Connor Gronsdahl

Mohammad Bhuiyan has been a Cochrane resident for about eight years when he decided to take in a family of seven from Ukraine.

Originating from a different country himself, Bhuiyan says that his own experiences initially gave him the idea to act.

"I also came from a different country to here in Canada in 1999 and I was a student and I saw basically how difficult things were at that time, especially for any student and then transitioning to the Canadian environment and getting my PR and citizenship work. These people are missing families."

Due to the ongoing War in Ukraine thousands of Ukrainians have been forced to uproot their lives and find a new place to call home.

Some of these Ukrainian newcomers have come to the Cochrane area to start anew. Moving to a new continent is no easy task especially when the move is abrupt and in many cases forced.

Chantal Barber has been trying to help ease the burden of this move on Ukrainian families. One of the ways Barber is trying to help is by connecting them with Cochrane & area residents who are willing to provide housing to Ukrainians in need.

The Toonie swim used to be a staple of Cochrane summers at the old Cochrane Swimming Pool. But, after the opening of the new pool at the Spray Lakes Sawmills Family Sports Centre (SLSFSC) the Toonie swim had become a thing of the past.

Brandon Cruze is actively trying to bring the Toonie swim back.

The Cochrane Lions, Cochrane Rotary Club, Bow RiversEdge Campground (BREC), and the Cochrane Family and Support Services (FCSS) have teamed up to to help ease the burden upon Ukrainian newcomers moving to Cochrane.

In a joint press release by the groups, the Lions and Rotary Club both committed $5,000 each, and BREC added on an additional $10,000 (BREC is co-owned by the Lions, and Rotary Club).

If you haven't noticed it's pretty hot here in Cochrane, and with summer only around its halfway point, there's still a lot of 30 degree weather left to suffer through. So, with everyone's well-being in mind I've decided to compile a list of the best (cheap) ways to beat the heat for the rest of the summer.

5. Go to the Cochrane Public Library

August long weekend means that Banff National will be busy throughout the weekend.

Because of this Banff National Park has released some helpful tips regarding parking and transportation to make the best out of your time in Banff.

Available Parking will be limited throughout the park so they advise you to park at where your staying if your staying a hotel, condo, hostel etc. Or find one of the free nine hour parking areas throughout the Town of Banff.

A true blast to the past is returning this year after a two year hiatus due to the pandemic.

The Bearspaw Old Tyme Fair makes it's return transporting attendees back to a simpler time. The fair doesn't have your typical fair attractions but instead relies on people to make it what it is, offering competitions in Art, hobbies, photography and many others. For children's entertainment  their will be a petting zoo, pony rides, balloon twisters, food and more.

Rising inflation rates have put the people at Helping Hands Cochrane and their free food shed initiative in a peculiar position.

Helping Hands free food sheds are designed to help feed the less fortunate, and minimize food waste in the community, and are mostly upkept via donations from throughout the community.

The rising prices of food create a greater need for the shed, while it also means that fewer people are able to give at the same time says Executive Director with Helping Hands Cochrane Chairra Nicole.

For the first time since the onset of the pandemic, the Cochrane Piranhas hosted their swim meet from July 16-18 at the Spray Lakes Sawmills Family Sports Centre.

Over 200 swimmers attended the event according to club President James Lange.

"Is a little smaller than we’ve had in the past, but still pretty good and the club performed really well in general. It's all really good actually for the kids and for us just to have a normal meet again."

Olds RCMP have been notified that a personal service dog named Blue has gone missing from a rural property near Township Road 324 and Range Road 31 south west of the Town of Olds in Mountain View County.

Blue the red border collie, is a service dog that helps with PTSD, anxiety, and stress. She was seen last at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 20th at a farm where, the family she is part of was stabling their horses. 

It is not like Blue to run away.

If you have any information about where blue could be, please contact the Olds RCMP Detachment at 403-556-3324.