FortSask

Ukraine wants Canada to lend its expertise — and donate crucial railway parts — to keep its embattled passenger and cargo rail system running as landmines and missile strikes threaten to stall the country's lifeline.

The rail system is vital to the war effort, and has been since the first days of the invasion that began one year ago this week.

Millions of people used trains to escape occupied cities and flee to neighbouring countries. Thousands of wounded soldiers and civilians were also transported by rail to hospitals in safer parts of the country.

New research using advanced technology suggests heavy oil facilities in Alberta and Saskatchewan are releasing almost four times the amount of a powerful greenhouse gas than they report to government. 

The research, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, pioneers new methods of measuring methane emissions that question current industry practice, said author Matthew Johnson, an engineering professor at Carleton University in Ottawa.

"A lot of these (reports) are done on ... estimates," said Johnson. "Clearly, they're not very accurate."

More than 36,000 people have signed a petition calling on the federal Liberals to live up to their election promise to ban the live export of horses for slaughter.

Statistics Canada data shows since the promise was made in 2021 more than 2,000 horses have been shipped from Canada to Japan where raw horse meat is a local delicacy.

Canadian singer Jann Arden initiated the petition because she believes the shipping of horses overseas is a cruel practice that has to end.

The City of Fort Saskatchewan is reminding residents that barking dogs could result in hefty fines. 

In a release earlier this week, the city mentioned limitations in the local animal control bylaw that involves barking dogs. 

"Dogs bark, it’s what they do naturally," said the city in the release. "However, it can become excessive if it persists for a long period of time." 

First-time offenders face a penalty of $150, while repeat offences double that penalty to $300. 

But what exactly does excessive barking mean? 

Fort Saskatchewan RCMP are looking for the people responsible for breaking into and damaging the Jubilee Recreation Centre (JRC). 

According to police, on Monday (Feb. 13) night, copper was stolen from the complex.

RCMP say that the theft caused about $125,000 of damage to the ice rink’s cooling system.

They currently do not have any suspects in the case.

If you have any information about this crime, police are asking you to contact the local detachment at 780-992-6100.

According to Gasbuddy.com, these are the cheapest places to find gas in the area over the long weekend.

These prices are as of 11 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 17).

Fort Saskatchewan

• UFA - $1.16 per litre
• Shell, 7-Eleven, Husky, Safeway, and Petro-Canada - $1.19 per litre
• Fas Gas, No Frills, and Co-op - $1.22 per litre

Edmonton

• Your Spot - $1.14 per litre
• Kikit - $1.15 per litre
• Centex - $1.18 per litre

Sherwood Park

The 2023 Canada Winter Games gets rolling this weekend! 

The national event will take place in P.E.I this year with athletes coming from all across the country to compete in their respective sports. 

Our region is well-represented with 17 local athletes and two coaches competing at the games. 

Here is a complete look at all the local athletes to keep an eye on: 

Joan Hardy is CP's vice president of sales and marketing for grain and fertilizer.

She says they attribute that to the efficiency and effectiveness of their customers, supply chains, and the infrastructure that they have built and developed.

"Also to our own operating model and our focus on moving grain. So in January, we moved 2.29 million metric tons of Canadian grain and grain products, so that was a new record. And, in fact, we've moved now crop year to date, more than 15 million metric tons of Canadian grain and grain products."

The Public Order Emergency Commission says the Liberal government met the "very high threshold" for invoking the Emergencies Act amid the weeks-long "Freedom Convoy" protests last winter. 

In a report released Friday, Justice Paul Rouleau concludes a series of policing failures and a "failure of federalism" led to a protest that spun out of control and had a striking impact on Ottawa residents.

“I have concluded that in this case, the very high threshold for invocation was met. I have done so with reluctance," he wrote. 

There were a lot of babies born in Alberta last year and with that came many new names to keep track of. 

The province recently released a list of all the names given to newborns for both boys and girls. 

Here are the 10 most popular boy names last year: 

1. Noah (229) 

2. Liam (176) 

3. Theodore (173) 

4. Oliver (172) 

5. Jack (159) 

6. William (146) 

7. Benjamin (138)

8. James (138) 

9. Henry (136) 

10. Lucas (135)