elk island triangle - may 21, 2015

Vol. 38 No. 9 May 21, 2015 Email: [email protected] Ph: 780-868-9221 or 780-446-3088

Melvin Jones Fellow Award (above) being

presented to Terry Cossey, secretary (left), by

President, Ross Cossey (right) of the Chipman

Lions Club.

Story and photos submitted - Lions International presented

Terry Cossey with the Melvin Jones Fellow award for the

Chipman Lions Clubs generous contribution.

Lions International recognizes outstanding individuals

by bestowing on them an award that is named for its

founder, Melvin Jones. This Fellowship Award (LCIF) is

the highest form of recognition and embodies humanitar-

ian ideas consistent with the nature and purpose of Lion-

ism. The recipient of this award becomes a model be-

cause of the exemplary service to his club and the com-

munity for which it serves.

Lions Clubs International with the support of Clubs

like The Chipman Lions Club have helped to restore sight

to 7.7 million people through cataract surgeries; prevent-

ed serious vision loss for more than 30 million; provided

over 271 million treatments for river blindness; built or

expanded 660 eye care hospitals and clinics; and trained

681,000 eye care specialists and eye health workers.

Terry is the secretary of the Chipman Lions Club.

Lions Club’s Highest Honour Bestowed on

Chipman Lions Club Member

Elk Island Triangle, Thursday, May 21, 2015

- by Sylvia Holowach Three representatives from Accurate

Assessment Group Ltd. (AAG), Lamont County’s new

property assessors, appeared before Council at the April

14, 2015 meeting.

AAG commenced their PowerPoint presentation with

an introduction to the company which was founded in

1997, has a staff of over 45, and specializes in Municipal

Property Assessment and Geographic Information Solu-

tions. A company spokesman reviewed the Municipal

Government Act (MGA) legislation and explained the

strategy AAG is using to ensure all properties within the

county are assessed over four years for completion by

2017.

Municipal assessors are responsible for assessing prop-

erties according to the property’s actual use; Residential,

Non-Residential, Farmland and Industrial Machinery and

Equipment.

AAG indicated they started their property assessment

process in Ranges 19 and 20, on the west side of the coun-

ty, and completed assessment of all properties in 2014

and will work eastward until assessment of all properties

in the county is complete.

AAG suggested “Ranges 19 and 20 saw large changes

in assessment in 2014” with an example being given in

that if; “You can have 160 acres, but if you rent out your

land you are no longer considered a farmer and all your

buildings, including your house, garage, shops and other

structures on the yard will be assessed and taxed. Farm-

land, on the other hand, is not assessed primarily on mar-

ket value because its productive value is also consid-

ered”. AAG explained the 2014 assessments in Ranges 19

and 20 were based on status changes as well as market

value increases.

AGG’s comparison slide of 2013 assessment and 2014

assessment totals read as follows:

Residential – (2013 - $380,613,770) (2014 - $426,316,100) a

difference of $45,702,330 or 112%

Non-Residential – (2013 - $6,597,340) (2014 - $46,959,390)

a difference of $40,362,050 or 712%

Industrial – (2013 - $205,325,550) (2014 - 416,952,420) a


Linear – (2013 - $304,975,290) (2014 - $336,586,690) a


Farmland – (2013 - $95,700,310) (2014 - $95,494,170) a

difference of -$206,140 or 100%

Exempt – (2013 - $80,221,550) (2014 - $82,508,340) a differ-

ence of $2,286,790 or 103%

Grand Total – (2013 - $1,073,433,810) (2014 -

$1,404,817,110) a difference of $331,383,300 or 131%

Although AAG did not stipulate all 2014 assessment

value changes were directly related to properties in

Ranges 19 and 20, they did indicate some property own-

ers on the west side of the county could see assessment

increases ranging from 10% to 48%.

Moving forward, AAG intends to continue status veri-

fication in the 2015 inspection area, physically monitor oil

and gas assets, verify well site equipment and facility sta-

tus, re-inspect 100% of all existing industrial parcels and

inspect 100% of new well sites and facilities.

In closing, AAG stated they intend to have an open

house allowing ratepayers the opportunity to ask ques-

tions and discuss any issues they may have regarding

their property assessments.

When Councillor Bryks asked when AAG planned to

hold the open house, AAG indicated they had not yet set

a date but could make themselves available at the County

Open House in St. Michael on June 10th, if Council so

desired. AAG assured Council they would notify them

once a date and location was set for their open house and

asked if Council felt advertising it would be helpful.

After some discussion, Council believed it was best that

AAG advertise their open house once a date and venue

was chosen. Councillor Warawa asked “why there was

such a change in the west end”. AAG indicated that

numerous properties had not been assessed correctly in

the past and market values had increased. Discussions

ended with Councillor Malica commenting “there will

probably be a lot of appeals”.

Lamont County Property Assessments Could be Rising


- by Sylvia Holowach County Council concluded the 2015 capital and

operating budget process during their May 5, 2015 Council meeting

with the operations budget showing revenues of $25,290,856 and

expenditures of $25,240,856 for a surplus of $50,000 (this amount

is less the budgeted amortization amount of $1,860,651) and the

proposed capital budget showing revenues and expenditures

in the amounts of $11,894,748 each.

However, property tax notices could not be processed until Council

passed Bylaw 749.15; A Bylaw To Authorize The Rates Of Taxation To

Be Levied Against Assessable Property Within The Municipality Of

Lamont County For The 2015 Taxation Year.

There was a 0% increase in the 2015 municipal mill rates

because Council chose to keep mill rates at 2014 levels for

Residential, Non-Residential and Farm Assessment Classifications.

Mill rates related to the 2015 requisitions were adjusted in order to

produce enough levies to cover the total requisition amounts.

The Bylaw, as contained in the meeting package, indicated the

estimated municipal expenditures and transfers set out in the budget

for 2015 totaled $37,135,604; while the estimated municipal

revenues and transfers from all sources other than taxation were

estimated at $15,441,903. The balance of $21,743,701 was to be

raised by general municipal taxation.

2015 Requisitions were listed as:

Alberta School Foundation Fund (ASFF)

Residential/Farm Land 1,188,903.72

Non-Residential 1,569,496.00

Opted Out School Boards

Residential/Farm Land 12,686.62

Non-Residential 0.00

Total School Requisitions 2,771,086.34

Requisition Allowance MGA(359)(2) 0.00

Seniors Foundation 317,929.00

Solid Waste Commission 252, 510.68

Each year; Council is required to levy, on the assessed value of all

property, tax rates sufficient to meet the estimated expenditures and

requisitions. Council is also authorized to classify assessed property

and establish different rates of taxation to each class of property sub-

ject to the Municipal Government Act (MGA), Chapter M-26, Revised

Statutes of Alberta 2000.

The assessed value of all property in the municipality as shown on

the assessment roll is:

Residential 426,316,100

Non-Residential 695,787,160

Farm Land 95,555,530

Machinery and Equipment 122,370,210

Total 1,340,029,000

Therefore, under the authority of the MGA, Lamont County Council

enacted and authorized the following rates of taxation to be levied:

Farmland properties:

Alberta School Foundation Fund 2.3025

Municipal 12.4663

County of Lamont Foundation 0.2373

Solid Waste Commission 0.1885

Total 15.1946

Residential properties:


Municipal 3.2351



Total 5.9814

Commercial (other than Residential Properties except Machinery

and Equipment):


Municipal 19.3453


Solid Waste Foundation 0.1885

Total 22.0268

Machinery and Equipment:

Municipal 19.3453



Total 19.7711

All properties assessed a levy of less than $50.00 will be assessed a

minimum tax rate of $50.00.

Penalties for unpaid property taxes were set at 10% on all current

taxes remaining unpaid after June 30, 2015 and an additional 10% on

all taxes remaining unpaid after December 31, 2015.

Council unanimously accepted the budget and the Bylaw without

hesitation.

2015 County Budget Finalized With 0% Increase in Municipal Mill Rate


“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe”… … How high could our property assessments go?

Property tax notices should be mailed soon and with a 0%

increase in mill rates, our taxes should be the same as last

year - or should they?

In 2014, county assessors completed an assessment of

properties in Ranges 19 and 20. Therefore, some property

owners may see a noticeable change in their 2015 tax notice.

As a property owner in Range 20, and realizing my

assessment may be affected, I decided to familiarize myself

with the taxation process just a bit.

The Municipal Government Act defines property assessa-

ble for taxation as a parcel of land, an improvement, and a

parcel of land and the improvements on it. (Improvements

are homes, buildings, structures and attachments on the

land.)

