Lacombe

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture President Keith Currie says Canadian agriculture is at a critical juncture, with the recent dramatic rise of trade uncertainty, high costs, and more frequent extreme weather events.

He notes during the recent election, the CFA made the priorities of Canadian farmers very clear: farmers need to see a focus on competitiveness, resiliency, and maintaining rule-based trade.

The first-ever “Vets and Pets Fundraiser” will take place Saturday, in downtown Red Deer combining tattoos with charities.

Created by Cole McIntyre with Red Deer Tattoo Co., the event will be a 12-hour-long fundraiser where attendees can get fresh ink, with all proceeds going toward Next Chapter Animal Rescue and the Veterans Food Bank of Red Deer.

Allan Reid, the founder and President of the Veterans Food Bank of Alberta, says he was approached by McIntyre to be one of the charities that proceeds will go towards.

Due to the recent amount of rain, the Sylvan Lake community garden plots at 5400 47 Ave. will now open on Monday, May 19.

The wet soil is hampering efforts to rototill and add compost to the plots. Once conditions improve, staff will be able to continue working on them.

The raised beds at the new community gardens located at the east side of 47 Avenue and 52 Street will open tomorrow as originally planned.

More information on the community gardens can be found on the town website.

Lacombe County has launched a new community science initiative that invites residents and visitors to help monitor environmental changes on three of our major recreational lakes—Sylvan Lake, Gull Lake, and Lacombe Lake. 

Through the use of Chronolog, a time-lapse photo monitoring system, participants can contribute to ongoing environmental stewardship by simply snapping a photo. The County’s Environmental Services team has installed three Chronolog stations at: 

• Burns Nature Park (Sylvan Lake) 

• Sandy Point (Gull Lake) 

Alberta’s government has unveiled a 10-year strategy to end gender-based violence that outlines more than 100 initiatives aimed at awareness, prevention, intervention and long-term support for survivors.

Status of Women Minister Tanya Fir says it's a comprehensive plan to help co-ordinate provincewide efforts and will aim to address the root causes, including financial insecurity.

As part of that strategy, she's committing to supporting Indigenous-led solutions, and to reporting annually on rates of gender-based violence in the province as soon as next year.

Trustees were pleased to celebrate four Chinook’s Edge students who earned 100% on January diploma exams.

Superintendent Kurt Sacher said this is the largest group recognized for this celebration that he has ever seen. Sam Botheras from Sundre High School earned 100% on the Math 30-1 and on the Physics 30 diploma exams.

Carlee Schneider from Innisfail High School earned 100% on the Math 30-2 diploma.

Sydney Van Ginhoven from École Olds High School achieved 100% on the Math 30-1 exam.

A global study from UNICEF suggests many Canadian kids are unhappy, with social struggles such as bullying and difficulty making friends among the sources of their anguish. 

UNICEF’s 19th Report Card suggests one in five youth in Canada face frequent bullying, one in five are lonely and one in four struggle to make friends.

It blames bullying in particular for a drop in life satisfaction reported by 15-year-olds, down three percentage points to 76 per cent since 2018.

Prime Minister Mark Carney shook up his cabinet Tuesday by moving some key players involved in Canada-U.S. relations into new positions and promoting 24 new faces in a move meant to signal change at the top.

While some were prominent figures in former prime minister Justin Trudeau's government — including Dominic LeBlanc, Mélanie Joly, Chrystia Freeland and François-Philippe Champagne — Carney froze out other prominent members of his predecessor's team.

Carney named 28 full ministers to his cabinet, which will meet for the first time on Wednesday.

YORKTON, Sask. —Those affected by quarantines and eradication policies want more financial assistance from the federal government.

Efforts to trace the bovine tuberculosis case discovered last fall have put several farms in quarantine and under financial pressure.

The positive test found on a Saskatchewan cow at slaughter Nov. 29, 2024, brought with it numerous ramifications as a result of Canada’s tracing policies to ensure continued trade under international animal health rules.

Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools’ board of trustees has announced that Dr. Kathleen Finnigan, superintendent of schools, has retired effective immediately. 

Ryan Ledene, associate superintendent of system services, has been appointed by the board as acting superintendent. 

Mr. Ledene has been with Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools since 1998 and has served as a teacher, vice principal, and principal before joining the division’s senior administration team as an associate superintendent in 2012.