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Chief West says province’s ambulance turnaround targets “lofty”, but doable

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsDirector of Emergency Services for the Town of Picture Butte Frank West said the province’s 45 minute goal for ambulance turnaround will require targeted collaboration between agencies to meet, but that it was time for the national benchmark to be adopted and pushed in Alberta.During the April 20 meeting of Picture Butte Council, West presented the Director of Emergency Services report touting a number of updates including the recent implementation of the province’s goal to get ambulances back out into the community faster and aim to have patients safely handed over to emergency department teams within 45 minutes. The benchmark is not a directive per se, but rather a “target” which falls in line with national benchmarks, said West.West said overall he is hearing reports that the effort has been going, “Very well,” in other parts of Alberta.“It’s been very successful in Calgary,” since it began nearly two months ago, and in Medicine Hat shortly thereaf...

Province invests in post-secondaries in southern Alberta

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

By Trevor BuschSunny South [email protected] provincial government recently announced $193 million will be invested in post-secondary institutions to create up to 8,000 new seats in high-demand programs in health care, technology and business.Here in southern Alberta, that translates into 288 new seats for a total investment of $6,101,506 at Medicine Hat College and the University of Lethbridge.“I think it’s a great thing,” said Taber-Warner MLA Grant Hunter. “One of the issues we’re facing right now is labour, we need to have skilled labourers to be able to get everything done that we’re doing in terms of the food processing corridor, just the growth that we’re seeing in the province. Our problem isn’t unemployment. It’s the labour crisis, we just don’t have enough skilled labourers to do the work. So there has to be that investment in our post-secondary education system.”Medicine Hat College will see a $2,105,084 investment for the Practical Nursing program (96 seats).T...

Private school funding is out of whack

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

Imagine if Elon Musk said that the state of California should help fund his private planes and helicopters because he still pays taxes for state highways even though he doesn’t use them. Shouldn’t the government fund choice in transportation?Seems absurd, doesn’t it? Even for Elon Musk.What if I want to hire a personal security detail to follow me around? Shouldn’t the government use some of the police budget to pay for my security? Don’t you support choice in protective services?So why is the view on education treated so differently? Why, in Alberta, do we believe that we must fund a public education system and also fund the wants of people who choose not to use it?It’s not the same in other provinces.Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island don’t fund private schools.Even provinces that do fund private schools fund them at a lower rate than we do. In B.C., some private schools receive 50 per cent of the funding of public schools, but...

AMWWP grants to support critical water infrastructure in southern AB

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsGrant funding provided by the Alberta Municipal Water/Wastewater Program (AMWWP) has been awarded to a number of southern Alberta municipalities in recent weeks.The AMWWP provides cost-shared funding to eligible municipalities and are used to help build and upgrade municipal facilities for water supply and treatment, and wastewater treatment and disposal.Among several successful municipal applicants in the south were the Towns of Coaldale, Picture Butte, Taber and Vauxhall, as well as the Villages of Stirling and Barons.MLA for Taber-Warner, Grant Hunter said the investments in the south’s critical water and wastewater infrastructure, “is a foundational piece of supporting economic growth and development across southern Alberta, and Canada’s Premier Food Corridor,” along Highway 3.The Town of Coaldale received $525,000 to go towards engineering costs for a potable water reservoir pump station. With growth in the town on the rise, the core infrastructu...

Kate Andrews Spring Band concert returning in June

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsAfter three years of health restrictions and cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, current and former music students at Kate Andrews High School are finally getting the opportunity again to showcase their talents in an end-of-year concert.With the return to pre-pandemic gatherings and events, the school’s music director, Scott Godin is reaching out to former students to spread the word about the upcoming performance, which will give those impacted by the restrictions the chance to partake in this year’s concert.Godin said, “the past few years have been difficult, and the music students at Kate Andrews have missed out on doing concerts for a few years due to COVID.”Although Godin is hoping to reach former students from the 2020-2022 graduating classes, all former students are “welcome to take part.” The concert will feature pieces studied and learned by students during this time, including Cajun Folk Songs (2018), Aladdin (2019), and finishing th...

