Budget 2023: What you missed, from phone chargers and concert fees to air travel
For Canadians fed up with chargers that don't fit their cellphones, hidden fees, air-travel disruptions and cosmetic testing on animals, the Liberal government says help is on the way.
Those and others are among the countless measures contained in the federal budget plan unveiled by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Here are some of the less-prominent promises being made:
$491B federal budget invests heavily in green economic transformation
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's 2023 federal budget promises "transformative investments" in Canada's green economy as the country tries to maintain its place in the global clean tech revolution and realign its supply chains toward allies who won't use energy as a political weapon.
"Together these two great shifts represent the most significant opportunity for Canadian workers in the lifetime of anyone here today," Freeland said Tuesday in the House of Commons, according to her prepared remarks.
JRC modernization, Southfort Meadows Park highlight big upcoming construction projects
The city of Fort Saskatchewan gave a slew of updates on some of the construction projects happening around the city.
From the Highway 15 pedestrian bridge across the North Saskatchewan River to extensive work being done on Veteran's Way, there is a lot of construction that residents can expect in 2023.
Here is a look at the updates:
U17 AAA Rangers off to provincial championships
So far, so good for the U17 AAA South Fort Chev Rangers this playoff run.
The team has enjoyed a perfect stretch of games through the first two rounds of playoffs to punch their ticket to the U17 AAA provincial tournament.
Their latest victory came in the form of a two-game sweep over the MLAC Leafs. The Rangers won the best-of-three series with a pair of 8-2 and 6-1 wins.
Rhyd Semeniuk leads both the team and league in playoff scoring with a stunning 11 points in just four games. Evin Bossel is right behind with 10 points during the same stretch.
CCA elects new leadership team
The Canadian Cattle Association held their Annual General Meeting in Ottawa last week.
During the event they discussed a number of key issues from proposed changes to traceability regulations, to trade, animal welfare and the need for further enhancements to business risk management programs.
A new leadership team for 2023-24 was also elected with Nathan Phinney of New Brunswick named as President, and Tyler Fulton of Manitoba as Vice-President.
Rare celestial event will happen tonight
Keep your eyes peeled on the sky tonight, as you might be in for quite a celestial show.
Just as the sun is setting, five planets will align across the night sky for a spectacular view.
The event, often called a 'planetary parade', will allow onlookers to see five planets, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Uranus, and Mercury, lined up in the sky.
You'll want to be looking toward the western horizon just after sunset to get a glimpse of the planets.
RCMP: Former Fort Sask man arrested on fraud charges
A former Fort Saskatchewan resident is facing fraud charges according to the RCMP.
Police say 22-year-old Taylor Berezowski was arrested in Edmonton after they opened an investigation into several Facebook and Kijiji scams around the area in early March.
Berezowski was wanted on outstanding arrest warrants for fraud-related crimes in Fort Saskatchewan, Edmonton, and Vermillion.
After facing a judicial hearing, he was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in three provincial courts over the coming weeks.
Canadian beef moving to Japan
Key news for Canada's beef sector as Japan reopens its doors to Canadian processed beef for the first time in twenty years.
The federal government announced the move, noting this removes the last trade barrier that Japan put in place on Canadian beef after our discovery of BSE in May of 2003.
Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) President Nathan Phinney is pleased to see the full restoration of market access to Japan - Canada's second-largest export market for beef.
Stats Can releases February report
Statistic's Canada data is out for total grain movements out of Western Canada for the first two months of 2023.
January numbers show the total for all grains including wheat and durum came in at 5.2 million metric tonnes as compared to 4.5 million in February.
Canola was 1.7 million for January 2023 as compared to 1.4 million in February.
Overall, producer deliveries out of Western Canada dropped off in February as compared to January.
Update: Highway 16 portion opens after police incident
A portion of Highway 16 eastbound at the junction of Highway 824 is now open after being closed earlier.
The road was closed Monday (Mar. 27) afternoon due to a police chase.
Police say that the incident has been resolved and the road is open again.