Lacombe

Justice Minister Sean Fraser says the federal government plans to take a "fresh" look at its online harms legislation over the summer but it's not clear yet exactly what the bill will look like when it is reintroduced.

It would be the Liberals' third attempt to pass legislation to address harmful behaviour online.

Fraser told The Canadian Press in an interview that the government hasn't decided whether to rewrite or simply reintroduce the Online Harms Act, which was introduced in 2024 but did not pass.

An Alberta judge has put on hold a provincial law that bans doctors from providing gender-affirming care to youth.

Justice Allison Kuntz, in a written judgment Friday, said the law raises serious Charter issues that need to be hashed out in court, and issued a temporary injunction against it before it fully came into effect.

Kuntz wrote that a temporary stop is needed while the issue is debated.

Berry lovers will be happy to hear that the U-pick season has now started. 

Across the Prairies, strawberry U-pick seasons typically start in early July. Raspberries and Saskatoons are then often available from late July through August. 

Andy Loewen is the owner of Friedensfeld Honey and Berry Farm, located east of Friedensfeld in Manitoba. He says their strawberry U-pick season officially got underway on Friday. An opening day of June 27th is a little bit earlier than normal for their farm.

Tyra the Tyrannosaurus is set to be poked and prodded this fall to determine whether Drumheller’s towering, monstrously popular icon can be saved from extinction.

Mayor Heather Colberg says a technical check will determine how much work — and money — may be needed to keep the 25-metre figure in its current place dominating the skyline of the town northeast of Calgary.

What’s happening this Canada Day in Central Alberta.

Communities across the region are gearing up for Canada Day celebrations filled with fireworks, food, music, and family-friendly fun from June 30 to July 1.

Here’s a look at what’s planned in several Central Alberta communities:

Innisfail

Canada Day Kick-Off
June 30, 5:30 p.m. | Napoleon Sports Field
Celebrate early with live music, food trucks, beer gardens, and fireworks at 11 p.m.

Family activities (5:30–9:30 p.m.) include:

The Red Deer Rebels are excited to announce their full 68-game schedule for the 2025-26 Western Hockey League Regular Season.

New for this season! The Rebels have introduced “6 p.m. Saturdays” where all Saturday night home games at the Marchant Crane Centrium will begin one hour earlier at 6 p.m. The Rebels will play 13 Saturday night home games in 2025-26.

Friday and weeknight home games will continue to start at 7 p.m. The Rebels have one Sunday home game in 2025-26 (February 15 vs. Lethbridge) that will start at 4 p.m.

The Lacombe Police Service is alerting the community to a recent increase in bicycle thefts across the city. 

Officers have responded to a significant rise in reports of stolen bicycles over the past few weeks. 

Police say bicycle thefts are often crimes of opportunity, and they are encouraging all bike owners to take proactive steps to help reduce the risk. 

The mobile men's health clinic, the MAN VAN, is at the Ponoka Stampede today. 

The Prostate Cancer Centre’s MAN VAN, Canada’s first mobile men’s health clinic will be in Ponoka today, offering free health checks that could save lives.

The mobile clinic will be set up from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. across from the Ponoka Stampede Grounds at the trade show, located at 4410 54th St.

The MAN VAN provides free PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood tests for men aged 40 to 70, helping detect signs of prostate cancer early.

Thursday marked the end of an era in Penhold as Penhold Elementary School (PES) closed its doors for the final time.

The school will be replaced by the new Penhold Waskasoo Middle School, which will welcome students in Grades 4 through 8 this fall.

In a farewell message posted to Facebook, the school reflected on the emotional significance of the day.

Alberta’s finance minister is set to deliver the final bottom line number today on last year’s provincial budget.

Nate Horner’s new figure will close the books on the budget for the fiscal year that ended in March.

That budget was last forecast to come in with a nearly $6-billion surplus.

Alberta’s new budget year is now a few months old, but its expected bottom line number is deep in the red.

This budget, introduced by Horner in February, predicts Alberta will register a $5.2-billion deficit at the end of March 2026.