Opinion

How bad does it have to be, before city-hall stops growing?

Published

9 years ago

4 minute read

Red Deer is shrinking. There are 1,000 fewer residents living in Red Deer now than there were a year ago. Jobless rate just went up a half a percentage point. The majority of Red Deer residents are having to do with less, but not our city hall. They are expanding again.
When times are tough, like they are now, people adjust, they multi-task, they adapt and they get it done.
In business, every crew, every department, every division, and every employee believes they are indispensable, they need a full or expanded team, and yet they survive cut-backs, lay-offs and down sizing. But not our city hall, it continues to grow.
An employer once told me he would not hire a former public service employee, because of the culture. A lawyer once told me that there is a certain culture down at city hall that defies logic and common sense. When I hear about how the bickering and internal conflict between employees has increased 1,275% in 6 years, down at city hall, I start to grasp the “culture”, reference. Do the employees, check reality at the door, when they go to work?
The city will be hiring another full time human resource staff. Councillors Tanya Handley, Lawrence Lee, Buck Buchanan and Mayor Veer voted against the hire. Interesting is the fact that our Mayor who spends the most time, of all elected officials, at city hall, and deals with more issues directly, voted against the hire.
Some of the rationale for voting in favour of the hire, seemed almost protectionist and counter to the reason for them being able to vote in the first place. The councillors were elected to protect the residents, needs and taxes, not to act as a union representative for the employees. It comes back to the idea of a culture, almost like a cult, within city hall.
“Familiarity breeds contempt” An odd expression, but appropriate. Perhaps the turnover of councillors is so low that the employees as a whole have contempt for the councillors? One on one, maybe less than obvious, but as a whole, the employees control the council.
Perhaps it is time to seek out councillors who had to be fiscally responsible, had to be accountable for profit and losses other than on a balance sheet. Councillors who have had to tighten their belts, make the tough decisions, and face shareholders and investors?
Perhaps on October 16 we should do a zero based audit on our incumbents and decide whether to renew their contracts. If there ever was need for a slate of fiscal-hawks, perhaps this election is the time?
If there ever was a time in recent history for a council with some backbone, it is now. If the conflict between workers is so high, then perhaps we should re-examine our hiring criteria and practices.
An oil company can lay off 25% of it’s staff, during tough times and still produce oil, I am sure our city can cut back and still run our city. After all there are fewer builds, fewer permits, fewer inspections……….

Related Topics:Budget City Hall Red Deer

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How to talk about housing at the holiday dinner table

armed forces / 47 mins ago

Remembering Afghanistan and the sacrifices of our military families

Opinion / 57 mins ago

Pope Leo XIV’s Christmas night homily

Fraser Institute

How to talk about housing at the holiday dinner table

Published on December 25, 2025

Todayville

From the Fraser Institute

By Austin Thompson

The holidays are a time when families reconnect and share cherished traditions, hearty meals and, occasionally, heated debates. This year, housing policy might be a touchy subject at the holiday dinner table. Homebuilding has not kept pace with housing demand in Canada, causing a sharp decline in affordability. Efforts to accelerate homebuilding are also changing neighbourhoods, sometimes in ways that concern residents. Add in a generational divide in how Canadians have experienced the housing market, and it’s easy to see how friends and family can end up talking past one another on housing issues.

Some disagreement about housing policy is inevitable. But in the spirit of the holidays, we can keep the conversation charitable and productive by grounding it in shared facts, respecting one another’s housing choices, and acknowledging the trade-offs of neighbourhood change.

One way to avoid needless conflict is to start with a shared factual baseline about just how unaffordable housing is today—and how that compares to the past.

The reality is that today’s housing affordability challenges are severe, but not entirely unprecedented. Over the past decade, prices for typical homes have grown faster than ordinary families’ after-tax incomes in nearly every major city. At the pandemic-era peak, the mortgage burden for a typical purchase was the worst since the early 1980s. The housing market has cooled in some cities since then, but not enough to bring affordability back to pre-pandemic levels—when affordability was already strained.

