Okotoks

Alberta MP and Conservative Agriculture Critic John Barlow has been receiving a number of emails from Canadians who are concerned about Private Members' Bill C-293, which now sits before the Senate.

He says while the primary objective of the bill is pandemic prevention and preparedness, it contains content and language that will adversely affect Canadian farmers and ranchers.

For the first time in the 2024-2025 BCHL regular season, the Oilers were able to string two wins together.

The first came on Friday (Oct. 18) night with a 6-2 win on the road in Coquitlam against the Express and then added another win tonight in a 4-3 victory back at home over the Vernon Vipers.

Olivier Ciarlo started in net for the Green and Gold, making 25 saves in the contest. Ciarlo has now won four games in the season and three in his last four games. Since donning the new gear in Oilers colours, Ciarlo has gone with a 3-1 record.

Alleged members of an Indian gang and its leader have been sending shivers down the spines of members of the South Asian diaspora in Canada for years, says a city councillor in Richmond, B.C.

Kash Heed said the Bishnoi gang, led by Lawrence Bishnoi, gained notoriety and instilled fear among Indian Canadians well before the RCMP accused the syndicate this week of orchestrating violent crimes on Canadian soil.

There was no clear winner in Saturday's British Columbia election, but the leader of the B.C. Conservatives says the province's political landscape has "changed forever," after his party pushed the incumbent New Democrats to the brink.

Neither party won enough seats to claim a majority, and vote counting was set to continue Sunday, with Premier David Eby's NDP in striking range of a minority government if he gets the co-operation of the Greens, who won two seats.

Potential recounts mean it could be next week before the winner is decided.

Winter weather is coming soon.

Environment Canada issued a weather alert today (Oct 19) to let people know that the first significant amount of snow for the season will happen on Monday (Oct 21).

The snow will begin falling Monday morning in the Calgary area and along the Highway 2 corridor and it will then travel east throughout the day.

It's possible there could be a brief period of rain Monday morning prior to it becoming snow, which may cause slippery travel conditions.

Last night (Oct. 18) marked the third game in four nights for the Okotoks Oilers and they came away with a 6-2 victory over the BCHL top-seeded Coastal Conference Coquitlam Exrpess in their final road game of the week.

Olivier Ciarlo started in net for the Green and Gold, making 29 saves in the contest. He added his third win of the season and has won two of three games since getting his new Oiler-coloured gear.

The Okotoks Oilers made a strong push in the playoffs last season falling just short in a seven-game series against the always-tough Brooks Bandits.

The Green Army is probably wondering where each player from last season is playing since only six players returned this year. 

Players who are back wearing the Green and Gold are Jackson Rowland, Brett Wilson, Ryder de Nys, Kade Duell, Hunter Sawka, Brennan Hocher.

Former Oilers who are now in college/university:

Dean Spak - University of Alaska Fairbanks of the NCAA

The executive team from the Assembly of First Nations will meet in the coming days to discuss how to proceed with new negotiations for a child welfare reform deal after chiefs voted against the government's proposed $47.8 billion agreement at a meeting in Calgary Thursday.

AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, who had helped negotiate the deal and pushed for it to be approved, was blunt in her assessment of the outcome in her closing remarks to the special chiefs assembly Friday.

Here's a look at some of this week's top news photos as selected by editors.

B.C. NDP Leader David Eby is seen through a bus windshield as he arrives for a campaign stop in Nanaimo, B.C., Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Canada announced the details of a $64.8 million military aid package to Ukraine Friday as National Defence Minister Bill Blair attended a NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels.

Ukraine's ongoing war with Russia was a key topic at the meeting, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the ministers during the meeting.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, chairing his first NATO defence ministers' meeting since taking the role earlier in October, said the alliance's members are on track to deliver almost $60 billion in security assistance to Ukraine.