Ontario realtor clarifies he is not Calgary man Zain Alnoor Merchant charged in Airdrie child abduction
An Ontario realtor is warning against mistaken identity after social media comments and calls to his brokerage wrongly linked him to a Calgary man charged in an alleged child abduction tied to a “catch a predator” scheme involving youth in Airdrie.
RCMP said a group of youth arranged a meeting with a man through Snapchat in Airdrie’s Coopers Crossing neighbourhood on Aug. 18. A 12-year-old boy got into a vehicle voluntarily so friends could record the encounter, but the driver allegedly drove away. The boy later escaped at a red light and called 911.
‘Even if it means standing alone’: Obasan first in Airdrie council race, vows transparency
First-time council candidate Simisola Obasan is calling for a hospital in Airdrie, citing Sherwood Park’s facility as proof the city’s proximity to Calgary should not prevent it — and says she would “stand alone” or “walk away” from council if transparency is compromised.
Obasan, a triple-qualified lawyer and the first declared candidate in this year’s municipal election, said Airdrie’s growth demands a stronger healthcare infrastructure.
Airdrie Public Library starting the move to Inspire
The Airdrie Public Library started its moving process over to Inspire on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, it was shared online that the library will have reduced hours, according to the social media post, those include:
- Mon-Fri: 3-6 p.m.
- Sat: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Sun: 1-4 p.m.
- (Exceptions: Sept. 2-5 → 4-7 p.m. | Sept. 23 → 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.)
August 20 was the end of printing services at the library, August 21 saw reduced computer access, and August 31 will be the last day to borrow books in person.
Alberta Premier Smith says unions prompted COVID-19 shot coverage expansion
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Thursday her government's sudden shift in COVID-19 vaccination policy was prompted by union demands.
Earlier this week, her health ministry said COVID-19 vaccine coverage would be extended to all health-care workers this fall under the first phase of the province’s rollout.
That came two months after the government said most Albertans, including health workers, would have to pay for a COVID-19 shot — potentially a cost of $110.
Chinook’s Edge welcomes 51 new teachers
Chinook's Edge School Division is welcoming 51 new school teachers for the upcoming school year.
"The group includes teachers who are new to the profession, teachers who are new to Chinook’s Edge, and teachers who joined Chinook’s Edge partway through the 2024-25 school year," shared the school division.
That’s up from 48 new teachers hired for the 2024–25 school year, and 38 who joined at the start of 2023–24.
Superintendent Ryan Sawula says the increase came because of teacher retirements at the end of the 2024-25 school year.
More information released about Alberta filmed 'The Abandons'
Some more information has been released about Netflix's upcoming western show, which filmed in Calgary, The Abandons.
According to Screenrant.com, the western series is still in pre-production, but could be the perfect follow-up to HBO's Deadwood.
Canola meeting results in three key initiatives
When it comes to restoring our canola trade with China, the Canadian canola industry wants to see action and engagement from all levels of government with everyone working together to protect our market share.
Premier Scott Moe along with his Agriculture Minister Darryl Harrison and Trade and Export Minister Warren Kaeding met with federal/provincial canola groups, as well as exporters, canola crush and value-added companies.
Crown won't appeal hockey players' acquittals on sex assault charges: defence lawyer
The Crown will not appeal the acquittals of five former world junior hockey players after their high-profile sexual assault trial, one of the defence lawyers in the case said Thursday.
Daniel Brown, who represented Alex Formenton, said he has been informed of the prosecutors' decision. The Ministry of the Attorney General did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Formenton, Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote were all acquitted of sexual assault, and McLeod of a separate charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault.
Air Canada ramping up operations to near full schedule by Friday
Air Canada says it expects to be operating close to its full network schedule by Friday.
The airline says it is continuing to ramp up its operations in a press release Thursday.
This comes after the airline reached a tentative deal with the union representing its flight attendants on Tuesday to end a strike that began on Saturday.
The strike disrupted the airline's operations, resulting in the cancellation of flights.
Mark Nasr, Air Canada's chief operations officer, said in the release that the airline is restoring operations ahead of its plan.
Calgary park attack on 13-year-old prompts Airdrie mother to go public
An Airdrie mother is speaking out after her 13-year-old daughter was assaulted by a group of youths in Calgary’s Prince’s Island Park on Aug. 15.
Dominika Tworek said her daughter had attended an all-ages rock show and had been texting home and sharing her location as usual. About 15 minutes after her last message, Tworek’s phone rang.
“She was screaming, ‘Mom, help me. I’m getting jumped. I don’t know what to do,’” Tworek said. “It’s something I would not wish upon anybody.”