — rolls off an assembly line in England. It weighed 14 tons and crawled over rough terrain at just 2 mph.

This week in history and celebrity birthdays

SEPT. 5, 1972

30 34

29 31

Milestones

by Margie E. Burke 5

• Spot the Difference? •

There are five differences between these two photos. Can you spot them all?

DID YOU

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Photo: TOM BRAID, Sun Media News Services

Fans cheer for blink-182 as they close down the Sonic Boom music festival on Sunday evening at Northlands in Edmonton.

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ANSWERS: 1. Shirt changed to purple; 2. Logo removed from cap; 3. ‘B’ removed from T-shirt; 4. Glasses removed from hand; 5. Phone removed from hand.

The Weekly Crossword

ACROSS 1 Reef explorer's gear 6 Farm unit 10 Wear out the carpet 14 Suez waterway 15 Thunder sound 16 Landfill emanation 17 Mosey along 18 Plays for a sucker 19 High-protein bean 20 Camelot, to Arthur 21 Charge with a crime 23 Portend 25 Biblical plague insect 29 Makeshift swing 30 Julie Garwood genre 31 Ballet step 34 100-year-old 36 Object of devotion 38 Luggage attachment 39 1996 presidential hopeful 40 An eco-friendly home might use them 45 Surfing spot 46 Inconsequential 47 1964 Oscar winner Patricia 49 Ultimate goal 50 They get you nowhere 54 Front-runner 56 Nose-in-the-air sort 57 Spreadsheet filler 60 Bounty rival 61 Positive terminal 62 Molecule part 63 Touch up, as text 64 Cuban dance

Compiled by Leader staff

THE BOO BIRDS

PRINCESS

PROF. DONKEY’S DICTIONARY

IN THE STANDS WHAT IF?

Kids Krossword COMPUTERS

Answers online at stalbertleader.com

HOYLE & GUS

Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013

ACROSS

DOWN

2) Portable computer 5) Random access ____ 6) Big screen 7) Kilo, giga or terra 9) Part of Microsoft Office 10) Firefox or Chrome 13) Social media site 14) Popular search engine 16) Presentation software

1) 140 characters 3) Measured in GHz 4) Rows of letters and numbers 5) Point-and-click tool 8) Might also scan and fax 9) Attached/built-in camera 11) Wireless Internet access 12) Best-known video site 15) DVD, CD or USB

ST. ALBERT SOCCER ASSOCIATION 2013/14 Indoor Soccer Electronic Registration Aug 1 - Sept 15 www.stalbertsoccer.com

New to SASA? Proof of age required! Please visit us at 61 Riel Drive Community Soccer Programs Youth: U4-U18 players born in 1996-2010 Adult: COED sasacoed@stalbertsoccer.com & Men’s Masters SAMMRSL Club Soccer: Impact Tryouts Aug 26-Sept 10 Youth Impact U12 – U18. Teams are formed through an open tryout process. Adult Impact Teams manage their own tryouts. Please contact coaches directly. �� MPSSCS4876089MPSE

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Talk with your Feet, Play with your Heart

Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013

BUSINESS

Redford off to China Friday MATT DYKSTRA Sun Media News Services

Photo: Sun Media News Services

Alberta Premier Alison Redford is seen in this file photo during a trip she made to China in 2012.

Premier Alison Redford is off to China on a $60,700 trip to build relations with the Asian superpower. Sixteen Alberta businesses, three economic development associations, and both University of Alberta president Indira Samarasekera and University of Calgary president Elizabeth Cannon are expected to join Redford for parts of the trip, which departs Friday and runs until Sept. 18. The trip carries an estimated cost of $60,700 for the premier and one executive assistant. A security detail from Alberta will also accompany Redford, but no details were made available on how much their travel will cost. Redford said the mission will strengthen relationships with Alberta in the world’s secondlargest economy, open doors for small and medium-sized businesses, and “unlock longterm success for Albertans in China.” “Opening new markets is a key part of our Building Alberta Plan, and in the face of the

worst flooding in our history, we will continue to pursue increased trade and investment that will create jobs and more opportunities for all Albertans,” Redford said. The premier will begin the roughly 16-hour flight to Beijing on Friday and meet with Guy Saint-Jacques, Canada’s ambassador to China, before making keynote remarks at the University of Calgary China Institute’s Foreign Direct Investment Policy Forum on Monday. Redford will also attend the World Economic Forum in Dalian before taking off to Harbin for a luncheon with the Heilongjiang government. In Hong Kong on Sept. 16, Redford will meet with private investors as well as representatives of the Hong Kong government before leaving for Shanghai to meet “VIP industry clients” alongside Riccardo Savone, Canada’s consul general to Shanghai. Redford plans to participate in a Canada Beef Inc. training event before flying back to Alberta on Sept.18. The estimated bill for the 13-

