A victim of a midday shooting Tuesday in northeast Edmonton was expected to survive.

Officers were called by a nearby resident who reported hearing a gunshot about 1:30 p.m. near 70 Street and 149 Avenue.

When officers arrived, they found an injured man in his late 20s.

The man was treated by paramedics before being taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

While forensic investigators continued to gather evidence, officers were looking for suspects seen fleeing in a beige, four-door vehicle with a tinted rear window.

It was with tremendous pride that I joined tens of thousands in Old Strathcona on Saturday for the 2016 Pride parade.

For the first time in history our prime minister and our federal government raised the Pride flag in Ottawa. Both Canadian Forces Base-Moose Jaw and the RCMP at Edmonton’s K-Division also raised the rainbow-coloured flag. It was a telling trifecta on how far we have come in our country to support gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer Canadians.

It was the politicians and our leaders who worked together to raise those flags. However, let us never forget that none of this would have happened had it not been for decades of hateful discrimination, often by our governments and police, when we were jailed, fired from jobs, denied housing and forced to hide.

We had enough. We fought back in many ways across Canada and we took both levels of government to court.

In Alberta, we won equality rights when the brave Delwin Vriend was fired in 1991 from his job at a local college and fought for eight years and three levels of court to get to Canada’s Supreme Court. In 1998, Canada’s highest court ordered Alberta to include sexual orientation in its human rights legislation.

Only 31 years prior, George Klippert who was raised in Calgary, was imprisoned in 1967 for being an “incurably homosexual.” He appealed to the Supreme Court of the day which dismissed his appeal in a controversial 3-2 decision. Shortly after that NDP leader Tommy Douglas raised the issue in the House of Commons.

Months later Pierre Trudeau said “the state has no business in bedrooms of the nation” as he introduced changes to Canada’s criminal code. That moment decriminalized homosexual acts between adults in Canada and launched decades of activism with our families, friends and allies.

Sadly Klippert remained in prison until 1971. Pierre Trudeau’s son, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has indicated he plans to provide a posthumous pardon of that conviction.

I respectfully suggest that an apology to Canada’s GLBTQ community is also in order. Canada used the “Fruit Machine” during its campaign in the 1950s and 1960s to rid the civil service, RCMP and the military of homosexuals. It was just in 1992 that homosexuals were finally legally allowed to serve in our military.

Then I see the disappointing coverage of Saturday’s Pride parade in the Journal’s Monday print edition, simply one photo and a caption. But there was a commentary on Bill 10 written by Theresa Ng of “Informed Albertans.” I appreciate her providing a perfect example of why Pride is important.

People must remember that you are not being silenced, bullied or oppressed simply as result of another group gaining rights you have always had.

Her column ends with the line, “Snap out of it Alberta. It’s not about bathrooms.” She has that part correct — just like other critical equal rights battles were not just about where to sit on a bus, or what drinking fountain to use or what school to attend.

This has nothing to do with political correctness; it is not about bathrooms. It’s about discrimination. 

It is 2016. I happen to believe that the vast majority of truly informed Albertans believe in equality and continue to believe and prove to us that discrimination is unacceptable. Clearly, there is still much work to be done by our fabulous GLBTQ community, our families and allies.

Thank you to Edmonton Police Service, the City of Edmonton and our Edmonton Pride team, our sponsors and all the volunteers. Most importantly, thank you Edmonton for joining with our diverse community in our Pride celebrations.

Murray Billett is an Edmonton human rights activist and a former member of the police commission.

We asked Capital Ideas members how they found the right business model for them. Here’s what members of our community of business owners helping business owners had to say:

Conrad Erbes, founder of CE Group of Companies Inc.

“Research! Research! Research! Know your market and your target audience and determine the best ways to get in front of those people/organizations. What is your competition doing to engage customers? Digital mediums work for most business interactions, but people still very much like the human contact of a phone call, meeting or an ‘old school’ handwritten letter.”
— Conrad Erbes, founder of CE Group of Companies Inc.

“When choosing a right model for your business, you must first decide the size of your ‘finished’ company. Each new member added to the firm increases the complexity exponentially. Ask yourself: ‘What does this exponential complexity do for the business’s value, revenue and net income?’ Knowing the size of your finished company will determine the right business model for you. If you reach your ultimate size and decide to grow more, a new business model may be required.”
— Norbert Lemermeyer, founder of Architecture+Business

“The obvious thing is to take a business course. If you know you will be taking over a family business or starting one it sure helps. However, sometimes you have a vision or a dream and need to act on it right away. Finding a successful business close to what you want to do and then tweaking that model to what works for you is also good sense. The old adage applies: you don’t have to reinvent the wheel just make it better. If you choose an industry that is already established and has pioneered a method, it’s good sense to use their knowledge so you don’t have to repeat mistakes already solved.”
— Suzan Burtic, president of Legends Limousine

“Experimentation.”
— Michael Sadler, founder of Access The Flock

“The best advice I give my clients who are concerned about what business model to adopt is to choose something that while robust still allows for adaptability. There is no longer a ‘one size fits all’ mould and it should not be surprising that along with technology, the types of corporate structure used to house businesses have also advanced.”
— Laura M. Schuler, general counsel and owner of Schuler Law Group

John Pucylo, owner of The Vision Gallery

“For me the right business model fit came from my experiences working in different clinics. I was able to observe what worked and what didn’t prior to owning my own business. When the time came to venture out on my own, I drew from all of my experiences and picked the ones I felt worked the best.”
— John Pucylo, owner of The Vision Gallery

“Business models need now more than ever to be very fluid and adaptable. This means, validation needs to be super quick, and you need to constantly assess the market, your competitors, new innovations and your customer needs on a weekly basis. Be flexible and make your business processes agile so you can adapt when you need to.”
— Ashif Mawji, president and co-CEO of Trust Science

“My company has gone through a huge transition. When we looked at our business model and the ever-changing marketing landscape and made decisions to grow our business into new areas, we assessed the business model and the overall fit going forward. I think looking at your core business performance and looking at ways to grow or vertically package clients with new offerings are great ways to look at your overall business model and see if there is a great fit with new endeavours or the new updated business model. When you see difficulty in strategies to grow or expand, you tend to see where the challenges are in your current business model.
— Edward Langer, managing partner at ThinkTANK Advertising

Wellington Holbrook, executive vice-president of ATB Business.

