Lacombe

The Town of Sylvan Lake is updating its Community Social Master Plan and is looking for community input.

The 2016 plan identified what quality of life means and how to move toward a vision of Sylvan Lake being a safe and caring community where all residents enjoy a healthy quality of life.

A landspout tornado touched down in southern Alberta near Rolling Hills on Saturday, marking the first confirmed tornado in Canada so far this year, according to Environment Canada. Rolling Hills is located over two hours southeast of Calgary.

"It occurred at about 5:20 p.m. local time," said Eric Van Lochem, operational meteorologist with Environment Canada. "Didn't cause anything in the way of damage, as far as we can tell at this time. So it will likely be on the low end of the Enhanced Fujita scale … this will probably be in that EF0 range."

Alberta's chief medical officer of health says measles cases in the province have reached 58, with public health teams monitoring clusters in the south and central zones.

"Measles outbreaks are occurring in Canada, including Alberta," Dr. Mark Joffe said in a statement Friday. "As of April 11, we have seen 58 confirmed cases in the province, and we are paying close attention to rising cases within the south and central zones."

Joffe said health officials are tracking cases and contacts and working with local leaders to support affected communities.

The Ponoka Lions Club is inviting the community to lace up their walking shoes for a cause that changes lives. The annual Walk for Dog Guides is set for Saturday, May 25, beginning at 1 p.m. at the Lions Clubhouse, located beside the off-leash dog park. 

The fundraiser supports the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides, a national organization that breeds, trains, and places service dogs with Canadians living with disabilities. These dogs are provided at no cost to recipients, thanks to events like the annual walk. 

Fire crews and RCMP responded to a reported fire on Friday in the area of 51 Avenue and 47 Street in Sylvan Lake.

RCMP say the fire ended up being to the yard and fence and was extinguished by the fire department.

Although some siding was melted, there was no loss of any structures and there were no injuries.

The fire was accidentally caused by a resident.

The Federal Election Forum that was scheduled to take place on April 23 in Lacombe has been cancelled due to a lack of participation from the candidates.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) has been notified of four additional new cases of measles within the Central Zone, where there are now 30 confirmed cases.

At least one of the new individual cases has been in public settings while infectious.

Individuals who were in the following locations during the specified dates and times may have been exposed to measles:

April 2

Edmonton International Airport
1000 Airport Rd, Edmonton, AB
Sunwing check-in and international departures area
Exposure time: Approx. 7 a.m. –11 a.m. (MST)

A 39-year-old resident of Olds is wanted for violent offences after failing to attend court.

On March 28, Olds RCMP was dispatched to a report of a serious assault that occurred in the Town of Olds. 

Upon arrival, a female victim was located with multiple serious injuries.

Red Deer's annual street cleaning program is underway, with crews starting in roundabouts to clear out winter debris.

On April 14, sweeping operations shift to overnight clearing of medians and boulevards, from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. 

Once completed, daytime downtown and residential street sweeping will begin. 

Be sure to give crews plenty of space and slow down around street-sweeping equipment.

Residential Street Sweeping

Streets are swept from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Watch for No Parking signs in your neighbourhood.

Blaine Calkins is the Conservative Party of Canada's Member of Parliament (MP) candidate for the Ponoka-Didsbury riding.

Voters head to the polls on Monday, April 28, with advance voting taking place April 18 - 21.

CentralAlbertaOnline.com reached out for an interview with Calkins, however an interview was not granted at the time of publication.

This is one installment of our Meet the Candidate series.

Below is the bio listed on Calkins' website: