Submitted by the City of Lethbridge
Residents are reminded to think about safety when renting in Lethbridge.
   As university and college students are returning to school, many are looking for affordable housing solutions. The Lethbridge Fire Department urges anyone looking for a place to rent to consider more than just the monthly cost.
“One of the first questions in the back of a potential renter’s mind should be, is this place safe?” says Fire Prevention Officer Gerrit Sinke. “If people are unsure, we encourage them to call the Lethbridge Fire Department at 403-320-3811.”
Some of the important items a potential renter should look at are as follows:
• Smoke detectors — Smoke detectors should be centrally located and never be more than 10 years old. Be sure that the detector is interconnected with the other suites in the property and that it gets checked every six months.
• Window sizes — Many suites, especially basement suites have very small windows that you may not be able to get out of in the event of a fire. Always be sure that a window opens freely and has no dimensions less than 38 cm. The total open area should always provide at least .35 square metres.
• Furnace rooms — Furnace and utility rooms are a common source of fire. Be sure it is properly dry walled and is not filled with clutter.
• Hand rails — In the event of a fire you will need all the help you can get to safely evacuate from your rental home. Something as small as having adequate hand rails going up the stairs can make the difference between life and death.
• Suite separation — In the event you are renting a basement suite be sure it is properly separated from the upper suite with a fire resistant drywalled ceiling. Drywall does not burn and will give you more time to escape in the event of a fire.
• Is it legal? — The City of Lethbridge has a secondary (basement) suite legalization program in place giving landlords an opportunity to come forward and legalize their basement suites. If you are renting a suite that has been legalized, you can rest assured that your land lord has done all he/she can to ensure the suite is safe.
• Fire extinguisher — Any home should have a minimum of a 5 lb. fire extinguisher and as a renter you should be familiar with using it.
 “Please make fire safety a priority when choosing where to rent,” says Sinke.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), serious psychological problems affect one in five young people and suicide is now the third-leading cause of death among teenagers.
At least 90 per cent of teens who commit suicide have a diagnosable mental illness, but family breakup, poor parenting, low self-esteem, fear, and feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness can also lead to serious psychological stress. Such problems can cause teens to behave badly at home and in school, or to run away from home and school altogether. Often, these children wind up living on the streets and turning to alcohol, drugs, prostitution and crime to get through their days.
Alberta’s teachers are often the first to recognize problems that could lead teenagers to such situations. Many children are referred to Alberta Children and Youth Services (ACYS) or regional offices of the CMHA through their schools. Often, these kids are directed to alternative school programs in the hope that more individual attention will keep them off the streets and show them ways to cope.
In Lethbridge School District No. 51, many of these children come to the attention of Reid Shuttleworth, a teacher resource consultant who works in student placement. His job is to work with Alberta Children and Youth Services and Alberta Justice to figure out what troubled children need, and to work with them and help them acquire a better life.
Shuttleworth says many of the children he works with have not experienced success in a traditional school setting. “Many of the kids I talk to are already living on the streets. They have no parental support at all and many have serious psychological problems,” says Shuttleworth.
“Completing high school isn’t a priority for them, though getting an education that leads to a good job is often the only way they can get out and stay out of trouble.”
Shuttleworth has more than 30 years of experience as a classroom teacher, an administrator and, for the last three years, a consultant for students with serious problems. “My first job is to get these kids off the streets, find them a place to live that they like enough to stay in, recognize their addictions and specific issues, and get them the help they need. If I work with them to straighten out their day-to-day lives, then we can look at getting them into a school program.”
Shaun Killans, a social worker with ACYS in Lethbridge, says Shuttleworth has both the ability and the passion to work with children who have mental and psychological problems. 
“These are children other people have given up on,” says Killans. “They’re the kids who cause burnout in many teachers; the ones whose behaviour suggests they’re not serious about getting back on track and becoming productive adults. But Reid is taking a different role than other educators. He’s helping kids outside the classroom, so they can be successful in the classroom.”
“Reid connects with these kids and he’ll stick with them,” Killans adds. “He’s built up a significant level of trust.”
Shuttleworth says he works closely with the CMHA and with special educational programs such as Stepping Away and Downtown LA. (Stepping Away —geared to people 16 years of age and over who have been diagnosed with a mental health problem —provides hands-on skills training opportunities, especially in the trades. Downtown LA is a regional program that offers short-term intervention for students 12 to 17 years old who have been diagnosed with mental health issues. It provides education and therapy that meet the academic, psychological and social needs of students who can’t work in a regular classroom setting.)
John is one of the students Shuttleworth has worked with for the past couple of years. Now 17, John dropped out of school three years ago, developed a drug habit and began living on the streets. With Shuttleworth’s help, he has completed a 90-day detoxification program and is now enrolled in an alternative school program.
“Mr. Shuttleworth is just a great guy,” John says. “He’s never let me down. I can call him any time I need advice or help — night or day — and he’s there for me. If I seem to be losing my determination or motivation, he knows just the right things to say to get me on track and back to doing the things I need to do to progress. If it wasn’t for him, I’d probably still be on the street.”
 

