HighRiver

While the Alberta government is urging teachers to get back to the bargaining table to get out of an ongoing stalemate, their union says the province needs to move beyond reiterating a deal that teachers have already rejected.

Finance Minister Nate Horner is encouraging teachers to take a closer look at the latest offer, which he says shows respect for teachers.

"We've never left the table," Horner said in an interview Monday.

"We think this is a fair deal. We think this is a good deal."

The federal government says it plans to launch a public registry to keep Canadians in the loop on its growing use of artificial intelligence.

"We are seeing a lot more activity across departments and agencies," Stephen Burt, the government’s chief data officer, told The Canadian Press.

The federal government says it has found almost 500 ways to streamline regulations and cut costs following a 60-day red tape review exercise.

Departments and agencies have published reports identifying measures to make them more efficient and eliminate complicated or redundant regulations or processes.

Examples include a Canada Border Services Agency proposal to end the rule requiring that travellers arriving in Canada only on their way to another country, be examined by the agency before making their way to their departing flight.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservative government says it will fight hard to defend a court challenge to its school pronoun law.

“Alberta’s government will vigorously defend our position in court,” Heather Jenkins, press secretary to Justice Minister Mickey Amery, said in a statement after two LGBTQ+ advocacy groups officially filed the court challenge last week.

Jenkins stressed the legislation was introduced to strengthen ties between parents and their child’s education.

A new poll suggests 44 per cent of Canadians want to see the temporary foreign worker program scrapped as the country grapples with high unemployment, especially among young people.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre recently proposed eliminating the program in response to high youth unemployment. The unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 24 hit 14.6 per cent nationally in July, according to Statistics Canada data.

Federal, provincial, and territorial agriculture ministers are gathered in Manitoba this week for critical discussions on the future of Canadian agriculture. The meetings, which wrap up Tuesday, come at a time when global trade disruptions, domestic infrastructure needs, and food security are top of mind for producers and policymakers alike.

Federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Heath MacDonald says the meetings are an opportunity to listen to regional concerns and collaborate on national solutions.

As federal, provincial, and territorial agriculture ministers are meeting in Winnipeg this week, the future of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is drawing renewed attention. While the Conservative Party has proposed eliminating the broader program, both farm leaders and Conservative MPs are emphasizing that agriculture will remain exempt.

Keith Currie, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), stressed the importance of the program to the sector.

Conservative Agriculture Critic John Barlow and Canadian Federation of Agriculture President Keith Currie are calling on the federal Liberal government to approve the emergency use of strychnine as a way to deal with the increased number of gophers or Richardson’s ground squirrels (RGS) across the Prairies.

The Foothills Fire Department has kicked off recruit training.  

Over the next 10 weeks, recruits from across Foothills County will complete the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1001 Level 1 course. 

Throughout the training, the firefighters will be challenged mentally and physically, as they learn the skills required to serve communities throughout the Foothills.  

The latest tree carving in High River's George Lane Park is nearly complete.

Artist Darren Jones was selected for the project, located at the park's Group Campground B.

The piece features several images carved into a poplar tree trunk, with foxes and an owl on one side and a fairy castle on the other.

A sunflower crowns the sculpture, with two woodland sprites perched on top.