The Crowsnest Pass Food Bank is seeing more families, seniors and working residents turn to hampers as costs rise, with demand up over last year and donations under pressure even as community events and volunteers work to keep shelves stocked.

A 39-year-old contractor from Hosmer has died after a workplace incident at Elkview Operations near Sparwood, prompting investigations by RCMP, the B.C. Coroners Service and provincial mining authorities. Elkview has been temporarily shut while probes continue.

Castle Mountain Resort is tracking for an early December start as temps drop for snowmaking. A new Stagecoach Express Quad and several hundred acres of lift accessed terrain are planned. WOW Card savings and a Dec. 5 to 7 food bank drive return.

Starting Nov. 15, Puzzleneck in Frank will wrap gifts by donation with all proceeds to the Crowsnest Pass food and toy hampers. Drop off at 14701 14 Ave. Wednesday to Friday noon to 5 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Service runs to Dec. 24 at noon.

CNP Allied Arts Association will host a community visioning workshop on Nov. 9 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. as it plans a new community art hub after Alberta Transportation purchased the gallery building for Highway 3 widening. The gallery remains open in Frank with a Nov. 8 exhibit launch.

A local couple donated a Sara Plus patient lift to the Crowsnest Pass Health Centre to support safer sit to stand transfers. Troy and Carmen Linderman gifted the near new Arjo unit after her 46 day stay, working with the Health Foundation and staff to place it where it will be used most.

Alberta unveiled Bill 7 to modernize water law and ease sharing and transfers. Treaty 6, 7 and 8 chiefs opposed the plan, warning it risks treaty rights and northern rivers. The bill adds a quicker path for lower risk transfers and new measurement rules, with consultations to follow.

Council set the 2026 schedule, filled committees and named convention delegates as Mayor Pat Rypien called for respectful, accountable leadership. Council reviewed major projects and weighed joining the Fort Macleod Santa Claus Parade.

Alberta will pay 95 million to Evolve Power, returning the Chinook and Greenfield coal leases to the Crown. The province says it will not lease the lands again. In the Pass, Chinook is off the table while Grassy Mountain exploration continues under AER conditions.

Two advocates seek to finalise a bylaw creating ARCH, a committee to recruit and retain health care providers in the Crowsnest Pass. A Nov. 25 delegation is planned.

Alberta introduced Bill 2, the Back to School Act, to end the Oct. 6 teachers’ strike affecting about 750,000 students. ATA says it stifles legal action and ignores class size and supports. Plan offers 12 per cent over four years and hires more staff. Classes could resume as early as Oct. 29.

A column linked Canadian Thanksgiving with Ukraine’s Obzhynky, stressed gratitude for farmers and nature, recalled Holodomor remembrance in Canada, and closed with a family harvest and wishes for prosperity.

After 26 years, the Pass Herald is modernizing: a new website built locally with Colour Infusion, web ads, and a Dec. 1 e-edition via Local Ink. A “Pass the Popcorn” podcast is coming. The publisher continues AWNA advocacy, co-ops, and the Google ad lawsuit.

CCHS science teacher Ryan Peebles received a Regional Certificate of Achievement in the 2025 Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence, recognizing his student-centred approach and dedication to rural education.

Kinnear challenges removal of a healthy, century old Blairmore cottonwood, saying the park path could have curved to save it. Calls for a heritage tree inventory and council review process after more utility tree cuts, including a 19th Street cottonwood and firs felled in 2022.

Crowsnest Trails and the Alberta Hiking Association marked the completion of the 1.5 kilometre Allison Falls Trail with a celebration walk after an 18 month build that began in spring 2024 and wrapped in October 2025. The route links the Atlas Staging Area to Rainbow Road, with options to continue to the Allison Creek Fish Hatchery or Allison Chinook Lake, and features a new bridge and lookout at the base of the falls. 

A volunteer-led clay program at the Crowsnest Pass Health Centre’s long-term care unit was described by volunteer Cori MacGregor and volunteer coordinator Madison Hayley as creative, adaptable and dependent on community help.

Recent preprint on selenium in Crowsnest Lake questioned for overselling risk and overlooking modern regulations .

The 10th annual Amazing Teen Race brought together 100 youth, more than 100 volunteers and local sponsors for a milestone event

14th annual campaign supports students in Pass and Elk Valley