PARTY priorities Canadian Press looks at the top priorities of 2016 for each of the three main political parties in Canada after last fall’s election results — See B1 JUNIORS BOUNCE BACK CANADA UPENDS DENMARK TO IMPROVE TO 1-1 Canadians face winless Switzerland today at world junior tourney — See sports ONLINE: myLH.ca TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2015 PRICE $1.25 PLUS GST Front lines of fentanyl fight patients. But on the ‘DEMENTORS’ streets it has emerged as STALK ADDICTS an Oxycontin replacement after that ON BLOOD drug’s formula was RESERVE AS changed to make it harder to abuse. FENTANYL CRISIS Fentanyl has been blamed in more than 650 SPREADS deaths across Canada in the last six years. The Bill Graveland problem is especially THE CANADIAN PRESS — LEVERN acute in Western Canada, where Saskatchewan, British Columbia and “Dementors” are Alberta have all leaving a trail of death and announced programs to destruction on the distribute the antidote sprawling Blood reserve in naloxone in take-home southwestern Alberta. kits. Dr. Susan Christenson Ontario recently passed uses the term — borrowed a private-member’s bill from the soul-consuming that forces people who Herald photo by Melissa Villeneuve phantoms in the “Harry take the drug through a Family and friends of Sherry Handsaeme erected a Ghost Bike memorial in her honour on Monday. Handsaeme was Potter” series — for the skin patch to turn in their riding her bike on the shoulder of Highway 3 east of Monarch when she was struck by a car and killed last May. The drug pushers she says will used patch before getting memorial at the crash site is both a tribute and a caution against distracted driving. often wait outside her a new one. Levern Health Clinic trying to lure back ◆ CONTINUED See page A2 patients attempting to escape fentanyl’s grasp. Ghost Bike serves It’s more “They’re like dark ghosts who are important to trying to trip you me’’ that she’s up. They’re trying to drag you back and charged so take your soul and as stark reminder that’s what the people addiction is,” says SHERRY HANDSAEME WAS THREE pay attention,” said Mason. recognize that Christenson, a There is a second, stainless member of the DAYS FROM RETIREMENT WHEN SHE steel piece to be added to the distracted band. bike. It will be inscribed “In “You can’t do WAS KILLED BY A DISTRACTED loving memory of our Sherry. driving is anything but feed DRIVER — FAMILY AND FRIENDS Ride hard and smile often.” something the receptors in Mason spent many hours your brain. They HONOURED HER MEMORY MONDAY training alongside they should show up at night, Handsaeme, who loved the sunshine and fresh air of the not be doing. shake a bottle of Melissa Villeneuve Canadian Press photo outdoors. pills in their face LETHBRIDGE HERALD For me, it’s and will grind them Gayle Chase, the prescription drug “She had the biggest heart. [email protected] She loved life and she never about societal up because most of co-ordinator for the Blood reserve, the people will snort took anything for granted ... change more discusses the state of emergency She was driven. She did what it like cocaine.” amily and friends gathered Monday to launched by the band after 16 she wanted because she than anything The crystal-blue, remember a local cyclist who was killed last fentanyl related deaths in early 2015. knew life is a gift, and I think snow-capped May with a special Ghost Bike memorial on that’s something we can all else. Rockies to the west Highway 3. take away and live it.” and the silver FSherry Handsaeme was “doing what she loved.” – Trudi Mason – Despite the cold weather ribbons of the Belly She was cycling in the shoulder lane and training Friend of Sherry Handsaeme and blowing snow, and Waterton rivers for the San Francisco Alcatraz triathlon, when she Handsaeme’s loved ones give the Blood was struck by an eastbound car near Monarch. gathered around the memorial to remember her reserve an idyllic She was only 49 years old, warm spirit and go-getter appearance. But and left behind her husband, attitude. They sang ‘Auld looks can be Jack, four children and five Lang Syne’ and made a toast deceiving. grandchildren. with her favourite drink, Canada’s largest Trudi Mason was cycling pink wine. reserve is on the with Handsaeme that day. Jack Handsaeme, Sherry’s front lines of a Mason escaped uninjured. husband, said it has been a fentanyl epidemic She hopes the Ghost Bike difficult couple months but that is sweeping memorial will serve not only Canadian Press photo it meant a lot to have all the across Western as a tribute to her friend, but Dr. Susan Christenson, who runs the