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The BulletinFall 2009PDF format - 387KB
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| Organization and Program | Description | SCIF grant |
| Native Counseling Services of Alberta - Gang Intervention and Diversion Program | The program will intervene and direct young people away from becoming entrenched in the gang lifestyle. A comprehensive care program provides resources to children, youth and their families to prevent involvement or engagement in gangs. | $1.5 million |
| Immigrant Services Calgary - Youth Inclusive Neighbourhoods | The program will reduce the risk and enhance protective factors for a core group of 135 low-income immigrant youth aged 13-16 at high risk of gang involvement. The project's guiding principle is that community engagement can reduce social isolation; a crucial underlying factor for gang recruitment. | $900,000 |
| Town of Chestermere - Chestermere Crime Reduction Partnership | The program will address the emerging issues involving at-risk youth and gang related crime in the community. A community social worker will work closely with the RCMP to offer support and referral services to those youth who have been identified as at-risk. Known violent offenders and the younger siblings of identified gang members will be given priority attention. | $365,000 |
Other initiatives Alberta has made to keep our communities safe include:
Safe Communities is a partnership of nine government ministries working collaboratively to address crime in a meaningful way. The partner ministries are Justice and Attorney General, Solicitor General and Public Security, Health and Wellness, Education, Children and Youth Services, Municipal Affairs, Aboriginal
Relations, Housing and Urban Affairs, and Culture and Community Spirit.
Media inquiries may be directed to:
Kim Misik, Alberta Justice
Cell: 780-886-9396
Kim.Misik@gov.ab.ca
Michelle Davio, Solicitor General and Public Security
Cell: 780-405-9507
Michelle.Davio@gov.ab.ca
Ramada Inn
30 Broadway Blvd, Sherwood Park
780-467-6727
780-467-5685 (f)
$134.00
Holiday Inn
11 Portage Lane, Shewood Park
780-417-3388
780-417-3183 (f)
$159.00
AMA & Seniors Discount
Road King
26 Strathmoor Drive, Sherwood Park
780-464-1000
780-417-9402 (f)
$119 - $139
Franklins Inn
2016 Sherwood Drive, Sherwood Park
780-467-1234
$129.00
It's Road Rage. You've probably associated the behaviour with urbanites, particularly Americans. Well now you're going to have to tweak your thinking considerably and include Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, then be prepared to extend that thinking even further. Expand your paradigm to include everywhere. Road Rage is alive and flourishing in just about every Canadian megalopolis and is expanding to rural areas rapidly.
"As*h**le!" That's what came out of the mouth of a financial courier as she manoeuvred her currency laden dolly the additional ten metres she had to endure by parking behind a car stopped in her "unusual" spot near the front door of a B.C. rural bank. Car Driver had stopped to let her spouse make his way to the pharmacy for his medication; all the handicap parking spots were occupied and the parking lot was full.
Maybe Financial Courier was having a bad morning. She had driven from Kamloops and maybe she'd missed her morning cuppa, but whatever the reason for her rudeness, it was scary considering the ramifications had she spouted her expletive in Gangouver where she may have been met with a physical encounter. Considering her hipped .38 revolver, an urban altercation could be deadly. She was obviously not in control of her environment and as such, a prime target for an attack and robbery---which might be precipitated by the vulgarity.
Road Rage doesn't necessarily have to involve a vehicle. A look or glance could be misinterpreted, which is why prisoners walk with their heads down so body language can't be misconstrued.
Misread hand/eye movement or body language could be the reason for an increase in violent attacks at North American universities. A study at the University of British Columbia, the University of Wisconsin and Seattle's University of Washington published in the Journal of Adolescent Health indicates twenty percent of male and female students experienced violence in the past six months. Fifty percent of all students in the study experienced "intimate partner violence".
Researchers believe the violence is about power and control, but what would prompt such behaviour; pressure from school, the need for super grades to joust in a highly completive job market? Could the pressure be similar to that experienced by thousands of commuters fearful for their jobs in a declining economy?