The above answers are in response to a question posed by Wellington Holbrook, executive vice-president of ATB Business. Here’s his take:

“In my experience, the most successful entrepreneurs are not those who just have a good business idea but also have designed a business model that will fit the market and opportunity just right. The skill of designing that business model is what differentiates many successful entrepreneurs from those who face bigger challenges. Choose your business model carefully and be ready to change it quickly to suit your market, the competition and your needs.”

Get Involved!

Answer our next question: What habit has contributed most to your success?

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.

A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for Edmonton, St. Albert and Sherwood Park. 

Environment Canada issued the warning Wednesday at noon stating that conditions in the area were favourable for the development of thunderstorms.

Severe thunderstorms are capable of producing strong wind and heavy rain. There is also the risk of lightning. Environment Canada suggests going indoors “when thunder roars.” 

Thunderstorms are expected to develop in the foothills this afternoon and move east later in the day. 

A severe thunderstorm watch is also in effect for other areas in central Alberta. 

The prospect of having a pair of Asian elephants detained at the U.S. border has stopped a touring circus from bringing their prized proboscideans to Canada.

Despite having the “proper clearances” on this side of the border, the Tarzan Zerbini Family Circus, touring as the Royal Canadian Circus, pressure from U.S. animal activist groups turned Shelly’s and Marie’s return to America into a grey area.

Their absence from under the Big Top breaks a 30-year tradition of touring in Canada. 

“We weren’t willing to take that risk,” circus spokeswoman Cathy Sproule said, adding they had “dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s” and had a three-year permit to transport the elephants between the two countries.

“We finally had to say we’re just going to move on with our fabulous show without the elephants.

“It’s disappointing, but we know they are cared for and that’s the most important thing. As long as the animals are fine, no matter where they are, is all we care about.”

Controversy over the use of live animals in circuses across the globe is no longer the elephant in the room, with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus retiring their parade of elephants last month.

Edmonton’s own elephant fracas has raged for years.

Last year, the Edmonton Valley Zoo was inducted into an international animal rights group’s “Hall of Shame” for its treatment of Lucy, its lone elephant.

Lucy has been alone since the zoo sent away her companion of 18 years, an elephant named Samantha, in 2007.

As for Shelly and Marie, the pair of 48-year-olds have been returned to the circus’ home base in Missouri and in true performer fashion, the show will go on for the remainder of acrobats, aerialists, illusionists and daredevils drawn from as far away as Kyrgyzstan and Cuba.

Friday marks the first of seven shows in Edmonton.

“The show isn’t designed around the elephants, (it) is a world-renowned show about tradition and families performing for families,” Sproule said.

“The elephants don’t go away, they are part of our family. We care for them like they are family members.” 

In 1984, the Zerbini family established Two Tails Ranch, a 25-hectare elephant sanctuary located in Florida. In 2009, the family opened it to the public “to have educational programs available for both elephant lovers as well as professionals in the elephant field.”

jgraney@postmedia.com

twitter.com/jurisgraney

Before walking across the stage as beauty queens, Ashley Callingbull and her mother Lisa Ground first had to escape their abuser.

“If it can happen to us, it can happen to anybody,” said Ground, now known as Mrs. North America Globe Classic. “Don’t have shame, just don’t tolerate violence and abuse, step forward. Life is hard, this situation is hard, but we can get better from it.”

Callingbull said at first her childhood was fairly typical, living with her mother and grandparents on the Enoch Cree Nation near Edmonton.

All of that changed, however, when Ground and Callingbull moved to Maskwacis — then known as Hobbema — to start a new life with Ground’s boyfriend, who became their abuser.

While Ground endured five years of abuse at his hand, she didn’t know he was also physically and sexually assaulting Callingbull, then still a child.

“It felt really good to tell someone. I was living in fear for so long, I was afraid to say anything. I wasn’t sure if anyone would believe me or if my mom would be hurt in the process,” said Callingbull.

“When everything came to light, I was devastated,” said Ground.

After her abuser held a knife to her throat, Ground knew she had to leave to save their lives.

In 1998, when their abuser left town for a few days, Ground seized her chance and fled. Even now she says she still looks over her shoulder, ever fearful her abuser or his friends and family will come back to harm her and her daughter.

“That fear will live with us forever, but that’s not how we want to live,” said Ground.

Instead, Callingbull and Ground found strength in each other and a determination to change their lives for the better.

“We had to build each other back up, we both had to be there for each other so we could be stronger together,” said Callingbull.

Through pageants, Callingbull regained a sense of self-worth, determined to use her platform to make a positive difference.

After shedding 140 pounds and with some gentle encouragement from her daughter, Ground broke onto the pageant scene in 2015, leaving behind the shy, scared woman her abuser had turned into and revealing her renewed, confident self.

“I cry inside. I am so happy I am not that person anymore,” Ground said.

Now, the two are hosting the In Her Shoes Gala at the Edmonton Marriot River Cree Resort on Thursday, raising money for Edmonton’s WIN House, providing emergency shelter and support for women fleeing domestic abuse.

“When we escaped our situation, there was no shelter available for us, they were all full,” said Ground, hopeful her efforts will help ensure no woman is left trapped with her abuser.

Ground said while the pair will share their emotional story, she promised the event is just as much about raising awareness of domestic violence as it is celebrating life after it.

For more information including tickets, go to www.eventbrite.ca and search for “In Her Shoes Gala.”

My concern is for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo council members who held meetings in the City of Edmonton council chambers while in exile from Fort McMurray.

