Central Alberta
United Way Central Alberta delivers over $1 million to 22 community service organizations through the government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund
News release from the United Way of Central Alberta
United Way Central Alberta (UWCA) is pleased to announce over $1 million in funding to support 22 projects in Central Alberta through the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund.
The Community Services Recovery Fund is a one-time investment of $400 million to help community service organizations (charities, non-profits, Indigenous governing bodies) adapt, modernize, and be better equipped to improve the efficacy, accessibility, and sustainability of the community services that they provide though the pandemic recovery and beyond.
The following projects are being supported within Central Alberta:
• $63,000 was invested to fund Bashaw and District Support Services Association towards a regional wellness initiative;
• $59,609 was invested to fund Boys and Girls Club of Olds and Area towards a Youth and Parental Supports Pilot Project;
• $75,704 was invested to fund Boys and Girls Club of Red Deer towards program service innovation;
• $52,000 was invested to fund Camrose Adult Learning Council towards Immersive Technologies;
• $62,552 was invested to fund Camrose Association for Community Living towards Next Level Wellness;
• $36,286 was invested to fund Canadian Mental Health Association, Alberta East Central Region 2000 towards Recovery College technology;
• $9,621 was invested to fund Carstairs Public Library towards permanent adaptions;
• $89,638 was invested to fund Central Alberta Immigrant Women’s Association to transform program delivery;
• $41,320 was invested to fund Drumheller Community Learning Society towards Empowering Youth;
• $47,000 was invested to fund Family Violence Action Society: Camrose and District towards infrastructure design;
• $14,000 was invested to fund Friends to the Drayton Valley Library Society towards a children, family, and youth space;
• $9,036 was invested to fund Mary C Moore Public Library towards Kinsmen Program Room Makerspace;
• $76,230 was invested to fund Mountain Rose Women’s Shelter Association towards West Central Community Connections;
• $16,135 was invested to fund Ponoka Youth Centre towards mental health support;
• $9,714 was invested to fund Red Deer Public Library towards their Youth and Literacy Program;
• $98,112 was invested to fund Rocky Primary Counselling Centre of Alberta towards mental health;
• $98,083 was invested to fund Shalom Counselling Centre of Alberta towards healthy families;
• $21,296 was invested to fund Stettler Community Support Centre towards community outreach;
• $81,600 was invested to fund Stettler Information and Referral Centre towards Stettler Circle of Services innovation and expansion;
• $10,757 was invested to fund The Lord’s Food Bank towards hot meal program revitalization;
• $40,337 was invested to fund Ubuntu-Mobilizing Central Alberta towards Collective Alberta-Project; and
• $85,970 Was invested to fund Wetaskiwin & District Association for Community Services towards re-building community and personal engagement.
Community service organizations are at the forefront of addressing communities’ needs. Since the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have struggled with increased demand for their services, reduced revenues, declines in charitable giving due to the rising cost of living, and a greater need to make use of digital tools. Many organizations are struggling to recover and adapt their services to the changing needs of Central Alberta.
For more information, visit the Community Services Recovery Fund website. For more information on United Way Central Alberta, you can visit our website or contact us at [email protected] or 403.343.3900.
Quotes:
“The value United Way Central Alberta adds as a locally governed and operated funder is that we have the trusted systems in place to identify local needs and ensure dollars are invested where they are needed most”- United Way Central Alberta CEO, Chelsea O’Donoghue.
“United Way Central Alberta is proud to have worked with the Government of Canada and United Way Centraide Canada as part of the Community Services Recovery Fund” – United Way Central Alberta CEO, Chelsea O’Donoghue.
Quick Facts:
• The Community Services Recovery Fund is a $400 million investment from the Government of Canada to support community service organizations, including charities, non-profits and Indigenous governing bodies, as they adapt their organizations for pandemic recovery.
• Now more than ever, community service organizations play a key role in addressing complex social problems faced by many communities across Canada.
• From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, community service organizations across Canada have shown impressive stamina and creativity in their response to the diverse and increasingly challenging needs of their
communities.
• The Community Services Recovery Fund responds to what community service organizations need right now and supports them as they adapt to the long-term impacts of the pandemic.
• As community service organizations across Canada work to support recovery in their communities, the CSRF will help them adapt and modernize their operations to grow their impact.
• The Government of Canada is delivering the CSRF through three National Funders (Canadian Red Cross, Community Foundations of Canada, United Way Centraide Canada). The National Funders are distributing funding to
eligible community service organizations, including charities, non-profits, and Indigenous governing bodies, providing services in communities across Canada.
• The Government of Canada supports a more inclusive model of economic growth, one that creates opportunities for everyone in Canada, as the long-term recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic continue.
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.
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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