Cochrane

RCMP say a 37-year-old Calgary man has been charged after a 12-year-old boy was abducted in Airdrie on Monday evening.

Police were called around 7:50 p.m. on August 18 after the boy got into the suspect’s vehicle in the Coopers Crossing neighbourhood. The victim managed to escape when the vehicle stopped at a red light and immediately called 911.

Crews are ramping up efforts to reduce wildfire risk in Kananaskis and the Bow Valley.

The Alberta government, local municipalities, and their partners have launched the next phase of the Bow Valley Community Fireguard Project at the Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park. The work includes thinning forests, removing trees, and creating fireguards to limit fuel for wildfires.

Three areas are part of this phase, with most work at the Nordic Centre expected to wrap up by the end of October. Other sections will pause over the winter and be completed by spring 2026.

Four Cochrane lacrosse players have returned with medals from Team Alberta at the national lacrosse championships in Halifax, which wrapped up on Aug. 15.

Veteran Cochrane goalie Kaylee McKay and team rookies Tessa Bates and Hannah Dick helped lead the U22 women’s team to their third consecutive national championship, going undefeated in all six of their games. The team has now gone two years without losing a game at nationals.

A Disability Resource Fair, to be held Friday, September 12 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., will help put Cochrane community members in touch with the many support services in the region.

At least six local organizations will participate in the event, says Carolyn Long, Director of Wellness Services at Vecova. To ensure their offerings don’t overlap, they’re in regular communication about the area’s needs and how to best address them.

Cochrane mayor and town council candidates are being asked to take a “tax pledge” ahead of the municipal election.

A webpage has been launched to bring taxes to the forefront of the discussion leading up to the Oct. 20 municipal election.

The group is asking mayoral and council candidates to pledge they will not vote for tax increases and work toward lowering them.

Residents are being encouraged to ask candidates to sign. They also want residents to add their voices to the conversation.

Summer in Water Valley comes alive with laughter, games, the flipping of pancakes and the smell of sizzling barbecue at the annual Water Valley Days this Saturday, Aug. 23.

Last year’s event was a blast, and organizer Arya Ahmadi says this year will be even bigger and better, with several surprises in the works.

Don Leask is the latest candidate to enter the race for Cochrane town council in the upcoming municipal election on Oct. 20.

Leask says he is running to help protect Cochrane’s identity as a safe, family-friendly community at a time of rapid growth.

“With the rapid growth going on, we need leadership that ensures development is managed, and not at the cost of our town’s character,” he said in an interview with Cochrane Now yesterday.

Canada Post and the union representing postal workers are set to return to the bargaining table today.

Plans to rekindle talks late last week were delayed due to a lack of federal government mediators.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers claimed labour unrest at Air Canada was pulling attention from the postal service's dispute, which has stretched on for more than a year and a half.

Air Canada flights within North America are expected to ramp up this morning as the airline continues its operational restart following a three-day flight attendants' strike.

The company resumed flights Tuesday afternoon after a complete halt to Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge routes that began early Saturday morning.

It said it was focusing on outbound international flights to start.

In a partial policy reversal, Alberta's government said Tuesday it will cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccinations for health-care workers.

Maddison McKee, spokesperson to Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange, said in an email that COVID-19 vaccine coverage will be extended to all health-care workers this fall under the first phase of the province's vaccination rollout.

"Immunization will remain voluntary," said McKee.