Lethbridge news

• Fatal crash closes section of Highway 3 in southern Alberta

  19-11-2019 23:49
  
  CALGARY — A 75-year-old Pincher Creek man was killed Tuesday when the car he was driving collided head-on with a cattle liner on Highway 3 west of Lethbridge. RCMP were called about 9 a.m. and in a release said the preliminary investigation shows the car was heading east on Highway 3 when it collided with the cattle liner. That section of Highway 3 is expected to be closed throughout the afternoon as cattle are removed. Traffic is being re-routed through the Pikani Nation however large com
  
  Read more

• Firing of Alberta election commissioner called ‘political interference,’ Opposition seeks intervention

  19-11-2019 23:18 via globalnews.ca
  
  Political analysts are calling the Alberta government's bluff after it announced on Monday it was firing the election commissioner.
  
  Read more

• Rachel Notley kicked out of Alberta legislature for comment on election watchdog’s dismissal

  19-11-2019 23:06 via globalnews.ca
  
  Alberta NDP Opposition Leader Rachel Notley has been kicked out of the legislature chamber after she refused to apologize for comments about the United Conservative government firing the province's election watchdog.
  
  Read more

• Trudeau shaking up his cabinet, several ministers getting new portfolios

  19-11-2019 22:52
  
  OTTAWA —In what is shaping up to be a considerable shakeup of Prime Minster Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, several key ministers are on the move, including Catherine McKenna, Chrystia Freeland, Jonathan Wilkinson and Francois-Philippe Champagne. McKenna is being shuffled out of her environment and climate change portfolio and will be replaced by Wilkinson, sources tell CTV News.        A new Parliament begins soon: Sign up for our Capital Dispatch newsletterMcKenna wil
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Trudeau shaking up his cabinet, McKenna out of environment portfolio

  19-11-2019 22:52
  
  OTTAWA —In what is shaping up to be a considerable shakeup of Prime Minster Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, Catherine McKenna is being shuffled out of her environment and climate change portfolio and will be replaced by Jonathan Wilkinson, CTV News has learned. McKenna will take on the role of infrastructure and communities, which is expected to have some overlap in terms of the work she has been doing when it comes to flood mitigation and green infrastructure. North Vancouver, B.C. MP Wil
  
  Read more

• What to do when your little athlete wants to quit: ‘I’m not sure we have to stick it out at all costs’

  19-11-2019 22:50 via globalnews.ca
  
  Leaving a sport could mean parents forgo hundreds of dollars and the child misses out on an opportunity to develop as an athlete and a teammate. So what should parents do when their little athlete wants to quit?
  
  Read more

• Investor vows to vote against Encana moving HQ from Calgary to Denver

  19-11-2019 22:47 via globalnews.ca
  
  A Canadian investment management firm with a four per cent stake in Calgary-based Encana Corp. says it will vote against Encana's plan to move its headquarters to the United States.
  
  Read more

• Calgary Zoo tiger Katja euthanized, necropsy shows ovarian cancer

  19-11-2019 22:38
  
  CALGARY — Days after the Calgary Zoo animal care team became concerned about the health of Amur tiger Katja, the 19-year-old cat was euthanized. A necropsy done Tuesday morning determined Katja was suffering from ovarian cancer and related issues. Animal caregivers had noticed changes in her behaviour in recent days, including a decreased appetite and activity level. “Our veterinary team examined her (Monday) under anesthesia and determined that the health changes Katja was experienc
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• RCMP issue nearly $1,000 ticket to driver going double speed limit on grid road

  19-11-2019 22:17
  
  REGINA -- The RCMP issued a nearly $1,000 ticket to a driver going more than twice the speed limit on a grid road near Balgonie. In a tweet, the RCMP said the driver was travelling 124 kilometres an hour on a 60 kilometres an hour road south of Balgonie. The driver was issued a $995 ticket, and had their vehicle impounded.1/2 Recently one of our officers with Regina CTSS caught the driver of this vehicle speeding down a grid road south of Balgonie doing 124km/h in a 60km/h zone. The vehicle was
  
  Read more

• U of A researchers discover new drug that could revolutionize cancer treatment

  19-11-2019 22:15 via globalnews.ca
  
  The newly discovered drug works by preventing cancer cells from repairing their own DNA during treatment.
  
