Tag: Alberta

  • 174 prisoners removed from jail in northern Alberta over wildfire

    174 prisoners removed from jail in northern Alberta over wildfire

    Many prisoners were moved from a jail in northern Alberta this week because of a wildfire.

    Residents near a wildfire near Peace River were told to leave their homes on Tuesday.

    The police moved 174 inmates from the jail to keep them safe because the fire was close to the prison.

    Authorities called the Peace River School Division, who gave buses and drivers to transport the inmates.

    The Mounties took the buses with the inmates to different RCMP detachments like Peace Regional, Valleyview, High Prairie, Slave Lake, Lakeshore, Spirit River. The inmates stayed there until they could be moved to other remand centres in the province.

    The RCMP also gave officers to watch over prisoners if the correctional officers couldn’t do it.

    The warning about the fire was stopped at 5:16 p. m On Wednesday, people started coming back home on Thursday morning.

    CTV News Edmonton has asked the RCMP for more information about when the inmates will be coming back.

    The Municipal District of Peace is about 520 kilometers to the northwest of Edmonton.

  • Alberta distillery to stop producing 4-liter vodka jugs after minister expressed concern

    Alberta distillery to stop producing 4-liter vodka jugs after minister expressed concern

    A factory that makes alcohol is stopping making cheap big vodkas because the Alberta minister says they are not being sold at a fair price.

    Some people like the new jugs from T-Rex Distillery, but some don’t. The jugs are getting mixed reviews on social media. About half of the people like them because they are new and easy to use.

    Others are worried too, like Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally. He thinks the low $49. 95 price was not a good idea and he might step in to do something about it.

    The distillery in Edmonton is making jugs of liquor for Super Value Liquor, and they are selling it at the price Super Value Liquor asked for.

    Currently, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis decides how much stores have to pay for products. However, T-Rex says that the agency doesn’t give any rules or instructions on how much the products should be sold for.

    Laws in Canada control how alcohol is labelled and packaged, and Nally says the jugs follow these rules.

    “He told reporters on Monday that it doesn’t match the values of the people in Alberta. ”

    “We think the pricing is not fair. ”

    Nally’s ministry didn’t quickly explain what the government might do about pricing.

    The plastic jugs look like four-liter milk containers and have simple labels that say “value” and “vodka” on a yellow background.

    Sunny Bhullar, who is the manager at Edmonton Super Value Liquor, said his store reduced the price of the jugs from $60.

    “We make sure we are taking care of our customers in a good way,” said Bhullar in an interview.

    He said the store wants to sell good products at low prices for people who want to buy a lot at once.

    “We sell our products at a reasonable price,” he said.

    Nally wants to set a minimum price for the products, but Bhullar is worried about it.

    “It will be difficult for small shops to compete with the larger stores in that situation,” he said.

    T-Rex sent an email saying that its vodka bottles have been available for about a year. It also sells a special T-Rex jug for businesses like bars and restaurants.

    The company said that the vodka bottles were checked and given the okay by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis. As of Monday, T-Rex has not heard anything from the agency, the government, or the minister.

    “Craft distilleries in Alberta have been struggling because their prices are not fair. Some distilleries are even selling their spirits for less than T-Rex,” said the company.

    “We have told AGLC many times about our worries with the current system. ”

    Nally said something before proposing a new law to reduce red tape. He wants to make it clear that he has the power to set liquor prices.

    Nally said, “If this bill becomes a law, then I will definitely investigate it. ”

    I don’t think a big plastic jug of vodka is good for our local distilleries. I don’t think the pricing is fair.

    Nally wants to change the rules to match what really happens in the liquor industry. The AGLC, which watches over the industry, can’t raise prices without the minister’s approval.

    T-Rex said that when AGLC removed a rule a few years ago that required craft distilleries to make most of their own spirits, it caused prices to become very high and not able to continue.

    T-Rex said that anyone can mix and sell a lot of vodka they bought in bulk without having their own distilling equipment. The company and other small alcohol makers had to lower their prices to compete and stay in business. This was especially hard because they had already spent a lot of money on distillery equipment, while new companies didn’t have to.

    The AGLC said they couldn’t answer questions on Monday about the rules for selling large vodka jugs. It didn’t answer right away when we asked about the rules for making liquor in small distilleries.

  • Syncrude forced to pay $390K after admitting to fatality at work site in Alberta in 2021

    Syncrude forced to pay $390K after admitting to fatality at work site in Alberta in 2021

    Syncrude has agreed to pay nearly $400,000 in compensation after accepting responsibility for a worker’s death almost three years ago.

    On June 6, 2021, a worker was using a big machine to build a wall at a construction site near Fort McKay when the ground under the machine slipped into the water.

    The part of the excavator where the worker sits went under the water, and the worker died.

    Syncrude admitted they didn’t keep a worker safe and healthy as required by the law.

    Four other complaints under the OHS Act were removed.

    The company will give $390,000 to the David and Joan Lynch School of Engineering Safety and Risk Management, the UAlberta Geotechnical Centre and the Alberta Municipal Health and Safety Association, for an innovative initiative. This was announced by the province in a news release on Monday.

    The money will be used to make a guide for employers to follow and create a mobile app that can be used for trenching, excavation and related work.

    “These will help with training, planning work, and making decisions to improve safety at work. ”

    The OHS Act allows for fines to be used to fund projects that make workplaces safer instead of just paying the fines.

    Both Syncrude and the government have a month to appeal the conviction or the penalty.