Home invasion on O’Chiese First Nation
October 13, 2016. Rocky Mountain House RCMP are investigating a home invasion that took place at 4 am. Oct. 11 on the O’Chiese First Nation. Three unknown males entered a residence with a firearm, stole numerous items and then left. Shortly after, RCMP responded to a report of a male suffering from a gunshot wound. He was air lifted to a hospital in Calgary in critical condition. His condition has been upgraded to stable, with non-life threatening injuries. An intensive investigation has been initiated into both occurrences and involves the RCMP Rocky Mountain House detachment, Forensic Identification Services, Police Dog Service, and the Emergency Response Team. Rocky Mountain House RCMP are urging the public to provide any information they may have as to the identity of the individuals responsible for committing these acts of violence. Please contact the Rocky Mountain House RCMP at (403) 834-2882 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS),
Hearing for Fort McMurray West transmission line underway
October 13, 2016. The hearing to determine the route for Fort McMurray West, a major new northern Alberta power transmission line, got underway Wednesday. The 500-kilovolt line will stretch about 500 kilometres from a facility near the Genesee generating plant to a new substation west of Fort McMurray, supported by 1,100 V-shaped metal towers standing up to 53 metres high. The Alberta Utilities Commission must approve the plan, including whether to follow the preferred west route roughly due north of Onoway to northeast of Wabasca, or if an option between those two points that's about 40 kilometres east is better. AUC was told more than 80 per cent of owners along the preferred course have agreed to the right of way, however, hundreds of individuals and members of Métis communities, First Nations, support groups, and companies have filed objections to the $1.5-billion scheme. Alberta PowerLine, a partnership between Calgary-based Atco and Quanta Services of Houston, Tex., was selected in 2014 to design, build, own, operate and finance the project. Fort McMurray West is one of six power projects approved by the former Conservative government as critical infrastructure. The public hearing is expected to last four to six weeks.
Town hall highlights government support for cultural businesses
October 13, 2016. Entrepreneurs of Indigenous, African and Caribbean descent attended the Alberta Jobs Plan Town Hall for Cultural Businesses in Edmonton on Wednesday. Hosted and organized by Edmonton-Centre MLA David Shepherd, the town hall was designed to support the growth of small- and medium-sized Indigenous, African and Caribbean businesses. Shepherd credits the African business community for the idea of the town hall. “They told me they hadn’t felt consulted or included by previous governments and expressed the need to access supports for entrepreneurs in their communities. They want to share in and contribute to the amazing opportunities our province has to offer. This town hall is a first step to help them achieve that,” he said.