family together over Canada. to remind people to pay Christmas and to attend the Fentanyl, an Levern Health Clinic on the western attention when driving before memorial. opioid up to 100 edge of the Blood Reserve, has been another life is tragically lost. “That’s what means the times more powerful battling an epidemic linked to “We were having a good most of anything right now, than heroin, is used fentanyl use. Christenson describes day that day. For her to be the family and friends. It’s as a painkiller for the withdrawal symptoms of the remembered by a bike is pretty hard to make it terminal cancer drug as Dantes Inferno. fitting,” said Mason. “In an through anything like this instant she was gone, and it’s without them.” because somebody was Jack remembers Sherry as distracted. So because of a a woman who wasn’t afraid stupid mistake, a really Stranded skiers rescued to go after what she wanted. wonderful person was taken.” She was an avid cyclist Ghost Bikes are installed and swimmer and a around the world as a way to from Sunshine ski lift member of the Runner’s remember a cyclist killed by a Soul marathon club. She motor vehicle. The idea came THE CANADIAN PRESS — BANFF finished the IronMan from friend, Rod Dueck, who Canada in 2006, and had seen them in Hawaii. completed more than 150 “They put Ghost Bikes up About 100 skiers and snowboarders at a ski hill near Herald photo by Melissa Villeneuve other races, marathons and to remember people, but also Banff had to rescued from a chairlift that broke down triathlons. over the weekend. to remind people to watch for Trudi Mason, friend of Sherry Handsaeme, Sunshine Village says on its Facebook page the Goat’s cyclists, share the road, and addresses loved ones at the Ghost Bike memorial ◆ CONTINUED Please see page A2 Eye ski lift was evacuated on Sunday due to a failure of on Monday. the main gearbox. Skiers who were stranded in their seats were lowered to safety using ropes. Dave Riley, the chief operating officer with Sunshine Village, says there was never any danger to the public because the lift has redundant braking systems. Seven hurt in Coquihalla crash Ryan Corry and Ben Kilmer figure they waited about an hour-and-a-half for rescue and were starting to get a Monday about a crash on the The crash involved two THE CANADIAN PRESS — VANCOUVER, B.C. little cold. Coquihalla, near the Highway 97 vehicles, and closed Highway 97 “I had mitts on so I had to take my fingers and ball connector. in both directions for more than them up, and then my feet were getting a little cold, too. Seven people are in critical Six patients were taken to two hours. But I couldn’t really complain — we were stuck in the condition after a major collision hospital by ground ambulance RCMP in Kelowna did not have trees and the weather was great, considering,” Kilmer near Merritt, B.C. and another was taken by air. details on the crash, but say there said. A spokeswoman for B.C. All of the injured people were in were been a number of crashes “I think the people that were higher than us and Ambulance Services says they critical condition Monday on roads in the southern interior exposed would have been really, really cold.” received a call around 12:25 p.m. evening. Monday. Ag/Business A5 Crossword B7 Community A7 Directory/Online A7 Headline news B1-2 Health A8 Opinion Forum A6 Theatre/Movies A9 Classifieds B8-10 Comics B7 Deaths B8 Tunes & Ent. A9 Hometown A3 Lotteries A2 Sports B3-6 Weather B2 For great savings and convenience talk to our Lethbridge Herald circulation specialists today about home delivery. Call us at 403-327-5511 LUCKY TICKETS INFORMATION, Monday numbers unavailable at press time FEATURES & Extra: 4035227 (Sunday) NEWS FROM ODDS Pick 3: 584 (Sunday) ACROSS SOUTHERN UNLUCKY TICKETS ALBERTA Photo Radar can be found at the following locations today: NOTE: ALL LOTTERY NUMBERS & ENDS ARE UNOFFICIAL UNTIL VERIFIED Taber; South Parkside Drive ISSUED BY THE LETHBRIDGE REGIONAL POLICE SERVICE Call our news hotline 403-328-4418 or email [email protected] LETHBRIDGE HERALD – TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2015 – PAGE A2 Date set for Trudeau A THOUSAND WORDS to visit White House THE CANADIAN PRESS — OTTAWA U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have set a date for their first meeting in Washington. Trudeau and his wife are to be welcomed by the Obamas for an official visit and state dinner at the White House on March 10. Obama and Trudeau met on the sidelines of the APEC summit in the Philippines in November and Obama had mentioned then he had hoped to have the Trudeaus to the White House in the new year.