Local News

Swift Current is in for a scorcher as Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued a heat warning.

Thursday is set to hit a high of 32°C, with an overnight cold front offering relief only after the sun has gone down. 

Brian Proctor, meteorologist for ECCC, explained the heat as a result of hot air moving up from Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. 

"(The cold air from Alberta) moving in overnight will cool things back down again," said Proctor. "It's going to be a sort of temporary rest."

When it was all said and done, June in Saskatchewan averaged out to be fairly normal temperature wise. Environment and Climate Change Canada’s overview for the month showed most stations recording a departure of no more than 1° Celsius from normal. The only outlier being Key Lake which recorded its sixth coldest June on record, coming in at -1.8° below normal. 

The City of Grande Prairie is calling on residents to get involved as volunteers for the upcoming 2025 Special Olympics Alberta Summer Games, taking place July 11–13.

Several Government of Canada payments are scheduled to roll out over the coming weeks, with eligible Canadians seeing multiple deposits land in their bank accounts throughout July. 

Key benefit dates to watch

The first federal payment of the month is the GST/HST credit, which is set to arrive on Friday, July 4. This quarterly credit helps offset the cost of the goods and services tax for lower- and modest-income individuals and families. 

A third person has died following a highway crash that killed the bassist for a well-known Winnipeg band.

Mounties responded to the crash Tuesday afternoon north of Swan River in western Manitoba.

They say a vehicle travelling south had crossed the centre line and hit a vehicle facing north that was parked on the edge of the road.

A 42-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman in the parked vehicle were transported to hospital, where they died.

A motorcycle collision has left a 29-year-old dead.

Shortly after 7 p.m. on July 2, a motorcycle travelling southbound on Pembina Highway collided with an SUV exiting a parking lot in the 1300 block on the west side of Pembina.

The 29-year-old motorcycle driver was taken to the hospital in critical condition and succumbed to his injuries. The SUV driver did remain on the scene and met with police. 

Southbound Pembina was closed for several hours following the collision and Traffic Collision Investigators are continuing this investigation.

Knee-high by the first of July. 

That is an old saying by farmers that is used as a measuring stick to determine how their corn crops are faring in summer. Karis Hutlet, Sales Associate at Marc Hutlet Seeds, says based on that benchmark, corn fields in the southeast mostly met that target.

"And certainly, past it actually in most areas," she says. "Today is the 3rd and things are pretty much up to my chest or shoulders, and I'm what you would consider an average height."

Midland MLA Lauren Stone is renewing her push for the Manitoba government to address what she says are worsening conditions at Elm Creek School’s gymnasium.

Stone says the situation has not improved since she first raised the issue in the Legislature at the beginning of June, and she’s frustrated by the lack of response.

Still no answer from province

Despite petitions and public concern, Stone says the provincial government has yet to respond to requests for help.

"Kids are not little adults. They don't have the same bones. Their muscles are smaller. Everything is smaller. You need to have that specialized treatment. And that's what these doctors do," Carol-Lyne Dunn said. 

Blaze Dunn from Carlyle has gone through a lot in just his short 11 years of life. He was born with bilateral club feet, crossed eyes, and a tethered spine. He also got in a biking accident with a pickup truck and its utility trailer a few years ago. 

Members of the Oakville and Portage 4-H Clubs are ready to show off a year’s worth of dedication at their upcoming Steer and Lamb Sale this Friday, July 4 at the Portage Ex grounds.

The event kicks off at 2 p.m., with a free lunch for prospective buyers from noon until 1 p.m.

Chase Wood from the Oakville 4-H Club shares that this year he’s bringing a steer and a heifer to the sale.