Author: Gateway Gazette Contributor

  • Bobcats in Your Community?

    Bobcats in Your Community?

    Black Diamond residents have spotted a bobcat in the town. What do you know about living with wildlife? About Bobcats Bobcats in the wild are naturally shy of humans and are normally most active at sunrise and sunset. Though rare, bobcat sightings are increasing in parts of southern Alberta. Bobcats are highly adaptable and if…

  • The Impact on Unpaid Informal Caregivers

    The Impact on Unpaid Informal Caregivers

    The Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) released: The Impact on Unpaid Informal Caregivers Who Support Their Loved Ones Aging in Place. This report takes a look at the role of and toll on unpaid informal caregivers involving interviews with a cross-section of Albertans who provide care to cognitively unwell seniors. Our purpose was to learn…

  • Chinese Lunar New Year: The Year of the Rat

    Chinese Lunar New Year: The Year of the Rat

    Rats are clever, quick thinkers; successful, but content with living a quiet and peaceful life. The Rat is the first of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. The Rat tricked the Ox into giving him…

  • What you Need to Know about Cougars

    What you Need to Know about Cougars

    There has been evidence of cougar activity in Turner Valley. What can you do to limit contact with them? If you see a cougar in your community, call your nearest Fish and Wildlife office. A Fish and Wildlife officer can provide advice on preventing cougar encounters and responding when cougar encounters are unavoidable. Fish &…

  • Alberta Parks Photo Contest

    Alberta Parks Photo Contest

    Win two free nights of winter comfort cabin camping at Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park with Alberta Parks’ Photo Contest. Email your photos from any Alberta Provincial Park and Protected Area to socialalbertaparks@gov.ab.ca along with a short description, including the location of the photo. The winning photo will be announced and shared through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  In order to be eligible, a photo must…

  • From My Bookshelf: A House in the Sky

    From My Bookshelf: A House in the Sky

    A House in the Sky ~ Amanda Lindhout I put off reading this book for a long time.  While being held hostage for a huge ransom only because you are white, is never acceptable. I felt Lindhout had never taken responsibility for her conscious decision to travel to Somalia, a travel destination the Canadian government had…

  • Alberta Recognized for Progress on Red Tape

    Alberta Recognized for Progress on Red Tape

    The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has upgraded Alberta from an F to a B-minus for its work tackling red tape over the last seven months. After three years of failing grades, this is the first year the Alberta government has received a positive grade. The grade coincides with CFIB’s Red Tape Awareness Week, an…

  • Clearing the Hurdles to Longer-Term Mortgages

    Clearing the Hurdles to Longer-Term Mortgages

    January 21, 2020 – Longer-term mortgages would enhance both consumer choice and financial stability, but regulatory changes are needed to help them develop into a significant part of the Canadian residential mortgage market, says a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “One More Case for Longer-Term Mortgages: Financial Stability,” author Michael K. Feldman…

  • Charges in Christmas Eve 2017 Baby Death

    Charges in Christmas Eve 2017 Baby Death

    An investigation that began on Christmas Eve 2017, when a deceased infant was found inside a dumpster in the community of Bowness, has led to charges against a woman. At approximately 11:30 p.m., on Sunday, Dec. 24, 2017, a resident of the community called police after finding the body of a newborn infant in a garbage…

  • STARS Lottery Alberta Launches with 2,575 Prizes

    STARS Lottery Alberta Launches with 2,575 Prizes

    Alberta – January 16, 2020 – When you hear the sound of a STARS helicopter, you know it is involved in a life-saving mission. When you buy your STARS lottery ticket, you’re helping fund our life-saving operations, tools and training needed to save lives. The 27th edition of the STARS lottery launched today offering 2,575 prizes, valued at over $4.9 million. “The community…

  • The Growing Debt Burden for Canadians

    The Growing Debt Burden for Canadians

    Alberta government debt grew by more than 200%—largest increase among provinces CALGARY—Since 2007/2008, one year before the last recession, Alberta’s nominal provincial debt has increased by 204.5 per cent, the largest increase among the provinces, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank. “The Alberta government’s…

  • Okotoks Acquires Land for Affordable Housing

    Okotoks Acquires Land for Affordable Housing

    The Town of Okotoks, in partnership with Westwinds Communities (Westwinds), has purchased approximately 3 acres in the D’Arcy neighbourhood for affordable housing. The land was purchased for $2.6 million with an official possession date in December, 2019. “This is an important step towards becoming a more inclusive community for all residents,” said Mayor Bill Robertson. …

  • Turner Valley RCMP Investigating Theft of Catalytic Converters

    Turner Valley RCMP Investigating Theft of Catalytic Converters

    Turner Valley, Alberta – The Turner Valley RCMP are seeking public assistance in identifying the person responsible for an overnight theft of catalytic converters.  In the early morning hours of Friday January 17, 2020 an unidentified culprit removed the exhaust devices from two vehicles in the industrial park area of Black Diamond, Alberta.  The theft was captured on…

  • Are We Born With Our Diseases? How Our Microbiomes Influence Lifelong Health

    Are We Born With Our Diseases? How Our Microbiomes Influence Lifelong Health

    Research shows the way we’re born and the microbes we’re exposed to early in life set the course for our health over the entire span of our lives We have trillions of microbes all over our bodies — they live in our mouths, our guts and all over our skin. These bacteria, viruses and fungi…

  • Taking Action to Fight Liquor Store Thefts

    Taking Action to Fight Liquor Store Thefts

    The government has established a working group to protect Albertans by combating the growing public safety threat posed by liquor store robberies and thefts. Doug Schweitzer, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General, has appointed Brad Rutherford, MLA for Leduc-Beaumont, to chair the working group, which will examine the recent spike in crimes targeting liquor stores. …