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Peace Region News

Fire Ban
Town of Peace River issues Fire Ban
A municipal wide fire ban has been issued for the Town of Peace River.Effective immediately, no outdoor burning of any kind is allowed, including backyard fire pits, charcoal BBQs, open flame oil devices like tiki torches or turkey deep fryers, and fireworks.Propane, natural gas or electrically powered appliances are s...
42m ago
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NWP
NWP launching Agriculture Operations diploma Fall 2024
Northwestern Polytechnic is launching a new program in the fall to train the next generation of agriculture professionals.The two-year Agriculture Operations diploma will provide a solid foundation in the operation and maintenance of equipment, evolving technology, and industry trends in the agricultural industry.In ad...
2h ago
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Community
First Continuing Care Home spaces for Spirit River expected to be available this summer
Alberta Health Services says the first Type B Continuing Care Home spaces in Spirit River will open later this year at the new Pleasant View Lodge. These used to be called designated supportive living units. They are expected to be available sometime in the early summer. A release from AHS says Pleasant View Lodge will...
6h ago
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wildfires
Peace Regional RCMP thanking a long list of people that responded to the Shaftesbury Trail Fire
Peace Regional RCMP are saying thank you to a long list of emergency services and other individuals and groups that helped with the Shaftesbury Trail Fire.That included help evacuating the Peace River Correctional Centre.Mounties are thanking the Peace River School Divisions in supplying buses, and the drivers for comi...
20h ago
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Alberta

New pay model for Alberta nurses who start primary care clinics
The Government of Alberta hopes a new compensation model will lead to more people being able to access primary care.They have released more details about the Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Program, which allows nurse practitioners to set up their own clinics.Premier Danielle Smith says the program will allow them to e...
57m ago
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Alberta
Province aiming to make utility bills more affordable
Alberta's government says it is taking action to protect Alberta's ratepayers by introducing legislation to lower and stabilize local access fees.Provincial officials say affordability is a top priority for Alberta's government, with the cost of utilities being a large focus. By introducing legislation to help reduce t...
17h ago
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Alberta
Noah, Olivia continue reign as top baby names in Alberta in 2023
Alberta has released its two top baby names in the province for 2023.Noah was revealed as the most popular boys name in the province, while Olivia is the top girls name. This marks the fifth and 11th years in a row, respectively, that the two names sat in the top spots.The province says babies with nature-inspired name...
21h ago
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Alberta
Alberta premier stands by pick of 'contrarian' chair to lead COVID-19 data review
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says it's a good idea to have a physician who accused the province of exaggerating COVID-19's impact on hospitals now lead a review of pandemic-era health data.Smith says Dr. Gary Davidson was selected to lead the data review because she wants to hear a range of viewpoints, including from...
22h ago
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Agriculture
Province says tax credit fuels investments in bioprocessing industry
The Alberta government says the province will be home to the largest renewable diesel facility in Canada as Imperial qualifies for the Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit program.Government officials say Alberta is an agricultural powerhouse with diverse and innovative industries, including a thriving bioprocessing s...
Apr 23, 2024
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Alberta announces $8 million fund for arts & media
The Government of Alberta is taking a step that it says will help the publishing and entertainment industries to thrive.They are putting $8 million into the Alberta Media Fund. It gives grants to book and magazine publishers, sound recording agencies and film producers. The money can be used for art production, trainin...
Apr 23, 2024
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Canada

Top court to examine COVID-related entry limits imposed by Newfoundland and Labrador
OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada will weigh the constitutionality of a pandemic-related restriction that curbed travel for public-health reasons. The top court has agreed to hear arguments about a 2020 order from Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical officer that limited the circumstances in which non-residents...
38m ago
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Canada sanctions Iran defence minister, others after missile attack on Israel
OTTAWA - Canada is targeting Iran's defence minister as part of a new round of sanctions imposed after the country's retaliatory attack on Israel earlier this month. The sanctions affect two institutions and two military leaders, and come a week after Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Canada would targe...
40m ago
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Conservatives, NDP demand Ottawa protect Canadians' jobs at new EV plants
OTTAWA - Federal Conservatives and New Democrats are demanding assurances from Ottawa that local jobs will be protected at new electric-vehicle plants. Canada's Building Trades Union says Canadian workers are being sidelined in favour of foreign workers at the NextStar battery plant in Windsor, Ont., owned by Stellanti...
50m ago
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Billions of bottles: Canadian statistics paint grim picture of plastic litter problem
OTTAWA - New Canadian data suggest that over a nine-year period between 2012 and 2020, the equivalent of more 15 billion plastic bottles and as many as 14 billion plastic grocery bags became litter in Canada's environment. The data come as Canadian negotiators are at an Ottawa convention centre with peers from 174 othe...
50m ago
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Wildfire triggers evacuations, state of local emergency near Chetwynd, B.C.
CHETWYND, B.C. - An out-of-control wildfire in northeastern British Columbia has triggered the province's first evacuation of this year's fire season. The Peace River Regional District declared a state of local emergency and issued an evacuation order for an area near Chetwynd, B.C., last night. The 50-hectare Wildmare...
1h ago
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Keep Sarnia plastic plant shut until First Nation says it's safe: environment groups
OTTAWA - International environmental advocates are calling for a petrochemical plant in southern Ontario to remain closed in light of reports about a benzene leak that continues to affect a neighbouring First Nation community. The letter, signed by more than 100 organizations around the world, calls on Canada's enviro...
2h ago
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World News

Man who shot ex-Saints star Will Smith receives 25-year prison sentence for manslaughter
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The man who fatally shot retired NFL star Will Smith during a confrontation following a car crash in 2016 received a 25-year prison sentence Thursday in a New Orleans courtroom. It was the second time Cardell Hayes, 36, had faced sentencing in Smith's death. He was convicted of manslaughter in Decemb...
38m ago
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First cargo ship passes through newly opened channel in Baltimore since bridge collapse
BALTIMORE (AP) - The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago. The Balsa 94, a bulk carrier sailing under a Panama flag, passed through the new 35-foot (12-meter) channel headed ...
3h ago
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Ariel Henry resigns as prime minister of Haiti, paving the way for a new government to take power
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - Ariel Henry resigned Thursday as prime minister of Haiti, leaving the way clear for a new government to be formed in the Caribbean country, which has been wracked by gang violence that killed or injured more than 2,500 people from January to March. Henry presented his resignation in a lette...
3h ago
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China launches 3-member crew to its space station as it seeks to put astronauts on the moon by 2030
JIUQUAN SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER, China (AP) - China launched a three-member crew to its orbiting space station on Thursday as part of its ambitious program that aims to put astronauts on the moon by 2030. The Shenzhou-18 spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert in no...
4h ago
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The Latest | Israeli strikes in Rafah kill at least 5 as ship comes under attack in the Gulf of Aden
Palestinian hospital officials said Israeli airstrikes on the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip killed at least five people. More than half of the territory's population of 2.3 million have sought refuge in Rafah, where Israel has conducted near-daily raids as it prepares for an offensive in the city. In central...
6h ago
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With war in Ukraine on its border, Poland should be among countries setting EU agenda, minister says
WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Poland's Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski told parliament on Thursday that the government wants to return to the group of countries which sets the agenda of the European Union. Sikorski was describing the new direction of the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, explaining to a world audience ...
10h ago
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