Lethbridge Herald
Two popular southern Alberta attractions kickoff tourism season
As campgrounds fill, highways grow busier and southern Albertans shake off the last traces of winter, Victoria Day weekend is once again marking the unofficial start of tourism season across the region. And right on cue, two of the Lethbridge area’s...
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‘Lives will be lost’ without integrated EMS: Nunweiler
The longest-standing integrated Fire/ EMS system in North America is staring down what many at Thursday’s Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA) session learned is its biggest existential threat in 114 years. And if the mood in the room at...
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Future of EMS in the province’s hands, city council will not cover additional costs
After weeks of deliberations, public outcry and outrage, hundreds of messages to city council and hours spent at city hall by many members of the community, the future of the integrated Fire and EMS service is now in the provincial government’s...
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Screening says coal fight far from finished
If anyone in Tuesday night’s crowd thought Alberta’s coal fight had already been settled, The Eastern Slopes had other plans. What was billed as a documentary screening at University of Lethbridge quickly became a pointed reminder that the battle over...
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Teddy Bear Parade sees biggest turnout in years
The rumble of motorcycles outside Chinook Regional Hospital (CRH)l on Saturday morning carried more than chrome and horsepower…it carried teddy bears, stuffed animals, cash donations and a reminder that community can arrive in many forms—sometimes...
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Resident sounds alarm on dangerous intersection
A local resident has been sounding the alarm about the intersection at 13th Street S. and Ninth Avenue after both a pedestrian and cyclist were struck by vehicles within a two-month span. Virgil Grandfield lives a few blocks down from the intersection...
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Blood Tribe Police Service adds K-9 unit
STANDOFF, ALTA.- The Blood Tribe Police have recruited a couple of four-legged furry officers to assist them in their patrols. Police service dogs Grizzly, a three year-old German Shepherd and Fergus, an eight year old German Shepherd have officially...
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Council extends EMS contract discussions to May 12
A special city council meeting was scheduled for May 5 to vote on a motion regarding the new contract conditions presented by EHS, but due to a procedural error, where council had already voted on that motion during a previous closed meeting, council...
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CSAC to host a one-day awareness conference
With May being Sexual Violence Awareness Month, the Chinook Sexual Assault Centre (CSAC) is hoping to spark community conversations by hosting a one-day conference. The Believe and Transform Conference will take place at the Galt Museum and Archives...
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City providing many learning opportunities during National Emergency Preparedness Week
This week marks National Emergency Preparedness Week, and residents will have an opportunity to learn about it from the city and Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services during planned outreach activities throughout the week. Emergency Planning...
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EMS contract decision could hike taxes
After a long Thursday Community Issues Committee meeting, city administration is recommending city council not accept the province’s new contract conditions for emergency medical services (EMS), while preserving the right to participate in further...
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Students’ union funds $13.5M U of L sports dome
A major new indoor sports facility is coming to the University of Lethbridge (U of L) backed by a rare and significant investment from its own students. University officials announced Thursday a $13.5-million, airsupported multi-sport dome will be...
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Community booster Knud Petersen to lead 2026 Whoop-Up Days parade
If there is a fundraiser to staff, a game to cheer at, a cause to champion or a community project that needs another pair of hands, chances are Knud Petersen is already there. Now…one of Lethbridge’s most familiar and quietly tireless volunteers will...
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Lethbridge ceremony honours fallen workers, renews push for workplace safety
Every name remembered carries a story, mourners were told Tuesday morning at Mountain View Cemetery… and every story is a reminder that going to work should never cost a life. Under partly-cloudy prairie skies, workers, union leaders, city officials,...
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Smile Cookie week kickoff shares organ donation message from Green Shirt Day
The Tim Hortons Holiday Smile Cookie week is back and this time to spread the message of organ donation and Green Shirt Day. From now until May 3, residents will have the opportunity to enjoy a cookie that will not only satisfy their sweet tooth, but...
