Organization: Pincher Creek Humane Society

Town and MD approve $467,255 for six community groups

Written on September 23, 2026. Posted in Civic & Government.

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, after councillors questioned whether recurring recipients should be treated as ongoing budget lines and raised concerns about incomplete financial information.

Councils also approved 2027 per-capita grants for 21 community groups.

Pincher Creek Municipal Library

The largest allocation is $285,000 for the library.

The library requested a 7.5 per cent increase in its municipal funding for 2027, followed by annual increases of five per cent from 2028 through 2030.

Representatives told councillors library visits are up an average of 10 per cent since 2022 and cardholders by six per cent. Programming sessions are up 25 per cent and participation is up 20 per cent over the same period.

The library also highlighted expanded programming, a reorganized children’s section and a partnership with United for Literacy. It would like to use the former Consistent Fitness space in the multipurpose facility for programming.

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Library board members asked why they had not heard back on three expansion options presented months ago. Town officials said they cannot afford the $4 million originally sought from the town but are open to a lower-cost option.

Grant specialist

The Southwest Alberta Sustainable Community Initiative will receive $80,000 for its grant specialist position.

SASCI representatives said the program has helped secure $13.2 million in funding since it began in 2018.

The grant writer applied for $2.1 million and obtained $1.12 million in funding for 2025.

Humane society

The Pincher Creek Humane Society will receive $40,000. The shelter helped 276 animals in 2025.

The organization said veterinary costs are its largest expense at about $100,000 annually. It is exploring an in-house veterinary service to reduce those costs.

Heritage Acres

The Oldman River Antique Equipment and Threshing Club, which runs Heritage Acres Farm Museum, will receive $35,000.

The group had asked for $200,000 for redevelopment, conditional on securing more funding to hire staff. The club said the $200,000 would help unlock matching grants rather than cover operating costs.

Event poster for a Secondhand Dreamcar concert at the Empress Theatre on November 20, 2026, at 7:30 PM, featuring a photo of the band members.

Heritage Acres representatives said gate admissions for the museum’s annual show increased 64 per cent over the previous year.

The funding motion included an offer of a letter of support and future case-by-case funding talks.

Search and rescue

The Southwest Alberta Regional Search and Rescue Society will receive $22,255. The society’s 30 members have volunteered more than 2,600 hours, not including administration and equipment maintenance.

The group responded to 22 call-outs in the previous 12 months, including incidents requiring helicopter and long-line rescue resources.

Historical society

The Pincher Creek and District Historical Society, which runs Kootenai Brown Historical Park, will receive $5,000.

Council members said incomplete financial information from the society made it difficult to make decisions involving taxpayer funds.

The society’s board president said there was confusion over what financial information had been requested and what had been submitted.

Joint grants under review

The councils directed the joint grant subcommittee to review the history of the six organizations included in the joint budget and develop a policy and framework for the process. Councillors also raised concerns about financial reporting from some organizations.

Event flyer for International Credit Union Day at Vision Credit Union on October 15, inviting community members to bring food bank donations in exchange for a wall calendar.

Councillors said joint grants are discretionary and do not guarantee ongoing funding. The review is intended to clarify how organizations become part of the joint budget and how future requests should be assessed.

Per-capita grants

For 2027, councils also approved per-capita funding for 21 community organizations:

—Syncline Castle Alpine Trails Association, $380

—McMan Youth, Family and Community Services Association, $500

—Pincher Creek Dolphins Swim Club, $1,500

—Five-Pin Bowling Association, $2,000

—Pincher Creek Mustangs Football Club, $2,000

—Windsor Heritage Drop-In Centre, $2,000

—Coalfields Community Centre, $2,500

—The Cowboy Show, $2,500

—Group Group Youth Society of Pincher Creek, $2,500

—Adaptable Outdoors, $3,000

—Pincher Creek and District Agricultural Society, $4,000

—Pincher Creek Care Bears Society, $5,000

—Pincher Creek Royal Canadian Legion Branch 43, $5,000

—Pincher Planters $5,000

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—SASCI, $5,000

—Pincher Creek and District Community Food Centre, $7,160

—Pincher Creek and District Chamber of Commerce, $7,500

—Community Hall, $15,000

—Pincher Creek Handi-Bus Society, $15,000

—Allied Arts Council of Pincher Creek, $20,000

—Pincher Creek Family Centre, $30,000

Correction: A Sept. 23 version of this story incorrectly reported that overall attendance at Heritage Acres Farm Museum rose 64 per cent over the previous year. The 64 per cent increase was in gate admissions for the museum’s annual show.

