Calgary Herald from Calgary, Alberta, Canada • 3

Breaking news at calgaryherald.com B2 Monday, April 29, 2013 CITY REGION S's'C', OnlJwm '-mS "VU 1 f- Christina RyanCalgary Herald Zac Gillrie is alarmed that a parking lot beside his Hidden Valley house in home to a pile of household junk. pile growing lot junk arking Ad hoc dumping has Northwest "Indent fuming BRYAN WEISMILLER Calgary herald The Gillrie family is concerned about their nasty new neighbour a collection of rusted-out barbecues, dirty mattresses and other garbage piling up in a parking lot next door to their northwest home. What started last weekend as a community cleanup project has now turned into a major eyesore for the Gillries and other Hidden Valley residents living near the impromptu dump. weekly route, assumed the community was setting up a swap meet or flea market. He was dismayed to learn otherwise.

"People are pigs," Blakhart said. The fine for illegally dumping material out of a vehicle starts at $750, said a city bylaw official. Sue Gillrie said bylaw officers were made aware of the trash pile earlier last week, adding she provided them with the licence plate numbers of suspected illegal dumpers. "I hope they're going to clear it away soon," she said. "I thought they would be quicker." A city bylaw official said that an investigation has been launched, before deferring further comment to the city's parks department.

March after Silverman's funds ran out and he was unable to secure any provincial or federal support for the project. Throughout his life, Silverman often pointed to surveys that indicate men are about as likely as women to say they have been the victims of domestic abuse. But he said men are often ashamed to come forward. Brian, a Calgary man who asked that his full name not be used because his own child support battle is before the courts, said he admired Silverman's bravery. "We need to rally together as men and women to help raise awareness about what domestic violence is.

The ever-expanding trash heap is not only disgusting, Sue Gillrie said, but also "extremely dangerous" for the neighbourhood kids using it as a playground. "There was a group of girls having fun playing house," said Gillrie, pointing to the sprawling mound located a few metres from the front stoop of her house. "But it's not a safe place to play. Tm sure their parents would be horrified if they knew." In what was organized as a pitch-in project leading up to Earth Day, Hidden Valley residents were invited to drop off household junk at a gravel parking lot in front of an outdoor skating rink on April 20. It was understood the city would haul the rubbish to the landfill.

However, trash collectors left be the courts when it comes to custody battles or child support issues. News of his passing spread like wildfire on websites like "A Voice For Men," and the "Canadian Equal Parenting Council" Facebook group. "I got a lot of inspiration from Earl," said Calgarian Andy Crocker, who noted his own experiences during a bitter legal fight with an ex-spouse drew him to Silverman. "I hate to call it 'men's because I think it's about human rights. In my case, I feel like I was a victim, but there's been no support for me." Silverman who often said his motivation was his experience 20 years ago with an abusive wife was Men's rights supporters mourn loss of advocate AMANDA STEPHENSON CALGARY HERALD The Calgary man who turned his own experience with domestic abuse into a 20-year crusade for men's rights has died.

Friends say Earl Silverman, who used his own money to found and operate a shelter for male victims of" domestic violence, died Friday in an apparent suicide. A gruff, bearded and often controversial figure, Silverman was a legend to many "men's rights" advocates those who believe male victims of domestic violence are overlooked, or that men are often treated unfairly by Calgary's Northwest has become hind the hazardous waste not generally accepted in landfills, such as propane barbecues. "People saw the garbage and probably thought they were taking donations," said Sue's son, Zac Gillrie. "They started adding more and more to it." On Saturday, the pile included: a white faux fur rug, cracked toilet, plastic kiddie pool and a Fitness Stepper 2000 exercise machine. Zak, 21, conceded he had pulled out a few hidden gems, saying he is soon moving out of his parents' place and needed outdoor chairs.

"It's been beneficial to me," he said, chuckling. Gordo Blakhart was also pleased to find a new heat shield for his barbecue. Blakhart, a school bus driver who eyed the wreckage during his a dogged letter writer who persistently lobbied police and government about what he perceived as anti-male bias. He filed an unsuccessful human rights complaint against Al Earl Silverman berta Children and Youth Services, alleging a lack of domestic violence support services for men in the province. Three years ago, Silverman used his own money to start the Men's Alternative Safe House, a Calgary shelter solely for men and their children fleeing domestic abuse.

