FortSask

Redwater residents should expect to pay a bit more on their property taxes this year. 

Earlier this month, the town council passed their 2023 tax bylaw, which included a 4.53 per cent rise. 

"It was a hard year to try and keep a sustainable budget with a reasonable increase for our taxpayers," said Diane Pysmeny, the general manager of corporate services with the town. 

A second RCMP Musical Ride has been added in Strathcona County. 

The 150th Musical Ride is slated to appear in Ardrossan on June 17, but a second demonstration has been added at Fultonvale School on June 15. 

This demonstration will take place in the fields behind the school and will start at 7 p.m. 

Attendance for both of the events is expected to be high so the county is strongly encouraging people to pre-register. 

Some major changes have come to the Fort Saskatchewan Transfer and Eco Station. 

The entire station has been redesigned, with a fully paved site and designated pull-out areas for users to sort through their materials.

Sadie Miller, the waste program supervisor for the City of Fort Saskatchewan, said that there are also changes to the way residents are charged for what they dump.

A new plan to force hospitals to report adverse effects of "natural health products" such as herbal remedies and supplements has come as a surprise to manufacturers, who say they were blindsided by the proposed change.

The federal government included the plan in the 2023 budget bill, which is still making its way through the House of Commons.

It would see natural health products fall under the same category as pharmaceuticals when it comes to how they are monitored once they are on the market.

Gale Katchur, the mayor of Fort Saskatchewan, has spoken out about a rise in illegally placed election signs as we approach election day.

In a post made to her Facebook page, Katchur illustrated examples of where election signs are prohibited, as part of the Election Sign Bylaw. 

The bylaw states that election signs must be placed at least three metres away from sidewalks and curbs and can't be placed on the back of a fence without permission from the property owner. 

Alberta Barley will be giving out three $2,000 scholarships for students actively engaged in barley research. 

The application deadline is May 31, 2023.

The scholarship is available to full and part-time graduate and undergraduate students studying at Canadian academic institutions. 

Preference will be given to students who intend to work in agriculture or academia in Western Canada.

Applicants need to send a one-page summary of their research project and how it could be beneficial to barley producers and the industry.

The ACT Program is a seven-year, $495.7 million initiative, comprised of two funding streams, with the Adoption Stream ending on March 31, 2026, and the Research and Innovation Stream ending on March 31, 2028.

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has announced the new intake for the Agricultural Clean Technology Program will begin on June 1st.

In Manitoba, feeder steer and heifer prices were mixed.

The 701 to 800-pound feeder steers saw an increase of $11.25 cwt for an average price of $282.50 cwt, while the 401 to 500-pounders dropped $5.50 cwt for an average price of $351 cwt.

Feeder heifer prices for the 401 to 500-pound animals were up $34 cwt for an average price of $317.50 cwt, while the largest price drop was $17.50 cwt for the 701-800 pound animals for an average price of $224 cwt. 

The Town of Morinville has signed a Fire Services Agreement with Sturgeon County, and a Mutual Aid Agreement with Alexander First Nation.

The agreements were signed during the town council's meeting on Wednesday (May 24) and serve to provide the area with a high level of emergency services to the residents of Morinville and the surrounding area.

Fire chief Brad Boddez said that the town previously had an agreement with Sturgeon County that ended in 2020.

The Canola Council of Canada (CCC) saw a lot of interest in the first year of their 4R Nutrient Stewardship Advantage program as part of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's On-Farm Climate Action Fund.

Warren Ward,  an Agronomy Specialist with the CCC says the Canola 4R Advantage program offers financial enhancements to help cover some of the costs associated with 4R Nutrient Stewardship.