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- photo by Angela Anderson
Local RCMP attempt to raise awareness of continued suspicious person incidents
By
Editor
After attempting to raise awareness of a suspicious person, Turner Valley and Okotoks RCMP have been flooded with calls, but the help has turned up nothing as far as identifying a suspect.
However, police are still seeking public assistance.
There have been at least three reported incidents of a suspicious person attempting to pick up young women in Okotoks, two reports in Black Diamond and one incident in both High River and Calgary.
The most recent incident occurred on Wednesday, Oct. 2 in Okotoks when a 15-year-old was walking down the street and was approached by a male, driving a white van, asking if she wanted a ride.
The young woman refused and the van left the scene heading south out of Okotoks.
Investigating officer Cst. Clint Reynolds of the Turner Valley RCMP said while interviewing the woman in this case, it was determined that another unreported incident had occurred.
Police confirmed the second incident saying that the man had attempted to cover his face, but the female reported that he had a white beard or goatee.
Reynolds said that in all incidents the description of the person and vehicles are similar.
In Black Diamond the vehicle was described as a two-tone station wagon and in the Okotoks and Calgary incidents a white van with a curved back end was identified.
Reynolds said it is obvious the suspect has access to various vehicles, but that the physical description of the suspect seems to indicate the same person.
The man has been described as in his 40s with gray or white hair on the sides, a white goatee and wears glasses. In many of the incidents he has been see wearing a black ball cap.
The vehicle most commonly reported is a white mini van with rounded features in the back and the two windows in the rear may be tinted or very dark.
In most cases the suspect has asked if the young females if they wanted a ride home, said Cpl. Jim Stewart of the Okotoks RCMP who is also working on the case.
'We are very pleased that in each incident the kids have been very street smart,' he said.
The Okotoks and Turner Valley RCMP detachments continued to investigate the incidents and now have the assistance of the Calgary City Police. The first priority in the case, said Stewart, is to raise awareness in the communities.
Stewart explained that so far there has been great response to the plea for information from the RCMP and the local schools have been cooperating by sending out timely information to students and parents.
Once the suspect is identified, police will be able to determine the level of threat he poses and what course of action to take. So far, though, the public assistance has been hugely beneficial.
'In the last 48 hours we have made great progress in identifying the suspect from the people who have called in. I am very pleased with the progress of the situation,' said Stewart. 'Each incident is leading us closer (to identifying the suspect).'
'I have some good leads,' added Reynolds optimistic that a suspect would be identified quickly.
The RCMP is also hoping that parents will continue to talk to their children about street smarts. See story on tips to streetproof your children on pages 10 and 11 in this issue.
Anyone with information into these crimes are asked to call the Okotoks RCMP at 938-7046 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Longview ranchers oppose request for oil exploration
By
Staff reporter
Ranchers in the Longview area are saddling up to stop the exploration of oil drilling on a precious piece of land before it begins.
Vermilion Resources Ltd., a Calgary-based oil and gas company, have applied to the the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (AEUB) to drill for gas on a section of land south of Longview.
A group of ranchers who own land in the area have formed the Pekisko Land Owners Association with the goal to preserve this land for future generations.
Many of the members are third and fourth generation owners and do not want to see the land their families grew up on destroyed.
'Twenty years ago, we thought the west was infinite,' said Ian Tyson, renowned folk singer and member of the Pekisko Land Owners Association. 'Well, it's not and this is its eleventh hour.'
The vast area of land Vermilion wants to drill on is part of the Foothills Parkland Natural Region and runs south along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains from Longview 85 kilometres to the Oldman River.
The land in question includes the EP Ranch, bought by Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1919 and sold to the Cartwright family in 1962, and the D Ranch, once a hideout for the Sundance Kid, also owned by the Cartwrights.
'This land evolved with the buffalo. It sustained them year-round just as it sustains our cattle and the elk and moose and deer. It is one of the few remaining areas in Alberta that hasn't been paved, ploughed or fertilized,' said Mac Blades, ranchland owner and member of the Pekisko Land Owners Association.
The area is not only rare, but it is a source of pure water, it harbors and protects wildlife and its native grasses are excellent carbon sinks. All of which, the ranchers say, will be ruined by oil exploration.
The ranchers feel there is another solution.
'We think a moratorium would be a good idea,' Blades said, 'Leave the gas in the ground for now and let's work on finding a balance between exploration and preserving the ecosystem.'
However, Vermilion Resources believes there is no serious threat to the environment in the area.
'We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously and we comply with all regulations given to us by Environment Canada,' said Heather Strang of Vermilion Resources.
Strang insists the oil company wants to work closely with the ranchers in the area to assure there is no immediate threat to the land.
'I want to reiterate that we are committed to our environmental responsibilities and we want to continue to work with (the ranchers),' she said.
Vermilion has received the ranchers' appeal and Strang said they are taking it very seriously.
A hearing for the case will be held before the AEUB on Oct. 15 and 16 in High River.
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