Okotoks

Saskatchewan farmers now have 97 per cent of the provincial crop in the ground, but now face the challenge of dry conditions.

Don't be surprised if you see a procession of police vehicles moving through Okotoks in the coming days.

Preparations are underway for the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, and members of the police escort team will be running drills ahead of the event.

The training exercises will involve personnel from the Calgary and Edmonton police services, the RCMP, and Alberta Sheriffs.

The federal government's grain monitor Quorum Corporation released its weekly performance update for Grain Week 42.

Space in primary elevators is good - as road bans remain in effect across the prairies, country stocks dropped to 2.34 million metric tonnes. 

Total Western Port terminal stocks increased to 1.52 MMT in Week 42, utilizing 79% of the working capacity.

West Coast unloads were 6,332 cars and 2,051 for Thunder Bay.

The total average terminal out-of-car time (OCT) increased to 15.2% from 6.0% the previous week. 

If you are wanting to escape to the mountains this weekend, keep the lighters and matches at home.

The Forest Protection Area of Alberta, which is just West of Foothills County, is under a Fire Ban, as of June 6.

Under this ban, all outdoor wood fires are prohibited, and existing fire bans are suspended.

That includes all outdoor wood fires on public and private land, designated firepits, backyard firepits, barbecue charcoal briquettes, fireworks, and exploding targets.

The BeGrainSafe program is making significant strides in enhancing safety for farmers. rural firefighters and emergency responders across Canada. This initiative provides specialized training and equipment focused on grain entrapment rescues, a critical need in the agricultural sector.

The Okotoks RCMP recently pulled someone over for incorrect vehicle registration, which led to two people being charged for having large quantities of drugs, cash, and weapons.

On May 31 at 5:30 a.m., the Okotoks RCMP were on patrol near Aldersyde, when they stopped a suspicious vehicle that was registered incorrectly.

Once the vehicle was pulled over, the police saw a large quantity of drugs, cash, and weapons in the vehicle.

The police recovered the following from the vehicle:

Diamond Valley’s Dr. Lander Memorial Swimming Pool is now open for the summer season.  

The pool opens today (June 6) with splashy events, including a public swim from 9 a.m. to noon, lane swim from noon to 1 p.m., and a public swim from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.  

The opening celebrations continue tomorrow (June 7), with $2 swims from noon to 1:30 p.m., 1:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. for a Parade Day Swim Special.  

It's a busy weekend in the Foothills, and there will be fun for everyone to enjoy.

With temperatures forecasted to be in the mid-20s this weekend, let's take a look at what's happening in the community.

Friday, June 6:

At this week's Nature Fridays event held at the Environmental Education Centre in Okotoks, people will learn about Plant Pals from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

High River's Jason Glass and his checkered wagon took the top spot last night in Bonnyville.

After one night of racing, Glass sits in the number one spot, he's also in the number one position in the World Chuckwagon standings.

Glass has been flying since the season opened up last week in Grande Prairie for the Stompede when he finished second.

DeWinton's Dayton Sutherland, a long-time outrider of Glass', had a good night too coming in 13th with Blackie's Jordie Fike sitting in 28th after one night of racing.

The Liberal government has introduced legislation aimed at cutting down barriers to internal trade by recognizing provincial and territorial rules at the federal level.

Officials who briefed reporters this morning say the goal is to reduce the number of redundant standards across the country.

They say that, for example, a company that produces washing machines that meet a provincial energy efficiency standard won't have to meet a separate federal standard to sell outside that province.