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Wednesday, August 27, 2025 Volume 48, Issue 34
Parents urged to protect Municipal candidate orientations to be privacy of kids when making held across county online ‘back to school’ posts Kari Janzen
Staff Reporter
Leslie Cholowsky Staff Reporter
Alberta’s RCMP would like to remind parents to protect their children’s privacy online during this upcoming back-to-school season. “As students head back to the classroom, the RCMP is encouraging parents and guardians to be cautious about what they share online, especially when posting those much-anticipated first-day-ofschool photos.” In recent years, police say photos that include signs with fun facts about the student, including their full names, ages, grade, and schools might be well intentioned, but the personal details they contain can put children at risk. “Information shared online can be used by strangers to identify a child, learn their routines, or build a false sense of familiarity. Someone could use these details to approach a youth and pretend to be a family friend or trusted adult, when this is not the case.” To help keep kids safe, the Killam / Forestburg RCMP encourages parents and guardians to consider these online safety tips: •Leave out identifying details. Avoid including the
name of your child’s school, home address, or other specific personal information in photos. •Be mindful of locations. Take pictures in places that do not reveal your home, neighbourhood, or other easily identifiable spots. •Limit what you share. If you want to include a sign, keep it generic with wording like “First Day of School” rather than listing detailed personal facts. •Review privacy settings. Ensure your social media accounts are set to the highest privacy level before posting. •Have ongoing safety talks. Speak with your children about online safety and “stranger danger,” both in-person and online. Establish a family “safe word” and identify trusted adults they can turn to. Tips for children: •Never share personal information online, such as your last name, address, school name, or other identifying details. •Always have a parent or guardian review photos or videos before you post them. •If something online makes you uncomfortable or feels unsafe, tell a parent or trusted adult immediately. For more safety tips follow us on Facebook @RCMPinAlberta and on X @RCMPAlberta.
For those who may be interested in becoming a councillor of a town, village, or the county, municipal candidate governance orientation workshops will be held in Viking, Ryley, and Tofield next week, Sept. 2 to 4. The municipal elections will take place on Monday, October 20. The workshop will cover topics such as role clarity for council and administration, overview of key legislation, bylaw, budgets, and strategic plans, “common landmines,” what to expect in the first year as a councillor, as well as ethical decision-making and public trust. The workshops will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., with the first being held at the Viking Senior Citizens Club on Tuesday, Sept. 2, the second at the Ryley Community Centre on Wednesday, Sept. 3, and the last one in Tofield on Thursday, Sept. 4 at the Community Hall. The Town of Tofield contracted Strategic Steps Inc. to host these workshops, and invited the other municipalities, which include the Town of Viking, Village of Holden, Village of Ryley, and Beaver County, to partner with them and share in the cost of bringing Strategic Steps out. “The political landscape is one that is often unknown, and truly one that may be misunderstood by those looking to participate in the electoral process. Feedback from throughout the province, not just locally, is that if there was an information session in advance to provide an overview of expectations, roles, responsibilities and background on governance, this might help to increase willingness of participants,” a Request for Decision presented to Tofield Council in October last year said. “Strategic Steps has provided this type of orientation session in multiple communities across Canada, with great success. Further, this is not something that has been provided to the community in the past. “Therefore, it may garner a greater interest from the public in Municipal Government. As we are aware, it is required to have orientation and training after becoming elected, this may help to further educate those looking to run for local office.” “Our Candidate Workshops are designed to equip potential candidates with all the essential information they need to run for election, offering a clear understanding of local government and what it means to serve as an elected official,” Melanie Samson, Strategic Steps Business Development Lead wrote in an email to Tofield Chief Administrative Officer Jeff Edwards in October 2024.