Assessment is the process of placing an assessed dollar

value on properties for taxation purposes.

Taxation is the process of applying a tax rate to an

assessed value in order to determine property taxes.

A tax rate is the percentage of assessed value at which

each property is taxed. Some municipalities express this in

mills, or mill rate. Property tax is calculated by multiplying

the assessed value of the property by the mill rate and then

dividing by 1,000. For example, a property assessed at

50,000, located in a municipality with a mill rate of 20 mills,

would have a tax bill of $1,000.

Property taxes go up when the property assessment or the

mill rate increase.

Depending on the amount of revenue needed to operate,

a municipality can adjust its mill rate every year. The mill

rate set depends on the assessment base and the amount of

money the municipality needs to generate through property

taxes.

As I was curious to see if my property assessment

changed in 2015; I called the county office the morning of

May 19th only to learn the information couldn’t be released

until May 28th and the computer systems were down so my

file couldn’t be accessed anyway.

With the response I got from the office and Reeve Wol-

danski’s recent public statement, “The reason some proper-

ties are seeing such an increase is partly because some prop-

erties weren’t assessed correctly in the past and partly

because the land values in the Industrial Heartland have

increased,” I wonder what those of us within the Heartland

may find in our tax notice envelopes.

If our properties weren’t assessed correctly in the past,

how long was the problem allowed to go on, and, what were

the Reeve, Council and administration doing, as part of their

duties, when one considers they accepted the assessments

without question in the first place.

Now that the error has been found, is there an attempt

being made to recoup some of the losses the county may

have experienced? I certainly hope not because I really don’t

think that’ll be easily accepted or welcomed by those

affected.

Reeve Woldanski, would you care to explain how you

came to the conclusion that land values have increased in the

Industrial Heartland? Those of us living in the Heartland

have been waiting for that Industrial Locomotive you and

your administration told us (Continued on Page 5)

In My Opinion

NEXT ISSUE – June 4 , 2015

Deadline for Submissions: Friday, May 29, 2015

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(Continued from Page 4)

was headed our way almost ten years ago, to get here! It

must have rolled right through, as there’s been little sign of it

stopping here since the Heartland’s implementation and the

restrictions inflicted on us.

Where were the land value comparisons for properties in

Ranges 19 and 20 drawn from? I would hope our properties

weren’t compared with industrial land values from sales in

Strathcona and Sturgeon Counties, because if they were, I

believe that would be highly unfair and utterly ridiculous.

Strathcona and Sturgeon have both been successful in attract-

ing and securing a strong industrial tax base warranting a

rise in land values.

Lamont County, on the other hand, has had numerous

opportunities to initiate an industrial tax base, but for one

reason or another, interested industrial developments left

and chose to develop elsewhere, clearly indicating the county

has failed miserably at attracting and securing industrial

development.

An admission of assessment errors made in the past is, in

my opinion, too little too late and water under the bridge. It

is an indication however, that those we trusted to collect our

tax dollars fairly and appropriately failed us.

The implication our land values have increased, without

explanation of how this conclusion was reached or examples

of comparisons used leaves me to question if those of us in

Ranges 19 and 20 may now be burdened with higher proper-

ty taxes due mainly to the way we’re zoned.

So, “Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe”…. how long can the appeal

lineup grow?

- Sylvia


- Submitted Fort Air Partnership’s Air Quality Health In-

dex statistics for 2014 show air quality in and around Al-

berta’s Industrial Heartland was within air quality stand-

ards the vast majority of the time. Data used to calculate

the Air Quality Health Index is collected at four of FAP’s

eight continuous air monitoring stations.

FAP immediately alerts the Government of Alberta

whenever an air quality standard is exceeded. They then

determine what the environmental and health impacts

may be. However, there are general government estab-

lished guidelines for the public regarding how to react to

various levels of risk.

AQHI ratings in the high risk category in 2014 were

caused by forest fire smoke or winter temperature inver-

sions. There was only one hour of very high risk in 2014.

This occurred at the Fort Saskatchewan station during a

November 13 temperature inversion event.

There were 12 days in 2014 (3.2% for the year) where

the 24-hour air quality objective for fine particular matter

(PM2.5) was exceeded. That same year, the one hour objec-

tive for PM2.5 was exceeded 13 times out of a possible 8760

hours in a year. Some sources of particulate matter, like

industrial emissions, stay fairly constant year round.

