Alberta
Update 3: Charges laid against 4 people – Drayton Valley RCMP on scene at firearms incident
UPDATE #3
July 30, 2020
Drayton Valley RCMP on scene at firearms incident – charges laid
Moon Lake, Alta – Following an incident on July 28 that saw a pursuit, a vehicle fire, and the deployment of the RCMP Emergency Response Team, charges have been laid against four accused subjects.
At 8:32 a.m., Drayton Valley RCMP were dispatched to a home invasion which had just occurred. The suspects fled the house prior to police arrival.
The suspect vehicle was initially spotted on Highway 759 by an Alberta Sheriff, but an attempt to stop it was not successful. The vehicle continued to flee. The vehicle was spotted by a homeowner on Range Road 72 near Highway 624. The vehicle fled that property and was located by members in a field off of Range Road 73 near Moon Lake Hall. The RCMP set up containment when the vehicle was spotted on a field. The vehicle caught fire in the field, and the attending RCMP members contained the area.
Neighbouring detachments of Evansburg, Mayerthorpe and Parkland all provided assistance with the containment. Supporting units, including Police Dog Services, Emergency Response Team and Air Services were all engaged.
Two males were located initially at a residence near Highway 22. The other two subjects were located as a result of a tip from the member of the public.
Three of the accused were treated and released at a local hospital as a result of injuries believed to have been sustained by jumping from the moving vehicle. No one else was injured during these incidents.
Shawn Victor Fleming (30), Stuart Kevin McMillan (19) and Dylan Alexander Andres (21) all of Edmonton are jointly facing numerous criminal code charges including; break and enter to a dwelling house, using a firearm while committing an indictable offence, possession of a prohibited weapon, et al.
Judicial Interim Hearings were held and all three accused remain in custody to attend court on August 4 in Drayton Valley.
A 38-year-old female from Edmonton is also facing charges which have not been sworn in court yet.
Information received led investigators to a location where two firearms were recovered.
The public assistance received by the RCMP was very appreciated throughout this incident.
Background
UPDATE #2
July 28, 2020
Drayton Valley RCMP on scene at firearms incident – All suspects in custody
Moon Lake, Alta. – Thanks to a public tip, the male and female suspects have been arrested without incident, with the assistance of the Emergency Response Team.
Residents in the area are free to leave their homes, and the public is thanked for their assistance during this unfolding incident.
The investigation remains ongoing. A further update by the RCMP is not anticipated until tomorrow morning. This allows the RCMP an opportunity to conduct their investigation which includes determining the nature of the incident and gathering facts.
UPDATE #1
July 28, 2020
Drayton Valley RCMP on scene at firearms incident – Two in custody
Moon Lake, Alta – Two males have been taken into custody by the RCMP and two suspects remain at large in the Moon Lake Hall area.
Following a home invasion resulting in a stolen vehicle, reported at 8:32 this morning, the RCMP continue to search for a male and a female suspect. They are believed to be armed and should be considered dangerous.
The RCMP Emergency Response Team has been deployed to assist in their capture.
Further updates will be provided when available
Background – Drayton Valley RCMP on scene at firearms incident
Moon Lake, Alta. – The Drayton Valley RCMP currently have a field contained in the Moon Lake Hall area, north of Drayton Valley, near Township Road 520 and Highway 22. All area residents are asked to remain in their homes and shelter in place.
An unfolding incident involving firearms is actively occurring. The police have suspects contained in an area. This is a dynamic situation and an update will be provided when available.
Alberta
Alberta mother accuses health agency of trying to vaccinate son against her wishes
From LifeSiteNews
Alberta Health Services has been accused of attempting to vaccinate a child in school against his parent’s wishes.
On November 6, Alberta Health Services staffers visited Edmonton Hardisty School where they reportedly attempted to vaccinate a grade 6 student despite his parents signing a form stating that they did not wish for him to receive the vaccines.
“It is clear they do not prioritize parental rights, and in not doing so, they traumatize students,” the boy’s mother Kerri Findling told the Counter Signal.
During the school visit, AHS planned to vaccinate sixth graders with the HPV and hepatitis B vaccines. Notably, both HPV and hepatitis B are vaccines given to prevent diseases normally transmitted sexually.
Among the chief concerns about the HPV vaccine has been the high number of adverse reactions reported after taking it, including a case where a 16 year-old Australian girl was made infertile due to the vaccine.
