Cochrane

One of Canada's most scenic highways has reopened as the wildfire in Jasper National Park continues to be held.

Jane Park, incident commander with Parks Canada, says Highway 93, also known as the Icefields Parkway, is now open to through traffic.

But she warns travellers must head straight through the mountain- and glacier-lined road without stopping.

She says there are no services available on the highway between the town of Jasper and the Icefields Discovery Centre and Saskatchewan River Crossing, a stretch of about 150 kilometres.

The Cochrane area has been placed under a severe thunderstorm watch by Environment Canada that is capable of producing damaging wind gusts and large hail.

Environment Canada officials say thunderstorms with wind gusts of up to 95 km/h have developed in Idaho and southern Montana are tracking very quickly to the north.

Some of the thunderstorms crossing into Canada early this evening are expected to be severe.

The Alberta RCMP will pay up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of 28-year-old Elijah Blake Strawberry.

The substantial reward, quintuple the amount still available through Crime Stoppers, was announced during today's update on the manhunt for Strawberry. He is the second suspect in the death of Colin John Hough, 45, of Airdrie.

Any person or persons having information regarding Elijah Blake Strawberry are asked to immediately contact the Strathmore RCMP at 403-934-3535 or call 911. Strawberry is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. 

Manitoba's weekly crop report shows 60% of the winter wheat and 72 per cent of the fall rye has been harvested along with 3 per cent of the spring wheat and oats, 

A 37-year-old B.C. man has become the second person charged in connection to the murder of Kyle Schuiling.

Tyler Griffiths, of Vernon, B.C., was charged on Aug. 13 with first degree murder by Alberta RCMP Major Crimes and has been remanded in custody, states a news release issued today by the RCMP. He is scheduled to appear in the Alberta Court of Justice on Aug. 29.

The remains of 33-year-old Schuiling, of Calgary, were discovered in Rocky View County on Apr. 3 while Tsuut'ina firefighters were battling a grass fire near Hwy. 8 and Range Road 40.

The federal government is intervening in a countrywide work stoppage at Canada's two biggest railways, but railworkers are pushing back against Ottawa's move to get them back on the job.

In the culmination of months of increasingly bitter negotiations, Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. locked out 9,300 engineers, conductors and yard workers in the early hours of Thursday.

Here are the latest developments on the rail stoppage (all times are ET):

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Get ready for a weekend filled with incredible music on The Canadian Country Showcase! We’ll be featuring Lawrence Maxwell from Prince Edward Island with his latest single, “What You See in Me,” and Savannah Jade, formerly of Five Roses, making her solo debut with the sassy new track, “He’s the One.” Plus, we’ll take a look back at this week in 2023 with a #1 hit from Jelly Roll.

Tune in to the Canadian Country Showcase on Saturdays at 12 PM and Sundays at 4 PM.

The ongoing rail conflict between members of the Teamster's Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), CPKC, and CN Rail has had another development as the union is planning a strike.

This morning the TCRC issued a 72-hour strike notice which detailed that they would be withdrawing work for 6500 members from CN Rail beginning on Monday.

The union previously issued strike notices for CPKC, which will have workers remain off the job pending an order from the Canada Industrial Relations Board.

Rongqin Su, of the Canmore-based Bow Valley Film Institute, got on his phone yesterday when he found out the third stop of the Bow Valley Film Tour was another sold-out affair.

It made its first stop ever in Cochrane on Aug. 22 and the successful night opens the door to its return and possibly an extra night next year at the Cochrane Movie House.

Featured were eight short films, each varying in length, yet equal in intensity. The filmmakers and their subjects bared their souls on the screen of their lives and adventures in the breathtaking yet unyielding Rockies.

The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference says it has taken down picket lines at Canadian National Railway Co. and its workers will begin returning to work on Friday.

However, the union says the work stoppage at Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. remains ongoing pending an order from the Canada Industrial Relations Board.

Following months of increasingly fraught contract talks, Canada's two biggest railways both locked out workers after failing to reach deals with the union by a Thursday deadline.