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 »

VANCOUVER — Police say a man involved in British Columbia’s deadly gang conflict who fled to Puerto Rico to dodge murder and conspiracy charges has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit says Conor D’Monte has been in custody since he was extradited back to Canada in March 2024. [...] Read More »

People across the country and around the world gathered to watch the launch of Artemis II, which sent humans back to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. Jeremy Hansen, 50, of London, Ont., will serve as the mission specialist for Artemis II and become the first non-American to travel beyond [...] Read More »

VICTORIA — Changing British Columbia’s Declaration on the Rights of Aboriginal Peoples Act is “non-negotiable” and it will be pushed into law, Premier David Eby said on Wednesday. “We are working with chiefs to try to find a path forward,” Eby said at an unrelated news conference in Victoria. “We have to do it, and [...] Read More »

VANCOUVER — Vancouver police say a man has been arrested after a series of robberies where the alleged thief bear sprayed unsuspecting sellers of high-value Pokémon cards. Police say there have been five robberies since March 23 involving transactions set up on Facebook marketplace to sell Pokémon cards, some of which are worth “thousands of [...] Read More »

OTTAWA — Canadians across the country watched the launch of Artemis II with a mix of excitement and nervousness, erupting into loud applause at the sight of the fiery liftoff of the historic moon mission. Gathered at historical sites, museums, libraries and arts centres, cheered on Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who is serving as mission [...] 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 »