Take two drivers who share the stress of job, family and finances. Add summer heat and bumper to bumper traffic and you have a recipe for Road Rage. Add one driver texting or dialling their cell phone, or otherwise multitasking, not paying attention and tapping the bumper in front then it's out of vehicles and the violence begins.
As was the case recently in Port Mann, outside Vancouver, B.C.; Monday, 7 a.m., a grey pickup truck was travelling west on Highway 1 when it changed lanes in front of a dark pickup. Dark Pickup Guy apparently got angry and forced the grey pick-up into another lane. In the move, the Grey Pickup clipped a large truck and Grey Pick-up rolled over cement barriers and into a ditch sending all occupants to the hospital while Dark Pickup Guy took off.
A Chevrolet Silverado tried to pass a Ford pick-up on a rural stretch of a Langley, B.C. highway around 2 a.m. In the process the Ford driver forced the Silverado off the road, then took off. Not satisfied with vehicle damage and obviously still angered by someone attempting to pass "Him", the Ford driver returned and smashed into the Silverado killing the driver.
There are numerous incidents across Canada's rural communties. Chemainus on Vancouver Island saw the above Road Rage recipe mixed with alcohol by a 69 year old driver who stopped for a red light after an erratic approach to the intersection. For reasons known only to the driver, he exited his car and assaulted the driver in front. Witnesses said there appeared no motivation. This crazy was subdued by bystanders who held him for the Mounties.
Yes, we know some drivers can dress themselves, shave, put make-up on and even have sex while driving, but that's another column.
Some insurance companies are considering amending their policies to null and void your policy if you are guilty of texting or dialing and cause an accident. Then to add to your stress overload, they propose cancelling your policy--forever! In British Columbia you would be SOL because Canada Direct won't take you if ICBC cancels and vice-versa. In other jurisdictions, insurance companies are unlikely to take you as a customer after being cancelled elsewhere.
RCW advises that common courtesy be your norm and if you're harbouring anger or animosities while driving, stop, take a break and refocus. If you're harassed by another driver, don't stop to "discuss" the issue, pull over and let the other vehicle pass. If the other driver insists on a confrontation, multitask and call 911!
Submitted by Jon McCormick
This three-member panel was appointed by Fred Lindsay, Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security, responsible for the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC). The committee comes in response to concerns raised by some charities that proceeds and wait times between events vary throughout the province. Charities also expressed difficulty in recruiting and retaining enough volunteers to support their activities including casino events.
“Alberta has a unique charitable gaming model that allows eligible organizations to benefit from casino events,” said Lindsay. “These charities earn revenue from casinos to support their many worthwhile causes and we want to help ensure the charitable casino model and gaming proceeds continue to serve the best interests of these groups.”
In 2008-09, almost 3,500 licensed charities earned $252 million in proceeds from casino events.
The MLA Committee consists of: Chairperson Rob Anderson, MLA - Airdrie-Chestermere and Parliamentary Assistant to the Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security; Dave Rodney, MLA for Calgary-Lougheed; and Doug Elniski, MLA for Edmonton-Calder.
“We look forward to meeting with the various licensed organizations and hearing their insights and ideas,” said Anderson.. “From there, we’ll review the options and make recommendations.”
Meetings will be held with charities throughout the province between October 5 - 15 and written submissions will be accepted until October 30. A final report with recommendations will be completed by March 31, 2010.
Backgrounder: Alberta’s charitable casino model
Media inquiries may be directed to:
Christine Wronko, Communications
Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission
Phone: 780-447-8719
christine.wronko@aglc.ca
To call toll free within Alberta dial 310-0000.
Rob Anderson
Committee Chairperson
Phone: 780-415-0975
Where do our new community members come from? New immigrants, those arriving between 2001 and 2006, make up 0.8% of Alberta’s rural and small town population with about half of those originating from South-Eastern and Eastern Asia (places that include China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and Viet Nam). Nationally, there are relatively more immigrants from Northern and Western Europe and the U.S.A. in rural and small town areas but there are some differences in that pattern, particularly in Manitoba and Alberta where there is a long established Central/South American immigrant population.
