Lacombe

The federal finance minister said Tuesday he wants to address service delays at the Canada Revenue Agency within 100 days, even as Ottawa plans spending cuts across the public service.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne set the timeline in a letter to Liberal MP Karina Gould, chair of the House of Commons finance committee, which was posted to his X account Tuesday morning.

In that letter, he said it's "increasingly apparent" the CRA is not meeting Canadians' standards.

The federal NDP officially launched the race to find its next leader on Tuesday, leaving seven months for interested candidates to mount a campaign.

The next NDP leader will be elected at a national convention in Winnipeg in March.

In a news release, the party says there has been strong interest in the leadership contest since Aug. 20, when the application packages were made available.

Police in Calgary say a woman has been charged after a south-end neighbourhood was essentially shut down over an explosive substance left out in the elements.

The 59-year-old woman faces one count of criminal negligence and is slated to appear in court next month.

It comes after a two-day saga in the Manchester neighbourhood, where residents were subjected to evacuations and a series of loud bangs as officers tried to destroy a package of picric acid.

Construction begins Wednesday on the east side of Lacombe's 49B Avenue, with work expected to run until early October.

The project includes replacing and widening sidewalks, along with the installation of new benches, garbage bins and landscaping.

Chances are that many Albertans are familiar with the small town of Alix – even if they’ve never been there. 

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government is rewriting a ministerial order directing school divisions to ban books containing sexually explicit content to ensure classic books stay on library shelves.

Smith says the order is being changed to only target books that contain images of sexual content.

The initial order covered books with images, illustrations, audio and written passages with sexually explicit content.

The Innisfail Lions Club is hosting a dog walk this Saturday in support of guide dogs in Canada.

The Walk for Dog Guides of Canada will take place at the Anthony Henday Campground with registration starting at 10 a.m. and the walk beginning at 11 a.m. Spectators are welcome, and a BBQ lunch is included with registration.

Lunch will also be available to spectators by donation, and there will be free treats for dogs along with other gifts.

As harvest operations begin across the prairies, CN Rail is monitoring the impact of weather on the harvest and working with customers as it prepares to ramp up grain movement. 

David Przednowek,Vice President of Grain for CN Rail says with the seasonal decline that they usually see in shipping, they move some of the hopper car fleet into long-term storage, and it's time to bring them back out and get them ready to roll.

Drivers heading into Ponoka should expect single-lane traffic on Highway 2A south of the town.

According to 511 Alberta, bridge maintenance on the Battle River Bridge, near Township Road 425A, will reduce southbound traffic to one lane and is expected to be completed on Sept 9.

The lane restriction will be in place 24 hours a day during the work.

Drivers are asked to slow down, follow traffic signs, and obey flaggers in the area.

A new report released as students across the country return to school finds bullying, poverty and mental illness are on the rise among Canadian youth and urges action from policy-makers to improve the lives of children. 

The Raising Canada report says more than 70 per cent of Canadian youth between the ages of 12 and 17 experienced bullying in the last year, and more than 13 per cent of children were living in poverty by the end of 2024.