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Province introduces four new expedited teaching certificates
The provincial government is introducing four new expedited teaching certificates to help qualified individuals enter classrooms sooner. Minister of Education and Childcare, Demetrios Nicolaides and Minister of Advanced Education, Myles McDougall...
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‘Alberta Time’: Bill tabled to ditch clock changes, keep daylight time all year
Alberta took the first formal step Thursday toward ending more than a half-century of annual clock changes. Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party government introduced a bill that would see the province remain on daylight time year-round...
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Fenian Raids medal heading home
A small silver medal, its edges etched with a name and unit, is making a long journey home—one that began more than 150 years ago with a young militiaman in Ontario and now passes through a Lethbridge Legion hall. On Wednesday morning, at Royal...
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Neuroscience professor against Alberta switching to daylight time year-round
After Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally confirmed Monday that the province plans to stick with daylight time year-round, professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Lethbridge, Robert McDonald shared his thoughts on the...
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Volunteers keep Lethbridge running
“Good help is hard to find” goes the saying. In the world of non-profits, there’s often an unspoken add-on: especially when there isn’t the funding to pay for it. Across Lethbridge, organizations supporting everything from animal welfare to seniors’...
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Lethbridge steps up for Afghan girls education Cardston receives investment for new health care facility
It’s a classroom where the cameras stay off, the connections flicker, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. In some cases, just logging in could mean risking everything. That was the reality laid bare Thursday evening at the University of Lethbridge,...
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AI content should be labelled, heritage committee says
The government should require that content generated by artificial intelligence be clearly labelled, a House of Commons committee said in a new report. The members of Parliament on the committee are calling for standardized labels for AI content that...
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LFES preparing for fire season
With warm temperatures, low humidity and dry vegetation across southern Alberta, Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services (LFES) is reminding residents that wildfire risk in the city is currently high. Preventing fires starts with individual action and...
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Thinking fast, winning big: Lethbridge speaker advances to district stage
The question comes out of nowhere. No notes. No warning. Just two minutes to make it count. And for Lethbridge’s Archie Mpofu, that moment—the pause before the first word—is where everything begins. It’s also where he’s built a winning streak. The...
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Emergency Communications Officers being recognized during NPSTW
This week marks National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (NPSTW) and Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services (LFES) is recognizing the Emergency Communications Officers that answer the call when someone needs them the most. When someone calls...
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Immersive tech takes training off the screen and into the room
Inside a nondescript room at Lethbridge Polytechnic, a group of people slip on headsets and vanish. Not physically, of course. But in seconds, they’re standing somewhere else entirely… inside a construction site, a hospital emergency, a high-risk...
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Sweeping starts Monday...move cars or get ticketed
Residential street sweeping will begin on Monday to clear streets from debris that has settled since last year. Sweeping near school sites is happening this week during Easter break and major roads will be cleared at night to avoid...
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We’re Not Book Bouncers’: Library Workers Sound Alarm Over Bill 28
Bill 28 will allow the minister to initiate reviews or respond to complaints related to public libraries, it will restrict access to sexually explicit visual materials in public libraries to individuals 16 and older and minors under 15 will not be...
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Exhibit shows how decorated RAF pilot went from sword to ploughshares
A photograph in the new exhibit at the Lethbridge Military Museum gets visitors’ attention — a young Royal Air Force officer standing tall in uniform, composed and confident, the kind of man you might expect to spend a lifetime in the skies or behind a...
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HOW A CONVERSATION LED TO GREEN SHIRT DAY
All it took was a single conversation in the summer of 2017 to completely transform the lives of the Boulet family. Toby Boulet was sitting on the back porch of the family home with his son Logan after they had returned from attending the celebration...
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GOOD FRIDAY GLOW: A SOLEMN START TO EASTER’S JOY
Members of the McKillop United Church choir and congregation gather in candlelight near the close of Good Friday morning services, marking one of the most solemn moments in the Christian calendar. Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus and...
