Calgary local news from Metronews.ca

Helicopter crashes in Canmore area

Metro Calgary — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 17:30:06 -0400

RCMP have confirmed a helicopter has crashed near Grotto Mountain in the Canmore area.

Around 1 p.m., Canmore RCMP learned of the crash. There were five people on board the helicopter at the time.

At 2:45 p.m., RCMP say rescue teams reached the crash site and found the five passengers alive, although their conditions are not currently known.

Efforts are underway to bring the victims off the mountain.

More to come...

Calgary cops identify suspect in 20-year-old sex assault

Katie Turner, Metro Calgary — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 16:50:38 -0400

The victim of a 1990 sexual assault is “ecstatic,” according to police, after learning her alleged offender has been caught more than two decades later.

In July 1990, a then 21-year-old woman was asleep in her southwest Calgary home when a man broke in, sexually assaulted her at knifepoint and attempted to rob her.

Twenty years later in 2010, a sample from the case was resubmitted to the National DNA Databank and by the end of the year, a match had been made.

Sex crimes detectives investigated until enough evidence was gathered to press charges.

Gerald Raymond Clark, 54, was arrested in Edmonton Thursday.

Det. Rene Lafreniere of the CPS sex crimes unit said the victim has since moved to the United States but was contacted by police after Clark’s arrest.

“She was ecstatic about the arrest,” he said. “As you can imagine, for 22 years she’s wondered about who attacked her.”

Lafreniere said the accused was equally as surprised when police arrested him.

“It’s one of those things where he never thought he’d be caught.”

Clark has been charged with sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, forcible confinement, attempted robbery, uttering death threats, carrying a weapon dangerous to the public and house break and enter commit.

He has since been released in Edmonton on a recognizance order and expected to appear in court on April 17.

Red Deer RCMP search for missing girl

Metro Edmonton — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:45:20 -0400

RCMP in Red Deer are on the look-out for a missing 12-year-old,

Madison Skoglund was last seen near her middle school in Red Deer's Lancaster neighbourhood. RCMP said she left school on foot on Monday at 4:30 p.m. but did not return home when expected.

Police are checking Skoglund's usual hang-outs but have yet to find her.

Skoglund is 157 cm (5'2") tall, 100 lbs, has shoulder length red hair with black streaks and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a florescent orange bra and possibly a white, pink or purple zip-up sweater with either shorts or black fleece pajama pants with pink and purple hearts on them.

It is possible that she is barefoot.

If you have seen her or know of her whereabouts, contact Red Deer RCMP at 403-343-5575.

How to achieve fashion-forward Stampede style

Katie Turner, Metro Calgary — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:14:48 -0400

With the countdown officially on until the 2012 Calgary Stampede, Ashley Barber, stylist, fashion buyer and personal shopper with espy experience in Inglewood helps prepare western looks for fashion-conscious Calgarians. She says a stylish Stampede outfit can be achieved with a few staple items.

What's your biggest tip for woman wanting to achieve a stylish western look?

I think for women, and for a lot of us who aren't totally country, it's fun to embrace the Calgary Stampede but take a little bit more modern approach. Use the stuff that's a little bit more current now but also that's a reflection of the past and accessorize it with a cowboy hat, cute cowboy boots and a little bit if leather here and there.

What about for men? What's your No. 1 tip?

They definitely don't have as many accessories as the ladies but they can still do a nice pair of leather shoes or cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. They can also look for more detailing in dress shirt….You could have a plaid shirt with a paisley detail inside the collar, inside the cuff and add some leather cufflinks. Its all about looking for the details.

Is there one must-have item to have in your closet for Stampede time?

For women, something with a floral print, which has been huge for the last couple spring and summer seasons, like a floral button-up or a floral print T-shirt. You can pair that with jeans or jean shorts and cowboy boots, throw in a leather belt and you're pretty much set.

Must have item (for men)? Probably a Bertigo plaid shirt.

Calgary police officer fires unintentional shot into S.W. home

Metro Calgary — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:41:32 -0400

Police say an officer that unintentionally fired a shot into a southwest home Thursday will remain on the job.

Around 9:20 p.m., police say officers were clearing a residence in the 0 to 100 block of Discovery Ridge Hill S.W. before executing a high-risk search warrant.

At that time, officers were allegedly confronted by a woman with a knife. She was Tasered and placed under arrest.

Following her arrest, police say a CPS firearm was "unintentionally discharged" into a neighbouring unit in the complex.

While the unit was occupied, no one was injured.

"Any time a firearm is discharged it's of concern to all of our members," said deputy chief Trevor Daroux. "We're very thankful because the potential certainly exists that when a firearm is discharged someone can be injured."

The Calgary Police Service Professional Standards Section is now investigating.