These facts provide some useful context for the holiday dinner table. Today’s aspiring homebuyers aren’t wrong to notice how hard it has become to enter the market, and earlier generations aren’t exaggerating when they recall the shock of double-digit interest rates. Housing affordability crises have happened in the past, but they are not the norm. Living through a housing crisis is not, and should not be, a generational rite of passage. Canada has had long periods of relative housing affordability—that’s what we should all want to work towards.

Even when we agree on the facts about affordability, conflicts can flare up when we judge one another’s housing choices. Casual remarks like “Who would want to live in a shoebox like that?” or “Why would anyone pay that much for so little?” or “Why are you still renting at your age?” may be well-intentioned but they ignore the constraints and trade-offs that shape where and how people live.

A small townhome with no yard might seem unappealing to someone who already owns a single-detached house, but for a first-time homebuyer who prioritizes living closer to work or childcare, it might be the best option they can afford.

At first glance, a new condo or townhome might look “overpriced” compared with nearby older single-family homes that offer more space. But buyers must budget for the full cost of ownership, including heating bills, maintenance and renovations, which can make the financial math on some “overpriced” new homes pencil out.

And renting isn’t necessarily a sign that someone is falling behind. Many renters are intentionally keeping their options open: to pursue job opportunities in other cities, to sort out their romantic lives before committing to homeownership, or to invest their money outside of real estate.

This isn’t just a dinner-table issue. The belief that “no one wants to live like that” leads some to support policies restricting apartments, townhomes or purpose-built rentals on the premise that they’re inherently undesirable. A better approach is to set fair rules and let builders respond to what Canadian families choose for themselves—not what we think they should want.

The hardest housing conversations are about where new homes should go, and who gets a say as neighbourhoods change.

It’s natural for homeowners to feel uneasy about how their neighbourhoods might change as a consequence of housing redevelopment. But aspiring homebuyers are also right to be frustrated when local restrictions prevent the kinds of homes Canadian families want from being built in the places they want to live. The economics is clear—allowing more housing styles to be built in more places means greater options and lower prices for renters and homebuyers.

There’s no simple way to balance the competing views of existing residents and aspiring homebuyers. But the conversation becomes more productive if both sides recognize an unavoidable trade-off—resistance to neighbourhood change reliably restricts housing options and makes housing less affordable, but redevelopment can entail real downsides for existing residents.

Everyone wants better housing outcomes for Canadian families, but we won’t get them by talking past one another. If we bring empathy to the table and stay clear eyed about the trade-offs, we’ll collectively make better housing policy decisions—and have calmer holiday dinners.

armed forces

Remembering Afghanistan and the sacrifices of our military families

Published on December 25, 2025

Todayville

THE MAKICHUK REPORT

We cannot forget the sacrifice of Canadian troops in Kandahar province

I guess I blame myself. I shouldn’t have watched it.

Mr. Wolf handed it to me, when I went to his house this past week, to have a Christmas get-together.

He just came back from the front in Ukraine, where he was instructing Ukrainian soldiers on landmine detection.

One of hundreds of dangerous missions, he has taken over the last several decades.

He’s Canada’s James Bond and Jason Bourne all wrapped together.

What he handed me, was a copy of Hyena Road. Just a DVD, I had never heard of.

“You should watch this,” he said.

I asked if he wanted it back, he said no, keep it.

So, what do I do? I throw it on my computer and watch it on Christmas Eve.

A time when there is joy in the world. Joy and hope.

Happiness for children. Good deeds left and right.

Families enjoying wonderful times together.

While others may be listening to Christmas music by Bing Crosby, or classic Christmas films, I’m watching a war movie!

In short, Hyena Road is a 2015 Canadian war film by Paul Gross, set in Afghanistan, focusing on a Canadian sniper, an intelligence officer, and a legendary local warrior brought together by the strategic construction of the dangerous “Hyena Road.”

