Pablo Fernandez

Dan Aykroyd Calgary Murder Photos: Pictures In Landfill Spark Investigation By Homicide Detectives

2013-05-31T14:44:02-04:00

Professional zeal on the part of homicide investigators turned to confusion when the perpetrator in what looked like photos of a homicide, which were found in a Calgary landfill, turned out to be actor Dan Aykroyd.

But instead of being proof of a horrific crime, the photos turned out to be evidence of a horrific film flop, said Calgary Police Service spokeswoman Emma Poole.

The photos were found by a landfill worker labouring at the city dump.

Story continues after slideshow

The pictures, which were described by Poole as 35 mm-style images, were handed over to homicide investigators after they were turned in to the service by the diligent landfill employee.

"When you look at the photos, which were pretty dirty originally, it's pretty clear that it is a guy leaning over another guy who has some pretty severe chest injuries," said Poole.

"The homicide investigators cleaned up the photos and very quickly realized that the guy in the photos was Dan Aykroyd."

Wanting to be certain, investigators spent hours going through Aykroyd films in order to match the photos to one of his films but came out empty handed, said Poole.

Detectives then called Aykroyd's rep and asked him if the actor would be able to identify the movie the photos were from.

Aykroyd complied and identified the images as belonging to a movie most people haven't seen - 'Loose Cannons.'

Although the whole thing is now good for a laugh, Poole said the landfill worker did the right thing.

"When you see the dirty image, it really does look like a homicide," she said.

"We'd rather laugh about it now than be missing a critical piece of evidence of a cold case."

When reached for comment by TMZ, Aykroyd said investigators could be forgiven for not recognizing the film, adding "the movie should have been left in the landfill where it belongs."

Martin Parnell's Lacrosse Gear Marathon: Calgary-Area Man Attempts To Set World Record

2013-05-27T12:05:31-04:00

Superhuman tests of endurance are nothing new to Calgary running man Martin Parnell.

But attempting to run the Calgary Marathon in full lacrosse gear in under four hours for childrens' charity Right to Play, may have shown the seemingly limitless man a taste of what mere mortals have to contend with.

In the last 10 years, Parnell has completed hundreds of marathons and ultra-marathons, pedalled across Africa, took part in the world's longest lacrosse game and this spring summited Kilimanajaro in 21 hours, three days after running a marathon.

He is 57-years-old, didn't start running until he was 47, and the engineer by profession has dedicated his life in the past few years to support Right to Play and to inspire others to get off their rear ends and achieve.

But despite his lengthy athletic resume, Parnell tells the Huffington Post Alberta this latest challenge pushed him like no other and although he finished the entire course, he failed to finish under the four hours that Guinness required for a world record.

Story continues after slideshow

"I felt like a human guinea pig because no one had ever attempted wearing all that gear to set a world record," he said.

"I was still on pace to finish under four hours at 38 kilometres but then the wheels fell off. I felt unlike I'd ever felt before and I knew something was wrong."

Parnell says he's clocked his heart's high end rate at 168 beats per minute, but after the 38th kilometre on the Calgary course his rate spiked up to 190 and he saw his legs visually spasm nearly out of control.

The heat from the sunny day and the oven effect of the lacrosse helmet on his head took its toll on Parnell, putting him in a place he'd never been in his 10 years of racing. But despite his heart's dangerous spike and his body's desire for mutiny, Parnell still finished the race in four hours and 18 minutes, only 18 minutes off the mark.

"It was just a tough day at the office but I'm thrilled I did it," he said, adding he will attempt the record again.

"You can control somethings in life and many others you can't and that's okay."

The idea to run the marathon in lacrosse gear came after he helped set the world record for the longest lacrosse game last year.

"It's Canada's national sport... and I already had the gear, so why not?" said Parnell.

In 2010, Parnell raised $320,000 for Right to Play by running 250 marathons in one year.

Following that feat, Parnell has embarked on a new endeavour, Quest for Kids, in which he aims to complete 10 quests in five years in order to raise $1M for Right to Play.

Some of the quests completed include the longest lacrosse game, Kilimanjaro, with the next one being the TransRockies Challenge, which will see Parnell tackle all of this summer's 10 events in the Rockies, including multi-day trail runs and bike rides. Altogether, Parnell will cover 888 race kilometres through rugged Rocky Mountain landscapes.