Humane society pauses dog intakes following suspected distemper case

Written on August 19, 2026. Posted in Community Life.

A suspected case of distemper has prompted the Pincher Creek Humane Society to pause dog intakes for 14 days and to warn dog owners in the area to make sure their pets are vaccinated. The shelter announced the pause Aug. 12.

Canine distemper is a highly contagious viral disease that attacks a dog’s respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems. It is often fatal, especially in puppies and unvaccinated dogs. There is no cure, only supportive treatment.

It does not infect people, but it can spread among dogs and some wild animals such as foxes, skunks and raccoons.

The pause comes after Blossom was taken to the shelter Aug. 8 by a Good Samaritan who found the puppy just south of town in the MD of Pincher Creek.

After initially showing no signs of illness, Blossom was taken to a veterinary clinic for evaluation after she began vomiting and developed blood in her stool.

Two parvovirus tests taken Aug. 11 produced inconclusive results. While waiting for the second test, Blossom experienced head tremors, which, coupled with her other symptoms, led the veterinarian to strongly suspect distemper. He determined Blossom’s odds of surviving with a good quality of life were slim and she was euthanized.

Shelter manager Crissy Riegert says a distemper test was not sent for official confirmation, as the veterinarian was confident in his assessment. Erring on the side of caution, the shelter proceeded with the pause based on that assessment rather than pursue additional testing.

While no other dogs at the shelter had direct contact with Blossom, Riegert says there is a possibility of indirect exposure through staff or other means. The shelter is taking extra precautions to protect the other dogs in its care, stepping up already strict disinfection measures.

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Waylon, a puppy who had no direct contact with Blossom but was housed in the same run, is under strict isolation. He was vaccinated shortly after Blossom became ill and, along with the shelter’s other dogs, showed no symptoms as of Monday, Aug. 17.

Riegert says the shelter routinely quarantines incoming animals for 14 days because of the incubation periods of illnesses such as distemper and parvovirus.

“We are hopeful that our policies and procedures have done their job,” she says.

Riegert encourages dog owners to make sure their animals are up-to-date on vaccinations.

“It really does make a difference,” she says. “It not only protects your dog, but potentially protects the dogs that are not vaccinated.”

Riegert says Blossom’s exact source of exposure is unknown. Because the puppy showed no symptoms when she arrived and became ill days later, the shelter is concerned distemper may be present in the area.

Early signs of distemper can include eye and nasal discharge, fever, coughing, lethargy, vomiting and diarrhea, sometimes progressing to tremors, seizures or other neurological signs. Owners who notice these symptoms should contact a veterinarian immediately.

The dog intake pause is in place until Aug. 27, provided no other dogs develop symptoms. It applies only to dogs and the shelter continues to accept cats.

Poster for Pincher Creek Chamber’s 31st Annual Awards of Excellence on October 23, 2026. Ticket prices and event details are listed, with a link for tickets at PincherChamber.ca/tickets.

Anyone who finds a stray dog during the pause is asked to call the shelter in advance. While the shelter can’t take in a dog directly, staff can meet people outside the facility to check for a tattoo or microchip and try to reunite the dog with its owner without bringing it inside.

If a dog cannot immediately be returned home, the shelter may work with other animal shelters or volunteers to find temporary placement until the pause is lifted.

The shelter can be reached at 403-627-5191.

The Pincher Creek Humane Society will post updates on its social media pages and advise if the intake pause needs to be extended beyond Aug. 27.

