Strathmore

An official date has been set for the Western District Historical Society's Sunflower Harvest Night. 

The event will take place on Thursday (Sept 11) at Legacy Farm from 5 to 8 p.m.

Attendees are asked to bring a bucket of water and garden clippers so they can take home some of the sunflowers. 

"We're very thankful that we actually have a sunflower crop this year," said Darlene Domaschuk of the Western District Historical Society. "Last year we had absolutely nothing." 

Alberta teachers have officially started the countdown clock toward an Oct. 6 provincewide strike, with both sides accusing the other of failing students.

"Teachers’ patience has run out," Jason Schilling, head of the Alberta Teachers' Association, told reporters Wednesday.

He announced that if there is no deal in place by Oct. 6, the union's 51,000 members will hit the picket lines.

“What teachers want is simple: classrooms that are properly funded, respect for the work that they do, and wages that reflect their value to Alberta's future," Schilling said.

Police are searching for a wanted man who was last seen in Rocky View County.

As part of the RCMP's Wanted Wednesday initiative, officers released an image of Ryan Randy Watson, who is wanted by police for various crimes.

According to police, Watson is known to frequent Rocky View County, Claresholm, Vulcan, and Hesketh.

If you spot Watson, police ask that you do not approach and instead reach out to your local police detachment.

RCMP previously told StrathmoreNow that crimes in the Wanted Wednesday posts are typically not made available to the public.

Harvest is well underway across the province, and while cold weather may still be a little way off, now is the time to start planning for fall soil testing, which is a key step in setting up next season’s success.

The Siksika Nation Tribal Administration office is back up and running.

The building had closed on Sept. 5 as Atco Gas crews worked alongside Siksika Engineering Services and Maintenance to identify the issue and work on repairs.

As crews worked, all employees were sent out of the office to work remotely.

According to the administration, the cause of the closure was a gas leak. 

"The building has been cleared for safe use, and all staff will return to working on-site," wrote the administration on Tuesday, the day the office had reopened.

The Mad Hatters Cornhole Club held their second annual cornhole tournament earlier this week.

A total of 34 players made it out to Kinsmen Park on Monday (Sept. 8) afternoon to enjoy some games at the park, with players from Foothills Advocacy In Motion, Strathmore Connect, and Accredited Supports to the Community.

A Community-Wide Food Drive is hitting Strathmore this Saturday (Sept. 13).

This will be the third year that the Wheatland County Food Bank will host the event.

Lynette Aschenbrenner is the executive director of the food bank, and she explained why the event is important.

"Our numbers have increased over the years since I've been with the Food Bank. It has been an unbelievable increase. Having all this extra food doesn't just serve our clients. It serves the whole community."

Tariffs and trade were among the key topics of discussion for the country's agriculture ministers during their annual conference this week in Manitoba.

Federal, provincial, and territorial ministers reaffirming their commitment for a resilient, sustainable, and competitive agriculture and agri-food sector.

Pierre Poilievre is encouraging Prime Minister Mark Carney to adopt Conservative plans to deal with the country's housing crisis, which he said is entering a new phase as prices begin to fall in some cities.

At a press conference Tuesday in Brampton, Ont., the Conservative leader blamed Liberal policies for the housing crunch and invited the government to "steal our best ideas."

"They first inflated the housing bubble, and now Liberals are bursting the housing bubble," he said, noting that construction is slowing in Ontario.

Fiscal experts say Ottawa will have to be transparent with Canadians in the upcoming fall budget to justify a seismic shift in spending away from government programs and toward defence and infrastructure.

The federal Liberals are expected to table the annual budget sometime this fall, possibly as early as next month, after forgoing the traditional spring budget.