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Alberta

UPDATE: RCMP arrest alleged truck thief after wild search

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5 minute read

From Coaldale RCMP

UPDATE

Thanks to overwhelming public tips from the earlier media release and information sharing from members of the Lethbridge Police Service, the identity of the suspect was learned. The white Dodge Ram 1500 truck was located abandoned this morning a short distance from the initial crime scene. A second truck, a black 1993 Chevrolet was reported stolen a short distance away from the abandoned white Dodge truck.
Monday afternoon at around 4:20 p.m. the stolen black 1993 Chevrolet truck was reported in the Tempest area east of Coaldale as a suspicious vehicle.  Members from the Taber, Picture Butte and Coaldale RCMP Detachments along with a K-9 unit from the Lethbridge Police Service converged to the area.  The driver and lone occupant, a 32 year old man from the Lethbridge area, was followed from the Tempest/Chin area to the east side of Stafford Lake. This is where he ditched the stolen truck and ran on foot across the sort of ice covered Stafford Lake to the west side. Once on the west side the suspect tried to enter a few vehicles before being lost in the residential area. A home owner alerted RCMP members out front of his residence stating his garage alarm was just activated. The main door was tried and noted barricaded from the inside.
RCMP members entered the garage using the garage door opener and searched the double car garage. The well hidden suspect was found trying to conceal himself above the garage door on a storage platform used to store light weight bulky items. The suspect was arrested without incident ending a long crime spree.
Charges are still pending so the name of the suspect will not be released at this time. The suspect will be facing nine criminal charges including break and enter, possession of stolen property, flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, resist arrest and a number of provincial traffic offences including driving while suspended.
This is an obvious example of the valued assistance of the general public, local media and other police agencies coming together to identify, locate and safely effect an arrest of a suspect responsible for a number of rural crimes.

Coaldale RCMP Vehicle Rammed by a Stolen Truck

On January 14, 2019 at around 5:30 a.m. the Coaldale RCMP received a complaint of a man passed out in the drivers seat of a white Dodge Ram 1500. This truck was parked in a farmers yard located along Highway 512 within Lethbridge County, AB.  The Coaldale RCMP have received numerous complaints of a similar type truck which was stolen previously from the Picture Butte area. Complaints have also been received from the public regarding a white Dodge Ram truck attending several rural locations possibly stealing fuel.

Two Coaldale RCMP members attended the location. The first to arrive police member positioned his Ford Explorer police vehicle directly in front of the white Dodge Ram truck in a attempt to block it in. As the police member approached the drivers door of the white truck on foot the unknown male driver woke up. He then began to drive forward pushing the police vehicle backwards and out of the way. The police member was not injured. The white Dodge Ram truck then fled the area and was located abandoned a few hours later in a rural area. It was confirmed at that time the truck was stolen. The RCMP vehicle sustained damages to the front grill and fender area. It was still operational after the collision.

The public is being asked to assist with the identification of the male driver based on the attached in car police vehicle camera photos. The public assistance in notifying the Coaldale RCMP about suspicious people and vehicles in their areas is a very important step to assist with rural crime prevention and detection.

If anyone has any information in this crime or any other please contact the Coaldale Rural RCMP at (403) 329-5080/ Coaldale Municipal RCMP at (403) 345-5552 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or through the internet at www.tipsubmit.com.

Crime stoppers will pay cash rewards up to $2000.00 for information that leads to an arrest, the recovery of stolen property or seizure of illegal drugs.

Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to call display and the identity of the caller will remain anonymous.

After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

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Agriculture

Lacombe meat processor scores $1.2 million dollar provincial tax credit to help expansion

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Alberta’s government continues to attract investment and grow the provincial economy.

The province’s inviting and tax-friendly business environment, and abundant agricultural resources, make it one of North America’s best places to do business. In addition, the Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit helps attract investment that will further diversify Alberta’s agriculture industry.

