Wildrose leader Brian Jean had during the past weeks demonstrated great leadership skills dealing with the disaster in Fort McMurray. Derek Fildebrandt destroyed that in a few minutes in the legislature. So much for western hospitality.

Dennis Dwyer, Edmonton

Lack of decorum an un-Albertan display

I was born, raised and have lived more than six decades in this province. I have always been proud of being an Albertan – our pioneering determination and can-do attitude has long been a badge of identity and honour for me.

But I feel a deep sense of shame, embarrassment and sadness regarding how Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne was treated recently in our legislature. What an insult to a visiting dignitary by members of the Wildrose Party.

This is not how Albertans behave, as was recently demonstrated with Fort McMurray evacuees. We take care of each other and those that come to our province – this is what it means to be an Albertan. I offer a heart-felt apology that the Ontario premier was so ill treated. This is a black mark on the Wildrose.

 Connie Shelley, Edmonton

A welcome fight against one-size-fits-all infill  

Re. “Restricting your property rights isn’t the answer,” David Staples, May 27

After reading David Staples column on the wonders of splitting the lots I really have to disagree. I applaud the people who are putting restrictions on it. Wish we had more lawyers in our neighbourhood.

In my neighbourhood we have not only skinny homes, but numerous duplexes and worse yet on almost every corner lot ugly three-and four-plexs. When I bought here it was for the proximity to downtown but it was also about the lots and the beautiful trees. Unfortunately they too have to bear the brunt of progress — sorry birds and small animals.

Why should we not have control of our neighbourhood and how it looks? At what point did developers know what is best? We don’t want to live in city council’s Legoland, so why shouldn’t a neighbourhood be able to block the splitting of the lot? 

Jackie Pryer, Edmonton

Schizophrenia supports are out there

Schizophrenia is a very complex and misunderstood mental illness that affects approximately one percent of all people living in Alberta. With the right medical care, emotional and community supports, many find recovery and live a fulfilling and meaningful life.

Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that displays a spectrum of symptoms from depression and isolation, to hallucinations and delusions. 

For the past 36 years, the Schizophrenia Society of Alberta (SSA) has been the only organization in the province that directly supports Albertans affected by schizophrenia. The SSA support programs reduce hospital visits, and our housing and support programs cost one quarter of the price of a day in hospital. As a not-for-profit, we rely on financial support from our community to sustain and grow these services.

If you or your loved one is experiencing symptoms or challenges with schizophrenia, we encourage you to reach out to the Schizophrenia Society of Alberta. 

Rubyann Rice, provincial executive director, Schizophrenia Society of Alberta, Red Deer

Personal beliefs shouldn’t trump others’ needs

Re. “Assisted-dying bill should be blocked,” Letters, May 28

Bill C-14 is flawed but is exactly about compassion, allowing people to have a dignified death, if they feel they need that basic human right.

The Supreme Court ruled that the current laws were unfair, and there was public consultation. Polls indicate that there is substantial public support for the right to assisted death. If Fred Rode does not want to avail himself of the benefits of C-14, that is his right, but I will not be silent about efforts to remove my right to have a death with dignity.

C-14 needs to be amended to allow disabled persons to have the same right as terminally ill, or it will be again challenged in court. It may be an emotional topic, but remember your rights end when they start interfering with mine.

R.C. Rolf, Edmonton

Tasteless to deface High Level Bridge

The safety fences on the High Level Bridge have barely been up for a couple of months and there is already offensive graffiti on them. It is appalling and disrespectful to deface one of Edmonton’s most prominent landmarks, especially when the fences are for keeping people safe.

The fences were erected to deter suicide. The ugly and childish graffiti is defiance against the efforts that were made to save lives; it is an abhorrent disrespect to those who died jumping off the bridge.

Graffiti is aesthetic pollution and must not be tolerated.

Virginia Chau, Edmonton

First lady title doesn’t translate to Canada

Re. “The Sophie effect; how our first lady is helping Canadian fashion,” May 28

The sub-heading on this story made explicit reference to Sophie Grégoire Trudeau as “our first lady.”

Like a great deal of pop culture, the entire first lady concept has been absorbed from the giant U.S. republic to our south, where it so happens the president, in addition to heading the federal government, is also formal head of state. This is a noteworthy distinction, because our prime minister while undeniably head of government, is statutorily not head of state.

Under the terms of Canada’s constitutional monarchy, that particular role remains apolitically ceremonial and falls on the shoulders of the reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.

As many of us learned in school, ceremonial representation in the monarch’s absence defaults to His Excellency the Governor General – currently the Right Honourable David Johnston.

Any so-called “first lady” inspired recognition or privileges should be extended solely to the wife of the Governor General, Her Excellency Sharon Johnston. That said, Canada should adopt a more relevant – and not to mention original — convention for referring to the prime minister’s spouse.

M.F. Charles, Edmonton

Demand for oil still plentiful

Re. “Building pipelines is playing with fire,” Letters, May 28 

Geoffrey Pounder is looking at the problem of global warming backwards. Making it more difficult for Canadian crude oil to reach the market will have zero effect on greenhouse gas emissions. 

There are over one billion automotive vehicles in the world, plus one half a million aircraft, and nearly all of these devices are fuelled by petroleum products.  If the Canadian supply of crude oil is reduced, other suppliers will take up the slack, because, for the foreseeable future, the earth will not run out of petroleum. 

The only real solution to the problem lies on the demand side. Somehow we must reduce the need for petroleum by introducing a source of fuel that doesn’t produce greenhouse gasses such as hydrogen or non-polluting vehicles such as the electric car. But producing and distributing hydrogen, and modifying vehicles to use it, is another huge problem, and the demand for additional power generation that must be met so that we can convert to electric cars. 

Art Davison, Edmonton

Higher costs cut into households’ bottom-line

It’s hard to go to work when there is nothing left of your pay, let alone covering an emergency like having to go to the dentist. 

You work through your holidays so there will be extra money. For those who planned for retirement, inflation has consumed the money they have put away over the last 30-plus years in a RRSP. Your money has no buying power and what is left will go to higher income tax and your Old Age Security will be clawed back.

The government and system is failing the average working-class person and there is very little blood left in the stone. It’s time for the greedy rich to share their wealth with the people that make this country. And for those who ask for government handouts and are capable of working, “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

W.G. Wagner, Stony Plain

Letters welcome

We invite you to write letters to the editor. A maximum of 150 words is preferred. Letters must carry a first and last name, or two initials and a last name, and include an address and daytime telephone number. All letters are subject to editing. We don’t publish letters addressed to others or sent to other publications. Email: letters@edmontonjournal.com .

Suspended Wildrose MLA Derek Fildebrandt will likely be back in his seat within days, but his party’s treatment of a key pipeline ally has united all other parties against the official Opposition.

NDP house leader Brian Mason and the leaders of the Progressive Conservatives, Alberta Party and Alberta Liberals all said Monday that the Wildrose party did more harm than good when it roasted Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne as she sat in the legislative gallery as a guest last week.

They worry that the attack on Wynne could stymie Alberta’s chances of getting the Energy East pipeline approved by the Ontario government.

PC interim leader Ric McIver even used his member’s statement in the house Monday to call out the official Opposition, drawing desk-thumping applause from his usual rivals across the divide.

“The premier … has to be the top salesperson for the province, and when the premier invites a guest into the house to build bridges, we have to facilitate that,” he told reporters on his way into the legislature.

“We’re here solely to serve Albertans. If any of us can’t remember that, maybe we should be somewhere else.”

Mason accused the Wildrose of “putting their own crass political advantage ahead of the best interest of the province.”

The approach of previous provincial and federal governments has failed to produce a single pipeline in 10 years, he said, pointing to the importance of “building relationships, including key relationships like the premier of Ontario.”

“What the Wildrose did the other day … was not helpful,” he said.

Last week, the Wildrose party apologized for its tone and heckling of Wynne, but on Monday, leader Brian Jean stood by what he called “good questions” about Ontario’s fiscal policy.