The shelter closed in if banning corporate donations altogether might make sense. "If you remove that, it would sure just take one decision off the plate of developers and builders and it would remove the suspicion from the average Calgarian's mind as to who is controlling council," said Finley, who is also Calgary president for the Urban Development Institute but wasn't speaking on behalf of that neutral association. She added that she's not sure it makes sense to prohibit all businesses and groups from giving politically, as was done for federal party politics in 2004. Nenshi may call for many dramatic campaign finance reforms, from tighter donor limits to banning contributions outside election years. But he's never advocated a corporate and union donation ban in the municipal realm, where donors don't receive tax credits.

Taylor said the idea is worth discussing to help keep a lid on spiralling campaign costs. "That's a lot of money that we spend in Calgary," he said. But he also sees flaws with ending corporate contributions. "If we limit it on one side, we might not be fair on the other side, because of (incumbents') name recognition." That's also how Chris Kolozetti of United Communities, one of the $100,000 Manning Centre donors, sees it. "I don't like politics.

I don't like to be part of the game, but unfortunately we are," he said. JMARKUS0FFCALGARYHERALD.COM While parks officials could not be reached for comment, city spokeswoman Vickie MeGrath said the department was unaware of the burgeoning trash pile and would investigate Saturday night. "If there are things continuing to be dropped off there, parks will go out and pick them up," MeGrath said. "We'll check in again on Monday and determine what, if any, action needs to be takea" Sue also successfully lobbied the community association to put up temporary signs indicating the parking lot was not a dumping ground. Still, the pile continues to grow.

"We need to do something," she said. "Otherwise people are going to keep dumping stuff." BWEISMILLERCALGARYHERALD.COM It also exists in the emotional, financial, and psychological aspects, and because those can't be measured tangibly, they often get ignored," he said. "Society has determined that men should be silent, that men should just take it. It's not the case that domestic violence against men doesn't exist, it's that it's incredibly under-reported." Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith took to Twitter to comment on Silverman's death, calling it sad and saying she was "reflecting on what he spent his life fighting for." 6:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m.

Calgary Herald DONATIONS: Hard work a winner Empowered Care These workshops will benefit care partners, family members and friends of people living with dementia. Share stories and experiences and learn more about Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Includes specialized training and new skills for building relationships. Cost: $50.00 Tuesday May 7,14 21 Online version also available. FROM Bl And the same often held true for the ward campaigns as well, where builders like Wenzel and Jay West-man plan to focus their contributions for this October's campaign.

In the aldermanic races where the winner won by 20 percentage points or fewer, the biggest spender won in five of the 10 cases. including Aid. Drub. Farrell, whose rival Kevin Taylor hauled in more money for his election bid but didn't have the past campaign surplus Farrell could count on. And of those five aldermen who received the most cash and the most votes, only Gian-Carlo Carra didn't have the advantage of being an incumbent (although he got less money from Wenzel or Westman's companies than runner-up Mike Pal did).

Other newcomers Gael MacLeod, Richard Pootmans, Shane Keating and Peter Demong won despite having less campaign money to spend. So did Brian Pincott, whose opponent James Maxim spent $126,000, or nearly three times more than he did. "Having great campaign posters, ads and slick brochures is not saying to people that you're hearing them or that you're engaging them," Pincott said. "In my experience, hard work always trumps money." Magliocca would agree with that. In 2010, Ward 2 Aid.

Gord Lowe spent $121,000 money that was unheard-of in a ward contest until John Mar broke the six-digit barrier three years earlier. Magliocca said he took no donations and spent less than $10,000 of his own money, and didn't have to legally file a disclosure. Yet he came closer to the incumbent than Maxim or Taylor could, despite each having more than $100,000 to spend. The secret? Magliocca recycled signs from his 2007 campaign. And he worked extremely hard.

"I busted my ass. I knocked on 12,000, maybe 13,000 vj doors. I did it the old- fashioned way," said il Magliocca. i Magliocca, along 1 With Maxim anC Taylor, is learning mmiJIi 'L campaign work this Cal Wenzel year from the Manning Centre and should, if Wenzel's efforts with fellow builders works, rake in far more suburban developer money than their rivals. Taylor predicted he'll likely need $150,000 to $200,000 to get his name out there enough to legitimately challenge Farrell this fall, bolstering something Wenzel said on that video.

As with most civic candidates anywhere on the political spectrum, much of that funding comes from folks in the building industry, ranging from suburban developers to big inner-city architects. Some companies may play favourites, while others disperse funds more broadly to support the democratic process, many say. There's a "feeling of obligation" in the sector to buy fundraiser tickets and send donations, said Karin Fin-ley, a vice-president with Qualico Communities. It makes her wonder Understanding Dementia Covers the fundamentals, warning signs and the programs and services that can benefit you. Tuesday May 1 4 6:30 p.m.

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