News

kking@medicinehatnews.com The United Way South Eastern Alberta is helping Hatters wrap up the Christmas season in style. From now until Dec. 24, United Way will be operating a Christmas Wrapping Booth in Medicine Hat Mall near Hudson’s Bay. The annual volunteer-run service wraps gifts of all sizes with price determined by size. “The average gift [...] Read More »

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant Capital Power’s Whitla Wind farm is now the largest operating in the province, the company announced at its investors day on Thursday, as a $257-million expansion built in the County of Forty Mile came online on Dec. 1. At the same presentation the Edmonton-based power producer says it will expand a central Alberta wind [...] Read More »

kking@medicinehatnews.com United Way South Eastern Alberta and Medicine Hat’s Root Cellar are partnering to provide Hatters with warm Christmas meals this Holiday Season through the United Way Spirit of Christmas Feast on Dec. 25. The event is in its ninth year, however this will be the first year the organizations are partnering together. Missy Fandrick, [...] Read More »

kking@medicinehatnews.com Medicine Hat Salvation Army’s annual Christmas kettle campaign is off to a good start, says Capt. David Dale, co-ordinator for Medicine Hat’s Salvation Army operations. “Right now, it’s looking good. People are really supporting the campaign.” Dale told the News. “We’re at 24% of our goal … We still have three-and-a-half weeks to go, [...] Read More »

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews The unemployment rate in rural southern Alberta rose slightly month to month in November, while maintaining strong gains over late autumn in 2020. Most regions in Alberta saw the jobless rate fall in statistics released Friday by Statistics Canada. The rate in the Medicine Hat-Lethbridge economic region however, rose two 10ths of a percentage [...] Read More »

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant Two mayoral candidates are questioning the timing of major economic announcements just two months before Hatters go to the polls, with one calling a plan to create a local hydrogen strategy, “chasing rainbows,” while the other says it has potential but is still just an idea. “It’s being used to drum up some publicity [...] Read More »

Medicine Hat city council approved a motion to conduct a third-party audit of how a potential privatization of Invest Medicine Hat was handled. The decision, reached unanimously at Tuesday’s city council meeting, comes after the lone bidder in a request for proposals backed out due to a perception of conflict of interest last month. “I [...] Read More »

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant Mayor Ted Clugston says he will call for a third-party audit of how a potential privatization of Invest Medicine Hat was handled, saying it will likely “vindicate” city hall’s actions, but says any changes to economic development and municipal land sales are likely now on hold until after the October election. “It’s unfortunate, because [...] Read More »

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant The only company to bid on taking over Invest Medicine Hat has rescinded its proposal after public complaints the process appeared tainted, and it hopes “more discussion” will dispel that notion. Orka Management stated in a press release on Friday afternoon that “the perception of a conflict of interest is sufficient to remove our [...] Read More »

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant City councillors say they are waiting to see what’s been proposed and what it will cost before making a decision on contracting out economic development and land sales in the City of Medicine Hat. Coun. Jim Turner told the News he has followed coverage in the media about a potential contracting out process for [...] Read More »

David Leahy is hoping to be re-elected as a trustee for Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education in the upcoming election. A retired educator who worked in the Catholic school system for nearly 30 years, Leahy notes he is passionate for education. His own education includes a diploma of Applied Arts from SAIT, a Bachelor [...] Read More »

Catherine Wilson hopes her experience as a school board trustee will win her another term with the Medicine Hat Public School Board. She has spent two full four-year terms as a school board trustee, as well as serving the last seven months of her late father’s term. When her children were in school, Wilson became [...] Read More »

Nicholas Martin hopes being part of city council will aid his plans for a university in Medicine Hat. Born in Medicine Hat and raised in Redcliff, Martin attended Medicine Hat College and became a power engineer. He worked at a facility in town for five years until it was sold. He then became a contractor [...] Read More »

Mark Asham wants a seat on city council so he can focus on community growth paired with economic growth to build the city of Medicine Hat. Asham and his family moved to Medicine Hat in 1997. He loved the city and raising his family here. “I volunteered for many non-profit organizations and their boards since [...] Read More »

