Strathmore

Wheatland County council was recently presented with some special hardware.

On June 27, 2024, the RCMP celebrated 100 years of service in Wheatland County and the area.

"To commemorate this significant milestone, the Strathmore RCMP detachment has minted a centennial celebration coin, capturing the rich history of policing in our region over the past century," wrote the county in a news release.

According to the county, the coin is a tribute to the support that members of the RCMP have given in serving residents in the area.

A new poll suggests the trade war with the United States is now the biggest source of political anxiety for Canadians, knocking inflation out of the top spot.

Leger's new poll, released Wednesday, says that 28 per cent of Canadians believe dealing with President Donald Trump's tariffs and U.S. aggression is the most important challenge facing Canada today.

The cost of living dropped to second place in the latest polling; 21 per cent of Canadians ranked it at their top concern, followed by health care and housing affordability.

Police say they have made more than 100 arrests and laid more than 300 charges in a national child exploitation crackdown, with some help from device-sniffing dogs.

Representatives of the RCMP and other police forces provided an update Wednesday on a project aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse.

RCMP Insp. Matthieu Girard told a news conference the recent sweep, known as Project Steel, led to the identification of dozens of victims and 37 children being safeguarded from harm.

The governments of Canada and Manitoba have teamed up to announce joint funding to support crop health in the province.

In a press release, the two levels of government indicated that they are providing $4.7 million in grant funding under the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership (Sustainable CAP). Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn says the money will support 36 projects, including several that benefit the future of crop health in Manitoba, under the Research and Innovation Program over the next three years.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced restrictions Wednesday on booze, gambling machines and government purchasing to fight back against sweeping U.S. tariffs.

She said there won’t be any change to oil and gas shipped south.

And she echoed comments from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump are the vanguard of a plan to crater Canada's economy in a takeover bid.

The Strathmore & District Agricultural Society is warning residents to watch out for ticket scams.

"Tickets to Strathmore & District Agricultural Society events (Strathmore Stampede, Cowboy Town Concert, etc.) are only sold through our third-party ticketing partner, Authentigate," mentioned the society in a Facebook post.

Tickets for the group's events can be found here.

Crime statistics in the counties of Wheatland and Rocky View were laid out during a council meeting on Tuesday.

Staff Sgt. Mark Wielgosz, detachment commander with the Strathmore RCMP said the report highlights numbers from Oct. 1, 2024, to the end of the year.

Wielgosz added that the organization tackled the top three priorities of property crime, traffic safety, and community engagement within rural areas.

He told council that the RCMP's habitual offender program has been a huge help.

Bow River MP Martin Shields wants Canada to diversify its energy sector.

"We should be expanding the exporting of oil and gas to other customers."

The United States announced 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods and 10 per cent tariffs on energy in the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 4.

In response, Canada shot back with retaliatory tariffs of $155 billion on American goods.

Shields said he's met with leaders from across the globe including from Germany, Poland, and Asia who asked him why Canada doesn't export its oil and gas to other countries.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he's granted a one-month tariff exemption for any vehicles coming through the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the Big Three automakers — Stellantis, Ford and General Motors — asked for an exemption to the tariffs when they spoke to Trump.

Leavitt says reciprocal tariffs will still go into effect April 2 but the president is granting a month-long exemption so those automakers are not placed "at an economic disadvantage."

Danielle Hauck from Vibrant Systems will join the 104.5 More Country morning show on Thursday.

We'll discuss what Vibrant Systems does for the community and what Danielle loves about her business.

Hauck will join the morning show at 7:10 a.m.

We'll also chat U11 AA hockey provincials with Jodi Koester at 6:40 a.m.