Airdrie

Airdrie and the surrounding areas are under a snowfall warning as southern Alberta prepares for a significant winter storm.

According to Environment Canada, snow will begin early Friday morning and spread northward, bringing a long period of heavy snowfall.

The area could see 5 to 10 cm of snow by Saturday morning, with heavier snow arriving early Saturday. Another 10 to 15 centimetres is expected by Saturday evening, totalling 15 to 25 centimetres by the time the storm eases overnight into Sunday.

With the colder temperatures moving into Airdrie and ice starting to develop on bodies of water, the Airdrie Fire Department is reminding residents about ice safety.

Airdrie Fire Chief Mike Pirie explained AFD has one main message they share every year.

"Ice is very unpredictable. It's not just something you can look at and know if it is safe or not. Airdrie has a lot of water features, we have ponds, we have Nose Creek Park, we have canals, and none of those are safe to be out on during the winter time."

A senior official says the Canadian government is not aware of any evidence linking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to alleged criminal activity perpetrated by Indian agents on Canadian soil.

Meta is refusing to publicly disclose information that could determine whether it is subject to the Online News Act despite blocking news from its platforms.

2024 will go down as the year of canola disease.

That is according to Curtis Rempel, Vice President of Crop Production and Innovation with the Canola Council of Canada. Rempel says diseases were primarily root and lower stem. He notes this was partially due to the wet and cool conditions felt in large parts of the Prairies.

"For a lot of stubble-borne fungi, which are primarily disease-causing organisms, they are all fungal-related," explains Rempel. "The cool, damp conditions really allow the fungus to take off."

Airdronians may see some changes to their auto insurance in January 2025, with a major overhaul of the system anticipated by January 2027.

The first changes will involve adjustments to the rate cap for good drivers, set to take effect in January 2025. Premiums for responsible drivers will see an estimated increase to 7.5 per cent, intended to account for rising legal, repair, and disaster-related costs while protecting against more substantial hikes.

There are only a few more days left to get your smile cookies and help support the Airdrie Food Bank.

The cookies started being sold in stores on November 18th and can be purchased until the 24th, the Tim Hortons holiday smile cookie campaign is supporting Airdronians. 

The Smile Cookie campaign is designed to give back to communities, and different organizations are chosen to receive 50 per cent of the proceeds. This season the money raised will go to the Airdrie Food Bank, while the other 50 per cent will go to Tim Horton’s Foundation Camps.

The government on Thursday announced a sweeping promise to make groceries, children's clothing, Christmas trees, restaurant meals and more free from GST/HST between Dec. 14 and Feb. 15. 

According to RCMP statistics, seven motor vehicle collisions were reported in Airdrie between midnight Wednesday and 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

Across Southern Alberta, 47 collisions occurred, with Strathmore reporting the most, at eight. Airdrie and Okotoks tied for second place, each recording the highest number of collisions, mainly on Wednesday; only five collisions were reported on Thursday.

The Liberal government plans to temporarily lift the federal sales tax off a slew of items just in time for Christmas and send cheques to millions of Canadians this spring, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Thursday.

"Our government can't set prices at the checkout, but we can put more money in people's pockets," Trudeau said at a press conference in Toronto alongside Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.