After the Wildrose party expressed “regret” over the situation Friday, Fildebrandt received support on Facebook from an individual who derided the openly gay Ontario premier as “Mr. Wynne or whatever the hell she identifies as,” while praising the Wildrose MLA’s tough talk.

Fildebrandt responded to the post by writing: “Proud to have constituents like you.”

Shortly after people began highlighting the post, Fildebrandt apologized profusely on Twitter and said he had not carefully read the comment and had missed the slur on Wynne. 

Even so, Jean gave Fildebrandt a timeout, telling reporters Monday that when he took over leadership of Wildrose, he made it clear there would be “significant consequences for even inadvertent mistakes regarding intolerance” when it comes to individual choices and freedoms.

Jean said Fildebrandt was already under a warning about the way he had been conducting himself on social media, and knew a suspension was in the cards.

The opposition leader wasn’t even supposed to be in Edmonton on Monday; with residents of his hometown preparing to return home after devastating wildfires, he had planned to be in Fort McMurray.

Yet here he was, hashing out with his caucus exactly how long Fildebrandt’s front-row seat in the legislative assembly would remain empty.

Jean said the decision Friday to suspend Fildebrandt wasn’t made lightly. 

“It is the express desire of myself and our caucus for Derek to have a bright future with Wildrose and our conservative family,” Jean said.

But Fildebrandt’s faux pas — the latest in what Jean called a “long series of missteps on social media” — was too egregious to ignore, he said.

On Monday, the Wildrose caucus informed Fildebrandt of a series of changes in his behaviour he will have to make before he’s allowed back into the house. Jean said those stipulations will remain confidential.

Meanwhile, the president of the party’s constituency association in Fildebrandt’s riding said local party members are solidly behind the MLA.

Ronda Klemmensen said Monday that the local board wants Jean and the caucus to reinstate Fildebrandt.   

“He’s got our support 100 per cent,” she said Monday.

With files from James Wood

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Teens aged 16 and 17 should be able to vote in Edmonton civic elections, an Edmonton Catholic school trustee says.

Patricia Grell will ask her school board colleagues Tuesday to back a movement pushing the provincial government to lower to 16 the voting age in Alberta civic elections, where voters elect city councillors and school trustees.

“Young people today are really well-read. They’re really up on what’s going on in government, I mean, compared to me when I was their age,” Grell said Monday.

The push comes from the City of Edmonton Youth Council, which decided in March to advocate for teens’ right to vote.

A survey of Edmonton teens found youth are ready and want to vote, the council’s vice-chairman, Cameron Somerville, said.

Austria lowered its national voting age to 16 in 2007. In the next election, turnout among those 16 and 17 was higher than those 18 to 21, Somerville said.

Some Norwegian towns have also lowered the voting age to 16, said Somerville, 18.

Research shows voters who cast a ballot in the first election in which they’re eligible are more likely to be lifelong voters, Somerville said.

Youth use city roads, transit, schools and other services, yet have no say in who makes decisions about these services, Grell said.

If trustees vote in favour of Grell’s motion, the board would write to the municipal affairs minister to request the provincial government amend the Local Authorities Election Act.

Somerville said he has also approached Edmonton public school trustees and city councillors with the youth council’s proposal.

Asked whether he believes 16-year-olds should also be free to run for office, Somerville said the council hasn’t studied the idea.

“I think that this is a really good first step to ensure that they’re getting engaged, and ensure that they have understanding,” Somerville said.

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Gary McDonald has been a resident with Capital Region Housing Corp. for 45 years, and knows just how lucky he is to have a stable home suited for his needs.

“A lot of people in my situation are envious that I was lucky enough to get into such a great place,” McDonald said.

Before McDonald’s family moved into a unit near Rundle Park operated by the housing corporation in 1971 — the largest provider of social and affordable housing in Edmonton — McDonald was forced to sleep on a pullout sofa on the main floor.

Born with spina bifida — a condition that affects his spinal cord and means he uses a wheelchair — McDonald was unable to get upstairs to the bedrooms.

Once his family moved into an affordable unit with the housing corporation, McDonald never left, and for good reason. McDonald said for people with mobility issues, finding suitable housing is a significant challenge.

“It’s hard. I think it’s even gotten harder over the years,” he said.

The housing corporation currently houses nearly 25,000 people in 5,200 subsidized and affordable units in the greater Edmonton area.

But in 2015, while tough economic pressures put funding for affordable housing at risk, the corporation saw its waiting list for housing triple, with about 4,500 families waiting for a home.

“Sometimes we just talk about units and rooms and capital investment and so forth, but behind all of that is the people that live and the people that call the buildings we operate home,” Greg Dewling, the corporations chief executive operator, said at the release of its 2015 annual report at City Hall on Monday.

About 650 units become available each year, and while the organization is generally able to get high-priority clients housed within 60 days, others may have to wait two to five years for a space.

“We have a large waiting list, so we do need to grow the number of units that are available,” Dewling said.

Lori Sigurdson, MLA for Edmonton-Riverview and provincial minister of seniors and housing, said as a former social worker, she knows how critical housing is for a person, and that organizations can count on the new provincial government to be an ally in supporting affordable housing.

“A home is so fundamental to someone’s well-being, their social, economic well-being, it’s just so key. Unfortunately, the previous government just didn’t see that as a priority, ”Sigurdson said.

The Government of Alberta has committed to investing $1.2 billion over the next five years in affordable and seniors housing across the province, as well as increased investment in maintaining and repairing spaces that already exist, a welcome reversal for affordable housing providers who have born the brunt of repeated funding cuts that have left behind a billion-dollar maintenance deficit.

“It’s a very significant down-payment on what we need to do. If we start to use that investment strategically and redevelop and do it well in the coming years, we will be well on our way to addressing the needs that we face,” said Dewling.

Currently, the housing corporation has two major projects underway to create much-needed additional units.

The Londonderry Social Housing Redevelopment at 14510 72 St., the first redevelopment under the new affordable housing plan, is in the process of demolition before reconstruction begins next spring. When the project is complete, it will provide 80 affordable housing units.

The corporation is currently drawing plans for the Parkdale II project at 8215 113 Ave., a 70 unit mixed-use apartment building with construction set to begin this summer.

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There’s no shortage of political hot potatoes rolling around the floor of Alberta’s legislature these days. Who would think that the thorn to snag Alberta’s official Opposition would come in the form of an out-of-province guest only here for a few hours?

But that’s what happened last week when Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne dropped into Edmonton to meet with Premier Rachel Notley. Various members of the Wildrose Party seemed to forget any modicum of manners about how to treat visitors after weeks of impressive unity in the face of the Fort McMurray wildfire.

The lack of civility toward Ontario’s Liberal premier, such as staying seated upon her introduction to the assembly, was tacky. In the very formal setting of the legislature there are acknowledged ways of greeting the wide range of guests introduced from the gallery. Heckling is not among them.

Appearing to endorse offensive homophobic comments about that guest on social media one day later, however, is vastly worse. That is why Wildrose Leader Brian Jean says he suspended MLA Derek Fildebrandt from caucus even after the Strathmore-Brooks MLA apologized repeatedly, claiming he’d misinterpreted a nasty comment a constituent had posted on his Facebook page about Wynne.

Everyone knows that social media is a place politicians must tread carefully and how parties dole out discipline to MLAs is an internal party issue. That doesn’t mean those choices are consequence-free or that they don’t matter to voters. Albertans will judge the Wildrose on matters like this as much as mountains of fiscal policy. 

Behaviour that started as boorish ended in a blow to a party that desperately needs to show itself as fit to lead if it ever wants to break out of official Opposition status.

Anyone around for the 2012 election could not help but hear the echoes of the “Lake of Fire” comments from a Wildrose candidate that doomed Danielle Smith’s dream of leading Alberta’s first Wildrose government. Jean learned those lessons and reacted swiftly.

