Cochrane

The Town of Cochrane is asking residents to refrain from cutting down trees to build forts and teepee-like structures. 

"Hey Cochrane! Recently we have noticed trees being cut down in our environmental reserves and being used to build teepee like structures. Cutting down trees negatively impacts our environment and park spaces. Cochrane takes pride in maintaining over 500 hectares of parks and open spaces, and it’s up to all of us to keep them beautiful!" reads a post on the Town of Cochrane's Facebook page. 

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has identified poor weather conditions and time pressures as contributing factors in a plane crash that occurred west of Calgary on July 28, 2023.

The incident involved a Piper PA-32R aircraft that had departed from Springbank Airport, bound for Salmon Arm, British Columbia.

Investigators report that the pilot did not fully comprehend the weather conditions at the time of takeoff and continued flying despite poor visibility.

While Cochrane’s real estate market continues to be a seller's paradise, home prices in the area continue to be comparable to similar markets in southern Alberta.

The September report was just released by The Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB) showing that Cochrane has seen a 9.3 per cent year-over-year increase in the benchmark price of detached homes which now sits at $681,800.

When going head-to-head with neighbouring communities, Cochrane sits firmly in the middle when it comes to detached home prices. 

Bragg Creek's Sofia Pelkey is one 20 athletes who will represent Canada at the 2024 Pan American Water Ski Championships in Bogotá, Colombia.

The local teen will compete in Slalom, Trick, and Jump.

The event showcases the skills of Canadian athletes across four teams: U14, U17, U21, and Open.

Pelkey competed in the 2024 U17 World Waterski Championships in Calgary this summer. 

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The well fire north of Cochrane that injured five workers on Monday is now out. 

According to an updated news release from HWN Energy Ltd., a "well control incident" occurred Monday afternoon at a site roughly eight kilometres north of Cochrane. However, by early Tuesday afternoon, "the fire was extinguished, and the well was brought under control."

According to the company, by 5:30 p.m. there was no further release of liquids or gases. 

Five workers on site were injured and taken to hospital after the explosion that occurred at around 2 p.m. Monday. 

A big change for one of Cochrane's largest non-profits in town. 

The Cochrane Food Bank has incorporated as a Society and will no longer operate alongside the Cochrane Activettes.

Brenda Mottle, President of the Cochrane Food Bank said the two entities are now separate, a move prompted by regulatory changes by the Canada Revenue Agency.

As war spread in the Middle East on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly "unequivocally" condemned Iran's move to fire dozens of missiles into Israel and called for no further escalation in the war from all sides.

Joly also begged Canadians in Lebanon to leave immediately as Israel began what it is calling a limited ground operation against Hezbollah targets in the southern part of that country.

One Cochrane man is on a mission to be the very best, like no one ever was.

Jacob Wilkins has joined Team Canada for the World Cup of Pokémon VGC. The competition is set to feature over 700 players from 60 countries around the world.

“This is the fourth year they've done the World Cup of Pokémon,” says Wilkins. “Each country is able to select a team of up to 12 players that are the best Pokémon players in their country.”

Cereals Canada recently released their 2024 Canadian Wheat Crop Progress and Harvest Assessment Update.

Harvest operations are still underway in many areas of the Prairies.

Stats Canada surveyed farmers in June with estimates showing Canadian farmers planted over 8.2 million hectares of non durum wheat this year, a 3% decrease from last year, while durum acreage showed a 5 per cent increase to nearly 2.6 million acres.

Non-durum wheat is grown across the country in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, and in southern Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.

Infrastructure minister Peter Guthrie was touring health infrastructure projects today in Boston to obtain insight on their best practices.

It's part of a five-day mission that saw him arrive in Boston on Sept. 30.

Tomorrow, he will be meeting with officials and touring other infrastructure projects, followed by one more day of meetings before returning to Alberta on Oct. 4. His schedule is subject to change.