My hope is they do not come away with ideas of ordering those special rubber bridge girders or steel from overseas that will take years to deliver while ignoring our own steel manufactures. And for heaven sakes I hope they don’t go back and start painting bicycle lanes everywhere, then spend hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to remove them.

My hope is they were able to make it back home safely before they were affected by the tainted air quality that seems to affect Edmonton’s council.

Dale Fournier, Sherwood Park

Missing an opportunity to connect 

During a recent shopping trip I was trying to decide which among the large variety of tomatoes with various prices I should buy for my new recipe. I looked across the bin and saw a woman also trying to select tomatoes. I raised my eyebrows and smiled — the non-verbal but effective message conveyors trying to tell her that we shared this small dilemma.

I received no indication of what she was thinking. She was wearing the niqab. I respect her choice to do so and will remain an advocate for that choice. That day, however, I was saddened by her choice. 

I never saw her face, never found out if she smiled and tentatively sent me a message of, “Yes let’s get to know each other.” 

If we could have communicated, even without the same verbal language, we could have shared the experience. Our differences are not as great as our similarities — who we are as women, as wives, as loving beings trying to make decisions which will be good for ourselves and our families.

F. T. Gobeil, Edmonton

Speed limits are pretty clear

How did the drivers who are unclear about the speed limit ever get their drivers licences? The manual that they had to read to pass the exam clearly states that in an urban area, if a sign is not posted, the maximum speed is 50 kilometres.

Linda Scott, Edmonton

Evacuees, volunteers impressed in wildfire crisis

I want to give kudos to all the Fort McMurray people who were displaced because of the fires. These people lost their own beds in their own homes for almost a month. Some lost their home permanently.

During the last four weeks I met many of the evacuees who ended up in Edmonton. I was one of the many volunteers at the Edmonton Emergency Relief Services Society at Kingsway. It was our job to help everyone fill a list of needs such as clothing, shoes and toiletries, as well as basics like water and toilet paper and diapers.

I would also like to give a shout out to all the wonderful volunteers. Some worked daily for many hours. Some were actually displaced Fort McMurray residents who wanted to give back. A volunteer is someone who helps others for no remuneration. They do it from the kindness of their heart. Rarely do they get thanked or appreciated for the time and efforts they put in.

Marion Broverman, Edmonton

Integrative Health Institute good for Edmonton

Re. “No place for ‘quackademics,'” Paula Simons, June 7

Kudos to Dr. Sunita Vohra for her work with the Integrative Health Institute at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. We are very fortunate.

Many of us turn to complementary health when Western medicine has reached its limits. We have received tremendous health benefits from Western medicine. Just because science is unable to measure the benefits of some holistic practices does not make these practices “magic” or “Hogwart” worthy. Many others and I have put our lives back on track because a doctor is open to complementing their profession with holistic health. Integrative health absolutely has a crucial place in the 21^st century. Otherwise we have to wait for science to catch up.

Talk of magic and Hogwarts in Simons’ column does an injustice to Vohra, the Integrative Health Institute and holistic health.

Julia Kopala, Edmonton

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 .

A new, non-invasive treatment performed in Edmonton is saving the lives of Albertans who can’t have open-heart surgery.

The procedure involves using specialized clips to cure a common heart valve disease called mitral regurgitation, or MR. In most cases, MR is treated through open-heart surgery by suturing a leaky heart valve.

However, the disease affects nearly one in 10 people aged 75 or older, whose hearts often are unable to endure the invasive surgery. Instead, the specialists insert mitral clips with a catheter through a vein in the leg to repair the heart valve.

“The mitral clip received here is a novel approach to repairing the mitral valve,” said Dr. Kevin Bainey, an interventional cardiologist from the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute. “We are seeing currently an increase for referrals for this procedure.”

Bainey has worked with fellow cardiologist Dr. Ben Tyrell and with Dr. Steve Meyer, a cardiac surgeon, over the past year to bring the procedure to Edmonton.

With conventional surgery, MR patients can spend up to a week in the hospital and another three to six months healing at home. But with the mitral clips, the recovery time is short.

“After the procedure, most commonly, patients are able to go home the following evening,” said Bainey.

To date, six patients have been treated at the institute, which is home to a $6.6-million, state-of-the-art hybrid operating room. The procedure itself takes between three to four hours to complete.

MR occurs when the flaps of the heart’s mitral valve don’t fully close, allowing blood to flow back into the lungs. The heart pumps harder to compensate and becomes strained.

Symptoms fatigue, shortness of breath, coughing, swollen feet or ankles and light-headedness. MR increases the risk of stroke and congestive heart failure, which is often life-threatening,

“The heart is fine. No pain, no discomfort,“ said Bruce Davis, 80, who received the clips. “The heart is fine. No pain, no discomfort. If I could run, I could do it and I would have no trouble with my heart. “

“The only limitation now is my knees and joints generally.”

While the Fort McMurray International Airport will reopen to commercial flights Friday, passengers will have to be patient as airlines work around emergency responders still using the skies above the city.

“The situation is evolving right now,” said Fort McMurray International Airport spokesperson Jillian Phillipp. “We are scheduled to open (Friday), but the (provincial government) and Agriculture and Forestry is still using the air space for emergency response to the wildfire.”

According to Chris Chodan, spokesperson for the Edmonton International Airport, one flight scheduled for Friday between Edmonton and Fort McMurray, taking off at 8:35 a.m. Friday, has already been cancelled.

As firefighters continue to battle the wildfire still raging near Fort McMurray — which as of Thursday night was around 71-per-cent contained, covering an estimated 586,707 hectares — anyone flying in or out of Fort McMurray on a commercial flight should be prepared for changes or cancellations.

“We are working to get back to a full schedule,” said Phillipp, “but it’s just going to take a bit of time.”

Phillipp recommended anyone flying into Fort McMurray over the weekend to call ahead and confirm their flight with Air Canada or WestJet directly.

Albertans like to think of ourselves as front-runners, but when it comes to the employment of women, we are lagging behind.

