An 82-year-old Alberta woman who had been missing for nearly two weeks has been found dead in Saskatchewan.

In an updated sent Sunday, Consort RCMP said Diane Cooper was located by police around 7:40 p.m. on April 18 in the Rural Municipality of Grandview, near Kindersley, Sask.

Police said Cooper’s death is not considered suspicious. Her dog, a Dalmatian named Halo, was also located and is safe.

Cooper was reported missing to Consort RCMP on April 7 after last being seen the evening of April 6.

Police said she had left Calgary earlier that afternoon and was believed to be driving a grey Toyota with Alberta licence plate.

Over the course of the investigation, RCMP believed Cooper had travelled into Saskatchewan. Surveillance footage and tracking data placed her vehicle in several Alberta and Saskatchewan communities, including Stettler, Veteran and Hoosier, Sask.

RCMP launched an extensive search involving detachments in both provinces, air services, and search and rescue teams. Police also received and followed up on numerous public tips, but none led to her location until Saturday.

Amid global tensions and major pressures on international supply chains, Saskatchewan has an opportunity to maximize its reserves of potash.

According to the Canada West Foundation (CWF), Canada, and Saskatchewan specifically, can leverage its world-leading reserves of potash.

Canada West’s report advocates for the provincial and federal governments to improve supply chains, identify opportunities for talent attraction and retention, and to continue supporting trade diversification.

“Potash is a key strategic resource for Canada, and an essential contributor to global food security. It is therefore of significant importance that Canada and Saskatchewan continue to develop and grow this industry,” read the report.

Potash is a potassium-rich mineral often used as a fertilizer. Canada has the largest known potash reserves in the world, with the vast majority located in Saskatchewan.

“The rules-based international order, or the rules and norms spearheaded by the U.S. that have structured international relations for nearly a century, no longer seems as reliable as it once did,” the report read.

“Therefore, countries such as Canada need to leverage strategic resources to safeguard both national security and prosperity, and few priorities are more critical than ensuring reliable access to food production.”

CWF went on to argue that strengthening potash mining also serves as an economic boon to Saskatchewan’s economy.

The report said potash is second to Saskatchewan’s oil industry in terms of single industry contributions to GDP.

Between 2017 and 2020, the industry paid about $500 million in federal, provincial and municipal taxes per year, followed by $2 billion in 2021.

Thanks to record prices, the industry paid over $5 billion in taxes in 2022.

Around 6,000 people in Saskatchewan work in the non-metallic mining sector, with potash as the largest constituent. CWF said an additional 12,000 people work in the supply and service industry.

“Not only does this make the industry a major employer in the province, but one of the highest paying. The average salary for workers in Saskatchewan’s mining industry was nearly $110,000 in 2022, compared to Saskatchewan’s median income of $45,400,” CWF said.

The United States attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship it said had tried to evade a naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, and Iran’s joint military command vowed to respond, throwing a fragile ceasefire into question days before it expires.

It was the first interception since the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports began last week. Iran’s joint military command called the armed boarding an act of piracy and a ceasefire violation, the state broadcaster said.

With the U.S.-Iran standoff over the strait sharpening and the ceasefire expiring by Wednesday, it was not clear where President Donald Trump ’s earlier announcement on new talks with Iran now stood. He had said U.S. negotiators would head to Pakistan on Monday.

The uncertainty sent oil prices rising again. One of the worst global energy crises in decades threatened to deepen.

Trump on social media said a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer in the Gulf of Oman warned the ship, the Touska, to stop and then “stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom.” U.S. Marines had custody of the U.S.-sanctioned vessel and were “seeing what’s on board!”

It was not clear whether anyone was hurt. The U.S. Central Command, which didn’t answer questions, said the destroyer had issued “repeated warnings over a six-hour period.”

Iranian state media suggest the talks won’t take place

There was no comment from Iranian officials on Trump’s announcement of the talks.