Citizen on Patrol Committee approved

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

By Nikki JamiesonSunny South NewsCoaldale now has an official Citizen on Patrol group in town.During their regular April 24 meeting, Coaldale town council met with a delegation from Coaldale Citizens on Patrol, on the formation of an official town society.“The local group is at a point now where they want to be able to share information with the members coming onto the committee, so they can move forward and form some terms of engagement, and also forming a society for the necessary legal things to move forward and forming the local Citizens on Patrol Society,” said Mark Anderson, manager of community policing for the town.COP is seeking a council decision on approving the Terms of Reference and the formation of a society.Previously, during a December 2022 council meeting, town administration was directed to complete an updated Terms of Reference for COP before returning to council to present the terms and seek the formation of a Town Committee for COP. Council had also asked for CO...

Coaldale bylaws, amendments passed

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

By Nikki JamiesonSunny South NewsA trio of bylaws were passed by Coaldale town council during their April 24 meeting.The first bylaw – Special Tax Recreation Bylaw 868-C-04-23 – allows the Town of Coaldale to pass a special tax bylaw for the purpose of raising funds to pay for the design and construction of the new multi-use recreation facility in town. Of the facility’s $18,880,000 cost, $10 million is being funded through debenture debt, with the payments to be covered from revenue gathered by a $10/month special tax levy. The levy applies to each developed residential parcel of land within the town’s boundaries, at a rate of $120 per developed residential parcel of land. A similar bylaw was passed in 2022.“The special tax bylaw is an annual bylaw put in place, so when council does approve it, it is only valid for (an approval) for one year, so you can’t approve it for say, 20 years,” said Kyle Beauchamp, director of corporate services for the town.Last year, a similar bylaw raise...

Pertussis outbreak now zone-wide in South Zone

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

Alberta Health ServicesAn outbreak of pertussis (Whooping Cough) declared Jan. 26, 2023 in the South Zone of Alberta Health Services (AHS) now has 146 identified cases. This is an increase from 126 as of April 20.The newly-reported cases indicate the outbreak is now present in Medicine Hat and Lethbridge, as well as smaller communities in the zone. Cases have been identified at schools and other community locations such as churches and sites where children gather to take lessons. Public Health is unable to identify linkages between most of the recent cases, indicating there is likely more disease circulating in communities that is not being reported.The majority of cases are among children between one and nine years old, but some adults have also been affected. Newborns and young children are most vulnerable for severe illness and complications. Five children have required hospitalization during the course of this outbreak.AHS is issuing a reminder to all people of the importance of...

Inside look at drug recognition expert school

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Tuesday, NEWS10 told you how local law enforcement is using drug recognition experts to detect impaired drivers. Wednesday, we took you to DRE training school to show you what their training is all about. Law enforcement detects impaired driving with Drug Recognition Experts NEWS10’s camera was allowed inside this classroom where 20 officers are being trained on impaired driving and it is all part of a long process.“First, you're required to successfully complete the basic course for police officers at 6 months of training and the new curriculum also includes a one-day course on recognizing the cannabis impaired motorist, then you're required to complete a two day a ride course: advanced roadside impaired driving enforcement,” said Albany County Sheriff Commander, Adam Keral.Once they get passed that, they are now DRE class ready.“There's like basically two weeks of classroom work where you're learning about how to evaluate somebody impaired by...

Kailey’s Wish

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Since Kailey Paul could walk, she’s been riding horses. The 14-year-old Rensselaer County girl trains and competes in equestrian events all over the country. All of that came to a screeching halt in August of 2022, when she started experiencing severe headaches, fatigue and neck pain. The doctor sent her in for an MRI, and the results nearly brought Kailey and her parents to their knees. There was a large tumor where the spine connects to the brain, and it was cancer.Kailey jumping a horse during practice.“When she first got diagnosed, it was like a punch to the face,” according to her mother, Donna Cole Paul. She added, “Everything stops and all you can think about is her getting better.”They acted quickly with emergency surgery followed by an aggressive regiment of chemotherapy and proton radiation treatments, both in Albany and at a hospital in New York City.Kailey tells NEWS10, “I have to be honest, it’s hard. It’s a tough treatment.”Making matters worse...