HighRiver

The Canada Revenue Agency has offered contract extensions to around 850 call centre employees as their union sounds the alarm over staffing levels. 

CRA spokesperson Etienne Biram says the workers, whose contracts were set to expire in September, were contacted about the decision last week.

The federal union representing workers at the tax agency recently launched an online campaign denouncing staffing cuts. 

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is set to meet with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington this week after Ottawa announced it would be lifting some retaliatory tariffs.

LeBlanc's office said he will travel to the United States capital on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced last Friday that Canada will drop some retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products to match American tariff exemptions for goods covered under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement on trade, called CUSMA. .

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she expects the private sector to lead the way on potentially bringing nuclear power to the province.

But she says her government is prepared to set up a Crown corporation, like Ontario has for its nuclear generation, if necessary. 

Smith made her remarks as she announced a new panel to gather public feedback on the possibility of building reactors. 

She says that could include small modular reactors powering oilsands sites or full-scale plants feeding the grid. 

The group representing Alberta teachers says hopes are high that a deal will be reached as mediated talks resume before the school year gets underway.

Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers' Association, says while hopeful, there are a number of issues that need to be settled if this week's talks are to be successful.

Teachers voted 95 per cent in favour of strike action earlier this summer.

Schilling says the June vote signalled that pay, classroom conditions, crowding and resources for students were unacceptable.

The dates are set Premier Scott Moe's trade mission to Asia runs September 6th to 12th.

It's a very important region for the province ... In 2024, Saskatchewan exported over $10 billion to Asia—$4.4 billion to China, $929 million to Japan and 162 million to South Korea.

The goal is to reinforce future trade opportunities and engage with China on their temporary duties on peas and canola.

The Premier has invited Prime Minister Mark Carney and any other federal ministers  to join the trade mission.

After being closed for nearly a month due to a gastrointestinal outbreak, the owner of Saskatoon Farm is hoping to move forward and regain people’s trust.  

Alberta Health Services (AHS) ordered the farm’s food facilities to close on July 23, after an outbreak of E. coli and amoebiasis was identified.  

Since then, the food service areas, including the restaurant, bakery, and Red House, have reopened in stages and as of Aug. 18, fully reopened.   

Alberta Agriculture's latest crop report shows two per cent of the crop has been combined. That's down from the 5-year average of eight per cent and the 10-year average of six per cent.

Warm, dry conditions in the Southern part of the province are helping with the harvest, while the cooler temperatures in the North West, North East, and Peace regions are slowing crop maturity and delaying harvest.

The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) are calling for swift action to address ongoing trade tariffs that continue to impact farmers.

APAS met with Kody Blois, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister when he was in Saskatoon for last week's canola meeting. 

APAS President Bill Prybylski emphasized the urgency of resolving tariff disputes with China and the United States, which have disrupted normal trade flows and hurt our agricultural economy.

The Catholic schools within the Okotoks and High River area all open up this Thursday.

The new school year for students at Notre Dame Collegiate and Holy Spirit Academy in High River starts this Thursday.

The same applies to Okotoks' schools: École Good Shepherd, St. Mary's, St. Francis of Assisi Academy, St. John Paul II Collegiate, and Holy Trinity Academy. 

Traditionally, Christ the Redeemer Catholic School Division opens their doors to students before the Labour Day long weekend.

The Alberta government is streamlining its process for restoring watersheds.

The province is removing the requirement to have a temporary diversion licence as part of a riparian restoration project.

The government said it expects the change to cut red tape, keep plants alive and ensure that the time and money put into watershed restoration projects are not wasted.

“Freedom to water is about cutting through the clutter of bureaucracy so real work can happen,” provincial environment minister Rebecca Schulz said in a press release.