Daroux said the officer, who is a 12-year member of the CPS and a 6-year member of the tactical unit, will not be suspended.

"There is nothing at all that leads me to believe that this officer did anything wrong. This was an unintentional discharge. He will be back to work."

Charges have been laid against the woman who allegedly approached the officer with a knife.

Body-checking to end for peewee hockey

Jeremy nolais, Metro Calgary — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:58:18 -0400

Body-checking is being put on ice for many of Calgary’s smaller hockey players.

Starting next season, Hockey Calgary will no longer allow hitting at the peewee level, and plans to expand the ban to include non-elite bantam and midget athletes in the years ahead.

“There’s no question this is probably the hottest topic in hockey right now — there’s no question,” said President Todd Millar.

Public input provided through a survey that garnered 3,500 responses indicated that a “slight margin” favoured removing hitting from the peewee game, Millar said.

Much debate has swirled around the topic since a study was published last year by University of Calgary researcher Dr. Carolyn Emery that found a three-fold increase in risk of injury and four-fold increase in concussion among peewee players that hit (in Alberta), when compared with those that do not (in Quebec).

Hockey Calgary is the only association in the province currently to adopt the ban, and that had parents expressing concern Thursday for young athletes playing in tournaments outside of the local area.

“If you put kids into a situation they’re not used to, that’s when you are going to get more injury,” said Tabatha Wood, who did not believe change was needed despite the fact that her 16-year-old son suffered a concussion playing midget hockey last year.

“They are not going to learn how to give the hit or receive it really.”

The peewee body-checking ban is still contingent on a 70-member association vote in June; however, Millar said he is confident it will be passed.

Alberta premier suspends transition payments

The Canadian Press — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:58:00 -0400

EDMONTON - After getting battered for weeks over gold-plated goodbyes to politicians and pay to committee members who don't meet, Alberta Premier Alison Redford has declared an unconditional surrender.

Redford, at a campaign stop Thursday, said she is suspending a transition allowance that will pay out a total of more than $10 million this year to 25 departing MLAs of all stripes.

She said she couldn't do anything about the current payments, but would take action going forward.

She also announced that her Progressive Conservative caucus mates, who had already been ordered to pay back a portion of the money they earned on a so-called no-work committee, will have to pay back all the cash.

"On the issue of MLA compensation, my government should have acted faster and we should have gone further than we did over the past few weeks," said Redford.

"Growing up I was always taught that the only thing worse than making a mistake was not admitting the fact that you did. I made a mistake on these issues and now I'm fixing them."

Redford also said she will not accept a transition allowance "win, lose or draw" after the election.

The decision is the final fallback for Redford and her team on what has become a dominant doorstep complaint in the campaign for the April 23 provincial election.

The no-pay committee has been a lightning rod of discontent and may have contributed to a major drop in recent polls and an accompanying surge by the Wildrose party.

Wildrose party Leader Danielle Smith called the about-face a desperate attempt to turn back the clock.

"It's clear they're in panic mode," said Smith. "They're now making decisions on the basis of a drop in the polls rather than on the basis of what's right.

"That's what happens when you have a government that has been in power for 40 years. They don't know the difference anymore between right and wrong."

The controversy began three weeks ago when the watchdog Canadian Taxpayers Federation delivered a tongue-in-cheek award for egregious waste of taxpayer money to the 21-member all-party standing committee on privileges and elections, standing orders and printing

All members of the no-meet committee are paid $1,000 a month, even though it hasn't held a meeting for more than three years. They were initially paid per meeting, but that was changed to a monthly stipend in 2008.

It was a no-win issue for all parties: give back the money and thereby admit it wasn't deserved or keep it and be criticized for taking cash for nothing.

Liberal and Wildrose party members bit the bullet and paid back thousands within days. The NDP refused, saying MLA Rachel Notley works on so many committees — many for free — that she effectively didn't get paid at all.

The Tories took the same approach as the New Democrats, dismissing the paybacks as a publicity "stunt."

Eventually it became an exercise in throwing hunks of meat to a hungry pack of pursuing wolves.

Redford initially said she would not order a payback but would wait for a broader review of MLA compensation, currently underway, by former Supreme Court justice Jack Major.

Days later, she asked the 15 Tories on the committee to voluntarily pay back the cash.

Last week, with public outrage still growing, she directed caucus to take action. It responded by ordering Tory members to pay the money that had been received in the six months Redford has been premier.

Ray Prins, the Tory backbencher who had been chairman of the committee, quit government in protest.

Redford said Thursday that any Tories who decide to not repay the committee funds "will not will not have a place in our Progressive Conservative caucus."

The transitional payments, which Redford characterized as "overly generous," has been a smoldering issue for years.

The payments, created to help politicians make the transition back to private life, had quietly and rapidly expanded under former premier Ralph Klein, who scrapped a pension plan for legislature members in 1992.