Canine Distemper, Pet Vaccinations

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News briefs from June 23 MD of Pincher Creek council table

Written on July 15, 2026. Posted in Civic & Government.

A resident’s challenge to how fire-suppression costs are billed, and confirmation of more than $1.4 million in local funding allocations from the province, were key topics at the MD of Pincher Creek’s June 23 meeting.

Fire-suppression costs

Bill Thorpe, a longtime MD resident, questioned charging property owners for emergency response costs. He said residents already pay for emergency services through municipal taxes and suggested a model where fire response is funded through taxation instead of recovery charges.

He offered to lead a committee, with support from the MD and the Town of Pincher Creek, to review alternatives.

Council said fire response charges are capped at $25,000. The cap was introduced after a major fire where multiple residents assisted and air support was used, and some landowners later received significant bills for emergency response costs.

Council said it was willing to continue working with the community on the issue, but noted that not all fires occur under the same circumstances. It suggested Thorpe also take the matter to the Pincher Creek Emergency Services Commission.

Provincial funding confirmed for 2026

Council received a letter from Alberta Municipal Affairs outlining the MD’s 2026 funding allocations.

The MD will receive $1,146,862 through the Local Government Fiscal Framework Capital program, $107,056 through the LGFF Operating program and $244,929 through the Building Communities Strong Fund’s community stream.

The funding is part of the province’s support for municipalities to maintain services, improve infrastructure and invest in community priorities.

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Aerospace partnership signed

Council approved a memorandum of understanding with three neighbouring municipalities — Cardston County, the MD of Willow Creek and the Town of Fort Macleod — to support regional aviation and aerospace collaboration.

Public auction set for November

The MD will hold a public auction this fall for a property with tax arrears. Under the Municipal Government Act, municipalities must prepare an annual tax arrears list for properties with more than one year of unpaid taxes.

One property currently sits on the MD’s 2025 tax arrears list. Council set a reserve bid of $49,500 for the property, located at SW-01-09-03-W5. The auction is scheduled for Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. at the MD administration building.

In the meantime, the owner can still pay the arrears to prevent the property from being sold.

Humane society receives gravel donation

Council approved a request from the Pincher Creek Humane Society for material support for its agility dog run project. The MD will provide 65 yards of small gravel plus delivery.

The gravel will help create a safer, well-drained surface for the run, which provides exercise, stimulation and training opportunities for shelter animals.

Bylaw error corrected

Council fixed a clerical mistake in a bylaw dealing with agricultural reservoirs and dugouts. Administration found that Bylaw 1369-26 listed the wrong volume — 2,500 cubic metres where it should have read 7,500.

Provincial legislation allows municipalities to correct clerical or technical errors without a public hearing, as long as the fix does not change the bylaw’s substance.

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Council gave Bylaw 1372-26 three readings and approved the correction.

Letter of support for ALUS

A letter of support was approved for Alternative Land Use Services for its Building Communities Strong Fund proposal.

Correspondence received as information

Council accepted several other pieces of correspondence without further action.

A Beaver Mines resident, Marie Everts, thanked the MD for supporting the community’s annual spring cleanup and reuse fair, crediting administration and crews for organizing it.

Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors responded to MD concerns about litter at the Pine Ridge turnout.

The province said No Overnight Camping signage would be installed soon, with enforcement to follow through bylaw officers, sheriffs or the RCMP. It said garbage bins at the site are cleaned twice a week and provided a phone line for reporting overflow between cleanings.

Administration will forward the response to the landowners who raised the concern.

Alberta Environment and Protected Areas replied to an MD letter about water access for livestock, saying it is working with MD staff on options including temporary diversion licences, temporary pumping stations and reservoir improvements to increase access for producers.

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Hometown Award recipient visits council

Council welcomed Hunter McMullen, a student from Matthew Halton High School, who received the 2026 Hometown Award from the town and MD. McMullen attended the meeting to thank council for the recognition.

Aviation and Aerospace, Building Communities Strong Fund, Fire-Suppression Costs, Hometown Award, Livestock Water Access, Municipal Government Act, Tax-Recovery Auctions