  Read more

• Rachel Notley kicked out of legislative assembly

  19-11-2019 22:15
  
  EDMONTON -- Alberta New Democrat leader Rachel Notley was removed from the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday afternoon after she refused to apologize for comments she made about Bill 22. The bill, which was announced Monday, includes a move to "merge and consolidate the Office of the Election Commissioner into the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer,” and the termination of Election Commissioner Lorne Gibson’s contract. The move comes in the midst of an investigation by Gibson into a
  
  Read more

• Toxic algae, climate change, bad policy: Scientists say fresh water under threat

  19-11-2019 22:08
  
  HAMILTON -- Canada will be up a creek without a paddle if it doesn't acknowledge threats to its fresh water, says a report from some of the country's top water scientists. "We've enjoyed the luxury of the myth of limitless abundance of fresh water in Canada," said Bob Sandford, a co-author of a report by the Global Water Futures project, which involves 22 universities. "Canada is not a water-secure country." Climate change is rapidly outpacing water use policies that haven't changed in decades a
  
  Read more

• Flames defenceman TJ Brodie undergoes more tests, won't play against Avalanche

  19-11-2019 21:37
  
  Flames defenceman TJ Brodie won’t be in the lineup Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche. Brodie collapsed and went into convulsions after a drill in practice last week. Head coach Bill Peters had this update after Tuesday’s morning skate. "Brodie continues to get testing done. It’s all coming back positive and good. All the results have been good but still some testing and some results." he said.T.J. Brodie collapses, convulses at Calgary Flames practiceBrodie is not th
  
  Read more

• Major Encana shareholder rejects company's move to the U.S.

  19-11-2019 21:29
  
  CALGARY – A firm that owns about four per cent of Encana says it will be voting against its proposed plan to move its headquarters from Calgary to Denver, Colorado. Letko, Brousseau & Associates Inc., an investment firm based in Montreal, says the company's move would affect Canadian investors and put pressure on the company's shares. "The company argues that new U.S. index fund investors would replace Canadian shareholders," Letko Brosseau said in a release. "That expectation is at be
  
  Read more

• What to do when your child wants to quit sports

  19-11-2019 21:25 via globalnews.ca
  
  You paid the enrolment fee, bought the equipment and committed to the season. But now, two practices in, your child says: “I don’t want to go.” How do you know when to call it quits or stick out the season? Laurel Gregory has more.
  
  Read more

• Sask. Health Authority memo clamps down on 'discordant messaging' from doctors

  19-11-2019 21:11
  
  SASKATOON -- The Saskatchewan Health Authority is asking physician leaders to leave out sensitive information from department meeting minutes out of fear that it will end up in the media via freedom of information requests. "If you do not want to see it in the newspaper, then do not include it in the meeting minutes," says a Sept. 24 briefing note to the Area Practitioner Advisory Committee in Regina. The memo also appears to discourage physicians in positions of authority from speaking to outsi
  
  Read more

• Alberta government taking another look at scrapping Daylight Saving Time

  19-11-2019 21:09 via globalnews.ca
  
  An online survey asking Albertans for their thoughts on scrapping Daylight Saving Time is open until Dec. 10.
  
  Read more

• NDP questioning of oil and gas panel commissioner 'appalling,' justice minister says

  19-11-2019 21:06
  
  EDMONTON -- Alberta Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer passionately defended the head of Alberta's oil and gas inquiry after the NDP asked whether he broke conflict of interest rules in granting a $2.5-million contract to his son's law firm. In a meeting of the Standing Committee on Families and Communities, Schweitzer addressed the controversy surrounding Steven Allan, who is heading up the public inquiry into whether foreign interference is affecting the province's oil and gas industry. "This pe
  
  Read more

• U of C student set to depart Hong Kong as violence between police and protesters escalates

  19-11-2019 20:52
  
  CALGARY – The University of Calgary is working to help two of its students, presently studying in Hong Kong, safely exit the territory. One of the two students spoke to CTV Tuesday morning. The man, who is studying business at Hong Kong University, did not want his name disclosed as he fears it could compromise his safety. "The U of C has actually helped me out quite a bit," said the student. "They're giving me a good option to get out." He says he was planning to stay in Hong Kong until t
  
  Read more

• Annual bus fees for families in Rocky View Schools due in the new year

  19-11-2019 20:36
  
  CALGARY – Parents of students in the Rocky View School Division are being told to settle their outstanding bus fees by mid-January. Last week, the school board announced it would be enacting bus fees for families whose students ride the bus but live 2.4 km or further from their designated school. Under the rules brought into effect under the NDP government, those families did not have to pay. However, due to recent UCP budget cuts, RVSD announced it would be instituting a $308 per rider an
  