It takes us on a realistic journey through Taliban territory, exploring themes of modern warfare, moral ambiguity, and the intense human cost of conflict through action and character-driven drama.

After it was over, I burst into tears. I wept.

Not just because of what I witnessed. But because of what it meant.

I immediately thought of all the Canadian military families, and also civilians, who came back from Afghanistan, in a box.

What must the Christmas-New Years holidays be like, for these families? And have we forgotten them, and what they sacrificed?

One of them was a co-worker, Michelle Lang, who died on December 30, 2009, when a roadside bomb struck the armored vehicle she was in near Kandahar, killing her and four Canadian soldiers.

I didn’t really know Michelle, or have anything much to do with her, I was a copy-editor and we had no interaction.

But from what I was told, she was a good reporter, a nice person, and she sure as hell didn’t deserve to die like that.

I still blame the management of the Calgary Herald, for sending her on this mission. Those folks — and they know who they are — will have to live with it.

As for me, I want to take the time, as a tribute to Canada’s fallen, to remember them as we approach the year 2026. All of them.

That includes 158 Canadian Armed Forces members, a diplomat, 4 aid workers, a contractor, and Michelle during Canada’s mission in Afghanistan (2001-2014).

Four Canadian soldiers were also killed in a friendly fire incident in April 2002 when a U.S. F-16 pilot mistakenly bombed their training exercise. The tragedy made international news.

The Pentagon response? A tragic accident in coalition operations. Not even a mention of Canada. No acknowledgement that Canadian families had just lost sons, brothers, fathers because of an American mistake.

And keep in mind, while other nations stationed troops in safe areas, Canada took on the toughest missions in Kandahar.

Kandahar, regional command south, where the Taliban is strongest, where combat engagements happen daily, where the dying happens.

Canadian medical evacuation helicopters, Griffins, extracted wounded soldiers from battlefields over 400 times. Canadian snipers recorded some of the longest confirmed combat kills in military history.

Canadian engineers cleared hundreds of IEDs. Canadian intelligence officers have provided targeting data for countless operations.

Former Gen. Rick Hillier once said: “ We deploy because when the fighting needs to be done, Canada doesn’t hide behind other nations’ sacrifice.

“It’s about training, professionalism, courage, and willingness to fight when the fighting gets hard.”

So, go ahead, enjoy the holidays. It’s OK to do that, and you deserve that.

But perhaps take a moment to remember the families who lost loved ones in the Afghan war, along with the many post-war suicides that followed.

I can’t even imagine, what it must be like for these folks.

___________________________________

2014

Jan. 17: Civilian contractors Martin Glazer and Peter McSheffrey are killed in an attack on a Kabul restaurant.

2011

Oct. 29: Master Cpl. Byron Greff of 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton dies in the suicide bombing of a NATO bus in Kabul that kills 17 people.

June 25: Master Cpl. Francis Roy is found mortally wounded by fellow soldiers at a forward operating base in Kandahar city. Enemy action is ruled out. He was a member of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment.

May 27: Bombardier Karl Manning, 31, of Chicoutimi, Que., is found dead at a remote outpost in the Zangabad area of Panjwaii district. An investigation finds his death was not the result of enemy action and no foul play is suspected. Manning was nearing the end of an almost seven-month deployment with the 1st Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment battle group.

March 27: Cpl. Yannick Scherrer, 24, of Montreal is killed by an improvised explosive device, or IED, during a foot patrol outside the village of Nakhonay. Scherrer was a member of 1st Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment, and was on his first tour of duty in Afghanistan.

2010

Dec. 18: Cpl. Steve Martin, 24, from 3rd Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment, is killed by an IED while on foot patrol near a major road construction project in a volatile district of Kandahar.

Nov. 26: The Defence Department says Capt. Frank Paul, who died Feb. 10 of natural causes in Canada while on leave from Afghanistan, is considered to have been on duty and a member of the mission. He was with 28 Field Ambulance based in Ottawa and was the adjutant for the health services support unit of Joint Task Force Afghanistan.

