Okotoks

Westwinds Communities' drive-by pies fundraiser is making a return.

It's become an annual tradition, with homemade pies available for order and pickup at local seniors' lodges.

The fundraiser has grown over the years, now being available at Sandstone Lodge in Okotoks, Medicine Tree Manor in High River, and High Country Lodge in Diamond Valley.

Funds raised will contribute to a new handibus to be used across all of Westwinds' Foothills locations.

Pies are $25 and available in apple and strawberry rhubarb flavours.

Orders had to made in advance.

A lottery that supports over 30 healthcare foundations and hospitals in Alberta will now happen every month.

The Split the Pot Lottery was introduced to Alberta in October of 2021, and they've now had three successful runs.

Funds raised by the lottery support 35 healthcare foundations and hospitals across the province, including the Sheep River Health Trust and the High River District Health Care Foundation.

So far, it's raised over $1,000,000, and Albertans have won over $620,000.

The Okotoks Oilers are down two games to none in their best-of-seven BCHL round one playoff series.

The Oil dropped game two on Sunday in Penticton, 5-0 to the Penticton Vees.

The Vees have shutout the Oilers 9-0 over the first two playoff games.

The Green Army should be out for games three and four on Tuesday and Wednesday at Viking Rentals Centre, adding that hometown advantage.

Both games have 7 p.m. start times with tickets still available.

Bird e-scooters are back for their fifth season in Okotoks.

As always, they're available to rent through the Bird for those aged 16 and up.

Some new pricing options are available, including a Community Pricing Program that provides a 25 per cent discount on rides for seniors, low-income residents and healthcare workers.

There are also options for multi-day passes and a monthly subscription.

Riders should keep some safety rules in mind though, including the one rider per scooter limit.

With just three weeks to go until election day, Canada's federal party leaders are back on the road today.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is expected to make an announcement in Toronto today following weekend campaign stops on the East Coast, where he announced plans to impose national rent control and to get every Canadian access to a family doctor in the next five years.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is wrapping up a campaign sweep on the West Coast today before flying to Edmonton for a rally.

Cereals Canada has released a series of sustainability reports for Canadian non-durum wheat, durum wheat, barley, and oats to demonstrate how the cereals value chain is meeting the challenge of sustainable cereal production.

“Canada is a global leader in the production of high-quality, nutritious, and sustainable cereal grains,” said Mark Walker, vice-president of markets and trade. “These reports confirm that Canadian farmers grow some of the most sustainable crops in the world.”

Protesters rallied in several cities across the country on Sunday to demonstrate against Donald Trump's threats to Canadian sovereignty, as backlash to an American president who appears bent on upending the global order gains momentum.

Despite softer-than-expected tariffs against Canada last week and a more cordial tone from the White House over the past week, the echo from Trump's repeated remarks about making Canada the 51st state continues to ring in Canadians' ears.

The NDP promised to protect tenants through national rent control while the Conservatives focused their campaign trail message on addictions treatment Sunday.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in Halifax in the morning that his party would tie federal housing funding for provinces and municipalities to tenant protection policies like rent control.

The NDP says housing and rent prices in Canada have doubled since 2015 and the average asking rent hit $2,109 per month in January.

Police say they've charged a 31-year-old Ottawa man with several offences following an incident that placed an area of Parliament Hill under lockdown on Saturday.

Ottawa police said in a media statement Sunday that a man entered East Block in downtown Ottawa at 2:40 p.m. Saturday and started issuing threats to those inside.

Security officials isolated the man in a security screening area while police evacuated the building, which mostly houses offices for senators and their staff.

Police said the man surrendered peacefully after hours of negotiations.

The Okotoks Rec Centre is busy this weekend.

The Okotoks & District Chambers of Commerce's annual Okotoks Trade & Lifestyle Show and Spring Fling Artisan Market are in full swing.

Doors are open until 5 p.m. today (Saturday, April 5), and again on Sunday (April 6) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

At the Trade Show and Artisan Market, there are roughly 90 vendors on both the Trade Show and Artisan Market sides of the event, as well as food trucks.