Airdrie

If you're heading into Kananaskis Country this weekend, be aware: a grizzly bear with cubs that bluff-charged and is frequenting the area has prompted another area closure in the region.

The May 17 closure affects Grizzly Peak, Grizzly Peak Trail and areas within Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. This latest closure is in effect until further notice. 

Another bear-related closure in Kananaskis took effect May 14, when Alberta Parks closed the Rockwall Trail and the Peter Lougheed Discovery Centre and Meadow Area due to "multiple bears frequenting the area."

Crop would be eligible for biofuel tax credit under recent budget proposals in Congress

U.S. President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” could contain some beautiful news for Canada’s canola growers.

The U.S. House of Representatives’ ways and means committee has released its draft proposals for the U.S. budget reconciliation bill.

The proposals include provisions to amend the controversial 45Z clean fuel production tax credit so that canola oil-based biodiesel and renewable diesel would be eligible for the credit.

Construction is underway at the University of Saskatchewan that will see critical facility improvements within the College of Agriculture and Bioresources.

Two new facilities are being built - the Harrington Plant Growth Facility and the Soil Science Field Facility - while a portion of the Crop Science Field Lab is being renovated to provide additional workspace for the Crop Development Centre. 

Strathmore RCMP say a complaint of a firearm at Strathmore High School led officers to advise the school and nearby buildings to enter lockdown on Friday. The suspect was later found to be carrying a water pistol as part of the high school game "Senior Assassin."

An Olds RCMP officer who completed 29 impaired driving investigations in 2024 has received MADD Canada’s Cpl. Cumming’s Watch Gold Challenge Coin — one of the province’s highest honours for impaired driving enforcement. This marks Cst. Tim Dulmage’s third such award in six years.

Dulmage joined the Olds detachment in 2017. The award is given to Alberta officers who lay 25 or more impaired driving charges in a year. It is part of a tiered program named for RCMP Cpl. Graeme Cumming, who was killed by an impaired driver near Lethbridge in 1998.

Airdrie Fire Department says a vehicle fire that slowed traffic on Highway 2 earlier this month was most likely caused by the inappropriate discarding of smoking materials, following an investigation by its Fire Prevention Bureau.

The May 13 fire, which backed up evening traffic near Yankee Valley Boulevard, was one of several recent incidents that prompted public questions about an apparent rise in vehicle fires across the region.

Discover Airdrie reached out to several local fire departments for comment on the cause and origin of each reported incident.

More than 70 commercial vehicles were inspected near Lake Louise during a three-day roadside enforcement blitz last week, with 20 ordered out of service and 12 identified as requiring immediate attention, RCMP say.

The inspection operation ran from May 15 to 17 and involved Lake Louise RCMP, Banff RCMP, Alberta RCMP Traffic Services, Alberta Sheriffs, Alberta Transportation, and Parks Canada.

According to an RCMP news release, the joint effort aimed to ensure commercial vehicles were operating safely and complied with both provincial and federal legislation.

Federal and local law enforcement officials have designated three official protest zones in Banff and Calgary ahead of next month’s G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis.

The Integrated Safety and Security Group (ISSG), led by the RCMP, confirmed Thursday that demonstrators will be permitted to gather at:

• Municipal Plaza (800 Macleod Trail S.E., Calgary)

Mounties are warning property owners in a neighbouring county near Airdrie to take precautions after a recent rise in copper thefts from irrigation systems.

Wheatland County — located southeast of Airdrie — has experienced an increase in break-ins and copper thefts from farm pivots, according to a RAVE alert circulated by the RCMP.

Police say suspects have been damaging irrigation systems and stripping copper wiring from inside them.

On Wednesday, Blake Richards was officially sworn in as the Member of Parliament for the Airdrie-Cochrane riding.

He is excited to step back into the role he has held since 2008.

"When you have so many people that live in your community, put an X beside your name to say that they believe that you're the person that is best to be their champion, to fight for them, to represent our community and our citizens in the federal government, it's humbling."

Richards talked about his goal of being the federal voice for Airdrie-Cochrane.