Enumerators to build List of Electors
Enumerators will visit one million homes across Alberta from Aug. 26 to Sept 19 to obtain current elector information in order to build a better List of Electors.
Elections Alberta encourages residents to take an active role in providing complete and accurate information to enumerators at their doors.
Elector information is kept confidential and used to update the List of Electors in preparation for the next provincial general election.
Electors who are not home during the enumeration period may provide current elector information online at Voterlink, which is accessible at www.voterlink.ab.ca.
Elections Alberta is recruiting enumerators across the province.
Any elector interested in working as an enumerator may visit www.elections.ab.ca to apply or get more information.
Two men charged after drugs seized
Two Red Deer men have been charged with drug-related offences after RCMP conducted a drug bust worth more than $150,000 on a West Park home last Thursday.
The accused individuals were arrested when the Red Deer city RCMP street team executed a warrant on a home on West Park Crescent. As a result of this search, a second search warrant was done on a storage unit outside city limits.
Police seized various drugs including ecstasy tablets, several pounds of marijuana and psilocybin (magic mushrooms). Several thousand dollars in cash was also recovered.
Christopher Vanoverbeke, 29, and Nigel Eatmon, 26, have each been charged with three counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and one count of possession of property obtained by crime.
Vanoverbeke was also charged with one count of failing to comply with a condition of an undertaking. Eatmon was charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance.
Both men were taken into custody and will appear in court on Tuesday July 5.
Online course can remove demerits
Drivers can remove up to three demerit points from their driver’s abstract by taking the Alberta Motor Association’s new online Demerit Reduction Defensive Driver Course.
The course is certified by Alberta Transportation and features seven interactive modules that can be taken individually or consecutively in one study session. All participants are taught the same curriculum and need a minimum of six-and-a-half hours to complete the course.
The multimedia course, which includes videos and graphics, covers:
• highway safety and how it relates to the driver
• the Traffic Safety Act
• type of driver impairments, driving emergencies and driver solutions
• issues involving drivers, vehicles and the environment
The online Demerit Reduction Defensive Driver Course costs $99 plus GST.
For more information on this course and other AMA online courses, please visit ama.ab.ca/driver-education/fleet-safety-online-courses.
To find out more about the province’s demerit point system, please visit transportation.alberta.ca.
Police catch speeders on long weekend
Drivers who reached dangerous speeds on Hwy 2 during Canada Day weekend could not escape police in the Ponoka area.
On June 30, a motorcyclist tried to flee Alberta Sheriffs at a speed in excess of 200 km/h.
The male driver was caught by police who were working in the area during the Ponoka Stampede.
RCMP Const. Chris Noble, of Ponoka Integrated Traffic Services, said police were ready for the driver who was caught in a “hornet’s nest” of officers.
He was charged with dangerous driving under the Criminal Code.
On July 1, a total of 187 speeders were caught by traffic enforcement units along Hwy 2, with five drivers exceeding the speed limit by 50 km/h. Other charges laid that day included two dangerous driving charges, two impaired driving charges and one for careless driving.
On July 2, two motorcyclists were charged with unsafe lane change and speeding at 140 km/h as they wove through traffic on the congested Hwy 2 near Ponoka.
Police received four driving complaints about the two motorcyclists.
Parks Day celebrations planned
Families can participate in games, activities and scavenger hunts at a handful of Central Alberta provincial parks to mark Canada’s Parks Day celebrations July 16.
• A park and nature scavenger hunt will take place at Aspen Beach Provincial Park, which is 17 km west of Lacombe. The event will take place from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the Ebeling Beach Day Use Area,
• Crimson Lake Provincial Park, 16 km northwest of Rocky Mountain House, will host a number of fun activities throughout the day. Interpretive programs and a beach contest will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Day Use Area. A special evening amphitheatre show is planned for 8 p.m.
• A scavenger hunt and craft activities will be offered at Red Lodge Provincial Park, located 15 km west of Bowden. The events will run from 10 a.m. to noon at the Day Use Area beside the store.
• Rochon Sands Provincial Park, 25 km north of Stettler, will have games and activities from 10 to 11:30 a.m., and cake and refreshments from noon until 1 p.m.
For the past 22 years, national, provincial and territorial parks as well as historic sites have marked Canada’s Parks Day with a variety of events as diverse as the parks across the country.
Sidney Crosby calls fundraisers
A surprise phone call from Sidney Crosby was the highlight of a weekend beach volleyball tournament that raised roughly $8,000 for the Central Alberta chapter of Cystic Fibrosis Canada.
Ten teams of six participated in the first annual Bumping for Bub tournament, which was organized by Tiffany Peters and held at her parents’ farm near Pine Lake.
The 25-year-old said she wanted to host the three-day fundraising event to collect money to help find a cure for the genetic and potentially fatal disease that her friend Vaughn Tayler struggles with.
Peters and Tayler, a 21-year-old from Red Deer whose nickname is Bub, became friends seven years ago.
The most thrilling part of the weekend was when Crosby called unexpectedly to talk to Tayler, an avid Pittsburgh Penguins fan.
During the 10 minute chat, Tayler told the hockey superstar to avoid getting another concussion next season so the NHL team can have a shot at winning another Stanley Cup.
Peters’ uncle is the strength and condition coach for the Penguins and arranged the phone call.
In total, about 120 people attended the fundraising event.
Bumping for Bub raised double what Peters had hoped.
Amazing Race raises funds for local groups
The city’s own Amazing Race raised $2,500 in support of local community groups.
On June 26, 10 teams crisscrossed the city using only public transportation, walking or riding bicycles. Like in the popular television show, the teams had to complete tasks before earning a clue to the next location.
The registration fee and donations for the race were shared among six local groups – the Central Alberta Pregnancy Care Centre, Central Alberta AIDS Network Society, Children’s Services Centre, Family Services of Central Alberta, Central Alberta Refugee Effort Committee and the Central Alberta chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.
The Lindsay Thurber Leadership team with support from Red Deer city council organized the day long event.
Community representative Emily Engebretson said the event was well-received with both the young and old participating. Groups Engebretson, who graduated last month, hopes the event will become a community tradition in the city.