According to new data from Statistics Canada, we have the lowest proportion of dual-earner couples among all the provinces. In Alberta, 64 per cent of couples with kids are dual earner compared to the national average of 69 per cent. In short, we have more stay-at-home moms than other parts of the country.

Why is this? Does it show, once and for all, that Alberta is more conservative?

Not necessarily. It would be more accurate to say that it’s the outcome of the hard choices that women make when trying to hold a job and ensure their kids are flourishing in a context of a gender pay gap and abysmal child care options.

Alberta has the youngest population of any province. Consequently, Alberta has a disproportionate number of families with young kids. Mothers of preschool children have a lower employment rate than mothers of school-aged kids, which explains some of the discrepancy between Alberta and the rest of Canada.

However the story is more complex than the age of Alberta’s children.

In 2014, the median family income in Alberta was $97,000, the highest of any province. Much of that income came from men’s wages in our resource-based economy. Many jobs in this sector require long shifts, and many of these employees work away from home for weeks at a time.

One mother I spoke to about this issue summed up this phenomenon by describing herself as a “married single parent with a big pay cheque.”

This “married single mom” status is common among women whose spouses work in the oilpatch. These women are responsible for caring for kids, getting them to school, or piano, or soccer, volunteering for little league and getting kids to the dentist, all on their own. With little to no additional support for unpaid care and household responsibilities, many see no other option than to leave the workforce.

Alberta also has the largest wage gap between men and women. Where women’s earnings in Canada overall are 72 per cent of men’s, in Edmonton, they are only 60 per cent. Working for pay looks a little different for women compared to men. Add our appalling shortage of regulated child care spaces — only one in three preschool-aged kids in Alberta has access to regulated child care — to the mix, and the choices regarding mothers’ employment start to look grim.

High child care costs, limited child care options, dads’ high oilpatch wages, and women’s lower salaries — is it any wonder some women bow out of the workforce for a few years to manage the family circus?

Of course, all of this information is so 2015. We are currently in the bust phase of the economic boom and bust roller-coaster, with thousands of layoffs in the oil and gas sector, and many families struggling to make ends meet. By next year, we will be analyzing the impact of the economic downturn on families and we may see that women’s labour force participation in Alberta has increased quite a bit.

However, let’s not forget the broader context in which families live, whether boom or bust.

As long as we continue to raise kids with limited child care options and pay inequality between women and men, we are going to see families struggle and women’s employment stall. It’s time for governments at all levels to step up and address gendered wage disparities and offer child care that families can trust.

Is there a future in which gender does not determine destiny? For the sake of my tween daughter, I certainly hope so.

Rhonda Breitkreuz is an associate professor in the University of Alberta’s department of human ecology. She does research and teaching on the impacts of social policy on families.

Re. “Speed limits are pretty clear,” Letters, June 9

Writer Linda Scott seems to have the same attitude held by City of Edmonton traffic department heads who believe everyone driving in the city should know that the speed limit, unless posted otherwise, is 50 kilometres per hour.  

What about visitors to the city? It is unlikely their driving tests included information that stated, “When you’re driving in Edmonton, Alberta, the non-posted speed limit is 50 km/h.” Unless the speed limit is clearly posted on city roadways, how are those drivers to know?

Look at the bigger picture.

Geoffrey W. Burkett, Edmonton

Open your mind to alternative therapies

Re. “No place for ‘quakamedics,” Paula Simons, June 7

The sort of closed-minded thinking in this column will keep us in the dark ages. Seventy per cent of the population cannot be wrong.

If complementary and alternative therapies can result in the health and well-being of a significant portion of our population, would it not save a lot of taxpayer money in medical care? I am not proposing to abandon evidence-based scientific studies on these modalities. In fact universities should, and are, conducting scientific research on popular interventions like meditation, hypnotherapy, Reiki, etc.

Complementary and alternative therapies treat human beings holistically instead of looking only at the physical conditions and etiology. Let us open our minds to critically and scientifically evaluate these long practised complementary and alternative methodologies, to reduce medicals costs and to improve the health and well-being of individuals.

I want to congratulate Dr. Sunita Vohra for spearheading the University of Alberta’s Integrative Health Institute.

Padman Pillai, registered clinical hypnotherapist, Edmonton

Symbolism in the Ottawa sinkhole

The Rideau Street-Sussex Drive sinkhole in Ottawa doesn’t compare to the $30 billion sinkhole down the street at the Parliament Buildings, which is continuing to grow as a result of Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government.

Earl Legate, Edmonton

Gentleman bus driver a gem

On Tuesday, June 7, at 4:40 p.m. I was travelling on the Number 60 ETS bus from downtown to the Millwoods Transit station. I am not a regular transit rider, so I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in the presence of a true gentleman bus driver.

I listened and watched him interact with his passengers, and the way he treated people was just so genuine. He was very friendly and respectful, and truly a joy to be around. Once we got to the Millwoods Transit station and I was exiting from the front of the bus, I told this kind soul what a gentleman he is. He certainly made my day.

Thank you kind sir, and keep up that awesome attitude. The passengers who ride on your bus regularly, are very, very lucky to have you as their driver.

Rose Marie Smithies, Edmonton

D-Day anniversary deserves coverage

It’s hard to believe that D-Day coverage was ignored in the media this year. How can that be?

While the American TV channels had old newsreels showing our troops landing on the Normandy beaches, I could find nothing on any Canadian channel. How embarrassing. And sad.

M.P. Thorsell, 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 .

A longtime friendship between hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and Oilers and Eskimos dressing room attendant Joey Moss is gaining international attention.

People Magazine is publishing a profile of the close relationship between the pair. 

Their 35-year friendship began when Gretzky met Moss through Moss’s sister, who was dating Gretzky at the time.

Gretzky and Moss, who has Down syndrome, became fast friends. Gretzky secured him a position in 1984 as a locker-room attendant for the Edmonton Oilers.

Moss, with the team through four of its Stanley Cup championships, is still a fixture behind the bench during Oilers games.