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Schools should teach students how to think, not what to think, says Nicolaides
On Wednesday, Minister of Education and Childcare Demetrios Nicolaides introduced Bill 25: An Act to Remove Politics and Ideologies from Classrooms and Amend the Education Act. Nicolaides said the bill has been introduced to help address challenges...
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Golf Classic aims to boost cardiac care in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat
If you’ve ever had to make the drive to Calgary for a cardiac appointment—or waited while someone you love made that trip—you already understand the stakes. Now imagine not having to leave southern Alberta at all. That’s the goal behind the newly...
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Murder of Lethbridge resident under investigation
On Monday Lethbridge Police announced that they have charged Lethbridge residents Darcy Andrew Medicine Crane, 43, and Jordan Frank North Peigan, 27, with one count of first-degree murder each in connection with the death of a 27-year-old man. This...
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Capes, combat & community expo ignites fan spirit
The clang of steel on steel isn’t something you expect to hear indoors—but it’s exactly what greeted visitors Friday as fully armoured knights squared off on the floor of Excite Lethbridge (Lethbridge Trade and Convention Centre). A few steps away,...
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Tourism now seen as a serious business and economic growth support
Tourism Lethbridge partnered with SouthGrow Regional Initiative to expand the Southern Alberta Economic Summit with the addition of a dedicated Tourism Day on Wednesday. The event brought together municipal leaders, tourism operators, economic...
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As ambulance questions mount: Mayor Hyggen says costs unknown
Mayor Blaine Hyggen spoke to media Wednesday to provide an update on the Ground Ambulance Service Agreement with Emergency Health Services – Alberta and said he was heading to Edmonton that afternoon, to speak with the provincial government and Mayors...
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Lethbridge firefighters pack council chambers to hear update on ambulance service
Lethbridge city council saw a full house on Tuesday, where dozens of Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services members attended the meeting in hopes to receive an update on the Ground Ambulance Agreement. A presentation entitled “Emergency Health...
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Moonlight run delivers 1,700 runners & one T-Rex
If you were scanning the night sky over Lethbridge on Saturday, you might have spotted a sliver of moon peeking through the cloud cover. If you were closer to ground level, however, your odds improved dramatically—you would have seen nearly 1,700...
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Spring starts with a swing
At Paradise Canyon Golf Resort, the grass is still winter-yellow, the snow chased off by warmer days and the ever-present wind. But under a bright first-day-of-spring sun on Friday, that’s more than enough for golfers eager to get back on the...
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Sweeney Todd takes the stage
The razors are sharp, the music is haunting, and a dark classic is taking centre stage in Lethbridge. For the first time, the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra and Little Lethbridge Opera Theatre are joining forces to bring Sweeney Todd to life — and...
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Council of Women’s Shelters report highlights transportation barriers
The Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS) released a report that shows how transportation is the first barrier to safety for many survivors of gender-based violence in rural Alberta. Titled “A Ride Can Save a Life: Transporting Survivors in Rural...
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Anand says Canada’s focus in Iran war is on unblocking Strait of Hormuz
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said on Tuesday that she agrees with Prime Minister Mark Carney that the United States’ attack on Iran violates international law — and so does Iran’s blockade of the crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping route. “The...
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NOT YOUR AVERAGE “POUND PUPPIES”
Pound Rescue volunteer Shawn Lapointe holds puppy Harley while Debbie Russel tends to the other pups in the pen on day 3 of the Southern Alberta Home, Garden & Leisure Show Saturday. Their puppy meet-and-greet was very popular at this year’s show....
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Hammering It Home: Brothers win BILD building contest
The sound of hammers striking nails echoed across the exhibition floor as students leaned over workbenches, measuring, sawing and sanding against the clock. At this year’s “Who Built It the Best” competition, the challenge was simple — but far from...
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Home, Garden & Leisure Show has lots to offer this year
The Home, Garden & Leisure Show is now at full swing at the Lethbridge Trade and Convention Centre until Saturday, offering attendees an opportunity to interact with hundreds of exhibitors, chances to win prizes and enjoy demonstrations, competitions...
