HighRiver

The Liberals rose from the ashes under Prime Minister Mark Carney in a stunning reversal of fortunes this year, but the party's failure to sweep many of the ridings it sought Monday night denied it a resounding majority mandate.

A big part of that failure happened in Ontario, where the party lost many incumbents — even as Carney called for a strong mandate to deal with the threat posed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Elections Canada has released the preliminary election results from all 269 polls in the Foothills riding.

Of the 95,225 registered voters (not including those who registered on election day), 71,903 cast their ballots in the 2025 federal election.

That equates to a voter turnout of 75.51 percent.

By comparison, turnout was 64,467 in 2021, with 65,881 votes cast in 2019.

Elections Canada says more than 68 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot in the federal election — more than 19.5 million people.

While this election was widely expected to see increased turnout, it did not surpass the record set in March 1958, when 79.4 per cent of eligible Canadians voted.

But the nearly 68.7 per cent turnout was the best since the 1993 federal election, which saw 69.6 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot.

While street sweeping continues, the Town of Okotoks is implementing additional parking bans for the rest of the week. 

The bans are in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and are weather-dependent.   

The parking bans include:  

Wednesday, April 30:  

Local students had the opportunity to cast their vote in the federal election.  

After learning about democracy and elections, and researching the parties and platforms, students got to cast their ballots for candidates running in the Foothills riding.  

St. John Paul II Collegiate had an advanced polling station, which was organized by teachers Andrea McGeachie and Ashley McLaughlin and run by student volunteers.  

Emergency services in Oktoks responded to a collision on Tuesday (April 29) afternoon after a vehicle drove through the front of a business.

It happened just before 1:30 p.m. at Phonephix in Village Lane.

The front window and door were destroyed, and several counters were toppled inside the store.

No one inside was hurt, nor was the driver, who was assessed by paramedics at the scene.

The vehicle has since been removed from the scene.

Emergency crews remained at the scene to assess the damage, and the incident is still under investigation.

Road maintenance on Highway 22 is set to begin on Thursday (May 1).  

The project, between Highway 549 and the Town of Diamond Valley, includes adding turning lanes and improving traffic flow. 

BGC Foothills is offering a variety of programs to keep youth in southern Alberta entertained this summer.   

Summer camps are offered in Diamond Valley, High River, and Nanton for youth between six and 12 years of age.  

Throughout the summer, the camps will feature activities and field trips with individualized themes, such as math and science, the great outdoors, water adventures, and baseball.  

The Liberals have won their fourth mandate this time under the leadership of leader Mark Carney.

When Mark Carney formed government as Canada's 24th Prime Minister on March 14, 2025, he selected 34-year-old Kody Blois from the Kings-Hants riding in Nova Scotia as the Federal Minister for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Rural Economic Development.

Blois is heading back to Parliament after winning his riding last night. Expectations are that Carney could keep him in that role, but that will be determined when he announces his new cabinet in the days ahead.

The High River Legion is hosting its 4th annual Show & Shine this Sunday.

Running from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., the event continues to get bigger and better every year.

Registration is $20, and registration starts at 8 a.m.

Live entertainment is back again this year, along with the 50/50 draw, door prizes and awards.

You can also get a homemade burger with potato salad for $10.