Moss has received numerous honours over his years of service, including being inducted May 29, 2015, into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

At the end of each training camp, the Edmonton Oilers present the Joey Moss Cup to the winners of the annual intra-squad tournament.

A portrait of Moss is painted on the side of the Russel Metals building on 7016 99 St.

Together, Moss and Gretzky have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Winnifred Stewart Association, an organization that helps adults with developmental disabilities live fulfilling lives.

The story will appear in People Magazine on newsstands Friday.

twitter.com/ClaireTheobald

ctheobald@postmedia.com

Money’s tight. Or maybe not. Even if you’re not on a strict budget, you probably appreciate a good deal, and you want to have a good time this summer. Who doesn’t? With that in mind, here are some fun and free things to do in July and August in Alberta.

Edmonton

1 The Works takes place June 23 to July 5 and bills itself as North America’s largest free outdoor art and design festival. You’ll find visual art, design, performances and much more. And wear comfy shoes; there are more than 60 exhibits throughout the city.

2 You can also head to Whyte Avenue for Art Walk, July 8 to 10. More than 450 artists will take to the sidewalks for a pop-up outdoor studio-gallery.

3 When the mercury rises, grab the kids and cool down with a splash in the fountains at the Legislature. New water features installed last year are flooded with coloured light in the evenings.

The neon sign museum in Edmonton brings pieces of history to light.

4 Maybe a museum is up your alley. The University of Alberta has loads of interesting collections that can be seen free or with a donation. Another bright attraction is the neon sign museum, at 104th St. and 104th Ave., where several signs have been restored to their glowing glory.

5 Sir Winston Churchill Square is also a great spot for free activities. On Tuesday nights in August Direct Energy and the City of Edmonton are sponsoring free movies in the park. The pre-movie fun starts at 7 p.m., with the film itself kicking off at dusk. First on tap is Star Wars: The Force Awakens, on Aug. 2. Free activities are also held throughout the summer, from Zumba to classes to lightsabre training.

6 Also on Whyte Avenue, Sand on Whyte is a sand art-building competition July 1 to 10. Admission is by donation.

7 The Borden Park Sculpture Garden offers a great avenue to get outside while checking out the thought-provoking works.

Central Alberta

1 Wander the beautiful Bower Ponds in Red Deer, and revel in the fact it’s summer; we know winter isn’t far away.

The giant pysanka, or Ukrainian Easter egg, in Vegreville.

2 Or head to Vegreville for the 2016 Pysanka Festival. Gate admission is free, and you’ll enjoy plenty of traditional Ukrainian music, art and more, but you’ll likely want cash for the delicious food and other items for sale.

3 Hang out at Sylvan Lake, near Red Deer. You can people-watch or go for a swim in the lake. On Canada Day, don’t miss the fireworks show over the lake. And every Wednesday during the summer, check out Art in the Park in Sylvan Lake. You can participate in the show or just sit back and watch.

Calgary

1 Enjoy the Calgary Stampede fireworks from atop Scotchman’s Hill, July 8 to 17. Or find yourself a free pancake breakfast during the western celebration. There are many of them around town.

2 Splash in one of the free outdoor wading pools throughout the city. On a warm day, Riley Park Outdoor Pool (800 12th St. N.W.) and Eau Claire Plaza (3rd St. and Riverfront Ave. S.W.) are fun for all ages. The splash park in Canmore Park (19th St. and Chicoutimi Dr. N.W.) opens mid-June; it’s best for the wee ones.

3 The Calgary Public Library has a fantastic selection of videos, books, magazines and activities. And stop in for storytime if you have little kids; check individual branches for times and details.

4 Speaking of art, the Esker Gallery in Inglewood is a gorgeous space with thought-provoking exhibitions.

5 Take a self-guided walking tour of Calgary’s heritage buildings with the help of a free map. Neighbourhoods include Mission, Connaught-Beltline and Inglewood.

6 Also at Calgary.ca, you can download a walking guide to the Union Cemetery. It’s a fascinating tour, full of colourful anecdotes about long-dead but interesting Calgarians. A.E. Cross, for instance, is buried here. One of the founders of the Calgary Stampede, he also bought hotels throughout Western Canada so he’d have places to sell his beer from his brewery.

The view from Nose Hill Park is worth the climb.

7 Take a hike in Nose Hill in northwest Calgary. Closer than a drive to Banff or Kananaskis, it offers much of the charm and plenty of wildlife. Birds are plentiful, but if you go early in the morning, you may also see deer, coyotes or porcupines.

8 Every month at the Lego stores in Calgary’s Chinook Centre and Edmonton’s Southgate Centre you can sign up to build a free mini figure. Only a few people can go at any one time, but, hey, it’s free. Call the store at 403-252-5346 to find out more.

This story was produced by Postmedia Content Works as a result of advertisers’ interest in raising awareness about this subject. Advertisers were not given the opportunity to put restrictions on the content or review it prior to publication.

Robert Foster is many things: a married father of four, a hard-nosed entrepreneur, a veteran biotech executive, a medical scientist, and a former University of Alberta academic with a PhD in pharmacy.

But as Foster celebrates his 58th birthday by sealing his latest deal — a merger between Edmonton’s Ciclofilin Pharmaceuticals, which he launched in 2014, and New Jersey-based ContraVir Pharmaceuticals — he sees himself in far simpler terms. As a survivor in a chronically tenuous industry.

“One of the guys at Deloitte once said I’m a survivor, and that’s for sure. That’s what Edmonton does to you. You don’t have a lot of other biotechs to fall back on here,” he says, matter-of-factly.

“You can’t say, ‘This is getting too hard, I think I’ll just go and work for those other guys.’ Edmonton is a good-sized city, but in certain industries you either have to make it work or you have to move, and biotech is definitely one of them.”

In the past 28 years, in a province where oil and gas remains king and everything else takes a back seat, Foster has learned that lesson the hard way. 

After spending a decade as an associate professor in the University of Alberta’s faculty of pharmacy and as an associate in the department of lab medicine, he was drawn to the private sector in the 1990s and left the university in 1997.

