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Carling Breweries expanded in city 50 years ago

There was no link between Jason Doan’s death and the fact he was tasered by RCMP, two medical doctors testified Monday.
LOOKBACK-lovebirds
Cockatiels Pierre and Fifi chatter together courtesy of students Jennifer Schekk

ONE YEAR AGO

• There was no link between Jason Doan’s death and the fact he was tasered by RCMP, two medical doctors testified Monday. Doan, 28, died almost three weeks after he was Tasered three times on Aug. 10, 2006 by police after he fought with at least three officers on Overdown Drive in the Oriole Park area around 12:30 p.m. The fatality inquiry into the Lacombe man’s death heard from six witnesses on the first of nine scheduled days of testimony before Judge Monica Bast in Red Deer.

• Red Deer was among Canadian cities hosting an anti-coalition rally to protest the attempt to remove the federal Conservative government from power. Local organizer Tom Kovacs, a longtime Conservative supporter in Innisfail, called the Liberal-New Democrat coalition, with support from the Bloc Quebecois, a “bloodless coup.”

FIVE YEARS AGO

• Shell Canada Ltd. made one of the largest natural gas discoveries in Western Canada in an untested area in Central Alberta. Officials estimated the deposit, discovered about 30 km southwest of Rocky Mountain House, contained up to 22.7 billion cubic metres of raw gas.

• G.R. (Kipp) Scott, a man whose name became associated with one of Red Deer’s best-known auto dealerships, died at the age of 77. Gordon Scott attributed his father’s success to his innovation and the way he looked after his customers and staff.

10 YEARS AGO

• The City of Red Deer rated high among its business people, based on a survey run by the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses. The survey asked businesses in each city to rate their municipality on issues like taxes and awareness of business needs, and Red Deer placed second among nine cities.

• Warm weather postponed the annual New Year’s Day Sylvan Lake Polar Bear Dip, because ice thicknesses were only about 10 cm.

25 YEARS AGO

• Zoo creatures, presumed dead after Pioneer School in Rocky Mountain House caught fire Monday, were discovered alive and well Tuesday morning. Award-winning science teacher Alfred von Hollen, with help from fellow teachers and others, managed to rescue almost all of his menagerie of nearly 200 birds, lizards, snakes, mice, turtles, toads and so on.

• Alberta Lt. Gov. Gorden Towers was more used to giving awards than getting them. But Mr. Towers and his family — descendents of one of Central Alberta’s first settlers — received an honorary patrons award from the United Nations. Mr. Towers and his wife Doris were completely surprised and “overwhelmed” by the plaque given through the Premier’s Council in Support of Alberta Families. “I never dreamt anything like this would ever happen,” said Mr. Towers. “I thought it would be anybody but us.”

50 YEARS AGO

• The Red Deer Separate School Board was asked by a ratepayers’ meeting to reconsider its decision of building a proposed new high school near the present Maryview School and consider locating it on the convent site instead. A non-binding vote asking for this relocation of high school sites came after nearly three hours of discussion on a resolution urging the convent site for the proposed school. The vote on the resolution was: for, 56; against, 33

• An added service to the general public and an attractive expansion to the growing Red Deer plant of Carling Breweries (Alberta) Ltd., opened officially this week. It was the retail beer sales outlet, which was set up in a smart new building on 43rd Street just west of the main plant. The establishment of the retail store marks another step in the steady expansion of the Carling’s Brewery since its establishment in Red Deer about six years ago. In the last two years, the company has built and equipped a large storage warehouse at a cost of nearly half a million dollars.

90 YEARS AGO

• At a meeting of the Board of Health on Wednesday afternoon, it was decided to lift the ban on public meetings, and consequently, the churches, theatres, pool rooms, etc. opened right away. The schools were not opened as yet. There were some few cases still hanging round and the M.H.O. wished the people to take precautions still in their public gatherings. John E. Scott, a ten year old son of Mr. J. B. Scott, west of Red Deer, died from flu pneumonia.

100 YEARS AGO

• The Lyric featured a film about how the natives of Java skinned snakes and made various articles from the skins.

• The Town of Red Deer advertised coal for sale at a cost of $6.85 per ton. Purchases were to be made with cash.