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 »

VICTORIA — British Columbia is moving to change its mandate on sales of zero-emission vehicles, reducing the 2035 target from 100 per cent to 75 per cent. The Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions says the legislative changes will align the provincial mandate with the federal government’s goals. The ministry’s statement also says 75 new [...] Read More »

OTTAWA — Two First Nations chiefs are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to apologize for saying he could “outlast” a First Nations woman who was protesting over mercury poisoning in her community. Chrissy Isaacs, a Grassy Narrows woman suffering from mercury poisoning, was in Toronto on Monday to demand compensation from the provincial government [...] Read More »

VANCOUVER — Multiple Facebook pages are claiming to share updates on the condition of a girl who survived a British Columbia school shooting in February, including that she is talking or has died. The posts are false, and come from Facebook “clickbait” pages that seek to divert users to external websites for the purpose of [...] Read More »

OTTAWA — Public Safety Canada says gun owners reported more than 67,000 banned firearms to the federal government as a first step toward receiving compensation in a buyback program. The tally is less than half of the 136,000 firearms for which the Liberal government set aside compensation money when the program for individual owners opened [...] Read More »

HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY — The federal government says it will spend a record-setting $8 billion on defence-related projects in Newfoundland and Labrador, though planning remains in the early stages. The Defence Department says the long-term investment would be the largest of its kind in the history of the province. The money is earmarked for upgrades [...] 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 »