day mission has the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) calling on the government to publicly account for the travel estimates. “You would have to go on a six-month vacation to spend that amount; $60,000 is equal to someone’s salary for a year,” said Derek Fildebrandt, Alberta director of the CTF. “Don’t get me wrong, she’s the premier of Alberta. She should be flying firstclass and she should be staying in nice hotels, but this just seems like a little much.” Businesses paying their own way on the trip include several oil and gas companies. A week before Redford travels to China, International and Intergovernmental Relations Associate Minister Teresa WooPaw began a visit Japan, Korea and China on Monday. She’ll join Redford for several meetings in China before returning Sept. 17. Woo-Paw’s trip is to promote trade and build relationships with the governments. The total cost of the trip including travel, accommodation and meals for Woo-Paw and one office staff is estimated at $44,200.

Canada Post racks up $104M loss as mail volume falls SUN MEDIA NEWS SERVICES – The large losses being racking up by Canada’s postal service are of great concern to the government and it wants to see Canada Post’s plans for stemming them, an official said last week. Canada Post reported a loss on Tuesday, Aug. 27, of C$104 million ($99 million) for the second quarter of 2013 and said it was on track to run short of cash by the middle of next year. Like the U.S. Postal Service, Canada Post is suffering as customers switch to digital communications. Canadian mail volumes fell by 6.3 per cent from the second quarter of 2012. The postal service’s other big challenge is a C$5.9 billion deficit in its pension plan. Canada Post — which has a mandate to be self-financing — is an arm’s length corporation that reports to Parliament through the office of Transport Minister Lisa Raitt. “We are very concerned that they are posting significant losses,” said Raitt’s

spokeswoman, Ashley Kelahear. “The minister has met with Canada Post to request their plans for rectifying the financial underperformance.” Canada Post says it is looking at a number of ways to save money, such as cutting back on deliveries, raising prices and relaxing delivery standards. Last year, it signed a deal with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers to reduce labor costs by lowering wages for new hires and freezing wages for a year. “We have a 19th century business model that we have to pull into the 21st century ... we are exploring all options and clearly talking to the government about those options. We haven’t landed on anything yet,” said Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton. Canada Post is required to make a series of special payments to help make up the shortfall in its pension plan. MPSSCS4876099MPSE

Earlier this month, Raitt and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty offered the corporation some relief, saying it could put off making the first special payment until June 30, 2014. Even so, Canada Post says it will have to make a special payment of C$1.1 billion in 2014. To help avert a cash crunch, it says it is “seeking regulatory relief and changes to the pension plan framework.” Hamilton declined to give more details. In March this year, the finance ministry granted Air Canada, the

country’s biggest airline, a seven-year extension of an agreement that allows it to limit its special payments to its pension fund. A spokesman for Flaherty, asked whether the ministry might offer Canada Post a similar extension, said he would not comment on the specifics of a particular pension plan. The Canada Post Group of companies, which includes courier firm Purolator, has annual revenues of around C$7.5 billion and employs about 68,000 people.

DOLLAR

Down 0.50

94.90 US S&P/TSX

Up 149.29

12,740.50 NASDAQ

Up 34.09

3,612.61 DOW

Up 57.93

14,833.96 GOLD

Down 4.00

$1,412.40 US OIL

Down 1.41

$108.29 US Figures as of 3 p.m. Tuesday, compared to one week prior. For information purposes only.

Call us today for all your St. Albert Real Estate Needs

LORENE LECAVALIER

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780-990-6266 Direct 780-460-8558

Pierre Hebert

780-459-7786 www.bermontrealty.com

Guy Hebert

Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013

STALBERTJOBS.COM

Facing tough questions in retirement plans KIM INGLIS Sun Media News Services

Planning for retirement can be overwhelming. It requires thinking about long-term goals and it forces consideration of a more sensitive subject — one’s own mortality. An RBC study reports that only 52 per cent of Canadian boomers actually put a plan on paper despite understanding its importance. However, they worry about it. According to a recent Investors Group survey, financial concerns affect 32 per cent of Canadian couples and 60 per cent of them put retirement savings worries at the top of the list. For many Canadians, a sense of futility comes from thinking “I’ll never be able to save enough money.” They might be influenced by the old rule of thumb that suggests 70 per cent of pre-retirement income is needed to maintain a current standard of living. However, some experts like Fred Vettese, the chief actuary

of Morneau Shepell, believe that figure is far too high. Determining the right figure starts with analysis. Cash flow models should be performed, accounting for such factors as lump sum cash needs for special events, future inflation and debt reduction. To help with that process, the government of Canada has created an excellent Canadian Retirement Income Calculator that takes into account such things as CPP, pensions, RRSPs and other sources of income like annuities. Once income goals have been set, an analysis should be done to determine the income sources. For most people, a substantial portion will be drawn from investment portfolios. As retirement nears, these portfolios should be prepared for the transition and structured to replace employment income. This generally translates into a more significant weighting in fixed income as well as other investments that provide a regular income stream, such

