Strathmore

Five local events are happening this weekend, from Friday (Aug. 22) to Sunday, that residents, families, pride members, and fantasy lovers can attend to make the most out of the summer heat before the month ends. 

Here's a look at what's scheduled:

Medieval Faire and Artisan Market

A blast from the past and a fantasy adventure will be enchanting Strathmore this weekend. 

The Medieval Faire and Artisan Market will be showcased at the Strathmore Agricultural Grounds from Friday to Sunday.

Event hours are as follows: 

The nomination period for Chestermere's upcoming municipal election ends in a month.

Since nominations opened on Jan. 1, five residents have placed their bid to run - four running for council, and one running for mayor.

The sole mayoral candidate is Shannon Dean, the current mayor of Chestermere. Dean was first elected in 2024 during a byelection.

As for councillor candidates, there are three running who are currently serving on council - Kiran Randhawa, Ritesh Narayan, and Janelle Sandboe.

The Agra Risk Wheatland Kings unveiled their renovated dressing room ahead of the start of the regular season. 

The room was unveiled at an anticipated private event on Wednesday (Aug. 20) at the Strathmore Family Centre, where Kings staff invited sponsors to see the new room.

"We poured a pretty heavy amount of capital into our facilities here at the family centre to ultimately build a new home for our hockey family," said Cody Holdaway, general manager of the Kings.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Thursday her government's sudden shift in COVID-19 vaccination policy was prompted by union demands. 

Earlier this week, her health ministry said COVID-19 vaccine coverage would be extended to all health-care workers this fall under the first phase of the province’s rollout.

That came two months after the government said most Albertans, including health workers, would have to pay for a COVID-19 shot — potentially a cost of $110.

When it comes to restoring our canola trade with China, the Canadian canola industry wants to see action and engagement from all levels of government with everyone working together to protect our market share.

Premier Scott Moe along with his Agriculture Minister Darryl Harrison and Trade and Export Minister Warren Kaeding met with federal/provincial canola groups, as well as exporters, canola crush and value-added companies.

The Crown will not appeal the acquittals of five former world junior hockey players after their high-profile sexual assault trial, one of the defence lawyers in the case said Thursday.

Daniel Brown, who represented Alex Formenton, said he has been informed of the prosecutors' decision. The Ministry of the Attorney General did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Formenton, Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote were all acquitted of sexual assault, and McLeod of a separate charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault.

Air Canada says it expects to be operating close to its full network schedule by Friday. 

The airline says it is continuing to ramp up its operations in a press release Thursday. 

This comes after the airline reached a tentative deal with the union representing its flight attendants on Tuesday to end a strike that began on Saturday. 

The strike disrupted the airline's operations, resulting in the cancellation of flights. 

Mark Nasr, Air Canada's chief operations officer, said in the release that the airline is restoring operations ahead of its plan. 

Farmers in Brooks and the surrounding area are now focused on recovery after a severe thunderstorm. 

The storm roared through Brooks, Newell County and nearby communities Wednesday (Aug. 20) evening, leaving behind widespread destruction. Multiple farms, including White Barn Fun Farm, are now facing significant losses. 

Amid road closures, downed power lines, and damaged vehicles, families and farmers are also dealing with personal property losses. 

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) provided further details about the supercell storm that affected the Brooks area.

The storm developed on Wednesday (Aug. 20) near High River before travelling through southern Alberta and into Saskatchewan at around 85 km/h. 

According to meteorologist Matt Loney, gusts of wind were reported at around 113 km/h in Brooks.

A memorial was created to honour the young man who passed away following a car crash on Highway 1.

The crash was on Monday (Aug. 18) afternoon between a semi truck and an SUV. The driver of the semi truck, a 24-year-old man from Brampton, Ont., was stuck inside as the truck caught fire.