Cochrane

In a first for Canada, freight traffic on its two largest railways has simultaneously ground to a halt, threatening to upend supply chains trying to move forward from pandemic-related disruptions and a port strike last year.

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 after the parties disagreed on a new contract before the midnight deadline.

Two young ladies are seeking to be crowned the new Cochrane Lions Rodeo Queen. 

Lacey Blouin and Kesten Savage are being currently being judged by an independent panel on their horsemanship, public speaking, rodeo knowledge and personality.

Seventeen-year-old Lacey was born and raised in the Cochrane area and her parents met at the Cochrane Lions Labour Day Weekend Rodeo.

She's been attending the local rodeo since a young age and admires the important role played by rodeo queen.

For weeks now, the agriculture sector has been calling for action to avoid a potential rail strike urging the Federal Government to take action to stop the strike.

On Wednesday, with just hours left before the strike deadline for over 9000 CN and CPKC workers they gathered once again to voice their concerns.

Terry Youzwa, a farmer from Nipawin and chair of Pulse Canada says we're staring down a rail stoppage of historic proportions.

 the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference says the roughly 9000 CN and CPKC workers involved could walk out as of 12:01 am Thursday.

The Executive Director of the Western Grain Elevators Association (WGEA) Wade Sobkowich says a national rail strike involving both railways will have a major impact, as there is no Plan B.

According to the WGEA we move roughly 50 million tonnes of grain per day by rail in Canada.

Sobkowich says the railways on Tuesday started preparing for a work stoppage situation with both railways embargoing all Canadian-origin products.

As the clock ticks down on the strike deadline there's an overwhelming call for the Canadian government to intervene and prevent a national rail strike.

For months now Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian National and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference have been at the bargaining table but to no avail.

On Sunday, the union announced that unless the parties reached a last-minute agreement, workers would be off the job as of 12:01 a.m. eastern time Thursday.

Dylan Holloway knows signing with the St. Louis Blues doesn't sit well with some Edmonton Oiler fans.

Holloway expects to hear some boos when he hits the ice in Edmonton for the first time as a member of the St. Louis Blues.

"They definitely have very passion fans, and a lot of die-hard fans, so I wouldn't be surprised if there's some boos," said Holloway in a virtual press conference yesterday from his home in Bragg Creek, "but at the end of the day, I don't think the fans understand the circumstances we were put in."

A key highlight during the Canadian Beef Industry Conference is the naming of the winners for the 2024 National Environmental Stewardship Award.

Among the finalists for the title is Taylor Ranches a family run cow-calf operation on the Milk River Ridge southwest of Warner, Alberta.

Robert Taylor says he and his family operate an 800 head commercial black angus herd with a focus on wildlife management and habitat.

The Canadian Country Showcase, hosted by Courtney Fielder, airs every weekend on Saturdays at 12 PM and Sundays at 4 PM. Courtney engages in conversations with both emerging country music artists and the established stars we’ve come to love, celebrating their milestones and new releases. Episode 14 of the podcast, featuring Dallas Smith & a special appearance by American recording artist Jackson Dean, aired on the weekend of August 10th & 11th, 2024.

The Canadian Country Showcase, hosted by Courtney Fielder, airs every weekend on Saturdays at 12 PM and Sundays at 4 PM. Courtney engages in conversations with both emerging country music artists and the established stars we’ve come to love, celebrating their milestones and new releases.

The SLS Centre has announced the closure date of the Jayman Built Aquatic Centre for its annual maintenance period.

“Our pools and hot tub will be closed from Tuesday, September 3 until October 1,” reads a post on the SLS Centre’s social media.  

The swimming pools will be drained, inspected and extensively cleaned during the month.  

The time is also used to train staff and ensure everything is in top shape.