Lacombe

Red Deer City Council is considering service level changes ahead of the Budget 2025 process, during today’s (Sept. 3) council meeting.  

Throughout the summer, city council has been engaged in a service level review and prioritization exercise.  

They reviewed the city’s 275 service levels and identified which ones they are interested in possibly changing, 37 possible changes were identified.  

City of Red Deer crews are continuing to make progress on the 19 Street Improvement Project.   

Today (Sept. 3), Sept. 4, 8, and 9 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. traffic will be detoured to one lane in each direction.  

All intersections on 19 Street between Irwin Avenue and Gaetz Avenue will be right-in and right-out only to keep traffic flowing through the area.  

A tourist visiting Canada is questioning the safety of Via Rail after he says his phone was snatched from him by an employee when he was documenting a train delay that left passengers stranded as they ran out of food, water and working toilets.

Chip Malt was in Quebec over the long weekend to celebrate his father's 70th birthday in the province's capital, and said he boarded a Via Rail train from Montreal to Quebec City on Saturday.

At 10:16 p.m. on Sept. 2, the Red Deer RCMP were cleared from tracking a suspect on the North side of Red Deer.

Although the suspect was not located, police said there was no immediate risk to the community.

Original story:

At 7:24 p.m., on Sept. 2, the Red Deer RCMP advised of heavy police presence while they tracked a suspect on the North side of Red Deer.

The suspect was described as wearing a red hat, red shirt and grey shorts.

If seen do not approach, call 911.

When August rolled around, April Hicke realized the $100 she typically gives her 13-year-old son to update his wardrobe in time for school to start was no longer enough.

"Even on the sale racks, a pair of sweatpants at SportChek, they're still $25 a pair. You used to be able to go and buy a pair of sweatpants for $10," said the Calgary-based mother of two. "I am shocked at the (price) increase of kids' clothes."

The City of Lacombe has announced that The Kinsmen Aquatic Centre will close tomorrow, Tuesday, September 3rd.

The Centre will be closed until September 29th for its annual maintenance shutdown.

For those that have a paid membership, it has been arranged for you to have access to the Burman University pool. All memberships will be put on hold and will resume once the maintenance is complete.

If you have any questions about the membership, call 403-782-1278.

Despite castigation from provincial premiers over lagging federal contributions to health spending, an analysis of 20 years of health funding data shows that federal transfers have mostly outpaced increases to provincial health budgets. 

In 2023, federal health transfers amounted to $47.1 billion, a 212 per cent increase over 2005, when the transfers were $15.1 billion. Total spending by all 10 provinces grew in that time to $221.9 billion up from $86.2 billion, an increase of 158 per cent.

Over the summer, Lacombe County received a grant from the Trans Canada Trail (TCT) through the National Trail Youth Employment Program.   

The grant was used to enhance local sections of the trail, ensuring it remains a vibrant part of Canada’s national trail network.  

Two Lacombe County staff members worked to ensure the trails remain safe and enjoyable for all users. 

The Liberal government's decision to reel in the temporary foreign worker program after loosening the rules to help businesses find workers after the pandemic is sparking a contentious debate about whether governments should even try to address labour shortages.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that his government is bringing back stricter rules to stem the flow of low-wage temporary foreign workers, and he urged businesses to hire and train Canadian workers.

The chair of Canada Post’s board says the organization’s financial situation is unsustainable.

"The board and senior management recognize that Canada Post is at a critical juncture," said André Hudon at its annual general meeting on Wednesday.

"Significant change is urgently needed to preserve Canada Post's delivery network, which is vital because it's the only delivery network built to serve all Canadians."