County of Wetaskiwin council heard during a report at their regular council meeting July 23 that municipal parks signs are not intended as souvenirs.
The regular Protective Services Month End report was presented to councilors by Assistant CAO Jeff Chipley.
“On a monthly basis, Administration provides Council with a reporting of the various developments and occurrences that have occurred within the Protective Services Department of the County of Wetaskiwin, in order to keep Council informed and apprised of the details surround enforcement, animal control, and community protection throughout the County of Wetaskiwin,” stated Chipley in his report.
He noted the following Protective Services Reports were provided for review by Council: Community Peace Officer Occurrence Report for June 2019, Community Peace Officer Patrol Report for June 2019, Animal Control Report January – June 2019 and the Bylaw Enforcement Report January – June 2019.
Chipley’s report went on to state, “Some of the highlights of incidents that were dealt with by the Community Peace Officers (CPOs) of the County of Wetaskiwin in the month of June were as follows:
“A CPO was on patrol in Division 5 at the Village at Pigeon Lake and observed a truck with a County of Wetaskiwin Parks sign in the box of the truck. CPO conducted a traffic stop for a dirty licence plate and inquired about the County sign. The driver stated they had just come from Twin Lakes Park and that his buddy put that in his truck.
“CPO contacted Wetaskiwin RCMP and requested assistance with the Criminal Code violations, as CPO could only deal with the Bylaw side of Damage to County Property. Wetaskiwin RCMP stated that they were not able to attend and that the CPO should just deal with the matter with the Bylaw charge. Eventually, an Enhanced RCMP Member patrolling Pigeon Lake attended the matter. CPO issued violation ticket for the traffic offence and the RCMP arrested the driver.
“A CPO was asked to assist the Buck Lake Fire Department with an EMS call south of Alder Flats where a male was critically injured while operating a forklift. CPO attended as he was a short distance away. CPO administered first aid to the male, who was suffering from a major head wound and respiratory distress. The injured male stopped breathing and CPO conducted CPR until EMS arrived. Unfortunately, the male succumbed to his injuries shortly after EMS arrived.
“A CPO conducted a traffic stop in Division 5 with a golf cart operating on a highway. The male was transporting liquor and showed signs of impairment. CPO requested RCMP for a breath sample where a ‘caution’ was received, and the male was placed under a three (3) day driving suspension. Several other provincial violations were found, and the golf cart was seized.
“June is Commercial Vehicle Month for Law Enforcement across Alberta. The Wetaskiwin RCMP Integrated Traffic Unit hosted a joint forces compliance check in the City of Wetaskiwin over two (2) days. Officers conducted thirty-six (36) safety inspections and removed ten (10) commercial vehicles from the road for being unsafe.
“As is typical during the summer months, calls for CPOs to attend disturbances at County Parks continue to be a regular part of the duties undertaken by CPOs, especially during weekends.”
Councilors unanimously accepted the report for information.