Lacombe

Senior federal officials have been looking quietly for ways to bring together Canadians who don't see eye to eye on the economy, immigration and social issues.

With a general election looming, officials prepared to meet last November to brainstorm solutions to the problem of social fragmentation, according to an internal presentation drafted by the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to brief Canada's premiers today following his seemingly successful first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

Carney and Trump spent about two hours together at the White House, including about half an hour in front of the cameras in the Oval Office, and a private luncheon.

Both leaders were accompanied by senior members of their cabinets and their chiefs of staff.

The Lacombe Fire Department was dispatched to assist Ponoka County Fire Services with a structure fire on the 46 Street block of 39 Avenue in Ponoka.

A multi-family residential building at 3905 46th St. was destroyed in the blaze.

There are no reports of injuries, and the cause of the fire is not yet known.

The Conservative caucus has tapped former leader Andrew Scheer to lead the party in the House of Commons when Parliament resumes on May 26 — a role that's needed because Pierre Poilievre lost his seat in last week's election.

"I'll be taking over the parliamentary leadership duties of the caucus until Mr. Poilievre rejoins us in the House," Scheer told reporters after emerging from an all-day caucus meeting on Parliament Hill Tuesday.

As Lacombe County transitions into spring, extremely windy conditions are causing winter burn pits to flare up, posing a real risk to properties, natural areas, and community safety.

It’s Emergency Preparedness Week (May 4 to 10) and the Town of Ponoka is reminding citizens to download the town app (if you haven’t already done so) because it will help you stay informed in the event of a large-scale local emergency.

Residents should watch their mailboxes this week for a brochure that shows you how to ‘Download the App’ to get real-time alerts about:

• Large-scale local emergencies

• Utility service disruptions

• Other important town news.

Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump met Tuesday in Washington for their first face-to-face discussion of U.S.-Canada relations and Trump's ongoing trade war.

Here are some highlights from the meeting, which Carney described as both "wide-ranging" and "constructive."

Carney says Canadians will 'never' put a price tag on sovereignty

After months of listening to Trump talk about annexing Canada, Carney told the president in the Oval Office that Canada will "never" be for sale.

Dry conditions across the region have pushed Red Deer’s fire danger rating to very high, according to Alberta Climate Information Services. Red Deer Emergency Services is urging residents to exercise extra caution.

With wind, warm temperatures, and no precipitation in the forecast for next week, dry conditions are expected to worsen. As a result, The City of Red Deer will not be issuing burn permits.

Residents are asked to do their part to reduce the risk of fire:

Municipal property assessments and tax notices were recently mailed out to Lacombe County ratepayers.

Residents can expect to receive their 2025 tax notices in the coming weeks. If you have not received your notice by June 1, 2025, please contact Lacombe County's Assessment Department at 403-782-6601.

Abbey Norek of Gerald is this year's Agriculture Student Scholarship grand-prize $6,000 winner.

Norek's winning video highlighted an urban-rural disconnect when it comes to agriculture. 

She proposed education and advocacy as key solutions to this issue. 

In her video presentation, she talked about her experience building a school garden using recycled materials, leading outreach programs on her family farm, and lobbying for agriculture electives in her school division.