The Town of Slave Lake passed a new bylaw to update its Leisure Economic Assistance Program, ensuring local recreation facilities remain accessible to low-income individuals and families. During the July 14 committee meeting, council unanimously gave all three readings to Bylaw #10-2026. This legislative update officially repeals and replaces the town’s outdated 2015 policy, establishing […]

Russian authorities said Wednesday they had charged Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram, with aiding terrorism, the latest step by the Kremlin to bring the internet and digital communications under its control. The charges against the Russian-born Durov, who lives abroad, came as authorities have sought to restrict the […]

Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, has repeatedly run into trouble with both the Kremlin and Western officials as he cast himself as a champion of free speech. On Wednesday, Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, accused him of aiding what it called terrorist activities. It also said it […]

Water Not Coal is asking people contacted by Elections Alberta during petition signature verification to share their experiences, as the campaign weighs a legal challenge with a filing deadline of Aug. 2. “We’re still gathering our information. We’ve put out a public call,” campaign proponent Corb Lund says. “We want to understand their experience and […]

A citizen initiative petition proposing a referendum on Alberta becoming an independent country has been declared successful after Elections Alberta verified enough signatures to satisfy the requirements of the Citizen Initiative Act. The agency announced Friday that statistical verification estimated 222,597 valid signatures from an initial submission of 286,593 signatures, surpassing the required minimum of […]

NEW YORK (AP) — A school district in a rural corner of upstate New York is hitting pause on plans to deploy an AI-powered, humanoid robot in the classroom after state education officials, teachers and local residents raised concerns, including the maker’s ties to a company that produces hyper realistic sex bots. The Salamanca City […]

The United Nations official left to oversee not just children’s welfare but also water and sanitation in the Gaza Strip is praising Canada’s support for Palestinians — but warns that some of its aid money is being squandered by Israel’s attacks on water facilities and restrictions on aid groups. Jonathan Veitch, the head of UNICEF […]

COCHRANE — After two consecutive years of record-breaking demand, the Cochrane Food Bank is cautiously optimistic that 2026 could mark the first signs of stabilization. From January through June, the food bank served 1,961 individuals across 1,029 households, according to manager Ardis Proulx-Chedore. While there are still six months left in the year, she said […]

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court was removed from office on Friday, nearly two years after sexual misconduct allegations against him first emerged. The ouster of Karim Khan comes at a time when the court is already facing daunting challenges, including a campaign by the United States to “dismantle” […]

The City of New Westminster has established an AI working group to tackle the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence. City council recently received a report outlining the work staff have done to date on the development of appropriate AI usage guidelines and upcoming work.  The July 13 report said publicly available Generative AI (GenAI) […]

As the mayor of Toronto looks to rein in surveillance pricing on groceries, experts say the municipal government may be out of its depth in attempting to end the controversial practice. Surveillance pricing, also referred to as personalized pricing, is the use of consumers’ individualized data such as their gender, location, purchase history or socioeconomic […]

School security camera footage of a nearly 15-second hug between a teacher and one of her students was repeatedly screened and scrutinized at a historic hearing. “This isn’t a fleeting or a casual embrace. The two were comfortable with each other,” teacher commissioner lawyer Tristan Sandulak told a professional disciplinary panel on Tuesday. Sandulak made […]