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant A man who spent nearly 40 days on life support suffering from COVID-19 this spring says he is well enough and invigorated to run the election campaign he first planned in 2020. Paul Hemsing also says he doesn’t want his long recovery from the disease to overshadow the issues in the Medicine Hat city [...] Read More »

kking@medicinehatnews.com Chandra Muszko believes that, above all else, a Medicine Hat Public School Division school board trustee must be trustworthy. “I’m focusing my attention on the areas of transparency within the school system and the board themselves,” Muszko told the News while describing her platform. She also hopes to launch a revised health and safety [...] Read More »

kking@medicinehatnews.com Social media comments made by Jillian Schempp, a trustee candidate for Medicine Hat Public School Division, regarding the COVID-19 vaccine have created a stir online. Through a series of Facebook posts Schempp claimed individuals who choose to be vaccinated are “practising satanism” and that “babies are literally sacrificed alive to make vaccines.” Throughout her [...] Read More »

lthomson@medicinehatnews.com Earlier this week, the News became aware of a series of Facebook posts made by Jillian Schempp, Medicine Hat Public School Board trustee candidate, that refer to the COVID vaccine as “satanic” and suggests “parents are selling their children’s bodies to the devil just to play volleyball.” Schempp responded by saying she is pro [...] Read More »

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant The finish line is in sight for mayoral candidates sprinting toward Monday’s municipal election. The campaign that officially began on the day of the federal election, will wrap up for almost five dozen mayoral, council and school board candidates when polls close at 8 p.m. on Oct. 18. Incumbent candidate Ted Clugston has argued [...] Read More »

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant At the heart of a near-record number of council campaigns this year are calls for greater transparency at city hall. Challengers rail against closed meetings and public consultations they say result in flawed decision making. Administrators and incumbent councillors argue that isn’t true, and surveys show the city is doing more now than ever [...] Read More »

The Trans Mountain pipeline has restarted following a three-week precautionary shutdown during a series of storms that battered southern British Columbia, causing extensive flooding and landslides. Trans Mountain Corp. says in a statement the pipeline was safely restarted Sunday after all necessary assessments and repairs were completed. It says some of that work included the [...] Read More »

HALIFAX – The Canadian military has discovered cracks in the tails of 19 of its 23 Cyclone helicopters. The Royal Canadian Air Force issued an emailed statement Sunday saying cracks had been detected in four helicopters, but that number jumped to 19 later in the day. The Air Force said the Sikorsky-made aircraft have not [...] Read More »

MONTREAL – Three major unions representing daycare workers in Quebec joined parents and opposition parties today in asking Premier François Legault to intervene in a strike that’s shuttered hundreds of government-subsidized centres across the province. The calls came today at a press conference held in Montreal. About 10,000 workers affiliated with the Confederation of National [...] Read More »

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – A kilt-wearing Scotsman and his dog have completed an 8,000-kilometre fundraising walk across Canada. Michael Yellowlees and his Alaskan husky, Luna, started their journey in Tofino, B.C., nine months ago, and they arrived at Cape Spear, N.L., Sunday afternoon. Yellowlees, who is from Dunkeld and Birnam in Scotland, undertook the epic [...] Read More »

OTTAWA – Maxime Bernier has easily held on to the leadership of the party he founded. Almost 96 per cent of votes cast in a leadership review were in favour of Bernier staying at the helm of the People’s Party of Canada. Voting started Nov. 12, wrapped up on Friday, and was only open to [...] Read More »

LAKE LOUISE, Alberta (AP) – Sofia Goggia captured a World Cup super-G on Sunday to go 3 for 3 in races at Lake Louise. The 29-year-old Italian finished in 1 minute, 18.28 seconds on a cold day to beat Swiss racer Lara Gut-Behrami by 0.11 seconds. Mirjam Puchner of Austria, starting 29th overall, finished in [...] Read More »

