Oct. 2, 1996
A move by the province to challenge the gun registry and licensing provisions of federal gun control legislation — Bill C-68 — was a step in the right direction, according to several local stakeholders. Wild Rose MP Myron Thompson called the challenge a positive move, and something he supports. “I disagree with the legislation,” he said. “It’s not going to solve the problem of crime, and crime is the problem.” The Alberta government had announced on Sept. 26 its intention to ask the Alberta Court of Appeal to rule on whether the federal government can legally impose firearms licensing and registration on the provinces and territories. The province planned to argue that the registry and licensing provisions were unconstitutional because they involve property rights, which fall under provincial jurisdiction. Under the bill, all firearm owners had to be licensed and all of their firearms registered by 2003. Although Brian Evans, Alberta’s Minister of Justice at the time, said C-68 was unfair, he added the province “strongly supports the provisions of Bill C-68 to deter crime and provide stiffer sanctions for those who use a firearm to commit a crime or smuggle illegal firearms.”
Oct. 4, 2011
Sundre’s mayor Annette Clews reminded residents and visitors to be cautious when walking or biking on the town’s pathways. Clews received minor scratches and scrapes to her arms and legs when a doe with a fawn charged her on a pathway near Alder Close in the northeast subdivision on Sept. 25. Clews and her dog Charlie jumped into some bushes when the deer, which was likely protecting its offspring, came at her. Clews said she grabbed a stick and waved it at the deer before backing away and moving out of the area. “I made myself as big as I could and made lots of noise,” she said. “It stood there and watched me until I backed away.” For his part, Charlie — a Labrador — moved away from the deer as quickly as Clews did. “He was trying to hide between my legs,” she said. “He had been swimming in the river so I think his wet smell may have alarmed the deer who thought he was a threat.” People should always throughout the year be on the lookout for deer and other wildlife when on municipal pathways, she said. “We have a large trail system and a lot of wildlife in town,” she said, suggesting that people “take a walking stick with them when they go out walking on the paths. And if they come across an aggressive deer like that, make yourself as big as possible.”