Chris Hadfield Calgary Stampede's Parade Marshal: Canadian Astronaut Accepts Invite From Cowtown

2013-05-09T17:12:34-04:00

It was a tweet that went where no Calgary Stampede tweet had gone before, as the festival that promotes old-fashioned western values made effective use of modern technology, to invite astronaut Chris Hadfield to be this year's parade marshal.

And when the social media-savvy Canadian commander of the International Space Station (ISS) responded on Thursday afternoon, he did so with an out-of-this world yes.

.@calgarystampede I would be THRILLED to be the Stampede Parade Marshall! A great

reason to come back to Earth! twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield/…

— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) May 9, 2013

Hadfield, a former fighter and test pilot, with nearly as many degrees as he has months in space, is the first Canadian astronaut to be in charge of the ISS.

During his time there, he has become a Canadian pop culture icon and media darling, thanks to his constant and clever use of Twitter, and his many televised teleconferences from space with everyone from William Shatner, to school kids across the country.

Now, the Calgary Stampede board can't wait to get the country's newest celebrity into a cowboy hat.

"We really are just thrilled," Stampede spokesman Doug Fraser told The Huffington Post Alberta.

"Commander Hadfield is a true Canadian hero. He has close to 750,000 followers on Twitter and that's an indication of how popular the man is and how respected he is.

"I know the Canadians and the Calgarians who will line the parade route will certainly give him a hero's welcome."

Fraser said Hadfield knew the invite was coming, as the Stampede had reached out to Hadfield's team beforehand, but to send out the official invite via Twitter and then to get his response from space on Thursday was none-the-less thrilling.

"The answer was still all up to him and he agreed... and he sent down his confirmation on Twitter," said Fraser.

Although the Stampede has often been criticized for their picks for parade marshals, there are some illustrious names that have taken on the role, such as Walt Disney, Bing Crosby, Prince Charles and Christopher Reeve.

Hadfield previously took on the role of parade marshal in 2001.

Uruguay: aprueban ley de matrimonio homosexual

2013-04-11T10:20:41-04:00

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — La Cámara de Diputados uruguaya aprobó el miércoles una ley que permite el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo, impulsada por el gobierno de José Mujica, lo que convierte a Uruguay en el segundo país de América Latina en permitir este tipo de unión.

El texto fue aprobado ampliamente por 71 votos a favor de 92 legisladores presentes. Encontró apoyo entre varios legisladores de los tres principales partidos: el gobernante Frente Amplio (izquierda), el Partido Nacional (centro) y el Partido Colorado (derecha). Sin embargo, el apoyo a la ley no fue unánime entre ninguno de esos tres grupos políticos.

Ahora el llamado "proyecto de matrimonio igualitario" -ya aprobado en el Senado el 2 de abril- debe ser promulgado como ley por el Ejecutivo en un lapso de 10 días.

"Acá lo que duele es la palabra 'matrimonio', es lo que cuesta entregar", dijo el diputado colorado Fernando Amado al justificar su voto a favor. "Pero para nosotros el matrimonio es la unión de dos personas en base al amor. Y el amor no es ni homosexual ni heterosexual", agregó.

Mientras, la diputada oficialista Valeria Rubino, que vestía con los colores del arco iris, dijo que votar la ley era "fundamental" y que los homosexuales, al igual que los heterosexuales, "siempre conformaron familias".

Por su parte, el diputado nacionalista Gerardo Amarilla intervino en contra del texto. "Esta norma desvirtúa y desnaturaliza la institución del matrimonio", y por tanto impacta "en la sociedad y en la familia", especialmente en su "rol de procrear", afirmó.

El espacio reservado al público para seguir el debate de la cámara baja estuvo colmado por unas 300 personas, en su mayoría militantes de agrupaciones homosexuales, que festejaron el resultado.

El proyecto original surgió de un texto redactado por el Colectivo Ovejas Negras que promueve demandas de grupos homosexuales y retomado por diputados del Frente Amplio.

"Estamos viviendo un hecho histórico. Hoy Uruguay salda su deuda con muchos uruguayos que aún sufren discriminación", dijo Federico Graña, uno de los líderes del Colectivo Ovejas Negras, a The Associated Press. "Hoy a nivel estatal se le da dignidad al amor entre dos personas del mismo sexo", agregó.

"En función de los trámites necesarios, calculamos que las primeras parejas homosexuales se estarán casando 90 días después de promulgada la ley o sea, que debería ser a mediados de julio", dijo Graña.