The new lesson for the Wildrose is that social issues cannot be ignored, as much as they would like to avoid them. And in this regard, Fildebrandt’s suspension appears to be revealing deep schisms that still exist within the Wildrose as presidents of seven constituency associations signed a letter offering “unequivocal support” to Fildebrandt. They do not want him outside the party tent despite the misstep; Jean appeared Monday to be willing to lift the suspension within days. 

It took a single out-of-town guest to derail months of carefully scripted politics by the Wildrose. As the party leading in the latest opinion polls, measuring how Brian Jean deals with this and future party uproars will be true test of whether Albertans will consider electing the Wildrose to power.

Local editorials are the consensus opinion of the Journal’s editorial board, comprising Lorne Motley, Kathy Kerr, Sarah O’Donnell and David Evans.

66During an April visit to Edmonton, I asked a retired acquaintance what the probability is that Donald Trump will be elected the next U.S. president. He replied without hesitation better than 50 per cent.

Trump does not fit the image of a traditional politician. He is known as a wealthy real estate tycoon and reality TV host who does not worship at the altar of political correctness. With no prior political experience, he has not demonstrated the judgment or temperament to serve in the Oval Office. To borrow a phrase from the Conservative Party of Canada war room, being president of the United States is not an entry level job.

Yet Trump has tapped into a deep pool of alienation affecting voters who feel left out of the American dream. It is shaping up to be an ugly, divisive election campaign. Strap yourself in for the journey.

Bruce Gajerski, Kelowna, B.C.

Irreconcilable differences on assisted dying debate

Re. “Beliefs shouldn’t trump others’ needs,” Letters, May 30

R.C. Rolf’s letter typifies the mindset of those who view life’s basic questions from a feelings-based, self-centred perspective. This is particularly evident in the assisted suicide discussions.

I don’t believe that it is possible to reconcile Roth’s position with mine. For me, human dignity is a God-given gift, not a human construct. Talking about “dying with dignity” is a blinkered justification to shelter oneself from the charitable demands that the dying process of a loved one places on us as individuals and families.

Living and dying in a dignified manner requires patience, empathy, and most of all, an acceptance of the reality of who we truly are as human beings.

Eugene Malo, Edmonton

Look in the mirror when arguing about rights

Re. “Beliefs shouldn’t trump others’ needs,” Letters, May 30

R.C. Rolf makes a very important point when he writes, “Remember your rights end when they start interfering with mine.”

I hope he applies this concept to himself as well as to others. Does he understand and accept that his own rights end when they start interfering with those of other people? 

Dominic Willott, St. Albert

Highway signs point to problems 

My wife and I live in southeast Edmonton and needed to travel to the north side for a couple of errands on the weekend.

We drove north on Anthony Henday Drive, and needed to transfer onto the westbound Yellowhead. We followed the road and other vehicles. However, at the end of the Henday north, there were two lanes, and at first we found there were no visible signs in the left lane to tell us we needed to turn north at a junction, and that only the right lane would continue to the Yellowhead. 

When we merged into the right lane, a truck ahead of us missed the sudden sharp and instead went straight. The driver was forced to stop, realizing that he had missed his turn. Things were even worse on our drive home.

Does our government not believe in highway inspectors, who would inspect shoddy directional signs and insist that construction firms be clear in the signs that are posted? Does this government prefer to have misdirected citizens on our highways? I am one taxpayer who is not in the slightest impressed with the mess the government is permitting in getting around the City of Edmonton environs.

Wayne McNeilly, Edmonton

Better to consider the alternatives

Re. “Build an alternate route already,” Letters, May 24

A recent letter suggested we need an “alternate” route to Fort McMurray. Quite frankly I’m sick of reading and hearing the American misuse of the English language here in Canada.

Yes, it would be nice to have an alternative route so that a traveller could choose one of the two alternatives. Alternatively, he could choose to alternate routes by going one way and returning the other. The big problem occurs when approaching a junction sign indicating “alternate” route. With the vehicle ahead going one way, then the following one must alternate by going the other, thus alternating the traffic. There’s no alternative, is there? Get it?

Tony Abbruzzese, Sherwood Park

Letters welcome

We invite you to write letters to the editor. A maximum of 150 words is preferred. Letters must carry a first and last name, or two initials and a last name, and include an address and daytime telephone number. All letters are subject to editing. We don’t publish letters addressed to others or sent to other publications. Email: letters@edmontonjournal.com .

An Edmonton man has been sentenced to five years in prison for stomping a helpless unconscious man who died.

Cody Dillion Quinn, 21, earlier pleaded guilty to manslaughter for his part in the brutal Dec. 27, 2013, attack on Arnold Rae, 54, in a parkade stairwell at City Centre Mall.

“This was a horrible crime. A helpless man was assaulted, left to die in a cold and dark stairwell. His assailants treated him as a discarded trophy and left him there,” provincial court Judge Mike Allen said in a written decision released last week.

“It is true that Mr. Quinn was not involved in the original assault. However, he delivered the final blows to a helpless man who posed no threat to him,” said Allen, adding that Quinn’s actions demonstrated his “callous disregard” for Rae’s safety. 

According to an agreed statement of facts, Cody Quinn, Skylar Harrold, Jason Quinn and several others were drinking and using methamphetamine near the Greyhound bus station in downtown Edmonton.

About 11 p.m., Harrold and Jason Quinn went into a stairwell at the City Centre parkade and Harrold began to urinate. Rae came into the stairwell at that point and objected to what Harrold was doing.

Rae pushed Harrold, the pair argued and grabbed each other’s clothing. An angry Harrold punched Rae in the face and shoved him down a section of stairs. Rae landed face-down on the steps, his left arm caught in the railing.

Harrold then punched and kicked the motionless Rae, delivering three or four punches to the side of his head and kicking him several times in the face and body with his boots. Rae, who appeared unconscious, was still breathing when they left.

A short time later, a group of six returned to the scene to “check it out” and Cody Quinn stomped Rae several times, including a blow to the head, before being told to stop. They then left.

Rae’s partially frozen body was found by a security officer the next morning. An autopsy revealed he had a broken jaw, a broken nose, numerous cuts and abrasions and two hemorrhages on the brain. The cause of death was a lack of oxygenated blood to the brain.

Defence lawyer Anita Myers told court Cody Quinn was homeless at the time and suffering from issues with alcohol and drugs, but said he is now a different person as a result of taking substance abuse treatment and participating in the boot camp program while in custody at the Edmonton Remand Centre.

Prior to being sentenced, Quinn read out a letter of apology in which he said he was “ashamed, disappointed and disgusted” with himself.

He was given 27 months credit for the time he spent in custody, leaving him with 33 months to serve.

Harrold, 20, was sentenced to five years in prison March 11, after pleading guilty to manslaughter for his part in Rae’s killing. Jason Quinn, 25, is slated to have a preliminary hearing later this year on a charge of second-degree murder.

Edmonton’s residential compliance team needs to use a sledgehammer, not a screwdriver, to deal with nuisance properties, city council’s executive committee was told Tuesday.

While the compliance team boasted of investigating more than 1,000 nuisance properties, community members called its efforts toothless.

Irene Blain, civic director for the West Jasper Place and Sherwood Community League, said seemingly lax attitudes in enforcing bylaws on troubled properties are allowing slum lords and drug dealers to “ghettoize” communities.

“It takes up to two years for the city to investigate,” Blain said.

The lack of timely investigations and follow through on nuisance properties is not only harming communities, it is allowing criminals to prey on vulnerable tenants, the committee was told.

“These homes often have vulnerable people in them that are, in my view, exploited,” said Tracey Patience, a longtime resident in the Parkdale community.

The residential compliance team, formed in 2013, is supposed to ensure multi-unit properties comply with provincial and municipal housing legislation and do not cause harm in their communities. It has responded to 1,200 complaints and currently has 624 active files.

The compliance team has also taken further enforcement on 29 properties to address continued non-compliance.

