Strathmore

The City of Chestermere announced the nomination period for candidates for the 2025 Municipal Election will open on Wednesday (Jan. 1).

The city will hold an election on October 20, 2025, to fill the roles of Mayor and six councillors.

"These representatives are elected at large. This means they represent the entire municipality of Chestermere, rather than geographic wards," wrote the city in a news release.

The nomination period ends on September 22, 2025.

A look at national news events in January 2024:

1 - Former world cycling champion Rohan Dennis is charged in connection with the death of his wife, 32-year-old Olympic cyclist Melissa Hoskins. She died late Dec. 30 after being struck by a vehicle while riding in suburban Adelaide, Australia. Dennis is charged with causing death by dangerous driving, endangering life and driving without due care.

The Town of Strathmore is almost ready to open the outdoor rink.

"Crews have been building ice throughout last week's cold snap but warm daytime highs slowed the opening date," said the town on a Facebook post.

The town is hopeful that the rink will be open to residents on Saturday (Dec. 28).

The rink is located just off of Wheatland Trail before the Strathmore Ag Grounds.

Wheatland County is gearing up for the Christmas break.

Staff with the county will close the Administration Office and Public Works Shop starting Tuesday at 12 p.m.

The facilities will be open to the public once again with regular hours on Thursday (Jan. 2).

The county also mentioned that waste transfer sites will be closed December 25-26 and January 1.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) has released its final donation numbers for the 2024 Holiday Train.

The initiative raised $1.75 million and gathered more than 130,000 pounds of food for local food banks across Alberta as it travelled around Canada and the United States.

The train also made a stop in Gleichen on Sunday (Dec. 8) and residents helped raise $6,000 in donations which was then given to the Wheatland County Food Bank and Siksika Support Centre.

Immigration measures announced as part of Canada's border response to president-elect Donald Trump's 25 per cent tariff threat are starting to be implemented, beginning with a ban on what's known as "flagpoling."

This is when someone who was in Canada on a temporary visa leaves for the U.S. then quickly re-enters Canada to access immigration services at a port of entry. 

The restriction on providing work and study permits to flagpolers takes effect today.

Canada appears to be barrelling toward a spring election now that the NDP is vowing to vote down the government early next year — whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stays on or not.

Political watchers are abuzz over the possible scenarios that could play out in the coming year following last week's drama that rocked Trudeau's government, and a springtime national campaign is the one that's solidifying the fastest.

Agri-food exports are one of the most important sectors for Saskatchewan to expand its international trade, with the province recently focusing on one country's growth.

The United Arab Emirates saw growth in imports of Saskatchewan agri-food products of 19 per cent over 2024 compared to 2023, with a total trade value of $322 million.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was taking part in a cabinet committee meeting on Canada-U.S. relations today, amid increasing calls for his resignation. 

A mid-day adjustment to Trudeau's itinerary was issued by the Prime Minister's Office and noted he was taking part in the meeting virtually, though a specific time wasn't listed.

Neither Trudeau, nor Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc issued a public comment after the meeting. 

Wheatland County is reminding residents that if they want to enjoy lighting up the night sky during the holiday season they have to apply for a permit for fireworks.

"Be sure to apply for your permits by 3:00 p.m. on December 24," says the county in a news release.

The county mentioned fire permits are also needed for burning clean wood and paper in a pile or pit. However, they're not required for residential fire pits, incinerators, or barbecues.