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Sasha JaegerBaird: Posted on November-02-12 7:24 PM
There are over 1.5 million accidents involving deer per year.
Deer accidents send 10,000 people to the hospital. Every year as many as 200
people are killed in deer related car accidents. Imagine how many deer are
injured and left to die after being struck by a vehicle.
As we encroach further and further upon wildlife habitats, man
and wildlife are both struggling to co-exist; each with as few as casualties as
possible.
It is especially difficult here in the Crowsnest Pass, with Highway 3 traversing the valley's corridor. More and more collisions are
occurring and both death to these wildlife and damage to personal property is a
concern.
There is a saying I once heard when I first moved here.
There
are two kinds of people. There are those who have hit a deer and those who have
yet to hit a deer.
As of last Thursday, I am now one of the former. This deer
just came out of nowhere. It actually was in mid-flight when it jumped into the
front passenger corner of my car.
Luckily, damage to my car was minimal. The head
light came partially off. The front fender is crumpled in and the passenger
door was pushed under the fender, preventing it from opening. The deer did get
up and stumble off, only to run in front of an oncoming train. It was not that
deer’s day. I am fine, my car can be repaired and my nerves are recovering.
What I can offer to you is some well heeded advice:
Obviously the best advice is to try to avoid coming in contact
with a deer while driving. You can help make this happen by making it a point
to slow down when you see a deer. Deer can be unpredictable. Even if it has
already crossed the road, it could suddenly dart out again.
When you see one deer, it usually means there are others close
by. Be ready to drive defensively and to react to avoid an accident. Deer are
nocturnal animals and tend to begin grazing at dusk. This is the time that you
should be paying closer attention when you are driving.
If you are about to hit a deer, it is not a good idea to try
to swerve off the road or into oncoming traffic to try to avoid it. Hitting
another car or a tree head on could cause even more severe damage. If you hit a
deer, you should then pull over to the side of the road, as soon as possible, if possible.
After the Crash:
Here are some other things to do:
·
First of all, stay calm. ·
Avoid contact with the deer, its hooves or
antlers. ·
Call 911 or ask another driver to do so. ·
Set up road flares if you have any in your
emergency kit or put on your four way flashers (hazard lights). ·
Contact your insurance policy provider.
Once you've done this and the dust settles, hopefully both you and the deer can
survive the crash with little to no injury.
CTV Lethbridge shared a story yesterday about how some
concerned citizens in Southern Alberta are taking steps to improve the safety
of both wildlife and drivers.
You can watch the story here:
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Posted on October-19-12 7:06 PM
October 15th, 2012
Honourable Alison M. Redford, QC
Premier
Office of the Premier
Room 307
Legislature Building
10800 – 97 Avenue
Edmonton AB T5K 2B7
Dear Premier Redford:
This writing comes on behalf of the “users” of Highway #3 that is our
municipal citizenry, commercial travelers, visitors and tourists who
utilize the narrow corridor of Crowsnest Pass year round.
During the past decades use of this corridor has expanded
exponentially to a point where all who utilize the highway and those who
are located nearby fear numerous hazards such as: multiple speed zones,
abrupt turnoffs into our small communities, an adjacent high school
entry, homes less than twenty yards from the highway, wildlife
crossings, etc. Suffice it to say the problems and issues surrounding
Highway #3 have been documented in several studies completed over the
past decades by various departments of the government. With up to 10,000
vehicles daily traversing a 27 kilometer roadway we experience an
average of one death per year, numerous collisions, hundreds of animal
strikes and countless “near misses”. During peak periods residents can
wait up to twenty minutes to enter the highway and minor accidents or
roadwork can back up traffic for several kilometers.
A recent government document indicated Crowsnest Pass may become an
“iconic tourist destination”. Within the same time frame this Council
initiated “The Mayor’s Task Force on the Economy of Crowsnest Pass” and
utilizing the report in a subsequent “Community Strategic Plan”
identified tourism and light industry as major focal points. As such we
now have a new hotel, restaurant and truck stop development which will
begin in the spring of 2013. Currently we are negotiating with a light
manufacturing company to locate in our Municipality and currently we are
in discussion with a heavy industry which is investigating Crowsnest
Pass as its base. We are also pursuing other business ventures to
alleviate the pressure on our residential tax base.
Notwithstanding the current traffic, this highway in short order,
will not be able to withstand the increased tourist, commercial and
manufacturing traffic that will develop over the upcoming years and
sooner or later we will unfortunately, face a disastrous consequence.
Premier Redford, we have waited some forty years and would very much
appreciate your and this government’s commitment to rectifying a
situation which has existed for too long and which we will all regret
when a catastrophic happening occurs, as it surely will.
Sincerely,
Mayor Bruce Vernon Decoux Ph.D. Municipality of Crowsnest Pass
cc Honourable Doug Griffiths, Minister of Municipal Affairs
cc Honourable Ric McIver, Minister of Transportation
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Posted on October-09-12 2:02 AM
An article written by our very own
recently migrated Kimberly Massey, posted today in the Rocky view
Weekly, puts our current situation into a whole different perspective.
It is titled: "Troubles in other communities offer perspective on Rocky View County".
You can read it -
HERE
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Sasha JaegerBaird: Posted on July-27-12 10:41 PM
Tough to Swallow: Meals That Sparked a Seniors Revolt
Have you seen this video created by the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees?
In Alberta's long term care home's, seniors are eating from a new menu. The reviews are in - It's awful! Absolutely Dreadful.
Some have described the food as being unappetizing, tasteless, inedible, has a strange consistency or no texture at all. Some have described it as being like dog food.
