The Bulletin

“Crime Prevention Is Everybody’S Responsibilty”

President’s Message

Heat. Heavy rainfall. Standing water. MOSQUITOES… the bane of anyone’s existence in the summer time – and not fun for animals, either.

Besides that…. Bumper crops, anyone??

News releases this summer said that “Reported crime is down”. This can be viewed two ways; one - we have given up and accept that crime ‘happens’ and are no longer reporting things because we feel the system just is not working, OR , two - we as rural crime watch members are having an effect on the criminals and crime is going down. This – if for no other reason – is THE reason for active, pro-active Crime Watch Associations. The more we do in the communities we live in, the more people who live there or are passing through see our signs and know we are out there as a result of membership drives, articles/pictures in the local papers supporting our Poster Contest winners and celebrating 20, 30 40 years as associations – the more we drive a wedge in the door and deter criminals from coming to our areas. Now – not later in the year, not next year – now is the time to step up. Now is the time to start knocking on neighbours doors and talking about the benefits of membership in Rural Crime Watch Associations. Now is the time to stand up and be counted. The AGM in February in Cochrane will be a wonderful opportunity for associations to stand up and say “this is what we’ve done – this is how WE are making a difference”. I’ll see you all there.

Imagine that you had won the following prize in a contest: Each morning your bank would deposit $86,400.00 in your private account for your use.

However, this prize has rules, just as any game has certain rules.

The first set of rules would be:

Everything that you didn't spend during each day would be taken away from you.
You may not simply transfer money into some other account.
You may only spend it.
Each morning upon awakening, the bank opens your account with another $86,400.00 for that day.

The second set of rules:

The bank can end the game without warning; at any time it can say, Its over,the game is over! It can close the account and you will not receive a new one.
What would you personally do?
You would buy anything and everything you wanted right? Not only for yourself, but for all people you love, right? Even for people you don't know, because you couldn't possibly spend it all on yourself, right? You would try to spend every cent, and use it all, right?

ACTUALLY This GAME is REALITY!

Each of us is in possession of such a magical bank. We just can't seem to see it.

The MAGICAL BANK is TIME!

Each morning we awaken to receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life, and when we go to sleep at night, any remaining time is NOT credited to us.
What we haven't lived up that day is forever lost.
Yesterday is forever gone.
Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can dissolve your account at any time....WITHOUT WARNING.
SO, what will YOU do with your 86,400 seconds?
Those seconds are worth so much more than the same amount in dollars.
Think about that, and always think of this:
Enjoy every second of your life, because time races by so much quicker than you think.
So take care of yourself, be Happy, Love Deeply and enjoy life!
Here's wishing you a wonderful and beautiful day.

Start spending.

Sumbitted by Connie Newgard

Alberta Conservation Association

During the 2010/11 fiscal year, ACA received $10,352,775 from levies on hunting and fishing licenses? With partner dollars it was possible for us to direct more than $12 million back to the conservation of Alberta's wildlife, fish and habitat.

Alberta Conservation Association is conducting a bull trout population assessment in the Castle River, Carbondale River, South Castle River, and West Castle River drainages to update the status of the Castle River bull trout population. Mill Creek and the Carbondale, South Castle and West Castle Rivers are major migratory bull trout spawning tributaries in this drainage system and are vital to their survival. Post-spawn bull trout are being monitored as a component of the population assessment. For more information about this study or if you have questions, please contact Brad Hurkett.

Amphibian Alert!

Avoid amphibian deaths while you mow the lawn:

1. Mow during hot and dry weather when they're less active
2. Start mowing in the middle and progress outwards, which gives them a chance to scatter
3. Regularly mow lawn areas so they can't seek shelter in long grass, or don't mow some areas at all (this is a great idea around garden ponds)

Who Uses A Cell Phone?? Or Eats, Or Drinks, Or Constantly Changes Radio Stations – Or Any Other Thing That Takes Your Mind Off Your Driving, While In A Motor Vehicle???? Reminder To Everyone Out There: Distracted Driver Legislation became effective September 1, 2011 in this province. Pay Attention! If you feel you absolutely must do something other than drive in your vehicle, there are shoulders, lay by’s, campgrounds – pick one. Remember, it’s never just one person that is hurt, maimed or dead as a result of a motor vehicle accident. Everyone has family, friends and associates. All those people are also affected by an accident in some form or another. You or me – we have to look in the mirror every day for the rest of our lives – and the remembrance of what we do, looks back at us!

