Red Deer Advocate from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada • 15

REGION RED DEER ADVOCATE, Wednesday, June 25, 2003 B1 I B2-B4 B5 B1, RED DEER ADVOCATE B7-B13 Wednesday, June 25, 2003 HOME FRONT Highland Games Calling all Fergusons! You and your namesakes are this year's honoured clan at the 56th annual Red Deer Highland Games, to be held this Saturday at the Westerner Exposition Park. The day-long celebration of all things Scottish will again feature individual and group dancing, piping and drumming competitions as well as the always popular heavy field events. There will also be sheep dog demonstrations and a shortbread contest. The day will culminate with the parade of massed bands. "It's really kind of awesome," Highland Games association spokesperson Donna Draves said of the parade, in which 15 bands will entertain the crowd by playing in unison.

Draves said she hopes Fergusons from far and wide will attend the games. The athletic events, which double as the provincial championships for the various tests of strength, start at 9 a.m. They include the traditional hammer throw, tossing of the sheaf and caber toss. Throughout the afternoon, there will be Celtic entertainment with the band The Boys of St. James' Gate.

Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and free for children 10 and under. For more information on the Highland Games, visit www.reddeerhighlandga mes.com French reading In addition to the English children's summer reading programs at Red Deer's public library, mentioned in Tuesday's Advocate, there is a French reading program for children. Call the children's department at the library at 346-4688 for further information. Billboard campaign promotes safety Drivers urged tary Everyone School. in Sveinson's family has been a safety patroller and Angie to watch out wanted to dedication keep up the tradition.

The of the students and for children By KEN PRICE Advocate staff Elementary school crossing guards will begin their summer vacations this week after a 66th year of perfect patrolling. The Alberta Motor Association is launching a provincewide billboard campaign to maintain drivers' vigilance during the summer months. "Even when school's out, safety isn't," says the billboard slogan. The Catholic elementary schools' last day of classes is Thursday. The public elementary schools finish Friday.

There has not been a fatal accident on a patrolled crosswalk during the entire history of the School Safety Walk program, according to the Alberta Motor Vehicle Association. The association funds and co-ordinates the program. Photo by JERRY staff Alberta Motor Association safety patrol co-ordinator Joan Sidwell is happy that there has not been a fatal accident on a patrolled crosswalk during the entire program's history In most schools, the safety pa- "The drivers are pretty good, sometrollers are volunteers in Grade 5 or 6 times they're questionable," said safety who enjoy the responsibility. A pizza patroller Angie Sveinson, a Grade 5 party is often their only reward. student at Ecole On the chain link gang Photo by RANDY staff Matt Bauer, left, and Darcy Forrester of and Fencing use come-alongs to stretch taut the three-metre-tall chain link fencing at Kin Courts on Tuesday.

Improvements to the tennis court concrete pad and its waterproofing were part of the facility's recent upgrades. Wolf Creek board OK's contract The Wolf Creek school board has voted to approve a contract it helped create along with representatives of the Alberta Teachers' Association. The vote was unanimous, said school board spokeswoman Lisa Hollingsworth on Tuesday, It was cast the same night teachers in the Wolf Creek School District voted by a narrow margin to accept the memorandum of agreement. Just 53 per cent of the teachers' vote was in favour of the contract for 2003-04. The district has 460 teachers.

It's not known how many voted. The agreement calls for a two per cent increase in salary, substitute pay and allowances. It also restructures administrative allowances and sees the board increase its benefit contributions. Sundre man fined for possessing bear parts A Sundre man has been fined after he chopped the head and claws off a dead grizzly bear near Sundre last month. Ernest Norman McMillan, 42, was fined a total of $1,150 after he was convicted this week in Didsbury provincial court.

McMillan was convicted on one charge of possession of wildlife under the Wildlife Act. The maximum fine under the act is $2,500. McMillan, who was riding a horse, admitted to taking the parts after he found the carcass on a trail about 40 km southwest of Sundre on May 19. The animal had been shot and left to rot. The identity of the shooters remains unknown.

McMillan ran into a Sundre-based conservation officer along a pathway the next day. He had the bear parts in a bag tied to his horse's saddle. County seeks input concerning land use their supervisors is the reason for the program's success, said Alberta Motor Association safety patrol co-ordinator Joan Sidwell. However, she stressed the need for the billboard campaign to tell drivers that safety is just as important during summer vacation. Sidwell organizes 944 safety patrollers at 43 schools in Central Alberta.

