Civic & Government

Anyone hoping to make their case to Pincher Creek town council now gets five more minutes to do it, but they’ll need to do more of the work ahead of time. Council adopted a rewritten procedural bylaw Sept. 28 that gives delegations 20 minutes instead of 15. It also requires written requests 10 days in […]

MD of Pincher Creek council will tell the province it has concerns about changes that give provincial gravel pit approvals priority over local planning, following its Sept. 8 meeting. Council also heard a neighbour’s objection to a proposed gravel pit east of Pincher Creek and agreed to keep subsidizing waste service at Castle Mountain Resort. […]

A regional non-profit is proposing a formal partnership with the Town of Pincher Creek that would give local businesses access to interest-free improvement loans, free consulting and business training. The proposal by Community Futures Alberta Southwest includes loans of up to $25,000 for business improvements, with the town covering interest costs within a council-approved annual […]

For some Piikani and Kainai members, the Oct. 19 referendum raises a question that isn’t on the ballot: what a provincial vote can mean for treaties signed with Canada. For others, the harder question is whether they can prove who they are at the polls. Both concerns came up Aug. 29, when about 30 members […]

Six local organizations will receive a combined $467,255 in 2026 funding from the Town and Municipal District of Pincher Creek after councils reviewed their requests at a special joint budget meeting Sept. 9. Funding amounts are split equally between the town and MD. The meeting also prompted a push to rethink the joint budget process, […]

Signs promoting Alberta independence have been knocked down or taken repeatedly in Pincher Creek since they went up Sept. 8, according to a volunteer with the campaign that placed them. They asked not to be named for fear of being targeted in the community. They filed a report with RCMP on Sept. 10 for the […]

Pincher Creek town councillors put off a decision on utility franchise fees Sept. 14 after debating whether trimming the charges to ease pressure on residents’ bills was worth the hit to the town’s budget. Council also heard Northback Holdings’ economic case for its proposed Grassy Mountain coal mine, voted down a funding request from the […]

Approving an unbudgeted $20,000 capital increase for a new truck deck, responding to residents’ concerns over road dust, and advancing plans for a new municipal gravel pit were among the issues before Municipal District of Pincher Creek council during its July 14 meeting. Councillors also backed local agricultural initiatives, updated agricultural policies and authorized several […]

Crowsnest Pass voters will head to the polls this fall after council set the date for a byelection to fill the seat vacated by Colleen MacDonald. At its Aug. 18 regular meeting, council passed a motion setting Nov. 17 as election day and Oct. 20 as nomination day. Barbara Kelly was appointed returning officer, with […]

Alberta’s transportation minister says the province is still working through the most challenging stretch of the Highway 3 twinning project — the section between the Crowsnest Pass and Piikani Nation — and cannot yet say when construction will move forward. Speaking at an Aug. 11 rural media roundtable, Devin Dreeshen said the complex mountain section […]

Two weeks after a cyberattack hit the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass, officials still cannot say whether residents’ personal information was affected — even as most services have been restored. The municipality detected the breach July 29 and immediately brought in external cybersecurity specialists to investigate. The incident was announced in a July 30 news release. […]

Can recreational vehicles designed for temporary use also serve as permanent homes? The Town of Pincher Creek has decided no — at least not under current land-use rules. At its July 27 meeting, council voted 6-0 to defeat Land Use Bylaw Amendment 1639-25-C, which would have allowed RVs to be used as permanent homes in […]

The fight over coal mining near the headwaters of the Oldman River is headed to court. Corb Lund‘s Water Not Coal campaign has asked a judge to overturn Elections Alberta‘s decision that its petition, signed by more than 200,000 Albertans, fell just short of forcing a referendum. One of the two projects the petition targeted […]

Pincher Creek town council approved a new child-care lease, set budget guidelines for the coming years and prepared for two fall conferences at its July 27 meeting. Child-care lease approved after revision Council unanimously approved a revised lease with KP Squared Innovative Child Care, which will take over operations at two town-owned child-care facilities providing […]

For weeks, Pincher Creek’s two councils were stuck on a single question: whether the town should guarantee its new curling rink stays a curling rink for the next 40 years. This week, the MD dropped the demand. The MD of Pincher Creek voted July 29 to abandon the condition — which the Town of Pincher […]

A ticket from an enforcement officer is something people generally hope to avoid. But for young residents in the MD of Pincher Creek, a ticket can now be a reward for doing the right thing. When community peace officer Robyn Potter recently stopped Alex, a Lundbreck youth, after spotting him walking his dog safely on […]

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 […]

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 […]

The unfinished walls of Pincher Creek’s new curling rink moved a step closer to completion last week, after the MD of Pincher Creek approved up to $1 million in additional funding. Council attached a series of conditions meant to protect taxpayers while construction continues. Council’s decision follows public debate over whether municipal governments should commit […]

Albertans can now apply for a one-time $100 energy rebate from the province, with applications open until Sept. 30. The payment goes to each eligible adult and is meant to help with everyday costs such as fuel, groceries and utilities. The province says nearly 3.4 million Albertans are eligible. Who qualifies To be eligible, an […]