Okotoks

Your morning coffee is going to hit a little differently on Wednesday.

Tim Hortons Camp Day is back which means 100 per cent of the proceeds from all coffee and iced coffee sales will go to Tim Hortons Foundation Camps.

There are a total of seven Tim Hortons Foundation Camps across Canada and the U.S., which support underserved youth 

The owner of both of the Tim Hortons locations in High River, Kevin Generoux, has seen the effect that these fundraisers have.

Iitopatopa Park in the Town of Okotoks will be getting a new playground, and they are asking for help picking which one to choose.

In March of 2022, the Okotoks Town Council approved a concept plan for developing Iitopatopa Park, which is located at 370068 40 Street East, into a leisure recreation space.

The Town approved a budget of $1.5 million for the project, which was being phased over 2023 and 2024.

The Okotoks Oilers have a confirmed date for their annual golf tournament at D'Arcy Ranch Golf Club in Okotoks.

September 12 is the date set for the golf tournament and will be a shotgun start at 1:00 pm.

The price of admission will be $275 per person or $1,000 for a group of four. A silent auction will also be held with a pre-game lunch and a dinner.

The Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Agriculture Ministers are holding their annual conference in Whitehorse.

Manitoba's Agriculture Minister, Ron Kostyshyn, wants to see a discussion around Trade and Market Access.

Kostyshyn says he's very concerned about Voluntary Country of Origin Labelling, and believes this could seriously affect pork  exports to the United States.
 
Manitoba is the largest pig-producing province in Canada, and is the largest exporter of weanlings into the United States.

The Okotoks Dawgs and Sylvan Lake Gulls battled in a close low-scoring game Tuesday night, with the Gulls taking it 2-1.

The Dawgs move back three games behind the Gulls who are the West Division leaders after Tuesday night’s loss. Okotoks still leads the 2024 WCBL season series 5-3 against Sylvan Lake.

Sherwood Park's Graham Brunner made the start on the mound and pitched a full seven innings. The Dawg's veteran would serve seven Gulls' batters with K's. He also allowed four hits and just a single run during his time at the mound tonight.

The Okotoks Dawgs have announced that right-handed pitcher Jay Schueler has signed with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Schueler who hails from Sterling, Illinois is a strikeout machine. He played in seven and two thirds innings while at Southeastern University in the NAIA during the 2024 season. In the 2023 season, Schueler pitched 24 full innings and racked up 32 K's. 

Before arriving to play summer ball in Okotoks, Schueler played summer ball in 2023 with Penisula of the Coastal Plain League. He would be on the mound 25 full innings and struck out 30 batters.

With a crown on her head and a sash across her dress, Okotoks teenager Arianna Ramsay saw her life change in a split second. 

The Holy Trinity Academy graduate was crowned Miss Teenage Canada at the annual pageant held last weekend in Toronto. 

Ramsay was announced as the winner with Kaixin Zheng of B.C. as the first runner-up, Reyna Bao of B.C. as the second runner-up, and Reece Dunn, Miss Teenage Southern Ontario as the third runner-up. 

Hot weather conditions have prompted another Alberta county to impose restrictions on fires.

On Tuesday the County announced that they have moved to a Fire Restriction, which limits where fires are allowed in the area.

If any open fires require a permit and are currently burning, they must be extinguished fully, and all open burning permits are suspended.

On top of the suspended fire permits, the County is not allowing fireworks, torches, and lanterns with an open flame at this time.

It appears the wine war has come to an end.

Alberta and B.C. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will allow Albertans to get their hands on wine straight out of B.C. The same is true for B.C. residents in acquiring wine from Alberta.

It's a move that the provincial government has already touted as an economic driver, with Albertans now having access to a wider selection under the province's fully privatized liquor industry.

The intense heat we've been dealing with over the last couple of weeks has resulted in signs of heat stress starting to show up in some crops.

There's a real concern about the potential impact on canola crops at the flowering stage.

Curtis Rempel, vice president of crop production and innovation with the Canola Council of Canada says when the temperatures are in the 30's, it's especially hard on flowering canola plants.