Okotoks

The group representing Alberta teachers says hopes are high that a deal will be reached as mediated talks resume before the school year gets underway.

Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers' Association, says while hopeful, there are a number of issues that need to be settled if this week's talks are to be successful.

Teachers voted 95 per cent in favour of strike action earlier this summer.

Schilling says the June vote signalled that pay, classroom conditions, crowding and resources for students were unacceptable.

The dates are set Premier Scott Moe's trade mission to Asia runs September 6th to 12th.

It's a very important region for the province ... In 2024, Saskatchewan exported over $10 billion to Asia—$4.4 billion to China, $929 million to Japan and 162 million to South Korea.

The goal is to reinforce future trade opportunities and engage with China on their temporary duties on peas and canola.

The Premier has invited Prime Minister Mark Carney and any other federal ministers  to join the trade mission.

After being closed for nearly a month due to a gastrointestinal outbreak, the owner of Saskatoon Farm is hoping to move forward and regain people’s trust.  

Alberta Health Services (AHS) ordered the farm’s food facilities to close on July 23, after an outbreak of E. coli and amoebiasis was identified.  

Since then, the food service areas, including the restaurant, bakery, and Red House, have reopened in stages and as of Aug. 18, fully reopened.   

Alberta Agriculture's latest crop report shows two per cent of the crop has been combined. That's down from the 5-year average of eight per cent and the 10-year average of six per cent.

Warm, dry conditions in the Southern part of the province are helping with the harvest, while the cooler temperatures in the North West, North East, and Peace regions are slowing crop maturity and delaying harvest.

The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) are calling for swift action to address ongoing trade tariffs that continue to impact farmers.

APAS met with Kody Blois, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister when he was in Saskatoon for last week's canola meeting. 

APAS President Bill Prybylski emphasized the urgency of resolving tariff disputes with China and the United States, which have disrupted normal trade flows and hurt our agricultural economy.

The Catholic schools within the Okotoks and High River area all open up this Thursday.

The new school year for students at Notre Dame Collegiate and Holy Spirit Academy in High River starts this Thursday.

The same applies to Okotoks' schools: École Good Shepherd, St. Mary's, St. Francis of Assisi Academy, St. John Paul II Collegiate, and Holy Trinity Academy. 

Traditionally, Christ the Redeemer Catholic School Division opens their doors to students before the Labour Day long weekend.

The Alberta government is streamlining its process for restoring watersheds.

The province is removing the requirement to have a temporary diversion licence as part of a riparian restoration project.

The government said it expects the change to cut red tape, keep plants alive and ensure that the time and money put into watershed restoration projects are not wasted.

“Freedom to water is about cutting through the clutter of bureaucracy so real work can happen,” provincial environment minister Rebecca Schulz said in a press release.

Canada’s declining productivity, supply chain woes and political decisions all affect trade with its neighbour

As vexing as the current trade environment might be, Canada has to recognize there were issues long before U.S. president Donald Trump and his on-again, off-again tariffs came along, said panelists at a policy summit last month.

“We’re not really in a different place,” said Cal Bricker, chief executive officer of Spirits Canada.

The Calgary Police recently charged a woman in connection to drugs and gun seizure in south Calgary.

The Calgary Police had received reports of suspicious activity in the Prestwick community of Calgary in early August, which led to the seizure of a firearm, a conducted energy weapon, and over $17,000 worth of drugs.

One woman is now facing 13 charges in connection to the incident.

At roughly 3:40 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 11, police responded to a report of a suspected car prowling in the 1100 block of Prestwick Close S.E.

The Rowan House Society is advocating for continued funding to advance gender equality.   

The Society has signed a joint statement released by the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women following projected budget cuts for the Department for Women and Gender Equality (WAGE).