okotoks.news

Tag: Parks and Recreation

  • Okotoks cooling stations open through Aug. 4 during heat warning

    Okotoks is giving residents a cool way to weather the heat.

    The Town of Okotoks has opened several cooling stations to help residents during the ongoing heat wave.

    The stations are available until Aug. 4 at the Okotoks Recreation Centre, Okotoks Municipal Centre, Viking Rentals Centre, Okotoks Public Library, Okotoks Art Gallery, and Okotoks Museum & Archives.

    The facilities are open during regular business hours and will have bottled water available. The town says they can also provide indoor relief when outdoor air quality is poor.

    The town said the stations were opened in response to an Environment and Climate Change Canada heat warning. It is continuing to monitor conditions and may adjust availability if needed.

    Okotoks Spray Park hours have also been extended to 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the heat wave, though hours may change. Residents are encouraged to check the town’s recreation updates before going.

    The town is advising residents to limit strenuous activity during the hottest parts of the day, drink plenty of water, wear loose-fitting clothing and sun protection, and check on people who may be more vulnerable to extreme heat.

    Residents should never leave people or pets in parked vehicles. Anyone who sees an animal left in a vehicle is asked to call 9-1-1.

    People who feel overheated should stop what they are doing, move to shade or a cool indoor space, and drink fluids. Medical help should be sought immediately if someone faints or loses consciousness.

    The town is also reminding residents to use caution around rivers, wear a properly fitted lifejacket or personal flotation device, and avoid storm ponds, where swimming and recreation are not allowed. More river safety information is available online.

    Outdoor watering rules remain in effect, and residents can find their assigned watering days at okotoks.ca/water.

  • 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.

  • Goats to help control invasive weeds at Okotoks off-leash park

    The town is putting its weed-control plan out to pasture.

    Goats will graze in a fenced section of the Off-Leash Dog Park from June 2 to 20, weather permitting, as part of the Town of Okotoks‘ efforts to manage invasive weeds.

    Crews will install fencing before the goats arrive. The town is asking visitors to:

    • Keep dogs leashed until they enter the designated off-leash area.
    • Keep dogs away from the fencing.
    • Stay outside the fenced areas.
    • Not feed or touch the goats.

    Questions can be directed to Okotoks Parks at 403-938-8958.

  • The Town’s Annual Powwow, Tipi Camp & All-Indigenous Artisan Market return to Okotoks this weekend!

    The artisan market is a fitting place to drum up support for Indigenous creators.

    Indigenous culture, art, music and tradition are taking centre stage in Okotoks this weekend as the Town’s annual Powwow, Tipi Camp and All-Indigenous Artisan Market continues through Sunday, May 31.

    The free event is being held at the Viking Rentals Centre, 204 Community Way. The Powwow and artisan market are indoors in the Infinity Paving Arena and Events Hall. The Tipi Camp is behind the facility in Howard Park, 229 Woodhaven Drive.

    Sunday’s schedule includes the All-Indigenous Artisan Market from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the Competition Powwow, with Grand Entry at 1 p.m.

    The event reflects the Town’s Truth and Reconciliation efforts and honours the ceremonial transfer of a Blackfoot-style painted lodge to Mayor Tanya Thorn and Chief Administrative Officer Elaine Vincent by Blackfoot Elders and Knowledge Keepers on June 3, 2023. That transfer also marked the introduction of the Town’s first Tipi Camp and All-Indigenous Artisan Market, known as Iitohpoom’op, a Blackfoot word meaning “store.” The program expanded to include a competition Powwow in 2025.

    Visitors can watch dancers and drummers, hear live music, shop for handcrafted goods from Indigenous artisans and purchase food and beverages inside the facility or from food trucks at the north end of the parking lot.

    On-site parking is available in front of the arena and events hall. Overflow parking is available at Foothills Composite High School.

  • Calgary police investigating series of sexual assaults in Fish Creek Park, three reports believed to be linked

    Police are asking anyone with information to help put the brakes on this BMX-riding suspect.

    Calgary police are asking for the public’s help to identify a suspect believed to be connected to three sexual assaults in Fish Creek Park.

    The Calgary Police Service Sexual Assault Investigative Unit is investigating an assault reported May 23 at approximately 2:30 p.m. A woman was jogging near the Sue Higgins Bridge and Mallard Point when an unknown male approached her from behind while riding a black BMX bike and sexually assaulted her.

    Investigators believe the assault is linked to two similar incidents in Fish Creek Park in April.

    The suspect is described as being in his late teens to early 20s, approximately six feet tall, with a light skin tone and short, shaggy blonde hair. He was seen wearing a black hoodie with a colourful graphic and blue jeans.

    Anyone with information is asked to call police at 403-266-1234. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers online or by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

  • Art, culture and community on display at Indigenous Artisan Market in Okotoks

    The market gave local shoppers an artful way to bead part of the community.

    Okotoks welcomed the fourth annual Iitohpoom’op Indigenous Artisan Market at the Viking Rentals Centre Event Centre on Saturday.

    More than 49 Indigenous, First Nations and Métis artists and creators from across Canada sold crafts and artwork, with proceeds going directly to the creators. Shoppers browsed clothing, paintings, jewelry, toys, soaps and other handmade goods while Okotoks musician Brettyn Rose performed live.

    The market ran alongside a powwow in the Viking Rentals Centre’s Infinity Paving Arena.

    Held just before National Indigenous History Month begins in June, the annual market is part of the Town of Okotoks’ commitment to advancing Truth and Reconciliation through the celebration of Indigenous art and culture.

  • Okotoks youth get hands-on with traditional tipi building

    The young participants had a pole lot to learn.

    Local youth learned how to raise a tipi during the Mini Tipi Camp Races at Howard Park North Soccer Field in Okotoks on Saturday.

    The activity was part of the town’s annual Powwow, All-Indigenous Artisan Market and Tipi Camp. The Tipi Camp ran from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

    Participants learned how to set up and secure the poles, place the covering, hammer in support pegs and take the structure down afterward.

    Traditionally built with wooden poles and bison-hide coverings, tipis continue to hold cultural significance for many Indigenous Peoples. The activity helped pass the tradition on to younger generations.