HighRiver

The Okotoks Dawgs have definitely found their groove over the last five games.

The Dawgs have pounded in 58 runs over the last five games, picking up five wins along the way and an astonishing 91 runs over the last seven games since their winning streak started.

The Dawgs lit up the scoreboard on Canada Day against the Brooks Bombers, beating them 15-4.  They both play each other again tonight, Wednesday at Seaman Stadium, before the Dawgs get a break before heading out on the road on Friday.

Logan Gorst won it all at the Ponoka Stampede on Canada Day.

The six-day event wrapped up with Logan Gorst winning by the narrowest of margins, with Chanse Vigen slipping into second place due to a one-second penalty for starting too early.

Vigen had the fastest times four out of the six days of racing and led the aggregate, with Gorst just qualifying in the semi-finals in 8th position. 

The semi-finals on Monday had the top eight drivers and wagons competing over two heats, with the final top four moving onto the championship heat on Canada Day.

Wildfires are currently raging in several provinces across Canada. 

The BC Wildfire Service reports that crews are battling more than 70 wildfires in British Columbia, with one particularly intense wildfire near the community of Lytton, having led to a local state of emergency and several evacuation orders.

In Yukon, the territorial government has lifted an evacuation alert for the area surrounding Ethel Lake, located approximately a four-hour drive north of Whitehorse. 

Despite this change, the wildfire that prompted the alert on June 24 remains out of control.

Canadians took to parks and civic squares across the country Tuesday to show unity on Canada Day amid American threats, economic uncertainty and Western alienation.

"We've decided not to pull apart and fight, but to come together and to build. Because that's the Canadian way," Prime Minister Mark Carney said to thousands of Canadians gathered in Ottawa.

This year's festivities at Ottawa's LeBreton Flats Park got the royal treatment, with Prince Edward praising Canada's unity and accomplishments.

The Town of Okotoks held their Canada Day celebrations today.

They were held at the ball diamond number 10 in the Wiley Athletic Park, just outside the Okotoks Recreation Centre.

As part of the celebrations, there was Fit Set Ninja, Barkside Canine Performers, face painting, stage performers, and more.

Fireworks are scheduled to go off after the Dawgs game from the Bill Robertson Park, somewhere around 10:30 p.m.

To learn more, click here.

Parliamentarians likely will get a chance later this year to debate whether to adopt a livestock brand as an official national symbol.

A bill to create the brand was introduced earlier in June by Saskatchewan Conservative MP Steven Bonk.

If the bill passes, the brand will become Canada's 10th national symbol — joining O Canada, the coat of arms and the maple tree.

Here are five things you may not know about the official symbols that say "Canada."

1. The beaver does not stand alone

Samantha Sannella shed happy tears as she stood to sing the national anthem at her citizenship ceremony in early June, nearly three decades after she moved to Canada. 

She had sung "O Canada" countless times before, but this was the first time she’d done so as a Canadian. 

Originally from Houston, Texas, Sannella moved to Toronto 28 years ago for a job. For the longest time, she still considered herself a U.S. citizen, with a part of her thinking she might move back one day.

But that changed last fall.

Fluoride is back in Calgary's drinking water.

The city, in a news release, says it has begun adding the chemical into the water at the direction of councillors.

Council's decision follows a 2021 plebiscite in which about two-thirds of those who voted said they wanted fluoride put back in the water.

The city says fluoride is safe at low levels and is an effective way to prevent cavities and keep teeth strong.

One of two men jailed last year for their roles in the Coutts, Alta., border protest has been granted bail while he appeals his conviction and sentence.

An Alberta appeal court judge says Chris Carbert does not pose a threat to public safety and is unlikely to commit a criminal offence if released from custody.

Last fall, a jury found Carbert and Anthony Olienick guilty of mischief over $5,000 and possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace for their role in the blockade.

They were each given prison sentences of 6 ½ years. 

With the hot temperatures in areas of Southern Alberta this week, a local animal shelter is offering tips on how to help your pet beat the summer heat.  

Heaven Can Wait Animal Rescue Foundation took to social media encouraging pet owners to shift walking and outdoor times to cooler hours of the day, as pavement and asphalt can become hot and burn paws.