EDMONTON – Even after 20 years, few have forgotten where they were or how they felt seeing the attacks in the United States.

Capt. Rick Dumas, now retired from the Canadian military, was stationed in Winnipeg at the time and had just returned from a tour in Bosnia.

“Unless you’re a Second World War vet or Korean War vet that would have been the defining WTF moment for everybody, and that pucker factor was especially real for those that were waiting for a warning order,” said Dumas.

That order would be for Canadian troops to prepare to join the war on terror.

“This is the first time that article 5 in NATO was evoked. And article 5 basically states that any member country that is attacked, all other member countries are obligated to come to its defence,” he said.

Canadian specialized forces arrived in Afghanistan in November 2001, then Dumas said the first battle group arrived in January.

“We’re in the Bosnia mode so we’re prepared for a conventional type of warfare. Uniformed adversaries but this is completely different and it’s changed the way we operate from here on in, to this day,” Dumas said.

(Supplied)

He was deployed to Afghanistan twice, the first time in 2006 then again in 2008. He lost many friends and colleagues during the war and evaded a suicide bomber. But as a seasoned soldier, he knew he had to keep his emotions in check.

“Focus on your job,” he said. “Focus on taking care of one another and you’ve got no time to think about the rhetoric and the unfortunate consequences that might happen.”

 Advice he hoped two of his sons would remember. Also soldiers, they too were deployed to Afghanistan.

(Supplied)

Dumas remembers a time he saw news of an IED attack when one of them was there.

“I thought I was okay with it but then the doorbell rang and I jumped off of my seat hoping to god that it wasn’t the chaplain,” said Dumas.

“I was so relieved and happy I almost cried. It was a girl guide selling cookies. I bought two boxes and kissed her on the forehead,” he said with a chuckle.

(Supplied)

Dumas is proud of the job Canadian soldiers did while in Afghanistan.

“The Canadians punched well above their weight, and I say this with immense pride. In every task we were assigned we excelled, we went well beyond expectations,” he said.

“And so as far as was it worth it? Time will tell.”

“When I think about that, it’s like an emotional roller coaster because we did a lot of great things,” he added.

(Supplied)

What he’s not happy about, however, is how Canada handled the evacuations.

“The writing was on the wall, and to find out that the Canadian Embassy had packed up and left before the evacuation operation started, that’s completely unacceptable, and I don’t know that it’s forgivable,” he said.

One lesson Dumas hopes Canadians can take away from the experience in Afghanistan and 9/11 is the national unity those moments in time provided.

“You would think that after that experience and how we had to pull together that somehow there wouldn’t be the political or social disunity in our country now. I think it’s kind of a shame that we’re not closer in how we tackle our domestic and foreign problems.” 

EDMONTON – The family of a 30-year-old Edmonton woman who died from COVID-19 is highlighting the need for everyone to get their COVID-19 vaccination.

Chantel Gregoire, a single mother of two daughters, died on Sunday – one of 17 reported deaths from COVID-19 over the long weekend in Alberta.

Fabian Gregoire, Chantel’s older brother, said he was in utter shock at the news.

“Somebody so young passing away from COVID was the last thing any of us would ever even think of,” Fabian said.

Chantel worked at Kumi Beauty Salon in downtown Edmonton for seven years. Fabian says the salon continued to require masking, distancing, and enhanced sanitizing after provincial public health orders were lifted.

(Supplied)

Chantel Gregoire worked as a beautician at Kumi Beauty Salon in downtown Edmonton (Supplied)

Fabian added that his sister took those measures seriously, but she was not vaccinated.

“Being a single mother, working full time with two daughters, it was always kind of a scheduling thing,” he shared. “Unfortunately, she didn’t make the appointment and get it.

“She took it (the pandemic) very seriously, especially after I had caught COVID-19 last spring.”

Fabian said how family members kept reminding Chantel to get the vaccine, but the timing never worked for her availability. The family does not know where she caught the virus.

“Her free time always revolved around her daughters,” Fabian said.

“She was a bright person,” Fabian said. “When she started (at Kumi), she was finally doing something she was passionate about. She was always talking about her clients, her good days there, doing what she loved.”

Chantel’s brother said her world revolved around her two daughters, a 10-year-old and one-year-old.

“There was nothing she wouldn’t do for them,” Fabian said. “She worked hard to support them.”

(Supplied)

Chantel kisses the forehead of one of her two daughters (Supplied)

A GoFundMe page has been set-up to support funeral expenses and her daughters. 

While young Albertans are less likely to be hit hard by COVID-19, more than 1,700 have been hospitalized by the disease – including 244 who were sick enough to require intensive care.

