Lacombe

The leaders of the top three federal parties were campaigning Tuesday in Western Canada, where Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promised to crack down on offshore tax loopholes by appointing a tax task force.

The Conservatives said the task force would be asked to make the rules simpler and more fair and would ensure large companies can't "stash their money in offshore tax havens."

There has been a steady rise in the number of people seeking asylum at a major border crossing south of Montreal, border officials said Tuesday amid concerns that Trump administration policies could drive another massive influx of migrants to Canada.

The rise in would-be refugees at the St-Bernard-de-Lacolle crossing coincides with the looming expiration of the temporary status of hundreds of thousands of migrants in the United States.

March 30, 2025, at 3:20 a.m., an officer with the Wetaskiwin Crime Reduction Unit was making patrols when they saw a known repeat offender sitting inside a truck parked at the 7-Eleven on 56 Street in Wetaskiwin.

The suspect was known to be on court-imposed curfew conditions. The suspect was taken into custody and a brown duffel bag located on the passenger side footwell was seized. The duffel bag was searched incidental to arrest, resulting in the seizure of a sawed-off prohibited shotgun and a replica firearm.  

On April 6, RCMP conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for having a mismatched license plate.

Just prior to the traffic stop. police observed a female walk away from the truck carrying a backpack. The female returned to the vehicle as police were speaking to the driver. The driver was found to be criminally prohibited from driving, and he could not provide registration, insurance, or a bill of sale.  

In a news release provided by the Alberta government plans are to move cancer care and organ tissue donation and transplantation services out of Alberta Health Services (AHS) and under the purview of Acute Care Alberta. 

The move is not happening until later this year but is expected to create specialized focus for cancer care and organ and tissue donation transplantation and will ensure the best care in these key areas that are important for a high-functioning health care system. 

It’s been parties, funding grants, and awards the past few weeks for the African Carribean Centre of Central Alberta (ACCOCA) based in Red Deer. 

At the United Way Central Alberta (UWCA) campaign celebration held in Red Deer on April 7, the ACCOCA was awarded the “Funded Partnership” award. 

The Town of Olds has issued a notice of water service repair at 4310 50 Ave on Tuesday, April 8.

Work is expected to take about two days to complete.

Traffic will be down to a single-lane on 50 Avenue from Shannon Drive to 44 Street. 

Motorists can expect interruptions to traffic flow and speed reductions.

Crews will be on site; watch for workers and signs.

There may be possible interruptions to local water services.

Update:

The Ponoka Chamber of Commerce has cancelled the Ponoka-Didsbury All-Candidates Forum, due to candidates unable to confirm attendance. 

The candidates for the Ponoka-Didsbury riding, as of April 8, are:

• Grant Abraham, United Party of Canada
• Blaine Calkins, Conservative Party of Canada
• Larry Gratton, People’s Party of Canada
• Logan Hooley, NDP
• Zarnab Zafar, No Affiliation

Election day is April 28, with advance voting taking place April 18 - 21.

With warmer weather upon us, we're starting to see more motorcycles on the roads.

Acting Alberta RCMP media relations manager Cpl. Troy Savinkoff offered this advice: "The one thing we see with motorcycles is that they have a smaller profile. Oftentimes, they're a little harder to see. This is especially true in intersection-related collisions, where motorists crossing highways may not see a motorcycle as clearly as they would another vehicle."

He reminds drivers to always ensure they fully clear the intersection before proceeding.

The United Way Central Alberta (UWCA) held its annual fundraising campaign on Monday, April 7, to celebrate the announcement of raising over $1.7 million locally for the 2024 year.