Home heating, roaring fireplaces and idling vehicles in

the winter, and forest fires in the summer, contribute to

higher levels of PM2.5

Alberta Environment is implementing a plan this year

to reduce particulate matter in the region through regula-

tion, education and awareness. Fort Air Partnership is

supporting this by monitoring and reporting on PM2.5

levels against new Canadian standards.

Local daily and forecast Air Quality Health Index lev-

els are posted continuously on FAP’s website. “It’s im-

portant to us and the public that the air quality data we

collect is as transparent and available as possible,” ex-

plained FAP Executive Director Nadine Blaney. She not-

ed the public also has direct access to near real time hour-

ly readings from FAP’s eight continuous monitoring sta-

tions.

*NOTE: Charts and maps of air monitoring stations are

available on the website at: www.fortair.org

Statistics Show Air Quality in Local Region Good Vast Majority of the Time


What are my chances of getting breast cancer? One in eight Albertan women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. The main risk factors for breast cancer are: • Being female (men can develop breast cancer too, but it is rare) More than 75% of women diagnosed with breast cancer are 50 years or older • Having a mother, sister, or a daughter diagnosed with breast cancer increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer. However, 80% of women who develop breast cancer have no family history • Previous diagnosis of breast cancer

Breast Screening Life Plan If you’re younger than 40: • Get to know how your breasts look and feel • See your doctor regularly for a periodic health exam

If you’re 40-49: • Talk to your health care provider about your breast cancer risk and the risks and benefits of screening mammograms • Get an annual physical breast exam from your health care provider • Check your breasts regularly for unusual changes

If you’re 50-74: • Get regular screening mammograms at least every two years • Get a physical breast exam from your health care provider regularly • Check your breasts regularly for unusual changes

If you’re 75 or older: • Talk to your health care provider about continuing mammogram • Get an annual physical breast exam from your health care provider • Check your breasts regularly for unusual changes

Why should I get a screening mammogram? A screening mammogram is a special X-ray of your breast. Once you’re over 50, it is the most effective way to find breast cancer early. Screen-

ing mammograms can detect breast cancer when it is very small, two to three years before you or your physician can feel it. The earlier breast cancer is found the more effective treatment can be.

Screen Test is a mammography service within Alberta Health Ser-vices. Screen Test provides screening mammograms at two permanent clinics, one in Edmonton and one in Calgary. Screen Test has two mo-bile screening trailers that provide services to women in approximate-ly 100 communities in rural Alberta. Screen Test provides high quality screening mammography and breast health education, and has con-sistently exceeded international standards for the early detection of breast cancer.

Is it time for your mammogram? Screen Test will be in Lamont on May 26 - 28, 2015

Call 1-800-667-0604 (toll free) today for your appointment

PARTICIPATE IN BREAST CANCER SCREENING!

Elk Island Triangle, Thursday, May 21 2015

Webb’s Introduces Their New Husqvarna Line

Since their grand opening in

2012, Webb’s Machinery has seen

a great deal of change at their new

store in Lamont. And now,

Webb’s Machinery is pleased to

announce they have recently be-

come a full line dealer for

Husqvarna lawn and garden

equipment. They now carry a

complete line of riding mowers,

push mowers, trimmers, chain-

saws and snow removal equip-

ment for all of your landscaping

needs and for every season. Of

course, Webb’s Machinery is not

only stocking a wide selection of

Husqvarna equipment, they are

also providing service and parts

support for all Husqvarna

products.

Jim Letawsky is the Manager of Construction, Lawn

and Garden and Rentals Department at Webb’s Machin-

ery and is excited about the addition of Husqvarna to

Webb’s product line-up. “It is a very well-built product

that has an excellent reputation with the people who own

it,” says Letawsky. In addition to the new line of lawn

and garden equipment, his department also handles rent-

als of construction equipment such as skid steers and

compact track loaders as well as various attachments,

mini-excavators, grain vacuums, post pounders and

manure spreaders. He and his department staff welcome

you to drop by and see them for all your landscaping and

construction rental needs. They are adding new rental

products regularly, so be sure to let them know if there

something you would like to see added to their fleet of

equipment. Of course, it is all backed up by highly

trained and skilled professionals to meet all of your parts

and service needs.