By 2002, he was the CEO of one of the most promising biotechs in Canada: Edmonton-based Isotechnika, which had just signed a blockbuster $215-million US drug development deal with Swiss drug giant Roche AG.

Isotechnika was developing a compound called voclosporin to fight organ rejection in kidney transplant patients. Early results looked promising. Investors flocked to its stock. Foster and his partner Randy Yatscoff were feted as industry stars.

“I look back at the day we announced the Roche agreement, on April 9th, 2002. Our shares traded at $6.12 and on paper I was worth about $30 million,” he says, with a wry laugh.

That turned out to be the high water mark, however. Six years later Roche pulled the plug on its deal with Isotechnika, and its stock price plunged to mere pennies, forcing it to cut costs to stay afloat. 

Still, Foster gamely hung on, forging new partnerships over the next few years. But Isotechnika never recovered its former glory. So in 2013, he negotiated the purchase of Victoria’s Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, where he served as CEO until it found a new leader.

Aurinia is developing a treatment for lupus nephritis — an autoimmune disease that causes kidney inflammation — by combining Isotechnika’s former voclosporin compound with Roche’s CellCept drug. The goal is to keep patients in remission and reduce the need for kidney transplants.

“The original shareholders of Isotechnika own 65 per cent of Aurinia, but we decided to change the name to rebrand the company. Today, Aurenia is worth over $100 million,” he says.

“I’ve often heard people say Isotechnika disappeared, but it was just the name that disappeared. Today, it’s actually doing quite well. It’s in late-stage clinical trials and their drug will probably get to market.”

Meanwhile, back in 2007, while he was trying to keep Isotechnika alive, Foster formed a “skunk works” inside the company to assess other potential compounds. He wound up focusing on cyclophilin inhibitors — molecules that inhibit certain proteins in the body from doing certain things that cause cell death.

“They have a role in for example in treating neurodegenerative diseases like Lou Gehrig’s (ALS) and also for heart attack or stroke. The U.S. Department of Defense is also looking at it for treating traumatic brain injury,” he says.

“The other thing cyclophilin inhibitors can do is play a role in viral replication. But we don’t go for the virus, we go for the host. In the case of the hepatitis virus, it goes to your liver and hijacks the liver cells for its replication. By inhibiting cyclophilin, we inhibit the virus’s ability to hijack the host.”

Foster’s interest in cyclophilin inhibitors proved fortuitous, and prompted him to form Ciclofilin Pharmaceuticals in 2014. Its focus: developing a cyclophilin inhibitor aimed at treating chronic hepatitis B.

While presenting Ciclofilin’s research at a biotech conference in Maui in December, Foster caught the attention of ContraVir’s executives, who have worked for top-tier U.S. biotech players such as Gilead Sciences and are also pursuing a treatment for hepatitis B.

Six months later, they’ve cut a deal under which ContraVir will acquire Ciclofilin, and Foster will serve as ContraVir’s chief scientific officer. He’ll remain here in Edmonton, commuting to ContraVir’s New Jersey head office every few weeks.

“I wanted to spend my twilight years — if you want to call it that — going back to my first love, which is science. I’ve spent most of the last 25 years as a CEO or chairman or board member, and especially in public companies, that just wears you down,” he says.

“I’ve often questioned my sanity and why I’ve stayed in the biotech world. I had a perfectly safe, secure and fine job at the U of A. Why would I leave a tenured faculty position to start a biotech? I need my head examined,” he says with a laugh.

“But I think we should be able to advance our programs at ContraVir to the point where, in the next five years or so, there should be some serious interest.”

I really hope so, Robert. After 28 years of effort in a topsy-turvy industry, I’d say you’ve earned it. 

glamphier@postmedia.com

Charles Stelck, a legendary professor of geology at the University of Alberta for over half a century, braved unforgiving landscapes to provide the foundations of geological and paleontological studies in the province.

Stelck, who died May 14, six days shy of his 99th birthday, was one of the first to map and study the virtually untouched, often rugged and dangerous foothills of western Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Yukon.

Working for Imperial Oil during the Second World War, Stelck and a team of scientists and guides travelled by horseback, canoe and dogsled to map the route of the Canol pipeline. It ran from Norman Wells, N.W.T., to a refinery in Whitehorse, Yukon, and on to Fairbanks, Alaska. The project was designed to supply oil to the United States Army during the war. 

“It’s almost legend,” said Christopher Collom, a fellow paleontologist of 29 years and Stelck’s friend for more than two decades. “Just imagine Jasper if you didn’t have the Yellowhead and all the highways. How would you get anywhere?

“For someone to operate in that area at the time he was before all these paved roads, it was truly remarkable.”

Stelck was born May 20, 1917, in Edmonton the second of three children. His father, a struggling real estate agent, supplemented his income by hunting and delivering wild game to businesses around the city during the Depression.

Starting at young age, Stelck was taught by his father to hunt, fish and survive in the wilderness. His primary focus was always on school, where he often excelled.

He achieved top marks in high school, receiving a scholarship that allowed him to begin his studies at the U of A in the early 1930s.

Stelck wanted to be a chemistry teacher, until some of his fellow students convinced him to sit in on a lecture by enthusiastic geologist P.S. Warren.

“And he was convinced after that he was going to be a geologist,” said Stelck’s son, Leland.

Stelck earned his bachelor’s degree in geology in 1937. He began giving lectures at the university in 1938 while working toward a master’s degree, which he earned in 1941.

He was mapping the foothills in the 1940s when his assistant introduced him to his future wife of 66 years, Frances. She was the assistant’s wife’s sister, who lived in Calgary. At first, she was hesitant about meeting a man of Stelck’s stature.

“Mom wasn’t too happy about that at first because she thought he was going to be an old guy, not the same age as my uncle,” Leland said. “It’s one of those things that we have a good laugh about because she said, ‘I didn’t want to meet this old guy.’”