However, Iranian state media, without citing anyone beyond unnamed sources, issued brief reports suggesting that talks would not happen.

Minutes after the ship seizure was announced, Iranian state media reported on President Masoud Pezeshkian’s phone conversation with Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, earlier Sunday. U.S. actions, including bullying and unreasonable behavior, have led to increased suspicion that the U.S. will repeat previous patterns and “betray diplomacy,” the reports cited Pezeshkian as saying.

Two previous attempts at talks — last June and earlier this year — were interrupted by Israeli and U.S. attacks.

On another phone call, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, that recent U.S. actions, rhetoric and contradictions were signs of “bad intentions and lack of seriousness in diplomacy,” Iran’s state broadcaster said.

Pakistan did not confirm a second round of talks, but authorities began tightening security in Islamabad. A regional official involved in the efforts said mediators were finalizing preparations and U.S. advance security teams were on the ground. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss preparations with the media.

The White House said Vice President JD Vance, who led the first round of historic face-to-face talks over 21 hours last weekend, would lead the U.S. delegation to Pakistan with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Iran on Saturday said it had received new proposals from the United States. While Iran’s chief negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, late Saturday said “there will be no retreat in the field of diplomacy,” he acknowledged a wide gap remained between the sides.

It was unclear whether either side had shifted stances on issues that derailed the last round of negotiations, including Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, its regional proxies and control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump’s announcement on talks repeated his threats against Iranian infrastructure that have drawn widespread criticism and warnings of war crimes. If Iran doesn’t agree to the U.S.-proposed deal, “the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” he wrote.

Iran wants to control strait until ‘war fully ends’

Iran early Monday warned it could keep up the global economic pain as ships remained unable to transit the strait, with hundreds of vessels waiting at each end for clearance.

Security of the strait is not free and “the choice is clear: either a free oil market for all, or the risk of significant costs for everyone,” Mohammad Reza Aref, first vice president of Iran, said in a social media post calling for a lasting end to military and economic pressure on Tehran.

Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil trade normally passes through the strait, along with critical supplies of fertilizer for the world’s farmers, natural gas and humanitarian supplies for places in dire need like Afghanistan and Sudan.

Iran had announced the strait’s reopening after a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon took hold on Friday. But then Trump said the U.S. blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the United States. Iran said it would again enforce restrictions it imposed early in the war. On Saturday, Iran fired at ships trying to transit.

For the Islamic Republic, the strait’s closure is perhaps its most powerful weapon, inflicting political pain on Trump. For the United States, the blockade squeezes Iran’s already weakened economy. Each side has accused the other of violating the ceasefire.

Since most supplies to U.S. military bases in the Gulf region come through the strait, “Iran is determined to maintain oversight and control over traffic through the strait until the war fully ends,” Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said late Saturday. That means Iran-designated routes, payment of fees and issuance of transit certificates.

The council has recently acted as Iran’s de facto top decision-making body.

The war is now in its eighth week after the U.S. and Israel launched it on Feb. 28 during talks over Tehran’s nuclear program. At least 3,000 people have been killed in Iran, more than 2,290 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 U.S. service members throughout the region have been killed.

With the United States acting more like an economic foe than an ally under the presidency of Donald Trump, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada’s former strength, built on our bond with America, has become a “weakness” that must be corrected.

In a pre-recorded address released Sunday morning, Carney said his intention was to talk “directly and regularly” about his plan for Canada and promised he would “never sugarcoat our challenges.”

The main point of this message, according to a source, was that during a time of disruption he wanted a venue where he could talk directly to Canadians, and in an extended format.

The world, he said, has become more “dangerous and divided,” and Canada must re-evaluate its most critical international relationships and undergo a shift in national strategy.

“The U.S. has fundamentally changed its approach to trade, raising its tariffs to levels last seen during the Great Depression,” said Carney in the nearly 10-minute-long address that was recorded in a home in Ottawa. “Many of our former strengths, based on our close ties to America, have become our weaknesses; weaknesses that we must correct.”