Aug. 30: Cpl. Brian Pinksen, a reservist with 2nd Battalion of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment based in Corner Brook, N.L., dies in hospital in Germany from injuries sustained in an IED blast during an Aug. 22 patrol in Panjwaii district.

July 20: Sapper Brian Collier, 24, born in Toronto and raised in Bradford, Ont, is killed by an IED blast while on a foot patrol in the village of Nakhonay. Collier was a member of 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based at CFB Edmonton.

June 26: Master Cpl. Kristal Giesebrecht, 34, born in Wallaceburg, Ont., and Pte. Andrew Miller, 21, born in Sudbury, Ont., die when their vehicle hits an IED west of Kandahar city.

June 21: Sgt. James MacNeil, 28, of Glace Bay, N.S., is killed by an IED near the village of Nakhonay. He was based out of Petawawa with the 2 Combat Engineer Regiment.

June 6: Sgt. Martin Goudreault, 35, is killed by an IED in Panjwaii district. The native of Sudbury, Ont., was with Edmonton-based 1 Combat Engineer Regiment and in Afghanistan as part of 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group.

May 24: Trooper Larry Rudd, 26, of the Royal Canadian Dragoons based in Petawawa, Ont., dies after an IED detonate near the Panjwaii district village of Salavat while he was on a combat resupply patrol. He was from Brantford, Ont.

May 18: Col. Geoff Parker, 42, of the Royal Canadian Regiment and born and raised in Oakville, Ont., is killed in a car-bomb attack in Kabul. Parker was the highest-ranking soldier killed in Canada’s mission in Afghanistan.

May 14: Pte. Kevin McKay, 24, of 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton, is killed by an IED southwest of Kandahar city.

May 3: Petty Officer Craig Blake of Simcoe, Ont., dies after a roadside bomb detonates southwest of Kandahar city. The 37-year-old was a diver based in Shearwater, N.S.

April 11: Pte. Tyler William Todd, 26, dies in a powerful roadside bomb blast while on foot patrol southwest of Kandahar city. Todd was a member of 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton.

March 20: Cpl. Darren James Fitzpatrick, dies in hospital from wounds sustained in an IED blast March 6 during a foot patrol west of Kandahar city. Fitzpatrick was a member of 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton.

Feb. 12: Cpl. Joshua Caleb Baker dies in a training accident on a range near Kandahar city. He was a member of 4th Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry based in Edmonton.

Jan. 16: Sgt. John Faught, 44, dies after stepping on an IED near the village of Nakhonay. He was a member of 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry based in Edmonton.

2009

Dec. 30: Sgt. George Miok, 28; Cpl. Zachery McCormack, 21 — both of Edmonton — Sgt. Kirk Taylor, 28, of Yarmouth, N.S., and Pte. Garrett Chidley, 21, of Cambridge, Ont., are killed when their armoured vehicle hits an IED in southern Kandahar city. Canadian journalist Michelle Lang, 34, also dies.

Dec. 23: Lt. Andrew Nuttall of 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry is killed when an IED detonates southwest of Kandahar city.

Oct. 30: Sapper Steven Marshall, 24, of 11 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, based in Edmonton, is killed southwest of Kandahar city when his patrol strikes an IED.

Oct. 28: Lt. Justin Boyes, 26, of 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, is killed southwest of Kandahar city by an IED while leading a foot patrol.

Sept. 17: Pte. Jonathan Couturier, 23, of 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment, based in Valcartier, Que, is killed southwest of Kandahar city in a roadside blast.

Sept. 13: Pte. Patrick Lormand, 21, of 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment is killed in a roadside IED southwest of Kandahar city.

Sept. 6: Maj. Yannick Pepin, 36, of Victoriaville, Que., and Cpl. Jean-Francois Drouin, 31, born in Quebec City, are killed by a roadside bomb southwest of Kandahar city. They were based in Valcartier, Que.