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Council to have tough budget decisions forthcoming
Mayor Blaine Hyggen said Wednesday he understands the frustration from residents about the increases to provincial educational property taxes in a time of affordability crisis. “There are certain things that we can control, and as council we control...
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City CFO presents budget impacts during council meeting
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Treasurer Darrell Mathews provided a presentation on Provincial Budget Impacts during Tuesday’s City Council meeting, for information only. During the meeting, before Mathews gave his presentation, Mayor Blaine Hyggen...
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Agriculture Rotary Scholarships cultivate future leaders
Community leaders, farmers, students and industry partners gathered Thursday evening to celebrate agriculture and the young people preparing to carry the industry forward. The 8th Annual Rotary Ag Scholarship Awards Dinner, hosted by the Rotary Club...
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CANstruction Lethbridge supporting local food banks
CANstruction Lethbridge has returned for their 12th year to help restock the shelves of local food banks with much needed canned food, while displaying the creativity, engineering, and community spirit showcased in the structures on display at the...
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CRH campaign receives half a million dollar donation
The Bringing Hearts Home Campaign received a $500,000 donation from Witdouck Farms, a fourth-generation southern Alberta producers Thursday. Crystal Elliott, CEO of the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation Crystal Elliott said the agricultural...
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Lethbridge School Division, ATA react to Budget 2026
After having some time to review the Budget 2026 allocation for education, the Lethbridge School Division and the Alberta Teachers’ Association have shared their thoughts on the matter. The Lethbridge School Division said they welcome the Government...
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Green Shirt Day theme and shirt logo revealed
With Green Shirt Day quickly approaching, Toby and Bernadine Boulet released this year’s shirt logo during a ceremony at City Hall Tuesday morning, a day after what would have been their son Logan’s 29th birthday. Green Shirt Day on April 7 is a day...
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Province announces $59 million investment for expanded services
Premier Danielle Smith was at the Chinook Regional Hospital Monday, to announce the provincial budget investment of $59 million over three years into expanding cardiac services and intensive care capacity in Southern Alberta. The announcement was made...
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Budget 2026 is focused on growing a highly skilled workforce
Minister of Advanced Education Myles McDougall, says a strong economy starts with a strong postsecondary system and Budget 2026 invests in the programs, training spaces and campus infrastructure needed to prepare Alberta’s students for the jobs of...
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Budget 2026 to have a $9.4 billion deficit, if passed
President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance, Nate Horner spoke to media Thursday afternoon and said Budget 2026 is focused on what matters most for Albertans, as the province prepares for a challenging year ahead. Minister Horner said this...
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Hyggen responds to WestJet announcing the discontinuance of Lethbridge flights
WestJet announced on Monday they will be discontinuing their commercial flights out of Lethbridge as of June 24. Mayor Blaine Hyggen says this announcement came as a complete bombshell to him, but was a prime example of “if you don’t use it, you lose...
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Motion passed to request paused implementation of ADAP program
It was standing room only in the City of Lethbridge council chambers yesterday afternoon as a motion was passed unanimously to send a letter to the Alberta government requesting them to pause implementing the Alberta Disability Assistance Program...
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Lethbridge Police Service meet all 159 standards after recent audit
The Lethbridge Police Service recently released its Provincial Policing Standards Audit report, where they were fully compliant with all 159 standards. Inspector Robin Klassen said all police services across Alberta must go through these audits every...
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Rally set for Sunday afternoon as Neudorf recall signage period ends
With the Nathan Neudorf recall petition signing period ending on Monday, a group of citizens plan to hold a rally for people who feel dismissed after not being able to sign the petition on Sunday afternoon. Gaye Metz, organizer of the event, says she...
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Smith to put immigration, Constitution questions on fall referendum
Premier Danielle Smith announced a packed referendum slate coming Oct. 19 during her televised address to the province Thursday evening. The referendum questions will cover a number of topics, including non-constitutional questions that ask whether...
