Local News

A chunk of southwest conservation land has recently expanded by more than 1,000 hectares.

Nestled deep into the southwest corner of the province, Zen-Ridge was initially 195 hectares of grasslands, rolling hills, seasonal creeks and streams, and home to several at-risk species. 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada's program director for the southwest, Michael Burak, is thrilled with their recent purchase which now totals 1,235 hectares of protected flora and fauna near Consul.

Provincial officials have offered more details following Premier Danielle Smith's announcement on Tuesday evening regarding the School Construction Accelerator Program. 

According to the province, starting in Budget 2025, up to 30 new schools and eight modernizations or replacements will be launched annually for the next three years. Additionally, modular classrooms will add 20,000 new student spaces over four years. The program will also expedite previously approved projects, with 10 priority schools moving to the next stage of construction immediately.

A black bear was spotted in Okotoks last night (Sept. 17).

A few Okotokians posted videos of the bear to Facebook, including Leslee Horniachek, whose security camera captured footage of the black bear walking across her front lawn and a driveway in the Westmount neighbourhood at 2:48 a.m.

According to Horniachek, she initially thought it was a prank when she first saw the bear on her camera.

The Alberta government is committing $8.6 billion to complete and open 200,000 new student spaces across the province in the next seven years.  

The rise in Alberta's population is causing strain on the Kindergarten to Grade 12 education system, with student enrolment increasing at historic rates.

It was a ticket blitz that resulted in many motorists heading to their destination with lighter wallets.

Manitoba RCMP shared stunning numbers regarding a large number of motorists being caught speeding on the highway around Portage on Monday.

For a good part of the day September 16, RCMP were paying extra attention and 44 vehicles ended up being fined for speeds ranging from 118 to 139 km/h in the 100 zone on Trans-Canada near Portage la Prairie.

On Tuesday, Airdrie’s City Council reviewed and accepted the 2024 mid-year update on its Focus Areas, shedding light on the city’s progress across critical growth sectors.

Since early 2022, the Council has been zeroing in on priority areas for 2023 to 2026, developing detailed plans and budgets for each. The mid-year update provides a snapshot of these ongoing initiatives, with responsible business units regularly reporting their progress. The core focus areas include economic prosperity, environmental protection, transportation, leisure, recreation, culture, and advocacy.

Rainfall amounts over 30 mm for Tuesday, September 17th:

Central Region 

Altona - 30.4 mm

Kane - 38.5 mm

Morris - 37.2 mm

Windygates - 38.8 mm

Winkler - 45.7 mm

Easter Region:

Dominion City - 56.8 mm

Elma - 180.4 mm

Gardenton - 37.5 mm

Marchand - 49.2 mm

Richer - 113.3 mm

Rosa - 42.4 mm

Saint Labre - 31.7 mm

St. Pierre - 123.0 mm

Steinbach - 102.8 mm

Vivian - 61.7 mm

Zhoda - 31.7 mm

This week is National Legion Week. 

The Humboldt Royal Canadian Legion will be celebrating today with coffee and doughnuts at the Legion Clubroom from 1-3. 

While you are there, you can visit the GEO Memorial Wall and the Benson-Hingley Military Museum.

This will be the second official edition of National Legion Week. 

Which is designed to educate the work that local branches does in the community and the role branches play to serve and support our veterans. 

April 1 marked the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force. 

A beloved miniature donkey missing from his Bragg Creek home of 25 years, has sparked a search effort involving drones, dogs, and volunteers, with fears he may have been stolen.

Goliath, who is approximately 28-years-old hasn't been seen since Monday.

He lives with four other donkeys on a fully fenced 24-acre property.

Dr. Judith Samson-French said she has to entertain the possibility that Goliath has been stolen but she's not sure how that would have happened. 

The province's Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) has announced that they've created their first-ever commercial-scale batch of rare earth metals over the summer, which is a first for the entirety of North America.

In that announcement, the SRC stated that they had produced that metal ahead of schedule at their Rare Earth Processing Facility located in Saskatoon.