83 hectares of trees being felled around Canmore Nordic Centre to reduce wildfire risk
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CTV News
35 minutes ago
- CTV News
Heartfelt public displays of love visible to Macleod Trail drivers
Shane Bassen is the man behind the romantic messages on the south-facing hill on the Canyon Meadows overpass above MacLeod Trail South. He gets up at 4 a.m. to place hearts there for Sandy, his wife of 27 years. For 29 years, Shane Bassen has been placing public displays of love to his wife, Sandy, in a spot that generations of commuters have witnessed. Shane gets up at 4 a.m. and heads to the south-facing hill on the Canyon Meadows Drive overpass at Macleod Trail South. In the summer, he places wire sign holders in the shape of hearts and then connects the design with surveyor's tape to make it visible to drivers heading north. '(In the winter, the messages stay in) the snow till it melts,' he said. 'But (in the summer), I take it down quick because they have to cut the grass, right? So I'll leave it up maybe two days, then I'll take it down.' In the winter, Shane goes out after every snowfall and uses his feet to create a heart along with the letters 'San-D.' He got the idea from a similar sign he saw close to three decades ago while driving in north Calgary and decided to try his luck in the south for Sandy. That was soon after just their second date. 'I called her and said, 'You want to go look on the hill?' and she loved it,' he said. 'And I said, 'Well, if you don't like it, I'll stop it,' and she goes, 'Don't you dare,' so that started it, and I've been doing it ever since.' Sandy Bassen says when she sees the hearts, it brings a smile to her face. 'He's a very romantic kind of guy,' she said. 'He loves to do it. I keep saying, 'You don't have to keep doing this because I know it's tiring.' He gets up so early in the morning, and I appreciate it. I love it, and that makes me feel special. It's nice to see, and I enjoy it, so if he wants to keep going, I'm okay with that.' They've been married for 27 years, and Sandy says not many Calgarians know the couple behind the romantic display, and when they find out, they're impressed. 'Especially for Shane, I'm so glad for him to get the recognition because he's doing all the work. So, it's very special that way, for sure,' she said. Shane says he's forever grateful to Sandy because when they met, he was depressed and credits his faith and her for lifting his spirits. 'I had this gift; I call it Sandy. A gift came to me, and I am so grateful,' he said. 'My motivation is to not only love her but also love Him who took care of me because it was really hard, so I want her to know that she's loved, and honestly, I'm going to keep doing this as long as I can.'
CTV News
35 minutes ago
- CTV News
Rededication ceremony planned for Chatham cenotaph this weekend
A downtown landmark that honours Chatham's military history will be rededicated this weekend during a parade and public ceremony. The rededication of the Chatham Cenotaph is scheduled for Sunday morning, beginning with a march from Royal Canadian Legion Branch 642 at 10:30 a.m. along William and King streets. The parade will include a pipe band, colour guard, police and fire honour guards, and for the first time a First World War re-enactment group with horses. 'We've got the provincial president, Comrade Lynn McLellan, coming from Ontario Command,' said Legion president Len Maynard. 'To have a First World War re-enactment group on parade … that should really bring it home to the public, and we hope to educate the public again about what Memorial Square is. A lot of history here.' Maynard noted the cenotaph was erected after the First World War, but the area known as Memorial Square also played a role in the War of 1812, including the Battle of McGregor's Mill. In recent years, the cenotaph fell victim to vandals. In response, security cameras and new fencing were installed. 'This is sacred ground to veterans,' he said. 'To see this kind of dedication going on, and the public coming out, it just brings it home to the vets.' Maynard called the event a milestone for the cenotaph and praised community support, saying, 'Bravo Zulu to the community. They've always been good. We hope to have a really good parade and educate the public at the same time.' JP Presley, first vice-president of Branch 642, said the event is about honouring those who served while also looking forward. 'I think it's great,' Presley said. 'We're here to support our veterans and support anybody who needs help in the community. I think it's going to be fantastic, and I hope we get a really good turnout.' Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff said the rededication follows ongoing efforts to restore cenotaphs across the municipality. 'We're excited to rededicate it,' Canniff said. 'The importance, the symbolism of what that is, is huge for our community and for the country. I'm really looking forward to the celebration on Sunday.' Canniff added that last year's Remembrance Day ceremony in Chatham drew a record crowd despite cold weather, and he expects even more people this weekend. The parade will return to the Legion following a wreath-laying and short service at the cenotaph.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Britain to pay nearly US$4 million in compensation after troops sparked huge forest fire while training in Kenya
