HighRiver

The federal government plans to work urgently to remove Chinese tariffs on Canadian agriculture and seafood products, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday.

"The Canadian government is engaging with its Chinese counterparts at the ministerial level and we'll continue those discussions," Carney told reporters after meeting with premiers in Saskatoon.

"They're a top priority for us." 

The commitment came in a statement after the meeting and it says premiers want Canada's trading relationship with China to improve. 

RJ Sigurdson, MLA for Highwood and Alberta's Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, is in Southeast Asia this week to promote agri-trade with Alberta.

The trip comes amid uncertainty around North American trade and the potential effects of tariffs.

Sigurdson will visit Vietnam and the Philippines, which, according to the province, were ranked the second and third-largest Southeast Asian markets for Alberta’s agriculture and agri-food exports.

Nanton students rallied together, raising a record-breaking amount to fight cancer.  

During this year's Relay for Life, students from the J.T. Foster School raised $17,366.35.  

Every year, students fundraise and then run the relay along the school's track, where the team with the most laps earn bragging rights.  

The RCMP responded to a fatal collision near Taber over the weekend.

A motorcycle reportedly left the road on Highway 875, south of Range Road 141, on Sunday, June 1.

Taber and Vauxhall RCMP, along with EMS, responded at approximately 5:30 p.m.

When emergency crews arrived at the scene, they found the rider, a 70-year-old man from Regina, dead.

The RCMP are extending their condolences to the family and friends of the rider.

Some residents in the MD of Willow Creek will experience an evacuation drill this evening.

The M.D. of Willow Creek took to Facebook to let people know that the community of Moon River Estates is conducting their annual evacuation drill today (June 2).

This is a planned exercise that will ensure everybody is prepared in case an emergency were to happen.

The drill will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be announced with a siren. The drill will last about an hour, and then there will be a bit of a debrief afterwards.

The Okotoks Public Library was recently honoured with an award from the Marigold Library System.

They were presented with a Making a Difference Award for their “Reading Dragons” program.

The program, inspired by a similar initiative from the Dover Public Library in Dover, Ohio, aims to boost literacy among children aged six to 12.

Participants earn dragon trading cards for every half hour of reading.

The federal government is investing $15 million into Protein Industries Canada; the funding is being used to strengthen Canada's agri-food sector.

The new funding will focus on genomics and AI programs by bringing new tools to plant breeders, farmers, ingredient processors, and food manufacturers.

The programs will enable farmers and companies across Canada’s agrifood sector to build a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable food system. 

Alberta is working on strengthening its market presence in Southeast Asia.

Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation RJ Sigurdson is in Southeast Asia to promote Alberta as a reliable supplier of agricultural products.

The overall goal is to strengthen relationships with Vietnam and the Philippines to increase trade and investment opportunities that 
will directly benefit producers and processors by opening new markets for Alberta agriculture and food products.

Farm Credit Canada is investing $2 billion to advance agtech innovation in Canada’s agriculture and food industry. 

The money which will be invested by 2030 will direct more investment into innovative devices, instrumentation, research, and methodologies designed to improve efficiency, productivity, and sustainability.

Stats show Canada’s agtech sector is lagging, putting Canada at a strategic disadvantage, while Japan  and the European Union have been increasing investments in ag tech.

The Calgary Police are investigating a suspicious death that occurred in Southeast Calgary over the weekend.

Just before 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 31, the Calgary Police were called to the 1000 block of Auburn Bay Circle S.E. over reports of a man who was believed to be dead in the residence.

Once police arrived, they found a man dead inside the home.

The circumstances around his death are being investigated, but the police believe there is currently no risk to the public.