Local News

While Airdrie prepares for its Canada Day parade on July 1, Calgary is bracing for a second major celebration later in the week.

The 113th Calgary Stampede Parade rolls through downtown Calgary starting at 9 a.m. on Friday, July 4, marking the official kickoff to the 2025 edition of the Stampede.

This year’s lineup includes more than 110 parade entries — 35 floats, over 30 equine groups, and nine marching bands — with more than 700 horses expected on the five-kilometre route. Organizers expect the parade to last roughly two hours.

A battery charger is to blame for a house fire that damaged a North End home. 

The blaze broke out shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday in a one-and-a-half-storey home in the 400 block of Magnus Avenue. 

Smoke was billowing from the home when crews arrived, and an interior fire attack was launched. 

Crews were able to get the fire under control about half an hour later. 

All of the residents of the home escaped before crews arrived, and no injuries were reported. 

The horse is out of the box! 

It sounds like a cute but cryptic metaphor. It’s literal after the unveiling of Humboldt’s latest public arts project just off Highway 5 in front of the Prairie Agricultural Machinery site. As part of the PAMI’s 50th anniversary celebration, community members and guests gathered outside on Thursday afternoon, June 26 for the reveal of the Iron Horse, a tribute to the vaunted Iron Triangle of regional manufacturers that has underpinned much of the region’s economy for decades.  

Cochrane’s four-legged residents are in for a treat this summer as Furry Fun Fest makes its debut on July 19, a community celebration packed with activities, demonstrations, and adorable animals, all in support of the Cochrane & Area Humane Society.

Organizer Jana Husmann says the festival has grown significantly from previous years, transforming from a small patio gathering into a full-on pet party.

“This year it’s going to be huge,” said Husmann. “It’s a full-on party for all the dogs in Cochrane.”

Strathmore is getting a new mural in the heart of the downtown core.

Earlier this week, Prospect Human Services' staff and clients began work on a mural outside the King Eddy Pub at the intersection of Lakeside Boulevard and Second Avenue.

The work was being headlined by Shantelle Vermeylen, who has also helped to paint several other murals across Strathmore.

"We've done one at the library, we did one at Mike's Bar & Grill, so we're kind of well known," said Vermeylen.

The group representing Manitoba physicians is warning people in northern and rural areas that they could see reduced hours and periodic closures in emergency rooms this summer.

Doctors Manitoba says based on the data and feedback it has received, 20 — or one quarter of rural hospitals — will have their emergency rooms open around the clock.

"This isn't a new problem. It's been building for many years, but the prolonged uncertainty and short staffing is taking a toll," group president Dr. Nichelle Desilets said Thursday.

Alberta Health Services is warning the public of potential measles exposure in Calgary following confirmation of a case involving a person who visited public locations while infectious.

AHS says the individual was present at Calgary International Airport on June 25 at two locations:

• Domestic Arrivals Gate A17 from approximately 8:10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

• Domestic Departures Gate C55, including WestJet flight 630 to Charlottetown, from approximately 8:50 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For the first time in over four decades, Winnipeggers are now able to cross on foot at one of the city's most iconic intersections. 

Portage and Main has been closed to pedestrians since 1979, and at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, it officially opened to foot traffic again.

In March 2024, Mayor Scott Gillingham recommended reopening the intersection, as the costs to repair the Portage and Main underground infrastructure began to soar. 

The City of Moose Jaw has provided another update on this year's Infrastructure Renewal Program, and it includes the long-awaited reopening of the intersection at the 0 block of Fairford Street W and 1st Avenue NW.

The intersection will be open today, weather permitting, as will the bus stop located at 1st Avenue NW and Fairford Street W. However, work is continuing on the 100 and 200 blocks of Fairford Street W. As such, the intersection at 2nd Avenue NW will remain closed until further notice. 

The annual Ponoka Stampede Parade will roll through downtown Ponoka today, June 27, starting at 10:00 a.m.

Temporary road closures will be in effect along the parade route beginning at about 9:00 a.m. and ending at approximately 12:00 p.m., immediately after the parade concludes.

The parade will begin at the Ponoka Arena Complex (4410 54th St.) and will proceed:

• North on 55th Street (from 45th Avenue to 48th Avenue)

• East on 48th Avenue (from 55th Street to 51st Street)