as high quality dividendpaying investments. Good retirement income plans will also make use of guaranteed income sources that guard against volatile markets and inflation erosion. These include government benefits, available pension income and annuities. Proper retirement planning goes beyond the management of the retirement portfolio. Estate planning also enters the picture, both from the perspective of how the money will be distributed to heirs but also to more sensitive personal issues. Often there is concern over the future management of the estate by the heirs who may not be competent with finances or are simply not ready to handle a large inheritance. Canadians want to retire with sufficient income to carry them through and, hopefully, with enough to leave something for their children. However, if they allow themselves to be overwhelmed in angst over an unattainable figure that is both too high and inaccurate,

Photo: Sun Media News Services

they will never be motivated to begin saving. Determining the right number takes time, but the time is well spent. - Kim Inglis, CIM, PFP, FCSI, AIFP is an Investment Adviser and Portfolio Manager with Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management, a division of Canaccord Genuity Corp., Member - Canadian Investor Protection Fund. www. reynoldsinglis.ca. The views in this column are solely those of the author.

Make your employees your biggest asset

SUN MEDIA NEWS SERVICES – Employees can be your biggest asset, if you hire the right people. Lisa Gallivan, a partner at one of Atlantic Canada’s leading regional law firms, Stewart McKelvey, and co-owner of her own small business, Mills, advises employers to consider the following: • Know your candidate. Conduct interviews, reference checks and any other checks necessary for the position. Be informed about what background checks you can request, limitations on questions you can ask and what social media searches you can perform. • Structure the relationship. Both employer and employee should be clear about the technical structure of the employment relationship. Is your employee full-time, part-time or a term employee? Will the employee work in a specific department? Who will the employee report to? How will the employee be paid? Will there be a probationary period? • Have a contract in writing. The contract can be as simple as a letter of

offer or something more formal, but should set out the obligations of both the employer and the employee. • Communicate your workplace policies. Policies will only protect you if employees know about them. Have new employees sign a copy of each policy or a policy handbook after you have provided them with training. • Keep your employees safe. Provide training and instruction on workplace requirements (attire, procedure, etc.), especially those designed to ensure employee safety and be sure to highlight any hazards specific to your workplace. • Use restrictive covenants when appropriate. If your new employee will have high-level access to your clients or classified information about your business, consider including a nonsolicitation or non-competition clause in your employment agreement. • Know when it is time to terminate. Employees can be terminated for just cause or can be terminated without cause if reasonable notice is provided. Do not let floundering employees linger. If you

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The Opportunity: �� We are looking for a team player who has strong organizational skills, is able to prioritize what is important and who has a high attention to detail. Reporting to the Executive Director, this individual will be required to: � �� - including design, layout, cost control and billings. � �� A detailed job description is available upon request.

�� keep hearing complaints about a certain We are looking for a candidate who has: employee, there is usually good reason. � �� • Know your Human Rights communication skills. responsibilities. Employers are � �� required to accommodate individuals � �� with illnesses, disabilities or other experience working with accounting program software. characteristics protected by statute. � �� Termination may not be appropriate service skills. until multiple forms of accommodation � � �� have been attempted or until it is clear � The successful applicant must complete a criminal record check. the employment contract has been �� frustrated. (approximately 24 hours per week) • Know how much notice is required. - occasional evening work required. Employees terminated without cause are generally entitled to common law notice, Salary: $21.00 per hour unless the contract of employment has �� limited the liability in this regard to �� the statutory, or a higher, minimum. St. Albert & DistrictFurther Further Education Education Association Common law notice is based on a St. Albert & District Association �� number of factors including age, length St. Albert, AB T8N 2T7 of service, position, other available jobs, email: exdirfurthered@shaw.ca etc. fax: 780-418-2008 • Document everything. Documents relating reason for the termination and �� the employer’s decision to terminate Although we appreciate the interest in this position shown by all applicants, should be kept, including original notes only those selected for an interview will be contacted. from interviews. MPSSCS4876098MPSE

Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013

COMING TO ST. ALBERT

SPOIL YOURSELF…

NEW Caracol collection just in!

For Tickets Call 780-492-BEAR or visit www.ticketmaster.ca

#335 - 140 St. Albert Trail, St. Albert, AB T8N 7C8, Village Landing Mall

www.sublimeswim.com • 780.460.0016 MPSSCS4876016MPSE

Mon-Wed 10-6 / Thur & Fri 10-9 / Sat 10-6 / Sun 12-5

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