Okotoks

Farmers owed money for unpaid deliveries to Purely Canada Foods Corp. are encouraged to contact the Canadian Grain Commission immediately.

The CGC revoked the grain dealer licence and primary elevator licences for Purely Canada Foods Corp. in Avonlea,  Kindersley, and Lajord, Saskatchewan as of 11:59 pm last night (August 27).

The company may owe grain farmers in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta money for grain deliveries.

Environment Canada has issued a Special Weather Statement across much of Southern Alberta, including Foothills County.

They're anticipating heavy rainfall throughout the day (Aug. 28), with upwards of 40 mm expected.

Powerful northerly winds as strong as 80 km/h are also likely to develop in the late morning and into the afternoon but are expected to die down later in the day.

The latest forecast and weather alerts can be seen on our weather page.

Whooping cough cases are on the rise in Canada, with some provinces reporting sharp increases compared to pre-pandemic averages. 

More than 11,670 cases have been reported in Quebec so far this year, a significant jump from the annual average of 562 cases between 2015 and 2019. 

The majority of whooping cough patients are between the ages of 10 and 14, a spokesperson for Quebec's health ministry said in an email to The Canadian Press.

The last peak of whooping cough activity in the province was in 2019, when 1,269 cases were reported, the email said.

A suspected scam ended in a positive spin for a local artist.

Russell Thomas, owner of Birdsong Studio in High River, recently took to social media to share his experience with what appears to be an attempted scam.

It started with a fairly innocuous message requesting a portrait commission.

A person, claiming to be from Edmonton, commissioned a portrait of their German Shepherd and included a picture of the dog.

After a day's work, the painting was finished, but Thomas says things started to seem fishy soon after.

The RCMP National Security Program and the National Child Exploitation Crime Centre are working together to protect youth online.

They're warning of violent online groups that have ties to known Ideologically Motivated Extremist (IMVE) entities and they are targeting youth online with harmful intentions.

These groups will try to get youth to record or live-stream acts of self-harm, suicide, animal torture, and/or produce sexual abuse material, which will then get circulated online and used to control and extort young victims.

On Monday night, the Okotoks Dawgs Academy announced that they have added 2008 World Series Champion Matt Stairs to their coaching staff.

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer came to Okotoks this year to host a hitting clinic for the Dawgs Academy during the WCBL All-Star weekend and will now play a vital part in helping the Academy grow as players with his extensive knowledge of the game.

The Assembly of First Nations has postponed a special assembly for chiefs to vote on a landmark child welfare reform deal with Canada due to concerns about the process and a late translation of the document to French.

The Assembly was scheduled to be held in September in Winnipeg, but it will not happen now until October or November, the AFN said Tuesday.

Summer vacation is over for many students in Foothills County.

Students who attend a school under the Christ the Redeemer Catholic School Division in both Okotoks and High River are returning to school on Wednesday, August 28th, while those who attend a school under the Foothills School Division still have a bit more vacation left.

Schools under the Foothills School Division are returning after Labour Day on Tuesday, September 3rd.

Participants in the Canadian Cattle Association's Young Leaders Mentorship Program took part in the final round of competition last week during the Canadian Beef Industry Conference. 

The group of 24 took part in roundtable discussion with the other participants and judges as they work to narrow down the group to the 16 finalists.

Jessica Radau,  the CCA's Policy, Programs and Engagement Manager says the roundtable discussions covered a variety of topics from succession planning to biosecurity, building public trust in the industry and more.

The Town of Okotoks' Summer Roundup was held on Saturday (Aug. 24), with a variety of activities both old and new.

Along with dodgeball and cornhole tournaments, an artisan market, and the Cobzilla Challenge, Okotoks' longstanding Chili Cook-Off made a return.

Six teams compete for People's Choice and Judge's Choice honours: