WestCentral

Indigenous groups in Canada say they want to see Pope Leo XIV continue the reconciliation work started by his predecessor, the late Pope Francis.

Francis was recognized as an ally of Canada's Indigenous Peoples and was known for advancing reconciliation efforts and apologizing — both in the Vatican and in Canada — for the Catholic Church's role in widespread abuses at residential schools.

His visit to Canada in 2022 was described as a "penitential pilgrimage" as Francis insisted on meeting with Indigenous survivors of residential schools and hearing their stories.

Alberta Sugar Beet Growers and Rogers Sugar have reached a new 5-year agreement.

The new supply agreement was announced in a press release on Friday.

Roger's Taber location is the only sugar beet processing facility in Canada. Established almost 75 years ago, the Taber facility is supported by approximately 200 Southern Alberta farm families, which supply the refinery with sugar beets. 

According to the ASBG website, those farms harvest about 900,000 tonnes of sugar beets annually, which are turned into 125,000 tonnes of sugar or nearly 2 million cups!

The first true week of May provided some great stories for our audience. 

Find a recap below as young people making an impact was a main theme this past week, the final feature story showcasing an interesting project with a local bar set to be the subject:

Lack of progress means time is growing short to get a successfull crop into the ground in Southern Alberta.

Contract negotiations are dragging on for Alberta sugar beet producers.

It’s already early May, and Alberta Sugar Beet Growers and Rogers Sugar, the sole sugar-beet processing plant left in Canada, still haven’t hammered out a deal.

Jennifer Crowson, executive director with the Alberta Sugar Beet Growers, cautioned the Western Producer in an email that she was limited in what she can share, other than that they are still in active negotiations.

The 2025 WHL Prospects Draft took place this past week, as the Regina Pats selected phenom and hometown boy Maddox Schultz with the first overall pick. The league used Wednesday for the first round and then completed the draft Thursday with rounds 2-15, taking place after an expansion draft for the new franchise out of Penticton and U.S Priority Draft.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is expected to make a quick return to the House of Commons after losing his Carleton seat in last week's federal election, with Alberta MP Damien Kurek stepping aside in Battle River—Crowfoot to make room for a byelection.

In the meantime, former Conservative leader Andrew Scheer has been appointed as the party’s interim leader in Parliament, taking on the role of Leader of the Opposition when the House resumes on May 26.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to unveil his new cabinet at Rideau Hall on Tuesday — and it's expected to be a slimmed-down front bench meant to signal a more businesses-minded approach to government.

Rideau Hall confirmed the timing of the swearing-in ceremony on Friday.

Marci Surkes of the government relations firm Compass Rose Group said Carney will seek to draw a sharp contrast between his government and that of former prime minister Justin Trudeau, and about one-third of the new cabinet could be new faces.

A 52-year-old North Battleford man is facing charges after allegedly assaulting an RCMP officer during a traffic stop in the city.

According to Saskatchewan RCMP, members of the North Battleford Crime Reduction Team conducted a traffic stop on May 7 around 7:30 p.m. after noticing a passenger not wearing a seatbelt.

Police say the driver, identified as Leon Night, got out of the vehicle and confronted officers. He complied when directed to return to the vehicle, but officers then spotted illicit cannabis and unstamped tobacco in plain view.

Another outgoing Kindersley Jr. Klipper is going to be suiting up for Red Deer College of the ACAC (Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference) next season. The team announced on Thursday that Shayne Tibbles made his commitment to the Kings hockey program, following the commitment of his teammate Mason Bueckert to Red Deer earlier in the week.

There is only two days left at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championship tournament going on in Kamloops, BC. Friday marks the semi-final round for both male and female play, and Team Saskatchewan has both teams still alive.

The preliminary round games were played Monday through Thursday. The boys went 3-1-1 in the round robin to finish the third, while the girls team went 2-2-1 to also finish third.

The male semi-final will go first as Team Saskatchewan faces off against Team Manitoba. The teams met in the first game of the tournament with Manitoba taking a 5-3 win.