By Somya Lohia, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter “You took us down!” “What about the back room deal?” Voices shouted in protest, fists pounded on chairs and anti-mining placards waved in the air at the Fort Macleod community hall as Premier Danielle Smith stepped to the podium June 11 to face sharp scrutiny over Alberta’s coal future. Dozens stood along the walls, … Read more…
By Somya Lohia, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Reactions to last week’s coal town hall revealed the sharp divide that remains over coal development in southern Alberta. Dean Ward, a Municipality of Crowsnest Pass councillor who attended the meeting, said he was disappointed by what he described as a lack of respectful dialogue. “I went to the coal meeting in Fort Macleod … Read more…
By Rob Vogt It may look like a new park in Granum, but water and greenspace on the eastern edge of the hamlet serves a greater purpose.That facility is the Granum Storm Water Management and Flood Mitigation Project, now known as the Leavings Heritage Park, and an event celebrating its completion was held on June 11.Reeve Maryanne Sandberg of the … Read more…
Starting June 1, Alberta is the first province in Canada to require mandatory inspections for all incoming watercraft to keep invasive mussels out. Zebra and Quagga mussels destroy ecosystems, threaten shorelines and can cause hundreds of millions in damaged infrastructure. Alberta is currently 100 per cent free of zebra mussels and quagga mussels, but reports are increasing across Canada and … Read more…
By Peter Shokeir, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter JASPER – When Mathew Conte moved to Jasper to become its fire chief in 2021, he was well aware of the wildfire risk that the town faced. That is a risk shared by every forested community in Canada. “That risk and the hazard is always there,” Conte said. “It’s not really a matter of … Read more…
By Natasha Bulowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Canada needs more people working in clean-tech trades, and a new solar installation course aims to make it as easy as possible to break into this line of work. George Brown College just launched new solar energy technician and solar panel installer certificate programs to prepare students for solar installation jobs. The two new … Read more…
By Rob Vogt Claresholm has been deemed a critical habitat for bees.To that end, in June, pollinator gardens will be created at the Frog Creek Wetlands and the Bark Park, to create habitat for bees.That was just one of the messages delivered by Debra Still, restoration manager for the Oldman Watershed Council, to more than 30 people gathered at the … Read more…