The 25 MLAs who decided to quit politics rather than run this time will receive an estimated total of $10.6 million. Speaker Ken Kowalski alone will get over $1 million and former premier Ed Stelmach will get close to that.

She said if Major's recommendations ultimately conflict with the actions she's taken, she will work things out to the satisfaction of taxpayers.

Alberta politicians are already among the best paid in Canada. The average politician takes in $163,000 a year, while the premier makes over $200,000.

‘I’m going to lead the parade and try not to get us lost’: Tyson

Katie turner, Metro Calgary — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:55:42 -0400

As long as the fireworks don’t startle his old horse, Ian Tyson said he’s confident the 2012 Stampede Parade should go off with out a hitch.

Thousands of Calgarians filled Olympic Plaza Thursday to hear Paul Brandt play and, of course, the announcement of the 2012 parade marshal.

“I’m going to lead the parade and try not to get us lost,” joked Tyson after he was announced as the marshal.

Tyson said he was surprised and delighted to be selected. He recalled his favourite memory of Stampede as the first time he went in the mid 1950s.

“I hitchhiked down from Banff to the Stampede and I made it,” he said. “It was really a thrill.”

Along with Tyson, the First Nations chiefs of Treaty 7 will be acting as honourary marshals during the kickoff to the centennial celebrations.

Michael Casey, president and board chairman of the Calgary Stampede, said the selection encompasses the western values the Stampede stands for.

“He embodies western spirit, western heritage as a songwriter, as a poet, as cowboy, as a landowner, as a rancher. I think he embodies everything the Stampede has over the last 100 or more years,” said Casey.

Fellow Albertan and country music star Paul Brandt, who will be headlining the TransAlta Grandstand Show, agreed Tyson was the best choice.

“The first song that I learned to play on the guitar was Four Strong Winds,” said Brandt. “I can’t think of anyone who’s more appropriate to have lead this centennial event and the parade. It’s an incredible choice.”

CBE trustees to explore two ‘levels’ of busing fees

Jeremy nolais, Metro Calgary — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:55:42 -0400

Busing fees could be driven upwards for public school parents sending kids out of their community to a program of choice.

Metro has learned a presentation coming before Calgary Board of Education trustees next week will offer up a “two-level” transportation fee model for further exploration after gaining feedback from nearly 4,000 members of the public during a review of school fees.

CBE spokesperson Richard Peter opted to withhold details on the proposal until it went before the board but did say officials are aiming to respond to the wishes of parents and other citizens.

“Parents do describe the fact that, when you look at a fee like transportation, the reason a student is on the bus should be a consideration when you’re setting the fees for transportation,” Peter said.

Two of Sarah Baehl de Lescure’s sons take the bus from Lincoln Park to the alternative all-boys school program in Rutland Park. She believes fees are already draining enough from family budgets, pointing to a decision last year to remove a family maximum busing fees that tripled her costs.

“If they are providing these programs, they need to support the programs,” she said. “If you’re not providing busing, you’re not providing support.”

But fellow parent Jennifer Andrews, who drives her daughter to an out-of-community school, disagrees.

“If I make a decision for something specialized, I see no reason why the taxpayer should have to bear that expense.”

‘Time for change’

Jeremy nolais, Metro Calgary — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:50:02 -0400

Canada is losing the fight against child pornography, charges the national public safety minister, who points to data on the number of perpetrators acting in Alberta alone as proof.

But Minister Vic Toews was forced to back down from controversial Bill C-30 earlier this year after facing a barrage of criticism from political opponents and privacy advocates.

“It’s time for change,” Toews told Metro after sending the bill, which would require internet service providers to monitor and willingly turn over online records of people suspected of being involved with child pornography, to a parliamentary committee for amendments before second reading. “Compared to other countries, we are behind the game when it comes to cracking down on these individuals.”

Toews words do ring somewhat true, according to data provided by the International Centre For Missing & Exploited Children. It found Canada’s child pornography laws “sufficient” but placed them in a category behind eight other countries, including the U.S. and Britain, due primarily to a lack of Internet service provider reporting.

Critics, however, believe measures outlined in the bill and enacted in other countries to monitor internet use still go too far.

“The reality is police are doing a very good job of catching child pornographers . . . a lot of people have said the bill is a lot like using a baseball bat to remove an appendix,” said University of Calgary professor Tom Keenan, who is credited with teaching Canada’s first computer security course in 1974. “It’s not the right tool, and it’s a very heavy tool.”

Meanwhile, police investigators concede they are fighting an uphill battle but have no intentions of letting up.

“We don’t stop,” said Sgt. Steve Lorne with Southern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation Unit. “It’s one case at a time and we just keep chipping away at this mountain we are looking at.”