Aug. 1: Cpl. Christian Bobbitt, 23, and Sapper Matthieu Allard, 21, both based in Valcartier, Que., are killed by a roadside bomb in the Zhari district west of Kandahar city.

July 16: Pte. Sebastien Courcy, 26, is killed during an operation in Panjwaii district. Courcy was a member of 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment, also known as the Van Doos, based in Valcartier, Que.

July 6: Master Cpl. Pat Audet, 38, of Montreal, and Cpl. Martin Joannette, 25, of St-Calixte, Que., die in Zabul province when their helicopter crashes on takeoff. Audet was with 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron; Joannette with 3rd Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment. Both were based at Valcartier, Que.

July 4: Master Cpl. Charles-Philippe Michaud, 28, of 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment dies in a Quebec City hospital from injuries sustained from a landmine while on foot patrol in Panjwaii district. Michaud was from Edmundston, N.B.

July 3: Cpl. Nick Bulger, 30, of 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, is killed by a roadside bomb in Kandahar province. Bulger was raised near Peterborough, Ont.

June 14: Cpl. Martin Dube, 35, a combat engineer of the 5e Regiment du genie de combat based at CFB Valcartier, is killed when a roadside bomb he was trying to defuse exploded.

June 8: Pte. Alexandre (Pelo) Peloquin, 20, is killed in a roadside bomb explosion during a foot patrol in Panjwaii district.

April 23: Maj. Michelle Mendes, 30, is found dead in an accommodation room at Kandahar Airfield. Mendes was an intelligence officer based in Ottawa.

April 13: Trooper Karine Blais, 21, is killed in a roadside bomb explosion in Shah Wali Kot district. Blais was just two weeks into her first tour of duty in the country.

March 20: Master Cpl. Scott Vernelli and Cpl. Tyler Crooks are killed in a blast in Zhari district; Trooper Jack Bouthillier and Trooper Corey Joseph Hayes, are killed two hours later in an explosion in the Shah Wali Kot district.

March 8: Trooper Marc Diab, 22, is killed in a roadside bomb explosion in the Shah Wali Kot district.

March 3: Warrant Officer Dennis Raymond Brown, Cpl. Dany Fortin and Cpl. Kenneth O’Quinn die when a massive explosive detonates near their armoured vehicle in Arghandab district.

Jan. 31: Sapper Sean Greenfield, 25, is killed when his armoured vehicle strikes a roadside bomb in the volatile Zhari district.

Jan. 6: Trooper Brian Richard Good is killed in an IED blast near his armoured vehicle in Shah Wali Kot district

2008

Dec. 27: Warrant Officer Gaetan Roberge and Sgt. Gregory John Kruse are killed by a roadside bomb during a security patrol in Panjwaii district.

Dec. 26: Pte. Michael Freeman is killed when his vehicle hits an IED in Zhari district.

Dec. 13: Cpl. Thomas James Hamilton, Pte. John Michael Roy Curwin and Pte. Justin Peter Jones, all members of 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment based at CFB Gagetown, N.B., are killed in an explosion that hits their vehicle west of Kandahar city.

Dec. 5: Cpl. Mark Robert McLaren, Pte. Demetrios Diplaros and Warrant Officer Robert Wilson are killed in Arghandab district when their armoured vehicle rolls over an IED device. All three were members of 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, based in Petawawa, Ont.

Sept. 7: Sgt. Prescott (Scott) Shipway of 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry based in Shilo, Man., is killed by a roadside bomb in Panjwaii district.

Sept. 3: Cpl. Andrew Grenon, Cpl. Mike Seggie and Pte. Chad Horn, all members of 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, are killed in an attack on their armoured vehicle in Zhari district.

Aug. 20: Sapper Stephan John Stock, Cpl. Dustin Wasden and Sgt. Shawn Eades are killed when an IED hits their vehicle in Zhari district. All three were with 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Edmonton.

