Business
Downtown Business Spotlight: Advocate Law

This week’s Business Spotlight shines on Advocate Law! Located at 1-4820 47 Ave, Advocate Law offers criminal defense lawyers for those that have been charged with criminal offenses. We sat down with one of the founding lawyers, Maurice C. Collard, for more information about the business!
What is your business?Ā
We are criminal trial lawyers. We help people who have been charged with criminal offensesĀ through the justice system.Ā
When did you open?Ā
Ā November of 2016.
What would you say makes your business unique?Ā
We are a boutique criminal law firm. Criminal defense is the only service we offer as lawyers. It allows us to dedicate all our time and energy on one area of law so that we can get the best results for our clients.Ā
What are some products/services that you offer?Ā Ā
We offer criminal defense against allĀ CriminalĀ Code andĀ ControlledĀ Drugs andĀ SubstancesĀ Act charges as well we are able to help people get pardons or record suspensions. The services that we offer start from pre-charge advice,Ā to bail,Ā to docket appearances,Ā to negotiations with theĀ Crown,Ā to trials,Ā to resolutions of matters and appeals.
Why did you choose Downtown Red Deer as the location for your business?Ā
We appreciate the proximity to theĀ Courthouse and other offices of justice stakeholders. As well,Ā we think theĀ Downtown office serves our clients better as many of them come from throughoutĀ CentralĀ Alberta.Ā
What do you think makes Downtown vibrant?Ā
I think one of the key pieces ofĀ DowntownĀ RedĀ Deer isĀ CityĀ HallĀ Park. It is enjoyable throughout the summer and into the winter, with both the flowers and lights. It is a center for all members of our community to congregate and enjoy their time. WorkingĀ Downtown at lunch hour really allows me the opportunity to see that park being utilized to its full potential. It is a beautiful and enjoyable space.Ā
I love Downtown Red Deer becauseā¦Ā DowntownĀ RedĀ Deer offers my business the servicesĀ it needs,Ā with easy access to theĀ Courthouse, theĀ RedĀ DeerĀ RemandĀ Centre, theĀ ProvincialĀ CrownĀ Prosecutorās office, theĀ FederalĀ CrownĀ Prosecutorās office, and other lawyerās offices all in a nearby and easy to access space.
Ā
If you or someone you know is in need of a criminal defense lawyer, contact the team at Advocate Lawyers!
Website: https://www.advocatelawyers.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdvocateLawyers/
Alberta
Alberta Opposition calling for Olymel Outbreak Inquiry

