CALGARY — Another LOTTO MAX draw has come and gone this week, but the $70 million grand prize has yet to be claimed.

However, smaller prizes were won in Alberta, including the city of Calgary.

According to the Western Canadian Lottery Corporation’s (WCLC) website, four winning MAXMILLIONS tickets were claimed in Friday night’s record-breaking lottery.

Two $500,000 prizes were sold in Calgary while a third half-million-dollar prize was won elsewhere in the province, outside Alberta’s two major centres.

A larger, million-dollar was also sold in Alberta.

The winning numbers are as follows:

• 1-4-10-11-15-36-49 (Calgary $500,000 prize)
• 4-18-24-25-28-29-41 (Alberta $500,000 prize)
• 14-26-37-44-46-47-49 (Calgary $500,000 prize)
• 20-23-31-34-42-46-48 (Alberta $1 million prize)

The website adds Friday’s top EXTRA prize of $250,000 went to a ticket sold in Saskatoon, Sask. while $100,000 went to a lucky winner in Winnipeg, Man.

2.6 MILLION FREE PLAYS IN FRIDAY DRAW

However, even if your numbers don’t match one of the larger prizes, don’t be too hasty to throw them out.

The WCLC’s website indicates more than 500,000 tickets sold country-wide won $20 while 2.6 million tickets scored their holders a free play in the next draw.

Tuesday’s LOTTO MAX will include the estimated $70 million grand prize plus and additional 70 MAXMILLIONS prizes.

OTTAWA — Canada is extending a ban on nonessential travel with the United States and the rest of the world until July 21, officials said on Friday, prompting frustration from businesses and U.S. legislators.

Canada is under pressure from companies and the tourism industry to ease the ban, which was imposed in March 2020 to help contain spread of the coronavirus and has been renewed on a monthly basis ever since.

But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood firm, saying the border would stay largely shut until 75 per cent of Canadians had received the first of a two-dose coronavirus vaccine and 20 per cent had been given both shots.

Although Trudeau said Canada had basically achieved the first target, official data released after he spoke showed 73.4 per cent had received their first shot. Only 14.7 per cent of the eligible population has had both shots as of Friday afternoon.

“Even a fully vaccinated individual can pass on COVID-19 to someone who is not vaccinated,” Trudeau told reporters, saying Canada needed to avoid “any further massive waves.” 

The extended border closure comes as the western province of Alberta unveiled plans to fully reopen on July 1, lifting virtually all remaining public health restrictions, after 70 per cent of eligible Albertans received their first vaccination dose.

The travel ban does not affect trade in goods but Statistics Canada said total exports of services in 2020 compared with 2019 fell by 17.7 per cent and imports of services plunged by 24.0 per cent, in part due to the border restrictions. Travel and transportation services were particularly hard hit.

“The inability of the U.S. and Canadian governments to reach an agreement on alleviating border restrictions … is simply unacceptable,” said U.S. Representatives Brian Higgins and Bill Huizenga, co-chairs of the Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group.

The United States is Canada’s largest trading partner.

Harley Finkelstein, president of Canadian e-commerce company Shopify Inc , tweeted that the extended border closure was the wrong decision. “We need to open the border for fully vaccinated travelers immediately,” he wrote.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce – a national group that advocates for businesses – lamented what it said was Ottawa’s excessive caution.

“All of the science would say we should be moving ahead to reopen the border. We don’t even have a plan at this point,” said Perrin Beatty, the group’s president and chief executive. 

Ottawa will reveal on Monday how it plans to start easing measures for fully vaccinated Canadians.

(Additional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Nia Williams in Calgary Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Matthew Lewis)

CALGARY — Some Alberta businesses say they’re feeling left behind following an announcement that travel restrictions at the Canada-U.S. border will remain in place for at least another month.

The federal government said Friday the restrictions on non-essential international travel will be kept in place until July 21.

In Calgary, one travel agent said it was a hard thing to hear.

“People are just wanting to know when can we travel or when can we plan that vacation,” Travel Time owner Terri Jo Lennox said. “They just want some guidance on that.”

Lennox told CTV News she understands the reasoning behind the extension, but was hoping for more information from the government.

“The most unsettling piece of it for both us in the industry and consumers in general is all of the uncertainty, and the lack of information or a plan,” she said.

The measures at land crossings have been in place since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

The pressure to relax the restrictions has been building from businesses on both sides of the border in recent months.

Alberta’s southern-most village has been struggling with the change.

“It continues to hurt our small businesses that depend on traffic going through,” Coutts deputy mayor Scott MacCumber said.

It’ll also impact summer travellers and the province’s tourism industry.

The premier said he’d like to see some exceptions made to help some industries.

“I think most premiers believe that we can, at some point in July, begin receiving folks who have been double dosed,” Jason Kenney said Friday.

The federal government is expected to provide details on Monday about plans to let fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents enter the country.

Specific details are currently unknown.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has previously said that it would take 75 per cent of Canadians getting vaccinated before restrictions at the border could be lifted.

Right now, more than 65 per cent of Canada’s total population has had their first dose and almost 17 per cent are fully vaccinated.

EDMONTON — Police are searching for the man a 14-year-old girl says sexually assaulted her in southeast Edmonton earlier this month.

The victim says she was sitting alone on a bench in Silverberry Park, near 30 Street and 31 Avenue, on June 2 at approximately 9:30 p.m. when an unknown man sat next to her.

He was having a conversation with her and “suddenly, the suspect proceeded to sexually assault the girl over her clothing with his hands,” police said.

She attempted to push the man away in a physical struggle that lasted several minutes, police said.

The man eventually fled the scene on foot and went northbound on 30 Street.

He’s described as 20 to 25 years old, six feet tall, average weight, lighter skin, and darker hair longer on top and shorter on the side, police said.

“He is also described as possibly having a distinct freckle under his right eye, and a Rosary tattoo on his left shoulder area/chest,” police added.

He was wearing dark blue, ripped jeans with a slightly bloodied left knee and was walking with a limp, EPS said.

Anyone with information about the man is asked to call police at 780-423-4567 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

EDMONTON — Alberta reported fewer than 200 new cases on Friday for a ninth straight day as the province began its countdown to Stage 3 reopening after officially surpassing its vaccination target.

At the end of Thursday, 70.2 per cent of Albertans have received at least a first dose of vaccine. More than 983,000, or about 25.8 per cent of the eligible population has received a second dose.

Stage 3, which removes almost all public health restrictions, will begin on July 1.

The province added 124 new cases Friday, as the active case count fell to 2,336.

There are now 237 Albertans in hospital receiving care for COVID-19, including 58 in intensive care units.

Three more individuals, ranging in ages from 40s to 60s, were reported to have died, bringing the number of COVID-19 deaths in Alberta up to 2,283.

The province reported an 2.13 per cent positivity rate based on about 5,600 tests. 

Also Friday, the province expanded vaccination availability to those who got their first dose in May.

The move comes 11 days ahead of the initially planned date and will make another 1.1 million Albertans eligible for a second dose.