From me to you – all of the RCW Associations within the Province.

Bonnie

Accommodation for the AGM in Cochrane Alberta.

Cochrane Super 8
403-932-6355
10 Westside Drive (off 22)
www.super8.com

Days Inn & Suites
403-932-5588
5 Westside Drive (off 22)
www.daysinn.ca

All will have preferred rates , especially Days Inn.

**Does anyone out there need a computer and a phone fan out system?? Innisfail and Crossroads RCW’s shared the purchase of one, however they have no place to put it... for the cost of the fan out system ($1260.00 for the 2500) it can be yours. Please contact the office if you think this meets your needs. It is available immediately.

How to talk to youth about mental illness Often, if we are struggling with a mental illness, we don’t feel comfortable talking about it. Mental health issues are still taboo in our society, and there is a huge stigma attached to mental illness. In fact, fear of how we will be judged by others is one of the biggest barriers to getting treatment.

• Talk about mental health starting at a young age.
• Educate yourself about mental illness.
• Dispel the myths about mental illness.
• People with mental illness are dangerous or crazy and need to be locked up. (People suffering from a mental illness (such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, etc.) are not any more dangerous or violent than anyone else. They are often more confused, frightened, and in despair.
• People with a mental illness never get better. (As long as they receive adequate treatment, most people with a mental illness recover and go on to lead long and satisfying lives.)
• Young people who exhibit signs of mental illness are just going through a phase that doesn’t need to be addressed – they will ‘get over it’ on their own. (Mental illnesses frequently involve biological issues that are beyond the control of the individual. People with these symptoms need professional attention in order to address their symptoms and get their mental illness under control.)
• People who self-injure (by cutting, burning, etc) are seeking attention. (Self-injury is a coping mechanism that is used to deal with overwhelming feelings, or in an attempt to overcome emotional numbness. People who self-injure are having such an intense emotional struggle that nothing else can bring them back to reality.)
• People who self-injure are trying to kill themselves. (Self-Injury is not an attempt to end one’s life; rather it is an attempt to hold on to life. Young people who self-injure are trying to release overwhelming feelings, or on the flip side, are trying to break through their emotional numbness to feel anything, even if it is pain.)
• People who try to commit suicide want to die. (Most people who try to commit suicide do not necessarily want to die; they just cannot find any other way to end their suffering. They want a way to cope with their overwhelming feelings, but nothing else has worked.)
• Talking about suicide will cause someone to become suicidal. (Discussing suicide does not cause someone to become suicidal. If someone shows signs that they are thinking about suicide, it is important to talk to them and seek adequate help for them immediately. Talking about it is their way of exploring their feelings, and this needs to be recognized and addressed instead of ignored.)

How to support youth with mental illness

Because you’re used to taking care of people our age, many of you become worried and on edge when you know we have a mental illness because you don’t know how to help us. But it doesn’t help if you tiptoe around us like you’re afraid to say the wrong thing. Treating us differently just makes us feel even more alienated or like something really is wrong with us; however, constantly asking us if we’re ok doesn’t help the situation either. It makes us feel like we have to pretend to be ok so you don’t worry. If you want to help us, let us know that you’re here for us if we want to talk. Ask us what you can do to help us feel more comfortable. While it’s good to check in every once in a while by simply asking “how are you feeling?”, be careful not to do so all the time. We need some space to deal with our feelings.

