Airdrie

Ottawa is hiking entry-level pay for Canadian Armed Forces privates by 20 per cent for the regular force and 13 per cent for reservists, Prime Minister Mark Carney said at CFB Trenton on Friday.

That means the annual salary for a new recruit will go from $43,368 to $52,044.

Other military members will also receive pay raises, with smaller increases for higher ranks — part of a broader plan to boost recruitment and operational readiness. The new pay hikes will be retroactive to April 1 of this year.

With nearly three decades of professional experience and a passion that dates back to his high school days in Canmore, Paul Tait is bringing something different to the car audio and electronics industry in southern Alberta. His business, Better Call Paul Fabrication and Design, is built around one core principle: offer better solutions and make life easier for the customer.

Alberta Health Services has issued a water quality advisory for Cove Beach at Chestermere Lake due to elevated levels of fecal bacteria.

“Alberta Health Services is advising the public not to swim or wade at the Cove Beach area, effective immediately,” the agency stated Friday.

Glyphosate, a key product that is used by a number of farmers, could be coming to an end.

Bill Anderson, the CEO of Bayer, noted on Wednesday that the company will be forced to end its US production of glyphosate, unless regulatory or legal changes are made to prevent litigation.

Airdrie’s Genesis Place pool will remain closed past the previously announced Sept. 13 reopening date after staff discovered “unexpected basin complications” during routine maintenance.

“The Genesis Place pool and aquatics area will not reopen on Sept. 13,” the City of Airdrie stated Friday in an update on its website. “The pool maintenance closure is expected to be extended by two weeks – at minimum.”

According to the city, the delay stems from issues identified during biennial maintenance work on the dive tank and lane pool.

Airdrie RCMP say a 19-year-old reported missing earlier this week has been located safe.

Police issued a request for public assistance late Thursday.

In a Friday morning update, RCMP confirmed the person had been found and thanked the public for their assistance.

No further details will be released.

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Harvest operations are slowly starting to get underway. Crop condition and staging across the Prairies is variable depending on location and rainfall patterns.

In Manitoba, early reports of swathing in canola have come in from the Interlake and Central regions, along with some winter cereals.

Oilseed Specialist Sonia Wilson put together this week's Manitoba Crop Report.

Advance polls in a historic federal byelection for Alberta's Battle River-Crowfoot open today.

For the first time ever, Elections Canada says voters must fill out a blank ballot.

The agency lists a record 214 candidates running in the rural riding, with voting day on Aug. 18.

The majority are part of the Longest Ballot Committee, a protest group calling for various changes to Canada's electoral system.

Hail, heavy rain and localized flooding in parts of Airdrie on Thursday have prompted fresh safety reminders for drivers as forecasters call for the possibility of more unsettled weather and a wetter-than-normal August.

Environment Canada’s Friday morning forecast called for showers and a risk of a thunderstorm this afternoon, with 5 to 10 millimetres of rain and northwest winds gusting to 40 km/h. Thursday’s severe thunderstorm warning brought hail to parts of the city, but no hail is in the current forecast.

Fifteen-year-old Airdrie ringette player Arawynn Berger is ranked fourth in her group as of Aug. 8 in a national contest to be named Youth Athlete of the Year, appear in a 3BRAND advertisement in Sports Illustrated and win $25,000.