Alberta
RCMP looks to expand its crisis teams to avoid violent conflicts during mental health calls
From CBC News
Some RCMP divisions pair a Mountie with a nurse — but the arrangement isn’t available everywhere
· CBC NewsThe call came in close to the end of RCMP Const. Lorri Kokkola’s shift on a cold, cloudy day in Red Deer, Alta.
“He has some delusions right now that are very real. They’ve escalated,” said the woman on the other end.
“His comment was, ‘Somebody’s gotta f—ing die before anyone believes me. So I have to kill myself.'”
Kokkola headed to the man’s apartment, but she wasn’t alone. Riding shotgun was John Obelienius, a psychiatric nurse with more than a decade of experience.
She and Obelienius make up what’s known as a PACT — a police and crisis team. Kokkola entered the man’s apartment first but Obelienius ended up doing most of the talking.
Inside, they found a young man deep in the coils of paranoia, rattling off conspiracy theories. His legs shook nervously as he lay back on his living room couch.
“So last night, you made a decision to hurt somebody,” said Obelienius.
“I did,” the man responded.
The young man told Obelienius that he hadn’t been sleeping or eating, that he knew he was slipping.
“Just be honest with the suicide stuff, too, right?” Obelienius told him. “If you start feeling like you’re losing grip, you can call.”
They talked for more than 10 minutes. Obelienius and Kokkola left with a warning — making threats can get you into trouble — and a promise to check in after a few days.
And that was it. No trip to a crammed hospital ER or a police cell. Just a quiet chat and a conflict avoided.
“Police before, because they didn’t have the mental health training or access to a professional beside them, nine out of every 10 police calls would get apprehended and brought to hospital,” said Obelienius.
“Now I think we’re down to probably one out of every 10, right? That clinical expertise is able to help us avoid apprehension.
Please click here to see the rest of this CBC article
WATCH From Underdog to Top Broodmare (video)
Executive Producers Jeff Robillard (Horse Racing Alberta) and Mike Little (Shinelight Entertainment)
What began as an underdog story became a legacy of excellence. Crackers Hot Shot didn’t just race — she paved the way for future generations, and in doing so became one of the most influential producers the province has known.
The extraordinary journey of Crackers Hot Shot — once overlooked, now revered — stands as one of Alberta’s finest success stories in harness racing and breeding.
Born in humble circumstances and initially considered rough around the edges, Crackers Hot Shot overcame long odds to carve out a career that would forever impact the province’s racing industry. From a “wild, unhandled filly” to Alberta’s “Horse of the Year” in 2013, to producing foals who carry her spirit and fortitude into future generations.
Her influence ripples through Alberta’s racing and breeding landscape: from how young stock are prepared, to the aspirations of local breeders who now look to “the mare that did it” as proof that world-class talent can emerge from Alberta’s paddocks.
“Crackers Hot Shot, she had a tough start. She wasn’t much to look at when we first got her” — Rod Starkewski
“Crackers Hot Shot was left on her own – Carl Archibald heard us talking, he said ‘I’ll go get her – I live by there’. I think it took him 3 days to dig her out of the snow. She was completely wild – then we just started working on her. She really needed some humans to work with her – and get to know that people are not scary.” — Jackie Starkewski
“Crackers Hot Shot would be one of the top broodmares in Albeta percentage wise if nothing else. Her foals hit the track – they’re looking for the winners circle every time.” — Connie Kolthammer
Visit thehorses.com to learn more about Alberta’s Horse Racing industry.
Better data, better outcomes for Alberta students |
To help schools address classroom complexity, Alberta’s government will begin collecting annual data on class size and composition.
Over the past three years, Alberta has welcomed more than 80,000 new students. With this unprecedented growth, classroom complexity and class sizes are among the biggest issues facing schools and teachers across the province.
To meet this challenge head on, Alberta’s government will work with school boards to gather yearly data on class sizes and composition. This information will be used to better understand staffing, student needs and classroom complexity. School boards will be required to submit data on Alberta classrooms by Nov. 24, and by January, this data will be made publicly available and will then be released annually.
Data collected on classroom complexity will help the province understand and address issues in schools, including class sizes, and support strategic investments in classrooms. Over the next three years, school boards will be provided with funding to hire 3,000 teachers and 1,500 new education assistants to support students with complex needs.
“We are ready to work with school boards and teachers to address classroom complexity and class sizes. We have heard them loud and clear and we are taking bold action to address these issues.”
Alberta’s government is establishing a Class Size and Complexity Task Force to begin work immediately on identifying solutions to the challenges facing Alberta classrooms. Alongside new annual data collection, the task force will ensure every student gets the attention and support they need to succeed. Details about the task force will be shared in the coming weeks.
“This data will provide essential insight into classroom realities, guiding evidence-based decisions and advocating for sustainable funding to address complexity, ensuring every student and educator in Alberta has the support to thrive.”
Quick facts
To inform decisions on addressing classroom complexity, data will be collected on total numbers of:
- all staff, per school, including roles
- substitute teachers
- district staff, listed by job title
- students, per classroom, per school
- severe, mild/moderate, and gifted/talented students, per classroom, per school
- English as an additional language (EAL) students, per classroom, per school
- refugee students, per classroom, per school
- First Nations, Métis and Inuit students, per classroom, per school
- Individualized Program Plans, per classroom, per school
- students waitlisted for assessment, per classroom, per school
- incidents of aggression and violence
- $55 million was provided in Budget 2025 to address classroom complexity.
- 8.6 billion is being invested to build and renovate more than 130 schools across the province.
- Budget 2025 is investing $1.6 billion in learning support funding to help meet students’ specialized learning needs.
- Budget 2025 is investing $1.1 billion to hire more than 4,000 teachers and educational staff.
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