Strathmore

A special engine-building competition is coming to Strathmore this weekend.

ZEEBS Battle of Technicians will attend Zegil Automotive & Transmission's fifth annual car show, which will take place on Saturday (July 5) at the Strathmore Ag Grounds.

ZEEBS has been hosting technician battles for over 25 years.

"Not many people have seen an engine fully apart, let alone seeing what it is in parts and watching them get put back together to watch it run," said Zane Southgate, owner of ZEEBS.

Wildfires are currently raging in several provinces across Canada. 

The BC Wildfire Service reports that crews are battling more than 70 wildfires in British Columbia, with one particularly intense wildfire near the community of Lytton, having led to a local state of emergency and several evacuation orders.

In Yukon, the territorial government has lifted an evacuation alert for the area surrounding Ethel Lake, located approximately a four-hour drive north of Whitehorse. 

Despite this change, the wildfire that prompted the alert on June 24 remains out of control.

Canadians took to parks and civic squares across the country Tuesday to show unity on Canada Day amid American threats, economic uncertainty and Western alienation.

"We've decided not to pull apart and fight, but to come together and to build. Because that's the Canadian way," Prime Minister Mark Carney said to thousands of Canadians gathered in Ottawa.

This year's festivities at Ottawa's LeBreton Flats Park got the royal treatment, with Prince Edward praising Canada's unity and accomplishments.

After last year's rainy Canada Day, Strathmore was greeted with hot, dry temperatures on Tuesday (July 1).

There was a variety of activities at the event, from canoe rides to cornhole. There were also several musical performances, including Miss Ally's music students and headliner In/Vertigo.

Over 1,500 Strathmore residents visited the local fire hall to enjoy a plate of Canada Day flapjacks.

The event was hosted by the Strathmore Fire Department between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Tuesday (July 1) in partnership with Epcor. According to fire chief Dave Sturgeon, the event served between 1,600 and 2,000 residents

"This year, the funds go into our reserve, which we use to purchase specialized equipment and things that may not be on the radar for council," said Sturgeon. "In years past, they bought auto extrication equipment for removing patients out of cars."

There are many iconic Canadian foods, but which one is your favourite?

To celebrate Canada Day, we asked StrathmoreNow readers to vote on their favourite Canadian dishes through a poll on our website. A total of 92 votes were made.

Out of those votes, 30 of them went to poutine (32.61 per cent). In second place was farmer's sausage at 16 votes (17.39 per cent).

Tied for third place was saskatoon berry pie and Nanaimo bars, which each received 13 votes (14.13 per cent).

Parliamentarians likely will get a chance later this year to debate whether to adopt a livestock brand as an official national symbol.

A bill to create the brand was introduced earlier in June by Saskatchewan Conservative MP Steven Bonk.

If the bill passes, the brand will become Canada's 10th national symbol — joining O Canada, the coat of arms and the maple tree.

Here are five things you may not know about the official symbols that say "Canada."

1. The beaver does not stand alone

Samantha Sannella shed happy tears as she stood to sing the national anthem at her citizenship ceremony in early June, nearly three decades after she moved to Canada. 

She had sung "O Canada" countless times before, but this was the first time she’d done so as a Canadian. 

Originally from Houston, Texas, Sannella moved to Toronto 28 years ago for a job. For the longest time, she still considered herself a U.S. citizen, with a part of her thinking she might move back one day.

But that changed last fall.

Fluoride is back in Calgary's drinking water.

The city, in a news release, says it has begun adding the chemical into the water at the direction of councillors.

Council's decision follows a 2021 plebiscite in which about two-thirds of those who voted said they wanted fluoride put back in the water.

The city says fluoride is safe at low levels and is an effective way to prevent cavities and keep teeth strong.