A Lethbridge mother and entrepreneur hopes three time’s a charm.
Andrea Johnson is on her third consecutive attempt to nab the annual Savvy Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award. There are 200 nominees vying for the readership contest, which is determined by online votes.
“This is the third time and it’s going to be the last,” she laughed. “I’m like, ‘Three’s a charm. I can’t quit after two.’”
To simplify the voting process, Johnson has added a direct link on her website, EcoBabyCanada.com, to the voting site.
The grand prize is $22,000 in cash and business advisory services. Johnson says winning would help her expand her business and help other moms earn money while staying home with their children.
When pregnant with her third child, Johnson, a self-proclaimed environmentalist, decided to take a “more natural” approach to parenting. She wanted to use cloth diapers and baby carriers, but had trouble finding quality natural products in Canada. She had no option but to import items from Germany, the U.S. and Australia. The hefty shipping costs she encountered as a result of buying from multiple companies outside of the country quickly added up, which led her to ask: Why not have all the items available from one location, preferrably one that’s in southern Alberta?
Thus, EcoBaby Canada was born. The online home-based buisness offers a variety of organic and natural products for mothers and babies. Products include maternity and baby clothes, baby clothing and cloth diapers, as well as skin care and bath products that are free of chemicals and animal-based ingredients.
Johnson recently added items to help mothers whose pregancy ended on a heartbreaking note. It’s part of the Tiny Angels Project she’ll officially launch this fall.
Johnson, whose twin pregnancy ended in miscarriage July 29, 2009, said she left the hospital emptyhanded in more ways than one.
“I knew I had twins but no one told me what to expect physically or emotionally. I had declined intervention, so I mean, I went home. But no one told me when I should go back to the hospital, what is an emergency?,” she said.
“I was pretty disappointed with the information that was out there, what I could find. I really couldn’t find anything. I didn’t get sent home with anything from the hospital. And speaking with friends and other people who went through the same thing, they felt really uninformed, too.”
Not being the type of person who settles for being uninformed, Johnson began searching for information related to miscarriages. She discovered there are companies in North America who offer baby loss care packages, and had one mailed to her southside home.
“I had found things, just not locally.”
So she created her own baby loss care packages containing information for mothers, and products such as herbal tea, specially formulated for women’s needs both monthly and postpartum, and a bath product that consists of a sweet blend of comforting and calming organic herbs and organic oatmeal.
For every box of Harmony herbal tea ordered through EcoBaby Canada, the businesses donates a box for distributing in the baby loss care packages. The company also donates 100 per cent of the proceeds from its herbal bath product to pregnancy loss support. The care packages will be offered at no charge, with funding coming from donations.
Johnson’s care package consists of informational brochures, a remembrance necklace, candle and tea. It will be available through the website www.tinyangelsproduct.com, which will be operational later this year. The website will offer a place for visitors to donate to the cause, request a pregnancy loss care package, and find information for support groups such as Empty Arms, a self-help group for families who have experienced miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth or neonatal death, that meets the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. at Lethbridge Family Services.
The service hasn’t even been officially launched and Johnson had already received package requests.
“I’ve had one or two go to women in Lethbridge and one in Saskatchewan so far. It’s kind of surprising that it’s spread by word of mouth because I haven’t even released (the service) yet.”

While most people set out to paint the town red, this particular group aims to paint Lethbridge pink.

 To celebrate the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation’s fifth CIBC Run for the Cure in Lethbridge, organizers decided to add a colourful twist to the festivities. They’ve asked businesses in Lethbridge dress their place of work in pink for the week of July 19. Prizes will be handed out for the best pink-dressed stores.

“Use your imagination,” said  Ginny Goulet, the volunteer run co-ordinator for the Lethbridge run site. “Paint your store windows. Or, if you have a ladies’ store, you could do your window display in pink. Paint your sidewalk in pink chalk; if you’ve got trees or plant pots in front of your business, do them up in pink. Just go a little extra for it.”

The goal is to raise awareness about breast cancer and its effect on Canadians.

To take part, contact Emily Byrne at 403-381-8813 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , and include your business/organization name and contact person, address and phone number.

While the registration date has passed, organizers will continue to take submissions until July 19, she said.

“That gives the judges time to run around see what’s out there.”

Judging will take place at 10 a.m. on July 23.

If the idea to paint Lethbridge pink is widely accepted, organizers may decide to make it an annual event, she said.

The week will kick off July 16 with a photo shoot with breast cancer survivors in Henderson Lake Park by the pink ribbon of flowers from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

An evening with the Lethbridge Bulls at Spitz Stadium will wrap up the week July 23. Beginning at 7 p.m., wear pink and support the Run for the Cure and the Bulls. Team shirts will be auctioned following the game with proceeds going to the Lethbridge run site.

The 2010 Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure is scheduled for Oct. 3.

Last year’s run saw 975 participants raise more than $200,000. This year, the goal is to raise between $125,000 and $250,000.

“Twenty teams have signed up so far and this is early for them but that’s a good number.”

The money raised stays in the area, added Goulet.