Dorothy Corney, an early member of the Red Deer chapter of the Council of Canadians, died on February 5 at the age of 87. The Red Deer Advocate reports, “She was a lifelong friend of Tommy Douglas, personal secretary to former Manitoba Premier Ed Schreyer and a thorn in the side of anyone who would tread on the rights of others.”
“In the late 1980s (she led the campaign) to have the city declared a ‘nuclear free zone’. She gathered 4,260 signatures on a petition in the summer of 1989 – enough to force a plebiscite during municipal elections that fall. Of the 13,080 people who cast ballots, 76 per cent were in support of the declaration.”
Last year, Dorothy fought to save the publicly-funded and operated Red Deer Nursing Home and Valley Park Manor from closure. After they were closed by Alberta Health Services, she needed to move into the privately-operated Extendicare residence but continued to campaign with the local chapter of the Council of Canadians, Friends of Medicare and the Central Alberta Council on Aging to have Alberta Health Services take over the operation of this facility.
Dorothy was also generous in her support of the Council of Canadians and had been a member of the Citizens Agenda Fund.
We extend our condolences to her family and friends.