Additionally, in 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration received reports of 28 deaths associated with the HPV vaccine. Among the 6,723 adverse reactions reported that year, 142 were deemed life-threatening and 1,061 were considered serious.
Children whose parents had written “refused” on their forms were supposed to return to the classroom when the rest of the class was called into the vaccination area.
However, in this case, Findling alleged that AHS staffers told her son to proceed to the vaccination area, despite seeing that she had written “refused” on his form.
When the boy asked if he could return to the classroom, as he was certain his parents did not intend for him to receive the shots, the staff reportedly said “no.” However, he chose to return to the classroom anyway.
Shortly after, he was called into the office and taken back to the vaccination area. Findling said that her son then left the school building and braved the sub-zero temperatures to call his parents.
Following his parents’ arrival at the school, AHS claimed the incident was a misunderstanding due to a “new hire,” attesting that the mistake would have been caught before their son was vaccinated.
“If a student leaves the vaccination center without receiving the vaccine, it should be up to the parents to get the vaccine at a different time, if they so desire, not the school to enforce vaccination on behalf of AHS,” Findling declared.
Findling’s story comes just a few months after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith promised a new Bill of Rights affirming “God-given” parental authority over children.
A draft version of a forthcoming Alberta Bill of Rights provided to LifeSiteNews includes a provision beefing up parental rights, declaring the “freedom of parents to make informed decisions concerning the health, education, welfare and upbringing of their children.”
Alberta
Alberta’s fiscal update projects budget surplus, but fiscal fortunes could quickly turn
From the Fraser Institute
By Tegan Hill
According to the recent mid-year update tabled Thursday, the Smith government projects a $4.6 billion surplus in 2024/25, up from the $2.9 billion surplus projected just a few months ago. Despite the good news, Premier Smith must reduce spending to avoid budget deficits.
The fiscal update projects resource revenue of $20.3 billion in 2024/25. Today’s relatively high—but very volatile—resource revenue (including oil and gas royalties) is helping finance today’s spending and maintain a balanced budget. But it will not last forever.
For perspective, in just the last decade the Alberta government’s annual resource revenue has been as low as $2.8 billion (2015/16) and as high as $25.2 billion (2022/23).
And while the resource revenue rollercoaster is currently in Alberta’s favor, Finance Minister Nate Horner acknowledges that “risks are on the rise” as oil prices have dropped considerably and forecasters are projecting downward pressure on prices—all of which impacts resource revenue.
In fact, the government’s own estimates show a $1 change in oil prices results in an estimated $630 million revenue swing. So while the Smith government plans to maintain a surplus in 2024/25, a small change in oil prices could quickly plunge Alberta back into deficit. Premier Smith has warned that her government may fall into a budget deficit this fiscal year.
This should come as no surprise. Alberta’s been on the resource revenue rollercoaster for decades. Successive governments have increased spending during the good times of high resource revenue, but failed to rein in spending when resource revenues fell.
Previous research has shown that, in Alberta, a $1 increase in resource revenue is associated with an estimated 56-cent increase in program spending the following fiscal year (on a per-person, inflation-adjusted basis). However, a decline in resource revenue is not similarly associated with a reduction in program spending. This pattern has led to historically high levels of government spending—and budget deficits—even in more recent years.
Consider this: If this fiscal year the Smith government received an average level of resource revenue (based on levels over the last 10 years), it would receive approximately $13,000 per Albertan. Yet the government plans to spend nearly $15,000 per Albertan this fiscal year (after adjusting for inflation). That’s a huge gap of roughly $2,000—and it means the government is continuing to take big risks with the provincial budget.
Of course, if the government falls back into deficit there are implications for everyday Albertans.
When the government runs a deficit, it accumulates debt, which Albertans must pay to service. In 2024/25, the government’s debt interest payments will cost each Albertan nearly $650. That’s largely because, despite running surpluses over the last few years, Albertans are still paying for debt accumulated during the most recent string of deficits from 2008/09 to 2020/21 (excluding 2014/15), which only ended when the government enjoyed an unexpected windfall in resource revenue in 2021/22.
According to Thursday’s mid-year fiscal update, Alberta’s finances continue to be at risk. To avoid deficits, the Smith government should meaningfully reduce spending so that it’s aligned with more reliable, stable levels of revenue.
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