Uruguay se convierte así en el país número 12 del mundo y el segundo de América Latina después de Argentina en permitir el matrimonio homosexual en todo su territorio.

En los alrededores del Congreso había gente disfrazada y portando banderas de Uruguay y el arco iris. Las agrupaciones homosexuales organizaron una fiesta en la plaza adyacente, con música electrónica. Travestis, parejas homosexuales de la mano, jóvenes y veteranos disfrazados bailaban y saltaban festejando la votación de la ley.

"Tenemos los mismos derechos y obligaciones. Yo pago mis impuestos y cumplo con mis responsabilidades igual que los demás, ¿por qué van a discriminarme?", dijo Roberto Acosta, un jubilado homosexual de 62 años que portaba una bandera y un abanico con los colores del arco iris, a la AP.

"Tengo una pareja que quiere casarse conmigo. Vamos a ver, ya mismo no va a ser, pero sí quería tener la opción de hacerlo cuando tenga ganas", explicó.

Además del matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo, la ley incluye otros temas polémicos, como permitir que parejas homosexuales adopten niños.

El texto implica además cambios para todos los matrimonios -homosexuales o no- como por ejemplo poder decidir el orden de los apellidos de los padres al nombrar un hijo, biológico o adoptado, o iniciar el trámite de divorcio por decisión de cualquiera de los dos cónyuges; hasta ahora sólo la mujer tenía ese derecho merced a una norma de 1912.

La iglesia Católica había llamado a los legisladores a rechazar el proyecto, y en un comunicado en el sitio de la Conferencia Episcopal del Uruguay sostuvo que "llamar de manera igual a realidades desiguales, so pretexto de igualdad, no es justicia sino asimilaciones inconsistentes que sólo harán que se debilite todavía más el matrimonio. Constatar una diferencia real no es discriminar".

"Esta ley pone en riesgo derechos tan fundamentales como los del niño, que corre el riesgo de convertirse en un objeto, especialmente cuando se plantea la adopción plena como un derecho de todos los matrimonios, sin tener en cuenta que debe primar el interés del propio niño de crecer, en lo posible, con una clara referencia materna y paterna", concluye el comunicado.

Michelle Suárez, integrante del Colectivo Ovejas Negras y participante de la redacción del texto original, explicó a la AP que la nueva ley también permitirá que parejas homosexuales extranjeras viajen a Uruguay a casarse, como de hecho ya ocurre con las parejas heterosexuales, "siempre y cuando cumplan los trámites migratorios ordinarios correspondientes".

La justicia uruguaya reconoció por primera vez en junio un matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo al aceptar la solicitud de un uruguayo y un español casados previamente en España que querían formalizar su situación en el país.

El gobierno de Mujica, un ex guerrillero izquierdista, ha impulsado en los últimos meses varias leyes liberales en Uruguay, incluyendo la legalización de la marihuana y la reciente despenalización del aborto.

Ralph Klein Obituary: A Divisive Legacy, A Controversial Politician And A Man Of The People

2013-03-29T14:21:50-04:00

Ralph Klein's humble beginnings could not possibly have foreshadowed the impact he would have on Alberta and the imprint he would leave on Alberta politics.

Klein, Officer of the Order of Canada, Member of the Alberta Order of Excellence, former journalist, Calgary mayor, Alberta premier, and unapologetic Tory, died in Calgary on Friday. He was 70.

Seen by his supporters as 'a man of the people' and by his detractors as brutish, Klein left an undeniable mark in the social, political and economic fabric of Alberta.

Story continues after slideshow

Klein's focus on abolishing the provincial debt became mantric.

His efforts, to a great degree, were behind the province's ability to deliver balanced budget after balanced budget during the latter half of his tenure as premier.

But his efforts also saw a massive exodus of medical professionals, the demolition of hospitals in the 1990s, cuts to the arts and belt-tightening in education.

Klein was heralded as the knight who slew the dragon of unbridled government spending and put an end to provincial debt, but he was also credited with saddling the province with a backlog of infrastructure issues that may take decades to overcome.

Klein was born in Calgary in 1942 and had a tumultuous childhood. He was, to a great degree, raised by his grandparents after his parents separated when he was six years old. Klein was a high school dropout.

He finished high school after joining the RCAF reserves and eventually attended Athabasca University.