  Read more

• Calgary couple asks for help to grant daughter’s wish to walk

  19-11-2019 20:33
  
  CALGARY — A Calgary couple has rented their home and sold many of their belongings so their four-year-old daughter can start treatment overseas before a pricey surgery in the hope their little girl will be able to walk on her own. Ariela Berkovich was diagnosed with periventricular leukomalacia, cerebral palsy at the age of two. She has qualified for selective dorsal rhizotomy surgery in the U.S., which will cost US$100,000. “She cannot walk by herself, she always needs assistance, s
  
  Read more

• Searching for answers: Calgary family questions mental health resources after son’s suicide

  19-11-2019 20:31
  
  CALGARY — Domenico Mucciacito was found drunk and bleeding in the basement of his family’s home. It was late November of 2018 and the young man was suffering from depression and needed help. His family called police and officers took him to the Foothills Medical Centre where they hoped he would be connected with the mental health professionals he needed. Eleven months later, on Oct. 5, 2019, Domenico took his own life. He had turned 23 years old earlier that week. In the weeks since
  
  Read more

• UCP government explores eliminating semiannual time changes

  19-11-2019 20:20
  
  CALGARY – The provincial government has taken a preliminary step toward scrapping the Daylight Saving Time Act by asking Albertans for feedback on changing the clocks. Albertans are encouraged to participate in an online survey regarding the observation of daylight time. "We know people have strong opinions about changing their clocks twice a year and we want to hear them," said Nate Glubish, Service Alberta Minister, in a statement released Tuesday. "Earlier this year, the EU (European Un
  
  Read more

• UCP government explores eliminating biannual time changes

  19-11-2019 20:20
  
  CALGARY – The provincial government has taken a preliminary step toward scrapping the Daylight Saving Time Act by asking Albertans for feedback on changing the clocks. Albertans are encouraged to participate in an online survey regarding the observation of daylight time. "We know people have strong opinions about changing their clocks twice a year and we want to hear them," said Nate Glubish, Service Alberta Minister, in a statement released Tuesday. "Earlier this year, the EU (European Un
  
  Read more

• CN strike another hit to Prairie economies

  19-11-2019 20:20 via globalnews.ca
  
  The transport disruption threatens shipments of oil, grains and potash, with Western Canada likely to feel the most pain from prolonged disruptions.
  
  Read more

• U.S. Congress wants review of Keystone pipeline in wake of North Dakota spill

  19-11-2019 20:12 via globalnews.ca
  
  Top U.S. House Democrats have called for a federal review of the Keystone pipeline and the agency that regulates it in the wake of 1.4-million-litre spill in North Dakota.
  
  Read more

• Alberta energy minister calls for Parliament to return early to end CN Rail strike

  19-11-2019 19:38
  
  Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage is calling on the federal government to bring back Parliament early to enact back-to-work legislation for striking CN Rail workers. Parliament is currently scheduled to sit on Dec. 5, but Savage warned that even this short wait would result in "serious damage" to both the Alberta economy and the Canadian economy as a whole. "We call on the Prime Minister to immediately call back Parliament to enact emergency back-to-work legislation for CN Rail," Savage said
  
  Read more

• Pedestrian hospitalized after being struck by half-ton on highway outside Lethbridge

  19-11-2019 19:33
  
  LETHBRIDGE – A 43-year-old man is recovering in hospital after being hit by a truck while walking along a highway between Lethbridge and Coalhurst Monday evening. Emergency crews responded to a location along Highway 25, near Township Road 92, shortly after 7 p.m. after a northbound pedestrian was struck by a northbound half-ton truck. According to RCMP, the man suffered non-life threatening injuries in the collision and was knocked into the ditch. EMS transported him to Chinook Regional H
  
  Read more

• CFL, domestic violence organizations meet to raise awareness ahead of Grey Cup

  19-11-2019 19:29
  
  CALGARY — With calls to domestic violence support organizations increasing ahead of major sporting events, CFL officials sat down with members of those organizations for a networking breakfast Tuesday morning, ahead of this weekend’s Grey Cup. The goal of the meeting was to discuss best practices for raising awareness about domestic and gender-based violence. “Violence against women and girls affects us all,” Leela Sharon Aheer, minister of culture, multiculturalism and s
  
  Read more

• Alberta government calls on feds to resume Parliament to address CN Rail strike

  19-11-2019 18:35 via globalnews.ca
  
  Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step in and enact emergency back-to-work legislation for CN Rail.
  