While the report highlighted how improved collaboration between agencies is helping the compliance team better deal with complex issues surrounding group homes, lodges, apartments, fraternity houses and secondary suites, city officials said a lack of staffing has left them struggling to investigate in a timely manner and limited their ability to followup.

For example, semi-detached secondary suite investigations take, on average, 193 days from when a complaint is raised for the team to achieve compliance.

“These are parasites on our communities and we have to do well for our citizens,” Coun. Scott McKeen said about problem properties, adding he is frustrated on behalf of residents.

Adam Millie, who owns a home in the Alberta Avenue area and is development director of the Alberta Avenue Community League, said the report presented Tuesday adds an administrator to the team when concerned residents want excavators, calling for more aggressive enforcement and either forfeiture or options that would “demolish the worst of these properties.”

“They need to be coming at these things with a sledgehammer, not a screwdriver,” Millie said.

Mayor Don Iveson said the “signal to executive committee today was do it and do it aggressively.”

Another report on the compliance team will be presented in the fourth quarter to examine the outcomes of its investigations.

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We asked Capital Ideas members for examples of how they show appreciation to their customers and clients. Here’s what members of our community of business owners helping business owners had to say:

Debra Kasowski, founder of Debra Kasowski International

“I am grateful for the customers and clients I have. I tend to recognize them individually in special ways by sending them a handwritten note of appreciation, a magazine of their interest, a book or something to inspire them along their journey. After all, they are the reason I am in business. I am here to serve others through coaching and sharing my knowledge. It is important to nurture and grow these relationships if I want to sustain them. The more I celebrate and appreciate them, the more we end up celebrating together.”

— Debra Kasowski, founder of Debra Kasowski International

“There is nothing I love more than thanking my clients by supporting the charitable or community causes they care about. We often donate our services to the causes they are committed to, so at the end of the day the cause gets double the support. We have donated more than $125,000 of in-kind services to our clients’ chosen causes over the last five years.”
— Natalie Harper, managing director of Harper PR

“I celebrate my relationships (with clients) by becoming their biggest advocate. I don’t just perform a service for them. I inspire them to be greater.”
— Dennis Michael, visual problem solver at Wake Creative

“I own an online Etsy shop and I email customers as soon as their order is received to let them know when to expect their item from me. Also, word-of-mouth is the best marketing. Any time someone leaves a review of my shop, I immediately send a thank-you message with a discount code for a future purchase. It’s the little things that go a long way.”
— Erin McFarlane, owner of Pretty Printables Ink

Michelle Devlin, partner of Creating People Power

“We love celebrating with clients. In the past, we have done special customer events featuring speakers on topics of interest to them as well as breakfasts and conferences supporting their learning. We also, when possible, participate in community-building events either initiated by or involving our customers and their staff members.”
— Michelle Devlin, partner at Creating People Power 

“One good way is to ensure your clients or customers are rewarded with special VIP status and early access to discounts or new products/services. Reward their loyalty with these perks. Also invite them to be on your customer advisory council where they can help you get better while also being engaged and being your advocate.”
— Ashif Mawji, president and co-CEO of Trust Science

“In the security industry — known for its high employee turnover — we invest in our staff and work toward strong retention and ongoing learning. The benefit is happy staff who in turn serve our clients and customers on a daily basis, ensuring safety, security and excellent customer service. With our clients we ensure their concerns are addressed in a timely manner and work with them on new projects, providing a safety- and security-focused perspective.”
— Conrad Erbes, general manager of CE Group of Companies Inc.

Carol McBee, president and CEO of Mommy Connections Inc.

“We love to celebrate our valued partners. We share one or two blog posts a year about all of our annual brand partners. We also encourage our clients to send us exciting news and promotions that we can share via social media to help spread the word. For times when we have editorial/advertising space that isn’t booked, we will give our brand partners free advertising to support them even more.”
— Carol McBee, president and CEO of Mommy Connections Inc.

“I learned from my mentor Lou Tice that people play for different reasons. Find out that reason and then reward and celebrate accordingly, in addition to birthdays, etc. For my clients, we send spontaneous gifts like a gift certificate for a Dairy Queen ice cream in the middle of July. For my team, one appreciates a weekend getaway with her husband while the other loves to receive Lululemon gift certificates.”
— Pat Mussieux, founder and CEO of Pat Mussieux

“By giving them the most bang for their marketing buck, also known as delivering results.”
— Melanie Nathan, founder of Position Digital

“I ask my clients what they want and what is helpful, and I always look for ways to give them more in surprising ways that bring them joy. It may be a gift, a thoughtful note, preferred pricing on future services, birthday or anniversary wishes, or a valuable resource or something else. My gratitude is specifically tailored to each client because they are all so unique and special to me, and my care for them reflects that.”
— Christina Ignacio-Deines, partner, designer and artist at I-D BOHEMIA Lifestyle, Events and Interiors

“I celebrate relationships with customers and clients by appreciating them and what they bring to me by way of their own jewellery, which I then redesign. Once we are open to creativity, we all appreciate what comes from being green, unique, versatile, and local.”
— Shirley Zago, founder of G&G Redesigned Jewellery

Perry Kinkaide, founder of Alberta Council of Technologies

The above answers are in response to a question posed by Perry Kinkaide, founder of Alberta Council of Technologies. Here’s his take:

“I celebrate with an annual BBQ and a weekly thank you. Too often customers, suppliers and staff are taken for granted. Listening and showing a genuine interest are essential for any enterprise’s development. Celebrating the relationship is a refreshing expression of renewal and it works! (Just ask your spouse.)”

Perry will be celebrating relationships with clients at the “Moonlight in the Meadows” networking event in the river valley on June 21. Details at abctech.ca

Get Involved!

Answer our next question: How do you find the right business model fit?

Submit your answers at the Capital Ideas website by Friday morning. We’ll publish the best answers, along with your business name and website.

This article was produced by Capital Ideas, a product of Postmedia Labs, in collaboration with ATB Business.

People returning Thursday to Fort McMurray and area told their stories to reporters Ameya Charnalia, Vincent McDermott, David Lazzarino, Otiena Ellwand, Janet French, David Staples and Sarah O’Donnell.

Keith Muise, 35, teacher

We’re in Timberlea on Walnut Crescent. The reason I’m wearing a mask is because there are two burn areas basically on both sides of the house. One’s right over here on McKinlay, I believe it is, and the other one is just down the street, probably three houses and across the street.

I didn’t really didn’t want to risk it. I know they sprayed the white film … over the damaged area but I don’t know what’s been blowing around.

I came back yesterday. I had a friend check on the house probably five days ago. He said he didn’t really smell a lot of smoke.

My wife’s father actually died two days after we evacuated, which was, you know, a low blow, so we’re hoping that her mum will come up and visit us this summer.

I’m just basically trying to get all of our clothes to take it back to Drayton Valley to have it laundered.

I was up till 5:30 a.m. throwing things away because today is garbage day; got a little snooze, maybe two hours and I’m back up and at it. I did a bunch of scrubbing last night, threw a lot of things in, probably have six bins of garbage.

My little guy had nightmares probably the first two weeks straight, he’d wake up screaming probably 10 times a night just yelling random words. We’ve just been on edge. We haven’t been able to unwind.

I hear people say well you guys are all on vacation. I don’t see it as a vacation. I see it as, you know, really it’s a massive pain in the butt, and I mean for us we didn’t even lose everything. I can’t even imagine what it’s like for people who did lose everything.

I’m not sure how they can safely clean up two burned areas. I’m kind of worried about that. I mean my obsessive compulsive disorder is in overdrive right now, like, I’m here dealing with this mess but I’m thinking two months down the road. How do you clean that up and not make a cloud of chemicals and toxins?

I’m used to driving down the street and seeing certain people out in their yards, you know, watering things and mowing the law and tinkering with motorbikes and stuff like that and when I came here it’s no one. It’s like ghost town.