The two hit it off immediately. They married in 1945 and had four sons — David, Brian, Leland and John.

“It was a little bit scary because of his reputation as a scientist, to be going through school with that guy as your father,” Leland said. “He wanted all of us to succeed. He actually wanted us all to be geologists, but only one of us was.

“My oldest brother (David) is a geologist.”

After receiving his PhD in geology from Stanford University in 1951, Stelck became instrumental in the excavation of dinosaur fossils in the Drumheller Valley.

Most summers from 1955 to about 1975, he dug up countless triceratops and Albertosaurus bones, and sat on the founding committee responsible for creating the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology.

“A lot of the stuff that’s in the university collection, he was either part of that excavation or instrumental in getting it excavated,” Leland said.

Stelck became a full-time professor at the U of A in 1952, a position he held more than 60 years. He would show up to classes with no notes and deliver lectures that would interest his students so much that they often lost track of time. 

“An hour and half later people would say, ‘We’re done?’” Leland said. “He just had this wealth of knowledge about geology and paleontology and how it all tied together.”

Collom came to the U of A in 1993 to get his PhD in geology. Originally from Colorado, he said he chose to come to Alberta to be involved with the Tyrrell Museum and learn from the legendary Stelck.

“Charlie was here when people still didn’t really know what was out there,” Collom said of Stelck’s status as a pioneer in the field of geology. “I would routinely be referring to papers by Warren and (Don) Stott and Stelck dated from the ’50s and ’60s. I carried those around with me like the Bible.”

He still marvels at Stelck’s ability to avoid death in unmapped areas of Alberta, where the wildlife and rough landscape are constant threats.

“When people say he’s a remarkable human being, they’re not just saying that because they’re trying to be nice,” he said. “It’s because he really was.”

OK San Jose, you won Game 5. You were lucky, just good checking and a hot goalie. Say thanks to your goaltender, Mr. Jones. If the Sharks want to win Game 6, here’s the solution: shave off all those ugly beards. 

Hockey players don’t have gaudy beards the likes that appear in these games. That goes for Pittsburgh too, the Penguins are just as bad. Clean shaved hockey players — that would be really nice.  Don’t be so superstitious.

Jim Hawthorne, Edmonton

Take some responsibility people

Re. “Five things about ground level traffic lights,” June 10

It’s ridiculous that cities are coming up with expensive ways to protect foolish people. Ground lights to protect pedestrians from getting killed because they are too absorbed in their phone to notice several thousand pounds of metal heading their way at between 30- to 60-kilometres per hour?

Don’t put the onus on people to look up from their phones — after all they’re just human — and evidently way too busy (and stupid) to be concerned about their own safety. “The lights are aimed at pedestrians using mobile phones who are not looking where they are walking.” Really?

Cheers to Idaho and its $50 fine for anyone caught texting while walking in the street. This makes way more sense. Instead of mollycoddling stupid behaviour, encourage its end.

Karen Doyle, Edmonton  

A bold speed sign suggestion

Re. “Speed limits are pretty clear,” Letters, June 9

Drivers do not normally want to be caught speeding. To aid compliance, speed limits should be clearly and regularly posted on city streets, particularly where the limit changes for no obvious reason.

Providing more standard speed signs along main thoroughfares, and providing more of the electronic warning signs in problem locations would be heartily endorsed by all drivers.

Wherever the limit on a particular road changes, the speed should be clearly posted with a slightly modified sign. My suggestion would be to attach a bold sunburst frame around the standard sign to make it more visible.

Wayne Hansen, Edmonton

Memorable moments with sporting greats

I am feeling sad about the recent passing of Muhammad Ali and now Gordie Howe. I will cherish my memories of these two sport icons.

My wife and I were fortunate to have ringside seats at one of the Mike Tyson-Frank Bruno fight in Las Vegas. We were surrounded by Hollywood celebrities and, of course, Muhammad Ali. I was anxious to ask for an autograph but Ali was escorted by several large guards. To be that close to him was still very special.

My association with Gordie Howe came as a result of my involvement with the World Hockey Association as a referee-linesman. I remember faceoffs with Howe and Ralph Backstrom in the old Edmonton Gardens.

After the game, it was common for us officials to have a post-game beer. We were sitting in the Chateau Lacombe lounge when Howe appeared and asked if he could join us. It was league policy not to associate with the players — but this was Gordie Howe. We enjoyed more than one beer together.

He was a true gentleman who had so much respect for the job we did.

 Darryl Havrelock, Edmonton

Why not formalize condo board credentials? 

The province should have a certification procedure for those wishing to be board members of a condo complex. 

Most trades, jobs dealing with financial transactions or managerial positions require some proof of competency; certification to be a board member would signal to the owner-voters that the person interested in running a complex is competent. In many cases the condo unit-owners are not acquainted with those seeking the position and since there is no objective certification one only hopes the complex is run efficiently and in the best interest of the unit owners.

With some complexes having more than a hundred or more units it uncertain how many voters know the person seeking the position or their competency. Even parents inquire if their babysitter has taken a babysitting course. Condo unit holders also have investments important to them that can be squandered or enhanced by a board. It is amazing no such certification is presently required.

Lawrence J. Tomko, Edmonton

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 .

Lan Chan-Marples thinks Edmonton’s Chinatown can learn some lessons from Chicago.

More than 100 years ago, before the term “gentrification” existed, residents of the Illinois city’s Chinatown were displaced thanks to rising property values.

The neighbourhood relocated, but after a few decades, an interstate highway roared through and residents lost their only recreational facility.

The community spent the next 50 years trying to recover. 

Celebrating its centennial, Chicago’s Chinatown developed a clear plan of what residents wanted and where it would go in the future. The community looked long-term, co-chair of that planning effort, C.W. Chan, told the Edmonton Chinatown Conference over the weekend.

“We were at the table and master of our own fate,” he said.

Chicago is one of few North American Chinatowns in North America that seems to have escaped a trend that has seen others disappear through redevelopment, gentrification and a lack of cultural preservation.

