The United Conservative Party will be Alberta’s new government, receiving a majority mandate from voters Tuesday night. The party, with premier-designate Jason Kenney at the helm, will send at least 60 MLAs to the legislature this spring with a strong rural voice. “Our province has sent a message to Canada and the rest of the […] Read more
Tag Archives Alberta
Opposition leads Alta. gov’t as election looms
The polling results become narrower when voters are asked for their impressions of the NDP and UCP leaders
The Alberta election has not yet been called but political watchers agree the campaign is already well under way. The vote must take place sometime between March 1 and May 31. Zack Ziolkowski, Alberta counsel with the legal and lobby firm that represents Alberta agricultural groups to government, predicted an April 15 election when he […] Read more
Alta. and RCMP partner to increase efforts on fighting rural crime
The Alberta government is planning to increase efforts on combating rural crime in the province. During the throne speech at the legislature Thursday, Alberta lieutenant governor Lois Mitchell announced new initiatives that both the province and the RCMP will undertake to address rural crime. She said the initiatives include investing in new tracking technology and […] Read more
Energy no longer Alberta’s engine, says economist
Southern Alberta’s focus on agriculture has cushioned it against the recession that devastated parts of the province where the energy sector was the economic engine. Todd Hirsch, chief economist with ATB Financial, told those at the Alberta Irrigation Projects Association water conference Nov. 21 that agriculture has created a more consistent economic base in the […] Read more
Alberta councillors reject OHV registration
Sixty percent of rural delegates opposed the resolution for licensing, saying the fee would hurt rural residents and involve more government red tape
Alberta’s rural leaders won’t be lobbying the provincial government to institute a licensing system for off-highway vehicles anytime soon. The decision came about following much debate during the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (AAMD&C) annual convention on Nov. 15. Rod Shaigec, the mayor of Parkland County, brought forward the resolution to lobby the […] Read moreAlta. provides tax relief for abandoned wells
The Alberta government is set to provide rural communities with tax relief after officials announced today they’re launching a new program that deals with defunct oil and gas properties. The program, called called the Provincial Education Requisition Credit (PERC), will have funding of up to $10 million annually for municipal districts and counties to access. […] Read more
Beef check-off truce likely
INNISFAIL, Alta. — Beef producers in Alberta may be approaching an agreement on how to handle a $3 levy collected on every animal sold. Nothing is official but a plebiscite may be proposed to create a beef industry development fund and an agreed upon division of money among industry groups. “The biggest hitch is, where […] Read more
Young rancher remembered as dedicated community member, volunteer firefighter
Things were pretty quiet at the coffee shop in the hamlet of Walsh, Alta. Until James Hargrave walked in. Then the conversation livened up as everyone had something friendly to say to the young rancher and operator of the 25,000 acre JH Ranch nestled near the Saskatchewan border. That’s how Bob Lowe of Alberta Beef […] Read more
Fire damages ranches in southwestern Alberta
Damage has been reported to farms and ranches on the perimeter of Waterton Lakes National Park as a wildfire continues to burn in southwestern Alberta. Residents in the region east and north of the park were evacuated last night and the area under mandatory evacuation was expanded twice as the fire doubled in size, fed […] Read more
Tis the season for disease scouting
With harvest underway, canola growers are reminded to look for signs of blackleg, clubroot and sclerotinia
Lacombe, Alta. — Canola growers ready to swath should watch for abnormalities in the field — diseases like blackleg, clubroot or sclerotinia could be rampant, say agronomists. In fact, now is the best time to be on the lookout, according to Clint Jurke, agronomy director with the Canola Council of Canada. “Swathing is your prime […] Read more
