Cochrane

Police say they've charged a 31-year-old Ottawa man with several offences following an incident that placed an area of Parliament Hill under lockdown on Saturday.

Ottawa police said in a media statement Sunday that a man entered East Block in downtown Ottawa at 2:40 p.m. Saturday and started issuing threats to those inside.

Security officials isolated the man in a security screening area while police evacuated the building, which mostly houses offices for senators and their staff.

Police said the man surrendered peacefully after hours of negotiations.

Cochrane residents are encouraged to lend a helping hand later this month as the Cochrane Food Bank launches its spring food drive on April 26. 

This year’s campaign brings a few changes. In the past, Helping Hands of Cochrane & Area organized the town-wide initiative, but with a shift in their mandate, the Cochrane Food Bank has taken over the reins.

Alberta-based country artists KJ Miller and Eden Taylor are proving that small-town roots can lead to big-time opportunities with their new song, Big City Dreams.

"We both came together to write a really cool song," says Taylor. "We put our hearts and souls into it, and we’re really proud."

The collaboration began as a songwriting challenge in an eight-month program. "It was an assignment," says Miller. "Write a song in 24 hours. I was at home with a piece of loose leaf and a pen. That’s how it started."

Photographer Mike Reece was alerted to a convocation of bald eagles northwest of Cochrane and worked his magic to share the moment with the community.

While the Cochrane area is fortunate to host this large, powerful bird of prey year-round, their numbers especially soar during this time of year, continuing through October.

Reece marvelled at how the eagles use their massive two-metre wingspans to glide effortlessly through the air in search of prey—most commonly fish—though they are highly adaptable to their environment.

There's nothing quite like hitting the pitch for a little rugby before heading to prom.

OK, that's not exactly the situation, but you're guaranteed a bit of fun when women rugby players aged 18 and over take to Curtis Field at Redwood Meadows for Prom Dress Rugby on Saturday, April 5, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Women experienced in the sport and those brand new to the game will come together to celebrate strength, sisterhood and the power of women in rugby, says Kate Kimbrell of the Bow Valley Rugby Club.

Thomas Young, a security guard with Ten-8 Security on duty at The Station, 360 Railway St. W., contacted the RCMP and locked down the town facility after receiving a tip that a man may have been carrying a firearm in downtown Cochrane.

Young has provided Cochrane Now an account of how it all unfolded

Young knew the man and said an incident the previous week at The Station led him to believe the tip was credible.

"I called the RCMP and they had five or six cruisers here circling around within 10 minutes of the call," said Young.

A sentencing hearing for a Calgary couple in the death of their badly burned and emaciated toddler has been rescheduled for next month.

Sonya Pasqua and Michael Sinclair pleaded guilty in December to manslaughter.

Gabriel Sinclair-Pasqua, who was 18 months old, died in 2021 after suffering major burns to a third of his body.

An agreed statement of facts says the parents didn’t seek medical treatment and tried to treat the burns with honey before the child died from an infection and head trauma.

Residents concerned about reports of a suspicious man carrying a firearm in his backpack can rest easier.

Cochrane RCMP located and apprehended the male suspect in downtown Cochrane earlier this afternoon. 

“We were able to locate the individual, and charges are pending,” said RCMP Cpl. Buit. “We assure people there’s no safety risk to anybody or anything.”

Police received a complaint about the suspicious male around 1:20 p.m. He was apprehended south of 1st Street W.

With Monday’s entry deadline approaching, three more candidates have announced their intentions to run in the Airdrie-Cochrane riding.

Deraek Menard of the Green Party, Libertarian candidate David Sabine, and Tanner Staniewski of the People's Party of Canada have all been added to their parties' slates.

They join Conservative Blake Richards, Liberal Sean Secord, and NDP candidate Sarah Zagoda on the ballot.

Recruiters say there's been a surge of interest from American doctors considering moving to Canada since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump in November. 

Katrina Philopoulos, physician recruitment director for Nova Scotia Health, says 27 American doctors are in serious negotiations to move, talks that have so far resulted in one person being hired and a second who is expected to move to the province next year.