All Stories

COVID weekly: Here we go again…

Surges in COVID cases prompts return to tighter restrictions Pearl LorentzenLakeside Leader “This wave is here,” said Alberta Premier Jason Kenney in an April 6 press conference. The return to Step 1 of COVID-19 restrictions on April 7 is to…
· by · 0
New group eligible for vaccine

Pearl LorentzenLakeside Leader On March 30, Phase 2B of the COVID-19 vaccine strategy started in Alberta, but appointments in Slave Lake didn’t start until April 5. This means that any Albertan over 16 who has one of a list of…
· by · 0
Spring ice is rotten ice; mind where you step!

Leader staff Ice surfaces are not safe as spring arrives. Many factors affect ice thickness: the type of water, location, and time of year. Other environmental factors also affect ice thickness, such as the size and depth of the body…
· by · 0
No North Country Fair – again

Joe McWilliamsLakeside Leader For the second year in a row there won’t be a North Country Fair. The popular music festival, held annually on the weekend closest to the summer solstice in the Driftpile Valley, has fallen victim to the…
· by · 0
Two people from the area reach the 103-year milestone

Joe McWilliamsLakeside Leader We’ve checked in with Mary Giroux of Slave Lake three times in the past four years upon her reaching milestone birthdays. Another one is coming up this week (April 6). She turns 103 and the folks at…
· by · 0
Loon River chief joins discussion on homelessness

Pearl LorentzenLakeside Leader “I’m here to bring solutions to the table,” said chief Ivan Sawan of Loon River First Nation, at the March 25 Homeless Coalition meeting. Sawan is also the grand chief of the Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal…
· by · 0
Slave Lake church starting preschool

No Bible class Pearl LorentzenLakeside Leader Discovery Kids Preschool will “promote Christian values, but we won’t have a religion class,” says Lilibeth ‘Lili’ Normand, program director. “Our main goal is to provide a service to the community.” A few months…
· by · 0
More bears out there

First-ever ‘scientific’ count of Swan Hills grizzlies Leader staff Estimates of grizzly bear numbers in the Swan Hills area of Alberta have always involved a lot of guesswork. Now there’s a “first-ever scientific population estimate for this area,” says a…
· by · 0
Lumber price triples

Joe McWilliamsLakeside Leader A lot of people are talking about the high price of lumber these days. It’s caused, apparently, by a pent-up demand for building products. People can’t do a lot of other things, so they are building. According…
· by · 0
New group eligible for vaccine

Pearl LorentzenLakeside Leader On March 30, Phase 2B of the COVID-19 vaccine strategy started in Alberta, but appointments in Slave Lake didn’t start until April 5. This means that any Albertan over 16 who has one of a list of…
· by · 0
COVID Weekly: Athabasca numbers jumps 101

Pearl Lorentzen Lakeside Leader From March 27 to April 1, the M.D. of Lesser Slave River had only three new COVID cases, but Athabasca County had a surge of new cases. By April 1, there were 105 active cases of…
· by · 0
Minister visits, announces ambulance funding

Joe McWilliamsLakeside Leader Alberta’s Minister of Health, Tyler Shandro, visited Slave Lake on March 22 to announce funding for a new ambulance facility. Prior to and after the announcement Shandro met with local physicians, the mayor and town council (or…
· by · 0
Details on Hwy. 2 improvements

Leader staff The Town of Slave Lake Administration received some details last week on the planned highway maintenance for the region this construction season. As follows: The provincial government has retained a contractor to overlay 14 kms of Highway 2…
· by · 0