Beretta Farms is the most recent company to qualify for the tax credit by expanding its existing facility with the potential to significantly increase production capacity. It invested more than $10.9 million in the project that is expected to increase the plant’s processing capacity from 29,583 to 44,688 head of cattle per year. Eleven new employees were hired after the expansion and the company plans to hire ten more. Through the Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit, Alberta’s government has issued Beretta Farms a tax credit of $1,228,735.

“The Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit is building on Alberta’s existing competitive advantages for agri-food companies and the primary producers that supply them. This facility expansion will allow Beretta Farms to increase production capacity, which means more Alberta beef across the country, and around the world.”

RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation

“This expansion by Beretta Farms is great news for Lacombe and central Alberta. It not only supports local job creation and economic growth but also strengthens Alberta’s global reputation for producing high-quality meat products. I’m proud to see our government supporting agricultural innovation and investment right here in our community.”

Jennifer Johnson, MLA for Lacombe-Ponoka

The tax credit provides a 12 per cent non-refundable, non-transferable tax credit when businesses invest $10 million or more in a project to build or expand a value-added agri-processing facility in Alberta. The program is open to any food manufacturers and bio processors that add value to commodities like grains or meat or turn agricultural byproducts into new consumer or industrial goods.

Beretta Farms’ facility in Lacombe is a federally registered, European Union-approved harvesting and meat processing facility specializing in the slaughter, processing, packaging and distribution of Canadian and United States cattle and bison meat products to 87 countries worldwide.

“Our recent plant expansion project at our facility in Lacombe has allowed us to increase our processing capacities and add more job opportunities in the central Alberta area. With the support and recognition from the Government of Alberta’s tax credit program, we feel we are in a better position to continue our success and have the confidence to grow our meat brands into the future.”

Thomas Beretta, plant manager, Beretta Farms

Alberta’s agri-processing sector is the second-largest manufacturing industry in the province and meat processing plays an important role in the sector, generating millions in annual economic impact and creating thousands of jobs. Alberta continues to be an attractive place for agricultural investment due to its agricultural resources, one of the lowest tax rates in North America, a business-friendly environment and a robust transportation network to connect with international markets.

Quick facts

  • Since 2023, there are 16 applicants to the Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit for projects worth about $1.6 billion total in new investment in Alberta’s agri-processing sector.
  • To date, 13 projects have received conditional approval under the program.
    • Each applicant must submit progress reports, then apply for a tax credit certificate when the project is complete.
  • Beretta Farms has expanded the Lacombe facility by 10,000 square feet to include new warehousing, cooler space and an office building.
    • This project has the potential to increase production capacity by 50 per cent, thereby facilitating entry into more European markets.

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Alberta

Alberta Independence Seekers Take First Step: Citizen Initiative Application Approved, Notice of Initiative Petition Issued

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Alberta’s Chief Electoral Officer, Gordon McClure, has issued a Notice of Initiative Petition.

This confirms a Citizen Initiative application has been received and the Chief Electoral Officer has determined the requirements of section 2(3) of the Citizen Initiative Act have been met.

Approved Initiative Petition Information

The approved citizen initiative application is for a policy proposal with the following proposed question:

Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?

The Notice of Initiative Petition, application, and statement provided by the proponent are available on Elections Alberta’s website on the Current Initiatives Petition page.

As the application was received and approved prior to coming into force of Bill 54: Election Statutes Amendment Act, the Citizen Initiative process will follow requirements set out in the Citizen Initiative Act as of June 30, 2025.

Next Steps

  1. The proponent must appoint a chief financial officer within 30 days (by July 30, 2025).
  2. Once the 30-day publication period is complete and a chief financial officer has been appointed, Elections Alberta will:
  1. issue the citizen initiative petition,
  2. publish a notice on the Current Initiatives Petition page of our website indicating the petition has been issued, specifying the signing period dates, and the number of signatures required for a successful petition, and
  3. issue the citizen initiative petition signature sheets and witness affidavits. Signatures collected on other forms will not be accepted.

More information on the process, the status of the citizen initiative petition, financing rules, third party advertising rules, and frequently asked questions may be found on the Elections Alberta website.

Elections Alberta is an independent, non-partisan office of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta responsible for administering provincial elections, by-elections, and referendums.

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