Dr. Donald Yung wears a T-shirt declaring his love of Calgary’s Chinatown at a Saturday conference in Edmonton looking at the future of Chinatowns in big cities.

Chan was one of several presenters from Chinatowns in Canada and the U.S. who spoke of the challenges their communities are facing.

He said his city wasn’t so much immune from the trend affecting Chinatowns today, it just reached those crossroads a lot earlier.

Chan-Marples organized the conference, and said it was heartening to hear from Chan how his community worked together to bolster that Chinatown’ future.

“The nice thing about Edmonton is we are very united together in what we want in the Chinese community,” she said Saturday.

This weekend’s conference was a chance for Edmonton representatives to hear from other North American Chinatowns as it prepares to submit recommendations on a new economic plan for the cultural neighbourhood.

“We want to learn … from other cities what they are doing,” Chan-Marples said. “There’s a lot of things we can borrow from them.”

Chan-Marples said part of that is getting the younger generation involved in “transforming Chinatown into the future.”

“Hopefully they will take up the rein to continue with the work,” she said.

egraney@postmedia.com

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Sarah Hendricks was 18, alone, addicted to crystal meth and living the life of a criminal when she found out she was pregnant.

“I knew I didn’t want my son growing up the way I did, because I could never imagine putting him through the pain that I felt,” said Hendricks.

On Friday, draped in a brilliantly embellished gold sequin gown, Hendricks – now 20 – celebrated graduating from Braemar, the Edmonton public school dedicated to helping parenting teens finish high school. It is run in conjunction with the Terra Centre for Teen Parents.

She was also celebrating a brighter future for herself and her now one-and-a-half year-old son Samuel Quinn.

“It’s kind of sad to know that I am graduated now, because I really enjoyed this last year. … I’m sad to leave it behind, but excited for my future,” said Hendricks. Then she added, “For the longest time, I really didn’t know what I was going to do.”

Life for Hendricks was rough when she found out she was already two-and-a-half months pregnant during what she described as the deepest part of her methamphetamine addiction.

With all of her life’s possessions carried in her purse, she knew the only way to stop her son for falling into the same destructive cycles was to make a better life for herself.

“I would do anything possible to provide him with the life that I never had,” she said.

She calls motherhood her new addiction.

Her son was already five months old when she enrolled in Braemar School. 

“I went into Braemar thinking it would be just another school I dropped out of, another one to check off the list,” said Hendricks, who was also worried she wouldn’t be able to keep up after being out of the classroom for more than two years.

But what she found was a culture of support, from staff members, teachers and from the other teen mothers united through their experiences.

“It was really encouraging to know that I wasn’t going through it alone. I had felt alone for the majority of my life, and to see these girls working hard to provide a future for their son or daughter, it’s awesome to have that in common,” Hendricks said.

While it wasn’t easy, Hendricks was driven to achieve by her determination to create a better life for her son.

“Every time I saw his face, I could see, ‘this is who you’re doing it for, this is who you are going to school working your hardest for,’ ” Hendricks said.

Now graduated from Braemar, she has a summer job lined up with the Metis Child and Family Services before she begins studying social work at Grant MacEwan University — a program she has already been accepted for — in the fall. Hendricks feels her future is brighter than ever.

Inspired by the faith her social worker had in her, Hendricks hopes to one day help others overcome their obstacles and lead better lives.

“If she could have hope in someone who had no hope in themselves, then I hope I can do that for someone one day,” she said. “I hope I can encourage them and let them find a better future.”

twitter.com/ClaireTheobald

ctheobald@postmedia.com

“OK, remember, we are here building trusting relationships,” says Stephen “Sticks” Gallard to the small group of volunteers encircling him on the footpath in front of The Mustard Seed Church.

“We’re here for the veterans. We can give them help.” 

Gallard, the Edmonton team leader for Veterans Emergency Transition Services Canada (VETS Canada), points down 96 Street towards the Bissell Centre.

“We’ll go this way,”  he says as the group splits into two, “and you guys go towards Boyle.”

The groups make their way to their respective homeless shelters in downtown Edmonton, in the hope of finding military veterans in need of help. It’s veterans helping veterans.

“We take our support to find them,” Gallard says.

Heading south for two blocks, the group crosses the road when a man sitting outside the Bissell stands up. 

“How’s it going guys?” he yells out with an enthusiastic wave.

“Good. How about you?” one of the volunteers replies.

“Terrible. But thanks for asking.”

Gallard chats with some of the staff before turning to the group.

“Okay, come on in,” he says. “Start mingling.”

Volunteers included members of the Nam Knights Motorcycle club and Edmonton Vets Canada. On June 11, 2016, they were searching Edmonton streets for homeless military veterans.

A man nursing a black coffee in a white styrofoam cup sidles up next to a volunteer standing inside Bissell.

He doesn’t say anything at first but soon breaks the silence: “Who are you with?”

The volunteer explains the mission of VETS, a grassroots organization of volunteers that started in 2010 who “work within the community to identify homeless veterans and quickly re-establish the bond of trust that exists between soldiers.”

Some of those veterans have had marriages dissolve, developed addictions issues or now suffer from mental health issues — diagnosed and undiagnosed — and some are just down on their luck.

VETS Canada is about removing the bureaucracy of the world and getting veterans the resources they need.  

“I know some veterans but I won’t tell you where they are,” the man tells the volunteer between sips.

“Some people don’t want to be found. They don’t trust the system.”

“That’s fine,” the volunteer says, reaching into his pocket to retrieve business cards. “Here, take some of these and give them out.”

The man nods, finishes his coffee and wanders off. The group does the same, this time towards the Hope Mission.

“Veterans are proud people,” Robbin Richard, president of the Northern Knights chapter of the Nam Knights of Canada motorcycle club says as the group crosses muddy construction work.

“They can be hard to find because they don’t want other veterans seeing them when they are down or at their lowest.

“The thing is, it’s OK to fall because we’ve all fallen.”

jgraney@postmedia.com

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