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Tag: Okotoks

  • Okotoks adjusts flower plantings to reduce deer damage

    With the right picks, Okotoks can keep its blooms from becoming a deer buffet.

    Okotoks parks staff are using lessons from several years of planting trials to limit deer damage in public flower beds.

    Gordon White, a parks technician with the Town of Okotoks, said the town has focused on choosing plants that deer are less likely to eat. The approach has been refined over time because some plants marketed as deer resistant have not worked reliably in local displays.

    White said the town has reused flower varieties that performed well last year and replaced varieties that did not. He said most displays accessible to deer have continued to look good, even with some minor browsing.

    The town’s current plant choices include Dusty Millers, Angel Wings, Snapdragons, Salvias and Rudbeckias, which White said deer have generally avoided.

    For residents trying to protect their own flowers, White suggested choosing varieties deer tend to leave alone. He also said hanging baskets can be a better option for flowers that may otherwise attract deer.

  • Okotoks RCMP seize vehicle after Tuesday morning impaired driving report

    This Highway 2 stop kept a bad trip from going any farther.

    Okotoks RCMP say a driver was taken off the road Tuesday morning after reports of dangerous driving on Highway 2.

    Police received reports at about 8:20 a.m. on Tuesday, June 9, that a vehicle was travelling north toward Calgary while speeding and being driven erratically.

    Okotoks RCMP traffic officers, with help from High River RCMP, found and stopped the vehicle on Highway 2 before it reached Calgary.

    During the investigation, officers noted signs of impairment and conducted a Standardized Field Sobriety Test. Police said the results led them to believe the driver was impaired by a drug, and the driver was later assessed by a Drug Recognition Expert.

    The driver received an Immediate Roadside Sanction, including a 30-day vehicle seizure, a licence suspension and applicable fines.

    Okotoks RCMP said reports from the public helped officers respond to the incident.

  • Overnight utility work to affect two Okotoks intersections starting June 16

    Crews are digging up details now so July’s sewer work has a smoother flow.

    Okotoks drivers should expect overnight lane restrictions at two intersections while crews confirm buried utility locations by hydrovac excavation.

    The work is scheduled to begin the evening of Tuesday, June 16, and continue for four to five nights, weather permitting.

    The affected locations are:

    • Northridge Drive at Riverside Drive, where single-lane closures will affect northbound and southbound traffic.
    • Veterans Way at South Railway Street, where the road will be reduced to one lane and flaggers will alternate traffic.

    On Northridge Drive, traffic will be temporarily reconfigured for lane closures and merging. Right turns from Northridge Drive onto Riverside Drive, in both eastbound and westbound directions, may be blocked. Drivers can use Riverside Gate and Riverside Way as alternate routes.

    Pedestrians are asked to follow posted signs and directions from flaggers near the work areas. Driveway and property access will be maintained, and no parking impacts are expected.

    Residents near the work sites should expect loud hydrovac noise during evening and overnight hours. The Town of Okotoks says the work was scheduled at night to reduce disruption during peak traffic periods.

    Crews will expose shallow utilities to confirm their locations, then restore the road surface before reopening affected lanes. The Town says it will monitor the surface after construction and repair any potholes that develop.

    The work is part of the River’s Edge Infrastructure Improvement project. It is being completed before deeper utility construction planned for July, when a new sewer pipe is expected to be installed across Northridge Drive.

  • Okotoks, Foothills County mark progress on regional water system

    With a new section in service, the project is starting to make waves.

    Okotoks and Foothills County marked a construction milestone Thursday for the Foothills Okotoks Regional Water Project, following the installation of about 25 kilometres of watermain.

    The completed section connects an interim well on the intake lands to the Okotoks Water Treatment Plant. That connection allows limited seasonal water delivery to Okotoks while other parts of the regional system remain under construction.

    Work is continuing on the intake pump station, midline pump station, Okotoks raw water reservoir, Aldersyde Water Treatment Plant and related watermain connection.

    Once complete, the regional system is expected to draw water from the Bow River and deliver it to treatment facilities in both Okotoks and Foothills County. The municipalities say the project is intended to improve long-term water security and support future growth in the region.

    The project includes a regional pipeline, Bow River intake, pump station and an above-ground raw water reservoir with capacity of about 300,000 cubic metres.

    Funding comes from federal and provincial grants, municipal partner contributions and off-site levies charged to developers for growth-related infrastructure. The project has received $30.2 million through Alberta’s Water for Life program and $5.8 million through the federal Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.

    More information is available through the Town of Okotoks project page at Shape Our Town.

  • Okotoks Food Bank receives peanut butter and program funding from golf fundraiser

    This donation should help spread support through Okotoks hampers.

    The Okotoks Food Bank received 600 jars of peanut butter and a $5,000 donation from the Peanut Butter Classic Golf Tournament.

    The annual ladies golf tournament was held June 8 at Elbow Springs Golf Club. Participants register for $325 and bring two jars of peanut butter each.

    The food bank said in a Facebook post that the peanut butter will be added to food hampers. Tournament founder Heather Forsyth also provided $5,000 for the food bank’s Prenatal and Baby Hamper Program.

    The Peanut Butter Classic supports Calgary-area charities, including HER Victory, #NotInMyCity, Dogs with Wings, and the Firefighters Assistance Charitable Society. Since it began in 2003, the event has donated more than 12,000 jars of peanut butter to food banks and contributed more than $2.9 million to charitable causes.

    Organizers say more than 98 per cent of funds raised through the tournament go directly to women in need.

