Airdrie

Big Hill Springs Provincial Park, about 30 kilometres west-southwest of Airdrie, located 10 kilometres north of Cochrane, has been named one of Canada’s 45 “hidden gem” parks in a new list released by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS).

Airdrie will dedicate its Veterans Memorial on Sept. 20, the City of Airdrie’s website says. The ceremony will run from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Veterans Boulevard Nautical flag pole near 8th Street.

“We honour their courage and dedication, celebrate their service, remember their sacrifices and ensure their legacy lives on,” the city’s listing says. “All community members are welcome to attend this meaningful tribute to our local heroes.”

Northbound traffic on the QEII between Calgary’s city limits to 40 Avenue in Airdrie will face lane closures on Wednesday for pothole repairs.

511 Alberta says the work is scheduled to continue until 3:30 p.m. The fast and middle lanes will be closed, with the speed limit reduced to 80 km/h in the area.

On Sunday, DiscoverAirdrie put out the call to Airdronians to support and promote the city’s young athletes competing in the national Youth Athlete of the Year contest.

In the contest, the athletes need people to vote for them to advance to the next round. If an Airdronian were to win, they would appear in a 3BRAND advertisement in Sports Illustrated and win $25,000.

Here is a list of athletes who have reached out to DiscoverAirdrie since then:

In recent weeks, reported sightings of bobcats and even badgers have surfaced on local social media groups. The Government of Alberta says such encounters aren’t unusual — and knowing how to respond can help keep both people and animals safe.

Earlier this summer, a dog park in Airdrie was partially closed after a porcupine was spotted resting nearby.

Air Canada says it will begin a gradual suspension of flights to allow an orderly shutdown as it faces a potential work stoppage by its flight attendants on Saturday.

The airline says the first flights will be cancelled Thursday, with more on Friday and a complete cessation of flying by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge by the weekend.

Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz and PAL Airlines will continue to operate as normal. 

Air Canada says customers whose flights are cancelled will be notified and they will be eligible for a full refund.

Alberta Parks has issued a bear warning for the entirety of Kananaskis Country and the Bow Valley after an “exceptional berry crop” led to more bear sightings, close encounters, and bluff charges in the region.

China has hit Canada with a new round of canola tariffs, threatening one of Western Canada's biggest cash crops and causing potential issues for farmers looking to sell their crops. The tariffs were announced overnight Monday in China, meaning that people watching the agriculture markets were in for quite the shock Tuesday morning.

Chuck Penner, founder of Left Field Commodity Research, was watching the markets and says much of the agriculture sector saw this coming.

The Airdrie Food Bank has seen an increase year over year in purchasing food to provide for those in need.

Christine Arsenault, the marketing and communications manager at the Airdrie Food Bank (AFB), explained that the number of families they are feeding is still high.

"We're still feeding 700 to 800 families a week. There are just so many people who need food.  We're still able to give them the same quality of hampers that we have always been giving out."

This past year alone, the AFB hamper program and pantry assistance program have risen by 33 per cent.

Airdronian Mary Hopkins and the kids she takes care of with her local day home have been donating toys to those in need.

She explained that at the beginning of each month, they donate their toys to a number of different organizations.

"We donate to the Value Village or the Goodwill. Sometimes we donate to Community Links, churches or even the Airdrie Food Bank."

While some toys are lightly used, she explained that she teaches the kids that it is important to take good care of the toys so other kids can enjoy them as well.