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Alberta

Edmonton man believed to have sexually assaulted a least six children

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New release from ALERT (Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team)

At least six victims of child luring and sexual assault have been identified following an ALERT Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit investigation into an Edmonton man.

The Internet Child Exploitation unit alleges that Imesh Ratnayake was involved in a series of child luring instances that are believed to have taken place in Morinville and the Edmonton area. The 21-year-old man allegedly met the youth online and lured them into performing sexual acts.

ICE alleges that Ratnayake targeted young girls via the social media application Snapchat. He was able to perpetuate the offences by gaining access to the victim’s contacts, in some instances through extortion.

One of the victims was just 11 years old.

Zebra Centre for Child Protection and Morinville RCMP have helped with the investigation, which began in June 2022. Ratnayake was arrested on July 7, 2022.

ICE has reason to believe there are additional victims and is releasing photos of the suspect and his vehicle, a 2011 Acura CSX, which was used in some of the offences. Ratnayake would have been known to his victims as the Snapchat user “islandsauce0129” or “monked.ruffy”.

ICE is looking to identify and speak with potential victims and witnesses. Anyone with information about this investigation is encouraged to call ICE at 780-509-3363, their local police, or anonymously at Crime Stoppers.

The charges against Ratnayake include:

  • Sexual assault;
  • Sexual interference;
  • Luring a child;
  • Making child pornography;
  • Transmitting child pornography;
  • Possessing child pornography;
  • Obtaining sexual service for consideration from persons under 18;
  • Invitation to sexual touching;
  • Distribution of intimate images; and
  • Extortion.

Ratnayake was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court on August 4, 2022 in Morinville.

ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government and is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime.

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Alberta

Alberta taxpayers should know how much their municipal governments spend

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From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill and Austin Thompson

Next week, voters across Alberta will go to the polls to elect their local governments. Of course, while the issues vary depending on the city, town or district, all municipal governments spend taxpayer money.

And according to a recent study, Grande Prairie County and Red Deer County were among Alberta’s highest-spending municipalities (on a per-person basis) in 2023 (the latest year of comparable data). Kara Westerlund, president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta, said that’s no surprise—arguing that it’s expensive to serve a small number of residents spread over large areas.

That challenge is real. In rural areas, fewer people share the cost of roads, parks and emergency services. But high spending isn’t inevitable. Some rural municipalities managed to spend far less, demonstrating that local choices about what services to provide, and how to deliver them, matter.

Consider the contrast in spending levels among rural counties. In 2023, Grande Prairie County and Red Deer County spent $5,413 and $4,619 per person, respectively. Foothills County, by comparison, spent just $2,570 per person. All three counties have relatively low population densities (fewer than seven residents per square kilometre) yet their per-person spending varies widely. (In case you’re wondering, Calgary spent $3,144 and Edmonton spent $3,241.)

Some of that variation reflects differences in the cost of similar services. For example, all three counties provide fire protection but in 2023 this service cost $56.95 per person in Grande Prairie County, $38.51 in Red Deer County and $10.32 in Foothills County. Other spending differences reflect not just how much is spent, but whether a service is offered at all. For instance, in 2023 Grande Prairie County recorded $46,283 in daycare spending, while Red Deer County and Foothills County had none.

Put simply, population density alone simply doesn’t explain why some municipalities spend more than others. Much depends on the choices municipal governments make and how efficiently they deliver services.

Westerlund also dismissed comparisons showing that some counties spend more per person than nearby towns and cities, calling them “apples to oranges.” It’s true that rural municipalities and cities differ—but that doesn’t make comparisons meaningless. After all, whether apples are a good deal depends on the price of other fruit, and a savvy shopper might switch to oranges if they offer better value. In the same way, comparing municipal spending—across all types of communities—helps Albertans judge whether they get good value for their tax dollars.

Every municipality offers a different mix of services and those choices come with different price tags. Consider three nearby municipalities: in 2023, Rockyview County spent $3,419 per person, Calgary spent $3,144 and Airdrie spent $2,187. These differences reflect real trade-offs in the scope, quality and cost of local services. Albertans should decide for themselves which mix of local services best suits their needs—but they can’t do that without clear data on what those services actually cost.

A big municipal tax bill isn’t an inevitable consequence of rural living. How much gets spent in each Alberta municipality depends greatly on the choices made by the mayors, reeves and councillors Albertans will elect next week. And for Albertans to determine whether or not they get good value for their local tax dollars, they must know how much their municipality is spending.

Tegan Hill

Director, Alberta Policy, Fraser Institute

Austin Thompson

Senior Policy Analyst, Fraser Institute
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Alberta

Premier Smith addresses the most important issue facing Alberta teachers: Classroom Complexity

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Premier Danielle Smith is posting this response to a media question about Classroom Complexity.

While Albertans are hearing a lot about capping class sizes, Premier Smith says it might be a much better idea to talk about capping “complexity”.

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