News

bmiller@medicinehatnews.com The city says in order to balance the budget and avoid falling further into debt, councillors must decide on either reducing costs by scaling back services, or increasing property taxes. During a corporate services committee meeting last week, staffers recommended council approve a 6.1 per cent municipal tax rate increase for all property classes [...] Read More »

newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com The province is providing Medicine Hat College a $60,000 funding grant to co-ordinate the first provincial Indigenous Learner Summit next spring. MHC announced Monday it was chosen to receive an Indigenous Learning Grant to be used to host the summit intended to bring together the post-secondary education system in support of Indigenous adult learners [...] Read More »

newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com RCMP released a public service announcement Tuesday encouraging homeowners, rural property owners and business owners to register security cameras with the RCMP’s national database. The Community Assisted Policing Through Use of Recorded Evidence, or CAPTURE, program is a voluntary registry that lets officers know where security cameras are located throughout the community. This knowledge [...] Read More »

zmason@medicinehatnews.com The Alberta government tabled a far-reaching new education bill Tuesday. The legislation, titled Bill 25: An Act to Remove Politics and Ideology from Classrooms and Amend the Education Act, proposes a slew of changes to the policy guiding education. Amendments in the bill would affect classroom neutrality, student and staff conduct, and rules around [...] Read More »

zmason@medicinehatnews.com New legislation is seeking to create a separate designation for Alberta whisky, distinguishing it from classic Canadian rye. The Alberta Whisky Act would create new standards for a product to be marketed as Alberta Whisky. Alberta Whisky would remain a variation of Canadian Whisky. Existing Canadian whiskies would not qualify as Alberta whiskies unless [...] Read More »

QUÉBEC — Former Quebec minister Lionel Carmant is rejoining the Coalition Avenir Québec caucus, five months after he resigned from the governing party to sit as an Independent over concerns with a bill reforming doctor pay. A smiling Carmant made the announcement alongside outgoing Premier François Legault. Carmant resigned in October amid widespread protest over [...] Read More »

MONTREAL — The Quebec coroner’s office has ordered an investigation into the deaths of five people experiencing homelessness in Montreal since September. Three of those deaths occurred over two days last week. In a news release, chief coroner Reno Bernier said the inquest will offer an in-depth analysis into the contributing factors of the five [...] Read More »

TORONTO — The judge overseeing the sexual assault trial of billionaire businessman Frank Stronach says she “couldn’t possibly convict” him on the charges related to one of the complainants in the case. Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy had voiced concerns Tuesday about the reliability of the evidence given by the first complainant to testify [...] Read More »

OTTAWA — The federal government is giving Ukrainians who fled the Russian invasion another year to apply for work permit extensions. Ukrainians who came to Canada before March 31, 2024, will now have until next year to apply to extend their work permits by up to three years. The government created an emergency program to [...] Read More »

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed … Astronaut Hansen fulfilling lifelong dream: wife As Jeremy Hansen prepares to begin a historic mission to the moon aboard the Artemis II, his wife says his family will be trying to take in every single moment. If [...] Read More »

Over 200 Blood Tribe members took part in The Blood Tribe Resource Fair Thursday in Standoff. The event was the first of its kind, says Levi Little Moustache, Director of Blood Tribe Employment and Skills Training (BTEST). “The event today was a collaboration of all the HR departments (including) all the departments under Blood Tribe, [...] Read More »

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com Misconduct allegations from more than five years ago finally culminated in a disciplinary hearing for Lethbridge Police Service Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh this week. The Lethbridge Police Commission held the hearing Thursday at City Hall to address misconduct allegations against Mehdizadeh regarding an incident that took place in March 2021. The allegations were made [...] Read More »

LETHBRIDGE HERALDjmanio@lethbridgeherald.com A perpetual challenge for not-for-profit organizations is funding for their charitable work. In support of its continuing mission, Lethbridge Family Services (LFS) is hosting an inaugural gala called “Spring to Light” on April 25 at the Agri-Food Hub and Trade Center, featuring Canadian comedian, television personality, political satirist, and author Rick Mercer. “This [...] Read More »

Some Lethbridge homeowners might be surprised to see an almost 14 per cent increase in their education taxes when they get their property tax bill this spring. According to the Government of Alberta website, education property taxes are increasing for 2025-2026 after being frozen in 2024-2025. For Lethbridge residents, this will amount to a 13.8 [...] Read More »

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com Efforts to raise $30 million to improve cardiac care in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat are paying off. Three new donation commitments totalling $350,000 mean a fundraiser to establish the Southern Alberta Cardiac Centre of Excellence has reached about a third of its goal. Campaign manager Jordan Cleland said Wednesday about $10 million has [...] Read More »