News

Alexandra Noad Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Lethbridge Herald City Council has approved a new policy regarding decorative crosswalks in response to public requests for them during the last city council meeting for the term on Tuesday. This policy comes a year after the motion of a crosswalk for the Royal Canadian Legion was brought up a year ago but was put on hold until a decorative crosswalk policy was put in place. Councillor Belinda Crowson said that this policy was presented as a means to navigate requests for decorative crosswalk. “For whatever reason, the public likes decorative crosswalks, we get requests, we need to have a policy if we’re going to get requests, either to turn them down or not. It was also discussed if the policy was voted down, they could amend the previous motion to allow the Royal Canadian Legion crosswalk without the policy. There were concerns about the safety of decorative crosswalks and it was suggested that the policy be revised once the findings are released from a study in the works by the City of Edmonton on the safety risk of decorative crosswalks. Councillor Jeff Carlson pointed out the short lifespan of decorative crosswalks, with them often looking presentable for only a few days. “I enjoyed the first couple attempts and iterations we did, but after the first day none of them even look nice anymore and they don’t really commemorate. I would rather explore other options.” The majority of council agreed that there are better ways of commemoration, but many council members felt there needed a policy in place to have those discussions when requests for a decorative crosswalk come in. With the approval of the decorative crosswalk policy, the motion to have a crosswalk for the Royal Canadian Legion also went through unanimously. The project is co-sponsored by Mayor Blaine Hyggen and Councillor Ryan Parker and will be installed near the Cenotaph paid by city councillors. The city will be working with the Legion in terms of design and making sure all protocols are followed. While it is hoped the project is finished in time for Remembrance Day, City Council also wants to make sure this project is done correctly and in doing so accepts it may take longer to do so. During the closed session of the meeting, council members came forward with a statement to update the public on the status of the negotiations between Access-A-Ride transit union, Amalgamated Transit Union (AMU) and the city. AMU has decided to get a mediator and a meeting has been scheduled for Oct. 15 and 16. With the city’s election being scheduled for Oct. 8-20, this was the final city council meeting of the term with councillors Jeff Carlson and Nick Paladino announcing they will not be rerunning for council. The current councillors will remain in power until the new city [...] Read More »

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman Lethbridge Herald Alberta Blue Cross has developed a new work- place guide to help employers and employees address a critical but often overlooked challenge in today’s workforce: menopause. According to the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, Menopause is defined as “the permanent cessation of menstruation due to the loss of ovarian [...] Read More »

Sam Leishman Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Lethbridge Herald Jim Sazalski is cruising in style as this year’s winner of the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation (CRHF) truck raffle. In fact, the 71-year old Lethbridge native spoke to the Herald over the Bluetooth calling system from his brand new 2025 Ford F-150 XLT Super Crew Cab yesterday [...] Read More »

Alexandra Noad Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A sedative intended for large animals is believed to be the cause of a recent increase of opioid related emergencies, specifically to the Edmonton region. According to the Canadian Center of Recover Excellence (CoRE) carfentanil can be up to 100,000 times stronger than morphine and 100 times [...] Read More »

Sam Leishman Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter An important item might have been missed on your child’s back-to-school list: Glasses. The Alberta Association of Optometrists may be able to help with the expense, too. The Eye See Eye Learn program launched this school year, offering a free pair of glasses to kindergarten-aged children at [...] Read More »

OTTAWA — A think tank is urging the federal government to abandon plans for a single-payer pharmacare program in the face of tariff-related fiscal uncertainty. Rosalie Wyonch, associate director of research at the C.D. Howe Institute, says in a new report being released Thursday that the government should instead look to fill existing gaps in [...] Read More »

OTTAWA — Canada’s short-term targets for reducing its emissions are now out of reach after emission levels remained unchanged last year, and recent federal policies have set back Canada’s progress, Canada’s leading climate policy research organization says in a new report. The Canadian Climate Institute released its early analysis of national emissions for 2024 on [...] Read More »

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed… Canada, Mexico to sign partnership agreement Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to sign a strategic partnership agreement with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum during his visit to Mexico, which starts today. The agreement will cover infrastructure, trade, health, [...] Read More »

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to sign a strategic partnership agreement with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum during his visit to Mexico, which starts today. The agreement will cover infrastructure, trade, health, agriculture, emergency preparedness and security, senior government officials say. Carney’s two-day visit to Mexico City is happening as Ottawa seeks more [...] Read More »

A shaggy, cool-green lichen hangs from the trunk of a tree in a forest on northeastern Vancouver Island, growing on the bark like coral on a rocky sea floor. Lichenologist Trevor Goward has named it oldgrowth specklebelly, and while the slow-growing lichen is a species at risk in its own right, he says it is [...] Read More »