Lacombe

Here's a look at some of this week's top news photos as selected by The Canadian Press editors.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2025.

Update- Sat, Feb 8;th 10:53 a.m.

According to 511 Alberta, and Innisfail RCMP, both the southbound and northbound lanes of the QEII near Innisfail have been cleared. The highway was closed at around 4:30 pm on Friday due to an overturned tanker. Watch for heavy traffic congestion in the area.

Update - Sat, Feb. 8 - 8:00 a.m.

Southbound QEII near Range Road 362, just north of Innisfail, remains closed Saturday morning due to a tanker rollover that occurred Friday afternoon.

Northbound QEII is now open.

The appointment of singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie to the Order of Canada has been terminated by the Governor General.

The move was announced in the Canada Gazette, the federal government newspaper.

It says the appointment was terminated by an ordinance signed by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon on Jan. 3.

The move comes after a CBC report in 2023 questioned Sainte-Marie's Indigenous heritage, saying it found a birth certificate that indicated she was born in 1941 in Massachusetts.

Westerner Park has assumed direct management of the Westerner Campground, effective February 1, 2025.

“We are committed to maintaining the quality and care that guests expect while building on the campground’s strengths for its ongoing success,” said Shelly Flint, Chief Executive Officer, Westerner Park.

Westerner Park is implementing a transition plan to minimize disruptions, maintain communication with patrons, and explore potential enhancements to the campground facilities.

A federal unit that tracks suspected foreign interference has uncovered a "co-ordinated and malicious" effort — possibly launched by China — against Liberal leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland.

Rapid Response Mechanism Canada, based at Global Affairs Canada, is monitoring cyberspace for signs of state-sponsored information manipulation on behalf of the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force. 

The government recently announced the task force, which is usually active during election campaigns, would operate during the Liberal leadership contest.

Donald Trump is not joking when he says he'd like to make Canada the 51st state, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday, adding that the U.S. president's annexation plans are related to Canada's supply of critical minerals.

Trudeau made the remarks to more than 100 business, labour and industry leaders who were invited to an economic summit in Toronto hosted by the government and its advisory council on Canada-U.S. relations.

Lacombe County Council discussed the regional recreation facility grant application, the construction of two soccer fields in Bentley, and the environmental action plan during the Jan. 30 regular meeting.   

Here are the meeting highlights:  

Advocacy for Amendments to Provincial Offences Procedure Act  

The province’s first eating disorders residential recovery centre for young Albertans is now operational in Calgary.

The Government of Alberta provided an update Thursday during Eating Disorders Awareness Week (Feb. 1-7).

The EHN Sandstone Recovery Centre is a partnership between the Government of Alberta, Recovery Alberta, Silver Linings Foundation and Edgewood Health Network (EHN Canada).

The Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit arrested 27-year-old Derrick Phazar Whitford of O'Chiese First Nation on Feb. 7.

Whitford was wanted for the second-degree murder of an 18-year-old O'Chiese First Nation resident in November 2024.

He was also wanted on several unrelated offences, including Breach of Probation, Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle, Flight from Peace Officer, Robbery, and several firearm related offences.

Whitford will be taken before a Justice of the Peace concerning his detention and future court date.

Three Sylvan Lake organizations are looking to transform the current curling rink in the NexSource Centre into regulation hockey ice.   

The Sylvan Lake Minor Hockey Association, Sylvan Lake Rec. Hockey Association and Sylvan Lake Lacrosse Association brought the idea to council during the Jan. 27 regular meeting.