Central Alberta
Red Deer Woman to be honoured for helping other women through her photographraphy
From the Central Alberta Soroptimist Club
Central Alberta Soroptimist Celebrate International Women’s Day
Soroptimist International of Central Alberta is please to host their International Women’s Day Garden Party on Sunday, March 8 from 2 to 5 pm at the Penhold Memorial Hall in Penhold. Tickets are $25.00 each and available on Eventbrite. Our guest speaker will be Councillor Teresa Rilling from the Town of Sylvan Lake.
Soroptimist International is a women’s organization that goes to great lengths to promote concerns, challenges and achievements of women everywhere. With the multiple award programs of the organization, deserving women and girls in the community are recognized and honoured.
“We are very pleased this year to present Ashley Jackson with our “Ruby Award: Women helping Women”, said Sherri Smith, of Soroptimist International. Ashley Jackson Boudoir is a Red Deer portrait studio that focuses on female empowerment. This award honours a woman that has worked to improve the lives of women and girls through their professional and volunteer work, and Ashley says that sums up her life’s goal in one magical sentence!
The club will also present the first “Live Your Dream Award” to Adra Mckenzie, a single mom of two boys from Lacombe. She is enrolled at Burman University taking her Bachelors BioMedical Sciences with the intention of one day becoming a pharmacist. The second “Live Your Dream Award” will be presented to Cheralee von Gunten, a single mom of four from Red Deer. She is currently enrolled at Athabasca University taking her Bachelor of Arts in English and Bachelor of Arts in Women’s and Gender Studies. She intents to pursue a career in writing, or in a field that contributes to addressing women’s issues. The third “Live Your Dream Award” will be presented to Lindsey Steeves, a single mom of two from Eckville. She is currently enrolled at Grant MacEwan University completing a Correctional Services Diploma. Her goal is to obtain a career that will allow her to support her children and pursue a career within the Correctional System of Canada.
The Violet Richardson Award (for young girl volunteers) will be presented to Santera Ogles of Blackfalds, a Grade 10 student at Ecole Secondary Lacombe Composite High School. Her volunteer effort include the Red Deer Regional Hospital, JS McCormisk School and fundraising projects for Safe Harbour.
For more information about the International Women’s Day Garden Party or Soroptimist International, call Sherri Smith at 403-391-7912 (cell) or visit us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Alberta
New Sheriffs unit to enhance public safety in Red Deer and Central Alberta
A new team of Alberta Sheriffs will work alongside police to keep crime out of central Alberta communities by targeting problem properties.
Since 2023, Alberta’s government has invested more than $27 million to help fight crime throughout the province. Building on these efforts, the government is now expanding the Alberta Sheriffs’ Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit with the creation of a new team of investigators in Red Deer. The creation of the Red Deer SCAN team is the latest in a series of measures aimed at enhancing public safety and increasing the Alberta Sheriffs’ ability to support police throughout the province.
The move puts more resources on the ground with a team of qualified experts who will investigate properties where illegal activity has been reported and shut them down through court orders when needed. The Red Deer SCAN team – made up of four Alberta Sheriffs – joins existing SCAN teams in Calgary, Edmonton, and Lethbridge, which have proven immensely effective in working alongside local police to shutter problem properties throughout the province.
“Alberta’s government will always maintain a zero-tolerance stance toward crime of any kind, and the expansion of the Alberta Sheriffs’ SCAN unit reflects that. With the creation of a new SCAN team in Red Deer, we’re expanding the unit’s coverage even further and putting more boots on the ground where they’re needed. Let this be a message to all criminals: you are not welcome here. Communities in the Red Deer area have a right not to be plagued by drug and other criminal activity that create dangerous environments, and Alberta’s government will do whatever it takes to keep people safe.”
The Sheriffs’ SCAN unit operates under the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act, which uses legal sanctions and court orders to hold owners accountable for illegal activity happening on their property, such as drug trafficking, human trafficking and child exploitation. SCAN augments and supports local police to both investigate and close properties where evidence of criminal activity has been confirmed.
“Ensuring safety for law-abiding Albertans is of utmost importance for Alberta’s government and requires a comprehensive approach to effectively combat and prevent criminal activity. This involves enhancing law-enforcement resources, fostering community engagement, implementing crime prevention programs, and promoting collaboration between Alberta Sheriffs and local police. This SCAN team is a game-changer in central Alberta and puts criminals on notice that they are not welcome here.”
“The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act holds property owners accountable for activities on their property that threaten public safety. Alberta’s SCAN teams support policing efforts by addressing illegal activities on these properties. This additional team will enhance RCMP community safety programs.”
When a community member reports a problem property to SCAN, the unit begins an investigation. Once the investigation confirms the activity, investigators contact the property owner to try and resolve the issue informally. If informal efforts are unsuccessful, SCAN can apply to the courts for a community safety order to impose restrictions and conditions on the property and its owner, which could include closing the property for up to 90 days. Any criminal activity uncovered when dealing with these properties is turned over to the police to investigate.
“Over the years, SCAN’s impact on community safety has been profound. More often than not, we see individuals in these problem properties carrying out drug operations and other criminal activities beside homes, schools, playgrounds and other places where Albertans’ safety should never be in question. Crime has no place in any Alberta neighbourhood, and we look forward to working with our policing partners in the Red Deer area to help keep central Alberta communities safe.”
SCAN continues to see tremendous success, having closed problem properties in Lethbridge, Calgary, Spruce Grove and Medicine Hat in the last six months alone. Since May 2024, Alberta’s government has publicly announced the closure of seven problem properties by SCAN, including three in Calgary, two in Lethbridge, and one each in Spruce Grove and Medicine Hat.
“Creating a safer environment for our citizens improves the overall quality of our community in Red Deer. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Alberta’s government, SCAN and all our law enforcement partners who work tirelessly every day to keep our communities safe. This is great news for the City of Red Deer, and together, we can make our community safer. I encourage residents to report any suspicious activity to the SCAN unit.”
The Red Deer SCAN team’s operational boundaries encompass the city of Red Deer and its surrounding communities and rural areas, providing coverage to the central area spanning Ponoka to the north and Olds to the south.
Blackfalds
Drugs and guns seized in Blackfalds bust: RCMP
From Blackfalds RCMP
Blackfalds RCMP execute search warrant seizing drugs and guns
Blackfalds, Alta. – In September of 2024 the Blackfalds RCMP General Investigation Section (GIS) with assistance from Sylvan Lake GIS entered into an investigation involving an individual believed to be trafficking drugs in the community. As a result of the investigation, on Oct. 2, 2024, Blackfalds RCMP with assistance from Innisfail RCMP GIS and Red Deer RCMP Police Dog Service executed a search warrant at a home in Blackfalds.
As a result of the search RCMP seized:
- 253 grams of Cocaine
- $3343 in Currency
- 6 firearms
RCMP have arrested and charged Blackfalds resident, Lotus Joan Silver Stalteri-Roberts (25), with:
- Possession for the purpose of trafficking;
- Possession of stolen property under $5000;
- Weapons offences (x8).
Stalteri-Roberts was taken before a Justice of the Peace and remanded into custody with her next court date set for Oct. 3, 2024, at the Alberta Court of Justice in Red Deer.
“This investigation saw the effective coordination of different RCMP Detachments and Sections to quickly and safely remove these drugs and guns from our community,” says Staff Sergeant Andrew Allan.
If you have any information about this investigation or about drug trafficking in the Blackfalds area please contact Blackfalds RCMP at 403-885-3333 or submit an anonymous report through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store. To report crime online, or for access to RCMP news and information, download the Alberta RCMP app through Apple or Google Play.
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