Cochrane

Sunset Ridge has officially made history as the first two-time winner of the Best Neighbourhood Showdown.

The 2025 edition of the community party lit up Sunset Ridge Friday night, with nearly 20,000 votes cast to crown this year’s champion. Residents celebrated with great food from local food trucks, live music, and plenty of smiling faces, all under perfect late-summer weather.

Premier Danielle Smith’s Alberta Next Panel lands in Airdrie on Monday, Sept. 15 as it continues a provincewide tour gauging public views on Alberta’s relationship with Ottawa — feedback that could shape referendum questions slated for 2026.

The panel is built around six long-running grievances Smith’s government has with the federal government, from natural resources to taxation, policing and immigration.

Some Cochrane residents will have to quickly adjust their waste collection routines starting Monday, Sept. 15.

Collection days are changing in several neighbourhoods, disrupting years of familiar habits.

Town officials says the adjustments are intended to improve efficiency and reliability while preparing for future growth.

Waste and recycling (black and blue bins) will still be collected on the same day, with organics (green bin) picked up separately.

Global Affairs Canada summoned Russian ambassador Oleg Stepanov over the incursion of Russian drones into Poland this week, as Ottawa looks to help a new effort by the NATO military alliance reinforce its eastern flank.

The summoning occurred hours after Poland reported multiple Russian drones had entered Polish territory between Tuesday and Wednesday. NATO allies shot down some of the devices.

As Ottawa gears up to launch a new agency to build homes faster, internal government documents describe how dire the housing situation has become in Canada.

Briefing materials prepared for incoming Housing Minister Gregor Robertson this past May and released this week acknowledge that costly housing is hurting the economy and making it difficult for people to find places to live.

"Vulnerable populations and lower-income households are struggling to have their basic housing needs met due to a lack of suitable affordable housing," the documents say.

Ottawa's chief data officer says he thinks the introduction of artificial intelligence to federal government operations will lead to "some" job cuts in the public service.

In a recent interview with The Canadian Press, Stephen Burt said he thinks the impacts are going to vary widely and will be job-specific, with different outcomes in different areas.

While he wouldn't identify the risk of job losses in specific areas of government, Burt said the goal will be to ensure employees receive opportunities to retrain and change jobs.

Avian Influenza has been detected in three commercial poultry operations in Alberta. 

Earlier this week, the CFIA identifying one infected premise in Strathcona County and one in Beaver Country - both areas are located near Edmonton.
which is located near Edmonton. Another infected premise was confirmed on Wednesday in Minburn County.

Avian influenza - H5N1 - can affect wild bird and domestic bird populations. 

The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) presented The Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA) for 2025 to Don and Geraldine Bettle of Passekeag Holdings Inc

The couple run a 70 head Angus-based cow herd on a land base next to the Kennebecasis River and show incredible respect for the land and the environment protecting the water, riparian areas, and wildlife habitat.

A Mountie seriously injured in a highway crash while responding to a mass stabbing on a Manitoba First Nation says she's doing well but the tragedy will stay with her forever.

Residents and nature enthusiasts are invited to join a guided field trip tomorrow led by the Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA), exploring the Cochrane North area to highlight its natural features and potential environmental threats.

Tako Koning, a senior geologist with the Alberta Palaeontological Society, will lead the Saturday, Sept. 13 field trip and says drop-ins are welcome.

Participants will meet in the parking lot of the Cochrane Ranche Historic Site at 9 a.m.