Lana Thomas, 44, Syncrude engineer

Lana Thomas is happy and relieved that her home in the neighbourhood of Timberlea in Fort McMurray was not damaged.

 I came home last night because I’m supposed to report to work. It’s disappointing to see what’s happened in Stone Creek, lots of memories are lost there, but the first responders have done a good job saving so many streets. I can’t believe what fire can do. There are no words to describe it. To see the destruction so close by is painful. This is like a war zone.

 I entered my home and I was in tears. It’s a miracle. How did it happen? There’s no water damage, it’s just the food inside that’s rotten. I’m ready to stay home today, but I have to work and I will stay in the camp. My children and husband are still back in Edmonton. At first the kids were thinking it was a vacation. When we thought we lost our house, they cried.

We were so used to having a schedule and a routine. This turned everything around. This is my home. This is my baby. This is my third baby. She stood here on her own, all strong.

 Matt Neil, 32, small business owner

Fort McMurray resident Matt Neil returned to his home in Fort McMurray on June 2, 2016. 

To drive in and see the place so changed, it was a real shock, especially seeing all the trees knocked down. You come into a brand new area that you’re familiar with and it’s totally changed.

 The biggest shock was seeing that Super 8 Motel down by the Shell station. That was the first thing. As soon as you see that, you expect so much worse. Once you brace yourself after that, it’s easier to take.

 I missed my friends, my family, my neighbours, my own stuff. Alberta really stepped up to the plate to take care of us, but you really don’t feel the same when you’re taking all this charity from people. I strive to be independent, a small-business owner. It just feels good to be back being able to take care of yourself. It feels fantastic to be home, obviously there’s a lot of work to do.

 I really believe that it’s going to bring all the neighbours closer. We’re already planning some parties and get to know the neighbours. I didn’t really know many neighbours before this, but now I know a lot of people on both streets. It’s too bad that a tragedy like this is what it takes.  

Scott Heyduk, 36, vehicle maintenance with Suncor Energy

I got here last night to beat the traffic. It was eerie seeing everything so empty. It’s becoming normal now. I’m seeing some neighbours come back. I’ve met up with some friends.

I have two girls, they’re seven and five. I’m going back to Edmonton to be with them. I just came back to clean up the house, grab some things, take care of insurance and all that other fun stuff.

The fridge is gross and there’s a bit of a smoke smell in the basement, but I’m overall happy. It’s not bad here.

My girls are doing really well. I don’t see any signs of trauma or depression on them. They’re not acting out or sad. I have them in school to get something normal in their lives and hang out with other kids. It’s good they’re having a routine.

I haven’t seen the destroyed homes, yet. I’ve been avoiding it, but I know I’ll see them eventually. I don’t know what would be happening with me if me and the girls lost the house.

We’re going to see if we can come back in a month or so. It’s still not safe for them. The town should be normal before that.

I’ve been too busy to think about what the town is going to look like afterwards or about rebuilding. Even now, I can tell there’s going to be some changes. The forest used to come right up to the houses because of the trail system, now there’s a huge space. I don’t think you’re going to have any homes right against the trails anymore.

Ronnie Oake, 30, oilsands worker at Syncrude

Ronnie Oake buys his first Tim Hortons tea, coffee and breakfast sandwiches for him and a friend as the restaurant re-opened in Fort McMurray on Thursday June 2, 2016.

It was pretty crazy. It’s surprising. There’s still stuff here. It could have been soot in the woods. It’s pretty emotional, (I) got back into town to see certain parts of town burned down. Waterways is — you know. There’s parked cars down there, and there’s nothing left. All you can see is the frames, right?

Then I went to my place, and it’s like we never left. Like someone went to the park. Kids toys are on the floor, half-eaten bowl of cereal on the table, and stuff. So that’s what I’ve got to deal with.

Barry Lush, heavy equipment operator at Suncor

I was in Newfoundland visiting family when the fire happened. For weeks, I assumed I was homeless. I heard how bad the fire was in this area and the trailers were gone.

I have no idea how my home is still here. The whole street down to my right is gone. Then two homes next to me standing, then more homes gone. Maybe it was the spray from the hoses and the retardant, but there’s no sign of that kind of damage here.

Actually the whole inside is fine. I don’t have any smoke smells. The fish survived for a month with no food. I opened the fridge, all I have to do is throw out the eggs. The time on the microwave and stove is the exact same time that I have on my watch. I never lost power.

There is some melting on the panels facing the forest, but it’s so small. I expected that, but I don’t understand how those melted.

When I saw the satellite image of my home for the first time a few weeks ago, I expected to see it all wiped out. I couldn’t believe to see it made it. I still can’t believe it. My biggest chore outside of fixing the siding is cleaning off my truck. There’s a lot of ash and chemicals the firefighters sprayed

on here, but I’m using my neighbour’s power washer to get the job done.

I guess I’ve been luckier than most, but I don’t understand any of this. Maybe the wind had something to do with it. I was born Roman Catholic. I’m not the most religious person, but my wife died of cancer last year. It really tested my faith. She didn’t deserve that. But maybe she was looking out for me and our home.

Achiek Majok, 34, work safety equipment store manager

Achiek Majok buys his first Tim Hortons drinks after the restaurant re-opened after wildfires devastated parts of the city in Fort McMurray.

The way I ran is the way I came back — with my vehicle. I never grabbed anything — my passport, my documents, in the building.

I actually live in Beacon Hill. The good news, my house is still standing. Everything is gone beside it, and it’s still there. I found out when I went onto the website that the government put (online). I found my address — still standing. So I’m happy.

When I came (Thursday), I see the building is still there. They didn’t allow me to go there. I tried to go there, but they won’t let me go. Now, I get accommodation with the Red Cross. It’s a hotel downtown.

I came back because I have a lot of important things in the house. Whenever they give me the green light to go in, I will go there. I’ve got my (five) kids’ documents in there. My kids are with their grandma in Lethbridge. They’ll stay there until everything is clean.

(This is) one of the worst things I’ve ever seen since I moved to Canada (16 years ago). I was a resident in Kenya, but I’m South Sudanese.

John Ciupa, 26, power engineer at Syncrude

We came home yesterday when we heard there were no roadblocks or anything so there wasn’t really anything from stopping people from getting in early.

First thing to was check the fridge and it was good. There was like a rotten zucchini in there, but that’s about it.
We’re just trying to get our house back to normal. We brought up a bunch of groceries from Edmonton so were trying to get that all set up, and help out our neighbours.
I’ve been in McMurray my whole life, but we’ve had this house for two and a half years.

I think there will be a lot less people here, but I mean we know a few people already that said they’re just done.

I’ve got a coupe of relatives that have lost their places. I know people that have pretty much lived all over the place — a guy in Beacon Hill that lost his trailer.

It’s home for me. Always has been, and always will be.

It’s a nice day. It’s tough to be inside when it’s nice out, so just finding things to do outside and waiting for people to get home.

Shafique Khan, 53, oil and gas employee

Shafique Khan and daughter Maheen ,11, feel very luck that their Parsons Creek home was saved from the fire that came right up to their backyard.

I just came back within last few hours. We went to the information centre, we took all the information from there. We registered with the Red Cross.

The only thing is the boil water advisory, that’s where will be little bit we have to be cautious, otherwise I don’t see any reason that why can’t we live here.

The fire was is like maybe 10 feet or 12 feet away (from the backyard), that’s it. Thanks to the firefighters and the people who worked here, they did a great job to save our houses. 

I was worried when I heard about the (Parsons Creek) school. I thought my house is gone.    

They said don’t worry about the school, your kids are going to the next grade. There was only one month remaining for their schools so it’s not a big deal.

Neil McCall, 62, Nexen oilsands power engineer

It feels great to be home … You think to yourself, ‘We got a bit of cleaning up to do, things aren’t the best right now, and we probably need a new fridge; ‘ but that’s trivial stuff. Just to be home takes a lot of stress away.

