Lacombe

Prime Minister Mark Carney's popularity may be cooling off in the summer but remains broadly positive, a new poll from Abacus Data suggests.

The Carney-led Liberal government's approval rating dipped to 50 per cent in the firm's latest polling, down two percentage points compared to mid-July and the lowest level since March.

With 48 per cent viewing Carney favourably and 19 per cent disapproving, the prime minister maintains a positive net approval. That figure is a couple percentage points lower than in Abacus's previous poll.

Registration for fall arts and recreation programs in Central Alberta starts next week.

In Red Deer, new program listings are now available on "My Activity Guide" through the City of Red Deers website.

Registration opens Tuesday, August 12 at noon.

Fall programming includes swim lessons, licensed preschool programs, fitness and wellness classes, arts and culture workshops, and more.

There are three ways to register for City of Red Deer programs:

Visitors to the Ponoka Town Office will have to go up one more floor to access the reception area. 

Starting Monday, guests visiting the Ponoka Town Office will be directed to a temporary reception area on the third floor of the Civic Centre. 

The union representing front-line RCMP members wants the force to ease requirements for foreign applicants to help attract experienced police officers from agencies like the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and counterparts in the United Kingdom and Australia.

The RCMP currently requires that applicants be Canadian citizens or have permanent resident status in Canada. Applicants with permanent resident status must have lived in Canada as a permanent resident for three of the last five years.

Farm groups are asking for federal action on regulation and trade amid mounting financial pressures and tariff fears

Keystone Agricultural Producers and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture want governments to consider agriculture more often when setting priorities.

They are ramping up pressure on governments to prioritize agriculture in trade, regulation and disaster response as farmers face worsening drought and mounting financial strain.

The small white house nestled between Rotary Park and Kin Kanyon is set to be demolished, with work scheduled to begin Monday, August 11.

Rotary Park visitors and Trans Canada Trail users can expect to see construction activity around 3730 Spruce Drive over the next four weeks as crews take down the structure.

During that time, the overflow parking lot at Rotary Park will be closed, and intermittent trail closures will be in place to allow equipment safe access to the site.

Signs will be posted to notify the public of closures.

Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) is at the centre of a new applied research project aiming to turn asphalt shingle waste into high-value paving stones.

The multi-year initiative, funded in part by a $450,000 grant from Emissions Reduction Alberta, brings together RDP, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in support of industry partner Sustainable Paving Stones (SPS).

Canada's 2025 wildfire season is now the second-worst on record.

The latest figures posted by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre suggest the fires have torn through 72,000 square kilometres, an area roughly the size of New Brunswick.

That surpasses the next worst season in 1989 and is about half the area burned during the record-setting 2023 season, according to a federal database of wildfire seasons dating back to 1972.

Ottawa is hiking entry-level pay for Canadian Armed Forces privates by 20 per cent for the regular force and 13 per cent for reservists, Prime Minister Mark Carney said at CFB Trenton on Friday.

That means the annual salary for a new recruit will go from $43,368 to $52,044.

Other military members will also receive pay raises, with smaller increases for higher ranks — part of a broader plan to boost recruitment and operational readiness. The new pay hikes will be retroactive to April 1 of this year.

A Central Alberta organization that provides shelter and support to women and children fleeing domestic violence is celebrating major growth from a significant expansion.

Last fall, staff and clients moved into Phase One of the Central Alberta Women’s Emergency Shelter (CAWES) expansion — which includes 50 emergency beds and 17 transitional housing suites.

Phase Two, now under construction and scheduled for completion in late October, will add 23 affordable housing units, wellness and meeting spaces, and additional storage capacity.