FortSask

Fort Saskatchewan resident Korinne Walsh was walking her dog on Sunday (June 25) when she saw quite the sight - a tree covered in bees.

In a video posted to the Fort Sask Informed Facebook page, Walsh shared a video of the tree, showing thousands of bees swarming around a tree in the West River's Edge dog park.

The post garnered attention from bee-savvy Fort Saskatchewan residents, who told Walsh that there was nothing to worry about.

About 500,000 Alberta drivers are set to automatically exit the province's Graduated Driver's License (GDL) program. 

The process started back on April 1 as eligible GDL drivers were able to head to a registry office and exchange their GDL license for a non-GDL license free of charge. 

Now that the interim period has ended, those who want to exchange their GDL license will have to pay registry fees to do so. If not, the license will be changed the next time you renew it. 

During that interim period, about 150,000 drivers exited the program. 

Strathcona County is set to launch a new app for their on-demand transit service. 

The change comes after receiving various feedback from users of the on-demand transit pilot project that was launched back in June 2022. 

“Transit recognizes the importance of providing reliable transit service - which is why we listen carefully to rider feedback about the On-Demand service pilot," said Wade Coombs, the director of Transit for the county. 

Fort Saskatchewan RCMP is continuing to investigate after finding human remains in a Sturgeon County vehicle fire. 

Police say they were called to the scene of Range Road 230 and Township Road 554 on Monday (June 26) night to help assist the local fire department with a vehicle fire. 

Once the fire was extinguished, officers reported finding what they believed to be human remains. 

Officers remained on the scene for quite some time on Tuesday, but have since cleared the area. 

The controversial Line 5 pipeline can keep moving fossil fuels through an Indigenous band's territory in Wisconsin for now, but operations on that property "must cease" on June 16, 2026, a U.S. judge says. 

Calgary-based Enbridge Energy Inc., the pipeline's owner, had asked Wisconsin district court Judge William Conley to clarify his order earlier this month giving the company just three years to relocate that section of the pipeline. 

The 2023 Fort Saskatchewan Municipal Census has revealed a population change in the city. 

After two months of canvassing the city and ensuring no resident was left behind, the census revealed that the current population of Fort Saskatchewan sits at 28,624 residents. 

"This represents a significant increase of 6.24% compared to the municipal census conducted in 2019 and a notable growth of 4.22% from the 2021 Federal census," said the city in a press release. 

At Fort Saskatchewan's weekly farmers market, residents can get a look at tons of local businesses from around the area.

One of these businesses, Reckless Designs, was created by Kathy and Vanessa King, a mother-daughter duo based out of Fort Saskatchewan who have been selling their unique designs for the last three years. 

"For the most part we focus on drinkware and stuff," said Vanessa. "That's kind of what we aim to stay with, but we also do all kinds of stuff like cutting boards, dishes, and all kinds of stuff."

Sherwood Park residents should expect some heavy construction on Oak Street next month. 

Strathcona County recently announced that extensive work to rehabilitate the street will begin in July. 

"As part of the annual Residential Road Rehabilitation program, Strathcona County will be making improvements to Oak Street (Vic Bidzinski Way), between Beauvista Drive and the Kinsmen Leisure Centre," said the county in a release. 

Construction will occur in two phases, first focusing on spot concrete replacement before moving into improvements to the asphalt road. 

An update has been given on West River's Edge boat launch in Fort Saskatchewan.

On Monday (June 26) morning, the City of Fort Saskatchewan announced that the boat launch is open again.

The boat launch closed on June 21 due to high water levels and strong currents creating the potential for unsafe conditions.

It re-opened after the river returned to safer levels and flow.
 

A child has suffered serious head injuries after the SUV they were in collided with a semi-truck. 

Smoky Lake RCMP says they received reports of the collision just before 6:30 p.m. on Sunday (June 25) on Highway 831 on the Waskatenau Bridge. 

The collision area was located about 20 minutes north of Lamont. 

It appears a semi-truck hauling another semi was traveling north when it suffered a tire blowout causing it to veer into the southbound lane where it collided with the SUV.