  Read more

• 'Hockey Night in Canada' host Ron MacLean receives honorary degree in Edmonton

  19-11-2019 18:26
  
  EDMONTON -- Days after addressing the firing of his long-time co-host Don Cherry on-air, "Coach's Corner" broadcaster Ron MacLean accepted an honorary degree from the University of Alberta. MacLean was presented with an honorary doctor of laws degree at a 3 p.m. convocation ceremony that will also see degrees bestowed to language rights advocate Cladette Tardif and poet Alice Major. MacLean also addressed hundreds of graduates from several different faculties following the ceremony. It came days
  
  Read more

• 'Hockey Night in Canada' host Ron MacLean in Edmonton to receive honorary degree

  19-11-2019 18:26
  
  EDMONTON -- Days after addressing the firing of his long-time co-host Don Cherry on-air, "Coach's Corner" broadcaster Ron MacLean is accepting an honorary degree from the University of Alberta. MacLean is being presented with an honorary doctor of laws degree at a 3 p.m. convocation ceremony that will also see degrees bestowed to language rights advocate Cladette Tardif and poet Alice Major. MacLean will also address hundreds of graduates from several different faculties following the ceremony.
  
  Read more

• Okanagan man sentenced to life in prison for killing Belgian tourist

  19-11-2019 18:22
  
  Warning: This story contains disturbing content. VANCOUVER - Exploring Canada was a special dream for Amelie Sakkalis of Belgium, according to her mother. That dream came to a brutal end in August 2018, when the 28-year-old was violently sexually assaulted and murdered by a man who had offered her a ride to her next destination: Vancouver. Sean McKenzie of Oliver has now been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. McKenzie, who was 27 years old at the time of
  
  Read more

• Congress wants review of Keystone pipeline in wake of spill

  19-11-2019 17:47
  
  BISMARCK, N.D. -- Top U.S. House Democrats have called for a federal review of the Keystone pipeline and the agency that regulates it in the wake of 383,000-gallon (1.4-million-litre) spill in northeastern North Dakota, the latest of three spills along the line in as many years. In a letter Monday to the Government Accountability Office, the congressmen said the spills raise "serious questions" about pipeline owner TC Energy's management of the line, and whether the Pipeline and Hazardous Materi
  
  Read more

• Air Canada completes migration to new booking system, but social media floods with complaints

  19-11-2019 17:34
  
  MONTREAL -- Air Canada says it's "business as usual" now that the airline has completed its migration to a new reservation system, but some social media users complained of system failures. "We have now migrated to a new reservation system to improve your travel experience," the airline said in a statement on its website posted late Tuesday morning. "It is business as usual and reservation services including flight purchase and booking modification are available." Air Canada began its migration
  
  Read more

• Grain shippers worried as CN Rail workers strike

  19-11-2019 17:06 via globalnews.ca
  
  The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference announced the work stoppage Monday night after failing to reach a deal with CN by the midnight deadline.
  
  Read more

• Celebrity Pawcast: Country singer Brett Kissel stars in 1st episode of pets podcast

  19-11-2019 16:39 via globalnews.ca
  
  Corus Entertainment's Curiouscast debuts its latest, 'Celebrity Pawcast,' a podcast about stars and their beloved furry friends.
  
  Read more

• TC Energy Corp. expects annual dividend growth to slow beyond 2021

  19-11-2019 16:18
  
  CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. says it expects its dividend to grow at an annual rate of eight to 10 per cent through 2021, but then growth in its regular payments to shareholders is expected to slow. The pipeline company says that beyond 2021 it expects its dividend to grow at an average annual rate of five to seven per cent. The company formerly known as TransCanada Corp. made the comments ahead of its annual investor day. It noted that the slower pace is consistent with the average annual in
  
  Read more

• TC Energy expects annual dividend growth to slow beyond 2021

  19-11-2019 15:26 via globalnews.ca
  
  The company formerly known as TransCanada made the comments ahead of its annual investor day.
  
