Local News
Residential, commercial utility bills on hold until June
By COLLIN GALLANT on March 23rd, 2020
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant All residential and small commercial utility bills in Medicine Hat are on hold until mid-June, city finance officials announced late Friday as they implemented a provincial order to defer bills to help ease financial aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic response. That Alberta government order was announced midweek, as the city was already putting a ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!COVID 19 update – March 21
By Collin Gallant on March 21st, 2020
Medicine Hat News Here is a roundup of news on Saturday, current as of 9 a.m. Most of the City of Medicine’s utility customers will see their bills automatically deferred for 90 days, the city announced late Friday. The measure affects all residential, farm and small commercial customers with accounts with the city department and ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Business as usual at the city’s power facilities
By COLLIN GALLANT on March 21st, 2020
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant Managers at the city’s power plant report that in terms of the Alberta power supply system, the response to the coronavirus pandemic has been “pretty uneventful, really.” General manager Brian Strandlund said that in terms of power production the city’s facilities are all functioning, the utility is providing power to the provincial grid when ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!AMTS pleads for rest stop vandalism to end or closures could occur
By Medicine Hat News on March 21st, 2020
Recent vandalism at provincial rest stops has the Alberta Motor Transport Association pleading for this to stop as truckers depend on these facilities. The AMTA says some provincial rest stops are being continually vandalized with theft of toilet paper, soap and hand sanitizer and the facilities being damaged. “During this time the health and safety ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Housing Society sets up daytime shelter for duration of COVID-19
By JEREMY APPEL on March 21st, 2020
jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel The Medicine Hat Community Housing Society has opened a daytime homeless shelter for the ongoing COVID crisis’s duration. The shelter, a partnership between MHCHS, the Salvation Army and Alberta Health Services, opened its doors Friday at the MHCHS resource centre (476 Fourth St. SE). It will be open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. before ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Prescriptions may be limited to 30-day supplies as pharmacies grapple with drug shortages
By GILLIAN SLADE on March 21st, 2020
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade Alberta Health has given pharmacists an enhanced role during the COVID-19 pandemic and they may be limiting how many months of drugs you can get. Pharmacists will now be helping assess and screen for COVID-19 to provide Albertans with another way to access information. Alberta Health says the service is initially limited to just ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Public reminded that dentist office still open for emergencies
By Medicine Hat News on March 21st, 2020
While Alberta Health has advised dental offices to close they remain open for emergency treatment. On Tuesday the Alberta Dental Association and College announced a mandatory stoppage of all non-emergency dental treatment. The intent is to facilitate social distancing and limit the spread of the COVID19 virus. It is not a shut-down or closure of ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Home more? Get the kids involved in cooking
By GILLIAN SLADE on March 21st, 2020
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade Part two of two: If you are spending more time at home it’s the perfect opportunity to explore the kitchen and get the children involved in cooking, too. You may just discover that everyone has a lot of fun, says Marion Schoenberger, registered dietitian, Primary Care Network. Depending on the age of the children ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Hut 8 reduces power draw
By Collin Gallant on March 20th, 2020
Hut 8 Cryptocurrency announced this week that it is cutting its operating rate by half — thereby cutting power consumption by the same percentage — in order to “optimize” its operations and margins as the price of Bitcoin drops. The data-processing company earns Bitcoin for handling transactions of the most-popular cryptocurrency, but the market price ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Methanex idles overseas plants
By Collin Gallant on March 20th, 2020
Local methanol producer Methanex will idle plants in Trinidad this week and recently restarted plants in Chile as it expects demand for the industrial chemical to be hampered this spring. “There has been a substantial reduction in manufacturing activity in countries that have had significant outbreaks of COVID-19,” said CEO John Flroen in a statement ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Medicine Hat has two cases of COVID-19
By Collin Gallant on March 20th, 2020
Medicine Hat News Medicine Hat now has two confirmed cases of COVID-19. Here’s a look at more of a data. Alberta has recorded its first death due to Corona virus — a 60-year-old man in Edmonton — while the number of cases in the south zone also rose. Local health reporter Gillian Slade digs into ... Read More »
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