Workers in the auto, steel and lumber industries are “under threat” because of U.S. tariffs, he said, and businesses are holding back investments because of the “pall of uncertainty that’s hanging over all of us.”

“The U.S. has changed and we must respond,” said Carney, before launching into his Liberal government’s record and achievements, and invoking the “Canada Strong” plan he announced during the 2025 election campaign; a plan that was meant to Trump-proof the nation.

The new reality

Without naming the opposition Conservatives, Carney seemed to allude to them when he said there are “some who say there’s no need for a comprehensive plan” –- that Canadians should “wait it out” in the hope that U.S. relations will go back to how they were in the “good old days.”

He pointed out that young Canadians have experienced no such good days -- their entire lives having been impacted by the shocks and crises of global wars, financial strife and COVID-19.

He admitted his plans that include building new trade and energy corridors, doubling the size of clean energy capacity and creating “one Canadian economy out of 13” are ambitious. “But in a crisis, fortune favours the bold,” he said.

The prime minister then showed a small statue of Maj.-Gen. Sir Isaac Brock, the British army officer known as the “Hero of Upper Canada” for his role during the War of 1812. He said the statue, a gift from comedian Mike Myers, reminds him “that when we’re united as Canadians, we can withstand anything.”

“Before Canada even existed, it had a shape in Brock’s imagination,” said Carney. “Faced with the threat of an American invasion, Brock built alliances across our land and inspired what would eventually become Canada.”

Carney continued referencing history, saying it was an “ambitious” and “determined” Canada that built big things like the St. Lawrence Seaway, the CN Tower and the Trans-Canada Highway after the Second World War. He said his government is making big structural changes now, too, to “make us stronger at home and less reliant on the United States.”

He closed his message with a sentiment meant to instill confidence, invoking a practice called “forward guidance” that he developed during the financial crisis when he was governor of the Bank of Canada – a practice that involved using “overwhelming force against our problems until they were solved.”

“There’s much forward guidance to be found in our shared history. We will get through this because of who we have always been,” he said. “It’s our country. It’s our future. We are taking back control, to build Canada strong.”

‘Canadians don’t need Forward Guidance’

In a post on X, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said the prime minister is creating an illusion to distract from his “costly failures at home.”

“The Carney Liberals have given us the worst food inflation, the worst household debt, the worst housing costs, and the only shrinking economy in the G7,” he wrote.

He also said Carney was to blame for a deficit that has doubled since former prime minister Justin Trudeau left office, as well as creating ruptures with the U.S.

“Mark Carney’s talk of a rupture with the customer that buys two-thirds of our goods is not a plan. He has not negotiated a single new Free Trade Agreement with any country on earth,” Poilievre wrote.

Also on X, Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman posted a video, criticizing Carney’s lack of action, suggesting he was posturing rather than creating opportunities.

“Canadians don’t need Forward Guidance, they live in the real world,” Lantsman said. “A family filling up a grocery cart in Saskatoon doesn’t need Mark Carney’s economic philosophy. They need the bill at the checkout to stop going up.”

Lantsman also claimed that the country has lost $1 trillion in net investment over the last decade under the Liberal government.

“He talks about growth after his party spent years chasing away the people who actually build things,” she said. “He talks about boldness after a year of doing next to nothing, despite the extraordinary powers that he was given by Parliament.”

A Regina Police Service (RPS) operation led to quite the disturbance in the city’s downtown core Friday.

The police service notified the public just after 1 p.m. that an operation was being conducted on the 1900 block of St. John Street.

Those in the area were asked to shelter in place while drivers and pedestrians were asked to find alternate routes and avoid the area altogether.

The operation ended just after 3 p.m., according to police.

Tactical team members were witnessed at the scene of the operation. CTV News also witnessed several individuals in handcuffs being led into a police vehicle.

Updates are set to be provided as they become available.

A report with 26 recommendations on how to improve the agricultural and agri-food sector in Saskatchewan has been given to the Canadian Federal Government.

