(CBC) - Val Montgomery was traveling four kilometers under the speed limit New Year's Eve when she was pulled over and given a speeding ticket for $632.
The trouble was that Montgomery, driving from Canmore to Calgary, had passed an unmarked RCMP cruiser, which had pulled over another driver and had its emergency lights flashing.
And that meant her 106 km/h was almost double the speed limit for passing an emergency worker, new legislation that came into effect at the end of October.
"It was devastating. I mean, $632, I was shocked. I was absolutely shocked," Montgomery said.
The new rules introduced by the province allows for fines double that of other speeding offences if the driver is traveling faster than 60 km/h in a construction zone, or when passing emergency vehicles or tow truck with lights flashing.
Cpl. Dave Hardy, with the Airdrie RCMP, says the law has been in effect for more than two months and any grace period where warnings were handed out is over.
"I really do hope the education gets out there and there's some sort of change in the driving habits and people aren't purposely ignoring the regulations or if they don't know about it," Hardy said. "Because, as I said, the grace period is coming to an end.
"And the tickets are going to be very high."
He adds that a media blitz was launched when the legislation, intended to reduce the number of emergency and construction workers injured, came into effect.
Montgomery says more should have been done to inform the public - especially about what constitutes an emergency vehicle.
"It just floored me. This was an incident where you pass a police car that had pulled a car over for speeding," she said. "It didn't even occur to me that would have been an emergency vehicle.
"An emergency vehicle to me is, you know, the scene of an accident or police marked cars with lights flashing, ambulance vehicles, all those types of vehicles."
Hardy says any police car, fire truck or ambulance is considered an emergency vehicle.
"Stopping a vehicle for speeding is a common thing on our highways, or any traffic violation, and those are the incidents where our officers need to be protected," he said.
The province says it will post signs at the border and in construction zones to remind drivers to slow down.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
"Red Deer going down the toilet"
Your article about this paramedic really adds to my ill opinion of the crime that goes on in our neibourhood. I am a tow truck driver, another public service that has been taken for granted. In one week I have been assaulted three times, called some ugly names, spit on, pushed, struck and verbally abused. Other public service official don't even have it as good as I do, I'm talking about our Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I deal with these people everyday, I listen to the scanner everyday and I hear and see what these dedicated people go through.
"It's not a job it is a life style." this is how my job was explained to me on my very first day as a driver. So true for us as well as other public servants. We’re there when you need us and abused when you don't. With the infestation of hard drugs added to our already intoxicated alcohol induced drivers, it is in my opinion, not safe to be on the road after 9pm any night of the week.
Everyday when the bar closes is crazy, there are not enough cabs to take the drunk’s home all at the same time, so they drive, and then there are not enough officers to catch them all. Countless times the Remand center has been filled to capacity as well as the detachment. People it is time to wake up! This little community that I have lived in for many years is going down the toilet. All we need is hookers to complete the pre-requisites to be a large city. The amount of break-in's, assaults, thefts, stolen cars are amazing, don't for one minute think that it doesn't happen just because you don't hear about it.
My writing this comment I feel is doing a bit of my part to educate the public on the real deal of what takes place in our community. I also think that our media does not what to advertise this situation to its extent because, who would want to live in a society that has a high crime rate? It would definitely make someone think twice about moving here if they knew the dark side of Red Deer.
I have been enlightened with the problems Red Deer has, being on the front lines as a public servant. My recommendation, get involved, make a difference, it is your community that our children are growing up in.
Would you be surprised to hear that little Billy from down the street broke into three houses last week and has a crack problem to pay for. Or Mrs. Jones's daughter from church performs web cam sex on the internet. PEOPLE IT HAPPENS! Don't get so busy with trying to get the bigger house, the nicer car, to miss what goes no in your own back yard.
There are many public servants in this community that dedicate their life to making a better society, a better and safe community for our children and their children. EVERYONE has an obligation to our community to do their part. We as public servant need your help to clean it up.
The fact that the comment was made that, "We generally don't have any problems." is maybe because no-one has stepped up to the plate to say anything.
The bar owners have got to take more responsibility too, for the service they provide. Filling people full of booze then unleashing them on the community all at 3am is ridiculous. The government that controls the laws in this city lives by the majority rule philosophy. So we need to speak up, do something, start with yourself, if you think you have a problem there are people here to help with any kind of addiction, or disorder.
Next your family, abuse is very rarely reported because it isn’t just the hitting that hurts. When your child dresses up like a gangster to go to school, there’s a problem. When all they do is play video games that glorify violence, and crime, there’s a problem.
Your block, know your neighbour, we are all in this together, they can watch your back and you can watch yours.
And last but not least, help your community members that make a living making yours better, safer, so you can call it home.
COME ON PEOPLE DON’T JUST SIT THERE DO SOMETHING!!!
Signed;
A man with a vision, for a better community.
"It's not a job it is a life style." this is how my job was explained to me on my very first day as a driver. So true for us as well as other public servants. We’re there when you need us and abused when you don't. With the infestation of hard drugs added to our already intoxicated alcohol induced drivers, it is in my opinion, not safe to be on the road after 9pm any night of the week.