His communications career played out much the same way as his political career – unconventionally. Where many reporters make the jump from journalism to public relations, Klein made the jump from public relations to reporting, working for the Red Cross and the United Way before becoming a TV reporter in 1969.

He put his communications skills to work as a politician when he was elected mayor of Calgary in 1980. By all measures, Klein was a popular mayor.

During his tenure as the city's chief executive, Klein garnered national attention when he attributed the overcrowding in Alberta’s jails and prisons at the time to "bums and creeps" coming to the province from Eastern Canada. He was also the mayor who helped Calgary win the right to stage the Winter Olympics and was the reigning mayor when the games came to town in 1988.

Klein entered provincial politics the following year, being elected the Progressive Conservative MLA for Calgary Elbow in the 1989 election.

As the province struggled under a mountain of debt and failed business ventures, Klein took over the party in December, 1992, becoming premier with the promise to reduce the size of government and to aggressively reduce the provincial debt.

His manner of politics was characterized by a brash sort of charisma that allowed many to feel close to the man, seeing him as a guy they could very well run into at a downtown bar and have a beer with. To others, he was simply brutish.

But his style, which earned him the moniker 'King Ralph,' and his laser-sharp political focus, allowed him to maintain an air of invincibility, as he ruled continuous majority governments for 14 years.

He was against gay marriage in Alberta, hated the Kyoto Accord, shot from the hip and is behind Canada's only flat tax.

He had it and didn't mind flaunting it.

In typical King Ralph fashion, and in a not-so-humble manner, Klein gave each man, woman and child living in Alberta in 2005 a $400 cheque, later dubbed 'Ralph Bucks,' after he made the provincial debt a thing of the past.

The point was made. He paid off the provincial debt and now he could throw proverbial $100 bills out into the province’s streets.

Klein often came across as a cold political operator driven by focused views, and to whom a good balance sheet was all that was required for good politics.

But then there were the moments of humanity too.

Upon being elected mayor of Calgary, he said, "none of these people owe me anything, but I owe them a lot."

After one of the lowest points in his career – a day on which he stumbled past an Edmonton homeless shelter and tossed some change at a homeless man, while telling him to get a job – Klein publicly, and with uncharacteristic humility, admitted to having an alcohol problem.

During his last day at the Alberta Legislature, the 'Man of the People,' 'King Ralph,' the premier with the rough edges, cried.

Klein's politics were loved by many but also widely despised.

"My day was not complete without a protest or two or three," Klein said.

But few people who were in the province under his reign would deny the politician was a likeable guy.

But he doesn't leave behind just the image of an outspoken politician or a loveable persona.

When rage burns inside today's conservative Albertans upset that the province will run a deficit, they are revealing a mindset brought to life by Klein.

When Albertans talk about the government’s getting out of the business of business and prophesize about the virtues of small government, that is Klein talking.

When Albertans react defensively about the oil patch or the province's agriculture, it is a continuation of a belief system fostered by Klein.

So many of the beliefs and mindsets that are automatically associated with Alberta attitudes today, for better or worse, are sentiments that were fostered and introduced to the populace’s collective way of thinking by Klein.

To some extent, today's Alberta PCs struggle with that legacy, as they try to marry the province's growing and expensive infrastructure and service needs with what is now a provincial culture of expecting low taxes and even lower spending.

On top of that, the Tories must deal with the many conservatives disillusioned with the current government, and who yearn for a return to those guiding principles.

Klein does leave a divisive legacy, but it is a legacy – whether divine or misguided – that most likely came from an honest place.

When expressing his feelings about Alberta, Klein, who in later years battled dementia and chronic lung problems, is quoted as saying: “This is a province rich in blessings and hope. The best is yet to come."

Calgary HuffPost Blogger Wins Best Political Blog At Canadian Blog Awards

2012-12-06T18:29:14-05:00

He is the lamb in the lion's den.

Vincent St. Pierre is an opinionated, straight-talking blogger, who never shies away from stirring the pot and he's ahem, a Liberal.. in Calgary..

But he doesn't just thrive in what would typically be a hostile environment, he blogs about it to the world and his blog, CalgaryLiberal.com, was just named Best Political Blog at the Canadian Blog Awards.

The winners in each category -- of which there were nearly two dozen and included best travel, technology, food, sports and others -- were chosen through popular votes.

"The Canadian Blog Awards is an annual event on the Canadian Blogosphere in which Canadian Bloggers and Blog Readers vote to decide which blog is the best - either overall or within a category," states the Canadian Blog Awards page.