An average of three pedestrians are struck by vehicles in Alberta every day, according to the Alberta Motor Association. The association specifies three common scenarios where pedestrians are hit by vehicles. The first scenario is when a vehicle stops for a pedestrian then a second vehicle passes it and strikes the pedestrian. Another common occurrence is when a vehicle turns left and hits a person on a crosswalk. The third is at a red light when a vehicle turns right and strikes a pedestrian.

Mountview Elemen- By LAURA TESTER Advocate staff Red Deer County should allow a second house on a farmstead sometimes and should continue supporting rural community services. Those were two ideas expressed at public meetings last week in Red Deer, Innisfail and I Lousana a during the unveiling of the Reeve's Task Force on Land Use Planning and Sustainable Agriculture's report. County residents have until Friday to respond to the report, which made 19 recommendations regarding the impact of residential expansion on agricultural land. The report is available at the county office or on the Web site www.reddeercounty.ab.ca Reeve Earl Kinsella, Councillors Elmer Stoyberg and Stan Bell, and nine public members sat on the task force that gathered public input at focus group sessions and public meetings last fall. Consultant Armin Preiksaitis said some residents have expressed concerns about restrictions on the number of homes allowed on a farmstead.

Currently a permanent home is allowed, along with a temporary home for a hired hand or for compassionate reasons. The task force recommends in some circumstances two permanent dwellings be permitted, like when workers are needed on a large dairy, hog, poultry or feed lot operation. Some residents also spoke of the need to keep Lousana, Elnora and Delburne viable by supporting their schools and other community facilities. The recommendations include: Educate residents thinking of moving to an agricultural area about possible noises, smells and pesticides. Encourage value-added agricultural enterprises such as U- pick operations and agri-tourism.

Avoid sprawl by clustering multi-lot residential subdivisions where there is adequate infrastructure, ground water and sewage disposal systems. Locate multi-lot housing where it doesn't interfere with existing and future expansion of agriculture operations like feedlots. Restrict lot size of residential multi-lots to a minimum of two acres and a maximum of three acres to conserve land while ensuring adequate land for a well and sewage disposal system. Create a new "estate residential" land use to allow lots from one-third to one-half acre in size where piped water and sewer is available. Allow flexibility for innovative development concepts that may not fit within existing zoning categories.

Cluster development is an example that encourages relatively low densities on smaller lots, while helping to preserve farmland and natural areas. Regular bus to Sylvan Lake planned Red Deer residents who fancy a day on the beach will soon be able to catch a bus to Sylvan Lake. Likewise, residents of the resort town including RV tourists, who might not feel like trundling their motorhomes into Red Deer, will be able to ride the bus to town. The plan was explained to Sylvan Lake council this week by Lisa Martin, Prairie Bus Lines' marketing director. She hopes the service will be up and running this weekend, Friday through Sunday.

Then for July and August it will run Wednesday to Sunday. Red Deer departures will be from the Sunshine Restaurant entrance at Red Deer Centre at 9 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sylvan Lake departures will be at 10 a.m., 3 and 8 p.m. points in the resort town include the Sylvan Lake Golf and Country Club, the waterslides, and at places by request.

Martin said potential customers include one-car families where the working parent has taken it to work, seniors and holiday makers. The Sylvan Lake schedule is flexible, she said, and depends on what pickup requests are received. If five or six people at a Sylvan Lake campground wanted to catch the bus, it would make a stop there. If the project is successful, Martin said, it might be extended into the winter months. A pickup point on Red Deer's southside might be added, too.

Fares have been set at $5 one way, $10 round trip, and $150 for a monthly pass. The passes are transferable, Martin said. Sylvan Lake endorsed the plan with the rider that the bus not make any stops on busy Lakeshore Drive. For more call Prairie Bus Lines at 342-6390. THIS MONTH AT WESTERNER PARK July 4-6 Parkland Llama Alpaca Show Sale Stockmens Pavilion Event Information Line July 5-6 Calgary Sports Car Club ENMAX Centrium Parking Lot (403) 347-4767 Visit our Website at http://westerner.ab.ca July 10-12 Canadian Gospel Quartet Convention ENMAX Centrium, Parkland Pavilion Facility Rental Information (403) 343-7800 July 16-20 WESTERNER DAYS FAIR Westerner Park Westerner Park is Central Alberta's largest trade show, agriculture, entertainment, sports, and convention facility.

A July 23-27 Wildrose Quarter Horse Show Stockmens Pavilion not-for profit organization supported by more than 500 volunteers, Westerner Park generates $70 million annually in economic activity hosting over one thousand events and July 31 Aug. 3 Parkland Arabian Horse Show Stockmens Pavilion one million visitors each year..