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Strengthening property rights part of the answer to Canada’s housing crunch

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:57:42 GMT

Housing is a big issue for Canadians. Even though house prices fell slightly after the pandemic, it’s still tough for young families to find and afford a home.A poll from Ipsos in the spring showed that about 63 out of every 100 Canadians who don’t own a house have given up on ever getting one. Almost seven out of 10 said that only rich people can afford to own homes.However, many Canadians may not understand how property rights – or, in many cases, the lack thereof – play a part in the housing shortage, and how robust property rights can help alleviate the problem.The recently released Canadian Property Rights Index from the Frontier Centre for Public Policy identified how local laws that control how people can use their land are a major cause for concern across Canada. These laws, known as ‘regulatory takings’, can be very limiting. Regulatory or ‘constructive’ takings refer to local land use or zoning laws that limit how individuals may use their land.Many jurisdictions, province...

Battle of the Bands lineup announced for Coaldale’s Summer Fest celebration

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:57:42 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsEven small towns have a treasure trove of musical gems to be discovered.This year will be the first year the Town is hosting a Battle of the Bands since the rebranding of Coaldale’s main summer celebration event officially launched in 2022.New in 2023, the Battle of the Bands competition is bringing together talented musicians from Coaldale and southern Alberta to compete for the chance to be named Summer Fest’s first Battle of the Band’s winning act. The winners will also receive a recording session and performance video sponsored by Cottonwood Records, and a chance to perform in front of the community and panel of esteemed judges. Battle of the Bands will begin at 2 p.m. at the ATCO stage on Aug. 12, along 18 Street just off of 20 Avenue.The judging panel includes drummer and manager for the Chevelles, Don Plett, owner of Lethbridge Music Academy, James Zack, long-time musician Kelly Kimchuk, and the legendary, Juno-award winning Ron Sakomoto.Sakamo...

Sugar beet farmer says no-till grow trial worth repeating

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:57:42 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsSugar beets which were seeded directly into barley stubble have proven to be a successful venture for one farmer in Lethbridge County.Gary Vucurevich farms in Lethbridge County and shared his findings on a no-till sugar beet trial, presented on July 27 as part of Farming Smarter’s Rolling Innovation Tour, a bus tour which transports participants from site to site, providing direct access to various agricultural experts and producers in the Lethbridge County region.Gary Vucurevich said this year’s sugar beets “look very good. Sugar beets like warm dry weather, and we’ve had that in abundance so far, and I don’t see any end in sight for a while,” adding, “the sugar beets are doing well provided we can get enough water on them and I think so far we have, and hopefully we can get a little bit of a reprieve from the heat so we can save some water.”Vucurevich presented on a no-till experiment his team did on a field of sugar beets, and although it was the f...

County approves subdivisions

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:57:42 GMT

By Nikki JamiesonSunny South NewsLethbridge County council approved three subdivision applications last week.During their Aug. 3 meeting, three separate subdivision applications were presented to council.The first, Subdivision Application #2023-0-075 – Bezooyen – NE1/4 23-08-19-W4M, would split a title of 18.6 acres into two titles. The land in question is located two-and-a-half miles southeast of the Town of Coaldale, on the southside of Highway 512. The applicant wishes to revive a subdivision proposal from about ten years ago that was approved but not finalized. The land is proposed to be split into a 7.2 and a 11.4 acres sections for county residential use.The proposed smaller parcel contains an existing yard with a dwelling and other improvements, while the proposed larger parcel is vacant. While there were hog barns located on the latter portion, they have been removed, and the applicant will need to provide confirmation from the NRCB that the hog facility has been decom...

Schow announces Province will not pursue bid for 2030 Commonwealth Games

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:57:42 GMT

Southern Alberta NewspapersMinister of Tourism and Sport, and MLA for the Cardston-Siksika riding, Joseph Schow made a statement on the decision for the Province to withdraw their support for the 2030 Commonwealth Bid.Since receiving his mandate letter from the Premier in July, Minister Schow did not confirm whether or not a referendum would be held on the matter of pursuing a bid for the 2030 event, but told reporters the bid would, “need to make sense” for Alberta taxpayers.In a statement issued Aug. 3, Schow said, “Alberta has a successful history of hosting major, international multi-sport games in our province and any proposal to host major games is considered with the interests of Alberta taxpayers at top of mind.”According to the Province, current bid estimates show hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games could cost as much as $2.68 billion. Citing the corporate sponsorship model place and “limited broadcast revenues,” for the event, Schow announced the Province had opted to not ...