The program was created by the Alberta Health Services (AHS) for senior's in Alberta's long term care facilities. It affects primarily seniors in rural Alberta. The theory was to standardize the food supply.
The Provincial 21-day Menu was implemented in December 2009. The idea was to create on standard menu at approximately 78 Hospitals and Nursing Homes, with fewer than 125 beds. Many employee's jobs became redundant with the implementation of the new menu.
Professionals in the Health Care and Food Industry have said that the food can not possibly be healthy, as it is not fresh, nor is it grown locally.
The food is bought in bulk and shipped in from other provinces and the United States. It's been pre-boiled
and prepackaged. Most of the vitamins and minerals have been boiled out
of it. The meats have been prepackaged for up to 70 days. A lot of the prepackaged food is said to be fresh not frozen, so it must be heavy with preservatives. It leaves many people questioning it's nutritional value. Much of it has been frozen and reconstituted on site.
Since the program has been in place, the staff at these residences have seen an increase in urinary tract infections, wounds not healing as fast, and in general people not coming to eat meals.
Well, since this video was released, many more people have stepped forward with their complaints.
The 15-minute mini-documentary interviews residents, family members,
nurses and a food critic, all of whom decry the quality of food in the
facilities.
Well, this week something was finally done about it.
Alberta seniors and caregivers who protested the “shameful” and
“appalling” food served at provincial long-term care facilities have won
the right to home-cooked meals.
Health Minister Fred Horne
announced Thursday the 2,700 seniors who live in Alberta’s 73
provincially run long-term care facilities will be getting meals made
on-site come December.
The promise comes nearly two months after the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees released a short documentary
detailing the “terrible,” “inedible” and “dreadful” food served in the
facilities. The documentary has since been viewed online more than
17,000 times.
Horne said he has issued a ministerial directive to
Alberta Health Services, ordering them to switch from centralized
production of standardized meals to on-site food preparation and cooking
that respects both nutritional needs and cultural diversity.
AHS executive vice-president Chris Mazurkewich said Thursday, the
superboard has adopted a new nutrition and food services plan called
“Closer to Home.”
“Our commitment is that we would like to have a
homelike environment for meals in our long-term care facilities. I’m
interested in how we get there,” Mazurkewich said.
Under the terms of the ministerial directive, the superboard must
present Horne with a plan by Oct. 1, and the changes must be implemented
across the province by Dec. 1.
Finally, a positive measure being taken by our Government to correct an obviously wrong course of action!!!!
The people have spoken, and our Government has had no choice but to listen.
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Sasha JaegerBaird: Posted on April-24-12 12:51 AM
Well, the winds of change are upon us.
It's official, the South Western region of Alberta is now Wildrose Country.
I always thought ALL of Alberta was Wildrose Country, but that wasn't politically speaking. Politically, we are now riding the tides of change. What changes we will experience, have yet to be seen.
But we can say this much: It's not likely to be any of the same old, same old.
The old familiar faces are soon to be a memory. What has ruled in this portion of the Alberta region for 40 plus years, is now making way for fresh new faces.
Let's hope the people behind these faces have our best interests at heart.
Change is hard, but it is inevitable.
Will you choose to be a part of this new wave and hopefully better solution's to long standing issues? Or will you continue to be a part of the problem's that seem to plague us.
Will this Brave New World take us into a brighter, happier, more productive future, or will it prove to be just a bandaid on a sore that continues to haunt us from our past.
I guess we will just have to wait and see. We, the people, have spoken, and the people obviously wanted change.
And change is what we have got.
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Sasha JaegerBaird: Posted on February-23-11 2:55 AM
This is the Question being asked, according to an article in yesterday's The Townsman's online news feed, The Bulletin.
Wayne
Stetski, Manager of the East Kootenay Conservation Program is lobbying
local governments to approve and establish a local conservation
fund.
Several communities have already approved of this project.
"There are eight projects currently receiving funding," Stetski said.
Projects range from planting trees for
fish and wildlife habitat in riparian areas, to money for restoration of
Limber Pine from Canal Flats to Spillimacheen. The distinctive twisted
dead tree on Highway 3 just east of Crowsnest Pass is a Limber Pine.
My question to you is:
Would you, the taxpayer, agree to paying an extra $20.00 a year to support these conservation
projects?? Do we really need to pay an extra $20.00 a year to do such
things as continued restoration of our famous Burmis Tree?? Are we not
already doing that as a local community? Do we need to do this on a
provincial level?? And if so, we we willing to cough up the extra money
to do so??
Thoughts and opinions anyone???
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Sasha JaegerBaird: Posted on December-22-10 12:51 AM
Albertans
may have the fattest paycheques in the nation, but they give less to
charity than than many of their poorer cousins, according to a report
released Monday by the Fraser Institute.
In spite of
having the country's most generous tax credit program for donations,
figures from the conservative think tank show the province ranked fourth
behind Manitoba, Ontario and British Columbia for the proportion of
income that tax filers donated to charitable groups.
Albertans donated just $84 for every $10,000 they took home.
The
new report shows a disturbing decline in the proportion of Albertans who gave to charity.
Read more:
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Sasha JaegerBaird: Posted on December-22-10 12:23 AM
Finally some good news for university students. The Province of Alberta may set up an online book depository.
Alberta’s
Advanced Education minister, Doug Horner, hopes to cut student textbook fees in half
by setting up a province wide online book depository next year.
Read more:
University students currently pay between $750 to $1,000 on textbooks a year.
The
e-books would likely include textbooks written in the province as well
as common first-year textbooks used in multiple institutions.
Most students
on campus are already on iPads, e-readers or laptops.
"Ideally they can download the textbooks from any campus in the province,
perhaps even for free," said Horner.
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