The awards have been around since 2004.

Vincent has been part of The Huffington Post family since the launch of HuffPost Alberta and his contribution to the brand and insight into Alberta politics from the other side of the fence have been invaluable.

Most recently, Vincent followed and wrote on the intricacies and the unforeseen shifting tide that took a hold of the Calgary Centre byelection. It was a grassroots tidal shift that no one foresaw. Well, Vincent did and he forecasts a continuing shift.

The four-point gap between the Liberals and the Conservatives can be closed. What brought the Locke campaign to such a close race with the Tories was that he articulated principles that for such a long time haven't been talked about. Especially from Liberals. A principle governing style: focused on being fiscally prudent, socially progressive, and environmentally responsible at home and abroad are key here.

Vincent has been operating Calgary Liberal for more than three years and has managed to rake in an immense amount of knowledge and insight into the political landscape locally, provincially and nationally.

So on behalf of The Huffington Post family, we'd like to extend our most heartfelt congratulations to one of our most edgy bloggers, Vincent St. Pierre.

The Huffington Post's blog platform is, above all else, a launch pad for the sharing of ideas. Nationally, our stable of bloggers includes everyone from Preston Manning to David Suzuki and, in terms of subjects, anything goes.

If you'd like to blog for HuffPost Alberta, or cross post from an existing blog, send us a note here. You see, Vincent could really use the company at the awards next year.

Travis Brandon Baumgartner: U of A Report Recommendations Show Gaps In Response To Killings

2012-10-03T13:29:19-04:00

School dispatchers were overwhelmed and key crisis managers were never alerted, as shots rang out during the fatal HUB Mall armed robbery, according to recommendations in University of Alberta reports into the mass killings.

The massive number of calls coming into the University of Alberta Protective Services centre overwhelmed dispatchers, limiting their ability to support field officers during and after the massacre, states the first of 16 recommendations attached to the two internal reports presented to school mere days before the man accused of the crimes makes his next court appearance.

As a result, the set of recommendations calls for processes to be put in place to allow for the increase of “dispatch staffing to handle the high volume of calls without removing Peace Officers from the field.

“In the early stages of the HUB incident University of Alberta Protective Services (UAPS) members in the dispatch area were overwhelmed with calls and requests for information. This limited their ability to provide support for UAPS officers in the field.”

The recommendations also call on the Office of Emergency Management to review and enhance Crisis Management Team databases and protocols to ensure that in the future the right people are notified and deploy accordingly.

“During the HUB incident it was discovered that some Crisis Management Team members’ contact information was inaccurate. As well, some CMT members were not certain about whether their attendance at the Emergency Operations Centre was required, even after the emergency message was issued,” states the second recommendation.

Story continues below..

The two reports, which were compiled by the U of A’s internal security services, determined school staff, and the departments entrusted to deal with such situations, acted according to protocols and within the parametres set out for them.

But Philip Stack, the U of A’s associate vice-president of Risk Management Services and chief author of the reports says its hoped 16 recommendations outlined in those reports will 'continually improve' the university’s response to future large scale emergencies.

"Bearing in mind that emergency response to violent crime such as this is the responsibility of the City Police, who did their job very well, we believe our emergency response processes and actions functioned effectively in this situation," he said.

"No members of our community were injured; we worked effectively with emergency responders; we communicated with all of our many stakeholder groups; and the university was able to return to its normal work very quickly."

Meanwhile, the University of Alberta is defending its decision to not implement the campus emergency notification system to alert students of the shooting.

“Based on the facts associated with the incident and our current policies on the use of the system, we have determined that the university acted clearly within defined policies and procedures," said Stack.

Travis Baumgartner is expected to make his next court appearance on Friday on a litany of charges, including murder and attempted murder.

Baumgartner is believed to be behind a bloody incident that saw three armoured car guards working for GS4 shot and killed during an alleged inside-job armed robbery. The killings occurred as the crew worked at an ATM machine inside the U of A campus on June 15. A fourth crew member was also shot at close range but survived the ordeal.

Eddie Rejano, Michelle Shegelski and Brian Ilesic have been identified as the guards who died. Matthew Schuman was left in critical condition.

It's believed Baungarten then grabbed the cash from the scene and fled the mall located within the U of A campus, before being nabbed at a Canada/U.S. border crossing.