We know the city isn’t functioning as it should be, but the fact that you’re home is the first major step to getting back to normal, to sleep in your own bed. It was funny because we walked into the condo, I went to the Dumpster and threw the garbage out, but shortly after we were home a little while, we made a cup of tea, we were sitting in our own furniture, and that’s when you knew. It was good. It was good. It’s a long way to go, but it’s the first step.

Fort McMurray was sort of in a slump at the time (before the wildfire) with oil prices on the low side. We’re actually increasing now. I’m thinking there will be new construction. There’s going to be a lot of work …. I don’t know if this is a good thing about this situation, but this will pick the economy up. It’s a very strange way to get Fort McMurray to boom again, but because of this disaster, some good will come out of it. There should be no unemployed carpenters in Canada right now.

Let There Be Height

Firefly Theatre and Circus artistic director Annie Dugan hosts the annual performance of Let There Be Height, a fundraiser for the only circus school in town that brings together many of the best of Edmonton’s aerial artists for an evening of daring-do. The high-flying, family fun boasts a dance-off between street and classical dancers, a zombie aerial attack on “aerobic fanaticists,” robots vs. scientists and much more. Guests in this program of physical theatre, comedy and dance include the Acro-Stilt duo of Miranda Allen and Liz Hobbs. Tickets for the Thursday performance have already sold out, so don’t delay on purchasing if you have plans to attend on Wednesday.

When: Wednesday, June 8 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Westbury Theatre, ATB Financial Arts Barns, 10330 84 Ave.

Admission: $30 to $35, at the door or in advance from Tix on the Square, 780-420-1757

Info: tixonthesquare.ca

First Responder’s Day

If it wasn’t already evident, the last few weeks have shown us just how important first responders are in our communities. Take the family and make your way to Churchill Square on Thursday morning to pay your respects to firefighters, RCMP, armed forces personnel and more for First Responder’s Day. There’ll be displays and demonstrations, live music from the likes of Dave Babcock & The Nightkeepers, lots of emergency vehicles to check out, and even a chili cook-off involving local chefs teamed with police, fire, and paramedic reps.  

When: Thursday, June 9, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Where: Winston Churchill Square

Admission: Free

Info: facebook.com

Royal Canadian Circus SPECTAC! at the Northlands parking lot, June 10 – 12.

Spectac!

A veritable who’s-who of circus acts from around the globe are gathering for three day’s worth of performances in the parking lot of Northlands next weekend for the Royal Canadian Circus Spectac! It’s as old school as you can get, with horsemen, aerialists, illusionists, daredevils, acrobats and more taking their turn to entertain, with ringmaster and daredevil Joseph Bauer hosting all seven performances. Among the elite circus stars taking part are the Kambarov Cossack Equine Riders; the Chinese Pole Acrobats; the Argentine Unicycles and Zerbini Diva Aerialists; Bilea Transformations Quick Change Act and more. 

When: Friday, June 10 at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, June 11 at noon, 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, June 12 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Where: Northlands parking lot

Admission: $31.50, available from Ticketmaster, 780-451-8000

Info: ticketmaster.ca

Open House

For their 50th anniversary, the folks over at Central Lions Seniors Association are inviting the entire family for a day of fun. There will be live music, a kids’ zone with art stations, balloon animals and more, plus a visit from the Muttart Conservatory, Valley Zoo and River Valley programs. Other activities include bocce and lawn bowling, a giant treasure hunt, and dance performances. Please bring non-perishable donations for the Food Bank. 

When: Saturday, June 11, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: Central Lions Recreation Centre, 11113 113 St.

Admission: Free

Info: clsaedmonton.ca

Filipino Fiesta

The two-day Edmonton Filipino Fiesta showcases that culture’s rich heritage of music, food, dancing, martial arts and craft traditions, along with bouncy castles, face-painting and storytime for kids. Performers include Ghinny & the Khul It Band, Pacific Island Dancers, Emma Pagtakhan, Delirium Band, Apricity, Jimmy Buena and more. The Philippine Festival Parade starts at 2 p.m. on Saturday; check the website for more info on performers and exhibitors.

When: Saturday, June 11, noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday, June 12, noon to 5 p.m. 

Where: Winston Churchill Square

Admission: Free

Info: thelucilaproject.com

Muhammad Ali was much more than a mere name and a talented boxer. He was a walking, talking, breathing bundle of good intentions and kindness.

Years ago, when he visited Edmonton, I phoned a radio station to say our son (in his early 20s) had been a rabid fan  since he was a small child in Seattle, Washington. Ali immediately arranged for our son to spend an entire morning with him as he did an interview and other events. Yesterday that son (now in his 50s) sent me a two word email: “He died.”

Thank you to a famous man who did a great kindness which has travelled over the years. I have never forgotten.

Irene Cornwell, Onoway

City would benefit from well-designed tall residential towers

Re: “City opposes 45-storey tower on Jasper Avenue,” June 3.

Regency Developments has completed the Pearl condominiums — the highest quality residential tower in Edmonton. The Pearl raised the bar for condominium development.

Edmonton desperately needs increased residential in the city core. All the great cities of the world are characterized by high residential density in their city centre. 

With respect to the shadow issue, tall slim buildings are better than short fat buildings — less shadow and better sight lines. The City is planning a major rebuild of Jasper Avenue — let’s capitalize on this investment. The Emerald is a great start.

However, Edmonton’s city centre needs substantial financial contributions to infrastructure and community amenities, including: lane upgrades, traffic lights, utility renewal, parks and green space, low cost housing and public art.

Let’s encourage Regency to move forward with a high-quality, very tall building. But let’s make sure that the City gets fair value for the increased density, in the form of financial contributions to infrastructure and community amenities. 

Other cities have been doing this for years — Edmonton needs to toughen up.

John Burton, P.Eng., Edmonton

What ever happened to clear highway signage?

My wife and I live in Edmonton southeast, and needed to travel to the north side last Saturday.  We drove north on the Anthony Henday, headed for the Yellowhead west. At the end of the Henday north, there were two lanes, no signs in the left lane to tell us we needed to turn north, and that only the right lane would continue on to the Yellowhead west. A truck ahead of us missed the unmarked and sudden sharp turn to Yellowhead west, had to stop, realizing that he had missed his turn.  Fortunately we saw westbound traffic and made the turn. 

On our way home on Yellowhead east, there are very large signs indicating an exit for the Henday south.  We turned, ended up on new pavement going south, then east. We (and several other vehicles) all realized that it was not taking us on the Henday, and had to U-turn. … (Eventually) we found ourselves on the Whitemud east heading into Sherwood Park.  

Does our NDP government not believe in highway inspectors, who would insist on clear signs? Traffic on one of our major thoroughfares is so confusing and poorly marked tourists to Alberta would choose never to return. I am one taxpayer who is not in the slightest impressed with the mess the government is permitting.

Wayne McNeilly, Edmonton

For the third consecutive year, Edmonton will host Le Diner en Blanc, the internationally acclaimed outdoor supper, held in a location that remains hush-hush until the very last minute.

This year, the evening is on Thursday, July 28. Last year, 1,500 diners attended and organizers expect 2,000 this year. Guided by Dîner en Blanc volunteers, diners converge on an outdoor settings, travelling by foot, bus, or public transportation. Guests bring their own feast (or can pre-order one from the Dîner En Blanc e-store), plus their own table, chairs and table settings.

The local outing is organized by Christina Ignacio-Deines, who notes signature moments such as the group waving of a cloth napkin and the lighting of sparklers make attendees part of an experience repeated around the globe. Diner en Blanc started in Paris in 1988 and some 10,000 participants yearly still attend that event. It happens in 70 cities in more than 25 countries around the world, landing in Montreal in 2012 and spreading across Canada from there.

