Local News

Sand and gravel pit operators in Red Deer County will now pay a 25-cent-per-tonne levy commencing Jan. 1 after council approved second and third reading of a community aggregate payment bylaw at council Tuesday.

Making businesses in West Central Alberta and elsewhere more competitive is one of the principal goals of a newly formed provincial task force, says chairman and Rocky Mountain House-Sundre MLA Ty Lund.

A 3.5 per cent property tax increase for Red Deer County was recommended in the 2012 draft budget presented to council Tuesday.

Mountain View County rolled out its draft Municipal Development Plan to the public last week, drawing about 100 people at two open houses in the West Country.

Housing starts are down in Mountain View County, according to statistics complied by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp (CMHC).Between January and September 2011, there were 31 housing starts, down from 36 in 2010, a 13.9 per cent decrease.

Students from Olds, Didsbury, Carstairs, and Bowden performed a variety of piano, vocal and instrumental selections when the Olds and District Music Teacher's Association held its annual scholarship recital on Friday, Nov.

The Red Deer Catholic Regional School Division's 2011-12 budget is six per cent higher this year than in 2010-11.

Newly elected Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills Progressive Conservative candidate Darcy Davis is the ìright man for the job,î said Arno Doerksen, MLA for Strathmore-Brooks.ìDarcy has a lot of empathy and he's a very good listener,î Doerksen said.

Councillors are trying to level the playing field for gravel sales in Mountain View County.

Premier Alison Redford announced last week the creation of a task force to deal with Albertans' property rights concerns.