Bachelorette Mindy, Aspiring Funeral Director From Rocky Mountain House, Alberta's Last Bachelor Contestant

2012-09-26T12:48:55-04:00

Mindy, a tattoo-clad, aspiring embalmer/funeral director from Rocky Mountain House is Alberta's last addition to the inaugural edition of the Bachelor Canada.

But although her prospective career path may paint a dark picture of the Albertan looking for love next week in The Bachelor Canada, her outlook is positively sunny.

"I have a really big personality," the 33-year-old tells bachelorcanada.ca.

"I am fun, I'm funn-y. I'm a person who loves to live life so I love to love.

"I love that I can make people laugh, smile, and feel comfortable."

For someone who hopes to work with cadavers, Mindy makes it clear that a passion for life is a must in a possible relationship.

"I hope the Bachelor loves life as much as I do," she said.

"Somebody who has a zest for life, I want that for me."

And about those tattoos? They're on her chest, stomach, upper back and lower back. But no big deal, Mindy says.

"All can be hidden by a shirt," she explains.

But if Mindy doesn't find love with Bachelor Brad Smith, a former Edmonton Eskimo, there may be business prospects with another Alberta bachelorette.

Chantelle is a pastor, preaching her way through life in Sylvan Lake.

Other Alberta bachelorettes who will vie for Smith's attention when the show premieres next week on Citytv and OMNI include a Wetaskiwin lass, a sweet girl from the oil patch and a Calgary administrative assistant who thinks she already has this whole competition in the bag.

Walk A Mile In Her Shoes Calgary 2012 Brings Out The High Heels And The High Bidders

2012-09-20T19:21:56-04:00

Walk A Mile In Her Shoes strolled back into Calgary on Thursday raising hundreds of thousands to help women, and their children, walk away from family violence.

It was a scene brought to you by the words glitter and sparkle, and the colours red and pink, as the male-dominated event saw hundreds of men don heels and walk to raise money in support of the YWCA's initiative, now on its seventh year.

And in case anyone ever wondered how Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi likes his heels, he likes them red... hot red apparently.

What is going on with my feet? #walkamile twitter.com/nenshi/status/...
-- Naheed Nenshi (@nenshi) September 20, 2012

"The YWCA is proud to raise awareness and funds to support the serious issue of family violence," said Sue Tomney, CEO of the YWCA of Calgary.

"Family violence is the single largest women's health issue in Canada. It affects women and children of all races, ages, socio-economic classes and educational backgrounds."

Pengrowth Energy Corporation raised more than $200,000 in an effort to defend their title as top team and top walkers.

But being at the top means there will always be people gunning for you.

But raising the cash may be the easy part. The real men then strap on their heels and do two laps of Olympic Plaza in downtown Calgary.

The YWCA hopes to raise $500,000 this year.

Bachelorette Sandy: Wetaskiwin Girl Latest To Join The Bachelor Canada

2012-09-19T13:06:24-04:00

Bachelorette Sandy from Wetaskiwin is the latest Albertan to join the cast of The Bachelor Canada.

Compared to some of the other ladies from across Canada revealed this week – there’s a strip club server from Manitoba and a grad student from B.C. – Sandy is positively the girl next door.

The latest Alberta addition to the inaugural Canadian edition of the popular reality TV show is a 29-year-old makeup artist who describes herself as bohemian, fashionably country, and trendy but classic.

And she seems to be heading in the right direction.. Her likes in a man?

“Athletic, muscular, big arms for me to hold onto,” she tells bachelorcanada.ca, which may explain her desire at a shot with Bachelor Canada’s Brad Smith, a CFL free agent and former Edmonton Eskimo wide receiver.

But a hunky demeanour may not be enough for Sandy, who hopes Smith is also, “open minded, patient, but an all-round friendly, easy going, charismatic guy that will look at me and speak sentences without speaking a word,” she said.

Alberta is holding nothing back as other bachelorettes from Wild Rose Country include a pastor from Sylvan Lake, a sweet girl from the oil patch and a Calgary administrative assistant who thinks she already has this whole competition in the bag.

The Bachelor Canada premieres on Citytv and OMNI Television on Oct. 3.

McKenzie Towne Condo Fire: Police Release Photo Of Persons Of Interest

2012-09-17T15:52:24-04:00

UPDATE: A press release issued by Calgary police at 7:32 p.m. on Sept. 17, says all three teens pictured have come forward to police and given statements. None are considered suspects

A three-alarm McKenzie Towne condo fire that destroyed dozens of units, vehicles and construction equipment, and that lit up the Calgary sky over the weekend is now being considered suspicious.

