Lacombe

Whooping cough cases are on the rise in Canada, with some provinces reporting sharp increases compared to pre-pandemic averages. 

More than 11,670 cases have been reported in Quebec so far this year, a significant jump from the annual average of 562 cases between 2015 and 2019. 

The majority of whooping cough patients are between the ages of 10 and 14, a spokesperson for Quebec's health ministry said in an email to The Canadian Press.

The last peak of whooping cough activity in the province was in 2019, when 1,269 cases were reported, the email said.

The Assembly of First Nations has postponed a special assembly for chiefs to vote on a landmark child welfare reform deal with Canada due to concerns about the process and a late translation of the document to French.

The Assembly was scheduled to be held in September in Winnipeg, but it will not happen now until October or November, the AFN said Tuesday.

On Aug. 27 at 3:42 p.m., Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for areas of Central Alberta. 

Heavy rainfall and strong winds are expected beginning tonight.  

Showers will intensify tonight and continue through the day on Wednesday (Aug. 28).  

Upwards of 40 mm is expected by Wednesday evening.  

Strong northerly winds will develop early Wednesday morning, with gusts of 80 km/h expected. Winds will weaken later in the afternoon. 

Participants in the Canadian Cattle Association's Young Leaders Mentorship Program took part in the final round of competition last week during the Canadian Beef Industry Conference. 

The group of 24 took part in roundtable discussion with the other participants and judges as they work to narrow down the group to the 16 finalists.

Jessica Radau,  the CCA's Policy, Programs and Engagement Manager says the roundtable discussions covered a variety of topics from succession planning to biosecurity, building public trust in the industry and more.

The Canadian Cattle Association hosted the third 2024 triannual trilateral meeting with industry leaders from the United States and Mexico last week to discuss some of the common challenges and opportunities facing the cattle sector.

Trade issues and relations were top among the topics being discussed with the upcoming review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA/USMCA/T-MEC) set for 2026.

The group also discussing the impact of lab grown proteins as well as international engagement on antimicrobial resistance.

The provincial government is launching a feasibility study into a new reservoir on the Red Deer River.   

As Central Alberta grows, so does the demand for water, a Government of Alberta media release said, expanding water storage capacity in the region could help to reduce the risk of droughts or water shortages in the future.  

Farmers are looking for some decent weather now with harvest activities underway across the Prairies.

Over the last few weeks, some areas have seen severe storm activity and hail damage. 

The Canadian Crop Hail Association says from July 29th to August 11th over 1600 claims of crop damage were reported in the prairies with more than 75 per cent of those claims coming from farms in Alberta.

Alberta

BGC Wolf Creek is inviting Central Alberta families to an open house today (Aug. 27) to learn about programs offered in the new Blackfalds location.  

The new BGC location will operate out of the Blackfalds Iron Ridge Secondary Campus, and beginning on Sept. 3, offer after-school and PD Day programs, and a family counseling program.    

China on Tuesday accused Canada of protectionism after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government imposed a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles, matching U.S. duties on Chinese-made EVs.

Liberals are having some "robust" conversations about the state of their party and its slump in popularity with voters but those talks cannot happen in public, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Monday.

"The reality is we have to have these conversations behind closed doors," Miller said at the federal cabinet retreat in Halifax.