News

newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com The Ministry of Assisted Living and Social Services announced Thursday a new investment in affordable living for Alberta’s seniors. Under the Seniors Lodge Modernization Program, the provincial government is committing a total of more than $200 million over the next three years to support 1,000 units for seniors across the province. “The seniors lodge [...] Read More »

asmith@medicinehatnews.com In the basement of St. Joseph’s Home, health-care workers from across the city took the time Thursday to learn to better care for and advocate for those facing some of the most difficult diagnoses of their lives. Pallilearn is a program led by Palliative Care South Australia and adapted locally by the Covenant Health [...] Read More »

asmith@medicinehatnews.com Students from St. Mary’s School brought many a Hatter’s beloved childhood characters to life with their rendition of Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical. While the characters are well captured both in personality and in incredibly clever costuming choices – like the extra pair of “legs” complete with sneakers that make up Squidward’s distinct silhouette, or [...] Read More »

zmason@medicinehatnews.com At an unrelated press conference Thursday, Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services Jason Nixon responded to concerns aboutorthcoming changes to the province’s disability benefit framework. Despite pushback from advocacy groups and critics, and requests by several municipal governments to pause the implementation of the changes, Nixon stands by Alberta’s disability income support services. [...] Read More »

newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com During a recent professional development day teachers and staff of the Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education rolled up their sleeves to give back to the community. Several staff members spent the day on Mar. 6 preparing meals for the St. Barnabas Church’s Feed the Hungry program, the Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society and [...] Read More »

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday the government is putting an additional $32 billion into military forward operating locations in Yellowknife, Inuvik and Iqaluit and Deployed Operating Base 5 Wing in Goose Bay, N.L. The prime minister made the announcement in Yellowknife on Thursday before taking off for a planned visit to Norway. The $32 [...] Read More »

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has expanded it’s trade investigations to 60 countries, including Canada, in an effort to solidify the president’s tariff policies. The United States Trade Representative announced earlier this week that it was launching investigations under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 on the European Union and a handful of [...] Read More »

OTTAWA — The national unemployment rate was 6.7 per cent in February. Statistics Canada also released seasonally adjusted, three-month moving average unemployment rates for major cities. It cautions, however, that the figures may fluctuate widely because they are based on small statistical samples. Here are the jobless rates last month by city (numbers from the [...] Read More »

OTTAWA — Canada’s national unemployment rate was 6.7 per cent in February. Here are the jobless rates last month by province (numbers from the previous month in brackets): _ Newfoundland and Labrador 9.2 per cent (9.2) _ Prince Edward Island 7.2 per cent (7.6) _ Nova Scotia 7.1 per cent (6.9) _ New Brunswick 7.0 [...] Read More »

OTTAWA — A quick look at Canada’s February employment figures (numbers from the previous month in brackets): Unemployment rate: 6.7 per cent (6.5) Employment rate: 60.6 per cent (60.8) Participation rate: 64.9 per cent (65.0) Number unemployed: 1,514,200 (1,457,500) Number working: 21,037,300 (21,121,200) Youth (15-24 years) unemployment rate: 14.1 per cent (12.8) Men (25 plus) [...] 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 »

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com The Alberta NDP and Friends of Medicare advocacy organization have raised alarms about the provincial government’s proposed legislation that will allow people suffering from addictions and mental illness who are deemed a threat to themselves or others to be treated against their will. On Tuesday, the government introduced Bill 53, the Compassionate Intervention [...] 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 »