Cochrane

A remarkable wave of generosity and grassroots fundraising has swept across Cochrane as the community rallies around young Brielle Thomson, a local girl in need of robotic legs.

“It’s quite overwhelming, actually—far beyond my expectations,” said organizer Dan Kroffat in an update. “The momentum behind this is remarkable. The community should stand up and take a bow.”

He's asking people to continue finding creative ways to raise funds, then bring them to the free barbecue at Cochrane Toyota on June 14.

The addition of four permanent full-time nursing positions and the successful recruitment of more physicians are helping Cochrane’s urgent care centre better meet the needs of the town’s growing population.

Barb Shellian, director of rural health for the Calgary zone of Alberta Health Services (AHS), told town council Monday night that after about 18 months of discussions, the permanent nursing positions have finally been secured. Previously, they were unfunded, leaving her to explain the variance every month.

After months of resilience, home sales in Cochrane slowed in May, falling 17 per cent compared to the same month last year.

The drop was enough to pull year-to-date sales just below 2023 levels, according to the latest market data.from the Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB).

At the same time, new listings surged, pushing the sales-to-new listings ratio down to 55 per cent. That shift contributed to a rise in inventory, with 293 units available — a figure more in line with long-term averages.

The Bow Valley Grizzlies overcame an early yellow card to rebound with a 45-15 win over the Calgary Rams on May 31.

The Rams scored two tries during the 10-minute man advantage but couldn’t sustain their momentum once the Grizzlies returned to full strength. Bow Valley clawed back to take a 19-10 lead by halftime.

Grizzlies head coach Ty Hawes said having a strong bench was key in the win on a scorching afternoon.

The book closed on a memorable season for the Medicine Hat Tigers on Sunday.

The Western Hockey League champions were eliminated from the Memorial Cup, falling 4–1 to the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights.

The federal government is investing $15 million into Protein Industries Canada; the funding is being used to strengthen Canada's agri-food sector.

The new funding will focus on genomics and AI programs by bringing new tools to plant breeders, farmers, ingredient processors, and food manufacturers.

The programs will enable farmers and companies across Canada’s agrifood sector to build a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable food system. 

Alberta is working on strengthening its market presence in Southeast Asia.

Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation RJ Sigurdson is in Southeast Asia to promote Alberta as a reliable supplier of agricultural products.

The overall goal is to strengthen relationships with Vietnam and the Philippines to increase trade and investment opportunities that 
will directly benefit producers and processors by opening new markets for Alberta agriculture and food products.

Farm Credit Canada is investing $2 billion to advance agtech innovation in Canada’s agriculture and food industry. 

The money which will be invested by 2030 will direct more investment into innovative devices, instrumentation, research, and methodologies designed to improve efficiency, productivity, and sustainability.

Stats show Canada’s agtech sector is lagging, putting Canada at a strategic disadvantage, while Japan  and the European Union have been increasing investments in ag tech.

Alberta's latest crop report shows 90 per cent of the provincial crop is now in; that's ahead of the 5-year average of 81 per cent. 

Roy Larsen, the director of Statistics and Data Development for Agriculture and Irrigation says seeding progress in the South is at 97 per cent complete, the North West at 93 per cent, the Central region is at 89 per cent, the North East at 86  per cent, and the Peace at 84 per cent.

Crop progress shows 99 per cent of the dry peas have been planted, while oats lag behind at 74 per cent. 

A tragic dirt bike crash that claimed the lives of two young Cochrane men early Saturday revealed that neither was wearing a helmet, and no brake marks were found at the scene, according to RCMP.

Emergency crews were called to Township Road 264 on Horse Creek Road around 12:42 a.m. on June 1, after reports of a serious off-road crash involving two motocross bikes. Both riders, 21 years old, were pronounced dead at the scene.

“There were no signs of hard braking, and both men were not wearing helmets,” said Cst. Bonnie Sauve with Cochrane RCMP.