Aug. 11: Master Cpl. Erin Doyle, based in Edmonton, is killed when insurgents attack a remote combat outpost in Panjwaii district.

Aug. 9: Master Cpl. Josh Roberts, an infantryman based in Shilo, Man., dies of injuries following a battle involving coalition forces, insurgents and security personnel from a civilian convoy in Zhari district.

July 18: Cpl. James Hayward Arnal, based at Shilo, Man., dies in a roadside explosion during a foot patrol in Panjwaii district.

July 6: Pte. Colin William Wilmot, a military medic based in Edmonton, dies in an explosion while on foot patrol in Panjwaii district.

July 4: Cpl. Brendan Anthony Downey, a military policeman based in Dundurn, Sask., is found dead in sleeping quarters in a secret base in the Arabian desert. A non-combat casualty.

June 7: Capt. Jonathan Sutherland Snyder of Penticton, B.C., and from 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry dies after falling into a well during a night patrol in Zhari district.

June 3: Capt. Richard Steve Leary, 32, of Brantford, Ont., from 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, is killed in a gun battle with insurgents in Panjwaii district.

May 6: Cpl. Michael Starker, 36, of Calgary and with 15 Field Ambulance Regiment based in Edmonton is killed in a gun battle with Taliban militants outside Kandahar.

April 4: Pte. Terry John Street, 24, of Hull, Que., from 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, is killed when his vehicle hits an IED in Panjwaii district.

March 16: Sgt. Jason Boyes, 32, of Napanee, Ont., and with 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry is killed by an explosion while on foot patrol in Panjwaii district.

March 11: Bombardier Jeremie Ouellet, 22, of Matane, Que., and with 1 Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery in Shilo, Man., is found dead at Kandahar Airfield. Military says death not related to combat.

March 2: Trooper Michael Yuki Hayakaze, 25, from Lord Strathcona’s Horse in Edmonton is killed by roadside bomb in Mushan west of Kandahar city.

Jan. 23: Sapper Etienne Gonthier, 21, of St-Georges, Que., and serving with 5e Regiement du Genie de Combat, is killed when light armoured vehicle is hit by roadside bomb in Panjwaii district.

Jan. 15: Trooper Richard Renaud, 26, of Alma Que., a member of the 12e Regiment blinde du Canada, is killed when his light armoured vehicle is hit by a roadside bomb while on patrol in the Arghandab district.

Jan. 6: Warrant Officer Hani Massouh, 41, and Cpl. Eric Labbe, 31, of 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment, are killed when their armoured vehicle rolls over in wet, rugged terrain southwest of Kandahar City.

2007

Dec. 30: Gunner Jonathan Dion, 27, with the 5th Regiment d’Artillerie legere du Canada, is killed when his vehicle hits a roadside bomb.

Nov. 17: Cpl. Nicolas Raymond Beauchamp of 5 Field Ambulance in Valcartier and Pte. Michel Levesque of the Royal 22e Regiment, are killed when their light armoured vehicle hits a roadside bomb.

Sept. 24: Cpl. Nathan Hornburg, 24, with the King’s Own Calgary regiment, is killed by a mortar shell while trying to repair a Leopard tank.

Aug. 29: Maj. Raymond Ruckpaul dies from a gun shot inside a secure NATO compound in Kabul.

Aug. 22: Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier and Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne are killed by a roadside bomb west of Kandahar city.

Aug. 19: Pte. Simon Longtin is killed by a roadside bomb west of Kandahar city.

July 4: Cpl. Cole Bartsch, Capt. Matthew Johnathan Dawe, Pte. Lane Watkins, Cpl. Jordan Anderson, Master Cpl. Colin Bason and Capt. Jefferson Francis are killed by a roadside bomb west of Kandahar city.

June 20: Sgt. Christos Karigiannis, Cpl. Stephen Frederick Bouzane and Pte. Joel Vincent Wiebe are killed by a roadside bomb west of Kandahar city.

June 11: Trooper Darryl Caswell is killed by a roadside bomb north of Kandahar city.

