MEDICINE HAT — The organization that represents Alberta’s irrigation districts is spearheading a project that will better allow stakeholders in the South Saskatchewan River Basin to improve watershed planning. The project will use the South Saskatchewan River Operational Model (SSROM) to determine how to best develop infrastructure to benefit Albertans, said Margo Jarvis Redelback, executive […] Read more
Alex McCuaig
Stories by Alex McCuaig
Loreburn elevator lost to fire
MEDICINE HAT — A blaze has gutted a grain elevator in a southwestern Saskatchewan town following a fire Sunday. Volunteers were called in from Elbow and Davidson to the Loreburn, Sask., scene Sunday morning to help battle the fire with local firefighters, according to social media postings from the village and participating fire departments. Favourable […] Read more
No charges laid in Taser incident
MEDICINE HAT — Charges won’t be laid against an RCMP officer accused of pointing a Taser at a civilian employee and the matter has been referred back to the force to investigate internally, according to a report by the Alberta law-enforcement watchdog. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) was called in to investigate allegations […] Read more
New Sask. university program to offer irrigation training
MEDICINE HAT — As plans for irrigation expansion continue in Saskatchewan and Alberta, the University of Saskatchewan is offering a new program to help agricultural professionals enhance their training in the burgeoning field. Joel Ens, the university’s Sustainable Irrigation program lead, said the courses are best suited for those in the agricultural industry looking to […] Read more
VIDEO: Alberta ag minister urges water conservation
The province establishes a drought command team to work on an emergency plan amidst the continuing drought threat
MEDICINE HAT — Alberta weather has faced dramatic swings recently, from record high temperatures in December to lows in January not seen in decades, but the threat of a devastating drought continues along the same trajectory. Snowpack reporting stations along Alberta’s Eastern Slopes and from the headwaters of rivers that flow into the province from […] Read more
Alta. braces for another bad fire season
MEDICINE HAT — The potential for a return of wildfires in the Peace Country continue to grow as dry conditions in Alberta’s northwestern quarter aren’t anticipated to improve without significant precipitation. The fires that hit the region started early and spread fast in May 2023 following a dry winter, causing dozens of communities to evacuate […] Read more
Fire breaks out at Saskatoon flour mill
MEDICINE HAT — A fire broke out at the P&H Mill in Saskatoon this morning, according to a release from the city’s fire department. Fire crews responded to the blaze after receiving a report of the incident shortly after 9:30 a.m. Friday. More than a dozen fire trucks had been dispatched to the scene as […] Read more
VIDEO: Alta. plans for water shortages
UPDATED – Video added to story January 16, 2024 – 1515 CST – MEDICINE HAT — An early January snowfall across the Prairies brought slight relief to dry conditions following one of the warmest, driest Decembers on record in Alberta and Saskatchewan, but drought concerns remain. Alberta is moving into high gear to co-ordinate agricultural, […] Read more
Potential exists for high spring ’hopper hatch
Latest forecast indicates migratory grasshoppers likely to emerge in a large cluster this spring rather than more gradually
MEDICINE HAT — The number of crop-damaging grasshoppers has been rising in southern and eastern Alberta since 2021 and conditions favour the trend to continue, according to the latest forecast. The warm, dry fall and early winter may have created a situation in which most southern Alberta grasshoppers have entered diapause, a type of hibernation […] Read more
Renewable energy hearings enter next phase
First part of inquiry heard about the impact of solar and wind projects on pristine landscapes and their use of farmland
MEDICINE HAT — The Alberta inquiry into development of renewable energy projects is entering its final stage and hearings are set to end next month. The first part of the inquiry wrapped up just before Christmas and included input from the public, municipalities, officials from power producers and environmental experts. Discussions involved the impact of […] Read more