CALGARY – A health policy expert says Alberta’s app to keep drug users safe in the event of an overdose is a worthy endeavour, but she’s concerned fear could prevent many from using it. Elaine Hyshka, an assistant professor at the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health, says drug users may be concerned about [...] Read More »

LAKE LOUISE, Alberta (AP) – Sofia Goggia won a World Cup downhill by a wide margin for the second consecutive day Saturday, extending her streak in the discipline to six appearances in a row as she shapes up as a big favorite to defend her Olympic gold medal in Beijing in two months. Goggia, a [...] Read More »

EDMONTON – The City of Edmonton says there have been four fire-related deaths in the past two months involving people experiencing homelessness. The city says they may seek shelter in encampments, abandon buildings or other structures that are unsafe. It says that earlier this week, one person was found dead in an abandoned building in [...] Read More »

LAKE LOUISE, Alberta (AP) – Reigning Olympic champion Sofia Goggia of Italy won the first downhill race of the women’s World Cup season by a whopping margin of nearly 1 1/2 seconds on Friday, with Breezy Johnson second and her American teammate Mikaela Shiffrin back in 26th. Goggia dominated the course on a sunny afternoon [...] Read More »

LETHBRIDGE HERALDtbusch@lethbridgeherald.com Lethbridge’s Mission Thrift Store has a new pop-up location for shoppers looking for a holiday deal. The Winter Wonderland Christmas Store is located at 2932 26th Avenue S. (former Sobey’s Liquor Store) and is open 11-4:30 p.m. Monday – Saturday. The store has been open at that location since Nov. 1, and has [...] Read More »

A generous donation by a local family will ensure youth have someplace warm to go as the winter months settle in. On Friday, the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta made a special grant presentation and announcement at Wood’s Homes in the form of a donor advised grant that will address youth homelessness in [...] Read More »

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com The Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs this week heard a presentation based on the Parkland Institute’s recent report on the impact of provincial cuts to Alberta municipalities. Guest speaker was Jacqueline Peterson, an expert in municipal finance whose research focuses on multilevel governance, local finance and urban governance in both Canada and [...] Read More »

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com An Edmonton woman who was caught with her husband smuggling drugs over the border four years ago will not have to travel to Lethbridge for her sentencing hearing next month. Kirandeep Toor, who was scheduled to be sentenced last month along with her husband Gurminder, will be allowed to attend their hearing by [...] Read More »

LETHBRIDGE HERALDjtubb@medicinehatnews.com Anyone move any boulders in the ’70s? John Cowan, a former Canadian Pacific conductor, has written a book about his years working on trains and is looking for a dozen passengers who were part of his favourite story. Those passengers helped move a boulder off of a CP track in Kicking Horse Canyon [...] Read More »

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has announced that his administration will remove an enormous pedestal that until earlier this year held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The announcement on Sunday marks a reversal in course from September, when the Richmond statue was removed but the Democratic governor said the [...] Read More »

CAIRO (AP) – Tribal clashes between Arabs and non-Arabs killed at least 24 people Sunday in Sudan’s western Darfur region, an aid group said. It was the latest bout of intercommunal violence to rock the conflict-stricken region. The fighting grew out of a financial dispute late Saturday between two individuals in the Krinding camp for [...] Read More »

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Bob Dole, who overcame disabling war wounds to become a sharp-tongued Senate leader from Kansas, a Republican presidential candidate and then a symbol and celebrant of his dwindling generation of World War II veterans, has died. He was 98. His wife, Elizabeth Dole, posted the announcement Sunday on Twitter. Dole announced [...] Read More »

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) – A judge imposed a combined $1 million bond Saturday for the parents of the Michigan teen charged with killing four students at Oxford High School, hours after police said they were caught hiding in a Detroit commercial building. James and Jennifer Crumbley entered not guilty pleas to each of the four [...] Read More »

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) – Edward Shames, a World War II veteran who was the last surviving officer of “Easy Company,” which inspired the HBO miniseries and book “Band of Brothers,” has died. He was 99. An obituary posted by the Holomon-Brown Funeral Home & Crematory said Shames, of Norfolk, Virginia, died peacefully at his home [...] Read More »