Unleashing the Potential of the Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Sector Through Regulatory Reform was created by the Standing Committee on Agriculture & Agri-food.

The report suggests making mandate changes to address a number of factors impacting the industries, including pest management, plastic use, drone usage, inspection sites, the worker permit process, along with many more.

Pierre Petelle is the President & CEO of CropLife Canada. He said regulatory processes take time to create and change, as it has become burdensome due to timelines and a now lowered predictably.

“The recommendations focused on that these regulators look at things differently, that they are open to new ideas. Having a different lens when they look at things,” he said.

In September of 2025, the Standing Committee adopted a motion to undertake a study on the government’s regulatory reform initiative of these sectors. Identifying where costs could be saved was a focus.

The report was released in December of 2025. Petelle said the response showed a disconnect between higher management and the departments doing the work.

“The response was a bit of a pushback as opposed to an openness to change. There is a disconnect in our view,” he said.

Forty-seven witnesses, including agriculture and agri-food stakeholders, federal officials, and policy matter experts were all heard by the committee during the report creation.

The report concluded that a number of regulatory burdens have remained in place for years and the full economic potential of the sectors remains unmet.

It goes on to say these regulatory reforms are a no-cost initiative and are within the federal government’s scope.

The Saskatchewan NDP is accusing the government of being less than transparent on the topic of the AI data centre set to be built on Regina’s outskirts.

Bell Canada is set to construct Canada’s largest data centre on a 160-acre plot of land in the rural municipality of Sherwood, just south of Regina’s Sask. Polytech campus. The facility, which will cost approximately $1.7 billion to construct, represents a $12 billion total investment into the province.

“We know data centres are part of the future. We know that they could represent a major economic opportunity for Saskatchewan. But with projects of this scale, public trust matters, and right now, that trust is being undermined by a lack of transparency from this government,” NDP MLA Aleana Young told reporters Friday.

Among the opposition’s most burning questions is why the project wasn’t subject to an environmental assessment.

“This data centre comes with serious environmental questions as well, and our colleague environment shadow minister Jared Clarke, sent a letter to Minister Rowden this morning asking why this project wasn’t subject to the routine environmental impact assessment,” Young said, adding that her party has received some details regarding the project from Bell Canada.

In a statement issued Friday evening, the provincial government said any company proposing a project is required to review the Ministry of Environment’s “self-assessment checklist” to determine if an environment assessment is required.

“The Ministry of Environment has been engaged with Bell Canada for several months and will continue to work with the company as the project progresses,” the statement read. “Since the Government of Saskatchewan is not the project proponent, further questions should be directed to Bell Canada.”

The Saskatchewan NDP is asking residents who have questions or concerns surrounding the project to contact TransparencyNow@ndpcaucus.sk.ca. The party also plans to hold an open house on the topic on Wednesday, April 22 at Glen Elm library from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

While speaking to reporters on Thursday, Premier Scott Moe was asked if he had a message to those who feel uncertain or uncomfortable with the prospect of an AI data centre operating in their vicinity.

He argued many of the concerns have simple answers, while highlighting the economic advantage of the project.

“If there’s questions, I think there’s pretty straightforward answers to those questions as well, whether it be water usage, whether it be potential noise,” the premier noted.

“But there’s also, I think, other information that we need to take into account is the number of jobs, careers really, that are going to be associated with this investment and many of the other investments across the province, as well.”

Planning documents published earlier this month revealed the intended layout for the facility, along with preventative measures that will be taken to manage noise, light, and air pollution.

According to the documents, the facility will utilize air-cooled, closed-loop chilling technology – that “does not consume or evaporate water to reject heat to the atmosphere.” Once the system is filled during commissioning, it will remain entirely sealed. As a result, the facility’s water connection to the municipality will be sized to support “standard domestic use and essential fire protection requirements.”