Twenty-six Albertans under the age of 39 have died from COVID-19, according to Alberta Health.

“The vaccine is there for everybody,” Fabian said.

“COVID-19, it doesn’t discriminate, no matter what your faith, political beliefs, what you don’t believe or believe,” he added. “Any potential COVID positive person and the people around them, you know your health is at stake, and the health and wellbeing of anybody close to you.”

EDMONTON – An RCMP cruiser struck an armed man twice during an arrest south of Edmonton Friday morning.

Mounties were called to Highway 2A, approximately two kilometres south of Wetaskiwin, after a man was seen walking with a firearm at 11:45 a.m.

“As the suspect was not following police verbal commands to drop the firearm, for public and police safety, a police vehicle was used to disarm the male,” said Chief Supt. Darcy Fleury, the officer in charge of RCMP’s Central Alberta District.

Fleury explained that other ways to disarm him, such as pepper spray or a baton, would not have worked “due to the angle of approach to the subject.”

In the video, officers can be heard shouting, “Drop it, drop the gun, drop the gun,” as they trail him.

“The male is knocked to the ground but immediately gets up, and continues walking southbound with a firearm. The vehicle now approaches the male with the intent to bump him again, making sure he’s lined up so the man doesn’t fall under the wheels. This is a controlled-bumping technique to disarm the suspect.

“It’s not a common practice, but it is one of those instances where you have an intervention tool of opportunity and given the situation, the members…chose to use it. It’s not a common practice.”

The 35-year-old man was arrested and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, RCMP said.

Officers were not injured during the arrest.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team will not investigate the incident. It was reported to the Director of Law Enforcement of Alberta, and RCMP will conduct an internal review process.

Southbound traffic on Highway 2A near Wetaskiwin is being diverted and police ask drivers to avoid the area and use alternate routes.

‘IT WAS BRUTAL’

Ken Croxall, the man who recorded the video, was in the area because his son needed to get a rapid COVID-19 test in Maskwacis.

“First thing on my mind was, I’ve got my 17-year-old son beside me,” Croxall told CTV News Edmonton. “Is this guy going to start taking pot shots at me if I hang around too long?”

Croxall said some vehicles turned around and took off in the opposite direction, but he decided to hang tight and take video of the arrest.

“It was brutal,” he said.

“I think he’s very lucky he never got shot. I thought the video was going to come out a different way.”

EDMONTON – If planning a wedding during a pandemic wasn’t stressful enough, imagine not having a dress for your big day.

“We have a wedding in 66 days and our bride doesn’t have a wedding dress,” said Melissa Erickson.

The maid of honour said she thought they were “good to go.”

The bridal party says it ordered and paid for their dresses from the Bridal House in April. Two weeks ago they were told there was a delay with shipping.

“The warehouse said they were waiting for payment. It’s clear our money never made it to the distribution centre,” said Erickson.

She said they’re out $2,200 for four bridesmaid dresses and a wedding dress.

“Really the focal point is the dress,” Erickson said. “When that dress isn’t there everything starts to look bleak.”

The Bridal House has served area brides for 25 years; now anyone calling the business gets this recorded message: “We are now permanently closed.”

CTV News Edmonton reached out to the Bridal House for comment, however we have not yet received a response.

Erickson said as their bridal party began the hunt for new dresses they discovered they weren’t the only ones affected by the closure.

“It sucks being out the money,” she said. “We’re really not holding our breath on getting any of it back.”

With two months to go before the big day, Erickson said they’ve found another boutique willing to help.

Bridal Debut in Sherwood Park has received dozens of calls from brides left without dresses.

“We’re offering 35 per cent off. Cleanings, steamings, fittings,” said Heather Dymchuck, Bridal Debut’s owner. “They’re stressed more than anything,” she said, adding they’re doing what they can to help keep brides dream weddings alive.

EDMONTON – Ten more Albertans have died due to COVID-19 according to the province’s latest data update on Friday. 

The latest numbers show 169 patients in ICU, the highest since May 21 and eighth highest total of the pandemic.

Those 169 are included in the 686 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Eighty-seven per cent of those in ICU have not had any vaccination, as have close to 66 per cent of those in hospital outside of ICU.

The province added 1,473 cases on Thursday, increasing active infections to 16,265, about where it was in mid-May.

The 10 deaths were in people ranging in age from in their 60s to 90s and bring the province’s death toll to 2,444.

Among eligible Albertans, 78.9 per cent have received a first dose of vaccine and 70.9 per cent have had two doses.

The next data update is scheduled for Monday afternoon and will include data from Friday, Saturday and Sunday.