FortSask

Work has begun on constructing a footbridge over the North Saskatchewan River that will connect Strathcona County to east Edmonton. 

Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi was joined by Strathcona County councillor Corey-Ann Hartwick on Wednesday (June 7) to announce that construction on the bridge will officially get underway. 

There are a lot of unofficial rumors about a potential merger between Viterra and Bunge.

Company representatives are keeping tightlipped, but the Grain Services Union has released a statement.

"Any merger or acquisition between these two companies could spur considerable job loss resulting from office closures and corporate restructuring and create a reduction of competition in grain handling and processing that directly affects Canadian producers."

Fort Saskatchewan residents will be able to get rid of any large or heavy items that are collecting dust next week. 

June 12 to 16 is Large Item Collection Week, where residents are encouraged to set out up to two large or heavy items for curbside collection.

These items can include refrigerators, mattresses, couches, and more. However, before setting out the items, the city asks that residents:

Festival Days will be returning to Morinville later this weekend. 

The annual festival will take over the town throughout the weekend and feature plenty of things to do for all ages. 

A midway was initially scheduled to kick off the event on Friday (June 16) but was cancelled due to safety concerns. 

Saturday will be the busiest day of the festival with the bulk of events and activities taking place, including: 

The City of Fort Saskatchewan has announced the new look for their mobile photo enforcement vehicle.

The vehicle, which has taken many forms since coming to Fort Saskatchewan around 2008, is now a brand-new Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The vehicle is part of the Automated Traffic Enforcement program, which plays a role in increasing awareness of speed and traffic safety in areas throughout Fort Saskatchewan.

Mobile photo enforcement helps in places where traffic stops can be dangerous due to traffic flow and pedestrians.

Weather maps hang on the walls and precipitation reports flash across screens in the Winnipeg office where major decisions about Canada’s battle against an unprecedented wildfire season are made. 

Inside the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre headquarters in Manitoba’s capital, just east of the exact longitudinal centre of Canada, there are discussions on how best to battle blazes from coast to coast.

“It's definitely an unprecedented season," Jennifer Kamau, communications manager for the centre, said Tuesday.

Fort Saskatchewan's Pride Week holds a bit of added significance this year. 

With the week officially getting underway on Friday (June 9) with a flag raising at Families First, organizers are expecting a week of celebration among a year that saw some concerning developments take place across the world. 

"This year for sure has been difficult across North America and the world," said Lauren Reid, the chair of the Fort Sask Pride Committee. "[There has] been a lot of changes and attacks on some of the gender-affirming policies." 

A reminder for livestock producers the deadline to purchase calf price insurance is Thursday, June 8th.

The Livestock Price Insurance Program is a risk-management tool that gives producers the opportunity to purchase price protection on cattle and hogs. 

The program is available in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba and provides producers with protection against an unexpected drop in prices over a defined period of time.

Saskatchewan's Livestock Price Insurance Co-ordinator Jodi Griffin says they've seen a resurgence in the program.

The Strathcona Synatics are June's winners of the Half Grand Helping Hand courtesy of South Fort Chevrolet and MIX 107! 

Having been a fixture in the community for the past 35 years, the Synatics are overjoyed to be able to have some extra cash to help out its members. 

"We want to keep the costs affordable so everyone who is interested can participate," said Deanna Bellamy, the president of the club. "[This] will be going [toward] trying to keep the costs of programs in a range that is affordable." 

A man has been arrested in relation to an alleged break and enter in Redwater. 

RCMP report that, on the afternoon of May 14, officers received a complaint from a business owner who said he was alerted to the break and enter by an alarm.

Upon arriving, the business owner says they witnessed a man crawl out from under the fence surrounding the property with a bag in hand before fleeing the scene on foot. 

Mounties responded to the call and employed the help of the RCMP Police Dog Service to locate the suspect.