Cochrane

China has hit Canada with a new round of canola tariffs, threatening one of Western Canada's biggest cash crops and causing potential issues for farmers looking to sell their crops. The tariffs were announced overnight Monday in China, meaning that people watching the agriculture markets were in for quite the shock Tuesday morning.

Chuck Penner, founder of Left Field Commodity Research, was watching the markets and says much of the agriculture sector saw this coming.

The Sylvan Lake Gulls will hold home-field advantage in the Western Canadian Baseball League championship series after the Regina Red Sox pulled off a semifinal upset Tuesday night.

Regina downed the top-ranked Saskatoon Berries 6-2 in Game 3 of their best-of-three series, winning both contests on the road. The Berries had dominated the regular season, posting a franchise-best 46-9 record.

Mayor Jeff Genung has officially kicked off his campaign to serve a third term, emphasizing managing the town’s rapid growth as his top priority.

Although Genung’s intention to run again was widely known, an Aug. 11 announcement marked the formal start of what he described as a “conversations and community-focused” election.

National galleries and museums across the country have seen a 15 per cent increase in attendance so far this summer, after the federal government introduced free or discounted admission through the new Canada Strong Pass.

The Canada Strong Pass, which took effect on June 20 and is available until Sept. 2, offers free national museum admission to children 17 and under, and a 50 per cent discount for those aged 18 to 24.

The pass also offers free admission to national parks and sites maintained by Parks Canada.

The head of the Canada's police chiefs association says they are guided by "outdated and inadequate" laws that were never designed to take on the current criminal landscape that no longer respects international borders. 

Thomas Carrique, president of the Association of Chiefs of Police, said police would have been in a better place to "disrupt" transnational crime, if the federal government had listened to his group in 2001, when it last proposed legislative changes. 

Alberta’s women’s lacrosse team has punched its ticket to the quarterfinals at the Canada Summer Games and will face Manitoba tonight in St. John’s, N.L.

The team wrapped up pool play with a 4-2 record, knocking Nova Scotia and Quebec out of medal contention. Manitoba topped its pool and will have home advantage. The winner moves on to Thursday’s semifinals, while the loser plays for consolation rankings. Medal matches are Friday.

China announced a 75.8 per cent preliminary tariff on Canadian canola on Tuesday, following an anti-dumping investigation launched last year in response to Canada's tax on Chinese electric vehicles.

China's Ministry of Commerce published the details of the plan on Tuesday, claiming the "dumping" of Canadian canola into the Chinese market is hurting its domestic canola oil market.

The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) is inviting producers to take part in their Harvest Sample Program, letting them send in samples from their grain harvest to be graded. The no-cost grading helps farmers know exactly what they've got in their fields, letting them easily market their grain to sellers.

Kerri Pleskach, the program manager of analytical services at the CGC, explains how producers can take part.

Here’s a tighter, sharper version with more bite and punch:

History was made last night in Sylvan Lake as the Gulls soared into the Western Canadian Baseball League final for the first time ever.

Rocky View County (RVC) council has approved spending up to $1.5 million to address overland flooding issues caused by triple the typical rainfall in July.

At a special meeting today, council received an update on the problems created by the excessive rainfall, particularly in the county’s eastern portion and the Bragg Creek area.

Council gave unanimous approval to use the tax stabilization reserve to fund contracted services and floodwater conveyance to support Rocky View County’s flood mitigation efforts.