Son finds body of missing father
in river
By Pamela Roth
Staff Reporter
The body of a man who fell into the Sheep River on June 29 was found
on Sunday around 4:45 p.m.
After three days of combing the banks of the Sheep River on the long weekend
the body of 58-year-old Richard James Petrie was located by his son, Richard
Callahan on the banks of the Sheep River at the eastern edge of the Wilderness
Campground property.
Petrie was believed to have entered the river when he and two other men
from the Wilderness Campground were in a backhoe attempting to find and
repair a ruptured gas line in an area that used to be a road, but had
since been swallowed by the swollen river.
The backhoe fell into a sinkhole and tipped onto its side, ejecting Petrie
from the cab and trapping the other two men, both in their late 50’s,
inside the machine.
The two men managed to escape from the backhoe and saw Petrie, who is
believed to have drown, floating face down in the river.
“There is a possibility that when the backhoe rolled, he might have
banged his head on the role cage,” said Okotoks deputy fire chief
Rob MacKenzie. “With the fast moving currents, there are lots of
snarls in places where he could have been snagged up.”
The two men were rescued from their perch on top of the flipped backhoe
approximately an hour later when their cries for help were heard from
another person stranded by the river on a nearby island who called 9-1-1.
Upon their rescue, MacKenzie said the men were bruised and shaken.
“They were certainly very cold and distraught,” said MacKenzie.
“They were beat up pretty good when the backhoe rolled.”
Police, EMS, Foothills Search and Rescue, and both Okotoks and Calgary
fire crews, along with rescue units and divers attended the scene to assist
in the search of the area on foot and by air.
While the river may appear to be receding, MacKenzie said it’s still
very dangerous and urged the public to stay away until water levels are
back to normal.
“It is extremely dangerous. People have to understand the dynamics
of the river,” said MacKenzie. “It isn’t what it used
to be. The banks are undermined and currents are swift. If you do fall
in or the bank gives way, you will be swept away and there is a very good
chance that you will drown.”
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In this issue...
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So close -
Tim Wedderburn reflects on Cup run
See Sports
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Okotoks deputy fire chief Rob MacKenzie
looks at the scene where a tipped backhoe sent 58-year-old Richard
James Petrie into the Sheep River on Thursday. Petrie’s body
was found three days later along the banks of the river at the eastern
edge of the Wilderness Campground property.
photo by Pamela Roth
Same-sex marriage law passed in Parliament
By Pamela Roth
Staff Reporter
With a 158-133 vote in the House of Commons last week
in favour of revamping the traditional definition of marriage , the
ongoing emotional debate over same-sex marriage has finally come to
a resolution, despite the displeasure of several Conservative MPs
and many Albertans.
Macleod MP Ted Menzies was one of the majority of Conservatives who
voted against passing the same-sex marriage bill and expressed his
disappointment with the outcome, although he wasn’t surprised.
“We knew there was a lot of games being played on the Liberal
side,” said Menzies, who was frustrated the Conservatives weren’t
given the opportunity to put up a speaker to represent their constituents.
“We have a lot of disappointed constituents. I have never heard
of such an outpouring of emotion to the Members of Parliament.”
Now that Canada has officially legalized same-sex marriage, it has
become the third country in the world to do so, joining Belgium and
the Netherlands.
But after several years of ongoing debate and countless time spent
exercising the issue, Menzies was quick to point out that all the
fuss only affects a small percentage of the population.
“It’s five per cent of the population it impacts. That’s
a pretty minimal amount to have expended so much time and so much
energy on,” said Menzies. “They missed opportunities to
improve trade, work on getting the border open to cattle and diplomatic
issues that should have been dealt with abroad.”
For St. Peter’s Anglican Church minister Father Paul Orritt,
the passing of the same-sex marriage bill has left a sour taste in
his mouth.
Like Menzies, news that the law had passed in Parliament wasn’t
exactly a shock for Orritt, whose biggest beef is with the definition
of marriage.
Now that gays and lesbians can officially and legally to walk down
the aisle, Orritt believes this is only the beginning of where society
is headed in the future.
“We believe that scripture is very clear about certain behavioral
patterns. For the government to legalize this and for the church to
promote it is simply a sad day,” said Orritt. “We live
in a society where more and more people aren’t wanting to have
any kind of restraints at all. It’s talking about the legitimization
or the blessing of such unions and I think we have a problem.”
It’s no secret that a lot of Albertans, such as the premier
himself, are strongly opposed to same-sex marriage.
Take a stroll through the streets of Okotoks and a common theme seems
to emerge among residents when asked about their thoughts on the subject.
“It’s disgusting. I think they should be shipped off to
an island somewhere,” said one man who did not want to be identified.
“It’s a disintegration of the family values. I think the
majority of the country is opposed to it,” said Monique Hardy.
Another woman said the flooding is a sign from God that he or she
is not happy about the proceedings in Ottawa.
But not everybody in Okotoks was opposed to the decision made on Parliament
Hill that has sparked ongoing debate throughout the nation for so
many years.
“I am in favour of it,” said Linda LeGeyt. “I think
it’s a human rights issue. It’s not about religion; it’s
about individuals. They really deserve to have equal rights.”
Sixteen-year-old Samantha Turbach argued saying,
“I personally feel they have every right to be married and have
a relationship.”
While the matter may be complete on Parliament Hill for the summer
months, it’s clear the issue is something that won’t be
swept aside.
Once Parliament is back in session on Sept. 26, Menzies indicated
that Conservative leader Stephen Harper plans to re-introduce legislation
to overturn the decision.
If this does happen, Menzies hopes to find a resolution that would
work for everyone in Canada, rather than just a small minority.
“The definition of the word marriage is offensive to so many
people and yet the Liberals didn’t seem at all interested in
changing that definition,” said Menzies. “I’m sure
that it’s going to be a topic of discussion everywhere I go
in the next few weeks.”
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