Okotoks

Canadians partook in advance polling over the Easter long weekend, and they did so in record numbers.

According to Elections Canada, 7.3 million people voted in advance polls from April 18-21.

That's an increase of 25 per cent compared to 5.8 million advance voters in 2021.

It's only an approximation, though, as not all polls have reported yet.

Figures from specific electoral districts are to be released soon.

The remainder of voters will cast their ballots on April 28.

Much of Foothills County saw a late-season snowfall Monday night (April 21).  

Approximately 10 centimetres of snow was recorded at the Pekisko weather station.  

“It's not too uncommon of an event in terms of late-season snowfall,” said Justin Shelley, Environment and Climate Change Canada Meteorologist. “It's a big swing from what we saw earlier in the month, but not uncommon for this time of year.”  

Statistics Canada is forecasting 232,180 acres, a 20 per cent decrease from last year, but traders question the estimate’s accuracy

Canaryseed brokers and traders think acres this year will be larger than Statistics Canada is indicating.

“Definitely acres are going up, not down,” said David Nobbs, a trader with Bornhorst Seeds.

Statistics Canada is forecasting 232,180 acres of the crop, a 20 per cent decrease from last year.

“I don’t even know why they’re involved in this crop. The numbers that come out are just always wrong,” said Nobbs.

New confirmed cases of measles in AHS' South and Calgary Zones have prompted a public alert.

These cases are connected to potential exposures in Calgary, Taber, and Lethbridge between April 11 and 16.

According to AHS, potential exposures occured in the following times and locations:

Foothills voters will have candidates to choose from in the upcoming federal election.

Among them is Kaitte Aurora of the New Democratic Party (NDP).

Prior to their move to Lethbridge, Aurora did mechanical engineering and fluid dynamics work with Arnprior Aerospace and later Lockheed Martin Canada.

For Aurora, a self-described progressive, the NDP was the only real choice, as they found the Liberal and Green parties to lean nearer the middle to even centre-right on many issues.

It’s National Soil Conservation Week, and today is Earth Day.  

Farmers and ranchers play a very important role in soil conservation and helping to improve the health of our soil.  

Over the years, producers have modified some of their practices as a way to improve the soil.

The High River RCMP, the Southern Alberta Crime Reduction Unit, the Okotoks RCMP, and the Emergency Response Team executed a search warrant at an acreage in Foothills County on Monday (April 21).

As a result, they recovered numerous pieces of stolen property, including two vehicles, four trailers, one ATV, three dirt bikes, and firearms.

Two males were arrested on the scene, and a third male fled the scene in a stolen truck. He was located and arrested.

All three have been charged with the following offences:

The occasional spring snowfall is not unusual for Western Canada, bringing additional moisture prior to seeding.

Parts of southern Alberta including areas around Calgary, Olds, Airdrie, Beiseker and Three Hills received another blast of winter over the weekend, with more snow overnight making travel challenging.

Meteorologist Drew Lerner with World Weather Inc says a significant snowstorm is going to continue to occur in the southeast part of Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba today with some other areas seeing some light snow or rain.

The Foothills Special Olympics Bowling team picked up a huge trophy recently at a bowling tournament.

Local athlete Angie Brown said their extra-large team had a lot of fun, too.

"We went to Olds for the tournament; it was actually a smaller tournament, so that's why we were able to take ten bowlers. All ten of us got first-place ribbons, and then we got surprised with the big, I call it the honker trophy, so we all got surprised with that at the supper and dance. It's half the size of me!"

Canadian Catholics are remembering Pope Francis for his work towards Truth and Reconciliation, after his passing on Monday, April 21.   

The Christ the Redeemer Catholic School Division issued a statement on social media about the Pope's death.  

“His Holiness, Pope Francis, has died today. His Holiness served as Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Christ, and Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church from 2013 to 2025,” the statement said.