Three young men are now being sought in connection to the blaze, said the Calgary Police Service.

The blaze tore through the 600 block of McKenzie Towne Dr. S.E. around 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning, destroying a condo complex that was still under construction.

Photos released by the CPS, which confirms the arson unit is now handling the investigation, shows three men in close proximity to the fire as flames arch into the night sky.

“The cause of the fire is still yet to be determined. However, the Arson Unit is investigating,” said the CPS in a release.

“Investigators believe three young men in the area at the time the fire occurred may have more information.”

Early estimates peg the total cost of the fire, which destroyed 22 units and damaged 13 others, between $3 million and $4 million.

Cars and construction equipments parked in the vicinity were also damaged by the intense heat.

Police ask anyone with information about this fire to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or to log on to tttTIPS.com.

Blaine Alexander Prockiw Charged After Brother Clayton Killed In Hit-And-Run

2012-09-17T13:48:06-04:00

Blaine Alexander Prockiw was charged in a hit-and-run after Mounties approached his family to notify them that his brother had been killed on a highway crash near Smoky Lake over the weekend.

The car Mounties believed was responsible for the death was at the home where the notification was being served.

Mounties said Clayton Bradley Prockiw was struck and killed by a vehicle early Sunday morning while he walked south on Hwy. 855.

The body was found later by a passing motorist, said Smoky Lake RCMP.

“The highway was closed for several hours as members from the RCMP Collision Reconstruction Team and Forensic Identification Section investigated the scene,” said RCMP Sgt. Steve Smith.

“Through crime scene investigation, the vehicle make and model was identified.

“Police located what is believed to be the suspect vehicle while notifying family members of the incident.”

That car allegedly belongs to Clayton’s brother Blaine, said Mounties.

Alcohol is believed to have been a contributing factor and Mounties are continuing with the investigation, said Smith.

Blaine, 49, of Smoky Lake, has been charged with failing to stop at the scene of an accident.

Alcohol – combined with a 4x4 joyride – is also believed to be a factor in a traffic fatality near Brooks over the weekend, said police.

One man was killed in the crash while another was taken to Calgary via STARS Air Ambulance in a crash that occurred Saturday evening within the Martin Industrial Subdivision just south of the City of Brooks, Mounties said in a press release.

“Two males were joyriding in their Jeep, driving over a large dirt mound,” Mounties said.

“The Jeep landed on its roof.”

Joel Preston, 41, of Brooks, was the passenger in the vehicle and was killed in the crash, Mounties said.

The driver, a 41-year-old Tilley man, was sent to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Charges are pending, said Mounties.

Peter Lougheed's Many Accomplishments Over The Years

2012-09-13T23:28:51-04:00

Peter Lougheed, the former Albertan Premier who left an unprecedented mark on the province and country, died on Thursday.

Known for his political accomplishments, his list of achievements certainly didn't stop at politics.

A Harvard graduate, Lougheed also played for the Edmonton Eskimos during the 1949 and 1950 seasons.

Credited for building Alberta's infrastructure, Lougheed pushed the expansion of building roads to schools, and even hospitals including the Peter Lougheed Centre, where he passed on Thursday.

Not many leaders can be thanked for such a diverse array of achievements, from building and protecting Kananaskis Country in Alberta to bringing a multicultural nation together.

Here are some of Peter Lougheed's achievements.

Peter Lougheed Was A Titan

2012-09-13T23:02:56-04:00

Peter Lougheed has died at the age of 84.

The former Alberta premier and Tory leader was, unequivocally, a titan.

He was an Edmonton Eskimos alumni, with a masters degree from Harvard, and with the kind of family and political pedigree the likes of which you don't see in the public arena any more.

But never mind that. Lougheed was a politician who redefined a province, who empowered Western Canada, who laid the foundation and turned Alberta from a rural bread basket into the engine that today fuels one of the world's most stable economies.

He was a man who took on Ottawa and didn't win outright. He did something much more profound. He brought Ottawa, for the most part, around to his way of thinking. Winning outright would've left lingering feelings of alienation in the rest of the country and bad blood between two governments that have to work together for the good of the confederacy.

