Strathmore

Alberta is working on strengthening its market presence in Southeast Asia.

Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation RJ Sigurdson is in Southeast Asia to promote Alberta as a reliable supplier of agricultural products.

The overall goal is to strengthen relationships with Vietnam and the Philippines to increase trade and investment opportunities that 
will directly benefit producers and processors by opening new markets for Alberta agriculture and food products.

Farm Credit Canada is investing $2 billion to advance agtech innovation in Canada’s agriculture and food industry. 

The money which will be invested by 2030 will direct more investment into innovative devices, instrumentation, research, and methodologies designed to improve efficiency, productivity, and sustainability.

Stats show Canada’s agtech sector is lagging, putting Canada at a strategic disadvantage, while Japan  and the European Union have been increasing investments in ag tech.

Alberta's latest crop report shows 90 per cent of the provincial crop is now in; that's ahead of the 5-year average of 81 per cent. 

Roy Larsen, the director of Statistics and Data Development for Agriculture and Irrigation says seeding progress in the South is at 97 per cent complete, the North West at 93 per cent, the Central region is at 89 per cent, the North East at 86  per cent, and the Peace at 84 per cent.

Crop progress shows 99 per cent of the dry peas have been planted, while oats lag behind at 74 per cent. 

The Lead by Example Powwow is back in Strathmore for another year.

Melodie Ayoungman started the event after her 19-year-old son, Kristian Kakato’si Ayoungman, was killed in 2019 outside Strathmore.

Ayoungman explained how the event got its name.

"He signed my niece's chalk wall; he wrote the words 'Lead By Example' and signed his name on there."

She said she wanted to promote understanding of Indigenous communities and ensure the powwow continued.

The 903 Strathmore Air Cadets celebrated their 25th anniversary over the weekend.

On Saturday (May 31), the cadets were at Carseland Community Hall for an award ceremony alongside their final parade of the year.

Several cadets were recognized during the event, including:

Members of the Cousins Skateboard Community gathered together to serve Siksika Nation. 

A cleanup initiative took place along Highway 547 on Sunday (June 1) and ended at the community's admin hall.

Volunteers geared up with gloves, garbage bags, and trash pickers to remove litter along the roadside. 

"We aim to help the community. One of our slogans is 'make your ancestors proud' and one way of doing it is just by giving back," explained CJ Cutter, co-founder and co-operator of Cousins Skateboard Community. 

Over 100 Grade 4 students visited the Community Operation Centre.

For Public Works Week, classes from Our Lady of Wisdom School and Prairie Waters Elementary explored various services in the Chestermere centre on Monday (May 26). 

The event returned for a second time to educate children on the public services that keep the city moving.

"The teachers would agree that it is incredibly important," wrote community engagement manager Steven Burness. 

Canada's premiers are heading into to a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Saskatoon Monday armed with their wish lists for major "nation-building" projects that could buttress the economy in the face of a U.S. trade war.

Carney asked the premiers to each pass on five suggestions for national infrastructure projects, and Monday's meeting will aim to identify the ones that will make the final cut to be fast tracked using legislation Ottawa may introduce as early as this week.

Canada Post has rejected a request from the union representing about 55,000 of its workers to send their ongoing labour dispute to binding arbitration.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers made the request in a statement Saturday, saying it was inviting Canada Post to a fair, final and binding arbitration process to resolve negotiations that have dragged on for months without producing a new collective agreement. 

Real Canadian Wrestling (RCW) returned to Strathmore for a special match on May 23.

The event featured several returning wrestlers such as Machete and Ava Lawless, ending with a steel cage match between Strathmore-based wrestler Steve Wilde and his recent rival Ginha.

"There was a rivalry for sure," said Wilde. "At the last Strathmore show when I was fighting against Moondog Manson Ginha interfered and that kind of led to the steel cage match."

Wilde came out on top at the end of the match, taking home the Alberta Heritage title.