A woman shows her inhaler. She says most of her neighbors have developed respiratory issues after the fire. (Festo Lang for CNN via CNN Newsource) The British government has agreed to pay almost US$4 million to thousands of victims of a blaze started by its soldiers while in training in Kenya, according to documents seen by CNN. The settlement follows a long legal battle by local community members in the East African country. The campaigners have said the effects of the 2021 fire in an expansive wildlife conservancy in central Kenya have caused them lifelong health issues, damaged their property and polluted their environment. ADVERTISEMENT Some of them also told CNN that they lost family members due to ailments arising from the inferno that burned through more than 10,000 acres in the privately owned Lolldaiga conservancy. The fire is believed to have started accidentally during a British military training exercise. The British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) posted a video at the time showing its officers battling the blaze, in which it claimed the community and wildlife had been kept safe. The government of the United Kingdom has now agreed to pay £2.9 million (about $3.9 million) to 7,723 Kenyans who filed complaints, but will not accept liability for the fire, according to a confidential settlement agreement obtained by CNN. The settlement is not being shared equally. Many beneficiaries were disappointed that, after the four-year legal fight, they will receive just 22,000 Kenyan shillings ($170) and now plan to protest, according to a local lawmaker. 'It's a success story because it's the first time we've ever won a case against the British Army in Kenya but it's so little it's almost nothing,' Laikipia County MP Cate Waruguru told CNN. 'They feel that their sweat and their struggle have not borne any fruit. We need to see our courts stand up to protect the rights of Kenyans,' she added. Kelvin Kubai, a 27-year-old lawyer who grew up in the area, initiated the class-action lawsuit that culminated in the settlement, although he said his clients had hoped for a payout some 20 times larger. 'Military training and conservation are incompatible. There is a need to separate them,' Kubai told CNN on Thursday. 'This payment is nowhere close to give (my clients)… the financial assistance to enable them to move far away from this training. So the only thing now is to move the training away from them.' He says the 'ex gratia' payout – a voluntary payment made outside of any legal obligation – was the fastest way to compensate the affected community instead of pushing for a full trial that could have lasted years. The British army pays Kenya about $400,000 a year to allow BATUK to train in the country. The UK troops operate mostly in large wildlife conservancies in Laikipia and the neighboring Samburu County. But allegations of human rights abuses including rape and murder have dogged BATUK for decades, leading to an ongoing Kenyan parliamentary investigation. Military officials say they investigate all reported claims of misconduct against officers in Kenya, but they do not comment on individual cases. The British High Commission in Nairobi, which represents BATUK in country, said it was 'pleased that a global settlement has been agreed with the claimants' appointed legal representatives' and called the fire 'extremely regrettable' but declined to say if any officers had faced disciplinary action for it. 'The UK has devoted considerable time, effort and resource to resolving these claims for the people affected,' a spokesperson told CNN in a statement. CNN has also contacted the British Ministry of Defence for comment. 'If we get this money, we will leave' Community members have previously demonstrated against BATUK and the British government. When CNN met a group of area residents outside the fence of the Lolldaiga conservancy in June last year, many hoped for a substantial payout so that they could move away from the area. One woman raised her inhaler above her head as she explained that she and most of her neighbors had developed breathing difficulties requiring medication and frequent hospital visits following the fire. Nearby, Hannah Wanjiku fought back tears as she spoke of the British troops who train near her home. She said that her grandchildren are sick and that she has developed chest problems. 'We live a difficult life. If we get this money, we will leave,' Wanjiku added. The community meeting in June 2024 was convened by activist James Mwangi who has campaigned for the residents since the blaze. 'In March 2021, this area was a furnace for seven days. Over 10,000 people were choked by smoke, toxic smoke,' he told CNN at the time. In environmental terms, one report, by consultancy firm Howard Humphreys – commissioned by Lolldaiga Hills Limited – found it would take until at least 2060 for the land to fully recover from the effects of the fire. Previously a private livestock ranch, Lolldaiga became a conservancy in 2021 and is home to the endangered Grevy's zebra, elephants, buffaloes, lions, hyenas, jackals, vervet monkeys and baboons.
