Okotoks

The province is once again giving livestock producers on crown land the opportunity to apply for the Crown Grazing Lease Rental Reduction Program.

Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison says, given the dry conditions throughout most of the grazing season, they are once again offering the program for producers.

"Crown grazing land lessees who have reduced the number of animals grazing on the land are eligible to apply (by the October 31st deadline) for a rent reduction for the 2025 grazing season.To be eligible, the lessee must reduce their stocking rate by 20 per cent."

Those heading to the mountains just west of us, be aware of a fire advisory that is in place.

As of Wednesday, Aug. 27, a Fire Advisory has been issued for the Calgary Forest Area portion of the Forest Protection Area.

This is due to the continued warm temperatures the area has been experiencing, which created conditions where wildfires can start and spread quickly.

When spending time outdoors, be cautious and avoid any activity that could create a spark that could ignite a wildfire.

Kananaskis Emergency Services (KES) and the Cochrane RCMP responded to a report of a capsized canoe on Upper Kananaskis Lake on Aug. 26 at approximately 4 p.m.  

Bystanders in the area used boats and paddleboards to rescue a 30-year-old male and a 34-year-old female.   

However, another male and female, also in their thirties, remain missing.   

Peavey Mart is making a comeback.

A message posted to the farm goods retailer's website says the brand that closed all its stores earlier in the year is planning to reopen in select Alberta markets.

The note says Spruce Grove, Westlock, Camrose and Lacombe will all see Peavey Mart return this fall.

The company says the new iteration of the brand will focus on high quality and locally sourced items meant for farmers, ranchers, homesteaders and more.

It promises to release more details about the relaunch in the coming weeks.

People in Calgary can expect to hear a consistent round of loud bangs for at least another day as police try to disarm an explosive substance in a south-end industrial neighbourhood.

Police say a moving company had been tasked with disposing of several substances, including a package of picric acid.

But that package was mislabelled and had been sitting for about 10 days when it was discovered early Tuesday afternoon. Police were notified later in the day.

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said he left Washington Wednesday with a sense that progress was made after a meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

"It was constructive in the sense it was an exchange of views that I think helped both us and the Americans understand the work we need to do to get, we hope, to an agreement," LeBlanc said in an interview with The Canadian Press after arriving in Montreal.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Wednesday accused the federal Liberals of allowing temporary foreign workers to take jobs away from young Canadians while youth unemployment is high.

"As our young people have a quarter-century high in their unemployment, Mark Carney this year is expected to bring in a record number of temporary foreign workers to take the jobs of Canadian youth," Poilievre said. 

Statistics Canada data shows unemployment for youth, aged 15 to 24, hit 14.6 per cent in July. This is the highest it's been since 2010, outside of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canada changed its BSE surveillance after lower global incidence of ‘mad cow disease’ led to international standards shift

Canada’s agency for food safety is encouraged with cattle industry response to a new, more farmer-friendly approach to BSE surveillance.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) updated national bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) surveillance program — put in place earlier this year to meet new international standards — has received 152 samples of risk material as of Aug. 11, it recently said.

Massive storm in southeastern Alberta causes significant damage to crops and reported deaths of livestock

The numbers are still coming in for the cost of the damage caused by a huge hail storm that hit various areas of Alberta Aug. 20.

The storm ripped its way through vast swaths of land from Cayley, Milo and Brooks to the Saskatchewan border, as well as Camrose to the Viking, Edberg, Sedgewick, and Hughenden areas.

The Best of Alberta Photography Exhibition is coming to High River.  

The travelling exhibit features award-winning images from the Alberta Region of Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC).  

The images will be on display at the High River Public Library from Sept. 2 to Sept. 29.