“The new rental yard and the complete Husqvarna

product line-up have been very welcome additions to our

store in Lamont,” says Miles Mackow, General Manager

of Webb’s Machinery. “We see it as an opportunity to

help meet the needs of everyone in Lamont and the

surrounding communities.


Of course, our main line is

New Holland and our focus

remains on selling and ser-

vicing agricultural equip-

ment, but there is a strong

need for consumer and

rental products and a

strong dealership to sup-

port that equipment. We

have been extremely fortu-

nate to have such strong

support from our custom-

ers and it is a true pleasure

to be a part of Lamont and

the surrounding communi-

ties.” In addition to New

Holland and Husqvarna,

Webb’s Machinery is also a

dealer for many other

equipment lines including

Versatile and Buhler Farm

King, Macdon, Salford,

Seedhawk, Highline, REM

and Renn.

The staff at Webb’s Ma-

chinery is geared up for

spring and is looking for-

ward to seeing you very

soon. Be sure to check out

Webb’s Machinery at

www.webbsmachinery.com

or phone toll free at

1-855-895-2189.

http://www.webbsmachinery.com


Town of Lamont’s Community Spirit Cleans Up

-by Sylvia Holowach On Saturday, May 9, Town of Lamont

Council, staff and residents made the town shine during

the second annual Town Wide Clean Up event.

Before setting off to clear the litter from their assigned

areas, approximately 80 volunteers kicked off the event

by gathering at the Lamont Recreation Center meeting

room to pick up their supply of garbage bags, gloves and

a complimentary T-shirt.

In addition to the residents, who volunteered and took

on the challenge of cleaning up the town; Mayor Bill

Skinner, Councillor Wayne Field and wife Lorraine,

Councillor Dave Taylor, his wife Michelle and their fami-

ly, Councillor Steven Sharun, Councillor Deb Dunsmore,

CAO Sandra Maschmeyer, Administration, Public Works

and Recreation staff could all be spotted throughout town

with garbage bags in hand.

Once finished, everyone congregated at the meeting

room for a well-deserved rest and tasty lunch. Lunch

was donated by the Lamont Lions Club, prepared by the

Chefs of the Lamont Curling Club and enjoyed by all.

In addition to T-shirts, volunteers received a compli-

mentary water bottle and a chance to win one of several

door prizes generously donated by Price Automotive and

Home Hardware. A monetary donation from Pepsi

helped offset the costs of the event.

Approximately three half ton loads of bagged garbage

and numerous large items, destined for the landfill, were

cleared from areas throughout town.

Town representatives consider the clean-up a huge

success and with an increase from 40 volunteers last year

to 80 this year, feel community spirit is alive and well in

the Town of Lamont. They would like to thank everyone

who participated in making the town look awesome, a

better place to live, work and play for everyone and look

forward to seeing everyone at next year’s clean-up.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Vegreville & Two Hills Mounties Step Up Enforcement During Road Safety Week - Submitted Vegreville, Alberta - May 12th to 18th marked Canada Road Safety Week, as Vegreville & Two Hills Mounties stepped up their efforts to make Alberta's roads safer for everyone. The main focus during Road Safety Week was on aggressive driving, speeding, seatbelts, as well as distracted and impaired driving. Two Hills and Vegreville RCMP members teamed up with Alberta Sheriffs, Commer-cial Vehicle Enforcement as well as Fish and Wildlife officers, to conduct operations and check stops throughout the detachment area. Over 80 charges were laid which varied from drug possession, unlawful possession of liquor in a motor vehicle, traffic tickets, as well as 24 hour and 72 hour driving suspensions including vehicle seizures being handed out for drug and alcohol usage. Cst. Curtis Harsulla of the Vegreville RCMP traffic services unit

says, “Although the numbers indicate we were busy in those areas, it was promising to see that during our time on the road there were no criminally impaired over .08 driving charges laid. We hope that the education and enforcement campaigns are responsible for motorists making the wise decisions not to drink and drive while impaired." Of the many operations conducted, one in particular was conduct-ed south of Andrew, Alberta on Sunday May 17, 2015, where in under 2 hours over 5 vehicles were towed for various reasons, and many charges laid and driving suspensions issued. Between the 4 Mounties and 2 Sheriffs, numerous vehicles were checked and many of the motorists were pleased to see our efforts to keep Alberta's roads safe this long weekend. It is believed that these efforts assisted in preventing any major collisions in the area which are unfortunately common during long weekends.