Visit the local website for more details, but registration to participate happens in three stages. Phase 1 is for members who attended the previous year; Phase 2 is for new members who are referred by Phase I attendees; Phase 3 is for people who signed up on the waiting list via the official website: edmonton.dinerenblanc.info/register, by Wednesday, July 27^th, 2016. 

lfaulder@postmedia.com

Follow me on Twitter @eatmywordsblog. 

Residents of a south Edmonton condo complex were evacuated early Monday when a balcony fire spread to the building’s roof.

Fire crews were called to the address near 11 Avenue SW and Summerside Drive in Ellerslie around 4 a.m. The fire had extended from the balcony to the roof of the two-storey eight-unit building.

“The building was safely evacuated; there were about 18 people in the building at the time,” said Edmonton Fire Service spokeswoman Shani Gwin.

Two people were checked by EMS and released at the scene. The fire was contained to one unit thanks to the work of 45 firefighters and a fire wall, but all eight units were damaged by water.

The fire was brought under control around 5:30 a.m.

The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

dlazzarino@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/SUNDaveLazz

Don Clarke had planned to spend Sunday afternoon hosting dinner for his longtime friend, singer Bobby Curtola.

Instead, Clarke was mourning the business partner he met 46 years ago when he caught the singer falling off an Edmonton stage.

“When he sang, he gave it his all. You know why? He enjoyed it. He enjoyed the reaction from the people,” said Clarke, 83.

Curtola, a 1960s heartthrob and longtime Edmonton resident, died Saturday while visiting Edmonton, Clarke said. He was 73. The cause of his death was not immediately known.

Curtola’s son Chris posted the news on Facebook Sunday afternoon.

“To his fans … he loved each and every one of you more than you will know, and never took for granted the life you gave him. He would want you to do something kind for one another today and each day,” Chris wrote.

Born in Thunder Bay, Curtola was discovered during a radio station’s singing contest in 1959, Clarke said. He played his first professional show in Winnipeg in 1960, and, his hit Fortune Teller topped the charts in 1962.

In 1964 Bobby Curtola was a pitchman for Coca-Cola, singing a version of Things Go Better with Coke

In August 1965, screaming Curtola fans clamouring for an autograph in downtown Edmonton forced the singer’s managers to shelter him in a car’s passenger seat, where he slipped the signed papers in and out through a partially open window.

The writer and performer of the 1964 advertisement claiming “Things go better with Coca-Cola” ultimately racked up 25 Canadian gold singles and 12 Canadian gold albums.

It was at a 1970 concert at the Hotel Macdonald when former Canadian Football League player Clarke caught Curtola when he accidentally tipped backward off the stage during a performance of When the Saints Go Marching In.

“He never stopped singing,” Clarke said, as he described pushing the singer and his microphone back upright.

After the show, Curtola sought the man who came to his rescue. It was the beginning of a four-decade friendship that would lead to myriad fundraising events, business partnerships and good times.

Curtola, who became Bob Hope’s opening act and spent years performing in Las Vegas showrooms, settled in the Edmonton area in 1975 when his teen idol days had waned.

A regular performer at Klondike Days and countless charitable events, Curtola composed an election jingle for his friend Ralph Klein when the then-Calgary mayor took his first crack at provincial politics.

The entrepreneur and Order of Canada honouree founded companies that bought a hotel and truck stops across Canada, and made an unsuccessful bid for ownership of the Ottawa Roughriders in 1991.

In 1997, Curtola and Clarke tried to take on Mott’s Clamato juice with a competing tomato drink called SeaCzar. They produced the drink in Edmonton for about three years before the business ran into trouble.

Curtola moved to Nova Scotia about a decade ago after falling in love with a woman there, Clarke said.

Curtola was staying at his son’s house in Edmonton when he met with Clarke on Thursday and Friday to plan future business ventures. 

“We were all talking like a bunch of old guys that were talking about tomorrow. Tomorrow didn’t come for Bobby,” Clarke said.

jfrench@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/jantafrench

Where there were bison, there were people.

At least that’s the thinking behind a new study of bison fossils found in Edmonton and northeastern B.C.

Researchers from the University of Alberta and the University of California, Santa Cruz, teamed up to determine more precisely when and how early indigenous people were using the North American ice-free corridor.

During the last ice age, two ice sheets, one from the west and one from the east, covered most of Canada and the northern U.S. The corridor was an area of ice-free land east of the Rocky Mountains that lay between the glaciers for at least part of the ice age, the Simon Fraser Museum of Archeology and Ethnology explains on its website.

The corridor stretched across central Alberta from Beringia, near Alaska and the Yukon, south to the rest of the continent.

Radiocarbon dating and genetic testing conducted on bison fossil collections from the Royal Alberta Museum and B.C.’s Simon Fraser University provided new insights into when and how this corridor was used.

Bison trapped south of the glaciers were able to start moving north as early as 13,400 years ago, as the southern portion of the corridor opened first, the study found.

As the rest of the corridor opened, some northern bison also moved south, and the two populations overlapped around 13,000 years ago.

Many of the study fossils were collected in the Clover Bar area of Edmonton starting in the 1950s and 1960s, said Duane Froese, one of the study authors and a professor with the University of Alberta’s department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.

It shows “Edmonton really has been a gateway city for at least 13,000 years,” he said, referring to the city’s nickname as the gateway to the north.

Jack Ives, an anthropologist at the University of Alberta, worked with researchers from the University of Alberta and the University of California, Santa Cruz to determine more precisely when and how early indigenous people were using the North American ice-free corridor during the last ice age.

Researchers previously thought indigenous people first travelled to North America through the ice-free corridor, but the bison fossils and other research suggest that’s not the case.

There’s evidence of established indigenous communities both north and south of the ice sheets as early as 14,000 years ago, said Jack Ives, an anthropologist at the University of Alberta.

Like the northern and southern bison herds, the glaciers separated those early human populations for a millennium, maybe more, he said.

As the corridor opened up, people and animals had the opportunity to encounter each other.

“That’s a fundamentally interesting thing,” Ives said.

Rather than being used as a one-way migration route into North America, the bison fossil suggests the corridor was used more dynamically, with animals — and likely people — moving in both directions, said Froese.

The bison data suggests archeologists should be looking for more evidence of people moving both ways as well, said Ives.

The research also points to the inherent importance of the fossils.

While many were collected decades ago with little idea of the types of testing that could be conducted today, they have been “tremendously useful” for all kinds of analysis, said Froese.

Re. “Drivers need clear highway signage,” Letters, June 6

Seriously, don’t disgruntled Conservatives have enough to blame on our NDP government? Now they are blaming the NDP for the ever-changing signage on a major thoroughfare that is under construction, requiring drivers to navigate changing routes during completion of the Anthony Henday?

I live in Sherwood Park and have the pleasure of driving these various roadways on a daily basis. I continuously wonder which detour will await me as I make my way into Edmonton either south, central or north on any of the three major roads. The signage proves to be very effective in directing me, though at times, in a rather interesting configuration to bypass a construction zone.

To blame difficulty navigating a complex construction zone on the NDP government is nonsense. Alberta’s problems didn’t start when the NDP was elected. There are many factors at play. 

Eloise Petrin, Sherwood Park 

Alberta’s carbon emissions negligible in the grand scheme 

Re. “Alberta makes green move with carbon tax,” Opinion, June 1

Bev Dahlby, Jim Dinning and Christopher Ragan have written a cheery explanation of why a carbon price is a wonderful idea. “Slowing and then reducing emissions can make a contribution to global efforts (to reduce global emissions of carbon dioxide).”

Well fine, but how significant a contribution? The population of China is 1.37 billion. The population of India is 1.25 billion. How many of these billions of people are willing to renounce the use of fossil fuels in bringing their citizens the prosperity of modern industrial nations? How many of them have even heard of Alberta, let alone make decisions about energy consumption based on what we do here? 

Ian Coleman, Edmonton

Nuclear weapons a pressing global problem

President Barack Obama’s recent and compelling visit to Hiroshima, Japan, once again reminded us of the devastating, tragic consequences of atomic power. A single atomic bomb destroyed most of a beautiful city, 140 000 innocent citizens perished, and a nation was brought to its knees.