Everyday when the bar closes is crazy, there are not enough cabs to take the drunk’s home all at the same time, so they drive, and then there are not enough officers to catch them all. Countless times the Remand center has been filled to capacity as well as the detachment. People it is time to wake up! This little community that I have lived in for many years is going down the toilet. All we need is hookers to complete the pre-requisites to be a large city. The amount of break-in's, assaults, thefts, stolen cars are amazing, don't for one minute think that it doesn't happen just because you don't hear about it.
My writing this comment I feel is doing a bit of my part to educate the public on the real deal of what takes place in our community. I also think that our media does not what to advertise this situation to its extent because, who would want to live in a society that has a high crime rate? It would definitely make someone think twice about moving here if they knew the dark side of Red Deer.
I have been enlightened with the problems Red Deer has, being on the front lines as a public servant. My recommendation, get involved, make a difference, it is your community that our children are growing up in.
Would you be surprised to hear that little Billy from down the street broke into three houses last week and has a crack problem to pay for. Or Mrs. Jones's daughter from church performs web cam sex on the internet. PEOPLE IT HAPPENS! Don't get so busy with trying to get the bigger house, the nicer car, to miss what goes no in your own back yard.
There are many public servants in this community that dedicate their life to making a better society, a better and safe community for our children and their children. EVERYONE has an obligation to our community to do their part. We as public servant need your help to clean it up.
The fact that the comment was made that, "We generally don't have any problems." is maybe because no-one has stepped up to the plate to say anything.
The bar owners have got to take more responsibility too, for the service they provide. Filling people full of booze then unleashing them on the community all at 3am is ridiculous. The government that controls the laws in this city lives by the majority rule philosophy. So we need to speak up, do something, start with yourself, if you think you have a problem there are people here to help with any kind of addiction, or disorder.
Next your family, abuse is very rarely reported because it isn’t just the hitting that hurts. When your child dresses up like a gangster to go to school, there’s a problem. When all they do is play video games that glorify violence, and crime, there’s a problem.
Your block, know your neighbour, we are all in this together, they can watch your back and you can watch yours.
And last but not least, help your community members that make a living making yours better, safer, so you can call it home.
COME ON PEOPLE DON’T JUST SIT THERE DO SOMETHING!!!
Signed;
A man with a vision, for a better community.
Paramedic assaulted while helping driver
Nov 28 2005
Photo by RANDY FIEDLER/Advocate staff Wrecked minivan involved in police chase sits in Ponoka towing yard. Story by Paul Cowley Advocate staff A Ponoka paramedic was assaulted Friday as she tried to tend a suspected drunk driver pinned in the wreck of a stolen vehicle. The minivan, believed stolen by Hobbema gang members, flipped end over end on Hwy 53 shortly after 5 p.m. while its driver was trying to evade a pursuing Ponoka bylaw officer. Police were also racing to the area when the accident happened. "Police secured the vehicle and its occupants at gunpoint prior to the arrival of EMS and fire crews due to the possibility that the passengers were armed," said Ponoka RCMP Cpl. Douglas Enns in a news release. A man and a 15-year-old were removed from the minivan unharmed. "The third man was more difficult. At one point he had purposely elbowed a female paramedic in the jaw as she was inside the overturned vehicle attempting to help him," alleged police. The driver remains in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Glen Holly, general manager of Guardian Ambulance, confirmed it was one of his employees who was hit. "My comment would be we're not happy with that," he said. "We want to look out for the safety of our paramedics and EMTs. "It's not something we like to hear about. But he said incidents of this kind are very rare. "We generally don't have any problems. The incident began about 5 p.m. Friday when a Ponoka bylaw officer spotted a minivan speeding erratically through town on Hwy 53. A license plate check showed they didn't match the vehicle and police were called. The vehicle veered in and out of its lane, forcing oncoming cars to swerve to avoid head-on collisions, said Enns. The pursuing bylaw officer turned his emergency lights on and eventually pulled the vehicle over. The officer ordered the occupants to stay where they were until police arrived. Before police got there, the minivan took off, but soon got stuck in heavy traffic on Hwy 53. Police said the driver then made a "dangerous and ill-conceived attempt to pass eastbound traffic" which almost caused a head-on collision. The minivan driver lost control and the van rolled end over end Ponoka RCMP had been looking for a similar van allegedly stolen earlier by aboriginal gang members. Leslie Cattleman, 29, of Hobbema, is charged with impaired and dangerous driving, flight, possession of stolen property and assault Neil Cattleman, 26, of Hobbema, is charged with possession of stolen property. The 15-year-old was not charged. A few hours later on Friday, Ponoka RCMP had to deal with more mayhem believed to be alcohol-fueled. A driver remains in critical condition after his vehicle slammed into an embankment at about 12:45 a.m. The accident happened only a few minutes after police had been warned a drunk driver had left a Lacombe bar despite an offer of a free taxi ride. Police said the man was talking to family members on his cell phone when the crash happened. RCMP said the 34-year-old Ponoka man was traveling south on Elkhorn Road when he failed to see a marked T-intersection at Hwy 53, about 10 km west of Ponoka. He slammed into the embankment of a ditch and was thrown headfirst into the windshield. He was not wearing a seatbelt. "Witnesses indicate that he narrowly avoided colliding with an eastbound tractor trailer unit," said Enns. "Alcohol is believed to be a major factor. Police at the scene identified the truck as one they had been searching for a short time before after getting a call from Lacombe Police Service. "Lacombe members had been contacted by staff at a local bar when the driver had consumed an amount of liquor there which would have impaired his ability to drive. Police were given his description and license plate number. The bar the man was drinking in has a policy of offering a free cab ride home to patrons whose liquor tabs exceed $50. "This particular man refused," alleged police. The man was taken to Ponoka hospital, where a warrant was obtained for blood samples before he was transported by STARS to Edmonton. The investigation continues.