County Council Supports Bike Safety Training Day

During the April 14 regular Council meeting, Council was

presented with a request for decision from Lamont County

Peace Officer, Steve Crosby asking for Council’s support in

the amount of $500 for the Bruderheim Bike Safety Training

Day activities.

Crosby explained the event is open to all children in

Lamont County aged six to twelve years and participants

would be taking part in classroom education before moving

on to practical bike safety training. With assistance of the

parents, bikes will be checked to ensure they are safe to ride

and helmets will be checked for proper fit, etc.

Fifteen children participated last year and Crosby felt the

training was very helpful to many of them because it

appeared several had little to no bike safety education. “If

even one child avoids an accident because of the education given

during the event; it is well worth it” stated Crosby.

Last year one bicycle was given away to help promote the

event. With a donation of $500 Crosby was hopeful two

bikes, a boy’s and a girl’s could be offered this year.

RCMP, Alberta Transportation, Lamont County Enforce-

ment Services, the Town of Bruderheim and community

volunteers will all be involved in the event which will be

held in Bruderheim on June 20, 2015 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

With all Council members in agreement, Councillor

Malica made the motion to donate $500 to the Bruderheim

Bike Safety Training Day.


Government of Canada assists in creating new jobs for youth in Vegreville – Wainwright

Mannville, AB (May 14, 2015) Students in Vegreville

– Wainwright will have access to summer jobs to help

them gain valuable skills and work experience, today

announced Leon Benoit, Member of Parliament for

Vegreville – Wainwright, on behalf of the Honourable

Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social

Development.

Sixty-nine organizations in the riding are receiving a

total of $424,197 in Canada Summer Jobs funding to hire

107 young Canadians. Canada Summer Jobs helps

students gain the skills and experience they need to be

successful, now and in the future, while earning money

for the upcoming school year. In 2015, the Canada

Summer Jobs program is expected to create

approximately 35,000 jobs, while helping employers

address skills shortages.

Today’s announcement is one example of what the

Harper Government is doing to help Canadians. To help

hard-working families, the Government is also enhancing

the Universal Child Care Benefit, introducing the Family

Tax Cut and making improvements to the Child Care

Expenses Deduction and the Children’s Fitness Tax

Credit.

Quick facts

- Since 2006-2007, the Youth Employment Strategy has

helped more than 611,000 young people develop skills, to

the benefit of the Canadian economy.

- The Government of Canada is supporting up to 3,000

internships in high-demand fields and up to 1,000 intern-

ships in small and medium-sized businesses.

- The Government of Canada is also encouraging appren-

ticeship and careers in the skilled trades through grants

and tax credits, along with support for training programs.

- The Universal Child Care Benefit would increase from

$100 to $160 per month (totalling up to $1,920 per year)

for children under the age of six, and parents would re-

ceive a new benefit of $60 per month (up to $720 per year)

for each child aged six through 17.

“Assisting employers in creating summer jobs for students

benefits not only youth and employers, but also local economies

across the country. Canada Summer Jobs is yet another excel-

lent example of how our government is assisting employers and

economic growth.”

– Leon Benoit, MP Vegreville – Wainwright

- by Sylvia Holowach A May 11th, 2015 information release

indicated that, for the second time, the Alberta Office of

the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) partici-

pated in a Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN)

Privacy Sweep from May 11-17, 2015.

The GPEN was established in 2010 to foster cross-

border cooperation among privacy authorities. Thirty pri-

vacy enforcement authorities from around the world par-

ticipated in the third annual sweep, an increase from 26 in

2014.

The 2015 sweep involved a coordinated effort, by par-

ticipants, to examine websites and mobile applications

(apps) for issues related to children’s privacy. The theme

was chosen after many privacy enforcement authorities

identified children as a key area of focus given the increas-

ing number of websites and mobile apps targeted at, or

popular among this vulnerable part of the population.

It is known, from previous privacy sweeps, that many

mobile apps and websites collect a great deal of personal

information. As a result, apps and websites geared at

young audiences raise privacy concerns related to the

types of personal information being collected on these

platforms.

As part of the initiative, sweepers assessed whether the

apps and websites examined collected personal infor-

mation from children and if so, whether protective con-

trols exist to limit that collection.