Why, when we are so painfully aware of the ferocious power of these atomic warheads, are we directing untold human and financial resources on the problem of climate change? Should we not be focusing our efforts on ensuring that the nations with arsenals of atomic weapons are not going to destroy entire portions of our planet? Should we not be concerned that with a push of a button, entire cities and countries could once again be left in heaps of melted steel and powdered rubble?

It is imperative that governments’ first and most important priority is to monitor and bridle all atomic arms. In doing so, they will ensure that we will in fact have a climate to control.

Russell K. Young, Edmonton

Gas prices rise without reason

Due to the unforeseen circumstance of the gasoline supply shortage, the industry has felt entitled to bump the litre price at the pump by 13 cents to help maintain their profit margins. This has nothing to do with the current price of oil. (When gas first reached one dollar per litre, the price of oil was $100 per barrel, and the industry made record profits that year. Now it’s less than half that.) 

Rather, it appears to occur because they can get away with it, and we consumers have apparently come to accept such behaviour as part of our economic profit making system called capitalism.

Whatever the positive features of this system, the above illustrates a flaw of inconsistency. When an individual falls on hard times due to unforeseen circumstances such as job reassignment with lower pay, layoff, or because of costly emergencies within the household, we don’t let them steal to maintain their standard of living. We don’t let them get away with it. We say such behaviour violates our Canadian and moral values. Go figure.

I. N. Glick, Edmonton

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In life, Const. Daniel Woodall made an impression. Now, one of the last people to see him alive has put up a reminder of that.

On June 8, 2015, Ryan Colton spoke with Woodall in his backyard.

“That was the first day I met him, but he definitely made a big impact,” said Colton, whose property backs onto a house where Woodall had come to make an arrest. “I didn’t even really know Dan, but just talking with him, you immediately knew that he was a good guy and you could just sit down and have beers with him and talk with him. He was just one of those guys, really open and friendly.”

Shortly after they spoke, bullets tore through the door of that neighbouring house, killing Woodall and wounding Sgt. Jason Harley.

Colton had no choice but to be involved, helping apply pressure to the bullet wound that was causing Harley to bleed out.

“It was a real emotional day for myself and for everybody else that day. I’ve gotten really close to a lot of his friends that he worked with. So we just started hanging out a lot,” Colton said.

As a way of marking the event, Colton had two identical steel commemorative plates cut. On them, the years Woodall lived — 1979-2015 — and his badge number 2829 are set between an Edmonton Police Service insignia and a British flag.

One of the plates has been attached to Colton’s fence, right across from where Woodall was shot. The other he had made for Dave Ainsworth, a longtime friend and former police colleague who gave Woodall’s eulogy.

Colton said the incident didn’t sour him on the Callingwood neighbourhood.

Following the incident, several churches in the area held a prayer walk that attracted more than 200 people, and had people attach flowers to a wooden cross in memory of Woodall. Colton said the neighbourhood has since had a chance to get back to normal.

“I never once wanted to move or leave,” he said. “I love the area, it’s been great. It’s just a very sad day that something like that had to happen.”

dlazzarino@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/SUNDaveLazz

It’s a turbulent, wildly unpredictable world out there. 

Alberta, for years the nation’s economic heavyweight, now brings up the rear, trailing even debt-laden provinces like Kathleen Wynne’s Ontario and perennial federal equalization recipients like Quebec.

The devastating wildfire that ripped through Fort McMurray last month, leaving thousands homeless and forcing the temporary shutdown of a quarter of Canada’s oil production, served as a giant exclamation point on Alberta’s year of misery.

It’s a similarly unpredictable story south of the border.

The U.S., now in the eighth year of the most anemic recovery in decades, just posted its worst monthly jobs report since 2010, giving billionaire developer Donald Trump fresh ammo in his unlikely quest to win the White House.

Not a single leading pundit predicted Trump’s rise just a few months ago. Yet, here we are.

Stability? Predictability? Fuggedaboudit. That ended when The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet went off the air. In this whacked-out world, stability is as rare as a clean-shaven player in the Stanley Cup finals.

That, in a roundabout way, explains why Edmonton leads Alberta Venture magazine’s 2016 ranking of the province’s best communities for business. Thanks to its big public sector workforce and a well-timed construction boom, Edmonton is a beacon of stability in a province hammered by low energy prices and mass layoffs.

“The bottom line is that Edmonton won our Best Communities for Business list not because it’s exceptional,” the magazine says, noting that other Alberta cities top Edmonton in terms of key economic metrics like population growth and local jobless levels.

Instead, Edmonton won the crown because it “checked all the right boxes at just the right time,” and scored well across the board, it states.

“Its population growth is, for a major city, incredibly promising,” it says, reaching 12 per cent over the past four years. “The city’s employment rate is one of Alberta’s highest. Its median residential home price is more than $70,000 less than Calgary’s … and its population is relatively young.”

Edmonton’s median annual household income also scores highly, at nearly $100,000. “And a recent ThinkHQ poll found that Edmonton left Calgary in the dust when it comes to affordability and economic strength,” the magazine adds.

The city’s economic vibrancy also had a spillover effect on several surrounding communities. Leduc ranked third on Alberta Venture’s list, while St. Albert (seventh), Sturgeon County (eighth) and Fort Saskatchewan (ninth) also cracked the top 10.

Lethbridge (second), Grande Prairie (fourth) and Cochrane (fifth) round out the top spots. Calgary placed sixth.

“You can look at the number of cranes around the city to see that our construction sector has helped buoy us through this downturn in oil prices,” says Michael Ganley, a former lawyer who has served as Alberta Venture’s editor since 2011.

“It’s not just Rogers Place and all the office and residential towers that are going up around it, but also the Royal Alberta Museum and the additions to educational institutions like MacEwan and NorQuest College. And Edmonton also gets buoyed by having such a large public sector, with nice steady incomes.”

Alberta Venture’s relatively sunny view of Edmonton echoes recent analysis by John Rose, the city’s chief economist. The capital region added roughly 30,000 jobs over the past year, he says, or fully a third of Canada’s total, with job gains in sectors like logistics, health care and public administration more than making up for losses in the oilpatch and manufacturing.

Average weekly earnings have also marched higher, by 4.7 per cent over the past year, even as house prices have remained stable, boosting affordability. Average prices for single-detached homes sat at $439,982 in April, up about $1,340 over the previous year.

Meanwhile, work on the $8-billion Sturgeon refinery has created thousands of additional construction jobs in the Industrial Heartland. And as the Journal’s Bill Mah reports, there may be more new investments on the horizon.

Alberta Energy Minister Margaret McCuaig-Boyd announced Monday that 16 local and global companies, representing more than $20 billion of potential new investment in the petrochemicals industry, have submitted applications under Alberta’s new Petrochemicals Diversification Program.

The program offers incentives valued at $500 million to stimulate construction of plants that use methane or propane feedstocks to produce plastics, detergents and other products. If successful, the government expects the program to generate up to 3,000 new construction jobs and 1,000 permanent jobs.

While the jobs could be spread around the province, it seems likely that the Industrial Heartland region east of the city would attract a big chunk of any new investment.

Although Edmonton topped this year’s Alberta Venture list of the best places to do business, the magazine hasn’t ranked communities since 2013. With oil prices hovering around $100 US a barrel and work on new oilsands projects running at a fever pitch, Fort McMurray topped the list that year. Edmonton ranked 12th.

“We were sorry to see Fort McMurray take such a plunge over the past couple of years, but we’re a boom-and-bust province and they’re the boomiest and bustiest place of all, so their ups and downs are even more extreme,” says Ganley. “It will be fascinating to see how it recovers.”

Indeed it will. With oil prices back to roughly $50 US a barrel and the global supply glut disappearing faster than many expected, it could be a different world a year or two from now. 

glamphier@postmedia.com