You may feel upset, guilty or angry when you find out that we have a mental illness. Your emotions and reactions are normal. These feelings are to be expected and understood but they should not hinder your relationship with us. Try not to take our behaviour personally. Remember, it is often the illness, not us that you’re witnessing.” (Fr: Mood Disorders Association of Ontario)

This is an excerpt from http://deal.org/parents/mental-health/

(For more details, and types of mental illness and recognizing the signs of mental illness, refer to the link above.)

Submitted by
Sgt. Blaine Rahier, RCMP

Interns Make a Difference in Rural Communities

Smith’s supervisor, Cory Ollikka, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the County of Smoky Lake, appreciated the Smith’s work, not only because he completed a task that had long been on the ‘to do’ list, but for its longer term effect on county operations. “The internship may not have achieved organizational change but I think there is a cultural shift regarding policy. A cultural shift may not be a highly noticeable difference, but reflection on this exercise [Smith’s bylaw review] trickles over into further policy discussions.”

Other community supervisors participating in this Program have felt the benefit of their interns in bringing fresh eyes and new ideas to their organizations. Rural municipalities and organizations, which are frequently characterized by a higher average age than their urban counterparts, have also welcomed and appreciated the youth perspective.

Kendra Kerrigan, a student intern, worked with Forestburg’s volunteer organizations to help them search and apply for grants, and provide the village with some new ideas for supporting their volunteer organizations. “This internship has opened my eyes to challenges faced by smaller communities and has shown me how important volunteers are in a community, like Forestburg,” says Kerrigan. “Work that is done by a paid employee in larger centres, is done by volunteers in smaller municipalities. These people are essential to Forestburg because without them, the services they provide to the community would not exist.”

Debra Moffatt, Forestburg CAO, observed that the internship provided much needed human capacity. “I would never have had time to do the research around how the village can support our community groups, even though that information will be critical to the long term sustainability of those groups.” Moreover, Council has taken will take Kerrigan’s research into consideration when developing their next budget to determine if they have sufficient resources to hire someone to implement some of her ideas.

But it isn’t just the communities that have benefited. As one intern observed, “the community has so much to offer youth as a learning experience. This is a life changing experience.” The internship program also provides students the opportunity to see the full range of activities that occur in municipal government and administration, to know that interesting and challenging work as well as a high quality of life exists in rural Alberta, too. As Kerrigan stated in her weekly blog, “This internship is not about the big changes, it’s about the small things that go on. I have noticed that sometimes things in a rural area move at a slower pace than in a larger urban centre and it’s this slower pace that has shown me that the small things matter. Whether it’s a friendly hello, an update on a sick neighbour or friend, or even a wave while you’re driving, I find that the small things that happen make living and working in a rural area so enjoyable.”

Beyond the benefits specific to their own communities and projects, community supervisors emphasize that the internship program generally adds significant value to rural communities. “The internship program is vitally important to small towns and villages,” says Moffatt, “as the vast majority can’t afford a person to do research or bylaw reviews or any of the other things the interns were doing.”

Ollikka agrees. “One of the biggest deficits rural communities have is one of proactive research, to have information that we can use to move forward. So often when research is done, it is done in a reactive fashion because council or the community is asking about a particular thing.”

The Rural Capacity Intern Program was a two year pilot designed to provide interns with a comprehensive rural experience where they will be exposed to multiple aspects of rural municipal planning, administration, and program development. Program co-lead, Dr. Karsten Mundel with the University of Alberta, Augustana puts it this way: “The program represented an opportunity to do meaningful work in a short time with good people.”

Upcoming Dates

Cochrane Foothills Protective Association

Registration Form available on-line.
(Registration Deadline January 31, 2012 – registration fee must accompany registration form and the fee is NON-REFUNDABLE)

Contact the APRCWA Office
#106-7000 113 Street
Edmonton, AB T5H 5T6
Ph: 780-422-0922
Fax: 780-427-4227
Email: aprcwa@interbaun.com
Website: www.ruralcrimewatch.ab.ca

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.

Disclaimer: Editorial opinion, 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.