  • Okotoks Library opens early reading program for young children

    This program gives young readers a strong first chapter.

    The Okotoks Library has launched a free early literacy program for children from birth until they enter kindergarten.

    The 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program, announced May 8, encourages families to read one book a day for just under three years to reach 1,000 books before a child starts school.

    Participating families receive kits with books and other materials. The program also includes milestone rewards, and children who complete 1,000 books receive a picture book and graduation certificate.

    The library says the program is intended to help parents and caregivers build daily reading routines and support early literacy, social-emotional development, imagination and creativity.

    Registration is open now in person at the Okotoks Library. The program is supported by the Rotary Club of Okotoks.

  • Woman charged in firearm investigation tied to homicide of Okotoks woman Madisson Cobb

    Investigators are still tracing every barrel of evidence.

    Calgary police have laid another charge in connection with the 2025 homicide of Madisson Cobb, a 23-year-old Okotoks woman who was fatally shot in Calgary.

    According to the Calgary Police Service, investigators have charged Reanna Mader, 38, of Calgary, with firearms trafficking. Police allege she helped arrange the sale of a firearm that was later used in Cobb’s death.

    Police said officers were called at about 4:30 p.m. on July 19, 2025, after reports of gunfire in a parking garage at The Shops at Heritage on Macleod Trail S.W. Cobb was found with gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

    Devon Bradley Malik, 27, was arrested two days later and charged with first-degree murder.

    The firearm used in the homicide was later recovered with its serial number removed, prompting a separate investigation by the Calgary Police Service Firearms Investigative Team.

    On Feb. 3, investigators searched a home on 16 Avenue S.W. and seized seven firearms, several air guns and ammunition. Gordon Kesh Cameron, 44, was arrested on April 28 and charged with firearms trafficking, failing to report a firearm lost or stolen, and possession of prohibited devices.

    Mader was arrested on June 9 and has been released from custody. She is scheduled to appear in court on July 9.

    Calgary police said the homicide investigation remains focused on anyone alleged to have had a role in the firearm’s movement before Cobb’s death.

  • Okotoks council adds $100,000 for Murray Arena repair work

    The rink repair plan got a little more brine-tuned.

    Okotoks Town Council approved a $100,000 operating budget amendment on June 8 to cover additional repair work at Murray Arena.

    The one-time expense will come from operating reserves and is tied to a Recreation & Programs asset replacement project involving the arena’s brine lines. The amendment raises the project budget from $180,000 to $280,000.

    The work is focused on the Murray Arena header trench, an underground service corridor below the rink that contains pipes carrying the refrigeration brine solution used to maintain the ice surface.

    Recreation & Programs manager Daniel Robinson told council the original plan was to replace 20-year-old steel piping with PVC after deterioration was found in the steel. Once work began earlier this spring, crews also identified concrete deterioration and steel structure degradation affecting the safety of the trench cover system.

    Council approved the amendment unanimously.

    Administration had also outlined an alternative option to move $100,000 from a separate $160,000 Curling Club vestibule project in the 2026 operating budget, but council did not use that approach.

    The vestibule project includes automated sliding doors and an expanded entry area. Administration said the work is intended to address safety and operational issues, including door safety, airflow concerns, and debris or salt being tracked toward the curling ice.

    With the budget amendment approved, Recreation & Programs is expected to proceed with both the Murray Arena repairs and the Curling Club vestibule project.

  • Foothills Pride events set for Saturday in Okotoks and Diamond Valley

    With celebrations in two communities, Foothills Pride is ready to raise the flag and the fun.

    Foothills Pride celebrations are scheduled for Saturday, June 13, with events planned in Okotoks and Diamond Valley.

    The day begins in Okotoks with a flag raising at the Okotoks Municipal Centre at noon. An all-ages Pink Pony Party will follow from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Ethel Tucker Centennial Park.

    Okotoks Pride’s park festival will include live entertainment, games and food trucks. Cabaret Co. is among the performers, bringing acts that can include burlesque, drag, comedy, live music and circus-style performance.

    Later in the day, The Stop Coffee House and Gather Place will host a Pride Extravaganza at The Feed Lot in Diamond Valley from 5 to 8 p.m. The evening event will feature live performers and costumes. Advance tickets are required and cost $21.

    Organizers are also looking for volunteers to help with the Okotoks event, including people able to assist with setup tasks such as lifting and carrying, as well as allies to help support event safety.

    The events are part of Pride Month, which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riots and is now marked by events recognizing 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and culture.

  • Okotoks children to run 38 stands as Lemonade Day returns

    After six years, Okotoks is ready to make a fresh squeeze.

    Lemonade Day is returning to Okotoks on Saturday, June 13, after a six-year break.

    The Okotoks Optimist Club is hosting the event, which will feature 38 lemonade stands across town. Each stand will be run by local children as a hands-on lesson in operating a small business.

    The program began in Houston, Texas, in 2007 and is designed to teach children and youth entrepreneurial skills, including financial literacy, responsibility and basic money management. Organizers say nearly 750,000 participants have taken part across North America since the program began, with more than 150,000 students expected in more than 50 communities this year.

    Parents are encouraged to help children plan and run their stands. Local businesses and organizations are also supporting the event by mentoring participants and providing stand locations.

    Organizers say charitable giving is part of the program, with 63 per cent of Lemonade Day participants choosing to donate some proceeds to community charities.

    A map of Okotoks stand locations is available on the Okotoks Lemonade Day website.