During the days of the National Energy Program and world-wide recession, which at that point in time was the nearest thing to the Dirty Thirties the world had yet seen, Lougheed crossed swords with an enigmatic, charismatic and volatile Pierre Elliott Trudeau. The result of that colossal battle to this day shapes how Ottawa and the provinces conduct business with one another.

As far as Lougheed was concerned, the fight was about allowing Alberta to pursue its fortunes and to have control over a resource industry recently kicked into overdrive. And so, because of his actions and motivations, Alberta started down its path towards becoming an economic powerhouse.

Other premiers would've stood back and pumped their chest in an "I showed them" display of power that lesser politicians think will get them re-elected.

As he never seized to reiterate, it was never about winning for the sake of winning or about giving the Alberta of the 1960s and '70s a badly needed ego boost -- although he did that. It was about making Alberta stronger and, by extension, making Canada stronger.

Later in life he never failed to miss the opportunity to say that he was "Canadian first and Albertan second." And therein lies the essence of the man, someone who so tirelessly championed his home province but who had an unrivaled love for his country.

Thus is the essence of a man who championed Alberta's non-renewable resources industries but who created, and by extension made it possible to protect the pristine mountain haven that is Kananaskis Country.

Thus is the essence of a man who wasted no time in using royalties to build roads and schools and roads and parks but who, through the creation of the Heritage Fund, found a way to ensure that Alberta's wealth didn't run out when the oil did.

Perhaps he was the walking definition of pragmatism or perhaps he was the last of his kind in Alberta and a dying breed around the world -- a true statesman.

There is a reason why there is now a massive provincial park named after him, a Calgary hospital that bears his name and why he can help a beleaguered Alison Redford election campaign with a heartfelt endorsement.

After he left office, Lougheed didn't live in the limelight but had no problems stepping into it when his convictions called for him to do so.

He never backed down from a fight but never punched below the belt. Lougheed could argue passionately and loudly but never came across as anything less than classy.

He often said in later years that he was successful because he believed in the concept of the team, because he listened and because he loved Canada without reservation.

He lived his life in the name of service, using his love of Alberta and Canada as his compass, and one achievement at a time.

Maybe that's why today we see voter apathy, because we no longer have people like Peter Lougheed to vote for.

Andrew Will: AHS Official Gets $738,000, 18-Month Severance Package

2012-09-12T14:16:49-04:00

Critics are fuming and calling for an Auditor General review after an Alberta Health Services offical received a $738,000, 18-month severance package.

Friends of Medicare say AHS official Andrew Will received the massive pay-out in February after he left Alberta health to take the equivalent job in Saskatchewan.

“This is yet another insult to Alberta's health care workers and taxpayers, and we want the Auditor General to review it,” said Friends of Medicare Executive Director Sandra Azocar.

"This sweetheart deal makes a mockery of everything AHS has told Albertans about its executive contracts."

AHS spokesman Bruce Conway said Will was downsized, and although he was an employee with AHS during the last year-and-a-half that he worked in Alberta, Will was previously CEO of Aspen Regional Health from 2006 until the formation of AHS.

"He was with AHS from its formation, as Executive VP and Executive Lead, Transition, and before that, Executive VP, Clinical Support Services," said Conway.

"He was paid 18 months severance in accordance with the terms of his employment contract with the former Aspen Regional Health ... AHS inherited that contract upon the creation of AHS."

AHS has often said their hands are tied and hide behind what they call contractual obligations, said Azocar, adding while Will got an 18-month severance, a recently departed VP only got a 12-month package.

This is only the latest in a number of fiscal faux pas in the AHS to come to light this year.

AHS Chief Financial Officer Allaudin Merali lost his job this summer after it came to light he had put nearly $350,000 in the taxpayers tab in the form of expenses over a three-year period. He spent that money on, among other things, repairs to his Mercedes Benz and $30/hour butlers.

This was not the first time Merali has run afoul in terms of expenses.

He made headlines in Ontario where he expensed to EHealth Ontario teas, muffins and parking fees while making $2,700 per day, topped up with a $75 per diem. It's also been reported that Merali expensed to Ontario residents approximately $21,000 in flights to and from Edmonton.

AHS Board member Sheila Weatherill also lost her job soon after Merali, when it was discovered she had approved the expenses.

Alberta health minister Fred Horne said at the time he was “dumbfounded” by the events and vowed action.

"If Albertans are going to have confidence in our health care system, it is imperative that they know we are doing everything we can to ensure we never see something like this again," he said.