Okotoks

Diamond Valley Fire Rescue is raising awareness about the importance of being prepared for anything through a series of workshops for Emergency Preparedness Week.  

“It's a week that we try to really hone in on public engagement and education pieces to give everybody the tools they need to be successful in the case of wildfire, flood, or a pandemic,” said Logan Sabourin, Diamond Valley Deputy Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Management.  

Heartland is returning for its 19th season.

The show's renewal was announced on May 1 on the show's official social media accounts.

An Okotoks bee farmer is reeling after discovering dozens of his beehives had been stolen.

On Tuesday, April 29, the owner of Honey Meadows Farm, John Zwiers, noticed that hives had been stolen from three separate sites, with one other site being targeted the following day.

By Zwiers' estimate, close to 60 hives were stolen.

Having grown up in the area, with his family having kept bees in the Foothills for 40 years, Zwiers turned to the community.

He posted about the situation in several local Facebook groups, asking community members to keep an eye out.

It’s Volunteer Week, and the Town of High River has been recognizing local individuals who give their time to make a difference in the community every day.  

One prominent volunteer in the community is John Nikulak, who has volunteered for over a decade at the High River General Hospital.  

The federal riding of Terrebonne in Quebec has gone from the Liberals' win column back to the Bloc Québécois after a postelection vote validation process.

Bloc candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, who had represented the riding since 2021, said in a social media post that she came out with a lead of 44 votes and that a judicial recount will take place.

"For someone to be officially elected, you have to wait until the end of this process," Sinclair-Desgagné wrote in French. "I hope to have the honour of representing Terrebonne again in the coming years."

After responding to a two-motor vehicle collision on Highway 549 on Thursday morning (May 1), members of the Diamond Valley Fire Rescue didn’t hesitate to help nearby ranchers with a cattle drive.  

While conducting traffic control as RCMP completed their investigation, fire crew members noticed ranchers on the property adjacent to the closed highway.  

If you've noticed that the water level on the Highwood River is a bit low, you'd be right.

The Town of High River is paying attention too, and they reached out to Rivers Alberta and confirmed that we are experiencing low flow conditions.

This won't affect residents yet, and according to the Outdoor Water Use and Restrictions Bylaw, we're not there yet.

Mother's Day isn't until next Sunday, May 11, but the celebration starts this Saturday, May 3rd, at the High River Good Shepherd Lutheran church.

The church is hosting its 5th annual Mother's Day market from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The family-friendly event will host local vendors along with a bake sale and a raffle.

The raffle is for a custom-made outdoor bench worth $800, and tickets are only $2 each.

They'll make the draw on Mother's Day.

Conservative MP Damien Kurek is set to step aside to allow Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to run in a byelection in the Battle River—Crowfoot riding in Alberta.

Kurek says he is "temporarily" stepping aside as MP for the riding, which he has held since 2019.

The Conservative party confirms that Poilievre will run in the Battle River—Crowfoot byelection once it's called.

Alberta

The St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID) is notifying irrigators that they are now accepting water orders.

For the 2025 irrigation season, water allocation will remain at 12 inches at the farm gate based on the recent Irrigation Water Supply Forecast from Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation.

Crews have started flushing lines and are charging the system for water startup, expected to be available across the entire district by May 5th to 9th.