Photo by RANDY FIEDLER/Advocate staff Wrecked minivan involved in police chase sits in Ponoka towing yard. Story by Paul Cowley Advocate staff A Ponoka paramedic was assaulted Friday as she tried to tend a suspected drunk driver pinned in the wreck of a stolen vehicle. The minivan, believed stolen by Hobbema gang members, flipped end over end on Hwy 53 shortly after 5 p.m. while its driver was trying to evade a pursuing Ponoka bylaw officer. Police were also racing to the area when the accident happened. "Police secured the vehicle and its occupants at gunpoint prior to the arrival of EMS and fire crews due to the possibility that the passengers were armed," said Ponoka RCMP Cpl. Douglas Enns in a news release. A man and a 15-year-old were removed from the minivan unharmed. "The third man was more difficult. At one point he had purposely elbowed a female paramedic in the jaw as she was inside the overturned vehicle attempting to help him," alleged police. The driver remains in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Glen Holly, general manager of Guardian Ambulance, confirmed it was one of his employees who was hit. "My comment would be we're not happy with that," he said. "We want to look out for the safety of our paramedics and EMTs. "It's not something we like to hear about. But he said incidents of this kind are very rare. "We generally don't have any problems. The incident began about 5 p.m. Friday when a Ponoka bylaw officer spotted a minivan speeding erratically through town on Hwy 53. A license plate check showed they didn't match the vehicle and police were called. The vehicle veered in and out of its lane, forcing oncoming cars to swerve to avoid head-on collisions, said Enns. The pursuing bylaw officer turned his emergency lights on and eventually pulled the vehicle over. The officer ordered the occupants to stay where they were until police arrived. Before police got there, the minivan took off, but soon got stuck in heavy traffic on Hwy 53. Police said the driver then made a "dangerous and ill-conceived attempt to pass eastbound traffic" which almost caused a head-on collision. The minivan driver lost control and the van rolled end over end Ponoka RCMP had been looking for a similar van allegedly stolen earlier by aboriginal gang members. Leslie Cattleman, 29, of Hobbema, is charged with impaired and dangerous driving, flight, possession of stolen property and assault Neil Cattleman, 26, of Hobbema, is charged with possession of stolen property. The 15-year-old was not charged. A few hours later on Friday, Ponoka RCMP had to deal with more mayhem believed to be alcohol-fueled. A driver remains in critical condition after his vehicle slammed into an embankment at about 12:45 a.m. The accident happened only a few minutes after police had been warned a drunk driver had left a Lacombe bar despite an offer of a free taxi ride. Police said the man was talking to family members on his cell phone when the crash happened. RCMP said the 34-year-old Ponoka man was traveling south on Elkhorn Road when he failed to see a marked T-intersection at Hwy 53, about 10 km west of Ponoka. He slammed into the embankment of a ditch and was thrown headfirst into the windshield. He was not wearing a seatbelt. "Witnesses indicate that he narrowly avoided colliding with an eastbound tractor trailer unit," said Enns. "Alcohol is believed to be a major factor. Police at the scene identified the truck as one they had been searching for a short time before after getting a call from Lacombe Police Service. "Lacombe members had been contacted by staff at a local bar when the driver had consumed an amount of liquor there which would have impaired his ability to drive. Police were given his description and license plate number. The bar the man was drinking in has a policy of offering a free cab ride home to patrons whose liquor tabs exceed $50. "This particular man refused," alleged police. The man was taken to Ponoka hospital, where a warrant was obtained for blood samples before he was transported by STARS to Edmonton. The investigation continues.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Flash Fanatics
It is of course a never ending adventure in the life of a designer. Always looking at things a different way, seeing the angle of light hit an object casting shadows in a peculiar way. Everything that has ever been thought,dreamed, seen and experienced has made us who we are today, tomorrow we will be different than today. It is a perpetual change of evolution. Thinking of the future will not change the past but the past does predict the future. The way I look at the same thing I see today, tomorrow it will be different.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Welcome
Greetings to all Flash Developers, aspiring students and Action Script writers. This is the place to share cool Flash web sites, post questions, and share new ideas. Help is only a click away! Please keep comments professional. Thank-you.
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