Case studies of immigrant attraction and integration in four Manitoba communities point to some interesting results. In the case of two communities – Winkler and Steinbach – the communities focused on a particular ethnic group which has the advantage of leading to a critical mass of new immigrants who act both as ‘boosters’ for the community and as support for the friends and family who follow. This is important as it has been shown that social and/or kinship ties are as or more important in location decisions than are economic considerations. This was also the case when our ancestors settled here. Immigrants would establish kinship/ethnic clusters and even within a region would choose poorer quality land to be near kin and countrymen rather than better land that was further away from that support.
Whether targeting a specific country-of-origin or not, a key piece in creating a successful immigration environment is pre-planning and having in place settlement and language services. Both in Alberta and in Manitoba, prior to the autumn of 2008, a good economy and/or labour shortages facilitated immigration, particularly through a Provincial Nominee Program. In the case of Manitoba’s Parkland region, planning at a regional level allowed for sharing of services and resources but it was also necessary to have a secondary level of support at the individual community level.
Unfortunately, attracting immigrants to a rural community does not ensure they stay. Rural and small town Alberta had a net out-migration rate of 4.1% of recent immigrants. Immigration will not be a cure-all for our rural communities facing out-migration and aging populations. Just like Canadian-born community members, new arrivals have a variety of motivations in making location decisions. Economic security, physical safety/security, opportunities for children, a rural lifestyle and associated quality of life and connection to family and/or similar ethnic community are all important. Successful efforts at retention must take into consideration suitable employment, language and professional training, a receptive community and social interaction, housing, access to community services, access to appropriate information for making informed decisions and a wider cultural/religious/linguistic community.
There are many available tools for communities looking to become immigrant-friendly. One such tool has been developed by the Alberta Association for Urban Municipalities. The “Welcoming and Inclusive Communities” Toolkit for municipal governments is about creating communities with positive reputations, where diversity adds to the social and economic vibrancy of the community and the quality of life enjoyed by all residents. The toolkit is available online from www.auma.ca.
Immigrant community members make diverse contributions to their new home communities. They increase labour and volunteer pool, participate in community life, increase demand for goods and services, expand cultural diversity, provide support for other newcomers, connect the community to their country of origin and provide new ideas and innovations. Sometimes it can be easy to overlook the contribution made by newcomers to our rural communities, whether they are from another country or from the city. Once we’ve lived in a small community long enough, we know ‘everybody’ (and may be related to quite a few!), and know we’re all friendly. But if you’re new, it can be hard to get included in the friendliness. Some communities have recognized this challenge and have organized a group of ‘host families’ who will adopt a newcomer family. The host family serves to introduce the new family at community social gatherings, in the local coffee shop and so on. In this way newcomers to a community have a way in to established social circles. Members of Rural Crime Watch know how important it is to know our neighbours, so if yours isn’t a community that hosts newcomers, consider doing so informally or setting up a host program through the municipality. Ensuring our communities are socially appealing and inclusive will go a long way to ensuring their longevity.
Submitted by Patricia Macklin, AB Rural Development
Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving and as much turkey and stuffing – oh, and pumpkin pie as desired……on to the next ‘event’ …..
Hallowe’en!
And then, it’s Remembrance Day – take the time to remember our war heroes; those who gave their lives so we can live the life we do, and for those who are fighting to maintain that right.
Editor’s note. Articles are always solicited for upcoming editions of The Bulletin, and to date we have been very fortunate to receive information from a variety of sources. Please note that articles in The Bulletin express the opinion of the contributor/writer, and are not the opinion of the Provincial Board. The Board does not condone or promote vigilantism or the taking of the law into the hands of common citizens. Please take the information you glean from articles in this newsletter with a grain of salt, and consider the current climate that the article may have been written in.
BHF
Disclaimer: Editorial opinions, reports and articles published herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Alberta Provincial Rural Crime Watch Association
Deadlines for Submission to the Bulletin: March 15, June 15, September 15 and November 15 Thank you to the United Farmer’s Association for their support of APRCWA - they print and help distribute this newsletter. We couldn’t do it without you!
Disclaimer: Editorial opinions, reports and articles published herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Alberta Provincial Rural Crime Watch Association.