  Read more

• Cabinet roster just the start of key appointments for Trudeau's minority Liberals

  19-11-2019 15:00
  
  OTTAWA -- On Wednesday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will unveil the cabinet roster he’ll take in to the new minority Parliament. Some are speculating it could have a larger number of ministers, but it’s just the first in a series of important appointment-related decisions the Liberals will make in the coming weeks. Given the nature of minority parliaments, the focus on the House of Commons and the people selected to fill the slate of key House positions is likely to be made with add
  
  Read more

• Prince Andrew faces more disgrace as business backers leave

  19-11-2019 14:19
  
  LONDON - Britain's Prince Andrew is facing further disgrace as charitable backers begin to distance themselves from him amid unfavourable fallout of an interview on his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Britain's Press Association is reporting that professional services provider KPMG, a sponsor of his flagship entrepreneur project, Pitch@Palace, won't renew its support. Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, another backer of the project, says it is reviewing its three-year partnership, w
  
  Read more

• Slick commute for Calgary drivers following early morning snowfall

  19-11-2019 14:08
  
  CALGARY – A snowfall warning from Environment Canada remains in effect for Calgary and surrounding areas, as snow and reduced visibility inhibits the ability of drivers to navigate roads during the Tuesday morning commute. The weather agency issued a statement late Monday evening projecting anywhere from 10 to 15 centimetres of snow as a low pressure moved into Alberta, beginning in the southwestern part of the province and tracking eastward.  Drivers may encounter slippery on and off
  
  Read more

• $320M in government subsidies given to Trans Mountain in first half of 2019: report

  19-11-2019 13:53 via globalnews.ca
  
  The document is public but presents a consolidated picture of the development corporation's finances.
  
  Read more

• Taliban say they freed U.S., Australian hostages for 3 Taliban

  19-11-2019 13:45
  
  ISLAMABAD -- The Taliban freed an American and an Australian held hostage since 2016 on Tuesday, in exchange for three top Taliban figures who were released by the Kabul government and flown out of Afghanistan the previous day. The hostages -- American Kevin King and Australian Timothy Weeks -- were released in southern Zabul province, ending more than three years of captivity since they were abducted outside the American University in Kabul, where both work as teachers. Kings' family issued a s
  
  Read more

• Trans Mountain received $320M in government subsidies in first half 2019: report

  19-11-2019 12:20
  
  VANCOUVER -- The Trans Mountain pipeline received $320 million in subsidies from the Canadian and Alberta governments in the first half of 2019, says a new report by an economic institute that analyzes environmental issues. The money included $135.8 million in direct subsidies and $183.8 million in indirect subsidies that were not clearly disclosed to taxpayers, says the report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. "This is a very large subsidy. It really does require mor
  
  Read more

• Crime Beat podcast: The story of Maryam Rashidi

  19-11-2019 12:00 via globalnews.ca
  
  Maryam Rashidi was run over in 2015 while trying to stop a gas-and-dash theft in Calgary.
  
  Read more

• Top White House aides call Trump call 'improper,' 'unusual'

  19-11-2019 08:31
  
  WASHINGTON -- One top national security aide who listened to U.S. President Donald Trump's July call with Ukraine's president called it "improper." Another said it was "unusual." The two testified Tuesday at House impeachment hearings as the inquiry reached deeper into the White House. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, an Army officer at the National Security Council, and Jennifer Williams, his counterpart at Vice-President Mike Pence's office, said they had concerns as Trump spoke on July 25 with the
  
  Read more

• Republicans assail security aide who reported Trump call

  19-11-2019 08:31
  
  WASHINGTON -- A career Army officer on assignment to U.S. President Donald Trump's National Security Council testified Tuesday he felt it was his duty to object to Trump's "improper" phone call seeking Ukrainian investigations of U.S. Democrats. Republicans answered him with doubts about his loyalty to the United States. Arriving on Capitol Hill in military blue with medals across his chest, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman told impeachment investigators he felt no hesitation in reporting the presiden
  
  Read more

• 'I knew I had to report this': Top White House aides testify at impeachment hearing

  19-11-2019 08:31
  
  WASHINGTON -- A career Army officer testified Tuesday that President Donald Trump's call with Ukraine was "improper," as Republicans in the impeachment inquiry tried to undercut the national security official with remarkable exchanges questioning his loyalty to the U.S. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman said that it was his "duty" to report his concerns about the phone call, but deflected repeated Republican efforts to divulge everyone he told about it -- an attempt by GOP lawmakers to identify the ano
  
  Read more

• Over 3,000 Canadian National Railway rail workers on strike: union

  19-11-2019 06:53 via globalnews.ca
  
  About 3,200 Canadian National Railway conductors, trainpersons and yard workers are on strike after the union and company failed to reach a deal by the midnight deadline.
  
  Read more

Follow @Lethbridge_News on Twitter!