Airdrie

October is breast cancer awareness month, and longtime Airdronian Lucinda Warnock shared with Discover Airdrie her journey with breast cancer and why women (and men) need to get checked.

Her journey also led to the creation of a song for individuals who may be dealing with a diagnosis or treatment. A song that helped her and she hopes will help others. 

She is very passionate about talking about early diagnosis because she was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma 18 months ago.

A new report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information says 83 per cent of adults in this country have a regular primary-care provider, but that still leaves 5.4 million adults without one. 

It says seniors 65 years and older are more likely to have access to a family doctor or nurse practitioner than younger adults between 18 and 34. 

Access to primary care is highest in Ontario and lowest in Nunavut. 

A local school has been collecting socks all October to donate them to those in need.

École Edwards Elementary School has been participating in SOCKtober and is asking residents to help them by donating brand new socks which with be then donated to local organizations that help Airdronians.

Sheri Wigmore, a grade one teacher at École Edwards, explained how SOCKtober came about.

A Steinbach business, that has roots in agriculture, has made the final ballot for the Best of America Small Business Awards.

Cameron Bergen is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of mode40. Bergen explains they work primarily with Fortune 1000 manufacturing organizations across Canada and the United States. 

"We take data, and we turn it into money," says Bergen, explaining that they help optimize processes through analyzing, optimizing, and disseminating information using software, artificial intelligence, and other tools. 

Irricana and Beiseker are looking for residents who are willing to be snow angels and help other community members out when snow needs to be moved.

Victoria Mikal, who works for both the Village of Beiseker and the Town of Irricana, is running both Snow Angel Programs for the communities. She shared the what program is all about.

"Snow Angels are people that are willing to help out community members that might be unable to, or have a hard time removing their snow from their sidewalks, front deck, driveways, things like that."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told his MPs Wednesday that he would reflect on what they had to say in a three-hour caucus meeting where some Liberals confronted him about his leadership.

Trudeau was smiling when he left the meeting on Wednesday afternoon, and as he walked briskly past a horde of reporters on Parliament Hill he said only that the Liberal party is "strong and united."

The next Canada Carbon Rebate (CCR) payment will not appear in Airdrie residents' bank accounts until January 2025. Still, a family of four will see $450 on their rebate check, signifying no change between this year and the first payment of 2025.

On Wednesday morning, the Bank of Canada announced it would lower its policy rate by 50 basis points to 3.75 per cent, down from 4.25 per cent. This could mean a big shift for Airdrie's real estate market.

Airdrie real estate Agent Tyler Baptist explained that today's announcement is significant.

Rocky View Schools (RVS) has installed stop-arm cameras on several school buses operating in Chestermere, Cochrane, and rural Rocky View County to improve student safety and raise awareness about road safety.

These cameras are designed to capture the license plates of vehicles that illegally pass stopped school buses while the stop arm is extended. Video footage of these violations may be shared with law enforcement for follow-up, reinforcing the importance of adhering to school bus safety laws.

Airdrie motorists may want to take note of a recent study showing that Alberta is ranked fifth in Canada for road traffic injuries. This raises concerns about potential pressure on emergency healthcare services across the province, mainly since the city is near one of the province's main transport arteries, the QEII.