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    3/11/2010
    Candle light vigil held for foster child
    8:15 pm
    Around 60 people arrived at the Alberta Legislature Thursday night to remember a toddler whose death is being investigated as a homicide. They lit candles and embraced one another while paying tribute to the 21-month-old girl who died at the Stollery Children’s Hospital on Wednesday, March 3rd.   She arrived there two days earlier after an alleged incident at a Morinville-area foster home. But RCMP have yet to make any arrests and have refused to talk about the findings of the medical examiner. Family members, however, say they were told the girl’s death was consistent with brain injuries caused by shaken baby syndrome. The child had been in foster care for about two months after being taken away from her mother with her father said to be out of the picture. Family members say they were under the impression it was a temporary measure, but they were also left wondering why their offers to look after the toddler had been turned down. (td)
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    3/11/2010
    Animal dies at Valley Zoo
    3:45pm
    Details are now known about the death of an addax at Valley Zoo, last weekend. An addax is a member of the antelope family. In a release from the zoo Thursday, staff say the animal died after inhaling regurgitated food into her lungs after being sedated. The addax had escaped from a holding pen near the back of the public area of the zoo, as it was being cleaned. It got out through a gate which was left open, which is against proper zoo procedure. After being sedated and recaptured, the zoo says the animal appeared to be doing fine but then unexpectedly stopped breathing. Efforts to revive it were not successful.(bp)
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    3/11/2010
    New royalty structure for Alberta
    3:15pm
    The Alberta government has announced much-anticipated changes to its royalty rates. Speaking in Calgary Thursday afternoon, Energy Minister Ron Liepert announced a reduction in the rates, bringing them more in line to what they were before changes were made last year. The reductions are projected to bring in another $700 million a year in re-investment in the province. It's also expected to create another 13,000 jobs in the near future. The competitiveness review also focussed on making regulatory changes that will cut down on red tape and barriers. The government will also look at how to deal with the extra costs of new advanced technologies needed to develop mature fields.(CHQR/bp)
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    3/11/2010
    May family makes tough decision for "Baby Isaiah"
    1:55pm
    It's a sad end to the story of the five-month-old boy we've come to know as "Baby Isaiah." Alberta Health Services called a news conference Thursday afternoon, at which time it was announced Rebecka and Isaac May of Rocky Mountain House made the difficult decision to drop their court battle against AHS and Stollery Children's Hospital to keep their son on life support. "Isaiah James May passed away at 12:11 this (Thursday) afternoon," said the Mays' lawyer, Rosanna Saccomani. "He was in the arms of his parents, Rebecka and Issac May. He was surrounded by his extended family -- his aunts and uncles, his grandparents." The child suffered severe oxygen deprivation at birth, after his umbilical cord got wrapped around his neck. Doctors at the Stollery children's hospital wanted to take him off life support in January, but Rebecka and Isaac May fought for more time to get a second opinion. The case was due to return to court Thursday morning but was cancelled. The Mays were not present for the Thursday afternoon news conference, instead having their lawyer speak on their behalf. (bp) ***** Alberta Health Services offers condolences to May family EDMONTON - Understandably this is an extremely ...
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    3/11/2010
    Capital Region plan gets board approval
    1:50pm
    It's official. The province has signed off on the creation of the Capital Region Board. Its mandate is to manage the impacts of development on our land, water and air, as well as to promote the efficient use of land with an eye to conservation and stewardship on both private and public property. Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel says Thursday's acceptance by the province isn't about financing any major projects. "The endorsement of the plan is the endorsement of the plan," says Mandel. "The plan, itself, creates direction which our region will move. This is all about planning, co-operating, and building a stronger region." It's estimated, the Capital Region will grow by 60,000 people over the next 40 years. The board's job is to manage that growth.(dl/bp) On the Web: Capital Region Board
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    3/11/2010
    Random breathalyzers a breach of your rights?
    1:35pm
    The federal government wants input on random breathalyzers to help cut down on impaired driving. The federal justice committee cites statistics from other countries, saying the practice reduces the number of impaired-driving related incidents. But, in doing so, the government may be infringing on your rights. "We want to make sure the government and police have a reasonable grounds for asking for that information," says Linda McKay-Panos with the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre at the University of Calgary. "Anything that's an arbitrary sort of search and seizure, we're looking at an infringement of our personal space." Ottawa says the policy has shown "remarkable results" in Australia, New Zealand, and 22 European countries.(sg/bp)
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    3/11/2010
    Municipal election changes coming
    1pm
    The province is re-introducing a contentious piece of legislation, aimed at changing some of the municipal election rules. Municipal Affairs Minister Hector Goodreau says the changes focus on issues of major concern to anyone thinking about launching a campaign to run in Alberta's civic elections this fall. "This bill will look at a couple things - one, is residency requirements for the next municipal election this fall," says Goudreau. "That was a recommendation that came from a court decision about a year ago, so we'll be providing clarity in that areas, as well as responding to quite a number of concerns on Bill 203 as a follow-up." Goodreau says it's impossible to respond to everyone's concerns, but he feels the renamed Bill 9 will take care of most of the objections to the former Bill 203.(dl/bp)
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    3/11/2010
    Could be a dry summer in the Capital Region
    12:33pm
    This winter so far has been Canada's warmest in 63 years. Bill McMurtey is a Meteorologist with Environment Canada. He says here in Edmonton, our temperatures were average. However, there's one area where we were well below normal. "Both this year and last year we have seen below normal precipitation so far," McMurtry says. "For the city of Edmonton, looking at precipitation amounts for December, January and February, we've only received about half the normal precipitation that we would get for those three months." McMurtey adds low precipitation in the winter usually leads to a dry summer. (aa)
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    3/11/2010
    Ottawa's budget numbers don't add up, watchdog says
    12:20pm
    Parliamentary budget watchdog Kevin Page says the federal government's most recent plan to balance the budget is still about $10 billion short. Page says he agrees with Ottawa's budget projections as far as the next two years go, but further out he believes they are overly optimistic. He says, in the last two years of the projection period -- 2013-14 and 2014-15 -- the deficit will be about $10 billion more than Ottawa expects. That's because Ottawa is counting too heavily on increases in corporate tax revenues and underestimating expenditures, especially the cost of paying for the growing national debt. Page notes that under his calculations, the deficit will only be $12.3 billion in five years' time. He notes that is a small amount given the size of the economy. (The Canadian Press/bp)
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    3/11/2010
    "Baby Isaiah" hearing cancelled
    11:40am
    The case of "Baby Isaiah" won't be going ahead Thursday. Court of Queen's Bench says the case involving the child on life support at Stollery Children's Hospital was taken off the Thursday morning docket. No reason has been given, nor has there been a new date scheduled for the case to proceed. Calls to Isaiah May's parents, and to the lawyer of Rebecka and Isaac May haven't been returned. Alberta Health Services, meantime, released a short statement Monday morning indicating more details will be released later in the day. A news conference has been scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The Mays will not be present, instead they will be represented by their lawyer. "Baby Isaiah" is the five-month-old who suffered severe oxygen deprivation, after his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck at birth. Doctors at the Stollery children's hospital wanted to remove him from child support in January. The Mays fought the move, successful getting more time so they could have another doctor give a second opinion on their child's future.(bp)
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