Cochrane

New Democrats will not cave to demands from the Bloc Québécois and Conservative leaders to help them bring down the Liberal government, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Wednesday. 

His party is now all that stands between Justin Trudeau's Liberals and an early election, with the other two opposition parties pledging to try to topple the minority government at the next opportunity. 

On Tuesday, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said he will make good on his threat to work with the other opposition parties to bring the Liberals down with a non-confidence vote.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has asked national security services to find a way to share information with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre about foreign interference affecting his caucus, he said Wednesday. 

Earlier this month, Trudeau told a public inquiry that he has been given the names of past and present Conservative parliamentarians and candidates who are linked to foreign interference. 

Trudeau said members from other parties, including the Liberals, have also been flagged.

Banff-Kananaskis MLA Sarah Elmeligi believes shifting of Fish and Wildlife to Alberta Sheriffs limits their ability to respond to Fish and Wildlife incidents.

During question period in the Legislative Assembly yesterday, she became the first to publicly state the livestock killed north of Cochrane appears to be the result of bear attacks and is concerned Fish and Wildlife have been stripped of resources to aid rural residents.

The groundwork has been laid for the creation of a natural environment protection task force that will be operational by January 2025.

Once activated, it will serve as an advisory body to town council and administration identifying and prioritizing natural areas that should be preserved or restored.

Elite Cochrane badminton player Rishav Sharma medalled at the 2024 Japan International Para Badminton Championship and has his eye on some even loftier championships.

The founder of the Rocky View Badminton Academy won a bronze in doubles with American Joshua Huang in the SU-5 division of the Toyko tournament, Oct. 22 to 27, and went toe-to-toe in the singles quarterfinals against one of the topped ranked players in the world.

There is a new partnership delivering the Soy Quality Program to Canadian producers.  

Nathan Gerelus is the manager of National Affairs at the Canadian Grain Commission, based in Winnipeg, and he says, 

“We are excited to have recently partnered with Soy Canada to deliver the Soy Quality Program, and that will start with this year's 2024 harvest.” 

The Manitoba Beef and Forage Conference is set to take place Wednesday at the William Glesby Centre in Portage La Prairie, where a full range of Agri business booths will be on hand for producers across the prairies to explore. 

The conference is a popular event to hear from local producers and industry experts across the region discussing the application of research on the farm.  Forage and livestock specialist Shawn Cabak is one of the speakers and notes the venue will be full of agribusiness booths for producers to visit. 

Karen Dommett, incoming chair of Sports4Life Cochrane, exemplifies extraordinary leadership in promoting active communities.

Her tireless efforts have made a lasting and meaningful impact on the lives of individuals with disabilities and the broader community.

A Cochrane resident since 2020, Dommett was presented the Lieutenant-Governor's Award for Outstanding Community Leader during last weekend's Alberta & Parks Recreation Association conference in Lake Louise.

For the eighth year, Cochranite Gary Robertson is hoping to once again thrill and spook residents of all ages, all while having fun and helping others.

Robertson spends countless hours decorating his home into a house of scares every year.

"This year's theme is once again The Asylum. So people can expect a pretty scary and demented experience that they would experience in an insane asylum and they can pick their different level of frights." 

The two Free Food Sheds have been a hot topic of discussion on social media here in Cochrane over the past few weeks. So, Lauren and I thought it would be great to see firsthand what a food rescue volunteer shift actually looks like with Helping Hands.