From the Alberta NDP
NDP DEMANDS PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO OLYMEL OUTBREAK, Ā CALLS FOR PROTECTION FOR WORKERS, NOT CORPORATIONS
Albertaās NDP is demanding an immediate public inquiry into the mishandling by both the UCP government and Olymel of a deadly COVID-19 outbreak at a meat-processing plant in Red Deer, and is seeking a commitment from the Minister of Justice that he will not intervene with legislation to protect potentially negligent corporations from lawsuits launched by victimsā families.
As of Wednesday, at least three Olymel employees had died as a result of the outbreak, which began in November and has seen more than 500 cases of COVID-19 confirmed to date. The NDP has also learned that three employees are currently fighting for their lives in intensive care. The Government of Alberta ignored calls for the plant to be closed, even as cases skyrocketed.
āWe need to get to the bottom of who is responsible for these senseless, tragic deaths,ā said NDP Leader Rachel Notley. āPeople with no choice but to continue working in unsafe conditions have gotten sick and died. We need to hold those responsible accountable and develop new practices to prevent tragedies like this in the future.ā
During a town hall meeting Tuesday night, UCP Minister of Health Tyler Shandro said Minister of Justice Kaycee Madu was working on legislation to eliminate liability in relation to COVID-19 illness and death for corporations and businesses
āThis Government should focus on preventing workers from further injury and death, not covering up the negligence thatās already occurred around these tragedies,ā Notley said. āWe call on the UCP Government to reverse these plans.ā
The NDP is also demanding an inquiry into the Olymel outbreak and the overall history with respect to worker safety in the meat-processing industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Olymel outbreak is now the deadliest linked to a meat-processing plant in Alberta during the pandemic. The outbreak at High Riverās Cargill plant last year saw two workers die and more than 1,500 cases of COVID-19 confirmed ā it remains the largest since in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic.
āOverall, while meat-packing plants have occurred in several other provinces, only in Alberta have people died, with the number currently standing at six,ā Notley said.
The NDP is also supporting the call from the United Food and Commercial Workers that the Olymel plant not reopen as planned Thursday and remain closed until worker representatives are satisfied that enhanced health and safety protocols have been put in place to prevent further spread of COVID-19.
āWe find ourselves in the same crisis as we were with Cargill,ā said NDP Labour Critic Christina Gray. āAlbertans should remember that the UCPās own Agriculture Minister lied to those workers and told them the plant was safe just days before the operator shut it down,ā
MLA Gray previously called for a formal inquiry into the Cargill outbreak and another at the JBS plant in Brooks that saw more than 650 workers infected and one die. To date, the call for an inquiry has been ignored by the UCP.
āClearly Jason Kenney and the UCP donāt care about the workers in these plants,ā Gray added. āWe know that a survey of Olymel workers found three quarters feel nervous or scared to return to work and do not trust the employer to keep them safe. As well, over half of the workers surveyed said they didnāt trust the UCP Government to keep them safe.
āHow does this Premier possibly justify allowing this plant to reopen when he hasnāt done a thing to reassure these workers that they wonāt become sick or potentially die?ā
The NDP will also be drafting a letter to Minister of Justice Kaycee Madu that demands he rule out legislative protection for Olymel, Cargill and JBS. A class-action lawsuit has already been launched against Cargill.
āThe UCP wants to let these massive, profitable corporations wash their hands of these horrific incidents and, meanwhile, grieving families of lost loved ones will see nothing but more pain and suffering,ā Notley said. āThis government has a long track record of backing wealthy CEOs and screwing over workers. Enough is enough.ā
In the U.S., 16 states have brought in legislation or immunity provisions to protect businesses and corporations from liability related to the pandemic.
Alberta
‘A frightened workforce’: Union worries as Olymel reopens after COVID-19 shutdown

RED DEER, Alta. ā Some employees of a pork processing plant in central Alberta that shut down after a COVID-19 outbreak at the facility are afraid to go back to work, the union president says.
Olymel’s facility in Red Deer was shut down Feb. 15 because of the COVID-19 outbreak that claimed three lives and infected 515 workers.
The company announced late Wednesday it had been given approval to gradually reopen by Alberta Health. Slaughter operations are scheduled to resume today and cutting room operations on Friday. The plant processes about 10,000 hogs per day.
UFCW 401 president Thomas Hesse said he received no word from the company that the plant was reopening.
“Obviously the bottom line for Olymel is they’re just putting pigs ahead of people,” Hesse in an interview Wednesday.
“What you’ve got is a frightened workforce. There’s this enormous amount of fear and anxiety, and now a layer of grief on top of that, and they expect employees to jump to attention and parade back to work.”
The union represents about 1,800 workers at the plant.
Hesse said the union interviewed between 600 and 700 workers who indicated they were afraid to return to work. He said that wasn’t done by Olymel, Alberta Health Services or Occupational Health and Safety.
Hesse said he expects some workers will take advantage of their right to refuse unsafe work.
“I have no confidence in the safety of the workplace,” he said.
Olymel said the reopening will come with a number of strict measures. Alberta Health experts will be on site when operations resume and will offer rapid testing. The company said 1,370 employees at the plant have been tested since Jan. 1.
The company says it has added more space to the facility to enhance physical distancing.
Additional staff have been assigned to monitor and enforce the updated measures, Olymel said. Employee groups have been recalled to take part in training sessions covering all implemented health measures, adjustments and the action plan developed for reopening.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2021.
ā By Bill Graveland in Calgary
The Canadian Press
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