They also assessed whether the websites and apps seek

parental involvement, allow users to be redirected off the

site, make it easy to delete personal information and

whether privacy communications are tailored to the age

group through methods such as simple language, large

print, audio and animation.

During sweep week, participants selected apps, web-

sites, or both that were either targeted at or popular

among children between 12 and 13 years of age. Partici-

pants could choose to focus on locally developed apps/

websites or those from across jurisdictions. They were

able to look specifically at games, social media or educa-

tional websites/apps, or choose to sweep a combination

thereof.

Last year, the OIPC reviewed 21 apps from the private,

public and health sectors in Alberta. In total, 1,211 apps

were examined by privacy enforcement authorities world-

wide.

The goals of the sweep initiative included, increasing

public and business awareness of privacy rights and re-

sponsibilities, identifying concerns that could be ad-

dressed through targeted education, enforcement or both,

enhancing cooperation among privacy enforcement au-

thorities and encouraging compliance with privacy legisla-

tion.

Concerns identified during the sweep may result in

follow-up work such as outreach to organizations and/or

enforcement action.

The results of this year’s sweep will be compiled and

made public this fall.


Global Privacy Sweep Conducted of Apps and Websites Used by Children


Recipe Corner

by

Carol Marko

Between working shifts at the lodge, looking after her

family and fighting the flu, Joanne’s been unable to get on

the computer and send us a recipe, so it’s my turn again.

If you have a favourite recipe you’d like to share, mail it

to: Joanne Paltzat, Box 14, St. Michael, AB T0B 4B0 or

send it by email to: [email protected]

Cheese and Herb Potato Fans

Ingredients:

8 medium potatoes

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons each minced fresh chives, sage and

thyme

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°. With a sharp knife, cut each

potato into 1/8” slices, leaving slices attached at the

bottom; fan potatoes slightly and place in a greased

9” x 13” baking dish. In a small bowl, mix butter, salt

and pepper; drizzle over potatoes.

Bake 50-55 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

In a small bowl, toss cheeses with herbs; sprinkle

over potatoes. Bake about 5 minutes longer or until

cheese is melted. Yield: 8 servings.

Serve as they are or top with sour cream, bacon

bits or other favourite potato toppings.

Are You Canada’s Smartest Person? The Town of Lamont has been contacted by Tyler

Metcalf, Casting Associate for CBCs hit show, Canada’s

Smartest Person, who is hopeful the Town may have

individuals perfect for their second season of the

prime-time hit television show.

Canada’s Smartest Person is an interactive competition

series challenging preconceived notions about intelligence

that has inspired a nation-wide conversation about what it

means to be smart.

The premiere of Canad a’s Smartest Person in the fall of

2014 proved to be the country’s number one new series of

the season. The introduction of a groundbreaking app

resulted in over 6.6 million page views and over one

million challenges completed making the show an

international as well as a domestic success.

Season 1 featured several incredibly intelligent

individuals from all walks of life; an Olympian, the

youngest surgeon in Atlantic Canada, a firefighter, Chief

Executive Officers, company directors, a stay-at-home

mom, teachers, novelists, a radio host, an artist, grad

students and a cheese salesman. In the end, Peter

Dyakowski, a lineman from the Canadian Football League

and Braden Lauer, a law student from British Columbia

captured the title.

The focus of the CBC series is to show the country there

is more to intelligence than simply being a math whiz, a

(Continued on Page 15)


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Smartest Person - Continued trivia buff or having a high IQ, and as the show heads

into its second season, the casting team is searching for

individuals prepared to put their smarts to the ultimate

test.

The show is guided by a theory of Multiple Intelli-

gence and the idea that there are many different ways in

which a person can be smart. Competitors are tested in

six brain-bending categories; linguistic, physical, mu-

sical, visual, social and logical in order to distinguish the

Canadian with the most comprehensive and versatile

overall intellect. The theory of Multiple Intelligence has

redefined what it means to be smart and only a rare few

are able to excel in all the different categories.

If you feel you are smart enough to accept the

challenge, or know someone you would like to nominate,

you can contact the Town of Lamont administration of-

fice or go to the www.cbc.ca/smartestperson website for

more information. Selected candidates from the applica-

tion phase will be contacted for an interview and further

testing over the months of May and June 2015.

Remember, Canad a’s Smartest Person could be anyone!

Do you or someone you know have what it takes?

elk island triangle - may 21, 2015

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