Okotoks

A new crosswalk is coming to the Town of Okotoks, causing a road closure for a day.

The Town is installing a new crosswalk on Veterans Way and Elma Street to pay tribute to veterans.

This new crosswalk will be installed on Tuesday, Aug. 26, causing a portion of Veterans Way to be closed for the day.

Fleetwood Magic had Fleetwood Mac fans dancing along at Seaman Stadium on Saturday night.

The second annual event at the Okotoks Dawgs ballpark packed the place for a night of entertainment.

Mother Nature also ensured a nice night free of rain.

Local acts Brettyn Rose from Okotoks and Chase Morgan from High River hit the stage first, getting the crowd to clap along at 6:30.

Girl Crush from Calgary were next to entertain the crowd at 7:30 with the main headliners Fleetwood Magic hitting the stage at 9 p.m.

As global trade dynamics shift and tariffs become more of a concern, Canada’s canola industry is looking inward.

Andre Harpe, chair of the Canadian Canola Growers Association and a farmer from Grand Prairie, Alberta, says the industry needs to focus more on renewable fuel as a strategy to support growers and build long-term resilience.

Former Alberta politician Thomas Lukaszuk is a man on a not-so-lonely mission to keep Canada from splitting.

"This has become a full-time job. I'm very passionate about this," the former Progressive Conservative deputy premier said in Edmonton last week.

As people trickled in and out of a local legion, a table full of volunteers helped them officially put their name to Lukaszuk's cause.

"When we get to 300,000 signatures, believe it or not, this will be the biggest petition in the history of Canada," said Lukaszuk.

Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada could deploy military troops to Ukraine as part of an eventual security guarantee against Russia.

Carney made the remarks at a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a meeting between the two.leaders in Kyiv, where the prime minister made an unannounced stop Sunday.

When asked what kind of security guarantees Canada could provide to Ukraine, Carney said Ukraine's own military must be supported but that more than that will be required.

"I would not exclude the presence of troops," he said.

Employees at the Canada Border Services Agency and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service are the least likely to recommend their office as a great place to work, a survey of federal public servants suggests.

The 2024 Public Service Employee Survey asked federal government employees a range of questions about their satisfaction with their workplace, including about their leadership, well-being and compensation.

One question asked public servants if they would recommend their department or agency as a "great place to work."

Alberta's wasteful purchase of children's pain and fever medicine three years ago helped inform the province's decision to charge some people $100 for a COVID-19 vaccine shot this fall, Premier Danielle Smith said Saturday.

The Government of Alberta had invested over $11 million in community grants, I-Clouding for organizations and artists in the Foothills area.

The funding is distributed through the 300 projects through the Community Initiatives Program and Community Facility Enhancement Programs.

Culture grants in the Okotoks area include $8,300 for the Okotoks Film Society and $2,300 for the Okotoks Arts Council.

Elsewhere in the Foothills, the Leighton Art Foundation received $70,000, and Diamond Valley's Sheep Creek Arts Council was granted $7,300.

A Special Weather Statement has been issued for most of Alberta, due to the high temperatures forecasted over the next seven days.

According to Environment Canada, daytime temperatures are expected to be between 29 and 33 degrees Celsius, beginning today, for central and northern Alberta.

Those temperatures are expected to expand and include parts of southern Alberta, beginning Monday.

The Special Weather Statement has been issued for:

The Town of Okotoks was taken over by chili enthusiasts today (Saturday, Aug 23).

This was part of the Town's Summer Round Up and Chili Cookoff.

At the event, there was a competition to see whose chili would reign supreme, as well as music, vendors, and entertainment for all.

There was also the Cobzilla Challenge, which saw contestants compete to see who could eat corn on the cob the fastest.

As part of the Chili Cookoff, there was the People's Choice and Judge's Award.