Suzanne Oel – Division 4
Greetings! Sharing my News Update…
Fish Creek Watershed Association (FCWA) Event: On Saturday, April 13th, 2024, we are invited to attend the FCWA Public Information Meeting at the Priddis Community Hall, from 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm. We will learn about the “fish”, in Fish and Priddis Creeks, from retired senior fisheries biologist, Jim Stelfox, who will discuss threats to a sustainable fishery in our watershed. Also, FCWA will share the importance of beavers in the watershed from Cows & Fish Riparian Specialist, Pam Kuipers, who will discuss the benefits of beavers for the riparian health and resiliency of our local creeks, especially in drought years.
FCWA Accomplishments: With a community-driven stewardship focus on the upper Fish Creek Watershed, FCWA has produced a State of the Watershed Report, an Integrated Watershed Management Plan, and a Priddis Creek Stream Flow study. FCWA has participated in water well monitoring, informed landowners about Cows & Fish riparian assessments of local property, organized a workshop about off-stream watering systems, installed creek-identifying road signs, introduced iNaturalist citizen science, and more. You can find out about FCWA and their event, here: https://www.fcwa.ca
High Country Rural Crime Watch – meeting recap: The 2024 HCRCWA AGM was held on March 12. After a business meeting, RCMP guests, Staff Sgt. Racette and Sgt. Forsyth, from the Turner Valley (soon-to-be Diamond Valley) RCMP Detachment provided an update on their local policing service, received questions from residents, and invited discussion on policing priorities.
Fraud & Scams: Next up, same HCRCWA meeting, we learned from Crime Reduction Liaison Zaman that the number one on top of the long list is romance scams. Approximately $35 Millon has been lost to thousands of Canadian victims of various fraud/scams over the recent year. With each new technology there follows a new coinciding way to manipulate. We heard about “phishing” email scams, “smishing” text scams, crypto currency scams, and “dolphin attacks”, which are high frequency signals used to interfere with or gain control of digital assistants and smart tech devices. QR code scams are on the rise, where these codes are directing the unsuspecting person to a site that may take their personal information and use it for ill-intent. Wrapping up our meeting, RCMP then provided suggestions to stay ahead of criminals by employing safety measures, healthy suspicion, authentications, backing up computer files, removing family photos and information off Facebook/social media, and reporting fraud/scams and failed attempts to local police and www.antifraudcenter.ca This presentation and discussions really impressed upon us the need for our ongoing vigilance and sharing with others to help in prevention.
Obituary Scams: Beware! Please read the following short summary of a recent article by the Alberta Provincial Rural Crime Watch Association, “Obituaries: A Way to Say Goodbye or Commit Fraud?”. In remembering our loved ones, we share their lives through obituaries, which have evolved from local newspapers to digital platforms. This has exposed our personal information to a world-wide scale of criminals, who exploit what we share. Facts, such as names and relationships of the deceased and birthdates, are shamelessly formed into a scam used to target grieving families or friends. Scammers may contact individuals, through various means, claiming to have a connection to the deceased and fabricating urgent situations that require financial assistance, even acting as fake charities or creditors. Criminals can also use the deceased person’s information to commit identity fraud, including opening credit cards, renting vehicles or residences, or opening telephone accounts.
When writing an obituary, exercise caution and avoid providing unnecessary personal details. Do not include the deceased’s day and month of birth, employment history, or home address. Consider not listing the relatives. It’s important to exercise caution and verify any unexpected requests or communications, especially during vulnerable times such as mourning a loss. Executors should take extra precaution to inform credit agencies, financial institutions and monitor all accounts until they are closed. Read the full article, here: https://www.ruralcrimewatch.ab.ca/news/articles/obituary-scams-fraud
Drought Awareness: The Alberta Government is taking action and preparing, in case conditions warrant an emergency measures response. The County is participating in collaborative discussions and strategizing access to local water supplies should assistance to residents be needed. Find drought management info, here: https://brbc.ab.ca/drought & https://www.alberta.ca/drought
Volunteers Needed: Congrats to all Community Associations and their volunteers for making the many local events happen. Please consider joining with the teams in our community to make a difference and to add your valuable perspective and a helping hand. Currently, we are looking for volunteers for the Treasurer of the Priddis-Red Deer Lake Recreation Board, and a Division 4 Representative to the Northwest Foothills Recreation Board. If you would like to know more about these positions and how to apply, please contact me.
For Other News & Updates:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CouncillorSuzanneOel/
Email: Suzanne.Oel@FoothillsCountyAB.ca
With Best Regards,
Suzanne
