Cochrane

Almost a decade after 24 Sussex Drive was abandoned as the official residence of the Canadian prime minister, taxpayers are still shelling out tens of thousands of dollars a year to maintain the vacant property, and the new prime minister has signalled he's in no rush to deal with the crumbling building.

Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters in May that it's up to the National Capital Commission to decide what to do with 24 Sussex.

The federal public service shed almost 10,000 people last year, with the Canada Revenue Agency and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada losing the most employees.

The last time the public service contracted was in 2015, when the number of people employed dropped just slightly from 257,138 to 257,034.

The number of public servants employed by the federal government fell from 367,772 to 357,965 over the last year.

Canada's fentanyl czar says the fight against the deadly opioid would get a boost from proposed new tools for law enforcement in the Liberal government's recently tabled border bill.

Kevin Brosseau, the federal point person on fentanyl, welcomes provisions in the Strong Borders Act to increase inspection powers, give police easier access to information, crack down on money laundering and improve control of chemicals used to make the drug.

Alberta's government announced Friday residents who are not immunocompromised or on social programs will soon have to pay to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

In a late afternoon news release, the government said that since provinces took over responsibility for procuring the shots in April, it has wanted to cut down on waste and recoup costs.

It said an estimated one million COVID-19 vaccine doses, or just over half of Alberta's supply, were not used during the 2023-2024 respiratory virus season. It said $135 million worth of shots were wasted.

Cochrane continues to grow the conversation on the mental, physical and financial abuse of elders.

A purple lilac tree was planted June 13 in front of Big Hill Lodge to mark the ongoing need to protect seniors. Purple is the official colour of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD), observed annually on June 15.

In a statement this morning, the Town of Cochrane has confirmed YMCA Calgary has formally withdrawn from the Request for Proposals (RFP) process to manage local recreation facilities.

Town officials say they respect the YMCA’s decision and expressed appreciation for the professionalism the organization showed throughout discussions.

Kendall Waiting, president of the Cochrane Curling Club, agreed to a brief interview following the announcement of YMCA Calgary’s withdrawal from its bid to operate the SLS Centre.

Here's the full text.

Q. I'm looking for your reaction to the fact that the YMCA's decision today.

A. As we are talking here, literally 4 minutes ago, I received the e-mail with the YMCA's update and press release.

YMCA Calgary has officially withdrawn from the Request for Proposal (RFP) process to manage Cochrane’s recreation facilities, citing a lack of alignment in vision, timing, and trust.

After engaging in months of discussions with the Town of Cochrane and Rocky View County, the organization announced it was stepping away from the bid to potentially manage the SLS Centre, following increasing public concern over a change in facility leadership.

A lack of financial benefits, concerns over long-term risk and a lack of transparency were key reasons fuelling Councillor Morgan Nagel’s rejection of the proposed operating agreement with YMCA Calgary.

He’s relieved YMCA Calgary has withdrawn its application.