“So the closed loop system is quite environmentally friendly, and it should not affect the water supply of surrounding communities. This is the information that we’ve received from Bell Canada, and we’re going to take them at their word,” NDP MLA Brittney Senger noted during Friday’s press conference.

The project is expected to support more than 800 jobs during construction, with 80 full-time positions being created once the campus is up and running. Construction is scheduled to start this spring, with the facility coming online in stages, beginning in the first half of 2027.

“This data centre, as I said, is one of the three largest investments in the country,” Moe added. “Data sovereignty is something that matters to all of us … So, fair questions, but I hope everyone is able to engage in the answers as well.”

RCMP say the Saskatchewan side of the Alberta boundary remains the focus of the search for an 82‑year‑old Alberta woman who has been missing for nearly two weeks.

Police say Diane Cooper was last seen driving through west‑central Saskatchewan with her Dalmatian dog, Halo.

Cooper was reported missing to Consort RCMP on April 7 after she failed to arrive at her destination.

Police say she left Calgary the afternoon of April 6 and was last confirmed driving east through the Hoosier, Sask., area later that night.

RCMP believe Cooper may be disoriented and are concerned for her well‑being.

“That’s my greatest theory, I guess, is just that she got really confused when she was driving, and the dementia gets worse the more tired she gets. So, I’m thinking that she just hasn’t slept well, so she hasn’t found her way home,” Cooper’s granddaughter Zoe Cooper said.

“There’s been lots of great tips on Facebook, both from Alberta and Saskatchewan. Lots of people are out there looking and helping.”

RCMP believe Cooper may be disoriented and are concerned for her well‑being.

“That’s my greatest theory, I guess, is just that she got really confused when she was driving, and the dementia gets worse the more tired she gets. So, I’m thinking that she just hasn’t slept well, so she hasn’t found her way home,” Cooper’s granddaughter Zoe Cooper said.

“There’s been lots of great tips on Facebook, both from Alberta and Saskatchewan. Lots of people are out there looking and helping.”

She is believed to be travelling with her dog in a grey Toyota C‑HR XLE with Alberta licence plate LVA978.

Police say they have conducted extensive searches across Alberta and Saskatchewan, including highway patrols, air service flights and follow‑ups on numerous tips from the public, but none of those tips have been substantiated.

Surveillance footage reviewed by RCMP shows Cooper fueling her vehicle in Stettler, Alta., before continuing east. Additional footage from a Saskatchewan business later confirmed her vehicle near Hoosier around 11 p.m. on April 6.

She is described as 100 pounds, five feet one inch tall, with blue eyes, white hair, and a slim build with eyeglasses.

Anyone who sees Cooper, her vehicle or her dog is asked not to approach her, but to contact police immediately.

EVO Radio Network – Scheduled Maintenance Notice

EVO Radio will be conducting a network-wide server migration and infrastructure update beginning Saturday, January 17, 2026 at 3:00 AM, with work expected to be completed by Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 8:00 PM.

During this maintenance window, the following services may be temporarily offline or intermittently inaccessible at various points:

Websites

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• https://979thecowboy.evoradio.ca/

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Live Broadcasting

• Z103.5

• 979 The Cowboy

• 101 The Rockhound

• Classic 88.7 The Goat

Stream Relay Network

• All Stream Relay services will be unavailable during the migration.

Because this update involves server transfers, database installations, and name server changes, exact downtime periods cannot be guaranteed. Individual service interruptions may vary, with some components taking up to several hours to complete.

Our support and technical teams will work to keep all stations and websites online for as long as possible and will restore services immediately as each system becomes available. Broadcast services and station websites will be prioritized, followed by additional network services.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we complete these upgrades, which are designed to improve performance, reliability, and long-term stability across the EVO Radio Network.

Thank you for your continued support,
EVO Radio Network

🎉 Update Completed Successfully! 🎉

We are thrilled to announce that our scheduled network update has been completed without any issues! 🚀 All our broadcast stations, streams, and websites are now fully operational and running better than ever.

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Here’s what you can expect from this update:
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