Alberta government announces indefinite freeze on industrial carbon price

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government is freezing its industrial carbon price effective immediately at $95 per tonne of emissions.

Smith told reporters Monday the move is critical to keep industry competitive and defend jobs as Canada navigates a tariff fight with the United States.

"With the change in government south of the border, it is essential that we have a reasonable carbon pricing system, not one that will price our industries out of global markets," she said.

Travel to the U.S. takes another hit in April as Canadians vacation elsewhere

Travel to the United States took another hit in April with booking agents saying an "elbows up" attitude over the trade war has Canadians pulling back. 

Canadian residents returning by automobile from the U.S. in April fell on a year-over-year basis for the fourth consecutive month, preliminary numbers released by Statistics Canada showed Monday. The 1.2 million trips represented a 35.2 per cent drop from the same month in 2024 and 45.1 per cent lower than April 2019, before the pandemic.

Despite a polarizing election, poll suggests Canadians don't want a two-party system

While the recent federal election turned into a tight race between the Liberals and Conservatives that left other parties trailing far behind, a new poll suggests most Canadians don't want the country end up with a two-party system.

The poll of over 1,600 Canadians, conducted by Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies between May 1 and 3, suggests only 21 per cent of Canadians think the country would be better off with a system where two parties dominate the political landscape.

Update: QEII reopened at 32nd St. overpass near Red Deer

According to 511 Alberta, the QEII has reopened north of the 32nd Street overpass.

Earlier this afternoon a crash had caused all lanes to be closed as emergency crews were on site.

Traffic was also very slow on Taylor Drive as there was a crash in the intersection near the hospital and 43rd Street.

For the latest traffic information click here. 

 

Update: Special air quality statement withdrawn from Wetaskiwin area

Environment Canada had issued a special air quality statement for the Wetaskiwin area yesterday evening due to wildfire smoke.

The statement has been withdrawn and there are no worries about outdoor air pollution.

 

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RD Rural Crime Watch Road Parties are back

Crime can be a major concern in rural areas, where police response times are often longer than in urban centres. Becky Wylie Jardine, a board member with Red Deer Rural Crime Watch, says knowing your neighbours can make a big difference.

“Yeah, absolutely. You know response times for RCMP are a lot longer in rural areas compared to the city. If a neighbour sees a strange vehicle on a driveway, they can call the police right away,” she said.

Residents at Deer Park Village enjoy special ‘Mount-Tea’ for Mother’s Day

Residents at Deer Park Village in Red Deer were treated to a special tea on Friday.

As part of a Mother’s Day celebration, invitations were sent to residents as well as family members for a “Mount-Tea.”

Jamie Riggins, the Community Relations Coordinator at Deer Park Village, says, “We always have a Mother's Day tea, and we decided to make it a bit more of a community event and so we invited the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, to serve tea to our residents.”