Food Grains Projects in Lethbridge County announce dates for harvest and BBQ

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:57:42 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsFollowing a disappointing year in 2022, which saw the Picture Butte Food Grains’ barley crop decimated by a vicious hail storm last July, the  Picture Butte & Area Food Grains Project has announced the annual Harvest and BBQ has been scheduled for Aug. 16 at 11 a.m.Organizers of the Picture Butte growing project are planning on swathing the crop on Aug. 9 at around 10 a.m., and have advised the public, “if you have not been contacted, feel free to bring a swather.”The committee are still seeking sponsorship to cover land rental costs, as the going cost for renting land is currently sitting at $450/acre, amounting to $70,000 for the Picture Butte and Area Food Grains Project.The proceeds raised go toward to helping fight global hunger and to help establish sustainable farming practices in over 70 countries. The various growing projects, which now take place across Western Canada, began in 1983, and have brought in over $1 billion over the past 40 y...

Council Awards Post-Secondary Bursaries to Local Students

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:57:42 GMT

Southern Alberta Newspapers Lethbridge County has awarded three students with $1,500 bursaries to help support their post-secondary studies at the Aug. 3 Council meeting.Abigail Giacchetta, Elayna Vucurevich, and Emma Reurink were each presented with $1,500 out of an “impressive group of applicants.” The evaluation criteria included academic merit, community involvement, and a letter written by the applicant outlining future goals and aspirations.The County has historically awarded two $1,000 bursaries, but a resolution passed by Council earlier this year increased the total number of awards to three and increased the value of the bursary by $500 each.“We were so impressed by the number of applicants and their extraordinary contributions to their communities. It was difficult to narrow down to just three recipients, as each applicant has shown incredible commitment and dedication to their studies and through community service,” said Councillor, and member of the selection committee,...

McCain Foundation donates $200,000 to Link Pathway

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:57:42 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsThe Link Pathway Committee is $200,000 closer to their fundraising goal for the Link Bike Path which will provide a direct connection from Coaldale to the City of Lethbridge once completed.The donation the McCain Foundation will support the construction and development of the project and will, “play a pivotal role in bringing this community-enhancing project to fruition,” reads a press release issued by the Link Pathway Committee on Aug. 3.This comes after the March 2023 announcement that the global food leader would be investing $600 million into the expansion of the McCain Foods processing facility near Coaldale.Henry Doeve, Link Pathway Committee Chair noted the accessibility of the pathway to users in the recent press release outlining the project is a recreation amenity that families can use at no cost, and said,”It is very exciting to see McCains investing in the communities where their families live, work and play.”The pathway, which aims to pr...

Officials sound off on contractor for asylum-seekers

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:57:42 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- During a press conference Tuesday, the Albany County Executive Dan McCoy joined Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, state lawmakers and directors of local organizations which help incoming migrants to express their concerns over the placement process of incoming asylum seekers and the contractor in charge. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "DocGo has time and time again not worked with us on information and the last time our office has really spoken to DocGo was June 22, which is alarming,” said McCoy. He and other officials sounding the alarm contractor DocGo paid by New York City to house and care for incoming asylum seekers placed at area motels, often with little to no notice. "DocGo is hiding behind HIPAA, and not sharing information with us," said Mayor Sheehan. "But at the same time, as you heard from the County Executive, we are learning that the healthcare needs of the asylum-seekers coming here are not ...

Bump-and-rob carjackings on the rise, police say

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:57:42 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Law enforcement experts across the country say criminals are putting a new twist on an old carjacking tactic called the bump-and-rob.It’s nothing new. It’s an old scheme where thieves create a minor car accident to carjack their intended victims. This method has been on the rise across the country, officials say.Two recent carjacking victims in St. Louis reported the same ploy. Both crimes happened less than a week apart, one near Barnes Jewish Hospital in the Central West End, and the other along Skinker next to Forest Park.Corporal Dallas Thompson, Missouri State Highway Patrol, is sending a dire warning to drivers.“We have heard stories about this in the past and, most recently, we have seen some headlines now, where this may be starting to come back again, where vehicles are being involved in a minor fender-bender or crash, and when they pull over to the side of the road, one party decides to rob the other party,” he said.Carjackers will initiate contact with their t...