May 30: Master Cpl. Darrell Jason Priede is killed when a U.S. helicopter is reportedly shot down by the Taliban in Helmand province.

May 25: Cpl. Matthew McCully is killed by an IED in Zhari district.

April 18: Master Cpl. Anthony Klumpenhouwer, who served with elite special forces, dies after falling from a communications tower while conducting surveillance in Kandahar city. A subsequent investigation concluded Klumpenhouwer was knocked from the tower by a surge of electricity.

April 11: Master Cpl. Allan Stewart and Trooper Patrick James Pentland are killed when their light armoured vehicle strikes an IED.

April 8: Sgt. Donald Lucas, Cpl. Aaron E. Williams, Pte. Kevin Kennedy, Pte. David Greenslade, Cpl. Christopher Stannix and Cpl. Brent Poland are killed when their vehicle hits a roadside bomb.

March 6: Cpl. Kevin Megeney is killed in an accidental shooting at the NATO base in Kandahar.

2006

Nov. 27: Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Girouard and Cpl. Albert Storm are killed by suicide car bomber.

Oct. 14: Sgt. Darcy Tedford and Pte. Blake Williamson are killed in an ambush.

Oct. 7: Trooper Mark Andrew Wilson is killed by a roadside bomb.

Oct. 3: Sgt. Craig Gillam and Cpl. Robert Mitchell are killed in mortar and rocket attack.

Sept. 29: Pte. Josh Klukie is killed by an explosion in Panjwaii district while on foot patrol.

Sept. 18: Pte. David Byers, Cpl. Shane Keating, Cpl. Keith Morley and Cpl. Glen Arnold are killed in a suicide bicycle bomb attack while on foot patrol in Panjwaii district.

Sept. 4: Pte. Mark Graham is killed when two NATO planes accidentally strafe Canadian troops in Panjwaii district.

Sept. 3: Sgt. Shane Stachnik, Warrant Officer Frank Robert Mellish, Pte. William Cushley and Warrant Officer Richard Francis Nolan are killed in fighting in Panjwaii district.

Aug. 22: Cpl. David Braun is killed in a suicide attack.

Aug. 11: Cpl. Andrew Eykelenboom is killed in a suicide attack.

Aug. 9: Master Cpl. Jeffrey Walsh is killed by apparent accidental discharge of rifle.

Aug. 5: Master Cpl. Raymond Arndt is killed when his G-Wagon patrol vehicle collides with a truck.

Aug. 3: Cpl. Christopher Reid is killed by a roadside bomb. Sgt. Vaughan Ingram, Cpl. Bryce Keller and Pte. Kevin Dallaire are killed in a rocket-propelled grenade attack.

July 22: Cpl. Francisco Gomez and Cpl. Jason Warren are killed when a car packed with explosives rams their armoured vehicle.

July 9: Cpl. Anthony Boneca is killed in a firefight.

May 17: Capt. Nichola Goddard is killed in a Taliban ambush.

April 22: Cpl. Matthew Dinning, Bombardier Myles Mansell, Lt. William Turner and Cpl. Randy Payne are killed when their G-Wagon is destroyed by a roadside bomb.

March 29: Pte. Robert Costall killed in a firefight with the Taliban.

March 2: Cpl. Paul Davis and Master Cpl. Timothy Wilson are killed when their armoured vehicle runs off the road.

Jan. 15: Glyn Berry, British-born Canadian diplomat, is killed in a suicide bombing.

2005

Nov. 24: Pte. Braun Woodfield is killed when his armoured vehicle rolls over.

2004

Jan. 27: Cpl. Jamie Murphy is killed in a suicide bombing while on patrol.

2003

Oct. 2: Sgt. Robert Short and Cpl. Robbie Beerenfenger are killed in a roadside bombing.

2002

April 18: Sgt. Marc Leger, Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, Pte. Richard Green and Pte. Nathan Smith are killed when a U.S. F-16 fighter mistakenly bombs Canadians.

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