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Carney one step closer to majority government as Jeneroux joins Liberals
Edmonton MP Matt Jeneroux is now the third Conservative to cross the floor to the Liberal caucus in recent months — and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is accusing him of betraying voters in his Alberta riding. Jeneroux’s decision to cross the...
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Poilievre says he’s spoken with Jivani about U.S. trip and MP ‘speaks for himself’
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Tuesday Ontario MP Jamil Jivani does not speak for the party after Jivani told a right-wing U.S. news site that Canada is harming itself with an “anti-America hissy fit.” In a scrum with reporters, Poilievre...
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Police tape down in Tumbler Ridge as a victim was honoured 14,000 km away
On a cold grey morning, residents of Tumbler Ridge, B.C., made their way to their churches’ first Sunday services since the recent shootings in the tiny community in which nine people died. An invisible thread connected the worshippers with another...
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Province to invest in classroom complexity teams
Premier Danielle Smith, alongside Minister of Education and Childcare Demetrios Nicolaides, announced Thursday the Alberta Government will be investing $143 million to establish 476 complexity teams, comprising one teacher and two educational...
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Shy smiles and braces: RCMP release names, photos of eight Tumbler Ridge shooting victims
The names and photos of eight children and adults shot to death in a small B.C. town were released Thursday in a sombre visual rollcall of chubby cheeks, shy smiles and braces. The 2,700 residents of Tumbler Ridge, meanwhile, began coping not only...
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12-year-old boy charged with attempted murder has been sentenced
A 12-year-old boy charged with the attempted murder of his seven-yearold brother has been sentenced to three years of Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision. The accused, who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, has...
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Hapag Ala Eh brings Filipino flavours to historic downtown location
Downtown Lethbridge is getting a new taste of the Philippines with the opening of Hapag Ala Eh, a familyowned restaurant in a space with deep culinary history. “Hapag” refers to a dining table— specifically one where people gather to eat. “Ala Eh” is...
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Murray Chevrolet donates $1 million to Bringing Hearts Home Campaign
Inside the shell of Chinook Regional Hospital’s future cardiology centre, the promise is clear — but the work is far from done. Unassembled cubicles, hospital beds, and equipment await installation, and fundraising for the services and infrastructure...
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SACI cuts ribbon for new building at Lethbridge Polytechnic
High school students in southern Alberta have the opportunity to experiment when making the biggest decision of their life-what they want to do with the rest of their life, thanks to the brand new Southern Alberta Collegiate Institute (SACI), which...
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Alberta’s Smith owes answers before separation vote: former federal minister Dion
The man who helped write the rules on separation votes in Canada says if Alberta’s premier is going to take her province down that “worrying” path, she has a duty to spell out to everyone how it will be triggered and what happens afterward. Stéphane...
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Warm spell gives city head start on winter pothole repairs
Potholes—those rim-bending reminders of freeze-thaw cycles—typically announce themselves in March and April. But this February, an unusual stretch of warmer weather has given city crews a rare opportunity to tackle road repairs early, patching hazards...
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‘Hitting everybody so hard’: Alberta town remembers three hockey players killed in crash
Tributes across Canada and the hockey community have embraced a small Alberta town, where three junior hockey players died in a car crash trying to cross a divided highway to get to morning practice. Although most of the Southern Alberta Mustangs are...
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February is Heart Health Month
With February being recognized as Heart Health Month, this provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of improving access to care closer to home, and to do just that, the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation is taking part of the Bringing...
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New U of L exhibition digs deeper into the meaning of soil
Most people don’t think much about soil unless it is clinging to their boots or smudged on their hands — something to be brushed off, swept away or worked through to get to what really matters. A new exhibition opening at the University of Lethbridge...
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2026 Polar Plunge to take place in Festival Square
The Lethbridge Police Service and the Law Enforcement Torch Run are encouraging community members to register for the 2026 Polar Plunge and brave the cold to raise funds for Special Olympics. Cst. Gavin Enns with the Downtown Policing Unit told media...
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