Okotoks

The Supreme Court of Canada says a person must wait seven years after completely finishing their post-secondary studies before they can be released from student loan debt under the federal bankruptcy law.

The top court's decision came Thursday in the case of Izabela Piekut, who received government student loans in the course of three university programs from 1987 to 2003.

Piekut later returned to school and earned a master's degree in 2009 without the help of additional student loans.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney spent his first English election debate presenting himself as a safe pair of hands for a country in crisis — while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre sought to frame him as more of the same after a decade of Liberal government.

Carney, who is leading in the polls, became the main target of all his rivals' attacks early in Thursday's final debate of the election — a trend that carried over from Wednesday's French language debate.

Advance polls for the 2025 federal election are open this weekend.

It's a handy way for people to vote if they're unable to do so on election day (April 28), or if they're simply eager to cast their ballot.

There are a few factors to keep in mind, though.

When you can vote

Advance polling stations are open from April 18-21 between 9 a.m. to  9 p.m.

According to Elections Canada, the peak voting time on advance polling days is from 10 a.m. to noon, with the lowest volume typically being in the early morning or after 4 p.m.

Foothills County is expected to see April showers and even some April snow over the Easter long weekend.

It will get off to a warm start, with a 17 C high expected on Good Friday, but daytime highs will soon drop just below the April average, with highs of 8 C and 9 C forecasted for Sunday and Monday.

Rain and snow are expected from Saturday through to Monday as well.

Okotoks will see some facility closures over the Easter long weekend.

The Municipal Centre, Operations Centre, Fire Station No. 1, RCMP detachment, and the Eco Centre will all be closed on April 18 and 21.

Recreation facilities will be open, but with adjusted hours. 

The Okotoks Recreation Centre will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 18 and April 21, with regular hours of operation on April 20, while Natural High will be closed on April 18 and 20.

Registrations are now open for this year's Okotoks Community Cleanup and Tree Planting.

Each year, Okotokians gather to clear the river valley of litter and help make the town's green spaces even greener for future generations.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 10, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

While individuals and groups can register in person on the day of the event, pre-registering online comes with a few perks.

The Highwood is just days away from opening the golf course.

The driving range is already open, but they've had to delay the opening of the course due to this week's weather.

They wanted to open on Good Friday, but Mother Nature dictated otherwise. 

You can call them at 403-652-3644 to book a tee time for next week, or if you need to scratch your golfing itch sooner, you can hit up the driving range, which is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

With it being the Easter Long weekend, there will be some facility closures and a slight change to garbage collection in High River.

Due to Friday, April 18, being Good Friday, garbage collection scheduled for this day will be moved to Thursday, April 17 instead.

If your collection day lands on Fridays, the Town is asking for you to bring out your garbage bin before 7 a.m. on Thursday.

The Easter long weekend is here.   

There are a variety of church services happening throughout Okotoks on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  

The Okotoks Evangelical Free Church is holding a Good Friday Service at 7 p.m.  

Liberal Leader Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre aligned on support for new oil and gas pipelines as a matter of national security during the French language election debate Wednesday night.

Dealing with U.S. President Donald Trump was a running theme as the four main federal party leaders took the stage in Montreal for the first of two debates. Even the debate moderator Patrice Roy cited the elephant in the room as he pitched questions on immigration, affordability and Canadian identity.