Strathmore

After serving as MP of Bow River for the last decade, Martin Shields will not run for re-election.

The statement was made in a news release sent out on Friday (Feb. 7).

"I will not be seeking re-election in the next federal election; it is time for a new representative to serve the interests and the people of this riding," said Shields.

The MP thanked his family, his teams, and his constituents for their support during his tenure. He also recognized the Mayors, Reeves, Chief, and Council Members of his riding as being "fantastic community leaders".

The Town of Strathmore is hoping to make waves with the community during an upcoming event.

The Aquatic Centre will host a free swim day for families on Monday, Feb. 17 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

FortisAlberta is sponsoring the event and at the time of publication there is currently 87 spots left.

Residents can register here.

Despite the cold, there are plenty of fun events to take in this weekend in Strathmore.

Furfest: Furfest will run at the Strathmore Civic Centre with a Valentine's theme along with a kissing booth for human or pet pictures, an off-leash yard for the animals, food booth, and vendors. The event will go on Saturday, Feb. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Strathmore resident Nell McDonald is frustrated with a lack of affordable housing in the town.

During a meeting on Wednesday, (Feb. 5) council heard from McDonald about the issue.

"People are desperate, I'm desperate."

She told StrathmoreNow that her landlords are looking to sell her current rental.

"When we started our search, we realized we might have to look beyond Strathmore to find housing."

McDonald added that she and her husband work full-time and mentioned they pay $1,800 a month including utilities for their current place.

The provincial government has opened its first-ever recovery centre for eating disorders.

According to the province, they've invested $10 million over three years to build the facility in Calgary.  The Silver Linings Foundation also raised $4 million in capital funding.

Rocky View Schools (RVS) is partnering with Summit Trails Online High School to help raise the mental health of students.

According to a news release, the fourth annual Wellness Summit will run from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on March 5 via Zoom.

The division said students from schools across southern Alberta including Langdon, and Chestermere are invited to join in.

The Strathmore Bird Sanctuary Initiative presented its opposition to the announced Eagle Heights development.

The group gave a presentation to Strathmore Town Council at their meeting on Wednesday (Feb. 5). The presentation was hosted by Denis Manzer and Simon Metke.

"I moved to Strathmore in 2020 to be a father. We live at the unofficial bird sanctuary, and it's been the most magical four years of my life living here," said Metke as he fought back tears. "It's like a little hidden Narnia in the middle of Strathmore that nobody seems to know about."

A man from Calgary has been charged after threatening to share sexually explicit photos and videos of a teenager.

The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) brought in its Internet Child Exploitation unit to arrest 21-year-old Seung Chung.

ALERT said the sextortion investigation started after it was contacted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in May 2024.

"The FBI became aware of the threats in December 2023," mentioned a news release.

The Town of Strathmore has a few rules for clearing snow in the area.

Through its Winter Road, Pathway, and Sidewalk Maintenance Policy, the town covers over 160 kilometres of roadways and 120 kilometres of sidewalks during the winter.

There are three priorities for roads:

Lakewood of Strathmore has announced a special initiative to help support the Strathmore Overnight Shelter.

The community has been running the Growth and Giving initiative which is supported by how much development is happening at Lakewood.

"The way that this comes together, it's tying our growth to the community and as the community advances, so does our giving back," explained Scott Silva, director of sales and marketing with Lakewood.

The neighborhood said that there are key milestones they need to hit to be able to give the money out including: